This week we celebrated some of the best albums that are turning 40 years old in 2021. Is your favourite from that year on the list?

Aired on Metal Devastation Radio on Sunday 28th February 2021

At the beginning of this year I had, what can only be described as, the absolute pleasure to review the Hot EP by this young band from Sweden. I gave it a 9 out of 10 as I was so impressed and even stated in my review how much I was looking forward to reviewing the album once it was done.

Well, the album has now been completed and, as you can already see from the score I have given it, it’s an absolute stonker! But, to be fair, I already knew that would be the case!!

Formed in early 2017, the band hail from Lindesberg / Ӧbero in Sweden and is made up of the power trio of Markus Asland on bass and vocals, Niklas Jansson on guitar and Niklas Dahlgren on drums. Their own band notes state they play a “gritty and nostalgic fusion of classic rock and blues inspiration” and this just about sums them up perfectly.

I said in my review of the EP that the music enticed a “warm, fuzzy feeling of bliss and contentment” as you were transported back to the past and this album gives you that feeling once again….and more! Playing a mix of classic rock, blues and soul, this band is obviously heavily influenced by the sounds of the late 60’s/70’s era. And that is by no means a bad thing.

With groovy riffs, strong vocals (this guy’s voice is outstanding) and swinging drums, this is classic rock but with a modern twist. With a little bit of blues, a little bit of rock and killer guitars, these guys have nailed the sound of the 60’s/70’s with true musicianship.

With influences such as Jimi Hendrix, Free, Deep Purple, Grandfunk Railroad, Buddy Miles, Rory Gallagher and Spooky Tooth, they were always on to a winning formula, but they do it with a class that could easily put them up there with the best of the genre.

A quote from Classic Rock magazine regarding the EP stated that the music was “spewing embers of psychedelic wonder” and these guys would not have been out of place at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. They really are the perfect band to just chill out to.

Just like the EP the whole album was recorded live except for the vocals and solos and recording finished in just nine days! Something of an accomplishment!

When the EP was released Stew was an unsigned band (which was something of a sacrilege if you ask me as they should have been snapped up ages ago!) but I was extremely pleased to see that they have now been signed to Ripple Music and I know with the backing of a record label and the hard work they so obviously put into their music, this band will go places. They are still young and have many successful years ahead of them.

Its not very often I give a 10 out of 10, having only dished out a handful during my reviewing career, but this album certainly deserves it. In fact, it actually deserves an 11!

I am sooooo impressed with these guys that I am going to be following them very closely in the future and monitoring just how successful they are going to be. I am even going to recommend to Rick we add them to our “Bands We Follow” page on our site.

Keep up the good, no great, work guys and I hope to see you at a gig over here sometime! Now, THAT would just be the icing on the cake!

TRACKLISTING:

1 Intro

2 Right On Time

3 People

4 Newborn

5 Endless Journey

6 Play The Fool

7 Goddess

8 Afraid Of Getting Nowhere

9 Sweet And True

10 Fruits

11 Morning Again

Originally posted on Ever Metal

Have you ever had that warm, fuzzy feeling of bliss and contentment when you stick a cd on and straight away it reminds you of times gone past? Yes? Well, that’s exactly the feeling I got when I started playing this new EP from Swedish band Stew. I didn’t really know what to expect as, once again, I hadn’t read the notes that came with the EP, but I was (very) pleasantly surprised.

Stew hail from Lindesberg / Ӧrebro in Sweden, forming in early 2017 and are made up of the power trio of Markus Asland on bass and vocals, Nicklas Jansson on guitar and Nicklas Dahlgren on drums. The music they play is a mix of classic rock, blues and soul, heavily influenced by the late 60’s and 70’s era.

The bands notes state that they play a “gritty and nostalgic fusion of classic rock and blues inspirations” and they are not wrong! You could almost have been transported back four decades as soon as this EP kicks in with the track “Might Be Keeping You”, which, by the way was picked for Classic Rock Magazine’s Best Of The Year in 2018!!

And Classic Rock, themselves, couldn’t have summed it up any better if they had tried; “spewing embers of psychedelic wonder, Stew emerged from Sweden this year with an album so far out that half of us still haven’t come back. This track is a highlight, a deep, rumbling ode to the days when metal was acid-rock and life was consistently wild.”

With groovy riffs, strong vocals (love this guy’s voice!) and swinging drums this is classic yet with a modern twist. With a little bit of blues, a little bit of rock and killer guitars, these guys have nailed the sound of the 60’s / 70’s with true musicianship.

With influences stated by the band including the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Free, Deep Purple, Grandfunk Railroad, Buddy Miles, Rory Gallagher and Spooky Tooth, these guys wouldn’t have been out of place at the great Woodstock Festival in 1969.

Despite only being around for just about two years, this band sounds like it is a seasoned veteran of the 60’s and 70’s and have decided to get back together for a reunion tour, playing all their old hits.

I loved this EP from the very moment it started and the only gripe I have with it is that’s it’s just not long enough! Just as I am really getting into it, it finishes. So, my next comment would be, I am REALLY looking forward to an album when one is done. I think that would be on my play list for a very long time to come!

The only other thing I can comment on about this EP and band is the fact that they are unsigned! Why these guys haven’t been snapped up by a record company is beyond me, but I hope they are very soon. With a little bit of support, Stew could really go places!!

TRACKLISTING:

1 Might Be Keeping You

2 If This Will Be

3 Tongue Tied

4 Dig For Gold

Originally posted on Ever Metal

Many years ago, in 2006, a then good friend of mine sent me an album to listen, one that he thought I would enjoy. That album was “Vampires in The Church” by St Madness and, with my favourite tracks being ‘Vampires in the Church’, ‘Arizona’ and ‘Ever After’, I absolutely loved it.

Now, 12 years later, I have been given their new album “Bloodlustcapades” to review, and guess what? I absolutely love this one too.

Formed in Tempe, Arizona in 1993, they originally had the name Crown of Thorns, but in 1997, after discovering a Christian rock band from New Jersey had trademarked the name, they changed to St Madness, and have been so ever since.

Although not to everyone’s taste, the band has achieved some fine accolades during their career, including performing at the 12^th and 13^th iconic Milwaukee Metalfest in 1998 and 1999, and receiving the Los Angeles Music Award for Metal Album of the Year for their 2013 album “Carnimetal”.

They have also performed on stage with a host of bands including Van Halen, Monster Magnet, Gwar, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Flotsam and Jetsam, Sacred Reich, Lynch Mob, Fates Warning, Phil Lewis, Six Feet Under, Death, Destruction, Iced Earth, Black Oak Arkansas, The Misfits and D.R.I! Impressive, huh?

“Bloodlustcapades” is the band’s 11^th full length CD release.

One of the things I love about St Madness is that you cannot pigeon hole them into any particular genre or category (and if you have read any of my previous reviews you will know I absolutely HATE pigeon holing with a passion!!) They mix traditional heavy metal with thrash and groove elements and are even not scared to throw in the odd country, blues and southern rock influence either. Why should a band have to fit into one particular strain of metal when they can so easily cover a whole range as easily as St Madness do!?

This is an aggressive album, raw and uncomplicated, with heavy riffs galore throughout the album and drummer Sircyko plays out of his skin, but one that also shows they had a lot of fun doing.

St Madness are a theatrical band, combining face makeup with onstage dancers and actors to provide not only a treat for the ears but one for the eyes too. Even some of the music and lyrics lean more to the comical side of things but this is no way a bad thing. This is obviously a band who love what they do but want to have some fun while they are doing it.

The album features 13 fantastic that range from the heavy “King of the Goddamn World” to the instrumental that is “Rigel” to the more comical “Made in China.” There are also two awesome covers, one of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and the other of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” which is something that really shouldn’t work, yet it does so brilliantly.

If you have never heard anything by St Madness before, go out and buy this album! It really is a fantastic piece of music! It should appeal to a whole host of metal fans, but we all know just how finicky some metal fans can be!!

This is a metal album but with a twist…and a turn!! And I think that sets them apart from other metal bands.

St Madness just seem to be getting better and better!

TRACK LIST:

1. Day of the Dead

2. Folsom Prison Blues

3. Don’t Be Like the Blind

4. The Arrogance of Man

5. This is Your Reality

6. Made in China

7. Walk Your Own Path

8. Bloodlustcapades

9. Can’t Help Falling in Love with You

10. Warnings from the Past

11. King of the Damn World

12. Rigel

13. He’s Riding a Harley in Heaven

Originally posted on Ever Metal

It was the mid-90’s, thrash metal was dying and the heady days of “The Big Four” were fast becoming fading memories. But, one man in the north of England wasn’t prepared to sit around and reminisce about the good old days.

Rich Sherrington had always had a dream to follow in the footsteps of his heroes, Xentrix, and in 1994, he formed his own band, Solitary, and against all reason and sense, started the thrash comeback!

The first Solitary album “Nothing Changes” was released in 1998 on Holier Than Thou Records and bristling with its snarling riffs and ready to fight attitude, even the press couldn’t deny the intensity and integrity of the album. They received positive reviews from major magazines such as Terrorizer, and they hit the road for two UK tours. The rest, as they say, is history!

In 2017, the band released the album “The Diseased Heart of Society”, which was harder, faster and more focussed, and was welcomed with open arms by a society that was much more tolerant of thrash metal.

Now, twenty years later, they have re-released the album that originally set them on their road. There is new artwork, a host of bonus tracks, and a little injection of modern-day studio wizardry, to give the album a heavier and more aggressive sound and it is only available on CD, with NO digital platform whatsoever, so get your copy while you can!

For those of us who weren’t around the first time this was released, there are five bonus demo tracks tagged onto the end of the album, showing just how their sound has changed. Maybe they included these to tempt newer fans to their music or maybe it was just to give older fans a taste of what was, only the band will know that, but either way, I think they are a great addition to an already awesome album.

From the opening bass lines of first track ‘Within Temptation’ it’s obvious this band is not messing around. With chunky riffs and snarling, menacing vocals, these guys are every bit as good as the original thrash bands of the 80’s. With the likes of Metallica, Machinehead, Pantera, Testament and Slayer as influences, they should have been the forefathers of a new wave of UK thrash, so why do they only have just over 4,000 likes on Facebook? (and yes, I do know that Facebook likes is NOT an indicator of how good a band is, before anyone jumps on this comment!)

This no-frills album is fantastic from start to finish, just the type I could listen to repeatedly and still not be bored with it. If this album was their debut back in 1998, then what a debut! There are very few bands that crash onto the scene with a gem of a premier, but these guys should have done just that!

Being a thrash girl at heart, this album gives me everything that I need. The riffs are heavy and meaty, hitting you right in the belly, the trembling basslines and galloping drums are, in a word, superb, and the vocals have just the right amount of grit to give a gruff sound without descending into the dirty vocals that I so hate!

Stand out tracks for me would have to be ‘A Second Chance’ with its hints of Metallica and Pantera and ‘The Downward Spiral’ a brutal groove track that will have you banging your head from the very first note but, in all fairness, there is not a bad track on this album.

It was the advance of the Seattle ‘grunge’ sound that originally contributed to the downfall of thrash in the 90’s and, at the time, I was a huge fan of the grunge scene, thrash not really hitting my radar until later (I was in my late teens so don’t hate me!) Looking back, I wish I was that little bit older so I could have appreciated this when it was first released. I am, however, now a huge fan and will definitely be buying anything else they have done.

Ever Metal recently reviewed a gig they did in Wrexham and I so wish I could have been there for that! But any time they hit the South East now, I will be in attendance!

These guys are simply awesome!! 

TRACKLISTING:

1 – Within Temptation

2 – The Downward Spiral

3 – A Second Chance

4 – Bitterness

5 – Nothing Changes

6 – Clutching Straws

7 – No Reason

8 – Twisted

9 – Fear

10 – A Second Chance (1996 Demo)

11 – The Bottom Line (1996 Demo)

12 – What Price (1996 Demo)

13 – No Reason (1996 Demo)

14 – Fear (1996 Demo)

Originally posted on Ever Metal

After having the opportunity to interview Graeme from Seven Sisters recently, I thought to myself that I really should give their new album The Cauldron and The Cross a spin, and why not give it a review at the same time.

Seven Sisters are a four-piece heavy metal band from London, who are, in their own words, forged from the same steel as the NWOBHM acts of yesteryear. Formed in 2013 by Kyle McNeil (vocals/guitars) and Graeme Farmer (guitars) in 2013, they are inspired by the likes of the Paul Di’anno era of Iron Maiden, Angel Witch and Virtue.

Says the band: “we have a mix of old school heavy metal (the NWOBHM movement in particular) and elements of power metal, thrash metal and things like that. We’re pretty progressive in places, but our songs are heavily melodic and hopefully pretty catchy too.”

The band have gained a reputation over the past few years as a stellar act in the heavy metal scene, playing shows all over the UK and Europe off the back of two independent releases, “The Warden Demo” in 2014 and “Lost in Time” 7” in 2015. They have since signed to Dissonance Productions and The Cauldron and The Cross is their second album.

With its main source of inspiration being a book written by Marion Zimmer Bradley called “The Mists of Avalon”, The Cauldron and The Cross is a concept album, a story that involves the two religions of Paganism and Christianity.  With its myth and magical title tracks and a cover artwork depicting what looks like a scene from a fantasy film, this album has all the hallmarks of a typical power metal release.

But, this is power metal with a twist. Although, the power elements are unmistakably there, the thrash elements the band themselves stated were an influence can also be heard, but then so can the NWOBHM traits.

But that’s not all. On top of all this are the subtle prog influences too. I have never really been a prog rock/metal fan but the time changes throughout the individual tracks are clear to hear. Time changes are one of the aspects of prog music that turned me off the genre, but in this album, they seem to flow a lot better. And this, along with the changes in key, really does make it seem as if the music and lyrics are talking to you.

This is a band that obviously has an immense talent. Despite the relatively short time they have been together, they work so well and sound like they have been doing this for years. And that is something that is not found very often.

I read somewhere that the band intended on being a five piece, looking to recruit a singer to fill the fifth place and that Kyle was only a stand in singer. I can honestly say, that in my opinion, NOT getting that fifth person was the best thing for the band. Kyle is an absolutely fantastic singer with a voice that can cover a whole variety of ranges. He is ideally suited to the music the band play and I think that if they were to replace him now (please don’t) the whole dynamic of the band will change.

This album has everything from the speed metal of the opening track “Premonition” to the Maiden-influenced “Once and Future King” to the slower pace of “Blood and Fire.” There is also the ‘obligatory’ power ballad in “Oathbreaker” but this is, by no means, just a track that has been thrown in because people expect a ballad. It fits perfectly into the structure of the album and is one of the best tracks on it.

Stand out tracks for me, apart from “Oathbreaker” as mentioned above, are “Blood and Fire” and the double epic tracks “The Cauldron and The Cross Parts 1 and 2” at the end of the album, but my absolute favourite must be “The Turning of The Tide.” I could have that track on repeat for hours and not get bored with it.

So, should you go out and by this great album from this fantastic young band? Yes, you sure as hell do! This is a must for power metal fans, thrash metal fans, NWOBHM fans and traditional heavy metal fans alike.

I absolutely adored this album, and, for me, this is one of the best albums that has been released this year.

TRACK LISTING:

The Premonition

Blood And Fire

Once And Future King

Partings The Mists

Turning Of The Tide

Oathbreaker

A Land In Darkness

The Cauldron And The Cross Pt.1

The Cauldron And The Cross Pt.2

Originally posted on Ever Metal

[Photo Credit: Robert Zembrzycki]

Excellently produced and mixed by the renowned Lasse Lammert, who has already been involved in ALESTORM’s studio albums Curse Of The Crystal Coconut, No Grave But The Sea, Sunset On The Golden Age and many more, Live in Tilburg features an amazing mix of ALESTORM’s most beloved hits like “Drink“, “Mexico”, “Alestorm”, “Hangover”, “The Sunk’n Norwegian” and of course, “Fucked With An Anchor”.

The live album will be available on splatter-colored double-LP with a slipmat and a patch, as well as on mint colored and golden colored vinyl. The special edition of Live in Tilburg comes in a wooden box, along with a CD+DVD, a mediabook and a 7-inch vinyl  featuring two new acoustic ALESTORM cover songs! Live in Tilburg’s immersive experience is the true definition of what ALESTORM is all about – an endless fountain of foot-stomping, riff-busting, piratical singalong fun. A must-have for all the filthy landlubbers out there.

Reproduced with permission from Napalm Records

enmark’s Iotunn has released their new full-length, Access All Worlds, via Metal Blade Records. For a preview of the record, a video for the album track, “The Weaver System” (produced by Costin Chioreanu – Twilight Media – https://www.twilight13media.com), can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wsm-4PP3Cg Iotunn comments: “‘Weaver’ has been in our creative loops for several years since back when Jesper came up with the very first clean guitar part. We always knew it would appear on our debut album. For us, it’s an album highlight on its own terms, and to this day, it still sounds fresh to us. With Jón’s vocals and lyrics, the composition has found its home, and when Costin did his visual art and film, ‘Weaver’ got weaved into new spheres and perspectives. We are very proud of this collaboration and hope you’ll like what you see and hear! Additionally, we are now ready to have the entire album released for takeoff. We present to you the whole voyage of ‘Access All Worlds’ and encourage you to come with us and spend one focused hour listening to ‘Access All Worlds’ from the first to the last note. We believe that we have created seven distinctive worlds constituting one world – one album, seven songs, for all of us who love listening to full albums!” Purchase and stream Access All Worlds in full now at: www.metalblade.com/iotunn – where the album is available in the following formats: – digipak-CD – 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive) – “deep space” marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 200 copies) – “moonscape” marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 200 copies) – red / black dust vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 100 copies) – “uranus” blue / white marbled vinyl (US exclusive)

Formed in 2015, Iotunn (which is old Norse for “Giant”) entered the scene with their acclaimed EP, The Wizard Falls (2016), which was mixed by Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica, Morbid Angel, Blind Guardian, Rainbow) at Sweet Silence Studios. After some line-up changes, the band found their voice and narrator in March 2018: Jón Aldará (Hamferd), plus bassist Eskil Rask (Sunless Dawn) in October 2019. The quintet – completed by Jens Nicolai Gräs (guitars), Jesper Gräs (guitars), Bjørn Wind Andersen (drums) – then began work on their first full-length and Metal Blade Records debut: Access All Worlds. Mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström (In Flames, At the Gates, Dimmu Borgir) at Fredman Studios, Access All Worlds is seven songs driven by creative curiosity and artistic honesty, that also initiate feelings and reflections. An epic, cosmic and contemplative journey of energetic beauty and ferocity, Access All Worlds reflects on human existence, set in a storyline following daring space travelers. The music is grounded in roaring, colorful drumming and crushing bass, while the sonic horizon is painted with a vast spectrum of guitar-driven expression, all overarched by narration through diverse vocals. “We wanted to make an epic, strong and atmospheric yet rocking record both musically and lyrically. Jón came with the idea based on space travelers trying to find answers to the apocalypse, which reflects many of the impressions, feelings and thoughts human life holds that originates from something vast, mysterious, chaotic and breathtakingly spectacular. Everything just went berserk regarding the album theme. Is everything occurring in the lyrics just a dream? Is the album an allegory for any individual’s chapters in life? Where does the album actually start and end? Stuff like that. We find that the album can be interpreted in various ways. For us, the album is a truly exciting journey, and we hope it will be for the listener as well, on his or her own terms”, says guitarist Jens Nicolai.  Visually, Access All Worlds is completed by Nicole Kantor (design and layout) and Eliran Kantor (artwork), known for their work with Testament, Atheist, Hatebreed, Soulfly, etc. Access All Worlds track-listing 1. Voyage of the Garganey I 2. Access All Worlds 3. Laihem’s Golden Pits 4. Waves Below 5. The Tower of Cosmic Nihility 6. The Weaver System 7. Safe Across the Endless Night Iotunn line-up: Jón Aldará – vocals Jens Nicolai Gräs – guitars Jesper Gräs – guitars Eskil Rask – bass Bjørn Wind Andersen – drums Iotunn online: https://www.facebook.com/iotunn https://iotunn.bandcamp.com/releases https://www.instagram.com/iotunn

Reproduced with permission from Palmer Turner Overdrive

www.facebook.com/millstonerussia www.instagram.com/millstone_band www.youtube.com/channel/UCvHPSxqjqGLGfK8u8GmovGA

Reproduced with permission from Clawhammer PR

Death metallers Magefa has announced its new EP “Exenteration”, due March 5th, 2021.

“Exenteration” is a surgical procedure involving removal of the entire globe and its surrounding structures.

The first single, ‘Instrument Inside’, was released last year and received a great reaction on Spotify and YouTube from Metal fans around the world.

Tracklist:
1. Impressions of Dying
2. Instrument Inside
3. ECMO
4. Exenteration
5. Abdominal Section
6. War Paradise
7. Cloud Nine

Pre-order: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/magefa/exenteration

Website: https://www.magefa.com
Bandcamp: https://magefa.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Magefametal/
Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/magefa
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/05dYK7RFkMy4oFyeh1cp4K
Instagram: http://instagram.com/magefametal
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MagefaMetal
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/magefametal
Tik tok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMe8AYgrC/

Reproduced with permission from Against PR