Classic Metal

Skid Row – The Atlantic Years

Skid Row – The Atlantic Years
BMG
Release Date: 03/12/21
Running Time: 3:16:33
Review by Simon Black
Skid Row – 9/10
Slave to the Grind – 10/10
B-Side Ourselves – 6/10
Subhuman Race – 2/10
Subhuman Beings on Tour!! – 4/10
Overall – 7/10

Just in time for Christmas, its celebratory box set time again. This time I’ve got both the rise and fall of one of the most influential Metal acts to emerge from the fag end of the 1980’s in one five disk set. To be fair the tag line to this box set probably ought to be “You’re never too big to open for Kiss”…

There was a time when I was a lot younger, that this band seemed unstoppable, Having emerged out of left field with their debut “Skid Row”; an album that despite having one foot very firmly in the commercial sound of the eighties, was also a little more edgy in its delivery, had a beautiful full fat and rich sound, and some of the most distinctively anthemic tunes anyone had heard in a while. This is why ’18 And Life’, ‘Youth Gone Wild’ and ‘I Remember You’ continue to drop up on TV and movie soundtracks to this day. But despite having some of the most radio friendly set of singles of the entire decade, there was also something different about these guys. For a commercial act, you could still hear a little of that down-tuned heaviness that, up to that point, had largely been the territory of the Thrash end of the spectrum even on this debut, but yet with a frontman with a set of lungs on him gifted to very few on this earth. The world (and more importantly for the time, MTV) thought so too, and these fellows rapidly found themselves flying around the world with some spectacular opening slots for the likes of Aerosmith and Bon Jovi, guaranteeing that when they made it to Europe for smaller shows they did it as headliners from the get go.

And from then on upwards and upwards was their trajectory.

The sophomore “Slave To The Grind” wasn’t so much a follow up as a sledgehammer in the face. The down-tuned heaviness, just hinted at on their debut, was now a full on force of nature which, from the opening bars of the seminal ‘Monkey Business’, proved that this was not a band to do things by halves. For my money this is the definitive Skid Row album, with not a bad track on it and a band that now had not only the confidence to play it their way (because let’s face it the more commercial sound from 1989 almost certainly came at the label’s insistence). Being taken round the world with Guns ’N’ Roses at their peak meant that everyone else got to find that out too, and with the band headlining arenas in their own right, it seemed like the world was their oyster.

Then Grunge happened.

Personally I think that the heavier sounding second album and its huge momentum would probably have allowed them to keep snowballing upwards (albeit perhaps more slowly), but they chose to instead listen to manager Doc McGhee and take a long hiatus to ride the new upstart musical movement out, which is where the filler release of “B-Side Ourselves” comes in. The tracks on here were all B sides from the ‘Slave’ sessions. At five tracks it’s clearly a contract placeholder and it did little for them at the time, as around them the musical landscape was changing permanently. I heard them all at the time, as in those days I used to get nice vinyl 12” single releases from East West / Atlantic. This was so much of a stop gap cost cutter that the label didn’t even send out DJ copies on the grounds we already had the material on the 12” releases, but with hindsight this was the beginning of the end.

When “Subhuman Race” was finally released in 1995, its initial sales success was almost entirely based on expectation of continuity of service, but this was miniscule to the success they had previously enjoyed. We could not have been more disappointed. McGhee’s bum advice had continued to lead them in the wrong direction, with a release that was desperately trying to say “Hey, we can play Grunge too”. They couldn’t, and more importantly they shouldn’t and should have stuck to their big guns.

First off, there was none of the fat, rich, deep and heavy sound that made them so distinctive. Instead the whole thing sounds flat and lacklustre and worse still, cheap. I remember watching them at a half empty Waldorf Astoria in London, wondering what the hell had happened to such a promising band. A desperate Bach asked the thin crowd if we liked the new album, and getting little in the way of a positive response, pointed out that he really busted his voice on recording that one. But then Bach pushing his voice down and gravelly to follow the trend of the day ultimately ended up falling flat on his face, and was a complete waste of one of the best singers of the time (although ironically he probably finds it easier to hit those notes these days since he seems to have joined the Vince Neil school of Youth Gone Old).

What followed was the inevitable downward slide, and a parting of the ways, when Bach threw the towel in after Sabo allegedly cancelled a support slot for the reforming Kiss that Bach had previously confirmed. Had they done that slot they would have been playing stadia to a receptive crowd and ridden the period out (although ironically they did end up supporting Kiss a few years later, but not to anything like the same size audiences as that Kiss and Make Up reunion had offered).

The coda to the box set is a short EP of live tracks from their Subhuman Tour, but it’s all over by now, and this is clearly intended to deliver on contractual commitments with the label. It’s worthwhile to note that only one track from that ill-chosen studio album made it to this disk, so everyone had clearly got the message on that fateful (and indeed, awful) third studio release. That saves it from the doldrums, as whilst playing their stronger material rather than trying to sound like they had relocated to Seattle, the Skids were totally in their zone even then. From the sound of the recording though, you can tell they are playing much smaller venues, and when you exclude the padding track of the band telling everyone in the Japanese market how wonderful they are, is really a marker of just how far they had fallen after their meteoric rise.

When they were good, they were very, very good but when they were bad, they were horrid.

What happened in later years, with a revolving door of players and singers, to be honest has not even registered on my radar, as frankly Skid Row to me begins and ends with the line-up that cut these disks. This is simultaneously heart-warming and depressing, with the first three disks on here representing that even in an age when Metal had become dangerously formulaic, that an act could still come out of the back stalls and punch their way to the top of the musical totem pole.

Equally it shows that a couple of ill thought out management decisions have the capacity to utterly destroy a career.

TRACKLISTING:
Skid Row
01. Big Guns
02. Sweet Little Sister
03. Can’t Stand the Heartache
04. Piece of Me
05. 18 and Life
06. Rattlesnake Shake
07. Youth Gone Wild
08. Here I Am
09. Makin’ a Mess
10. I Remember You
11. Midnight / Tornado

Slave to the Grind
01. Monkey Business
02. Slave to the Grind
03. The Threat
04. Quicksand Jesus
05. Psycho Love
06. Get the Fuck Out
07. Livin’ on a Chain Gang
08. Creepshow
09. In a Darkened Room
10. Riot Act
11. Mudkicker
12. Wasted Time

B-Side Ourselves
01. Psycho Therapy
02. Little Wing
03. C’mon and Love Me
04. What You’re Doing
05. Delivering the Goods (Live)

Subhuman Race
01. My Enemy
02. Firesign
03. Bonehead
04. Beat Yourself Blind
05. Eileen
06. Remains to be Seen
07. Subhuman Race
08. Frozen
09. Into Another
10. Face Against My Soul
11. Medicine Jar
12. Breakin’ Down
13. Iron Will

Subhuman Beings on Tour!!
01. Slave To The Grind (Live)
02. Delivering The Goods (Live)
03. Beat Yourself Blind (Live)
04. Psycho Therapy (Live)
05. Riot Act (Live)
06. Monkey Business (Live)
07. Thanks

LINE-UP:
Sebastian Bach – Vocals
Dave ‘The Snake’ Sabo – Guitar
Scotti Hill – Guitar
Rachel Bolan – Bass
Rob Affuso – Drums

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Simon Black and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Blackthorne – Afterlife/Don’t Kill The Thrill (2CD Reissue)

Afterlife & Don't Kill The Thrill Album Cover Art

Blackthorne – Afterlife/Don’t Kill The Thrill (2CD Reissue)
The Store For Music
Release Date: 30/07/2021
Running Time: 77:51/76:38
Review by Chris Galea
7.5/10

Blackthorne was one of those short-lived bands that never went close to attaining its true potential. The band was formed in the early 1990’s by guitarist Bob Kulick (Kiss, W.A.S.P., Meat Loaf, Doro, Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens), vocalist Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, Alcatrazz, Michael Schenker Group) and keyboardist Jimmy Waldo (New England, Alcatrazz, Warrior). The band’s rhythm section was composed of bassist Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot, House Of Lords) and drummer Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot, W.A.S.P., Alex Masi, Steppenwolf). Not just ‘a band’ therefore but more like ‘a supergroup’.

Jimmy Waldo blames the band’s quick demise on the Grunge scene but before throwing the towel, Blackthorne released one album (“Afterlife”) and almost released a second one. This double-disc release, therefore, celebrates the band’s music albeit retrospectively.

Full details of the double-album’s contents can be found below but essentially, besides offering both albums in one package, this release is also jam-packed with demos of more unreleased tracks and alternate versions of Blackthorne songs. And before you put on your most sceptic-sounding snigger, let me say that a lot of the demo tracks we have here actually sound quite good. For example, on the disc containing “Afterlife”, the bonus demo tracks are sometimes better than the album tracks, especially with regards to Graham Bonnet’s singing.

Overall, I would say that the music style has something of the classical roots of Alcatrazz as well as the electrifying feel of Warrior, the band Jimmy Waldo had with Vinnie Vincent (Kiss, Invasion) and his ex-bandmates of New England. Regarding my Warrior comparison, check out the guitar tone and choir vocals of ‘Over and Over’ or ‘Sex Crime’.

In their sophomore (unreleased) album “Don’t Kill The Thrill”, Blackthorne continue to explore their musical ideas while remaining within the Classic Heavy Metal niche. ‘Twist The Blade’ is not short of catchy melodies but contains a Punk-ish riff that gives it a distinct edge. Riffs, melodies, solos…Bob Kulick gives all he’s got in ‘Don’t Kill The Thrill’. ‘Love From The Ashes’ leans more onto Hard Rock rather than Metal and it’s a great song.

Despite what I mentioned earlier, a few tracks (and not only demo tracks) failed to convince me. But, by and large, this was an album I enjoyed listening to.

Sadly, Bob Kulick and Frankie Banali passed away last year within the space of three months and thus didn’t live to witness this release. So, I reckon one may also consider this “Afterlife/Don’t Kill The Thrill” as a sort of joyful dirge celebrating Bob and Frankie’s talents and undying influence.

In all honesty Blackthorne was a band I discovered thanks to this double-album and hopefully it will introduce many others to the band’s music. For sure if there’s just one Blackthorne release you’ll ever need in your record collection, then it’s got to be this one.

‘Afterlife’ (Audio)

TRACKLISTING:
Afterlife CD1:
01. Cradle To The Grave
02. Afterlife
03. We Won’t Be Forgotten
04. Breaking The Chains
05. Over And Over
06. Hard Feelings
07. Baby You’re The Blood
08. Sex Crime
09. Love From The Ashes
10. All Night Long

Bonus Tracks:
11. Wild Inside (Demo Cassette 1992)
12. Get My Heart Out Of Here (Demo 1992)
13. Since You Been Gone (Demo 1992_Vocal 2018)
14. Afterlife (Original Demo Mix) (Tony Palacios Guitar)
15. Baby You’re The Blood (Demo 1992)
16. Afterlife (Live Unplugged)
17. We Won’t Be Forgotten (Live Unplugged)

Don’t Kill The Thrill CD2:
01. Don’t Kill The Thrill
02. Wild Inside
03. Skeletons In The Closet
04. Dreaming In The Hideaway
05. Man In A Black Hat
06. Twist The Blade
07. Judgement Day
08. Insanity
09. Sanctuary (Alternate Vocal)
10. Save Me

Bonus Tracks:
11. Paralyzed (Early Demo)
12. Twist The Blade (Early Demo)
13. Guilty Of Insanity (Early Demo)
14. Afterlife (Demo 1992)
15. We Won’t Be Forgotten (Demo 1992)
16. Over And Over (Demo 1992)
17. Baby You’re The Blood (Demo 1992)
18. Love From The Ashes (Demo 1992)

LINE-UP:
Graham Bonnet – Lead Vocals
Bob Kulick – Guitars
Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards
Chuck Wright – Bass
Frankie Banali – Drums

THE STORE FOR MUSIC LINKS:

LINK TO OUR INTERVIEW WITH JIMMY WALDO:

Video Interview with JIMMY WALDO

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Chris Galea and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Blue Hour Ghosts – Due

Blue Hour Ghosts – Due
Rockshots Records
Release Date: 12/02/2021
Running Time: 38:59
Review by Dark Juan
8/10

Salut! I trust you are all having the most splendid day imaginable? Yes? Excellent. You find I, Dark Juan, in a most agreeable humour considering I have work tomorrow and I am in fact sober even though Argos (a particular shop in the UK, fans from other climes) were having what could only be described as a twat of a day considering their IT systems were down and no fucker could buy anything. This was annoying because I need to buy a hairdryer. Not for me, you understand, as I am somewhat follically challenged (but this just makes me a more streamlined and sleeker killing machine), but because I am SICK TO DEATH of Mrs Dark Juan’s hair trying to kill me while I sleep by infiltrating my throat. Honestly, her hair leads a semi-independent life all of its own and it is frequently homicidal. One wonders whether it would rank among the more unusual deaths ever recorded by West Yorkshire Police when it finally succeeds in its quest to off me and it will probably have half consumed my corpse by the time the plod get here. It once spat out an entire tortilla chip at me once. I shit you not. Also, I have been subject to some mockery from the leek and dragon enthusiast part of Team Ever Metal and other Welsh friends (MANY, many Welsh friends), due to a load of blokes named variously Jones, Davies or Griffiths chasing a funny shaped ball around a field better than us Saesnegs whilst wearing worryingly tight shorts. But the English do that too.

Three hundred words and I haven’t told you a damned thing about the music. Well, if you insist… Today’s offering comes from the land of Ferraris, Birra Moretti, and Cristina Scabbia (sigh…). Yes, Blue Hour Ghosts are from Modena in Italy, and I am listening to their sophomore offering “Due”, which is “Two” for all you dastardly souls who have never bothered to learn another language. Pay attention, you at the back, there will be a test later.

The record kicks off with ‘Walking Backwards’ and I am immediately smacked in the face with shimmering, very 80’s sounding keyboards and a clean (as in doesn’t sound like the vocalist is straining to have a colossal chilli fuelled shit, or more worryingly sounding like he’s on a very gruff vinegar stroke) singer over a meaty riff. I have returned to the righteous path of metal after a sojourn into the realms of industrial and the frankly whacked out bonkers barmy. However, rather than return to the world of the extreme, I have chosen the more melodic and grandiose path that Blue Hour Ghosts tread. Employing a sound that is a melange of Katatonia, Porcupine Tree, more than a little Coheed And Cambria (in the arrangement of the songs) and a soupcon of Paradise Lost, BHG are never going to be a particularly violent band. What they do have are pretty good songwriting chops and a fine grasp of English compared to my woeful knowledge of Italian. I always find it mightily impressive when non-native English speakers create songs in English when I could just about ask for two beers in their language (and can’t even do that in Afrikaans).

Further on into the record there is ‘Lower The Wires’ which marries an epic vocal from Ricky DC and a massive fucking chorus over keyboards inspired by Rammstein in parts, what with the way they swirl and prowl below the dual guitar attack of Diego Angeli and Francesco Poggi. This is actually a record that is somewhat greater than the sum of its parts – When I read the blurb and it said it was melodic metal, I was prepared to be unimpressed, because quite a lot of melodic metal is frankly a bag of shite and needs actual proper talent to make it work. Thankfully, BHG have the talent to make it work and work well. A lot of credit goes to keyboard batterer Simome Pedrazzi for this because his keyboards are never less than stunning, forming Rammstein-esque stabbings and eerie atmosphere before morphing into huge, skyrocketing, coruscating walls of sound that counterpoint the chunky riffing of the guitars superbly, but never overwhelm the band entirely. The vocal harmonies are also fucking brilliant, reminding me of Coheed And Cambria when they are sung in higher registers. ‘Damn Wrong’ is also a good, slowly rocking, melancholy tune that really reminds me of “One Second” era Paradise Lost, having the black misery and nihilism that the Yorkshire miserabilists made famous. I could really picture Nick Holmes singing this song and being as I am a BIT of a fan of Paradise Lost, this is not really a demerit.

Production wise this record is actually pretty damned good. Production and engineering has been ably handled by Giuseppe Bassi, of Fear Factory notability. His handling of the bass guitar of Matteo Malmusi is especially noteworthy as it is easily audible but doesn’t overpower the rest of the band and is a writhing, sinuous underpoint to the music rather than just something there to give the music a bit of a fat arse. However, the drums sound lifeless and artificial (although very competently played) and the china cymbal really can grate somewhat as it appears to have developed a superiority complex over the rest of the percussion and decided that it should be the ONLY cymbal that is heard. Some of the song arrangements can also be a little…choppy on key changes and middle eights but these are really minor gripes compared to the expansive songs and sound that the band enjoy on this record.

So, Italy proves once again to us that the metal scene there is vibrant and wide-ranging. There’s clearly more to the Italian scene than just Lacuna Coil and Corpsefucking Art and I’m looking forward to dipping my toes in further. Forza Italia!!!

Yes, it is fair to say that I am actually more than a little impressed by Blue Hour Ghosts. Solid, experimental, heavy and melodic as well, they cover most bases that excite this perennial enfant terrible and the sex wee quotient is fairly high. While we aren’t going to experience flooding, as Calderdale Council have invested heavily in sex wee flood defences since the last time (that was The Machinist’s fault) the quantity is sufficient to call town planners’ decisions into question about whether they can build houses on the flood plain at the bottom of the hill. This is music that you would play on an epic roadtrip around the warmer climes of Europe with the top down at dusk. I like it.

A lot.

The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System (Il sistema brevettato di valutazione degli schizzi di sangue Dark Juan – fuck it. Close enough. I’m sure the gentlemen will correct my Italian if they read what I have written about them) has been pleasantly shocked and awards Blue Hour Ghosts 8/10 for a damned fine melodic metal record with melancholy overtones. Surprising and excellent.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Walking Backwards
02. On Black Clouds
03. Dead In August
04. Damn Wrong
05. Shine
06. Fearless
07. Lower The Wires
08. Disheartened
09. Involved/Bored

LINE-UP:
Ricky DC – Vocals
Diego Angeli – Guitars
Francesco Poggi – Guitars
Simome Pedrazzi – Keyboards
Matteo Malmusi – Bass
Andrew Gunner – Drums

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of ‘Dark Juan’ and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Video Interview with Gary Shea (Alcatrazz)

Video Interview with Gary Shea (Alcatrazz)
Interview, Recording, and Editing by Chris Galea

Hi Everyone

In January 2021 Chris had the honour of chatting to Alcatrazz founding member/bassist Gary Shea, about their forthcoming album, the history of the band, and Gary’s musical journey.

Huge thanks to Gary for the interview and to Chris for putting this together.

Gary Shea Video interview by Chris Galea

Enjoy!
Rick
Owner/Editor

ALCATRAZZ LINKS:

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Chris Galea and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

EMQ’s with NIGHTWÖLF

EMQ’s with NIGHTWÖLF

Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Brasilia, Brazil based Heavy Metal band, Nightwölf. Huge thanks to bassist Guilherme de Almeida for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

Hello, Headbangers! I’m Guilherme de Almeida, bass player of Nightwölf. Well, the band was created in 2017, it was our guitarist Adan Hessen who came up with the idea of a Traditional Heavy Metal band. He invited me and we started planning how it would happen, and after that we gathered the other guys. But it was at the moment we got together as a band that all the ideas really got consolidated. Since then we have been creating music we love and playing as loud as we can.

How did you come up with your band name?

You know, we thought about a good name for a long period. The idea was that it sounded good, something easy to remember, and also that we didn’t know any bands with a similar name. Someday Adan came with Nightwölf and we thought it was Metal enough. Also, it fit really well in the lyric themes we like to write about (myths, horror and literature, basically), which ended up creating a kind of mythology that can be seen in our first release, the EP “Unleash the Beast”.

What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?

We are from Brasília, in Distrito Federal, the capital of Brazil. Our country has always been known for great metal bands, but I guess we can say our city has one of the best Metal scenes of the whole country. I mean, everybody is, in general, always creating good bands, good music, good events, and we are really proud of being part of such a great scene. Also, our region is the place of legendary Brazilian bands such as Violator, Dark Avenger, Flashover, Miasthenia, Embalmed Souls, Valhalla, Blazing Dog, and many others. So, yeah, we do have a very good scene.

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

Well, our latest release is the EP “Unleash the Beast”! It was released independently in February and is now re-released by the legendary Kill Again Records, with whom we have just signed! The EP is making us really proud, it is going way further then we thought it would go. Before that we had only released a digital single for ‘Halls of Hell’, a song that can be found in the EP in a newer and better version.

Who have been your greatest influences?

I can say that, in general, our biggest influences are the 80’s and 90’s Heavy Metal bands, you know, Judas Priest, Dio, Saxon, Accept, Manowar, Iron Maiden and many others. You can find lots of elements of all of these bands in our songs.

What first got you into music?

I think I can say that I grew up in a very musical environment; my mom always listened to good bands and musicians, so I think it was likely to happen anyways. But what really got me into music was certainly passion for Rock n’ Roll, which was awoken during my teenage years by classic bands like KISS, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. There isn’t anything that moves Heavy Metal more than the passion it creates within us.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

That’s a really tough one hahaha. It’s hard to pick just one; there are many bands I would die for collaboration. Speaking for the band, I think it would be really awesome if we got to collaborate with names such as Iced Earth, Grave Digger or Doro. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Zakk Wylde, so if I could do anything with him someday that would be great.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

I’d say any of the European summer festivals. But, well, it’s every headbanger’s dream to go to Wacken Open Air, Keep It True or Hellfest, and if we could play in any of these someday it would be a dream come true. Also, those are the festivals with the biggest visibility, with people from all around the world, so it would be awesome to have so many crazy bangers listening to Nightwölf’s music.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

Drugs hahaha. I don’t even know what the hell that was, but we are not really into it. So, we had to refuse. Sorry, bro, bring us some alcohol next time hahaha.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

I can only thank you all for the great support we have been receiving. You know, we have few fans, but all of them are true Heavy Metal lovers, and from everywhere in the world, which is something we didn’t expect at first. So, thanks for being real Metal worshippers!

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Another really tough one, hahaha. If I could choose two of them, they would surely be Ronnie James Dio and Lemmy Kilmister, but, please, don’t make me choose between them hahaha. I really loved both.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

Being on the stage and feeling the energy of the crowd is, for sure, what I enjoy the most, no doubt about that. Nightwölf really loves playing live. Now, what I hate… I wouldn’t say I hate it, but I’m just not really fond of recording processes haha you know, too boring and repetitive.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

It is a cliché, but also so real: music should be done for passion, not for fashion. Writing songs is putting yourself in what you create, whatever it sounds like. So, if I could change anything about music industry it would be the “industry” part. Leave us only with music, that’s enough.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Black Sabbath – “Vol. 4”. If I gotta choose just one, it has to be one of the All-Fathers of Heavy Metal, of course haha.

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

As a collector I would choose Vinyl. You know, there is a very pleasant ritual of listening around them. But as a means of spreading the word of the gods of Heavy Metal around the world, downloads are obviously the best option. I mean, each of them has had their importance through the years of music, so why not to choose them all?

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

Oh, we have played in many great gigs so far. Last year we opened for Blaze Bayley (ex-Iron Maiden), which was huge. We also played at Kill Again Metal Fest with Air Raid (Sweden) and two great Brazilian bands called Murdeath and Breakout; and at Ritual Metal Show Festival Camping, with many bands of the Brazilian scene. Those were three of the best ones. But, to be fair, we always feel like our latest gig was the best one and that the next one will be even better, you know?

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

Actually, I’m not just a musician haha. When I’m not making music I’m a teacher. Everybody in the band has their own professions besides being a musician ‘cause it’s really hard to make a living with Heavy Metal nowadays, and we gotta pay the bills, right? Haha. But I can speak for all of the band members when I say there’s no possibility for any of us of not being a musician. It’s something we need.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

My bandmates, for sure haha we love hanging out together. But if you’re asking about famous people, then they would be Ozzy, Rob Halford, Steve Harris, Glenn Hughes and Zakk Wylde. If I could bring someone back from the dead for this dinner party, then you can include Lemmy on the list. I think we would have a blast with these guys!

What’s next for the band?

As soon as everything goes back to normal we’ll go back to the stages to promote our EP “Unleash the Beast” that has been released just before quarantine and re-released by our label Kill Again Records (www.killagainrec.com) during quarantine, so the next gigs will be focused on that.

Also, we are already working on our next release which will be a full-length. We are using all of our free time during isolation to write new songs and set things up. I can only tell you that if you enjoyed our EP, you will enjoy even better the next record.

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

You can find us everywhere! Nightwölf is on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Bandcamp, Spotify, Deezer, iTunes, you can listen to “Unleash the Beast” at any digital platform you prefer. Also, if you want to contact us to buy our physical copies and all our merchandising stuff, or if you simply want to have a good conversation, send us a message through our Facebook or Instagram pages, it will be a pleasure!

www.facebook.com/nightwolfmetal/
www.instagram.com/nightwolfmetal/
www.nightwolfmetal.bandcamp.com/releases
www.open.spotify.com/artist/2BwhU2iVUJfSYKRZI0d5b3
www.youtube.com/channel/UC4hGyWnQ5HHQ33U6NGut2UQ

Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?

Never really ate them, but something tells me not to trust the “Cakes” part hahaha. Biscuit, then.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

On behalf of Nightwölf, I would like to thank Ever Metal team for the amazing interview; it is always a pleasure to have such a great time talking about our band. Thanks, once again, for everyone from everywhere in the world that has been supporting us be it buying our record, listening to us in any possible way, sharing our music with friends or spreading Nightwölf wherever you are. Also, I’d like to thank all the guys who are always sending their feedback through our social media. We hope to be able to play for all of you very soon! Stay safe, stay true and stay metal!

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Anvil – Legal At Last

Anvil – Legal At Last
AFM Records
Released:14/02/2020
Running Time: 50:31
Review by Dark Juan
4/10

Greetings and salutations from a dark and gloomy Dark Juan Terrace, my dear followers of the Left-Hand Path. As I am staring through the mullioned and open window from my meditation chamber (where there is a disturbing and frankly boring lack of nubile young virgins with innocent eyes and a faith in the False Lord that has just got to be libertined out of them) I am assailed by the smell of petrichor and there appears to be calm before a storm. The clouds are heavy, black and pendulous and all the birds have fucked right off somewhere. My glorious and vicious pack of hellhounds are all asleep on my bed. There’s also no cheese or alcohol in the house and the police are starting to take a dim view of my increasingly desperate excuses for being outside – Apparently telling them you are hunting for virgins is not an acceptable excuse in West Yorkshire, nor is claiming you have been living in the woods for twenty years and have chosen that moment to re-enter civilisation. Apparently, my clothes were too fresh smelling and well-pressed for that one to work…

So, to business. I’m listening to venerable Canadian metal stalwarts Anvil’s latest release, “Legal At Last”. It appears that they have a blueprint and they are not deviating from it one fucking jot. Experimentation is not a word in the Anvil dictionary. What we have here is a heavy metal album that literally has been transported through time from 1984. We have gang backing vocals, big chant-a-long choruses, an utterly derivative production where everything is snare drums to the fore, songs about weed, drinking, surveillance and how great Anvil are. Unfortunately, Anvil aren’t that great, and it has always been a mystery to this hellpriest as to why Anvil have enjoyed such a long career, when they have basically released the same album for the last twenty years. This is so utterly derivative it is sucking the life out of me. When you have other bands like Cloven Hoof (who are of a similar vintage) STILL managing to make traditional metal sound fresh and fun, it makes Anvil almost become a less amusing version of Spinal Tap – a band with steadily decreasing relevance clinging to past glories, helped with an ageing fanbase who all still wear their original 1982 tour shirts and look with disdain at the neophyte metaller who has just discovered the One True Path and malign them cruelly for not liking “the classic stuff”. Well, fuck you, OLD GUYS! This record might have been a good release in 1985, but now it is just tawdry, man.

Opener and title track “Legal At Last” is basically a paean to how great Anvil are. Yes, there is a punchy staggered backing vocal but I have to be honest here, Lips’ voice is not to my taste and this self-aggrandising bullshit got the teenaged Dark Juan’s back up so much that glam rock is still a no-go area because it would only take one phosphor bomb and you could wipe out a room full of primped pussies just from the fumes of the hairspray igniting. Second track “Nabbed In Nebraska” is equally boneheaded and has just insulted my intelligence so much I’ve just ordered a conventional bombing strike on Toronto to revenge myself upon the place for even giving us Anvil in the first place. “Smoking weed ain’t no crime” howls Lips. Clearly it fucking was in Nebraska, you numpty. Also, smoking weed ain’t big or clever. It generally makes you a combination of sleepy, talkative, food obsessed and very bloody annoying. And smelly. Very very fucking smelly. Track three on this apparently never-ending record is “Chemtrails”. Oh dear. Oh dear. Hackneyed and derivative and clearly Anvil have no idea of airspeed friction and contrails. Take it from me, dear friends and acolytes, I worked on aircraft at Manchester Airport and there are NO FUCKING NOZZLES FOR DUMPING CHEMICALS ON CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT!!!! Or I would say that, because I am one of them, you will all immediately howl… Grow the fuck up.

And so it continues – one of the few redeeming qualities of this record is that it does at least have a positive environmental message that is timely in the song “Plastic In Paradise”, but then they also have a song called “Glass House” about surveillance of the world populace, which is an interesting subject but ruined by some truly banal lyrics. “There is no place to hide, nowhere to go inside,” “There is no lock, there is no key, when you lose your privacy,” and the ABSOLUTE winner (and cheerfully grammatically incorrect,) “Me and you, living in a zoo.” Musically, Anvil still come across as a more muscular Twisted Sister with added metal attitude, but everything about the record is one massive fucking cliché, man. Overpowering drums? Check. Massively overproduced guitar sound, multitracked to fuck because there is only one guitar player? Check. Utterly faceless bass robot? Check. Gang vocal? Check. Battering the floor tom a lot? Check. Ham-fisted attempts at political commentary? Fucking check, check and check again. There is simply no fucking excuse, when metal is undergoing a renaissance of sorts currently, to release such dated and unoriginal music, especially when contemporaries are making good albums again.

Metal has moved on from this. At best, this record is a curiosity showing just how stagnant metal can be without new blood to move it along. It has some good riffs, some good song structures but Ozzy Osbourne did all this considerably better on “The Ultimate Sin.”

In 1986.

The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System wants its intelligence quotient back. 4/10 for one of the most average records I have ever heard from “legends.” Bah. And indeed meh.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Legal At Last (I wish you weren’t.)
02. Nabbed In Nebraska (Don’t take controlled substances there, then!)
03. Chemtrails (Load of old pony, bach.)
04. Gasoline (More to worry about here than fucking chemtrails.)
05. I’m Alive (Clearly the Nebraska State Police were feeling charitable.)
06. Talking To The Wall (Is this while Accept have their Balls To The Wall? That’s a bit worrying.)
07. Glass House (Good concept, utterly shit lyrics.)
08. Plastic In Paradise (Timely and important. No, not taking the piss at this point.)
09. Bottom Line (Of your wife’s colossal pants?)
10. Food For The Vultures (An excellent metaphor for this album.)
11. Said And Done (Not quite yet, but hope springs eternal.)
12. No Time (Bonus Track – I read bonus track as a song that didn’t make the actual choice of songs for the album, but we will bung it on anyway.)

LINE-UP:
Steve “Lips” Kudlow – Vocals/ guitar
Robb Reiner – Drums
Chris Robertson – Bass

LINKS: (2 3 4 – lol) – (This is a terrible joke, even for Dark Juan’s standards – Rick)
www.facebook.com/anvilmetal/
www.twitter.com/AnvilMetal666
www.instagram.com/anvil.metal/

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dark Juan and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Duel – Valley Of Shadows

Valley Of Shadows Cover

Duel – Valley Of Shadows
Heavy Psych Sounds
Release Date: 17/05/2019
Running Time: 38:00
Review by Alun Jones
8/10

Duel have been on my radar for quite a while. Despite hearing a few tracks via the band’s social media, I’d never sat down, ear-goggles locked in place, to listen to a full album. So, I was pretty stoked to have the opportunity to review their latest album: “Valley Of Shadows”, released recently by Heavy Psych Sounds.
Hailing from Austin, Texas, these four fiends are responsible for an almighty stoner doom racket; full on heavy rifferama with psychedelic and classic metal references. In case that description alone doesn’t grab you like a graveyard ghoul on the way to an unholy shindig, their whole aesthetic is tripped out in the sort of late-night, B-movie gore that’s lurid enough to make your eyes pop.
It’s like Dracula Has Risen from the Grave sound-tracked by a bunch of longhair ne’er-do-wells, and that’s just how I like it.
‘Black Magic Summer’ opens up the proceedings with some appropriate rain-soaked sound effects, before launching into the heavy-as-a-crypt-door attack. There’s a brilliantly melodic middle section too, adding some light to the gloom.
Second track ‘Red Moon Forming’ has a direct, driving pace that’s infectious and purposely concocted to inspire the raising of horns. ‘Drifting Alone’ has a real classic desert rock vibe, with a cool head shaker riff.
‘Strike And Disappear’ comes on like the vampire Western that Tarantino needs to make. A slower, bluesy pace with a dusty feel, it’s the first taste we get of a very different – and effective – approach. It melts into a ferocious, face pummelling section that screams blood and violence.
Songs like ‘Tyrant On The Throne’ have a classic metal, almost (gasp!) Iron Maiden feel to them. Otherwise, the sound explores more of the head-banging, smoke induced groove of bands like Trouble and The Obsessed.
But just like the best stoner metal movers and shakers, there’s always room for some ZZ Top-style boogie, which particularly comes to the fore in the final track, ‘The Bleeding Heart’.
As always, my sound comparisons are only meant as genuine compliments. Duel manage to create an album full of their own spirit and character, and it’s one hell of a fun ride. At turns hypnotic, fist pummelling, and sombre; “Valley of the Shadows” pulls the stake out of the stoner doom corpse and brings it back to bloody life again.
The last time I actually was involved in a duel, it was a case of duelling banjos. I was on a canoeing trip with some buddies out in the Appalachian back country. We ran into some unsavoury redneck types, one of whom challenged me to a banjo showdown. Of course, I threw in some licks that my old mentor Jimi Hendrix had shown me, and the creepy little weirdo had no chance: I was victorious.
Unfortunately, the locals weren’t too happy and we had a bit of a run-in of sorts with ‘em later. It was all fun and games really, and we were on our way home soon enough. But I tell you: just whatever you do, don’t mention piggies to my buddy Bobby!
TRACKLISTING:
01. Black Magic Summer
02. Red Moon Forming
03. Drifting Alone
04. Strike And Disappear
05. Broken Mirror
06. Tyrant On The Throne
07. I Feel No Pain
08. The Bleeding Heart
BAND LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/DUELTEXAS/
https://www.instagram.com/dueltexas/
https://duel3.bandcamp.com/
RECORD LABEL LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/
https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Alun Jones and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

EMQ’s with TANITH

EMQ’s with TANITH

Hi Everyone. Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Brooklyn, New York Heavy Rock/Classic Metal band Tanith! Huge thanks to Vocalist/Bassist Cindy Maynard for taking part!
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Cindy Maynard, Bass guitar and vocals. Tanith started in 2017 when Russ Tippins and I decided we wanted to do original music together with a band based out of Brooklyn, NY. We got in touch with our friends Charlie and Keith, and started sorting out a couple of songs which we recorded that November. The music is 100% analogue from recording to mixing to mastering right to the vinyl. We self-financed the release of those songs on a 7”. That went down really well and we got a lot of good feedback, so we just kept going with new material. Pretty soon we had a full length album. That’s when Metal Blade got in touch.
How did you come up with your band name?
Tanith is a character in an old Hammer movie called “The Devil Rides Out”. We liked the sound of her name and also the imagery and symbolism associated with the deity Tanith- the Phoenician Goddess of war and fertility!
What country are you from and what is the metal scene like there?
I am from the US and I live in Brooklyn, NY. We have a small scene here but it has kind of dispersed over the last few years. The shows are a fewer and farther between nowadays. I’m talking about bands that play the old school kind of metal I listen to- there are plenty of metal bands around just not the kind I can speak to. Every now and then there will be a great show that a lot of people will come out to, and most of us know each other. A lot of people in the scene seem to find a way to be involved in some way too, whether it be as musicians, artists, photographers etc. which is really cool.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single or Video)
Our latest single is called ‘Under The Stars’ and you can listen online at Metal Blade Records.
https://www.metalblade.com/tanith/
Who have been your greatest influences?
There’s so many great bass players but I really like John Paul Jones, Steve Harris, and Andy Fraser for the ultimate musical inspiration and technique, then Francis Buchholz, Joe Bouchard and Greg Lindstrom for their really cool lines. Carol Kaye was also a big deal as she showed me how to play a big bass with my small hands. For vocals, probably Ann Wilson, Stevie Nicks and Cyndi Lauper, although early on my favourite singers were guys like Paul Rogers and Klaus Meine.
What first got you into music?
The radio; I listened to everything on the radio and would tape record it and then play it back to write down the lyrics to songs until I knew them all. So I was always fascinated with singing. I didn’t start playing an instrument until pretty late however.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Uh, I’m already collaborating with Russ Tippins so I’d say that’s pretty amazing! Really it’s a thrill making music with him. As far as other bands, I do think Black Magic is amazing and it would be very cool to do something with them.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
To be honest, I haven’t been to a ton of festivals and really I just hit the small ones with bands I really want to see, so I don’t know much about the bigger ones in Europe. It’s an honour to play any festival, but I’d say Keep It True is on my bucket list because they have such great fans who love the music, they keep it old school and have great quality bands all round.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Well once I got an oversized XL pale blue t-shirt in the mail in an unmarked envelope that said “One of the top 10 best bass players” in a fancy black cursive script. It was definitely an odd thing to get. Like I was going to walk around town wearing this dress of a t-shirt blowing my own horn haha! I never found out who sent it. If anyone else wants to send me a shirt though, I’m a size small by the way. 😉
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
We love our fans! Thanks for all the support, the comments and the messages! We are excited every time someone takes time to write to us and especially fans who come to see us play live.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Phil Lynott of course!
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I like creating music with a group of great people, hearing the fruits of our hard work on a recording, and playing live to our fans. Sometimes the administrative aspect is a real time suck and gets in the way of feeling creative. Oh man and booking shows is something I try to have other people do at all costs!
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
I’m just learning about all this, but I would say artists need more money through the industry to make doing what they love more doable. So better royalties, advances, and tour support.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
This question is tough! How can I name just one? There’s so many great records. Ok, “Sad Wings of Destiny” by Judas Priest. Absolute masterpiece, it’s so varied and huge.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
When my record player is working properly, vinyl. The big artwork and tactile experience of interacting with the record are ideal. Cassettes are also great and really fun on car trips. Downloads are convenient when you don’t have the music or players for the first two methods.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
The Frost and Fire festival in 2018 was a blast. Great crowd, great fest!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Taking better care of my plants…
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Uh…I could have a David party I suppose. So David Gilmour; David Bowie; David Wayne and…Larry David haha, with a guest appearance by Ozzy Osbourne, just because I love Ozzy. That would be an interesting mix of thoughtful, godly, badass, confrontational and off the wall.
What’s next for the band?
We have a full length release called “In Another Tim”’ (which came out on May 24th on Metal Blade Records). And will play a special NY record release show before heading over to Sweden to play the Muskelrock festival in Tyrolen. This Fall, we hope to do a full tour in the US and in Europe. Stay tuned!
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
https://tanithnyc.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TanithNYC/
https://www.instagram.com/tanithnyc
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Whoa I just bought some of these for the first time a couple of days ago. A biscuit I’d guess since it looks like a cookie and British people call cookies biscuits. Although it is made of sponge cake…hmm (scratches head)…
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you so much. This was fun. Cheers!

Tanith Pic

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.