Here’s a review that I almost don’t need to write! You see there’s a new EP out from Guerrilla Teens, and you already know it’s going to be great. This is my eighth time writing about this Portland, Oregon–based rock ‘n’ roll powerhouse, and I never tire of further spreading the gospel. There’s just some kind of magic that happens when Scott “Deluxe” Drake and Jeff Fieldhouse write songs together. That’s a history that goes back decades. And with Saul Koll, Tim Connolly, and Anna Andersen lining up with them, they continue to rip it up relentlessly. You can still hear those familiar influences running from ’50s rock ‘n’ roll through the Stones, garage rock, and early punk. But this isn’t The Humpers. This isn’t Lovesores. It’s Guerrilla fucking Teens, and they’re cooking up the real-deal rock ‘n’ roll of today. These folks have the fire and the fury, the chops, and the tunes. At a lean five tracks, Sympathy for the Decibel is a quick-hitting, all-action affair. The title track is the fist-pumping, shout-along anthem you hoped it would be. Songs like “Ghost of New Orleans” and “You’re Looking Good” tear into the old school punk rock ‘n’ roll style with a vigor and a venom that decades-younger bands would hope to emulate. “Spider Bouquet” has that darker garage rock edge that has been a signature for Guerrilla Teens. 

Sympathy for the Decibel delivers the goods just as you knew it would. Last year’s Monkey’s Paw was probably a new high point for Guerrilla Teens, and this follow-up keeps the momentum going. It’s amazing to think that a band that came into existence as a pandemic project has blossomed into one of the defining bands of modern-day punk rock ‘n’ roll — a reminder that this kind of music is still very much alive and kicking all kinds of ass. If you’re balking at the steep price for a Bandcamp download, there’s a reason for that. This thing is coming out very soon on 10″ clear pink vinyl on Sonic Jett Records, and that’s the purchase you ought to be waiting for. Stay tuned for the ordering details!

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Alice Cooper looks back at his influence on extreme metal in the new issue of Metal Hammer, explaining that he sees such genres as death metal as continuations of traditional hard rock values.

The godfather of shock rock, responsible for such hits as I’m Eighteen and School’s Out, adds that it’s “great” he played a part in shaping the grandstanding of future figures in heavier music.

“Death metal is still hard rock,” Cooper asserts. “It’s still guitar-driven hard rock, with a different attitude. It was really just bands… not necessarily living that lifestyle, but doing what I was doing – playing characters up there. I think that’s great.”

The singer, who became a born-against Christian in the early 80s, adds that the Satanic themes often prevalent in death metal imagery don’t offend him: “Being a Christian, people would say, ‘What about these death metal bands who are anti this or that?’ I’d go, ‘Hey, they’re yelling at God. I think he can take it.’”

Multiple death metal artists have paid tribute to Alice Cooper or covered his material. Finnish stars Children Of Bodom included a cover of Cooper’s song Bed Of Nails on their 2004 EP Trashed, Lost And Strungout. Similarly, Chuck Schuldiner, the late Death founder often called the “godfather” of the genre, repeatedly stated that his favourite band was Kiss, whose theatrical, face-painted presentation was inspired by Cooper.

Death metal has influenced some of the artists in Cooper’s camp. Last year, his longtime lead guitar player, Nita Strauss, said that Gothenburg melodic death metal act In Flames were her personal “Beatles”.

“In Flames is, you know, the band that I always list as my favorite band,” she told Guitar World, “and when I was growing up and getting into heavy music, I was always really drawn by these sort of inversions and chords that Swedish melodic death metal bands used.”

Read the full interview with Cooper in the new issue of Metal Hammer, which also features an in-depth celebration of late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, 40 years after his death. Order your copy now and have it delivered directly to your door.

Their North American tour remains scheduled to proceed

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Metallica debuted another '…And Justice for All' classic during their sixth Las Vegas Sphere residency show last night (Oct. 17)! Continue reading…

Album Review: Boss Keloid – Float & Aperture

Reviewed by Matthew Williams

I’ve never been a massive fan of prog-rock in its mainstream form, but there’s something about Boss Keloid’s take on the genre, that I just can’t help but like. I’ve seen them a few times live, notably in the back of a pub in Bolton many years ago, and latterly supporting Green Lung in Manchester in 2023, so it’s about time I saw them once again.

“Float & Aperture” is the follow up to 2021’s fabulous “Family the Smiling Thrush” and the band have said that their “writing process was more collaborative, experimental and challenging than ever” so it all bodes well for this release. The album has seven songs, with the lyrics drawing on personal experiences, difficulties and life lessons, and we are introduced to them via first song “Breeze”.

It springs to life instantly, the percussion and drum work from Ste Arands pops through, as the guitars from Paul Swarbrick and Alex Hurst, play off each other extremely well, creating tension and atmosphere. Hurst displays true emotion in his vocals and tells a story each time he addresses the mic, but the rhythm floats effortlessly and is an audible treat. Hurst’s vocal talents are on full display across the entirety of “Pedestal” and when combined with the far-reaching musical arrangements, it’s another epic song.

What is evident is that the group have pushed themselves further than ever, and they explain that “we wanted more focus and enjoyment around the interplay and dynamics between melody and rhythm” and on lead single “Landslide” they have learnt to accept “that we are all our worst own enemy”. It’s a deep look inside the quartet, but the rhythms drop in and out like a dolphin playing with tourists in the ocean.

They display crushing, complex melodies, but have periods of serene calm that make the music all consuming and immersive. The basslines from Liam Pendlebury-Green have real depth and get stronger the more you listen to the album, with the wonderfully graceful and elegant “Weight” up next, that has pockets of combustible riffs that play with your mind a little bit. The expansive nature of their music is on full display for all to take in, and “Aros” continues their own journey of discovery.

They’ve left the two shortest songs until the end, beginning with a sumptuous bass intro on “Accord” as the melody drifts towards some sort of mythical land. It has the wonderful line which will resonate with so many, as Hurst emphasises the words “Don’t invest in people who are going to steal your time”. As across all the album, the stars of the show are the moving melodies and infectious rhythms and there’s no letting up on the final track “Sanguine”. It further demonstrates their innovative nature whilst simultaneously being impassioned and fiery as it draws to a close and your head can fully digest what you’ve just listened to.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

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EP Review: Leng Tch’e – Hammered Into Collapse

Reviewed by Dan Barnes

Ghent grinders, Leng Tch’e, reach their twenty-fifth anniversary with their first new material since the 2017 full-length, Razorgrind. Sadly not a new album, but anything that suggests this beast is stirring again is music to the ears.

Just two tracks and not even making it to a five-minute duration, Hammered Into Collapse doesn’t need to mess about and gets right into it with the titular song’s dirty riffs and ballistic percussion. Serge Kasongo continues to bark vitriol, and one cannot be fooled into thinking there isn’t the slightest bit of groove going on in the background. The breakdown comes with a sibilant hiss that might be from the very depths themselves, but the earworm outro is as enticing a passage as you’ll hear in the extreme this year.

Voided takes a similar approach in its formula: whiplash guitar, courtesy of Jan Hallaert and Olivier Coppen’s drum is predominantly snare and supports the whole structure on this one. This time the riffs are more staccato, Serge’s vocals more demonic and the groove more prominent. An unexpectedly ambient passage takes us into the closing bars, and it feels like it’s been a journey through many alien lands, even though it’s been less that five-minutes since you pressed play.

Brief and belligerently aggressive, Hammered Into Collapse is shorter than most songs, but lets us know that the grind scene is still in fine fettle, with this, added to work by Barren, Gadget and Cripple Bastards, and the impeding re-release of The Berzerker’s Reawakening album, 2026 continues to see a plethora of top-class extremity.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

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