Posts Tagged ‘ Speed Metal ’

Interview Jenner: New Horizons

Jenner band photo 2024

With their powerful combination of thrash metal riffs and classic heavy metal melodies, Jenner has quickly become one of the most interesting bands to come out of the European heavy metal scene in the last couple of years. But even though ‘Prove Them Wrong‘ is only Jenner’s second album, the band’s history has been quite eventful. Singer and guitarist Aleksandra Stamenković, also known as Alexandra Lioness, updates us about the last couple of years.

Out of the line-up on Jenner’s debut album ‘To Live is to Suffer‘, only Stamenković can be heard on ‘Prove Them Wrong’. The 2020 EP ‘The Test of Time’ can be seen as a solo venture in anything but name, but ‘Prove Them Wrong’ features a full trio line-up. When asked if she ever feared Jenner was over, Stamenković is candid: “I would be lying if I said otherwise. In fact, for a long time, I wasn’t even sure whether releasing that EP as a band was worth it, or if I should simply start a solo career. In the end, with the support of family and friends, I decided to go ahead with the band release.

However, just as it was being released, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, pushing music into the background and leading to the departure of the band’s members at the time. The bright side of it was that this situation gave me space and time to think about the future, and to develop as an artist and a musician. At that moment, I began to build my social networks and expand my fanbase, and I believe that the new album was largely embraced because of it.“

Bigger Challenge

Possibly the most notable change between ‘To Live is to Suffer‘ and ‘Prove Them Wrong‘ is that aside from playing guitars, Stamenković is Jenner’s lead singer these days. “I’m not a singer, I’m a guitarist who sings“, she freely admits. “Besides that, another role has been imposed on me, and that is to be the frontman and entertainer for the audience. As someone who is naturally quiet, introverted, and shy, this may have even been a bigger challenge for me than singing. But with time, even that can be learned. It’s simply the nature of this job.

Throughout my childhood, I struggled with breathing issues and a stuffy nose due to various allergies, lung inflammations, et cetera. When I started pursuing music, I was aware of my sense of pitch and singing ability, but I simply lacked technique. In 2016, I underwent nose surgery and finally experienced clear breathing, which opened up new horizons for me. Previously, I sang backing vocals, but mostly in falsetto, rarely letting my voice fully project. During a period when our former vocalist was absent from band rehearsals, I stepped in on lead vocals, so the rest of the band could practice, and I realized I could handle it.

Later, I began recording vocals for new demos I was creating. When the vocalist decided to leave the band, I understood it was better for me to take on her role to reduce the number of band members for logistical reasons. I practiced on my own, recorded an EP, and now a new album. However, in the end, I decided to seek professional help. Although I have only had a few lessons so far, I have felt tremendous progress in a short time, and I hope it will only improve over time.“

Evident Progress

With seven years between Jenner’s two albums, the material on ‘Prove Them Wrong’ could potentially have been written over a long period of time. “Only ‘Never Say Die’ and ‘Born for Something More’ have been composed since Anja (Mirković, bassist) and Selena (Simić, drummer) joined the band“, Stamenković confirms. “The remaining songs have roots dating back to the time of composing for the first album. They mostly consisted of riffs and ideas that I couldn’t elaborate on at the time. So they remained dormant, waiting for the right moment to shine. ‘No Time for Prayer’, ‘Prove Them Wrong’ and ‘Eye for an Eye’ have been completed for quite some time, but we only recently added lyrics and solos.

I think the biggest difference lies in the structure of the songs and the arrangements. Although some of the songs on the new album may seem simpler than those on the first album, they are actually done more thoughtfully, now that I have a better grasp of what I’m doing. Everything has been executed at a higher level. Especially the guitar solos are more meaningful and played better. I’d also say that mixing and mastering has been done more professionally. I can compare, because the same person worked on all Jenner releases, haha! Overall, there is evident progress in every aspect, and I’m really pleased about that.

At some point, I started seriously practicing the guitar and studying music and guitar theory. I think that influenced me the most. I never had much time for it, because of obligations and studying, but in the meantime, I graduated from the Faculty of Medicine and realized that I still wanted to dedicate myself to the guitar and try and make some kind of career as a musician. So, I started learning and experimenting a lot, which opened up new perspectives in composition for me, and I believe that it’s one of the best things I have done for myself in the past few years.“

Period of Transition

“Usually, I create the entire instrumental part of the songs, including programmed drums and vocal lines, based on intuition. Then, we adjust the drums together, because I usually write something that can’t be played, haha! We change things where necessary, add or remove elements, shape the songs, add lyrics, solos backing vocals and package it into a song. My weakest point is lyrics; sometimes I have a good idea, but I struggle to put it into words. And that’s where the others step in.

The primary lyricist on the new album is my boyfriend, Emil Ivošević. Anja and I wrote the lyrics to two songs together, and the rest were all written by him. This album is largely based on my personal life during a period of transition. Throughout my entire life, but especially in the last few years, I have been in situations where a lot is expected of me, and instead of listening to my heart, I blindly fulfilled the wishes and expectations of others, falling into a vicious cycle where I’m extremely unhappy.

At one point, I woke up and told myself that enough was enough. Life passes by quickly, and I don’t want to regret missed opportunities tomorrow because I didn’t have the courage to stand up to people and live my life the way I want. Emil followed all of this and based on that, he wrote many lyrics that described the feelings and thoughts in my head. I also hope that people who are in similar situations will find the strength and motivation to fight for themselves in these songs.“

Refreshed

Jenner being a three-piece band, but having fairly elaborate guitar arrangements on their recordings presents an interesting challenge in the live environment. “What’s most important to me is that the song sounds good on the studio recording, since it will remain eternal“, Stamenković explains. “While live performances can be changed and modified as needed. I try not to let the lack of other guitarists in the band limit me when writing songs, haha!

I write everything based on feeling, including guitar solos. Again, returning to the same theme, since I started practicing more seriously and learning music theory, new horizons have opened up for me. I have learned new techniques and scales that I have started incorporating into solos, which has really refreshed Jenner’s new sound.

I can’t say that my taste in instruments and equipment has changed, as I haven’t had many opportunities to switch gear. Currently, I have a Charvel bass from 1989, and for guitars, I use two Jacksons and two Harley Bentons. I mostly play the Harley Benton Fusion III with Blackfire Pickups and Ernie Ball strings, gauge 9-42. At home, I use Neural DSP VST’s and Bugera 333 amlifiers. For concerts, it depends on what is available, but I am a big fan of Peavey.“

Accepted

Another challenge for Jenner is that being from Serbia, they are part of a relatively small scene. “In Serbia, metal has remained underground music for decades“, Stamenković nods. “While Belgrade has always been the heart of our underground metal community, it is essential to acknowledge the significant contributions of bands from other major cities, like Novi Sad, Kragujevac, and Niš. The most enthusiastic audience is definitely in Kragujevac, haha!

I found myself immersed in this scene around 2011, a time when some argue that metal in Serbia began to face challenges. However, I couldn’t really tell because, well… I didn’t know any different, haha! Despite the presence of larger festivals, many of which aren’t predominantly metal-focused, my most memorable experiences were at small festivals and concerts organized by the bands themselves, often my friends.

It seems to me that from the beginning, Jenner has been more accepted in the rest of Europe and America than in Serbia. Starting from the fact that our first album was released by a French record label and our second album by a Spanish label. I have noticed we sell a lot more T-shirts and CD’s in Europe than at home. I assume that a big influence is the fact that most of my followers on social media are from North and South America, and Europe.“

Jenner band photo 2024

Evolution

Changes seem to follow Jenner everywhere they go. Less than a week before the publication of this interview, the band announced that drummer Selena Simić had left the band. She has been replaced by Stamenković’s sister Marija Dragićević, who was already part of the band between 2013 and 2021, but departed essentially to take maternity leave.

“I didn’t know if Marija even would be able to play“, Stamenković admits. “She had not played for years. But when I asked if she was interested in rejoining the band, she was so happy that she even bought her first drum kit and started practicing immediately. She was a huge fan of my songs even when she wasn’t in the band, so she followed the evolution of these songs from the early demos to their final stages.“

Bassist Anja Mirković joined the band after Marija left, but that is no reason to worry, Stamenković asserts. “Marija and Anja clicked right away“, she says. “The atmosphere in the band is cool, so I hope everything will work out for us. We can’t wait to play live on stage!“

2024
04/03
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Album of the Week 05-2024: Jenner – Prove Them Wrong


Jenner’s debut album ‘To Live is to Suffer’ impressed me with its surprisingly mature approach to thrash metal songwriting. Guitarist and main songwriter Aleksandra Stamenković is one of the few young thrashers that realizes a good thrash song needs more than just a bunch of fast riffs and a handful of bits the audience can shout along to. Nearly seven years have passed since the release of their debut, but there is finally a follow-up in the shape of ‘Prove Them Wrong‘. And it’s essentially anything a follow-up of a great album should be, as it does everything its predecessor did right even better.

Things have changed a bit, however. Only Stamenković remains from the debut album, and with the band being a trio now, she also took over lead vocals. A singer change often brings along a considerable shift in sound, but that fortunately is not the case here. For the cleanest vocals, Stamenković actually has a tone that is surprisingly similar to Anđelina Mitić, but Stamenković might actually be an improvement when it comes to the rougher-edged stuff. She has a mildly aggressive snarl that works really well with the music, and nimbly alternating between her various tones does wonders for the dynamics of the songs.

Stamenković’s debut as Jenner’s singer – the 2020 EP ‘The Test of Time’ – made me think Jenner would go more traditional heavy metal to facilitate her voice. In a way, that both is and isn’t true. The classic heavy metal melodies are more pronounced here, but Jenner can still thrash viciously when they want to. Sometimes even within the same song, as evidenced by the hypermelodic chorus in the midtempo thrash stomp of ‘Not Even You’. The fact that ‘Prove Them Wrong’ ranges from the borderline melodic hardrock with thrash break of ‘I Saw It All Clear’ to the no-nonsense thrash of ‘Never Say Die’ is its biggest strength.

An early favorite of mine was ‘Eye for an Eye’. The way the track toys with the time feel of the drums underneath a bunch of classic thrash riffs is just excellent, and those vocal harmonies in the chorus are awesome. Another highlight is the epic closer ‘Laws of the Weak’, which is probably the most dynamic track in how it switches between contrasting sections. Truly brilliant songwriting. Opening track ‘No Time for Prayer’ does exactly what it should do: introduce the listeners to the wonderful world that is Jenner’s music. It builds from a clean intro to a nice uptempo thrasher with a simple, but brutally effective chorus.

On ‘Prove Them Wrong’, Jenner found a way to refine their blend of thrash metal riffs and classic heavy metal melodies in a way that is just as captivating as on ‘To Live is to Suffer’, only improve upon the formula in every imaginable way. As a big fan of Heathen, I wish more bands would attempt this fusion of metal styles. Not that Jenner is a Heathen soundalike by any means, but they seem to operate from a similar songwriting philosophy. After all, the greatest thrash bands never sacrificed memorability for pure speed. Jenner doesn’t either and that has gotten them to release two incredible albums thus far.

Recommended tracks: ‘Laws of the Weak’, ‘No Time for Prayer’, ‘Eye for an Eye’

2024
02/04
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Announcement: Peruvian Metal Month

Exciting news! January will be Peruvian Metal Month on this blog. What does that mean? For starters, every interview that will be published here throughout the month will be with a metal musician from Peru, and each of the four Album of the Week reviews will be about releases by Peruvian metal bands. This idea has been many months in the making and it has become somewhat bigger than I originally imagined it would be, so I cannot wait for all of you to read what has come out of it.

In order to be consistent about the month being devoted to Peruvian metal, I have decided to pull my Best of 2023 list forward a day to new year’s eve. If you haven’t been working on Peruvian Metal Month for about half a year like I have, I can imagine you may have some questions about the initiative. I will try to answer the most obvious ones right here.

Why Peru?

Why not? In all seriousness: I made some connections in the Peruvian metal scene earlier this year. Turns out that Peru has a number of quality metal bands that hardly anyone outside the country and maybe a handful of other Latin American countries has ever heard. All of this made the Peruvian metal scene extremely interesting to immerse myself in for a while. Some of the bands that will be featured in the upcoming month I had not even heard of before starting the project, but I’m certainly glad I do now.

My initial plan was to carry on with the initiative if I could do at least one interview with a relatively high-profile artist, or just one whose work I enjoy a lot. Spoiler alert: when I set that bar, I could not predict how many Peruvian metal artists would react positively to my interview requests and I cannot wait to share the results with all of you. At the time of writing, some of the interviews are still waiting for an appointment and some of the mailers still have to come back with answers, but I am very happy with the way things have turned out already.

Why These Specific Artists?

Honestly, most of the artists interviewed for Peruvian Metal Month made it in simply because they answered their messages. Sometimes artists I interviewed recommended getting in touch with other artists, though I was quite surprised how few musicians jumped at the opportunity to promote other bands of their own of befriended bands. This is no criticism, as it is not unheard of in a music scene that hasn’t had all of its spontaneity ironed out yet as the European metal scene has, but it was surprising nonetheless.

All of this is not to say that my personal preferences had no effect on the selection process at all. In fact, all the artists I contacted were artists whose work I enjoy and with whom I could at least find some musical common ground. My initial plan was to focus primarily on heavy, power and thrash metal, because those are the genres I am most familiar with. When some other opportunities were more or less thrown my way, however, I decided to broaden my scope a little.

Is This the Definitive Guide on Peruvian Metal?

Absolutely not. Aside from the fact that I was not able to get in touch with every artist I had in mind, my personal taste played too big a role in the selection process as well for that. Despite broadening my scope along the way, the choice of artists is still partly determined by my own preferences. For example: I don’t enjoy black metal enough to have a good grasp of what would or would not qualify as interesting for fans of the genre.

But if I can do it with these sub-genres, there are obviously black metal fans out there who can do the same with more extreme styles. There is a lot to discover in Peru and I have barely scratched the surface what I will be covering in the upcoming weeks. Metal-Archives.com lists over 700 Peruvian metal bands and since inclusion on that site is release-based, it’s fully possible that there are and have been hundreds more that never made it to the demo phase. At least yet.

Will There Be a Follow-Up?

The honest and unsatisfying answer to that is: maybe, we’ll see. It really depends on how well these articles do. This was loads of fun to do for me, but it has also been a lot of work on top of a full-time job and freelancing for multiple magazines. If statistics point out that there has not been any additional interest in a month-long feature like this, there is a chance I will consider it a fun experiment that did not work out.

Obviously, my hope is that the opposite will happen. Introducing potentially interested people to good music they may not have heard otherwise is something I have enjoyed doing for many, many years before I was even doing it professionally. If this is a success, I will be looking forward to diving into another relatively unknown scene in a different region when my schedule allows me to.

Gratitude

There are a few people without whom Peruvian Metal Month could not have been the project it has become. First off, all the artists who took the time to answer my questions. I would like to thank all of you for your effort and I hope it will result in a few extra people listening to your excellent music. And Julia: your enthusiasm about the idea, despite you not enjoying metal all that much and not knowing much about Peru, made me feel like I was going in the right direction. You are the best.

About half of the interviews that will be published in the upcoming weeks would not have been possible without the help of Rafael Nuñez. After connecting with Rafael, he quickly became a great friend and a very valuable “man on the ground” who was always very willing to help out when my trails reached a dead end. He also turned my amateurish idea into the cool logo above this article. Also, massive thanks to my friend Stephany (Yuki) from Arlequin Magazine for helping me navigate the options of WordPress and offering to promote the interviews months before this announcement was even published.

Peruvian Metal Month Spotify Playlist

Curious to hear what Peru has to offer in terms of metal beforehand? You can find a Spotify playlist at the end of this article that I compiled. If an artist is featured in this playlist, that does not necessarily mean they will be interviewed or reviewed in the next few weeks, though I have included as many of the artists I interviewed as possible. The rest is a combination of Peruvian metal songs I like and songs that have been recommended to me by the musicians I interviewed. Enjoy!

2023
12/28
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Album of the Week 35-2023: Edu Falaschi – Eldorado


Edu Falaschi’s 2021 album ‘Vera Cruz’ was a comeback of sorts. It was a ridiculously ambitious undertaking, from its concept seeped in Brazilian history right down to its massive arrangements, but somehow it worked really well. ‘Vera Cruz’ contained everything a contemporary power metal album should need: memorable uptempo riffs and melodic themes, huge choruses that actually stick and just enough deviations from the genre’s norms to stay interesting throughout. As a result, I eagerly awaited its follow-up ‘Eldorado’ and fortunately, it is nearly as good.

Despite not being quite as ambitious in scope, ‘Eldorado’ largely follows the same stylistic route as ‘Vera Cruz’. Lyrically, the album is still riddled with romanticized pieces of Latin American history, though Falaschi seems to not limit himself to his native Brazil on ‘Eldorado’. The music is spiced up with traditional Brazilian elements here and there, which I would encourage Falaschi to go even further with next time around. Generally, ‘Vera Cruz’ and ‘Eldorado’ are the perfect albums for anyone who thinks Angra went too progressive after Falaschi’s departure. Most of ‘Eldorado’ is speedy power metal – remarkably speedy at times – with massive, triumphant hooks.

That doesn’t mean ‘Eldorado’ can’t get progressive. Guitarist Roberto Barros is much more involved with the songwriting this time around and his modern power metal riffing with unpredictable progressive touches is all over the album. The long and varied title track even goes into Dream Theater-esque territory at times. ‘Reign of Bones’ flirts with power/prog and would not have been out of place on ‘Temple of Shadows’. But the main attractions of ‘Eldorado’ are its blazing power metal tracks, such as ‘Sacrifice’, the dynamic opener ‘Señores del Mar (Wield the Sword)’ and the hyperspeed ‘Tenochtitlán’, which has drummer Aquiles Priester firing on all cylinders.

One reason why ‘Eldorado’ isn’t quite as good as ‘Vera Cruz’, however, is because the ballads are absolutely dreadful. Falaschi appears to aim for big emotional climaxes, but doesn’t seem to understand that you need more for that than just adding guitars, drums and strings and repeat the chorus for about a minute and a half. Closing track ‘In Sorrow’ is easily the best of the three ballads, as it is notably darker and more dynamic, but even that one outstays its welcome by about a minute. Admittedly, the ballads Falaschi wrote for Angra suffered from similar issues, but I don’t remember the ballads on ‘Vera Cruz’ being this bad.

Anything else on ‘Eldorado’ ranges from good to excellent though. Falaschi has found the perfect complementary songwriting partner in Barros, who is all over the album with his guitar colleague Diogo Mafra. Despite the album carrying Falaschi’s name, it’s the spectacular guitar arrangements and the excellent drumming by Aquiles Priester – who remains as creative as one can possibly be within the tightly defined parameters of uptempo power metal drumming – that make ‘Eldorado’ as good as it is. If you simply ignore the terrible ballads, what you are left with is about 45 minutes of fantastic proggy power metal.

Recommended tracks: ‘Tenochtitlán’, ‘Eldorado’, ‘Reign of Bones’, ‘Sacrifice’

2023
09/03
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Album of the Week 31-2023: Luzbel – Pasaporte al Infierno


Despite being titled ‘Metal Caido del Cielo’, Luzbel’s debut EP showed a band that wasn’t sure yet whether they were a hard rock or a heavy metal band. Their first full-length – though being just barely half an hour long – ‘Pasaporte al Infierno’ is unequivocally an early heavy metal album. One strongly inspired by the NWOBHM, influences of which guitarist Raúl Greñas undoubtedly picked up during his time in England, but also one with clear early speed metal elements. ‘Pasaporte al Infierno’ is an album that contains everything one could like about early eighties heavy metal and would prove to be highly influential for the developing Mexican heavy metal scene.

One thing that stands out about ‘Pasaporte al Infierno’ is how good the production sounds for this type of material. Many metal bands who were among the first in their regions at the time had productions that were acceptable at best on their first few albums, but ‘Pasaporte al Infierno’ sounds more or less exactly like it should sound. Greñas’ rhythm guitar has just the right amount of distortion – still owing quite a bit to the heavier side of seventies hard rock both sonically and stylisically – and the fact that Antonio Morante’s lively, melodically strong bass work is actually audible really enhances the listening experience.

All of this would have been meaningless if the song material was not up to snuff. Fortunately, ‘Pasaporte al Infierno’ contains some of the best examples of early Latin American heavy metal available anywhere. Starting with its incredible title track, which is borderline thrash metal in its speed and aggression, but kept firmly within the traditional heavy metal realm my Arturo Huizar’s dramatic vocal delivery. The album contains some of Huizar’s best work to date anyway, significantly adding to the constantly shifting dynamics of the riffs and rhythms in the likes of ‘Kirieleison’ and ‘Hijos del Metal’.

Most early heavy metal bands were too busy creating a bunch of good songs to be concerned about what subgenre they fit best. And so, ‘Pasaporte al Infierno’ skillfully moves back and forth between the uptempo aggression of its title track or ‘Atrapado en el Metal’, the epic majesty of ‘Advertencia’ or ‘Por Piedad’ and even a ballad in the shape of ‘Déjate Ser’. On the latter, Huizar adapts a vocal approach strongly reminiscent on something Klaus Meine would do an a Scorpions ballad, only notably less nasal. ‘Guerrero Verde’ is an excellent midtempo stomper that appears to be made for the live environment.

Though Luzbel would follow ‘Pasaporte al Infierno’ up with a fine self-titled album, they would quickly descend into a long identity crisis like so many bands from their era. Fortunately, their first full album is one of the best heavy metal debuts from the eighties and well worth your time if you are into NWOBHM-tinged metal. What is all the more impressive is that Luzbel manages to take their core sound into different directions without losing their identity in the process. All of the riffs carry’s Greñas’ signature and seal of quality, while Huizar delivers the performance of a lifetime.

Recommended tracks: ‘Pasaporte al Infierno’, ‘Advertencia’, ‘Kirieleison’, ‘Por Piedad’

2023
08/06
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Album of the Week 25-2023: Jenner – To Live is to Suffer


It always makes me extremely happy to hear young bands who realize there is more to thrash metal than just speed and aggression. There just aren’t all that many who do. Serbia’s Jenner fortunately does and already manages to impress greatly on their debut album ‘To Live is to Suffer’. Guitarist and main songwriter Aleksandra Stamenković appears to realize there is more to a great thrash song than just a bunch of riffs and the rest of the band knows how to complement those compositions perfectly. It has honestly been a while since I was this impressed by a thrash metal debut album.

Since Jenner isn’t quite as focused on speed as many contemporary thrash bands, Stamenković’s songwriting qualities really shine through and Anđelina Mitić gets all the room she needs for a strong clean vocal performance. If forced to compare ‘To Live is to Suffer’ to a classic thrash band, I’d say it combines all the strengths of Metallica’s first three albums, though the sharp, precise bite of the rhythm guitars feels closer to Megadeth and the production gives the album a distinctly contemporary vibe. And while Jenner isn’t the type of band to unleash a whirlwind of riffs upon its listeners, the songwriting is highly dynamic.

Another thing that really took me by surprise about ‘To Live is to Suffer’ is the amount of melody it has without sacrificing any intensity. Mitić’s surprisingly soaring vocals and Stamenković’s thematically strong lead guitar parts are doing a lot of the heavy lifting there, but the riffs themselves are just very memorable. You won’t mistake a riff on ‘To Live is to Suffer’ for a very similar one on the same album, as is often the case with thrash-related albums. Even the more complex songs have multiple hooks to hang on to.

Due to how dynamic the songs are, the album’s 37 minutes are over before you know it. A track like the strong opener ‘Factory of Death’ has quite a bit happening in a relatively short time in terms of atmosphere and time feel changes, but never feels disjointed or messy. Also, you barely feel the time signature and tempo shifts in the Holy Terror-esque closer ‘Opened (on the Table)’. Other highlights include ‘How Deep is Your Greed’, a riff monster with fantastic punky call-and-response chorus, the aggressive stomper ‘Demon’s Call’ and the more traditional ‘Hear the Thunder Roar’. But really, the entire album deserves to be heard.

On the non-technical side of thrash, I have not heard a debut this good since Bonded By Blood’s first album. Hopefully Jenner has a bright future ahead of them. Everyone but Stamenković has left the band since the release of ‘To Live is to Suffer’ – though session drummer Selena Simić has been promoted to full-time member – but the main songwriter is still there and she does remarkably well as the new lead singer. Jenner is exactly the type of band for anyone who wishes there would be more younger bands who realize that the likes of Heathen and Flotsam and Jetsam also play thrash metal.

Recommended tracks: ‘How Deep is Your Greed’, ‘Hear the Thunder Roar’, ‘Demon’s Call’

2023
06/25
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Album of the Week 08-2023: Lovebites – Judgement Day


When founding bassist Miho announced her departure from Lovebites, my concerns about the band’s future were sizable. She was the most outspoken metalhead of the band and generally wrote my favorite songs. Fortunately, ‘Judgement Day’, the first album without her, has all the hallmarks of a great Lovebites album. The band is clearly aware of its biggest strengths: the spectacular guitar work of Midori and Miyako, Asami’s incredible vocals and the fact that drummer Haruna is a harder hitter than most drummers in their scene. Time will have to tell where it fits in Lovebites’ discography, but it might be their best album since their possibly unsurpassable debut ‘Awakening from Abyss’.

In many ways, ‘Judgement Day’ feels like a logical continuation of ‘Electric Pentagram’. The tried and true Lovebites formula – two-thirds European-styled power metal, with the last third being evenly distributed over hardrock, traditional heavy metal and speed/thrash metal – is on full display here. ‘Judgement Day’ does profit from being almost fifteen minutes shorter than ‘Electric Pentagram’. As per usual, the Finnvox mastering job is quite loud and compressed, which can be fairly exhausting to listen to for over an hour. At 53 minutes, ‘Judgement Day’ is more or less exactly as long as it needs to be.

My main concern after Miho’s departure was that Lovebites’ scorching thrashers would be a thing of the past, as she generally wrote those. It seems that Asami has taken over that baton. This might be surprising, given her audible background in soul and R&B and the fact that a piano ballad was the only music she contributed to the first two albums. However, the fantastic opener ‘We Are the Resurrection’, the ripping ‘Dissonance’ and the more melodic, but still fairly aggressive title track are all Asami co-writes. ‘We Are the Resurrection’ in particular is genius. Its chorus appears to hint at a triumphant major chord progression, only to turn minor and fantastically dramatic at the second to last chord. My favorite moment on the album.

On the more melodic side of the spectrum, closing track ‘Soldier Stands Solitarily’ is a true highlight. It is full of blazingly fast, pulsating guitar riffs and dramatic melodic themes, while the intense chorus is nothing short of spectacular. Initially, I thought the neoclassical section felt a bit crowbarred in – something not too uncommon in Miyako compositions – but after repeated spins, it became clear to me that it needs to be there to smoothen the transition into the solo section. Another song in a similar theatrical style, though ever so slightly more subdued, is the brilliant ‘Lost in the Garden’, which truly allows Asami’s powerfully emotional vocals to shine.

Although I have been fairly critical of Lovebites songs to which producer Mao wrote all the music in the past, his ‘My Orion’ is exactly what the album needs at that point. Since there aren’t any ballads – not even an epic semi-ballad like the brilliant ‘A Frozen Serenade’ – this excellent mid-paced melodic rocker is necessary to break up what is essentially a non-stop uptempo power metal album. In fact, ‘Judgement Day’ does not have any weak songs at all. ‘Wicked Witch’ doesn’t really stick for me, but is fine as it is, and ‘Stand and Deliver (Shoot ‘Em Down)’ has too good a chorus to be written off as a ‘Raise Some Hell’ re-write designed with audience participation in mind.

‘Judgement Day’ is much better than I expected it would be. While its peaks aren’t quite as high as the ones on ‘Electric Pentagram’, it is a more consistent album overall. New bassist Fami – a virtuoso in her own right – gets a slightly more prominent place in the mix than her predecessor at times, but all in all, not much has changed. Lovebites is still most likely the best European-styled power metal band in Japan. ‘Judgement Day’ is filled to the brim with excellent songs and guitar fireworks. And that is exactly what a Lovebites album needs to be.

Recommended tracks: ‘We Are the Resurrection’, ‘Soldier Stands Solitarily’, ‘Dissonance’, ‘Lost in the Garden’

2023
02/26
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Best of 2022: The Albums

Let’s start the introduction to the list of my favorite albums of the year by stating the obvious: 2022 was the greatest year for new music in a long time. It took a while before the music industry got there. For a while during the first half of the year, I thought all the albums that have been made due to a global pandemic offering artists the time to write and record something good rather than rushing something out in between tours had been released already. And then came the flood. From late August onward, I was able to cover new releases in my Album of the Week reviews for nearly three and a half months straight.

Being able to cover such a steady stream of quality releases is something that has not happened since starting this weblog eleven years ago. Even better is the fact that established names and interesting newcomers were all part of it. Sure, not every new release by a big-name artist was a slam dunk – even my number one for this year appears to be fairly divisive – but it has been a while since there have been so many. Personally, I more or less spent the second half of the year either looking forward to a new release or enjoying one. Well, that and dreading the fate of the world, but apparently both extremes can exist simultaneously.

As a result, I have decided to continue last year’s change to extend my end-of-year list to twenty titles again. That should make up for the lack of an Album of the Week today due to the new year starting on a Sunday. Deciding which titles would not make it was more difficult than ever, but expanding the list to twenty-five sets a precedent I’m not sure I’m willing to bear the consequences of. Let’s start with my album of the year, which is likely to annoy half of the metal scene and I do not understand why.

1. Megadeth – The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!

Reactions to ‘The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead’ seem to be evenly split between people who think it is the work of a tired band trying to relive their glory days and people like me, who think it is the best Megadeth album since ‘The System Has Failed’. My sneaking suspicion is that the former generally don’t like Megadeth much to begin with, because ‘The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead’ is exactly what I want to hear from Megadeth. Sharp riffs, clever yet accessible compositions, excellent performances by everyone involved… And the album is remarkably consistent. Dave Mustaine is the only classic thrash musician who can still occasionally put out something that sounds like his classic work. ‘The Sick, They Dying… And The Dead!’ is one of those occasions.

Recommended tracks: ‘Night Stalkers’, ‘Célebutante’, ‘We’ll Be Back’, ‘Life In Hell’

2. Pentagram – Makina Elektrika

Turkey’s Pentagram had been touring with an expanded line-up including multiple former band members that appear on classic albums for several years now. The fact that they recorded a full album with that line-up was a pleasant surprise. Even more pleasant is the fact that the band makes excellent use of what every band member brings to the table. Especially the four lead singers make ‘Makina Elektrika’ a feast of varied approaches. Progressive metal with oriental touches, scorching thrash metal, powerful rockers and an acoustic ballad: they are all there and remarkably, they all sound like Pentagram. Pentagram is not exactly the most prolific band release-wise, but one canalways count on them for quality albums.

Recommended tracks: ‘Sur’, ‘Revenant’, ‘Maymunlar Gezegeni’, ‘Ödenmez’

3. Dana Fuchs – Borrowed Time

Admittedly, Dana Fuchs could sing over the sound of hospital equipment and I would still love it, but I really like the direction she and her band took on ‘Borrowed Time’. After a roots album (‘Bliss Avenue’) and a soul album (‘Love Lives On’), both fantastic by the way, Fuchs focuses on southern rock for ‘Borrowed Time’. Not unlike its predecessors, however, the result is far more varied than that description might suggest. There are still plenty of soul grooves and rootsy ballads to be heard, but it also has some of Fuchs’ hardest rocking material to date, with the incredible opener ‘Double Down On Wrong’ as the perfect example. And Fuchs’ gritty alto sounds fantastic over all of it.

Recommended tracks: ‘Double Down On Wrong’, ‘Curtain Close’, ‘Save Me’, ‘Blue Ridge Road’

4. Vorbid – A Swan At The Edge Of Mandala

Despite being vaguely aware of Vorbid, ‘A Swan At The Edge Of Mandala’ did not draw my attention until I saw the “for fans of” bit of its press release, which listed Megadeth, Opeth, Mastodon and Exodus as soundalikes. In reality, the palette is even more varied than that. The album sounds like a mixture of Vektor, Porcupine Tree and Enslaved, with maybe a bit of Death in the riff work, sounding more like a thrash-inspired progressive metal band rather than the proggy thrash of most bands Vorbid is compared to. ‘A Swan At The Edge Of Mandala’ is very adventurous and surprisingly listenable for music this complex and technical. It is admirable how Vorbid mixes familiar elements to create something unique.

Recommended tracks: ‘Ex Ante’, ‘Ecotone’, ‘Self’, ‘Derealization’

5. Bywater Call – Remain

Rootsy rock with excellent songwriting is something I love, but the scene isn’t full of great songwriters. Fantastic musicians galore, but not many bands in the scene have original material as good as Bywater Call’s. The musical interaction of the Canadian septet is highly engaging and it helps that the band has a singer as good as Meghan Parnell, but that would have been meaningless if the songs on ‘Remain’ weren’t this good. My go-to comparison for this type of music is always The Black Crowes, but Bywater Call is far more soulful and Parnell’s voice carries a distinct gospel flavor on anything she does. There might be more room for spirited jams when you see Bywater Call in concert, but ‘Remain’ is all about memorable hooks and strong melodies.

Recommended tracks: ‘Let Me Be Wrong’, ‘Falls Away’, ‘Bring It Back’

6. Magma – Kãrtëhl

‘Kãrtëhl’ was announced as an optimistic album. Within the world of Magma, that usually isn’t a reason to look forward to a release. Personally, I prefer Magma at their dark, apocalyptic best. Fortunately, despite certainly being a bit more positive-sounding than recent Magma releases – most notably the impenetrable ‘Zëss’ – ‘Kãrtëhl’ is also one of their better albums released this century. Drummer and band leader Christian Vander welcomed more input from other band members than usual, resulting in a varied album that really profits from what other band members bring to the table. Not just compositionally; the musicianship on ‘Kãrtëhl’ is excllent and gives the album a slightly more jazzy vibe rhythmically than the usual militaristic fusion. I do prefer the album’s darkest moments though.

Recommended tracks: ‘Ẁalomëhndêm Ẁarreï’, ‘Ẁïï Mëlëhn Tü’, ‘Hakëhn Deïs’

7. Alter Bridge – Pawns & Kings

Alter Bridge struck such a perfect balance between stadium rock and modern metal on ‘Blackbird’ and ‘AB III’ that any release that followed was disappointing in some shape or form. Quality is guaranteed when Alter Bridge releases something, but ‘Walk The Sky’ was too rock, while ‘Fortress’ and ‘The Last Hero’ were too metal. ‘Pawns & Kings’, however, finds a near-perfect balance again. The crushing downtuned riffs keep the band grounded in contemporary metal territory, but the melodies and – perhaps most importantly – Myles Kennedy’s incredible voice are allowed plenty of space to create memorable rock earworms. It also helps that it is about ten minutes shorter than the average Alter Bridge album. That allows ‘Pawns & Kings’ to be all killer, no filler.

Recommended tracks: ‘Fable Of The Silent Son’, ‘Holiday’, ‘Sin After Sin’, ‘Last Man Standing’

8. Joanne Shaw Taylor – Nobody’s Fool

There are many reasons why I love Joanne Shaw Taylor’s music. Her warm, husky alto sends shivers down my spine. Her guitar solos are spiky and fiery, yet surprisingly economic, while her riffs bring together blues, rock and soul in a satisfying way. Most of all, however, it was her songwriting that made me a fan. This happened upon hearing the very eclectic ‘Almost Always Never’ and ‘Nobody’s Fool’ has a similar philosophy. It is not concerned with impressing the blues crowd, but instead focuses on extremely well-written songs with a lot of personality and emotion. Blues is still there, but so are southern rock, americana, pop and a generous helping of soul. One of her most surprising albums to date and a very impressive one as a result.

Recommended tracks: ‘Just No Getting Over You (Dream Cruise)’, ‘Bad Blood’, ‘The Leaving Kind’

9. Seikima-II – Bloodiest

Kabuki rock demons Seikima-II had done multiple tours after the break-up their silly lore had demanded, but a full album of original material was out of the question. Until last year. ‘Bloodiest’ should not have been as good as it is. It feels like an anthology of all the styles Seikima-II has attempted through the years, with thankfully a strong focus on the traditional heavy metal of their earliest days and the melodic stadium rock of the mid to late eighties. The album isn’t quite as good as their classic work, but it simply is another Seikima-II album. In a world with so many disappointing or downright embarrassing reunion releases, isn’t that really all we can hope for?

Recommended tracks: ‘Koryotaru Shinsekai’, ‘Mighty Punch Line’, ‘Jigoku No Kane Wo Narasunowa Omae’

10. Incidense – Collide

‘Collide’ is Incidense’s first album in more than a decade, but it fits current developments in the prog scene perfectly. While the heavy riffs keep Incidence firmly in the progressive metal realm, the lines between progressive rock and metal are fading, creating a much stronger blend in the process. Within that blend, Incidense excels at emotional songwriting. Incidense’s songs aren’t long because they are vehicles for virtuosity, but because they have intense stories to tell. Singer Peter Meijer is the perfect narrator for those stories. François Koopmans’ riff work has a pre-Dream Theater vibe that lifts Incidense to a higher level than many contemporaries, despite being every bit as heavy and pulsating.

Recommended tracks: ‘Descent’, ‘Inner Enemies – Part I’, ‘Blinded’

11. Xentrix – Seven Words

Despite knowing and liking Xentrix, I was not expecting ‘Seven Words’ to be anywhere near as good as it is. ‘Bury The Pain’, their first album since reuniting, was a solid contemporary thrash metal album, but nothing spectacular. ‘Seven Words’, on the other hand, may even rival Xentrix’ classic material. This is one solid, consistent slab of timeless thrash metal that doesn’t pander to the old school nostalgia circuit, but doesn’t sound too modern either. It may help that Xentrix never went for breaking speed records, opting for clever songwriting and memorable hooks instead. Newcomer Jay Walsh has a voice that sounds nearly identical to his predecessor Chris Astley at times, which contributes to ‘Seven Words’ sounding pleasantly familiar, yet fresh and relevant.

Recommeded tracks: ‘Seven Words’, ‘Spit Coin’, ‘Behind The Walls Of Treachery’

12. Sisters Of Suffocation – Eradication

On each of their three albums to date, Sisters Of Suffocation has changed up their formula a bit, but their overall dedication to catchy, memorable death metal has not changed. After the fairly modern-sounding ‘Humans Are Broken’, ‘Eradication’ is notably more old school, without sacrificing any of their varied songwriting. As such, ‘Eradication’ moves back and forth between borderline thrash metal, pummeling old school death metal and the occasional technical or atmospheric passage. The album also has a flow that works remarkably well; there is never too much of one type of death metal, but the album also doesn’t become disjointed. The greater amount of guitar harmonies and solos is very welcome as well. A new highlight in the band’s career and absolutely worth hearing.

Recommended tracks: ‘Hide In Plain Sight’, ‘Being Prey’, ‘Cannibal Soulmate’

13. Dir En Grey – Phalaris

After the unbelievable piece of crap that was ‘The Insulated World’, I was ready to give up on Dir En Grey. Ever the idiosyncratic band, however, every Dir En Grey album could end up sounding completely different than the previous. That is exactly what happened here. ‘Phalaris’ reins in Kyo’s vocal madness a bit and focuses on a satisfying balance of melancholic melodies and meaty modern metal riffs. The album’s lengthy bookends are the obvious highlights here, with opener ‘Schadenfreude’ being a progressive metal monster and closer ‘Kamuy’ an unpredictable, atmospheric semi-ballad. Thankfully, ‘Phalaris’ is infinitely more dynamic than its predecessor, which means there is plenty of unpredictable brilliance in the intervening 44 minutes as well.

Recommended tracks: ‘Schadenfreude’, ‘Kamuy’, ‘Utsusu, Bouga Wo Kurau’, ’13’

14. Decapitated – Cancer Culture

‘Cancer Culture’ captures that creative spark that I thought Decapitated had lost after ‘Canival Is Forever’. These days, death metal this creative often drops the aggression the genre is known for. ‘Cancer Culture’ is clever, but also cathartic when it needs to be. Wacław ‘Vogg’ Kiełtyka has a rather unique approach when it comes to guitar solos and that side of him is more present on the album than it has been in a long time. The amount of rhythmic variation also lifts ‘Cancer Culture’ to a higher level. Newcomer James Stewart knows exactly when to be technical, when to blast relentlessly and when to go for more open grooves. The result is a highly dynamic modern death metal album that towers above the rest of the genre.

Recommended tracks: ‘Just Another Cigarette’, ‘Cancer Culture’, ‘Hello Death’

15. Chaos Control – Call Of The Abyss

Usually when a band fades away after an EP, it is never to be heard from again. Chaos Control released one in 2001 and more than two decades later, a debut album followed. And it’s shockingly good as well. ‘Call Of The Abyss’ isn’t just a labor of love by some friends making their demo material available; it is an excellent progressive power metal album. The at times surprisingly aggressive music is heavily inspired by Queensrÿche, but there are clear hints of Nevermore and – in the more traditional power metal songs – Helloween as well. The riff work and lead guitar work is often spectacular. ‘Call Of The Abyss’ may have been even higher on the list if it didn’t have so many songs with guest singers. Toshinori Mitunaga is good enough to carry this by himself.

Recommended tracks: ‘Karma’, ‘Fatal Disaster’, ‘Lost’

16. Threshold – Dividing Lines

Threshold is an interesting band to categorize. Sonically and arrangement-wise, they appear to be a progressive metal band. The songwriting, however, often suggests they are a fairly adventurous hardrock band with frequent dense prog sections. Few prog bands have such catchy earworms of choruses. And ‘Dividing Lines’ plays to Threshold’s melodic strengths more than any album since the departure of the late Andrew McDermott. Glynn Morgan’s sandpaper vocal cords give the music a more ballsy vibe than it would have had with a cleaner singer. A group of musicians as skilled as Threshold also tends to come up with a much greater deal of variation in rhythms, riffs and atmospheres than the average AOR band, which is ultimately what makes ‘Dividing Lines’ one of the best Threshold albums to date.

Recommended tracks: ‘Let It Burn’, ‘King Of Nothing’, ‘Complex’

17. Queensrÿche – Digital Noise Alliance

Most Queensrÿche discussions these days devolve into picking sides. Despite the nasty details, however, I am glad Geoff Tate fell out with the rest of the band, because it resulted in Michael Wilton and Eddie Jackson recording their best music since the mid-eighties. ‘Digital Noise Alliance’ isn’t quite as consistent as its two predecessors, but might appeal to the progressive metal crowd who considered those albums leaning too much to the USPM side of the spectrum. While ‘Digital Noise Alliance’ does have a few relatively straightforward metal tracks expertly sung by Todd La Torre, there are a few more daring and experimental compositions here and the songs in general are allowed a bit more room to breathe. However, excellent guitar work and strong melodies still rule the day here.

Recommended tracks: ‘Nocturnal Light’, ‘In Extremis’, ‘Behind The Walls’

18. Erja Lyytinen – Waiting For The Daylight

Blues queen or songwriting genius? ‘Waiting For The Daylight’ is the ultimate proof that Erja Lyytinen has more strings to her bow than just her mastery of blues guitar. In fact, the album is best when Lyytinen and her band are furthest away from the blues. Pop, rock, even a bit of jazz: as long as Lyytinen can add a good guitar line and a melody that stays with you, nothing is out of bounds. Even more impressive is how she tackles all of these styles without the album sounding like a messy affair with little sense to it. Those who listen to Lyytinen primarily for her guitar work don’t need to worry though: there are still plenty of rootsy riffs, tasteful leads and raw slide solos here.

Recommended tracks: ‘Run Away’, ‘Diamonds On The Road’, ‘Waiting For The Daylight’

19. Ashes Of Ares – Emperors And Fools

Very early in 2022, Ashes Of Ares finally released an album that lives up to the reputation of its members. While I suspect Matt Barlow and Freddie Vidales have an even better album in them, ‘Emperors And Fools’ is full of powerful, dramatic heavy metal with lots of room for Barlow’s impressive range and theatrical delivery. Despite still being mostly mid-tempo, ‘Emperors And Fools’ is far more varied in atmospheres and rhythmic approaches than the first two Ashes Of Ares albums. A few songs are much more aggressive and propulsive than anything the band has released before, which serves as a nice foil to the melancholy of the other material. Very promising.

Recommended tracks: ‘Monster’s Lament’, ‘The Iron Throne’, ‘Be My Blade’

20. Slash – 4

‘4’ is the sound of Slash’s dream coming true. He always wanted to record an album live in the studio. Nashville-based producer Dave Cobb finally allowed him to. Cobb asked Slash not to over-rehearse the songs, which causes the album to lack the tight, hooky songwriting that created the likes of ‘Anastasia’, ‘Bad Rain’ and ‘Boulevard Of Broken Hearts’. This is almost entirely compensated by the enthusiastic performances of everyone involved, which also cause the album to slowly grow on you. Something about the collaboration between Slash and Myles Kennedy just occasionally creates magic and there certainly are such moments on ‘4’. But the interactions between the musicians make this record feel alive and spirited.

Recommended tracks: ‘Whatever Gets You By’, ‘Spirit Love’, ‘Call Off The Dogs’

2023
01/01
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Album of the Week 51-2022: Agent Steel – Omega Conspiracy


When ‘Omega Conspiracy’ was released, it was not just a comeback after well over a decade of inactivity, it was a reinvention of what Agent Steel could sound like. Not that the album was a complete departure from what the band did before, but Agent Steel presents itself as a mildly proggy thrash metal band here rather than the “Iron Maiden on 45 RPM” with a singer that overdosed on helium approach of their eighties output. Some people were disappointed, others – including me – heard an interesting band that was better prepared for the twenty-first century than many of their peers.

Although the vocal approach and overall character of the riffs clearly roots ‘Omega Conspiracy’ in the eighties, the Nevemore-isms that would become even more apparent on its follow-ups and the mostly timeless sci-fi and conspiracy themes made it very much an album of its time. When I first heard the album at age thirteen, I actually thought it sounded futuristic. The voice of newcomer Bruce Hall was a divisive factor. His predecessor John Cyriis was iconic, but suffered from King Diamond syndrome: his highs are well-developed, but everything else lacks character and tone. Hall is expressive and has more strings to his bow, though he is a bit too loud in the mix at times.

‘Omega Conspiracy’ truly shines in its songwriting, however. Guitarists Bernie Versailles and Juan Garcia, as well as drummer Chuck Profus, took charge of writing the songs and nearly every single one of them is excellent. Sure, the ballads are a bit naff, though ‘Awaken The Swarm’ has a nicely surprising structure, but everything else is great. That much is clear when the full-on contemporary thrash assault of ‘Destroy The Hush’ storms out of the gate. This thrashy character is held up for most of the album, with the slightly off-kilter speed metal of ‘Infinity’ being the best example, while ‘Illuminati Is Machine’ and ‘Know Your Master’ became justified live staples.

However, the album has its fair share of more melodic moments. ‘New Godz’ is eighties melodic speed metal at its finest, but the true highlight of the album – and in deed Agent Steel’s career, as far as I’m concerned – is ‘Into The Nowhere’. It is a fantastic, dramatic heavy metal song with Hall contributing a particularly intense vocal performance and probably the best set of lyrics in the band’s repertoire. Elsewhere, the influence of more modern metal bands carefully makes itself known, such as in the dark and threatening ‘Fighting Backwards’ and the surprisingly atmospheric closer ‘It’s Not What You Think’, probably the most progressive track on the album.

Whether or not I would recommend ‘Omega Conspiracy’ depends on the listener. People who were turned off by eighties Agent Steel solely due to Cyriis’ vocals may want to give this a shot. Those expecting a similar idiosyncratic vocal performance may be turned off, though Hall is not that different from Cyriis. He is more balanced, which fits the songwriting on ‘Omega Conspiracy’ well. The production is another potential issue. The shrill, sharp guitar tones and surprisingly natural drum sounds fit the atmosphere of the record, but may not be for everyone. Follow-up ‘Order Of The Illuminati’ is Agent Steel’s crowning achievement, but ‘Omega Conspiracy’ has higher peaks.

Recommended tracks: ‘Into The Nowhere’, ‘Destroy The Hush’, ‘Infinity’, ‘New Godz’

2022
12/25
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Album of the Week 49-2022: Anthrax – For All Kings


In my earlier review of ‘Spreading The Disease’, I argued that I am not sure whether Anthrax deserves to be considered part of the so-called “Big Four” of thrash metal. That has nothing to do with Testament selling more albums outside North America, Exodus being more influential or OverKill’s seniority. Instead, I think Anthrax is at its best when they are not playing thrash metal. Their earliest work had distinct traditional heavy metal overtones. Their most recent album ‘For All Kings’ appears to confirm the band also thinks they work best as a thrash-tinged contemporary heavy metal band.

‘For All Kings’ largely feels like a logical continuation of ‘Worship Music’ (2011), with two key differences. Most notably, the band is a lot more sure about the direction they want to take. ‘For All Kings’ is every bit as varied as ‘Worship Music’ and even has a few songs that would not have sounded out of place on the likes of ‘We’ve Come For You All’, but Anthrax sounds far more focused here. Also, it is very clear that all of these songs have been written with Joey Belladonna’s vocals in mind, as Belladonna sounds much more convincing here.

The result is a fresh-sounding contemporary heavy metal album with most of the thrash influence heard in the rhythm guitar parts. Due to the way hardrock and traditional heavy metal elements are incorporated into the sound, ‘For All Kings’ occasionally brings Death Angel’s incredible ‘Killing Season’ album to mind, though it is not quite as playful. Songs like the title track, ‘Monster At The End’ and the excellent, energetic opener ‘You Gotta Believe’ would simply have been categorized as heavy metal if a different band had released them. There are still thrashy moments – ‘Evil Twin’ and ‘Zero Tolerance’ most notably – but on the other hand, ‘Breathing Lightning’ is closer to melodic hardrock.

Nearly every Anthrax album has one or more songs of which I don’t understand why they are not talked about more. On ‘For All Kings’, ‘Suzerain’ would be that song. The aggressive, pulsating riff that starts the song is accompanied by a creative, tom-heavy drum part that once again proves that Charlie Benante is one of the most underrated drummers in metal. The chorus and Belladonna’s vocal melodies are much more dramatic than such dense riffing would suggest however. Another highlight is the epic doomster ‘Blood Eagle Wings’, though that one did become a live staple. It feels significantly shorter than nearly eight minutes.

Some Anthrax albums seem to favor riffs over melodies. ‘For All Kings’ finds a perfect balance between those options and proves they are not mutually exclusive. In a way, the album feels like a more refined version of ‘Worship Music’ with all the fat trimmed. It is also remarkably how more nineties Anthrax-sounding tracks like ‘All Of Them Thieves’ fit alongside the more old school material without sounding like a distraction. Some people complain that ‘For All Kings’ is not thrash enough, but I’d personally say it shows Anthrax aging more gracefully than some of their peers.

Recommended tracks: ‘Suzerain’, ‘You Gotta Believe’, ‘Blood Eagle Wings’

2022
12/11
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