Dauðaró & Pantheïst — Af Holdi Og Málmi (Melancholic Realm Productions) [Matt Bladen]From the frostbitten, isolated, alien landscapes of Iceland comes the figure known as JTS. Draped in mystery, this musical enigma has singlehandedly created a scene all of his own within the Icelandic underground. JTS is the anchor point for numerous projects but one of the prolific is Dauðaró, one that expresses the introspective outlook of a musician at the end of the earth through doom/drone/ambient textures.
Who better then, to collaborate with then than funeral doom maestro and ambient soundscape creator Kostas Panagiotou of Pantheïst. An internet/social media friendship that has birthed a sprawling, claustrophobic, intense 77 minutes of music, that plays with dissonance and directness, the slow repeating drone, the gothic ambience and a sense of foreboding, engulf this record in maudlin brilliance.
It’s complex but never flashy, the musical skills of JTS creating most of what you hear, from the riffs that cave in reality itself, to a low end that will threaten to dislodge the tallest building and drums that so often are there to set a glacial pace, the layered, all consuming style of his JTS performance is what fans of Dauðaró will switch on for.
However here the addition of Kostas’ terrifying vocals, that are often manipulated to be made more intense and inhuman than they are on a regular Pantheïst record and of course his mastery of the keys which bring a whole other level of sacred synthetism with his keys/organs and general otherworldliness to this conceptual piece.
Af Holdi Og Málmi, which translates to Of Flesh And Metal, delves into the philosophical argument between humanity and A.I and what truly defines as the record moves through an Asimov inspired story where an A.I built to protect humanity determines that we are flawed and uses it’s technological superiority to correct the behaviour of human beings.
It’s filled with existential questions, philosophical arguments, asks wider questions on autonomy and ideology as more people are able to do incredible things with A.I at what point do states have to intervene on individuals rather than other states and ultimately it tries to answer moral questions that with our own debates about the A.I explosion currently raging, are all very pertinent and perhaps may prove to be a little prophetic too.
There’s little point trying to pick out individual parts of this work as it’s meant to be heard in one sitting, a complex, cavernous record of two masters of the craft coming together with shared ambition and creative flair. A testament to our digital age that it can bring together like-minded individuals from across the globe, but as this record deals with very well, a small fleck of silver in a huge black cloud. 9/10
Wolfbastard – Satanic Scum Punks (Apocalyptic Witchcraft) [Mark Young]
This is going to be a relatively brief review. You just have to look at that top line to basically get all of the information you will need prior to diving into this album. Throw in that its for fans of Venom, Exploited and Extreme Noise Terror and is a savage welding of black metal with crust punk, and you can be under no illusion about how these 11 songs will sound.
If you are looking for soft, gentle melodies that escape into the spring air, this isn’t the band. There are no ballads, introductory soundscapes with cod orchestral movements (in the dark) or anything approaching subtlety. This is a full on, boot to the head old school assault. They don’t attempt to be anything other than true to their art and to themselves.
By the time this review lands, they will have kicked off their national tour at the Star And Garter in Manchester, and I cannot think of a more suitable place to start this tour. For me, this is a good album that doesn’t stray from a path in any respect. It starts and expects you to stay with them from Its Fucking Dark to B-I-F-F-O, taking in a frenzied 30 minutes along the way. There are some pearlers on here, lyrically very funny but always backed up with a feral punk approach. It may sound like a joke, but they deliver it in a completely straight way.
Wolfbastard are one of those bands where the live show is what its all about. It’s a powerful album, but I get that feeling that once they are in front of you, marshalling that crowd and absorbing that energy then they become something more than what is committed to tape. Its not for the faint of heart, or for those wanting technical wankery. This is straight forward, stove your skull in music that your parents warned you about and the clergy bathe in holy water for. 8/10
Gotthard – More Stereo Crush (RPM) [Cherie Curtis]
Swiss Rock legends Gotthard bring More Stereo Crush to follow their previous hit album, Stereo Crush, and it’s just that: the icing on the cake. This release offers 8 tracks, including unreleased songs, a radio edit, and a fan-favourite duet featuring Marc Storace from Krokus.
It’s straight- up hard rock: catchy, nostalgic and feel- good. It isn’t revolutionary, but it doesn’t have to be; Gotthard has been around since the early 90s and doesn’t have to knock your socks off to prove their worth. Their tracks are solid enough to speak for themselves, bringing just enough spark to a classic formula to keep you interested.
It’s an album that’s felt like an old friend you haven’t seen in years – you may not be enraptured, but you’re glad they are there. There is a contrast throughout that works; Gotthard provides hard rock nostalgia with a polished and contemporary sheen, so it doesn’t feel overdone. This is a difficult balance and marks them as true professionals.
More Stereo Crush features sharp, bristly riffs and gravelly vocals, delivering a lively and satisfying rock n’ roll all-rounder with sprinkles of sentiment. It’s perfect for a long drive or a productive Sunday afternoon, as the tracks are undeniably punchy and raw; they’ll certainly get your hands drumming on the steering wheel. It’s a fun, casual listen; that’s undemanding and feels effortless. Their strength shines through their consistency and their understanding of what their fans want from them right now.
Overall, it’s a textbook hard rock LP. Gotthard hasn’t reinvented the genre here, but they have executed it very well. After all, who doesn’t like a bit of hard rock? I liked what I heard; while it won’t make its way into my daily rotation, i certainly won’t skip it if it comes on. They have stuck to their guns and, once again, produced something high-quality and very likeable. 7/10
Zepter – Zepter (High Roller Records) [Simon Black]
Zepter hail from Austria, and this is their first full length LP. It’s very much trying to sound like it was found behind the back of a filing cabinet in a studio from the early 80’s, following the continuing trend of bands aping analogue sounds with digital kit. Unusually it does that better than most, as the mix has a good low-end rumble that does have the analogue feel I get through my sound stack when I play old vinyl records of the period, with enough crispness and clarity from the digital sounds of the current era.
That however misses the point I have laboured many times before, that the energy and zeitgeist that those old recordings often had early in an act’s recording career were more often the product of the need to cram the recording process into very tight time windows at ungodly (and cheaper) studio slots, aided by adrenaline and chemistry, rather than whatever benefits the actual ageing recording kit gave.
Musically this is twin guitar traditional Heavy Metal and does this by the numbers. Which is part of the problem… It has a very demo-sounding feel to it, despite the fact time was spent in the studio doing this properly, the net result is the desire to capture the single take effect was of more importance than getting the best out of the arrangements.
Vocalist Lukas Götzenberger also delivers synth and half the guitar parts, and although it’s not specified in the press release, I would lay odds that he’s mostly doing the rhythm parts as his vocal phrasing synchs with these. That works well in other styles of the period, like early Thrash where the staccato delivery of the vocal arrangements aided the overall sense of brutality, but here it has the effect of detracting from the vocals, which is a shame as he has quite a good vocal timbre and range. The net effect is his vocal lines get lost in the mix, which is a shame. I would recommend splitting the tasks in the future, as freeing him up from the six string gives space to expand the vocal delivery into the songs, rather than being a slave to the instrumental arrangements.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the musical feel which works really well instrumentally, it’s just missing that final bit of pizazz that would dial things up a notch or two. A promising start however, and definitely something to build on. 6/10
