I have been giddy with anticipation waiting to write this review and letting you all know just what I think of this album so I think I will write it a bit back to front and say right from the off THIS ALBUM IS FANASTIC!!

I have posted a couple of hints (bloody big ones though, I admit) concerning my feelings of this album onto Facebook recently but now is the time to tell you the absolute truth. And the absolute truth is that this album ticked almost every single box and then some. There is (almost) nothing to fault it for (but I’ll get to that in a bit) and having to write this review means I am sad as I now have to take the album from my car (ready for the next review)

But let’s turn back time a bit to when it all started. The guys met in 2011 and jammed together for a few years before officially forming a band in the winter of 2013. They were “fuelled with a desire to make dark, melodic and uncompromising music” and with singer/guitarist Steph K’s influences listed as bands such as Danzig, Type O Negative and The Misfits, together with bassist Matt G’s jazz sensibilities and drummer Tom S’s hard hitting grooves they soon found themselves making their own brand of metal, dark and melodic with gothic influences.

In February 2015, the band released their first album “At the End of Time” which featured not only a musical guest appearance from Glen Dover, former guitarist with Megadeth and King Diamond, but also his assistance with the production of the album. Drummer Tom S is also replaced by Peter S, completely the line-up they have today.

So, let’s talk about the new album “An Imperfect Storm” which is due to be released on 07/04/2017 through Metal Revelation. As I have previously stated, on a couple of occasions, it is fantastic but let me tell you WHY I think it’s fantastic.

I like metal to be original, to have something that sets it apart from all the other bands churning out the same old stuff. And this album has that little spark that makes you sit up and take notice. Musically, there is nothing to fault. The guitars work well with the percussion section of the band with some superb solos and intricate guitar work. The drumming is tight and on beat and with the addition of stringed instruments (other than the guitar variety), supplied by the very talented Steph K who is not only the bands vocalist but guitarist too, it’s hard to believe this band has just three members. Certain parts of certain songs actually sound like the guys are backed by a whole string orchestra and this results in an incredible sound that creates a dark, gloomy, even sad atmosphere that really does give you goose bumps.

But it’s not the intricacies of the musical instruments and how well they work together that give this band the edge, oh no! Its Steph’s vocals!

I always think that a band can sometimes replace a guitarist or a drummer but they can’t always replace a singer, and this would be very difficult for this band as Steph has a VERY unique voice. Emotional and powerful, yet dark and melancholic, it’s the vocals that give this band their gothic sound. Reminding me a little bit of Tony Kakko from Sonata Artica and Kristofer Dommin, from the American band Dommin, Steph really does make the album his own, and that is by no means taking anything away from his fellow band members.

The whole album is powerful and emotional, dark and melancholic yet still managing to be a heavy metal album. The middle section of tracks 2 (“I’m Not Sorry” – which features Tank from Chasing Dragons) to 6 (“Apocalypse Forever”) is my favourite part of the album but being only 9 tracks long anyway the rest is not far behind and it finishes with the beautiful “Barbituate Blues”, the perfect ending for a not so imperfect album.

I previously stated that there was (almost) nothing to fault the album for but as I have given it 9 and not 10 there are just a few bits to point out.

Steph’s vocals go slightly a bit out of tune towards the end of “Apocalypse Forever” but he can be forgiven for this as his voice is as near perfect for the rest of the album as could possibly be. Track 8 “Call me Cain” features vocals from Kieran McGourty (ex-Sufference) and for the only time on the album there are dirty vocals. This kind of took away a bit of the magic of the album for me as I am not a lover of growls and screams but the previously mentioned beautiful track “Barbituate Blues” soon restored that.

And the only other criticism I can find is that the recording level might have been set a little too high. I found the louder I played the album (and there is no point in playing this quietly) the more distorted it became. This could, of course, just have been the stereo I was playing it on but this album is far too beautiful and far too harmonious to listen to distorted.

All in all, I loved this album, which I think you have worked out by now. It might not appeal to everyone, the individuality and uniqueness turning some people off but if you are willing to give something different a go, then buy this album when it is released in April. I was luckily enough to hear it before its release date and I will continue to listen to it way past the official launch.

TRACKLISTING:
1. I’m Not Sorry – feat. Tank (Chasing Dragons)
2. Die With Me – a Soldier’s Song
3. Tongues of Fire
4. Nail Me Upside Down
5. I Did it for You
6. Apocalypse Forever
7. Greater Love
8. Call me Cain (He Never Died) – feat. Kieran McGourty (ex-Sufferance)
9. Barbiturate Blues

LINE-UP:
Steph K – Vocals
Matt G – Bass
Tom S – Drums

This review is purely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum

As much as I love the diversity of reviewing, I thought it was about time I returned to my roots and reviewed a thrash album. And with a name like Thrash Bombz, I thought this one would be right up my street.

Formed in 2007 in Sicily, Italy, Thrash Bombz are a band that does exactly what it says on the tin. They are a thrash band, a bloody good one at that, and “Master of the Dead” is their fourth studio album. Although not released until 03/03/2017 on Iron Shield Records, I have been lucky enough to hear this gem of an album in its entirety and was not in the least little bit disappointed with.

Having spent two years, writing and recording the album, there is not a bad track on it. There is no metalcore or progressiveness to this that seems to be around so much these days. This is a good old fashioned thrash metal album that is played as it should be…..loud, with energy and passion and with all the best hallmarks of traditional thrash metal.

The guitars are fast, riff heavy and the solos will certainly melt your ears off. The drumming is equally as quick, tight, packed full of double kicks and performed with such energy and gusto and the singer has the perfect voice for this type of metal, with no dirty vocals or growling anywhere on the album.

From the offset, this album will have you strumming your air guitar and bashing those air drums. I was headbanging in the car whilst tapping (quite heavily) on the steering wheel but did I care? Did I hell as like. I love albums that make you feel like that and react in such a way. To me that is the sign of a good album.

And this is a great album!

Tracks that stood out for me (all great albums should have stand out tracks!) were “Evil Witches” and “Evoking The Ghost” but as I previously said there are no fillers. The whole album totally rocks from the very start to the very end.

If you are a fan of thrash bands such as Death Angel, Exodus and Forbidden, “Master of the Dead” is an absolute must for your collection. I can’t wait until these guys come to England…..

…..I will be first in the queue for my ticket!

Absolutely thrash-tastic!

TRACKLISTING:
1. Condemned To Kill Again
2. Ritual Violence
3. Master Of The Dead
4. Curse Of The Priest
5. Black Steel
6. Taken By Force
7. Evil Witches
8. Evoking The Ghost
9. The Avenger
10. Call Of Death

LINE-UP:
Giuseppe “Ur” Peri – Rhythm Guitar
Salvatore “Skizzo” Li Causi – Lead Guitar
Tony “Stormer” Frenda – Vocals
Salvatore “Trronu” Morreale – Drums
Angelo “Destruktor” Bissanti (Only On This Cd) – Bass And Backing Vocals

This review is purely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum

One of things that really bugs me about reviewing is the way other reviewers pigeon-hole albums and bands and one thing that can not be done with the new album by Mexican band, Voltax, is pigeonholing.

Formed in Mexico City in 2006, Voltax have evolved into one of Mexico’s most impressive underground metal bands. They released their demo, “Discharge” in 2006 and their self-titled debut full length album was released the following year.

Despite not registering on MY heavy metal radar, Voltax do have a history and a metal pedigree behind them and never once have they abandoned their classic metal sound. I have seen them be described as “NWOBHM with a hint of Mercyful Fate and a sprinkling of Deep Purple”, “Traditional heavy metal mixed with classic speed metal” and also “With the hint of a progressive feel”.

I would like to describe them just as they describe themselves, “There is no “old school” and “new school” WE are heavy metal, as pure and as heavy as it can be played, no more, no less.”

Their second full length album “Fugitive State of Mind” was released in 2010 and featured artwork by Dimitar Nikolov (Ruthless, Fatal Violence and Air Raid) and in 2011 they won the WOA Metal Battle Mexica, playing the international final at the Wacken Open Air Metal Battle, finishing in third place.

Their third album “Hiding into Flames” was released in 2013 and consolidated the band as a vital force of the Mexican scene.

Now they are back with their new album, the fantastically titled “No Retreat…You Surrender”, again featuring the talents of artist Dimitar Nikolov.

Citing influences such as Judas Priest, Accept, Mercyful Fate, Rainbow, Iron Maiden, Uriah Heep, UFO and Black Sabbath, it’s easy to see these shine through in this album. The band has a typical early 80s metal sound of galloping bass lines and thundering drums, mixed with twin guitar harmonies, searing guitar solos and shrieking vocals.

For me, the vocals took a little bit of getting used to, but then, as I have said before in previous reviews, if the vocalist is not singing in his native language, they will tend to sound a bit “off” to native English speakers. Having said this, the guy can sing. He has a hoarse, shrieking voice but he doesn’t bark or grind the vocals, which are, overall, very clear.

This may seem to some people as yet another throwback album, latching on to a sound of a bygone era and wringing it for everything it has while not bringing anything new to the table.

BUT, for me that is its appeal. I love newer bands reproducing the sounds of older ones because there is always that little bit of individuality that not everyone can hear.

These guys are full on leather and bullet belt heavy fucking metal and I for one hope they stick around for a very long time.

Definitely one for all the heavy metal maniacs out there \m/

TRACKLISTING:
01. El Fin (Intro)
02. Broken World
03. This Void We Ride
04. Deadly Games
05. Go With Me
06. Starless Night
07. Night Lasts Forever
08. Explota
09. The Hero
10. 25, 6 to 4 (Bonus track)

This review is purely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum

After reviewing the previous release by this “power metal” band from the US, it felt only right that I should also review this one. Already established that, with the right promotion and manager behind them, these guys could and should have been one of the big bands of the 1980’s, possessing the right work ethic, dedication and talent to make it as big as the likes of Metal Church, Agent Steel and Exciter.

Dedication and talent are two words not lost on these guys. Formed by natural musician and multi-instrumentalist Doug Calloway in 1985, Doug was an original producer of his own material at the age of just 16 years old. He ran an ad looking for a high range metal vocalist to record and perform his music, and when Loy Mitchum, from South Carolina, answered the ad at 15 years of age, he was just the type of singer Doug had envisaged performing his songs.

Doug worked tirelessly over the years writing new material, often on the one album before the previous has been completed, and even a break in the band didn’t deter him. In fact, it fuelled his writing, recording and performing (with other bands) and this resulted in over 20 albums of original material, most of it unreleased.

The band split in 1994 but reformed in 2004 for a reunion show. This, however, wasn’t a permanent reunion but 2016 saw a re-birth of Legion and, despite 22 years apart, it sounds like Doug and Loy have never been separated. Original members Chuck Goodwin and Marvin Mitchum have also returned to the band.

Says Doug Calloway: “We have rekindled the fire in our hearts and nothing short of DEATH will separate us ever again.”

So what of this album? Produced by Doug Calloway (who has also done the cover artwork) and re-mastered by Kostas Scandalis, this is both an unreleased album from 1985 and a previously unreleased compilation spanning 1985-1990, now for the first time on cd.

At just over an hour and twenty minutes, it is 21 tracks long and, quite possibly, should have been released as two separate albums, as they were intended, but I can see the logic behind it. As most cd’s can hold 80 minutes of music, why not put two albums on the same cd? Listeners are exposed to even more music and two albums from those long lost archives see the light of day. It’s a win-win situation all around.

As with the previous release “Darkness”, which itself was also a compilation of the first album “Darkness” originally released in 1991, and the previously unreleased fourth album “For We Are Many”, this has a very retro feel to it, sounding like it was written and recorded in the 1980’s. Very much focused on the extensive vocal range of Loy Mitchum, who could, in my opinion, give the likes of Rob Halford, King Diamond and Geoff Tate a run for their money, it is actually one of those “love it or hate it” albums. Some people might think the high pitch vocals are too much on this album, used a lot more here than the previous recording. As I said in my last Legion review I love the higher range vocals in metal music, but I must admit, that I did grow a bit tired of it on “Bible of Stone”

That being said, the guitar work of Doug, along with the solid percussion section, the speed metal riffs and the thrash metal guitar and drum work, that gives this band their sound, prove there is more to them than just vocals. Each is a very talented musician and I would like to add here that I do not think Loy Mitchum is a bad singer, which is by no means the case. His vocal range can extend from the very lowest to the very highest and I think he should make more of the range he possesses.

So who should listen to this album? Well, according to their own PR notes, this is for fans of Deadly Blessing, Metal Church, Omen and Enchanter, but I think every metal lover should add it to their collection. They have described themselves on Facebook as a “power metal” band but I think they have sold themselves short. Flitting from sounding like Exciter and Agent Steel to Metal Church and King Diamond, there are also reminiscences of heavy Led Zeppelin, and even early Rush.

To me, they have such a wide appeal, that to try and pigeon-hole them would be wrong and insulting to them as musicians. And why do we need to categorise bands anyway? Let bands play the music THEY want to, how THEY want to.

That way, we, the fans, get to listen to a whole range of metal music and, like me, we get to find a little gem that we otherwise might not have found!

TRACKLISTING:
1. Bible of Stone
2. Running Away
3. Out Of The Blue
4. Chalice
5. Warrior
6. Eye of the Beholder
7. Destiny
8. Red and Black
9. We’ve Been Watching
10. Welcome the Storm
11. Go to Sleep
12. Memories
13. Tonight
14. Broken Pieces
15. Marie Mary
16. T-total Destruction
17. The Keeper
18. Monsters
19. Tiny Acoustics
20. Endless Nights
21. No Place to Go

LINE-UP:
Chuck Goodwin – Bass
Marvin Mitcham – Drums
Doug Calloway – Guitars
Loy Mitcham – Vocals

This review is purely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum

Well, blow me down like a feather; I seem to have been sent an absolutely amazing set of new and recently released albums. Perhaps, it is because I am still catching up with so much already released this year, that I have got so many gems. Whatever the reason it’s a great problem to have but it does mean I’m giving out my second 10/10 in a row.

I’m not really a fan of the term ‘Supergroup’ but from a personal point of view; Black Swan has to be seen as such. However, if you have heard their debut album, “Shake The World” (released in 2020), you’ll already know that Black Swan are not relying on their individual names, as it was an excellent slab of 80’s influenced Hard Rock that took many by surprise and second album “Generation Mind” is arguably even better, proving these guys have still got an awful lot to say.

If, like me, you were listening to this type of music 35-40 years ago, then having vocalist Robin McAuley (McAuley Schenker Group, Grand Prix), guitarist Reb Beach (Winger, Whitesnake), bassist Jeff Pilson (ex Dokken, Foreigner) and drummer Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr Big) together in a band in 2022 is something to celebrate and “Generation Mind” does that in a fantastic way.

Robin McAuley is incredibly, less than a year away from his 70^th birthday and I don’t think his vocals have sounded better than they do here. He always had an instantly recognisable voice and, listening to this for the first time, I was transported back to 1987 when I heard the first McAuley Schenker Group album “Perfect Timing”. Likewise, Reb Beach is on blistering form. He has always been a hugely talented guitarist and his solos on this album are likely to take the skin off your face at 30 paces. As usual Jeff Pilson is superb on the bass, without ever making it sounding complicated and his rhythm work with Matt Starr is absolutely on point.

It’s another of those albums without a filler track in sight and, as a reviewer, that is most definitely a good problem to have, but it does mean picking out particular songs to highlight tough. Just believe me when I say that if you are a fan of any of the bands mentioned above (and many more of their ilk) and have a love of huge sounding 80’s thumping Heavy Rock with plenty of melody and singalong choruses then you will absolutely love Black Swan and both their albums.

Frontiers may get stick for putting these sorts of bands together on a fairly regular basis, but when the result is this damned good then there is absolutely no need to complain. Just be thankful that all four of these guys are still around and releasing music of such quality. Fingers crossed we get album number three!

Track List

01. Before The Light

02. She Hides Behind

03. Generation Mind

04. Eagles Fly

05. See You Cry

06. Killer On The Loose

07. Miracle

08. How Do You Feel

09. Long Way Down

10. Crown

11. Wicked The Day

12. I Will Follow

Band Members

Robin McAuley – Lead Vocals, Background Vocals

Reb Beach – Guitars, Background Vocals

Jeff Pilson – Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Keys, Background Vocals

Matt Starr – Drums, Percussion

This review is purely the property of Richard Tilley and The Metal Asylum

I really didn’t think it would happen so quickly but my first, full marks, review has already arrived. For those of you who are new to my reviews, I don’t give out top marks very often but “My Father’s Son”, the new solo album from, Finnish maestro, Jani Liimatainen is so brilliant that I have no other option.

If you don’t know, Jani Liimatainen was a founding member and guitarist for Sonata Arctica (one of my favourite bands) and remained with them for twelve years before moving on. Since then he has worked on a number of projects and is currently a member of Insomnium, The Dark Element (with former Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon) and Cain’s Offering (with Stratovarius frontman Timo Kotipelto).

When reviewing, I always go into an album blind for the first listen. I don’t want anything, already written, to cloud my thoughts. “My Father’s Son” grabbed me, from the first note to the last, and took me on a wonderful journey. This is a hugely melodic album and fans of the aforementioned Sonata Arctica and The Dark Element will absolutely revel in it.

What’s different here is that there is a different lead vocalist on nearly every track, even Jani sings vocals on one. Now this could make the album sound disjointed but every singer puts in a stellar performance and, whilst they all have distinct voices, sound completely at home with the material and each other. Jani has written all the tracks to their strengths and the end result is extremely cohesive.

Opening track ‘Breathing Divinity’ feat Björn “Speed” Strid (Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra) gets things off to a cracking start. It’s not a particularly up-tempo track but the melodies and chorus absolutely fly and the smile on my face was instantaneous. Sonata Arctica vocalist Tony Kakko turns up on the next track ‘All Dreams Are Born To Die’ and the smile grew much larger. I think Tony possesses one of the most distinctive and beautiful voices in Melodic/Power Metal circles and this could be a lost SA track. Renan Zonta (Electric Mob, Brother Against Brother) appears on two tracks ‘What Do You Want’ and ‘The Music Box’ and is superb on both. Likewise, Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius), also lends his wonderful voice to two tracks, the gorgeous ballad ‘Who Are We’ and ‘Into The Fray’. Pekka Heino (Brother Firetribe) sings on ‘Side By Side’, which sounds like it was written by Survivor in the 80’s, if they were a Heavy Metal band, but also contains some excellent Saxophone and Anette Olzon who, unjustly, still gets a bad rap from some for her time in Nightwish, turns in another lovely performance here on ‘I Could Stop Now’.

As superb as all these tracks are, it is the final two on the album that are the most haunting and beautiful. Jani, himself, provides lead vocals on the piano driven, very sad ‘Haunted House’, and proves what an incredibly talented singer he is and Antti Railio (Raskasta Joulua) gives a spine-tingling performance on the title track, which closes the album. This is quite simply the finest track Sonata Arctica never wrote.

I always think that music like this, when it is high quality, is the Heavy Metal equivalent of Musical Theatre and every track on “My Father’s Son” should receive a curtain call. Jani Liimatainen should be rightfully proud of the material presented here and completely justified in stamping his name on the cover!

Track List

01. Breathing Divinity

02. All Dreams Are Born To Die

03. What Do You Want

04. Who Are We

05. Side By Side

06. The Music Box

07. Into The Fray

08. I Could Stop Now

09. Haunted House

10. My Father’s Son

Line-Up

Vocalists

Pekka Heino (Track 5)

Tony Kakko (Track 2)

Timo Kotipelto (Tracks 4 & 7)

Jani Liimatainen (Track 9)

Anette Olzon (Track 8)

Antti Railio (Track 10)

Björn Strid (Track 1)

Renan Zonta (Tracks 3 & 6)

Musicians

Jani Liimatainen – Guitars, Keyboards, Programming

Jonas Kuhlberg – Bass

Rolf Pilve – Drums

Jarkko Lahti – Piano

Jens Johansson – Guest Keyboard Solo

Janne Huttunen – Guest Saxophone Solo

Backing Vocals

Petri Aho

JC Halttunen

Tony Kakko

Jani Liimatainen

Anette Olzon

Antti Railio

Björn Strid

Lassi Vääränen

Renan Zonta

This review is purely the property of Richard Tilley and The Metal Asylum

My first review for The Metal Asylum was Progressive Modern Metal and my second was Melodic Hard Rock so, for my third, I thought I would write about something a bit heavier and, boy, this is one brutally heavy album. “Damnum” was released back in February (don’t forget I’m playing catch-up this year), is the sixth full-length release from Denver, Colorado Technical Melodic Death Metallers, Allegaeon and it kicks some serious butt!

When it comes to Death Metal many bands leave me a bit cold, but Allegaeon have two things in their arsenal that make a huge difference to me, technicality and melody! In fact, I’m still trying to fathom out how such a brutal album can be so melodic but “Damnum” has melody in spades. I also have their previous album “Apoptosis” in my collection and, as good as that was, the material here is raised to the next level because of melody. Whatever the genre (by the way I’m not a fan of genre tags and use them in reviews only to help those of you who do find them important), melody is king and Allegaeon prove that you do not have to sacrifice it to make modern, extreme music. A good deal of that melody comes from guitarists Greg Burgess and Michael Stance. Their riffs, hooks and solos are insanely good, just listen to the guitar work and solo in opener “Bastards Of The Earth” for proof, but they couple that with incredible technicality and even though the guitars have the grunt of two rhinos on steroids it’s all so beautifully clean and clear.

Another thing that makes “Damnum” a superior album to its predecessor is the arrival of drummer Jeff Saltzman to Allegaeon and he has injected new life, speed, intensity and technicality into the band. I drummed in bands for many years but am self-taught and wasn’t hugely flamboyant, I could never hope to compete with the technicality and speed of many modern metal drummers, but it is always the first thing I hear & listen to when digesting an album for the first time and Saltzman blew me away with his precision and diversity. His blast beats (something else which can leave me cold if overused) are exceptional and his teamwork with bass player Brandon Michael is spot on.

Now we come to the vocals of Riley McShane. These days there are thousands of harsh, screaming and growling vocalists and you cannot get away from the fact that many of them sound the same but Riley seems to possess about half a dozen different vocal styles and utilises all of them extremely well throughout the album, including an inhumane growl that resembles Godzilla rampaging through Japan and a very good singing voice, when the need arises. They all melt beautifully into one another and, again, none are overused. The tracks on “Damnum” that, probably, contain everything that Allegaeon have to offer as a band, at their most extreme and diverse, is ‘The Dopamine Void Pts 1&2, they are magnificent.

That brings me to the final thing I want to say, for now, about Allegaeon. Many bands, especially in extreme genres, turn everything up to 11 from the word go and do not relent until an album finishes, constantly trying to prove, to the listener, that they are the heaviest, most brutal or fastest band around. When that happens, the result is, usually, tedium and overload. Allegaeon are the complete opposite of that. They know exactly when to let a track breathe and to give the music space. There are some beautiful quieter and slower sections on “Damnum”. These not only allows you to really appreciate the level of musicianship but they also make the, already brutal, parts sound even more intense. It is a lesson that every band should learn and use.

“Damnum” is an essential release for fans of the genre but I urge others, who might not usually listen to music this heavy, to give Allegaeon a chance. You may be surprised at just how gorgeous brutality can be sometimes!

Track Listing

01. Bastards Of The Earth

02. Of Beasts And Worms

03. Into Embers

04. To Carry My Grief Through Torpor And Silence

05. Vermin

06. Called Home

07. Blight

08. The Dopamine Void Pt. 1

09. The Dopamine Void Pt. 2

10. Saturnine

11. In Mourning

12. Only Loss

Band Members

Greg Burgess – Guitar

Michael Stancel – Guitar

Riley McShane – Vocals

Brandon Michael – Bass

Jeff Saltzman – Drums

This review is purely the property of Richard Tilley and The Metal Asylum

Swedish Melodic Rock band Treat have recently released their ninth album (their fourth since making a comeback in 2010) and it is as sublime as any fan of the band would want it to be. Part of me did hesitate and wonder whether to write this review instead of perhaps concentrating on something a little more ‘under the radar’, after all, “The Endgame” will receive more than a fair amount of coverage, but I have always been a huge fan of Melodic Rock & AOR and, as I’m a new writer on The Metal Asylum, wanted to show you, the awesome reader, that when it comes to Rock & Metal nothing is off the table as far as I’m concerned!

I’m old enough to remember Treat from the 1980’s and was always a fan. Like many of my age, I found much of the 1990’s a barren time for the music I loved and it was pure delight when many bands decided to make a comeback or re-emerge from the depths. It took Treat until 2010 to do that, but they hit the ground running with the monumental “Coup de Grace” and, since then, it has been all systems go!

“The Endgame” sees the reunited “Coup de Grace” line-up return in full and kicks off with the wonderful ‘Freudian Slip’, an up-tempo monster and, probably, one of the catchiest album openers you are likely to hear this year. I say opener because Treat have the remarkable talent to write ‘catchy’ in their sleep. Fast or slow, nearly every track on this release is nigh on perfect. ‘Sinbiosis’ & ‘Wake Me When It’s Over’ contain choruses and melodies that are so damned good they really should be illegal, the whole of ‘Both Ends Burning’ is superb, ‘My Parade’ & ‘Magic’ are ballads sent from heaven (no sniggering at the back please, I adore a good ‘lighter waving’ ballad) and the wonderfully titled ‘Jesus From Hollywood’ contains some great lyrics and a hook big enough to catch ‘Nessie’. In fact picking out highlights on “The Endgame” is almost impossible.

Every member of the band shines with the Lead Vocals of Robert Ernlund, Guitars of Anders ”Gary” Wikström and Keyboards of Patrick Appelgren, as well as the incredible ‘gang’ backing vocals working together like a fine port & cheese board.

It’s still good but the only track that stops the album from getting a ‘10’ is ‘Carolina Reaper’ which is just a tad formulaic, in an 80’s Def Leppard kind of way. However, that does lead into the slightly darker, but still superb ‘Dark To Light’ and final track ‘To The End Of Love’. This begins as another great track but halfway through introduces a magnificent keyboard cadence, which pretty much stays until the end and gives me goosebumps every time I listen.

“The Endgame” is 55 minutes of sheer ‘Melodic Rock’ beauty and the running time absolutely flies by. I could say that they have delivered an absolute ‘Treat’ of an album but that would be a terrible joke so I won’t…ok, ok, I’ll get my coat!

Track Listing

01. Freudian Slip

02. Rabbit Hole

03. Sinbiosis

04. Home Of The Brave

05. Both Ends Burning

06. My Parade

07. Wake Me When It’s Over

08. Jesus From Hollywood

09. Magic

10. Carolina Reaper

11. Dark To Light

12. To The End Of Love

Band Members

Robert Ernlund – Lead Vocals

Anders ‘Gary’ Wikström – Guitars, Backing Vocals

Jamie Borger – Drums, Percussion

Nalle Påhlsson – Bass, Backing Vocals

Patrick Appelgren – Keyboards, Backing Vocals

This review is purely the property of Richard Tilley and The Metal Asylum

Those of you who have listened to The Metal Asylum radio show over the past few months (and if you haven’t, why haven’t you?) will know that S.O.R.M have featured a number of times. There really is only ONE reason for this….and that is because they are a f**king excellent band!

I really could write this review in just a handful of words, those being “THIS EP IS THE DOGS B**LOCKS AND EVERYONE SHOULD GO LISTEN TO IT!” but I will actually be nice and write a bit more than that! (Although this EP IS the dogs b**locks and everyone should go listen to it!!)

So, S.O.R.M? Who exactly are they? S.O.R.M are a hard rock trio from Lidkoping, Sweden and were founded in the spring of 2017. Comprising of Micke Holm on vocals and lead guitar, Robin Wernebratt on drums and Johan Östman on bass, the band combine the “best elements of contemporary and traditional hard rock and heavy metal, high energetic and powerful sound, swinging grooves and fuzzy guitar virtuosity!”

The band joined EMG (Extreme Management Group) in 2018, a year which also saw them originally release the Hellraiser EP in digital format.

But, said Micke Holm “we have decided to take down our EP “Hellraiser” from digital services. We Think that “Hellraiser” deserves to be released properly!”

The EP was re-released on 4^th December 2020 through Noble Demon Records (the new-ish label from former Nuclear Blast head of digital sales, Patrick Walch) with the bass tracks being re-recorded by Johan and organ added to every track to give a heavier, thicker sound.

So, what of the EP?

I’m going to start off with the only gripe I have with it. It’s not bloody long enough! Full album next time guys, ok?

The EP kicks off with the hook laden lead single Gypsy Queen, a typical heavy metal track full of solid guitar work. This song is a great introduction to what’s on offer for the rest of the EP.

Brick By Brick, with its bass guitar led intro, is a slower paced yet powerful track. Its hard riffing but dark and brooding at the same time.

The title track Hellraiser I absolutely love. I’ve read that it is reminiscent to W.A.S.P and this I can totally hear. I have played it on The Metal Asylum a few times as it is an absolute feel-good song that literally should get everyone bouncing.

Now, the EP finishes with a cover of The Animals 1964 hit House Of The Rising Sun and, by jove, if you are going to do a cover you might as well make it an absolute EPIC of a cover, as the boys have done with this one. Starting off moody and doomy this track gathers momentum, and heaviness (if you thought the Frijid Pink version of this song was heavy then you have heard nothing yet!) into a 9 minute stonker of a tune!! Micke’s vocals suit the song right down to the ground, melodic yet gritty, and I personally think this is how the song SHOULD have been done.

S.O.R.M are just the epitome of a hard rock band, and what a sound they have from just three of them. The Metal Asylum have become huge, huge fans of this band and we WILL play them as much as we can on the show.

Please go out and get yourself a copy of this EP. I can hand on heart guarantee that you will NOT be disappointed, and if you are then I will eat my hat (and I’d have to go and buy one!!)

See you on tour guys!! I’ll be the one at the front! \m/

Track Listing:

1 Gypsy Queen

2 Brick By Brick

3 Hellraiser

4 House Of The Rising Sun

S.O.R.M are:

Micke Holm – Vocals and Lead Guitar

Robin Wernebratt – Drums

Johan Östman – Bass

This review is purely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum

If you thought the 1980’s era of hair metal was dead and buried then look no further than Texan band, Three Lane Road. Formed in 2014, these melodic hard rockers were originally put together as a studio project for singer/guitarist Wayne Brito’s musical output and only became a live outfit when they played their first gig in March 2016 at The Underpass in Texas. Pulling Musket from a former band and discovering Davis and Geisel from advertisements the quartet only took to the stage when music fans in Dallas insisted they take their act out of the studio and into the local venues.

Since then they have shared the stage with Joe Lynn Turner, Junkyard and Bang Tango.

Citing bands such as Journey, Bon Jovi, Dokken, Skid Row, Styx, Def Leppard and REO Speedwagon as influences on their Facebook page, it is clear they wanted to emulate the sound of these top arena rockers from the 70’s and 80’s, something they have done well.

As quoted, again, from their Facebook page, their music is “melodic vocal lines sang by Wayne Brito, coupled together with tastefully driven guitar leads from both Allan Davis and Wayne Brito, bring to life a nostalgic rock feel.”

And its no surprise they are influenced by this era of rock. Having listened to the album before I saw any pictures of the band, I was actually shocked to see that these guys are not twenty-something year olds, latching on to the music of a by-gone age. These guys were there the first time round and have probably brought all the albums and worn all the t-shirts.

Recorded at Empire Sound in Carollton, Texas and produced by Alex Gerst, the EP is comprised of material mainly written by frontman Brito, and sets us up for a full length, as yet un-named, album due for release in 2017 which will include all six songs from this EP, as well as three more new tracks.

Says the band, “the idea is to get these six songs out there as an introduction to the band, with the full nine song album, which is in production now, set to come out in January or February. We are using the EP to get people excited about the upcoming full length album and to introduce the band to a worldwide audience.”

With hooks and over the top melodies easily relatable to their hard rock heroes, this EP is full of sweeping choruses, punching riffs and pitch perfect solos and, although vocalist Brito misses a few notes here and there, on the whole, he does a great job.

All in all this is a fantastic EP and, to quote the overly used but to the point cliché, this is “all killer with no filler.” The pace is kept up from start to finish, with not even the whiff of a power ballad, so indigenous of this genre, in sight. My guess is they are saving this for the full length album but only time will tell on that one.

Being a fan of “80’s hair metal” anyway, I loved this EP and am waiting with baited breath for the full length album. It’s only three more songs and if this EP sets the standard then I am sure they will rock just as much as this does!!

Long live HAIR METAL \m/

TRACKLISTING:
1. I Want
2. I’ll Fly With You
3. Strange Way
4. Time Of Our Lives
5. Dreams
6. Lift Me Up

LINE-UP:
Wayne Brito – Vocals
Steve Musket – Bass
Dan Nelson – Keyboard
Jaime Northrup – Drums

This review is purely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum