Bits, Bobs, Odds & Sods - February 2014

Attic –  The Invocation

Van Records - 2012

Do you like King Diamond and Mercyful Fate? Well, you probably don’t like them as much as the guys in Attic.  Hailing from Germany, the band is probably the best Fate/KD doppelgänger in the history of Metal.  No, they are not helmed by a King, but rather a Meister – Meister Cagliostro.  Guess what?  Cagliostro sports ye old face paint and is a dead ringer for King Diamond!  The songs are about witches, covens, Satan, ghosts, etc… and the only thing that really separates Attic from Mercyful Fate/King Diamond is the guitars, which aren’t as lethally sharp and razor-etched as those of Sherman, Denner or LaRocque.  This is a minor quibble really, and the songs will make you think that you are listening to some long lost King Diamond demos.  If you need a fix of that sound while you wait for some new material from the King, then you could do worse than Attic. Check it out:

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3 Inches of Blood – Warriors of the Great White North

Self Financed - 2014

Tireless road dogs 3 Inches of Blood have just dropped an excellent documentary of a recent tour of their Canadian homeland.  It’s a fifty minute journey with the band through the various stops and shows as they blast ripping Metal to the masses.  It’s a nice insight in to the life of a true touring act that is still accessible to the average fan.  You get to see firsthand that the band works their collective asses off for everything they’ve achieved, and that they certainly aren’t living any kind of rockstar lifestyle. In fact, this documentary is self-financed and you can purchase it from Vimeo for a mere $4.99.  Go buy the damn thing here!  Check it out:

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Blues Pills – Devil Man EP

Nuclear Blast Records - 2014

Have you had enough of the “Occult Rock” albums that have glutted the market recently?  You know, those albums with a female lead singer, occult lyrics and proto-Metal riffs? Thankfully, Blues Pills from Sweden doesn’t have anything to do with that trend, rather they sound like Adele fronting Sabbath or Zeppelin.  Holy shit Elin Larsson (the lead singer) has some of the most amazing pipes I have ever heard!  Her voice is tremendously powerful, and the band plays bluesy, heavy, 70s rock of the best kind.  If you like Zep, Bad Company, Scorpion Child, Black Sabbath etc… then you should definitely pick this four track EP up.  It’s available on CD as well as on a really sweet gatefold 10”.  Check it out:    

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That's it for this month my friends. 

As Always, MAKE MINE METAL!

This Ain't The Summer of Love

Hell – The Age of Nefarious

Nuclear Blast Records – 2013

Muthas, we’re back with a tasty treat of diabolical deliciousness straight outta Hell!  Well actually, it’s a new, four track, mini-LP from the band Hell. The Age of Nefarious features one new track from their second full length Curse & Chapter, and three live tracks from the Bloodstock 2013 festival. 

The new cut “The Age of Nefarious” blasts your ears with rifftacular guitars, theatrical vocals and occult lyrics.  Once again, Hell sounds like a combination of NWOBHM and Mercyful Fate – so no radical changes from 2011’s Human Remains.  The song title and chorus are a spoof on The 5^th Dimension’s “Age of Aquarius,” and lyrically, it skewers the hypocrisy of Christianity.  It’s an excellent track and a great preview of Curse & Chapter.  Check it out below:

The other three songs are all live from Bloodstock 2013 – “On Earth As It Is In Hell,” “Blasphemy And The Master,” and “The Oppressors.” These live cuts sound superb and are a good indicator that Hell delivers in a live setting with no problems. “The Oppressors” kicks much ass in particular and will cause you to revisit Human Remains.  

The Age of Nefarious is offered as a digital download from the usual suspects as well as a 10” mini-LP in various colors. The cool thing about the vinyl is that the A-side is 45 rpm, and the B-side, with the live songs, is in 33 rpm!  Now that’s some vinyl weirdness for ya.

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The Bottom Line: Hell has returned with a ripping lead-off single that will please fans of the NWOBHM, Mercyful Fate and music that doesn’t suck.  Get it and buy Curse & Chapter ASAP.  Your immortal soul will thank you.

As always, MAKE MINE METAL!

Swedish Skull Crushers

Wolf – Legions Of Bastards

Century Media – 2011

My fellow Heavy Metal enthusiasts, I am sure you are aware of the New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal (NWOTHM.) The NWOTHM tag is essentially a marketing gimmick that was invented by Earache Records in 2009 to categorize all the up and coming traditional metal bands. Bands such as Cauldron, Portrait, White Wizzard, Holy Grail, Armour, Volture, Enforcer, and Skull Fist were all lumped together in the NWOTHM whether they considered themselves part of this group or not.

Long before these bands were put axe to the wax other traditional metal bands soldiered on such as Twisted Tower Dire, Cage, and Widow. Another band that has been playing rib crunching, spine cracking, traditional Metal for years is Wolf from Orebro, Sweden. Imagine the galloping music of Iron Maiden melded with the high pitched vocals of King Diamond and you’ll have a fairly good idea of the band’s sound.

Wolf has been putting out consistently great albums since the release of their eponymous debut in 2000. Their 2004 release Evil Star is a favorite of The Metal Blog Of Metal, the title track a crushing sledge of metallic greatness. Unfortunately, their 2006 follow up The Black Flame, was a letdown with too many average tracks and poor sequencing which resulted in most of the excellent cuts being at the end of the album. Wolf quickly recovered in 2009 with the fantastic Ravenous which featured the superb tracks “Speed On,” “Hail Caesar,” and “Voodoo.”

This year Wolf has blessed the Metal world with Legions Of Bastards and it’s a cracking album of pure chromium plated steel. Picking right up where the last album left off, the band offers up 11 tracks on vinyl, 12 on digital download and standard CD, and 13 on the deluxe digipak CD. Wolf has in no way back loaded this disc; the album kicks off with three hooky burners in “Vicious Companions,” “Skull Crusher,” and “Full Moon Possession.” Any of these three cuts would make a great lead single or video but right now all I can find online is a live performance of “Skull Crusher.” Check it out:

“Jeckyll and Hyde” is a longer multi-tempo track with crushing riffs and a very cool chorus. “Absinthe” is a tribute to everyone’s favorite extract of wormwood, and it will have you banging your head at the 1:40 minute mark. “Tales From The Crypt” is the album's epic centerpiece and features such jolly lyrics as “Tomorrow is just another word for misery.” It’s another fantastic song with noodly Maiden guitar parts. “Nocturnal Rites” starts with an intro similar to either “E5150” or “The Dark” by Black Sabbath and then develops into a mid-paced grinder with sweet, sweet gang vocals in the choruses.

It’s at this point that the album hits a bit of a snag due to poor sequencing. On the digital download and CD the songs “Road To Hell” and “False Preacher” are back to back and both have the same lyrical content – the perils of organized religion. The tracks are actually separated on the vinyl and the album flows much better as a result. Wolf should have followed the vinyl sequencing in other formats or ditched one of these tracks and used it as a bonus song on different versions.

“Hope To Die” is another fast song with strong solos and riffs and lyrics about spooky rituals and the occult. The last track on the vinyl and standard CD is “K-141 Kursk” and deals with the accidental sinking of a Russian submarine and the subsequent death of all hands on board. It’s a decent song but it has a particularly effective outro as the song fades and all that can be heard is a mournful sonar ping. It conjures up visions of doomed submariners waiting to die in the dark as their vessel takes on water.

The Deluxe edition CD features the track “6 Steps” which was the bonus track on the Japanese edition of Ravenous. It’s a mid-paced number with a crunchy guitar tone that lyrically is reminiscent of Maiden’s “Fear Of The Dark.” Both the Deluxe CD and the digital download end with a cover of Metal Church’s “Method To Your Madness.” Wolf is particularly adept at cover songs, and in the past has produced excellent covers of Mercyful Fate, Blue Oyster Cult, Slayer and The Ramones songs. “Method To Your Madness” is no exception and is well worth the listen.

If you can’t decide which version of the album to purchase, I suggest the vinyl because not only do you get a nice piece red vinyl, but you also get the Deluxe Edition of the CD tucked into one of the gatefolds. That’s a very cool way for labels to entice people to purchase vinyl. You can see the pictures of this version at the top of this review.

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The Bottom Line: Wolf once again delivers the Metal with Legions Of Bastards and they deserve your support. They were NWOTHM long before the NWOTHM was cool so go out there and buy something from them. Here’s hoping that some day they make it to the States for a tour.

As always, MAKE MINE METAL.

Pure Thievery

Ripped-off Riff

Riot gets no respect and is all but forgotten today but bands sure liked to rip them off. Check out your favorite artists stealing an amazing riff from Riot:

I think the Mercyful Fate claim is a bit tenuous but the other's are straight up theft.