Tag Archives: Doom

High Fighter – “Scars & Crosses” (Svart)

Posted by Fraggle on

high20fighter20scars2020crosses202020202020album20front20cover_20by20dominic20sohorHigh Fighter are a five piece doomy sludge band from Hamburg, one of the busiest places in Europe. As Germany’s Equivalent to Amsterdam in terms of the culture and party-like atmosphere of certain districts and areas, the city is also a hotbed of musical activity and given it’s proximity to Wacken, its no surprise many metal bands love to go there, be it touring or passing through it on the way to one of the most celebrated (and extremely divisive) festivals on offer. With some real praise being lauded on them, by the likes of Conan, arguably the biggest doom band currently active right now, John Garcia, a pioneer of stoner rock and various media outlets such as the iconic Sludgelord, big things are expected from this band. Let us see if these guys can fight their way up high.

“A Silver Heart” opens the album up with an initially lightly distorted progression before the dirt kicks in. Rich distortion, deep rumbling bass and steady drums going at a slow pace shift to a lone guitar riff before it kicks in. The bass is clear as it rings out under the hazy, hypnotic and melodic progressions which roll off the guitar with little fuss. Vocally, its clean with a solid tone, occasionally lapsing into the harshness where required and with a very similar feel to the delivery of Mike Patton. As the track progresses there are some slight rhythmic shifts and little rapid drum fills but it maintains that steady pace with ease. The bluesy lead break goes down a treat with some sublime sounding licks and the descent into the heavily spaced out musically and vocally  raw section makes for a great end. In all, an intriguing opening effort.

“Darkest Days” follows and it is more upbeat than the previous one. With a real rocking groove and infectious melodic hook, it has a great stoner vibe to it. Subtle in the verse with rich vocals and a warm bass tone, it gets a little rawer towards the chorus. With plenty of hypnotic and surreal feel, the mid section has a great progression from clear to murky in both vocals and sound. The subtle lead melody, hidden behind the sea of clashing symbols and fuzz surfaces from time to time, punctuated by the growled vocals and as an ending, it does the job well, leaving the track to fade into some heavy breathing and scraping sample noises.

“The Gatekeeper” comes in with its phaser-laden guitar intro. The swirling effect is delivered well as it adds a surreal edge before the bass and drums come in, thickening the sound up well. Slow and steady paced, the verse goes down easy with its simple beat and the vocals have a hazy feel about them. Darkening for the pre-chorus, with some sludge styled harsh vocals, it gets heavier before taking a more melodic and fuller sound in the chorus. Bringing back the phaser, the second verse gets that surreal edge again and the reverb on the vocals just adds that little bit extra before the sludge to melody shift happens again. The hard hitting riff section follows this, speeding up a little and bringing a pseudo-Sabbathian sound before the big build up moment which results in a great sounding classic rock influenced lead with wild wah and fuzz to round the sound out for a solid ending which drifts into a howl of feedback.

“Blinders” has a quick paced intro. With a bouncing feel, a real booming bassline and fuzzed out main riff, it brings the sludge side right out. The harsh vocal delivery hits hard and as it slows to a steadier paced delivery, the vocals clean back up just in time to transition back to the sludge laden groove feel again. With a subtle melodic lesd hook and surreal sounds courtesy of effect use, it comes alive once more before going into the rawness once more. The simple structure and alternating from sludge to melodic in terms of delivery works great and just like before, the howl of feedback signals the end of the track and the first half of the album.

Opening up the second half of the album, “Portrait Gods” hits with a heavy, pounding riff. Heavy on the groove, the vocals really ring out on this one, shifting from raw and harsh growls to soft and expressive cleans with little effort required whilst the riffing sounds like an extremely heavy ‘Welcome To Sky Valley’ era-Kyuss. With ringing out muddy cleans and fat fuzz laden monstrous riffs full over power, it really hits the spot. Not too fast, not too slow, not too overpowering but with plenty of bite where needed and a touch of spaced out for good measure. It’s a joy to behold and the trippy, almost psychedelic solo with the massive wah and phaser use is tremendous!

“Gods” keeps with the more stoner frock friendly sound whilst still containing that power of the doom riff. This time coming off more ‘Blues For The Red Sun’ era-Kyuss meets Fu Manchu, it lays on the fuzz and infectious feel and groove. Subtle lead melodies work in harmony with the vocals, rounding out the sound and giving a twin-headed approach, the power and groove of the riffs and rhythm facing off with the hypnotic delivery of the vocals and hook laden lead. Heavy enough to still maintain links to the doomier side of their sound with the thick sound from the guitar and bass, but having the real rocking flow of the stoner end of the spectrum, its a well balanced track which holds up well.

“Down To The Sky” has an intricate clean intro which flicks to distortion quickly. The slow pace, ringing arpeggios and deep bass create a warm feel reminiscent of Goatess, precariously teetering on the edge of Sabbathian styled doom but having more of a psychedelic edge to it. Heavy but not overpowering, the sound is fantastic with a real depth and fullness to it. The steady pace and powerful vocal delivery works like a charm. The pace allows for some headbanging if needed, but sitting back to appreciate whilst nodding along works well. In the mid section there is a touch of harshness to the vocals but the way the riffs hit with some melodic kicks here and there is what really caps it off. The frenzied wah solo kicks it up a gear as it rips through the steady pace, giving it a more balls out approach which comes in at just the right time. Honestly, this is the best track on the album by far!

Closing the album is “Scars & Crosses”. With a Bill Ward styled drum pattern, it goes into a real raw sounding wah laden lead and you guessed it – right into Sabbathian doom territory. With a brisk pace, a real bite to the snarling guitar tone, this one is a real live-wire. Rough around the edges vocals with some harshness at points cap the faster sections whilst the simple hypnotic main riff hammers away. The lead fills and melodies keep the frenzy going and the shifting from rapid to steady with the pace and delivery is balanced well. Carefully crafted, this track does well to draw on the whole album but adding even more in its final minutes. Solid riffs, great lead progressions, rumbling bass and tremendous drums, this has all the makings of a cracking live track and it serves as a fitting curtain call on an impressive debut full length.

As evident by my review, this album is clearly one of two clear halves. The first half is more orientated to the doomier and sludge side of the musical spectrum whilst the second half, my personal favourite leans more towards the stoner and Sabbathian school of doom with a hefty dose of psychedelic quality added for good measure. When both halves are combined, it gives a well rounded recording which touches on all bases, satisfying fans of all kinds of doom and its sub-genres whilst sounding fresh and unique.

The lavish praised heaped upon Hamburg’s High Fighter is warranted and I highly suggest you should see what the fuss is for yourselves!

(8.5/10, Fraggle)

http://www.facebook.com/highfighter

Goatess – Purgatory Under New Management (SVART)

Posted by Fraggle on

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Doom is such a wonderful genre. It ranges from the depths of despair with the crushing, monolithic walls of sound which accompany funeral doom to the groove laden, raw and rocking feeling of stoner doom and of course, Black Sabbath’s ‘trinity of doom’ albums from 1971-1973 (Master Of Reality, Volume 4 and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath). The sonic landscape within this genre is vast and there is so much to choose from. Sure, bands like Sleep, Electric Wizard, Saint Vitus, Church Of Misery, Pentagram and other notable names stand out and you can add Goatess to that list.

Formed in 2009 by Vocalist Christus (Christoff Linderson, Lord Vicar, ex-Saint Vitus,) and Guitarist Niklas in Stockholm, the band were conceived with the notion that their music would be more about the ‘power of the riff’ – taking a guitar or bass riff and expanding on it, creating a massive soundscape and atmosphere. The result ended up in their self-titled debut ‘Goatess’, released in 2013 on Svart Records and the best way to describe it would be psychedelic stoner-doom metal. Full of wonderful riffs and captivating and mind bending sounds, this album received high praise and three years later with a slightly changed line up, Goatess return once again to blow our minds. With Purgatory apparently being under new management, let us see how it fares under this new stewardship.

The slow, melodic descending guitar line with a warm and rich bass tone opens up “Moth To Flame” and almost instantly you are sucked into it. The subtle drums give it some slam kind of timing whilst the stringed section slowly encircles you and when Christus’ vocals kick in, everything just transforms. Delivered softly with a real remarkable sound, the vocals combine with the music behind them to create a hypnotic effect. Emotive and expressive, the music slowly begins to build up momentum giving a great feel to it and then it happens… Two minutes in, the riff kicks in as the clean, melodic section reaches its crescendo and to put it bluntly.. Fuck!

The fantastic tone is just something beautiful. Rich fuzz and perfectly balanced, the guitar riff brings the bass and drums to build up more and what results is a full on groove which opens up a new feeling and forces you to surrender yourself to it. With more power behind the vocals this time, they have a real hook to them as Christus’ delivery paints a vivid picture with the music bringing it to life. It’s not heavy as such, but the pounding feel and intensity is massive and you just find yourself caught up in it. Before you know it, you’re at the later stages of the track and the riffs become slightly darker and heavier and a sense of urgency and franticness appears, bringing with it some wild guitar sounds and dramatic, powerful vocals, really shaking it up before it subsides and fades out. What an opening track!!!

Title track, “Purgatory Under New Management” follows next and it starts off with a slow, building drone-like riff under a spoken word sample about the assimilation of paganism into Christianity. As this builds up and sets the scene, the drums and bass come in to build it up some more and the sound of the bass is delightful, clear in the mix and with a great tone! Progressing through the track, it begins to get heavier as the vocals bring the lyrics to life, creating another hypnotic effect over an intricate guitar lead melody and much like the previous track, it builds in intensity and atmosphere before getting more distorted, heavier and intense, resulting in an intricate guitar and drum heavy section to end the track!

With a title which is a clever play on the widely known ‘Murphy’s Law’ which is often the go to explanation for pessimists and realists, “Murphy Was An Optimist” is the next track on this album. Opening up with a real driving feel, the solid riff and drums are accompanied by a booming bassline, creating a steady pulse which is perfect to headbang to whilst the vocals are solid and help push the track on. The riff changes throughout the track, in parts it becomes more melodic for the guitar parts, in others the bassline becomes more melodic but whatever approach it takes, it still maintains that headbanging pulse, the whole idea behind Goatess and their musical vision – create the riff then build the atmosphere around it. Be it the hypnotic feel sections later on in the track or the rumbling and melodic lines earlier on, the simple structure of this track appears so massive because of the little touches the band add to create the atmosphere and the simplistic lead line which ends the song caps it all nicely.

Instrumental track, “Crocodillians And Other Creepy Crawly shh…..” is your typical ‘out there’ moment of the album and not just because of its title. The track consists of a slow, doomy riff which grows in volume and presence, accompanied by a hypnotic wah-laden bassline and steady drums all underneath some samples from a wildlife documentary… Yeah… Anyway, it is hypnotic and captivating. The way the bass’s rich tone and then the intricate clean licks of the guitar combine, it has a real surreal quality to it and as it gets heavier once more, surging and swirling effects really bring it to life, making it the musical equivalent of mushrooms or other hallucinogenic substances!

 

Bringing us back to reality so to speak, “Shadowland” can be described in four simple words – ‘All Hail The Riff!”. With a sound reminiscent of the ‘doomy’ Sabbath era, this track sounds fantastic and would easily fit in with the likes of ‘Sweat Leaf’, ‘Snowblind’ and ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ in the musical department. Vocally, its slightly darker and more ominous to the other tracks and as usual Christus’ delivery brings it all to life. With great timing, excellent delivery and memorable hooks across the track, this is just one to lose yourself in. Round the 3:30 point, we get the iconic ‘lone guitar riff’ moment which leads to a thunderous sounding section which is massive in all elements. Pounding basslines and solid drums lay down a huge sounding foundation for the guitar to freely express itself with a unique solo which has a surreal edge to it before the riffs come back once more.

“Silent War” takes us away from the altar of Iommi and into a spookier place. With a thick basslineand swirling sample, it goes into a real heavy riff underpinned by a steady pulse and coated with a powerful presence. With slightly hazy vocals coming and going between the clear deliveries, it further increases the unease about the track and the solid, chugging riffs give a great groove to it. Round the 5:30 section, there is a huge wah-laden guitar riff which really builds the track up, leading it into a huge sounding section. With a rich and boomy bassline, great vocal work, captivating drums and hypnotic guitar lines, it keeps you in its trance before a real slick and delightful guitar solo blows you away, giving the track a real magical edge.

“Wrath Of God” is the penultimate track and it will consume you. With a rich sounding clean intro laced with a melodic quality, the guitars ring out wonderfully whilst the bassline drives it on and the intricate drum patterns lock it all down to a steady pace. It picks up as the vocals come in and round the 2:20 part, we get a big kick as the distorted section comes in with a real thick sound but it isn’t as overpowering as you would anticipate. Going back to the clean sound, it gets hypnotic once again and as expected, it distorts once more, bringing in a real headbanging feel section before the vocals trail off as a melodic guitar lead takes over. Shifting once more, a hypnotic wah-laden bass heavy section follows with subtle vocals and here is where reality starts to slip away. A clean lead is accompanied by ‘Ahhh’ like backing vocals and subtle synths which all create a fantastic and epic sound and atmosphere. From here, it’s just a case of sit back and enjoy as the leads guide you through to another distorted section, backed up and in places, augmented by the backing vocals and synth, it hits with real power and honestly, this track right here is the best way to describe why you need this album!

Closing the album is “Good Moaning” and it’s back to a more groove-orientated feel. With its heavy, steadily thumping rhythm section and muted guitar chugs, it has a powerful edge which is only amplified by the enticing vocal delivery. Changing feel slightly, the riff alters the pace of the track and switches it to a pounding feel before shifting back again, all the while retaining its thunderous feel and delivery, giving it a real heavy sound. Constantly riddled with subtle changes, it keeps flowing smoothly and draws the album to a close.

Overall, this is a phenomenal release. Laden with great riffs, captivating and hypnotic sensations, a massive sound and atmosphere which just takes you away and blows your mind, Goatess have managed to create a masterpiece here which ranks up there with the best of them. Purgatory is under new management and if this is any indication, Purgatory sounds like a wonderful place to visit! Even though we’re only in the first half of the year, Goatess could very well have released album of the year!

(10/10 Fraggle)

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Chestburster – “Slime And Guilt” (Svart)

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unnamedWith a name like Chestburster, you’d expect something horrific lurking beneath the surface, ready to explode to life and bring forth something totally terrifying and impossible to grasp the reality of and this three piece may just be that. With a few EP’s under their belt already, the trio from Kouvola, Finland are set to unleash their debut offering, titled “Slime And Guilt”. With a name like that, you have to wonder just how filthy this album really is.

Wonder no more, as the opening bars of “Faces In The Rain” reveal all you need to know. With a real sludgy feel with doom-like atmosphere backing it up, it’s unsettling and evil, just the way we like it. Initially steady paced, it really hits in for the verse, delivered hard, fast and rather loosely, there is a real punk vibe to it, hidden under all that grimy sludge harshness coating it. Despite being rough around the edges, both instrumentally and vocally in terms of the delivery, there are subtle lines of melody buried within the layers and when you pick up on them, they are rather good. Delving into Black Metal territory slightly round the break with a real frantic paced delivery with huge sounding chords played at a blistering pace, the song just jumps from varying levels of intensity on a whim, keeping you on your toes, especially towards the end with its screamed vocals and sinister sounding lead guitar section for a chaotic end.

“Experienced Virgin” has more of a real raw stoner feel to it, oozing with copious amounts of sleaze and dirt. With a raw tone and slightly ‘off-beat- feel, the hazy vocals have a slight hypnotic effect to them. There’s plenty of nifty little blues licks across the track, all of them packed with plenty of flair and character but as you’d expect, Chestburster don’t do things normally. Speeding proceedings up, it gets more chaotic and all of a sudden, there is a lot more happening – wild drums, fast paced bass and guitar and harsh vocals all lead to a real solid sounding solo soaked in a fantastic wah-rich tone to round it all off. Title track “Slime And Guilt” switches it up again, this time rolling back the years to a real hard and loose late 70’s styled punk sound. With the raw and loose feel about it, combined with the hazy vocals, it really captures the essence of the album so far, that being it is wild, uncoordinated and frantic with no real flow to it whatsoever.

“Gas Station Pilgrim” keeps this lack of flow going, changing it up again and bringing a near 10 minute epic to the party. Its real slow blues feel works like a charm, allowing for some great atmospheric build up without much intensity to it. When the verse finally lands, the bass is stupidly heavy and those hazy vocals return yet again along with small flashes of intensity to the sound. With the chorus, it gets more prominent, having a ‘bigger sound’ to it and you kind of get the feeling this is like a slow burning fuse, just waiting to explode to life but as it goes on, through some real hook laden riffs and plenty of ominous vibes given off, there isn’t that explosion which is so brilliantly teased. It does get heavier towards the end after the massive solo section but the only explosion is the expressive lead to cap this epic length track off.

From here on out, things begin to settle in to some kind of flow. “The Arm Stretches Out”, “Rojo Sangre” And “Licking Letters” all have real prominent feelings of stoner-doom groove to them. Packed with riffs which in some cases are tributes to the Godfather of riffs himself, Iommi, and others which are more hook laden and infectious in nature, this trio of songs gets some good momentum and continuity building and shows just what the band is capable of when they settle on one direction. There are flashes of the chaos which ran through the opening tracks, it wouldn’t really be Chestburster without those, but it is a welcome change to have a block of tracks which work well with each other.

This of course changes for the final two tracks. “Tame” is more doom friendly than stoner/groove and the sinister sounding guitar and bass intro really sets up the massive Sabbath styled riffs perfectly, but from here, it is anything but tame. Picking up the pace significantly for the verse, it goes flat out before slowing down again, repeating this pattern to the end of the track. Each section has some great pounding riffs (Slow) and some reall hook laden instrumental sections and slick lead line deliveries, but after the continuity of the previous tracks, it just feels a little off. “Ice Age Inside My Head” is the closing number and this brings back the groove feel. With a solid pace, some great melodic hooks to the riffs and some good energy in it, the track brings the band back to doing what they do best . More accessible than most of the album, its an enjoyable track to listen to with its straight to the point rock and roll vibe coated in a thick stoner styled delivery and the guitar work is magnificent, oozing class be it in the lead sections or the riffs.

In all, “Slime And Guilt” is an album of two parts, the opening part in my mind being the weaker of the two. If you can get past the first four tracks, you have a remaining 5 which are great slices of groove laden doom which would make the perfect soundtrack for some high and good times. It is an album which does get better as it goes on, but given how different the two parts of this release are, its a case of persevering and dealing with the dynamic and entropic qualities of the first half.

Still, it’s not bad, it’s just not for everyone.

(6.5/10 Fraggle)

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Seer – “Volume 1 & 2” (Art Of Propaganda)

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seer-vol1and2

Seer are a doom band with some serious sludge and psychedelic influences. Hailing from the Pacific coast of Canada, the sound the guys come out with is just as massive as the expanse they hail from. A two-part release, Volume 1 & 2 promises a surreal journey through the vast expanse with some serious sonic landscapes to traverse and many challenges to whether ranging from intense to heavy to ominous and discomforting. Perhaps named in tribute to the guys who started it all, Black Sabbath, Seer are certainly ready to unleash something special and with a raft of guest musicians to make this possible, we can only hope the two parter makes one complete piece.

Opening up with “Glimmervoid”, a wall of colossal sounding riffs backed up with some booming bass kicks things off and the slightly hazy, spaced out vocal delivery gives it a real ominous and surreal edge. Shifting into a fantastic groove laden section, the vocals get harsher, taking a real sludge-like edge to them before it quickly slips into the powerfully delivered chorus. The ‘bouncy’ feeling riff with a great tone and clean vocals once again come in, changing the pace slightly, and this approach continues throughout the track, slipping from slow paced to thick and heavy groove, clean and trippy singing to real harsh roars. It’s a simple exploit of dynamics, but it works fantastically. As the track continues, it gets heavier and there are some wonderful sounding riff sections and some real heavy pounding moments, all leading up to a dramatic and intensely heavy ending which eases off into some howling feedback to draw the track to a close.

“Hive Mind” is a steady paced, dissonant feeling and huge sounding track. With a melodic lead over a pulsing drone-like rhythm, it has a hypnotic quality to it. The clean hazy vocals return and as they float across the riffs, the rich and booming bass really shines, acting almost as a counter melody to the vocal progression. Guitar-wise, it sounds similar to Sleep’s ‘Dopesmoker’ with the harsh and powerful droning tone and it certainly hits like it in parts – a huge wall of distorted noise and roared vocals near the mid-section is both captivating and intimidating, very similar to Conan in some ways. Some real filthy riffs round the 4:30 mark lead into a slick solo which brings in a frantic feel which in turn leads to more feedback which acts as the curtain call for part 1 of the release.

The second part, “Volume 2” opens up with “Cosmic Ghost”. With some samples of wind blowing over a vast empty expanse backing up a clean acoustic guitar which has some droning to it, it has a real atmospheric feel to it. The vocals are cleanly delivered with that spaced out edge once again. The added string sections add an extra edge and the spaced out chanting like vocals of the slightly droning acoustic guitar really creates a relaxing feel, even as the distortion subtly begins to creep in halfway through. As the distortion grows, the slow and steady pace with acoustic layering remains, keeping it more restrained than the previous tracks.

“Haunter” opens up with a Sleep styled riff before really kicking in. Massive sounding and almost crushing in the delivery, the thunderous pounding just hammers away at a mesmerizing pace. The hazy vocals are layered just behind the pounding musical onslaught, almost lost in the noise and this mixing trick works to good effect, making you fully immerse yourself in the sonic landscape the track has created just to hear it. Luring you in and taking hold, it puts you under its spell, smothering you with the distortion and the wild almost atonal guitar solo before going into a harmonized riff section which acts as a slight reprieve before it goes more atonal and even heavier, pummeling you with harshness which persists until the end.

“Antibody” is the penultimate track and it has a more Black Sabbath feel to its intro riff. With more of a kick to it but still retaining the heavier edge of Haunter, it powers along with a great headbanging pace, bringing some up-tempo doom styled riffery with some great vocal harsh moments in the right places to really kick it in. With more precise and dissonant sounding leads over thundering rhythms, it embodies chaos whilst still having a solid groove and it sets up for the closing track quite well. “Aeons” brings a dramatic sounding close to the album. Howling wind samples with some atonal sounding chords and bass bring the track slowly in, almost mimicking a bell tolling. Slowly progressing, it has a very unsettling feel to it and this persists throughout. Some small melodic melody lines and heavily effects-laden vocals fade in an out, toying with the listener and keeping them on edge, anticipating the explosion of noise. Except this explosion doesn’t come. Instead it stays like this before slowly trailing off into silence, giving a strange and uneasy end to a strange album.

Overall, “Volume 1 & 2” is a fascinating release. The intensely heavy opening double of Volume 1 brings the intensity and despite some slight dips into this sound in “Volume 2”, the later quadruplet of tracks are more atmospheric and bring a different kind of intensity. One favours noise whilst two favours toying with the senses. Starting off with a harsh and heavy variant of sludge-laden doom, it evolves into a full on psychedelic sludge-doom hybrid which keeps you under its spell for the whole duration of the album. Head on into the Glimmervoid and follow the Seer.

(7/10 Fraggle)

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Sonic Recapitulation’s top 20 of 2015

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2015 was a stellar year for releases. Anyone who said there was nothing worthy or of note released seriously needs to take a long look at themselves and ask the question – “Just what the fuck was I listening to?”

Great tours, Fantastic albums and some bands stepping up to the plate and others passing on the torch or re-inventing themselves and showing what they can do with some new ideas, it was a great year for some and a let down for others.

This has been a rather interesting year musically! I’ve probably reviewed around 100 albums since the start of the year and listened to a few more so I had a pretty big list to try and condense down. There were some expected musical deliveries, some surprise packages, some expected dreadful albums and a handful of one’s which should have been so much better than they actually were, it was rather disappointing (See Slayer, Geoff Tate). Anyway, there won’t be any honorable mentions this year so lets crack on with it:

 

1) Iron Maiden – “The Book Of Souls”. (EMI)

It had to be this really, the moment I heard “Speed Of Light” before the album was released, I was impressed with the more hard rock vibe delivered in that classic Maiden style. Bruce has had some big health troubles recently, but you’d never have thought it listening to his work on this album. For me, it’s the best one they’ve put out since Bruce rejoined for ‘Brave New World’ as it pushes the boundaries a little more for Maiden – actually using drop-D tuning for one song, Harris only being the creative mind in half of the tracks and of course, that epic closing track, “Empire Of The Clouds” which showcases Dickinson’s creativity, ingenuity and fantastic vocal story telling… Also, can’t forget mentioning that sweet guitar solo on “Tears Of A Clown”!

 

2) Night Viper – “Night Viper” (Svart)

This was the surprise package and for the past week or so (at time of writing this up), it was the one thing which actually came close to topping Iron Maiden on my list. Delivered with that classic NWOBHM style sound, mixing the early Maiden, Priest and Saxon sounds with some realy modern grit and fantastic vocals, the Swedish classic sounding metal outfit produced one of the best debut albums of the year and one of the most authentic sounding metal albums which borrows heavily from the 80’s. My review of this album really explains just what I think of the release so feel free to give it a read.

3) Armored Saint – “Win Hands Down” (Metal Blade)

Whilst this album didn’t score as high as the album in the #4 position, this is possibly one of my most listened to records of 2015. A solid album which showcases why John Bush is easily one of the finest metal vocalists of our time and how the often overlooked and underrated thrash and groove metallers always deliver when its time to offer up a new record. With scathing views on society combined with fantastic guitar work and some slick bass and drums, it’s an all round album which was so nearly my album of 2015 if it wasn’t for the two above it!

 4) Jupiter Falls – “Revolution” (Broken Road)

I said enough about this release in my review and my opinion still hasn’t changed. To me, it is a modern day version of Appetite For Destruction – it’s got all the bases covered, it’s an explosive sounding album made by people who really know how to put together some solid sounding tracks and play a wide range of styles, from your modern metal to classic sleaze tainted rock to big heartfelt tracks. Having heard a demo of a new track for the follow up, I can safely say this is an album which will solidify Jupiter Falls in years to come! A fine debut and one hell of a sound!

 5) My Sleeping Karma – “Moksha” (Napalm)

The album which literally blew my mind when I listened to it was again another heavy contender for album of the year. In fact all my top 5 were, that is how close they all are! Stunning songwriting, beautifully arranged melodies and a massive sounding sonic landscape for you to immerse yourself in, the German instrumental psychadelic doom and groove merchants have created easily the best instrumental album of 2015 and probably recent years too. If you do anything, just listen to the title track and prepare to be left an awestruck drooling mess after it!

6) Evil Invaders – “Pulses of Pleasure” (Napalm)

Much like Night Viper, Evil Invaders have brought out a convincing classic sounding album with some modern edge to it. Speed Metal at its finest, “Pulses of Pleasure” is a high tempo, high intensity, full on metal onslaught. Big riffs, big solo’s, air raid siren vocals and copious amounts of attitude behind it, it shits on a lot of the speed and thrash metal releases. Mr Araya and Mr King could learn a few things when it comes to recording a thrash album if they listened to this before hitting the studio!

 7) Diemonds – “Never Gonna Die” (Napalm)

Infectious and melodic hard rock with sacks of attitude, Diemond’s were another surprise for me this year. The great melodic hooks laced across the tracks, combined with the solid vocals from Priya which go from 80’s sleaze friendly to seductive and powerful just get stuck in your mind and the rebellious attitude flowing through each track just grows on you more and more. Simple, straight to the point and memorable, it’s an album you should take the time to check out!

 8) Napalm Death – “Apex Predator-Easy Meat” (Century Media)

It’s fucking Napalm Death, do I need to say any more?

 9) Psycroptic – “Psycroptic” (Prosthetic Records)

Aussie technical death metal fourpiece Psycroptic blew me away when I saw them in a tiny venue, performing a real storming set which had the crowd in the palm of their hand. Technically precise, intense, heavy and pulling no punches, this is one release I am glad I picked up!

 10) Iris Divine – “Karma Sown” (Sensory)

The top progressive metal album of the year for me. A massive sound from a three piece, channeling the spirit of Rush but with a heavier edge to it. With some fantastic arrangements, intricate solo’s and riffs and plenty of hidden nuances in each track which you discover each time, like hidden bass solo’s in a chorus or soaring synths which teasingly fade in and out of earshot between the heavy metallic riffery, it’s fantastic!

 11) Anthropia – “Non-Euclidean Spades” (Adarca)

 12) Abhorrent Deformity – “Entity Of Malevolence” (Comatose Music)

 13) Jorn Lande and Trond Holter present DRACULA – “The Swing Of Death” (Frontiers)

 14) Apophys – “Prime Incursion” (Metal Blade)

 15) Queensrÿche – “Condition Hüman” (Century Media)

 16) Cattle Decapitation – “The Anthropocene Extinction” (metal blade)

 17) PIST – “Rhythm and Booze” (When Planets Collide)

 18) Vision Of Disorder – “Razed To The Ground” (Candlelight)

 19) Weedeater – “Goliathan” (Season Of Mist)

 20) The Answer – “Raise A Little Hell” (Napalm)