, is starting to settle in nicely amongst their (now) classic offerings.
The keys matching with the guitar is right on point and Tom Templar’s vocals are as great as usual; his unique style and how it partners with the organ really makes this one special.
Black Magick Radio next is one that worms into your brain and sounds like something from a 1970 occult film with a $100 budget, in the very best sort of way.
Love the solo on this as Scott Black’s tone continues to be one of the coolest out there today. I love when this one slows down and dooms it up, which is a nice contrast to the upbeat ripper that is Necropolitan Line, which screams like a more evil Deep Purple, organ solo and all. Killer stuff.
Speaking of killer stuff, Demon by way of Mercyful Fate vibes are blasting off of Evil In This House, which is probably my current favorite track, with those vocals and that guitar work. Classic Green Lung.
Together In Death is the one that may have the listener take pause, but once you get it, it totally works in the flow of the record. Green Lung has perfected the scary, evil ballad, with Templar nailing his vocals, of which may be his best singing performance ever.
The most Iron Maiden Green Lung has ever sounded is on Ozymandias and it works perfectly. Alostrael (Be My Babalon) with Riley from Castle Rat guesting (perfect) is another very cool, classic GL kind of track, which leads to the closer, To The Gallows Born, which is epic proto perfection and could not have been a better closer to this record.
Yes it took a second. No, it is not better than the first three. Yes, it is still awesome and Green Lung still rules. It just didn’t hit me right away like the others have in the past, but when it is all said and done, the Green Lung discography still remains pretty much perfect with the addition of Necropolitan. 9/10
The Meffs – Business (Frontiers Label Group) [Spike]
There’s a lot of polite rock music floating around the UK right now that desperately wants to be invited onto daytime radio. Essex duo The Meffs are having absolutely none of that.
Lily and Lewis have built their reputation on being “louder than a four-piece,” tearing through the underground with a sharp, two-person assault that trades in zero compromise.
On their second full-length, Business, they sound properly furious. It is a snarling, pointed, and deeply cathartic record that takes aim at everything from corporate music industry parasites to the slow-motion decay of modern Britain.
The album kicks straight into gear with Dreamin’ and What A Nightmare, laying down thick, overdriven guitar hooks and punchy, battering drums that hit you square between the eyes. There’s no throat-clearing here.
By the time they roll through Where Did It All Go Wrong?, you’re reminded why two-piece punk works so well when the chemistry is right: there’s nowhere to hide, no studio gloss masking lazy songwriting, just sheer raw kinetic energy.
The title track, Business, is an absolute standout and probably the most direct middle finger to the industry you’ll hear all year. Taking aim at music industry suits with their patronizing “feedback sandwiches” and demands to conform, Lily delivers her lines with razor-sharp contempt.
It’s got a stomping, Queens Of The Stone Age groove running through its veins, but the attitude is purely rooted in British street-punk and riot grrrl defiance. If you’ve ever had a boss or an executive tell you to smile more and fit into a neat little box, this track is your anthem.
What makes the record hit so hard across its eleven tracks is the pacing. Tracks like Law, Fight, and Disorder (Wake Up) are short, breathless bangers that never outstay their welcome. Lewis’s drum work is frantic and physically demanding, driving the tempo forward while Lily’s spitting vocal delivery keeps your ears glued to the lyrics.
They aren’t writing abstract metaphors; they’re talking about real, everyday frustration, burnout, and standing your ground when society expects you to roll over.
Later cuts like So Modern (Keep Up) and God Complex show they know how to write genuine hooks without sanding down their rough edges. Closing out with Like Gravity, you’re left feeling like you’ve just survived a breathless half-hour in a packed, sweaty basement club where the walls are running with condensation.
Business is loud, confrontational, and completely unapologetic. In a world full of safe, focus-grouped guitar bands, The Meffs are making heavy punk rock that actually has something to say, and they say it with teeth bared. This is an absolute riot and I love it. 9/10
Neolith – Inbir (Deformeathing Production) [Mateusz ‘Thew’ Stefanow]
The Polish metal scene has always been rather insular, as a result of their position on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.
With Inbir, Neolith transcend this stereotype, with the entire album bringing to mind inspirations from Polish death metal icons Master or Magnus, but with cleaner mixing and greater variety of sonic soundscapes, with each song being clearly distinct yet forming a cohesive album.
The title track opens with a roar over a sample of clashing swords, immediately setting a scene of a medieval battlefield, with the powerful drumming courtesy of Semuss further cementing this- each beat sounds like armoured knights charging towards a fortified castle.
The guitar trio of Conrad, Zi’aR and Kriss show tremendous skill, with grand flourishes and well-placed technical segments, the ending of the title track being an excellent example, allowing for the seamless blend of death and black metal, which complements the epic medieval feel of the album.
Similarly splitting the vocal responsibilities between Levi, Zi’aR and Kriss keeps the album feeling fresh, with the pleasant surprise of Modlitwa Na Marny Czas being sung in Polish. This is rather rare, even within the Polish metal scene, and the more prominent focus on black metal of this song temporarily downplaying the death metal influence over the next couple tracks keeps the album fresh and balanced.
Unfortunately, I found the key weakness of the album to be the vocals, they feel very clipped, in how they sharply cut off at the end of each word. This shows undeniable technical skill, however it feels a little disjointed with the drumming which feels more serrated and harsh.
By dragging out some of the vocals, this could be amended while retaining the sonorous DNA of this refreshing band. 7/10
Cartilage – Operating Altar ( Everlasting Spew Records) [Mark Young]
And the award for the most unhinged release should go to Cartilage, whose Operating Altar collects 9 songs and fashions them into a fever dream that forms a gorecept album instead of just banging the songs together. Now, I’m lifting the following from Bandcamp in order to provide some flesh to the bones of this album:
“At St. Petersen’s University Hospital, nightmares become coursework”
I mean, that should do you really. Basically, the band just tear through these songs in short order with a focus kept on making them as brutal and as fast possible. That’s it, no more, no less. Now I appreciate that could put some off, and maybe it should as this isn’t music for those who want to get in touch with their feelings or anything like that.
This is purpose built music that leans into the gorefilled side of heavy metal and just runs with it. The songs don’t fall off a cliff by offering a knowing wink, these are brutally titled and the music that accompanies them is frenetic and frenzied. If you are a fan of extreme, speed laden metal then this is for you.
Once you press play on Metal, Bone And Sinew which deploys like a car crash in front of your eyes, there is barely a pause for breath as they waste no time in getting to where they want to be in each song.
Just because I’m writing this with a bit of a dismissive air to it, don’t be mistaken in thinking that the songs are without merit. They are expertly put together and show that they are equally adept as writing blitzkrieg tempos as they are as writing slower (not by much) music.
The riffs come thick and fast, inventive and not reliant on just aimless pummelling; check the mid song break down on A Lymphatic Labyrinth Of Rolling Rot that sees them hit the brakes and drop in a rolling riff that upon completion allows them to put it back in high gear.
This is take no prisoners music, written by fans who probably got burnt by bands of their youth slowing down and have no wish to do the same to anyone else. The thing is, they have the tools to back things up, and a way of squeezing in some infectious arrangements – Among The Offal when the lead kicks in, or the start of Anatomical Incantations, both are top class.
As mentioned at the top of the review, you can’t mistake who this album is aimed at; It is for fans of grindcore/deathgrind/goregrind which on the surface would possibly cause the death metal casual to pass them over and that shouldn’t be the case.
They live in those genres, but you can’t argue that they do the death metal basics well – its fast, aggressive, sounds heavy and there are no acoustic interludes anywhere on this album. Ok, there is a church organ that leads in Stitch By Stitch but no interludes, no introductions, no momentum sapping of any description.
Its just death metal. 7/10
VIEW HEAVY AUSTRALIAN CONTENT DIGIMAG #282 HERE This weeks Australian Artists DigiMag is full to the brim, starting with our featured cover interview with Steve Summers from Pretty Boy Floyd, talking about their upcoming tour with Enuff Z Nuff and what we can expect. It’s been a massive week for interviews, as we also catch […]