Lauren Lakis – Deadlights (RidingEasy Records) [Rich Piva]90’s music is the best. I will die on this hill. Not just the heavy stuff, or the grunge, the punk and hardcore, the indie rock and adjacent, the 1000s of other subgenres that kicked ass, or the fact Duran Duran returned with one of their best songs ever, the 90s ruled.
In the 2020s more than ever, artists sure are grabbing on to that era; I would argue Alice In Chains is as influential as any rock band ever in what is being put out today. Lauren Lakis, one of the new signings to RidingEasy Records, unabashedly loves the 90s, and you can hear this on her debut record for the label, Deadlights, where she wonderfully straddles the shoegaze-grunge-indie rock line like she has been doing it for decades, over the ten tracks.
It is a trip down 90s memory lane without being any kind of re-tread. Liz Phair, early Radiohead, and Velocity Girl vibes emanate from I Fall Apart. Maybe a little Catherine Wheel and Swerverdriver too. MBV meets the Cocteau Twins come across to me on the opener, There. Pixies or Sonic Youth your thing? Maybe early Hole or Belly? You will certainly dig The Other Side.
Lakis voice is great on these songs, as she has a familiar voice but really sounds like no one else that immediately comes to mind. Yes, Disintegration came out in 89, but the bassline that opens It’s So Amazing reminds me of something from that classic. Or maybe I am getting Smashing Pumpkins vibes when it gets loud.
When it does get loud, this controlled wall of sound hits you just right. I love the dissonance on the title track, which goes back to some of those British bands like Ride who mastered this sound. The simple beauty that Lou Barlow got from Sebadoh lies under No One’s Around Here, while I Want You Here sounds like it should be playing at Roadhouse on Twin Peaks. Love Like A Dog is the highlight for me, as she uses all of her influences and highlights her voice for a song that should be on every playlist. The dreamy With That Body floats us to the finish in a beautiful way.
You can worship the 90s while making music and still have it sound like and be your own, just like Lauren Lakis does on Deadlights. Yes, I named dropped a bunch of 90s bands, but she sounds 100% her own thing on this record, of which everyone should check out. 8/10
Spread Eagle – The Brutal Divine (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]For god sake don’t Google them without adding “band” at the end unless safe search is on! Though it is worth it as New York band Spread Eagle have an interesting history and new record that is a real tribute to their legacy and longevity.
Founded in the very, late 80’s they like many others released few record and then found themselves on hiatus for a while until the 2000’s returning with a new record proper in 2019.
The Brutal Divine is only their fourth studio album but it seems them leaning towards their roots in the New York underground as the songs are leaner and rawer than many bands of a similar ilk.
There’s a strong vein of NY Punk that runs through it, coming from the vocals of Ray West especially, while the rhythm section of Rob (bass) and Rik (drums) De Luca keeps a pace fit for a runaway train, pure energy and no need for flair or flash just groove. Though guitarist Gianmaria “Jommy” Puledda never pulls his punches, be it with the rough and ready riffs or the sleazy solos.
The Brutal Truth is Spread Eagle staying true to their hard rock image, cultivated over their career but sees these veterans getting leaner and meaner with age, check out their Street Noise if it sound like your thing.
7/10Witch Piss – The Devil Doesn’t Burn (Ardua Music) [Rich Piva]Witch Piss. It is an interesting name.
The Devil Doesn’t Burn. This is a very interesting album. Also interesting is that there is a California band named Witch Piss. This is not them, this is the band from Mechelen, Belgium, who bring the riffs on their second record. I really dug their first, self titled record.
The Devil Doesn’t Burn continues with the heavy stoner doom that had their debut stand out back in 2023.
First, I have to say I love the cover art. Everything about it is great. There is this White Zombie vibe with the art and the use of the old movie clips on the record that really add to the vibe. The record is filled with riffs. Big filthy riffs, like the one on the opener,
Black Tongue Driven. There is a sludgy Mastodon vibe lurking under their stoner doom heaviness they bring, which is very cool indeed.
Bad Juju slows the pace just a bit but still brings the riffs, but leans more towards the proto side of things which is just fine by me. Think Sahg. This is followed by Witch Cries Boy, which has a punk vibe to its delivery and tempo. Cool stuff. Beggars And Horses rips it up with a more straight up heavy stoner vibe and has a nice gallop to it while incorporating a cool tempo change as well.
The title track is all sorts of sludgy doom goodness, while Catelyn’s Broken Hope speeds up and tears the place apart. Venus Rising and Rubicon River close out the record strong with a killer one-two punch, with the former really reminding me of early White Zombie and the latter is probably my favourite track on the record, and shows the band gets melody along with the heavy.
So yeah, I dig the new Witch Piss record. Is it breaking any new ground? No. Does something have to break new ground to kick ass? Also, no. The Devil Doesn’t Burn is a great listen and has a lot of stuff for us lovers of the heavy stuff to enjoy. 7/10
Lockhart – City Pulse (High Roller Records) [Matt Bladen]
Journey, Toto, Don Henley, Yacht Rock, these are all the words I wrote down when I was listening to City Pulse from Lockhart.
An AOR band from Canada comprised musicians closely associated with the NWOTHM revival. Bassist Jason Junlop as underscored Goat Horn and Cauldron, Devin Kerr (vocal/guitar/keys) shreds in Axxion while drummer Fabio Alessandrini has been in the engine room for Bonfire, Enforcer and Annihilator.
However Lockhart take a much lighter approach than any of those bands, music driven by synthesizers and pop mentality, it’s a real 80’s throwback but instead of leather and chains we’re talking neon and pastels. City Pulse is their first full length album following on from their 2022 EP.
They cite a lot of the bands I mentioned as their influences and in some cases they’re obvious, the multi-tracked guitar, the analogue synths, even some electric drumkit all takes it back to when these songs ruled the airwaves and vocal choirs and fluffy keys were de-riguer for any self respecting rock band, hell even Jefferson Starship did away with the psych rock for pop stardom.
Rather than perhaps being shunned by the trad metal set like so many Frontiers releases, the metal pedigree of Lockhart, and guests including Mike from Municipal Waste and Ian from Cauldron, means that although different, there’s still that deference to the underground scene and a retro sound of the time.
If you want galloping rhythms and shredding guitars this isn’t the album for you, however if bubblegum AOR gets you all fizzy then feel the City Pulse of Lockheart. 7/10
The 9th stage of Wacken Open Air – Landgasthof Wacken – once again offers a full week of top-tier acts and entertainment in true metal fashion. A special highlight will take place on festival Thursday, when Heaven Shall Burn will perform an exclusive, intimate club show at the venue. A total of 400 tickets will […]
SHRED FEST is an annual touring festival concept that sets its sights on a different continent each year — uniting some of the most ferocious and technically accomplished bands in extreme metal. In 2027, following previous editions across North America and Australia, SHRED FEST arrives in Europe and the United Kingdom for its most ambitious […]
After 18 years and five full-length albums as frontman to 
At just over 30 minutes, Blood Mother is a morsel rather than a full feast, and its conclusion leaves it somewhat wanting. Of the six songs that comprise that runtime, five of them are terrific pieces that eschew traditional structures, filling up spaces with music that can be thoughtful, deliberate, and sometimes exciting. On occasion, Blood Mother make some odd choices, such as synths in the final minute of “The Night Fires” that are deliberately jarring as they switch from one speaker to the other. Yet it’s the record’s finale, “Pulled Apart,” that doesn’t quite hold a light to the tracks that precede it. It still contains great ideas, including some nifty riffs and kitwork, but also some noises that just don’t blend into the music very well. It’s the one tune that doesn’t quite hit as hard as the others, and the concluding fade-out ends Blood Mother on an anticlimactic disappearing act.