This is a site where I post reviews of CDs, DVDs, LPs, and concerts. I have been writing music reviews on and off since 1984. I ran a heavy metal fanzine from 1984-1988 called Metal Madness and have been a staff writer for Aural Innovations for many years. I have also contributed to Chrohinga Well (RIP), Bad Acid (RIP), Lowcut (RIP), Roadburn and a number of other zines as well. I recently moved to Portugal so please request the new address and do not send any music to Denmark anymore. Tak..
The Finnish
band Circle are back with their 6748 release. This time it is a live cassette
recorded in London in April 2014. It is
produced only on cassette and in 200 hand numbered copies. I have number 40..
The show is 65mins long and what a fucking show.. The band were really on fire
this night.. The 7 song set consists of 3 tracks from the Rautatie CD, beer and
Ribs (Falcoln) and two songs from Manner! Great recording.. I really enjoyed this tape a lot. The video below is from the same tour... Far out....
White
Rabbit Dynamite is a 70s inspired group from Berlin. The female singer Chrissi
spent a couple of small tours singing for Siena Root and that is how I first
got introduced to the band. They released this LP on a slipsleeve CD a few
years back but now it is out on a high quality vinyl edition on White Dwarf
records and mail order. This is the
bands 2nd record. The first one was called Insight from 2010. Side A starts off with Baby you don’t Know
and it is a slow heavy blues rock with some passionate vocals. I love Chrissi’s
sort of smokey voice. Try, slows things down and reminds me of all the great
bands from the late 60s.. What’s There closes the first side and is a really
nice blues tune with some great guitar. Don’t close your eyes is a short blues
track. This band is much more laid back than a group by like Blues Pills, whose
powerful singer practically screams at you, while Chrissi soothes your soul..
These are the Nights ends the record with a long instrumental intro. A pretty cool record but I heard the band is much better live.. Check them out..
Automaton are a Athens, Greece based psychedelic DOOM band.
The band previously released an EP with most of this music on a CD. This is the first time on vinyl. The album is
released on black, red and orange vinyl editions as well as a cheaper version
in only a black sleeve with some embossed printing on it. Great artwork. Dr Space (me) from Øresund
Space Collective guests on analog synthesizers on the opening track, Going
Down. This starts very spaced at the
beginning before the heavy Doom riff kicks in and the powerful vocals. I love the lead guitar lines on this track and
the way the space parts mix in and they play over each other. Cool track. Fear
is a long one at over 11 mins and ends side A. It starts off with a bass wah
and the overall productions sound is a bit more dense on this track as it takes
a slow path towards………… FEAR… The delay
on the vocal at times makes it feel a bit more psychedelic as this is a slow
heavy one that takes some time to grow. There is a female voice towards the end
of the track you can hear singing in the background as the mood changes and the
lead guitar is changing from the doom riff to a more melodic feel. Flip over the record and it starts with Beast
of War, which starts with a short drum part before the really heavy war guitar
kicks in and the evil vocal enters.
Quite a brutal heavy track with some intense drumming and riffing. Breath in Stone/Echoes of Mount Ida is
another over 11 min long track with many diverse sections, the long
instrumental part is really nice.. Cool album.. I am sure they will gain a lot
of new fans with this one.. Also, you will eventually get to hear the “space
mixes” on one of the bands web pages as I also played on a couple of different
versions of Fear and Beast of War. Cool
record..
Göteborg
based, Yuri Gagarin are back with their first new material in 2 years. The
first LP was self released and then rereleased with a new mix on the Sulatron
label. I am not sure if these tracks are just tasters and both will be on the
new album due out before the new year.. The band hopes… I have seen this instrumental space rock band
twice in the last month and they played Sea of Dust at both shows. Sea of Dust starts things off with a cool
guitar line and some acoustic guitars mixed in as well before the heavy
brainblasting stuff kicks in as the track builds and builds, the synths start
to layer into the sound and the lead guitar line takes the lead. A great track…
not too unlike their earlier stuff. Flip the 7” over for Psychological
Discontinuity is really driven by the great melodic lead guitar as the rest of
the band provides the solid wall of sound with heavy bass, drums and guitar
riffs and floating space sounds over the top…. Not a lot of variety in what
this band delivers but damn, I like it.. Fans of Litmus, Hawkwind, US Christmas, etc.. will dig
this.. Pressed in 500 copies on black and marbled blue vinyl in a nice gatefold
sleeve. Thew new studio album comes on in December on vinyl on the Kommun2 label and on CD on the Space Rock Productions label.
I am not
going to do a long review of this album as I am really short on time these days
and trying to catch up. Armored Saint
was for sure one of my favorite bands in the early 80s coming out of the US
metal scene. I was very lucky to get to hang out with these guys on the bus,
backstage, etc.. a few times between 1985 and 1990.. Such cool guys and I am so
happy to see they are still making great records.. I quite like La Raza but this really is an
even better record so if you were a fan of their style from the late 80s, you
will dig this for sure. John Bush’s voice is still as good or better than ever
for 52! We have the exact same birth date and year, John and I... Great record...
