Godsnake – Inhale The Noise (Massacre Records) [Spike]I’m going to start with a confession: the cover art for Godsnake’s
Inhale The Noise nearly put me off the record before I’d even hit play. There is a specific visual language associated with snakes and hard rock that triggers a deeply buried, visceral aversion in me, specifically anything that reminds me of Whitesnake.
As a band, they’ve always occupied a space I’d rather not visit, and the serpentine branding here felt like an immediate warning of hair-metal posturing to come. But as all music-related triggers go, the only way through it is to shut your eyes and listen. Once you do, you realize that Hamburg’s Godsnake are far more interested in high-velocity thrash precision than they are in the spandex-clad ghosts of the 80s.
The record opens with Scream For A Bullet, and the shift in reality is immediate. This is modern melodic thrash with a heavy-set, mechanical heart. The production is sharp and professional, providing a clinical clarity that allows the riffs to breathe while maintaining a healthy amount of grit in the low-end. It’s followed by Lost & Forgotten, which showcases the band’s knack for a rhythmic “shove”, a sound that owes as much to the technical precision of early Trivium as it does to the classic German school of metal.
What gives Inhale The Noise its specific weight, however, is the collaboration with Jean Bormann of Rage. His presence on tracks like the title track, and Rotten To The Core adds a layer of veteran authority and a “Rage-esque” muscularity to the songwriting. It’s a sophisticated bit of genre-blending that keeps the record from ever settling into a “business as usual” thrash routine. The melodies are sinister yet catchy, cutting through the distortion with a surgical precision that feels properly dangerous.
The middle of the record features Digital Dumbass, a title that is admittedly a bit blunt, but the music is undeniable. It’s a biting, high-velocity jolt that targets the modern era’s digital anxieties with a level of vitriol that feels entirely earned. The guitars don’t just cycle through riffs; they construct a vast, shifting architecture of noise that feels like it’s vibrating in your bones, leading toward the more expansive moments of Fear Is The Key and the finality of The Price We Have To Pay.
Godsnake have managed to deliver a record that successfully overcomes its own branding (again this is a me thing – it will never impact you dear reader….). Inhale The Noise isn’t the sound of veterans playing it safe; it’s the sound of a band that still feels like they have everything to prove. By the time the final vibration of the closer eventually cuts out, you aren’t left with the 80s associations I feared; you’re left with the realization that German thrash still has a hell of a lot of life left in it.
It’s an honest, unvarnished bit of reality that proves the best discoveries are often the ones that force you to look past the packaging. If you’ve still got a pulse, this will find a way to rattle it. 8/10
Shadowlands – 004 (Seeing Red Records) [Spike]
There is a specific, rain-slicked tension that Portland’s Shadowlands has spent four albums trying to perfect, and with 004, they’ve finally hit the frequency. It’s a record that feels like it was recorded in the blue hour, that hazy, indeterminate space between the end of a long night and a very cold morning. By leaning into an “80s-inspired horror synth” aesthetic and draping it over a post-punk framework, the band has created a signature sound that is as much about the “shimmer” of shoegaze as it is about the “shove” of darkwave.
The experience begins with Burdens, a track built on a foundation of spine-tingling harmonies that feel almost mechanical in their precision. It’s a cold, clinical start that provides a rigid skeleton for the guitars to eventually swamp. This sets the stage for Clicks and the rhythmic, searing energy of R/AGE, where the band proves they can handle high-velocity friction without losing the melodic “infectiousness” that defines their vocal performances.
The absolute standout here, however, is Let’s Fall Apart. It’s a six-minute masterclass in the crossover from goth to shoegaze, a transition handled with a level of pained, cinematic elegance that demands a repeat listen. The track moves with a slow, tectonic momentum, building from an introspective dreamscape into a massive, skyward wall of sound. It’s the kind of songwriting that doesn’t just entertain you; it inhabits you, revealing new layers of fuzz and grief every time the needle drops.
The second half of the record, Nothing Has Changed, Wounds And Relics, and Substance doubles down on the “kaleidoscopic” blend of styles. The riffs soar and sear in equal measure, backed by rhythms that feel urgent and essential. By the time we reach the finale, The Worst Light, the atmosphere has become total. It’s a brilliant, shimmering closer that refuses to offer a simple way out, instead leaving the listener suspended in that specific, hazy twilight where the band thrives.
Shadowlands haven’t just delivered another darkwave album; they’ve created a climate. 004 is a lush, sophisticated triumph of tone that prioritizes the feeling of the fall over the safety of the landing. It’s the sound of a band finally embracing the beautiful, shimmering mess of their own collapse, and it’s a necessary soundtrack for anyone who prefers their pop melodies with an dark edge. 9/10
Cnoc An Tursa – A Cry For The Slain (Apocalyptic Witchcraft) [Mark Young]
A change of pace and intent now, with a touch of Black Folk from Falkirk’s own Cnoc An Tursa, who focus on their Scottish heritage to act as a rich tableaux from which they craft their unique sound. Now, I am not always down with folk metal, I’ll be honest with you as I lean more into that aggressive/speedier side of things.
Putting my personal taste to one side, A Cry For The Slain is an album that is steeped in atmosphere. Its knows exactly what it wanted to sound like, and in mining that rich heritage makes them sound unique to themselves. Na Fir Ghorma introduces us to them, and then its full on with The Caoineag, whose combination of high intensity black metal with what I can only describe as a swinging slow measure comes next. In terms of setting out the album, their approach and what you can expect then its captured here in these two songs.
The Caoineag has all the hallmarks of an epic song, its expansive length and dense musicality that is built around that central melodic line, sees the song grow in a controlled manner whilst doing so off an emotional kick. They bring the speed and aggression but temper it with a soft hand where necessary and suddenly you have spent 10 minutes with them that has gone in a flash.
The use of a central theme runs through each song, and to an extent you can recognise it at the start of each track. Calleach And The Guardians Of The Seven Stones comes in with what you could expect to be a traditional Celtic melody, one that evokes the raising of glasses and raucous nights. It’s the way they build around those melodic line which sees them do something different each time whilst keeping each song in context.
Any fear on my part that the folk side of things would possibly take precedence over other aspects of the sound is kept to a minimum. Baobhan Sith picks up the mantle of taking us forward through the middle of the album and has a darker edge to it. The melodic touches are there, as is the atmosphere and they are supported by an emotive lead break that lifts the whole piece to another level. The command of their material is top notch, as is the way they can switch from the light to the dark and back again whilst dropping in some quality riffs.
Moving through each song, they constantly navigate a path that sees each track move in a certain way. The songs don’t repeat the same ideas, far from it they just use a certain methodology to start them off. Alba In My Heart explodes into life, pushing forward at every turn, using changes in tempo to add a layer to the sound. And that is something else, the album sounds fantastic. Heavy where it needs to be, pared back elsewhere.
This and Address To The Devil lean more into the black metal, which is always welcome from my perspective. There is something primal about the attack manifested on these two songs, and yet when they do slow things down to a pause, those mint harmonious touches are front and centre. Now for a constant listener of this music, it might be old news but to these ears it sounds vital and worthy of my time.
The closer, The Nine Maidens Of Dundee is a gentle instrumental which for me is probably in the right place. Had this been positioned earlier in the album, It would have lessened the impact of the songs before and after. Still, the strength of this album is there for all to hear. Everything about this album is quality, from start to finish (ignoring the instrumental – sorry) and for fans of this genre it is an essential purchase. 8/10
Ural – Anthropic Genetic Involution (Xtreme Music) [Mark Young]
Psycho Crossover Thrash Metal! Essentially this is an easy review to do, because it ties in nicely with my Heavy Metal flow chart which in this instance would go like this:
Like Thrash Metal – Yes / No?
If you answered yes, than you will find an extremely worthwhile way to spend your time, listening to some new/old thrash metal that is delivered with focus and determination. Being honest, it’s a love letter to the time of white high tops, of energetic downpicking and what were simpler times. Maybe not better times, but I digress.
Extreme Paranoia kicks things off, and you could be back in 86 or 87, with early lead breaks, gang vocals and a mazy riff build. Throw in a suitably driven lead break and you have a traditional slice of thrash metal. No bells or whistles, just simple thrash. They aren’t attempting to change the world with this, nor are they thinking that it will make them the next big thing. Its just honest thrash. The songs follow the standard build you would expect and don’t really deviate from that approach. I mean, why would you?
I could go on and try to wax lyrical about each track, attempting to make it more than it is, which would be pointless from my perspective. The album unfolds exactly as you hope it Two quick fire songs into God Of Lies, which starts slowly, methodically until they bring the lead guitar fire and return. It’s a great collection of riffs, executed in the right way.
If you are a veteran (i.e. from the first time round) this is like the aural equivalent of putting on a comfortable pair of slippers and relaxing with friends. It should act as a reminder of why you got in to this music in the first place. The downpicking on Wasteland, the whammy abuse on Rat In A Cage, all of this should be welcomed with open arms.
This is the 4th full length release of their career, with their first demo coming in 2011 and the fact that they have managed to keep going is a testament to their talent. If you answered No earlier, then there isn’t anything for you here. For those who said Yes, I think you already know what they are all about, and exactly what you are going to get from them. 7/10
