Words That Burn "Cut Throat Culture" Album Review

 

   Recently i made a post on Facebook about specific types of bands i would've been extremely reluctant to listen to,growing up in an era were Thrash,Death and Black Metal were the undisputed kings for me,for want of a better word and been somewhat of an edgy jerk in my youth with regard to what i listen to(if it ain't fast or brutal enough forget it),ever since i've started doing my weekly segment on Metal Messiah Radio about two years ago i've discovered numerous bands from array of different genres and one in particular has really changed my opinion of some of the modern acts delivering some absolutely quality tunes and that is the ridiculously brilliant Words That Burn,with the release of their third full length album Cut Throat Culture the band have honed and crafted a really spectacular opus.

   

   

Straight from the gates the band launch into the absolutely brilliant Den Of Lions like a pheonix rising from the ashes and unleash a barage of emotions combined with metaculously crafted riffs with electro pop sensibility, Sunshine hits with unrelenting aggression,the switching between harsh and clean vocal delivery gives the track an underlying dark atmosphere, possibly my favourtie track on the album is the sublime Play God which hints at the topic of maipulative relationships,the aggression throughout this adds a really emotional element ,there's also a brilliant anthemic feel to the track.

   We're treated to the upbeat nuances of the excellent Sirens ,there's a nice rock element to this track,the vocals have a great anthemic feeling to them, this one really grabs your full undivided attention with the groovy hooks and the continous switching between aggressive and anthemic vocals, the anthemic atmosphere continues with the fantastic The Cavalry Ain't Coming the fills in between the chorus are nothing short of relentless combined with those heartfelt emotional vocals, You're On Your Own really pounds home the underlying  mental health issues throughout the album and how horrible society can be, the atmosphere gets that little more darker on the hauntingly eerie Fire At Will this is possibly the heaviest track on the album and delivers a combination of absolutely devastating and emotional vocals.

   Things begin to delve that little bit darker with To Night the feeling of dread is really prevelant which is pushed to the fore with the haunting atmosphere there's also a bit of pop sensibility to add a different feeling to proceedings, Thicker Skin has a really nice keys intro before it launches into killer groove laden hooks,there's almost a ballad type approach to this albeit with brief aggressive vocals, you also get the full repotoire of what the bands vocalist is capable of, closing track Michael delivers some killer riffs combined with a really dark atmosphere created by the keys/electronic elements,once again the vocal delivery is truly breathtaking switching effortlessly between harsh and clean vocals.

  Overall Cut Throat Culture shows a band not only progressing from previous releases but showing a confidence and maturity that's going to push them to another level of brilliance,we treated to plenty of memorable anthemic type songs,one of the main elements that won me over with this band is the ease with which they can switch between full on aggression and soaring and passionate vocal delivery, if you're sitting on the fence(like i once was) about this band do yourself a favour and listen to this album,you will find something that you enjoy about.

RATING: 9/10

SPOTIFY:https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ADo1iCVBg2hJgpKRCFajD?si=y-dXMSlfRWyWCO3E8Y40RQ

BANDCAMP: https://wordsthatburn.bandcamp.com/

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@wordsthatburn

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/wordsthatburn

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wordsthatburn/

Shadows Calling "Spirit Shifter" EP Review

 

  

   Great no frills no bullshit Hard Rock bands have been a rare commodity these days be it down to chnages in society,the over abundance of the "quick fix" has become too common place with todays generation were many faucets in todays society being just repitive,bland and mundane, the brilliant Shadows Calling are here to reminds us all what great Rock tunes are all about with their debut EP Spirit Shifter.

    Straight from the get go the band launch into the adrenalin fueled nuances of the rip roaring Eraser .there's some great mid tempo riffing combined with the soaring & passionate vocal delivery, Spirit Shifter has a nice constant groove and plenty of killer riffs and once again the vocals are constantly on point and compliment the all arrangements perfectly.

  Midnight's Eye unleshes memorable hooks and a mix of smooth groove laden riffs and a varying array of vocal styles,the guitar leads are soaring with an absolutely gorgeous tone, closing track Our Own Escape has something different to offer from the previous tracks in that it goes to an almost ballad like structure,the rocking riffs and soaring passionate vocals are still there added with a somewhat epic structure,this offers the full capability of what the band are looking to capture.

   Spirit Shifter is a really solid debut offering from the brilliant Shadows Calling,the musicianship is stellar and full of memorable riffs and hooks,the production is absolutely quality and captures an essence of the band that you won't forget too quickly, would highly advise to keep a close eye on these as i can see room fro improvement and a really bright future.

RATING: 8.5/10

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1T4NZVz7bX6IzMH2VBnqKC?si=OKjLkaOMQgmRwYrLMtAxCA

BANDCAMP: https://shadowscalling1.bandcamp.com/album/spirit-shifter-4-track-ep

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@shadowscalling

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/shadowscalling13

INSTTING:AGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/shadowscalling/

Koma "Of Dionysus And The Vine" Single Review

   

Once again i've been treated to another quality offering from the fine folk of Melodic Metalcore oufit Koma in the form of their brilliant new single Of Dionysus And The Vine let's get into the finer details this track has to offer.

 Just like previous tracks The Betrayed & Dichotomy there's plenty of melodic parts,groove laden hooks and aggression on offer but there is an added dark atmosphere which also has an almost Thrash Metal feeling to it, the lead and backing vocals are pushed to a different level on this without going too far from the dynamics on the previous tracks.the lyrical theme is inspired by the Greek God of wine and revelry Dionysus,it touches on the intoxicating power of the consuming alcohol and is intended to capture the tragedy comedy and festivities when one is partaking in the revelry of drinking.

  Everything  Koma have done thus far oozes quality,passion and a hunger to deliver songs full of  catchy hooks, melody and memorable topics that also fit in with the trials and tribulations life has to offer,even the artwork on each single,done by the extremly talented Adam Brown of  Dead Flesh Tattoo tells a story in itself,the production is absolutely sublime thanks to the  midas touch of Josh Sid Robinson of JSR Audio,over all Koma have once again delivered the goods and i for one cannot wait til they releases an EP or Full Length Album,they have all the nuances to build something special that has longevity and constantly evolve their sound organically

RATING: 9/10

 

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0yLoO1CPbeeojKSpD4KQua?si=WePx5I7FRBmccPEjYrtQ-g

BANDCAMP: https://komaofficialni.bandcamp.com/

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@KOMAOfficialNI

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/komaofficialni

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/koma_official_ni/

The Enigma Division "The Enigma Division" Album Review

    

You spend years listening to a plethora of bands,artists, albums,EP's,single and your opinions of them tend to be very polarizing but once every so often a band/album comes along and resonates with you in a way you thought incomprehensible,that such band(album) is the absolutely god tier self titled debut album from Progressive/Tech Noir Metal Trio The Enigma Division, the band features the sublime talents of Conor McGouran (Ex Xerath),on Guitar/Keyboards,Ronan Burns on Bass/Keyboards and Ben Wanders(Ex Xerath, Shardborne & Slave Zero) Drums & Vocals.

   Straight away you get the feeling that you're about to listen to a movie score or soundtrack with the Intro 1977 which builds like some post apocalyptic countdown to an event or a story,it's has the feeling of movies like Terminator or Blade Runner, instantly you're hit with a barage of  groove laden riffs,synths combined with soaring and emotional vocals on the sublime The Escapist the lyrics have the feeling that a person/protagonist is lost in some existential crisis and yearns to escape from this waking nightmare while simultaneously also dreaming of creating some type of surreal paradise, possibly my favourite track on this album the absolutely mind blowing Echoes In The Deep starts out with some echoing beacon giving you the feeling that there's a growing fear of been lost within a place devoid of hope ,we're treated to some fantastic keyboards throughout this track by the legendary Derek Sherinian(Ex Dream Theater,Sons Of Apollo & Planet X) at times it sounds like McGouran has channeled the ghost of Eddie Van Halen and took the musicianship to a whole new level,there's also a section were you get to hear the full capabilities of the vocal range of Wanders,hence why this is a truly mind blowing track, let the time machine take us back to some absolutely fantastic homage to 80's synthwave/progressiveness on  Afterglow this time we treated to the amazing vocals of Richard Thomson(Ex-Xerath) ,there's a really nice pop sensibility about this song it also feels like you're in some 80's TV Programme or Movie.

    Aware that the song may have diffrerent stories and meanings to them if the first part of the album was about been lost in some sort of existential crisis then this part is about becoming aware of things like an understanding of who you are this is pushed to the fore with the excellent The Age Of Discovery there's a noticable change in the atmosphere that has become that bit more darker and the vocals have a little extra aggression in them,there's also a slight element of disdain in the vocals like wanting some more meaningfulness in your life, every element that's already being heard throughout this opus starts to reach it's peak on the sublime Kaleidoscope this gradually builds to a monumental cacophony of emotions combined with razor sharp riffage and epic structures,the synths in the background give off a really dark atmosphere,excuse the pun but it feels like you're travelling through a kaleidoscope of life that's taken you into the unknown, now we taken into a place of tranquility with the beautiful Clarity once again the pop sensibilities are oushed to the fore on this while still maintaining that dark atmosphere,eventually the vocals hit another level near the closing parts of the songs.

  Closing track 1977- Ad Infinitum takes us back to where it all began and brings us through each story we've just heard and takes us on an epic journey like our life was flashing before our eyes you see all the good times,bad times and everything in between but you're totally unaware that you're only a small part of what has happened or is about to happen in this universe, when it's drawing near the end there's an extremely dystopian narrative where we're told about every faucet of life including political doctrines,economic doctrines,beliefs,despotic rulers etc and that we are but a little dot in the universe and looking desperately for  someone or something to saves us from oursleves.

   This is such a modern day masterpiece,when you listen to it you will hear elements of music you've heard in the 80's 90's and even 00's but what you've possibly not heard before is the way the music is arranged, the atmosphere the way it feels like a soundtrack to a movie or life,the way it feels like some sort of existential crisis, the musicianship on this is absolutely mind blowing it's not like people didn't know about them been that damn good,what alot of folk weren't aware of and it seems to be the bands secret weapon is the absolutely earth shifting vocal display of Wanders on this opus, i know it's early in the year but i'm of the opinion that this is going to be a legitimate contender for album of the year,for me this is an absolute game changer and if i'm bing honest even after two months since it was released i get extremely emotional when i'm listening to it as i said it's being a really long time since an album had such a profound effect on me on a personal level

RATING:10/10

 

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5mCudD6p5CnAxnVTFswfJC?si=jSaeD1eATwGTqNgjoLlThg

BANDCAMP: https://theenigmadivision.bandcamp.com/album/the-enigma-division

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@theenigmadivision9119/featured

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheEnigmaDivision

INSTAGRAM:https://www.instagram.com/theenigmadivisionmusic/

Symbiotic Tomorrow "All That's Gone" EP Review

 

  For Almost the last three years Symbiotic Tomorrow have being releasing consistently great music but for some reason it's not reaching/resonating with a larger audience,let this serve as a brief introduction(& appreciation) of them,two of Limericks most talented/proficient musicians play a huge part in what the band have to offer, Alan O' Connell writes and produces all the music and Keith McCoy delivers machine-like percussion/drumming ,most of their releases also feature Italian professional session singer Eric Castaglia, The music blends elements of Death Metal,/Thrash Metal and Progressive Metal delivered with razor sharp precision while packing a lethal punch,lets get into the finer details of the new EP All That's Gone.

   Staright from the off All That's Gone delivers relentless break neck speeds and technically proficient riffing while the vocal delivery is nothing short of unbridled brutality, the mid tempo passages throughout Blood Of The New World ups the ante with regard to the technicality of proceedings while the vocals maintain that trademark relentlessness, there subtle Melodic Death Metal nuances very prevelent on Burn there's a nice mid tempo groove complemented by the aggressive vocals.

 

  Again On Eyes Of Your God the melodic tendencies are pushed to the fore,the drumming is full of intricate fills and rolls whick keep fluctuating from mid tempo to aggressive brutality, Closing track  The Hatred With is a killer mid tempo offering with the technicality pushed even more to the fore,again the vocals are relentlessly aggressive and consistently pack a lethal punch,the drumming is once again delivered with razor sharp precision.

 All That's Gone has a somewhat apocalyptic undertone and offers a fantastic array of everything from Death,Thrash & Progressive Metal,brilliantly executed drumming,aggressive gut punching vocals,tachnicality proficient Guitar work including soaring leads full of passion and  a subtly uplifing element you wouldn't usually associate with the more extreme side of metal, this is a really solid and competent offering that should attract a larger audience.

RATING: 8.5/10

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0kNO7Wh72FDeknlScI3AP2?si=gEAfbhc3QeCxXnJLrXkh0Q

BANDCAMP: https://symbiotictomorrow.bandcamp.com/music

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@SymbioticTomorrow

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067656368811

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/symbiotictomorrow/

Scáth Na Déithe "Virulent Providence" Album Review

   Throughout the years of following bands/artists within the Irish Metal scene i've witnessed or encountered some fantastic musicians,one in particular has continously caught my attention with his work in bands such as Nautilus, Dunmharu & his current project Scáth Na Déithe, for me anything Cathal Hughes has been a part of always strikes gold in my opinion,the excellent Virulent Providence is no different, once again as with previous Scáth Na Déithe releases the compostion is bleak and harrowing and gives an account of The Great Hunger of the 1840's being passed down from generation to generation as a stark reminder of the horrors that took place during that period of time.

  Three years on from the absolutely fantastic The Dirge Of Endless Mourning we're once again offered more Irish Folklore but this time it's much more bleak,harrowing and tragic and a hell of a lot more epic, a story divided into two tracks spanning 40 minutes,staright from the off Virulent Providence Pt.1 delivers a barage of blisteringly fast riffs combined with an emotion and atmosphere not present on previous offerings, the relentlessness for the opening six minutes is somewhat over bearing(like it should be) when telling a tale so tragic there's a momentary atmospheric section for about two minutes then gradually builds up to an absolutely epic crescendo before going into some dream like sequence where it feels like some long lost memory until it gets resurrected and the tale still remains.

  The Beat of a Bodhran is heard rumbling in the background at the beginning of the Virulent Providence Pt.2 adds an extrmely foreboding atmosphere to the story, the dirge-like essence is almost like something not far removed from Funeral Doom,it's crawls and meanders miserably while adding a somewhat hypnotic atmosphere like you're been dragged through some nightmarish scenario that's neverending, the vocal delivery is filthy and nasty while maintaining an abundance of emotions,the time changes throughout flow seamlessly between extreme relentlessness to emotional atmospherics while switching between torturous Black Metal shrieks to visceral Death Growls,when it's drawing near it's end you can hear that Bodhran with an acousitic guitar coming to the fore before going back in a dirge-like seqence to carry this tragic tale onto another generation.

  If you're after something bleak,harrowing,full of atmosphere and a tale full of horrific and tragic stories would definitely recommend Virulent Providence, this album is on a whole different level to previous releases and should not be passed up,also this is not any favouritism on my account as i've always being a massive fan of Mr.Hughes work in the past,this release confirms to me that he's like some sort of modern Seanchai(Irish/Gaelic Storyteller/Historian),while still been harrowing and bleak there's also something beautiful about the essences of this release,like memories been brought back to life and shared with those who never knew.

RATING: 9.5/10

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6enbW9NPpdAtxXecZldTv0?si=IsBx0OefTiugCBnySLhPcA

BANDCAMP: https://scathnadeithe.bandcamp.com/music

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@scathnadeithe4378/videos

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/scathnadeithe

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/scath_na_deithe/

Death Feast "Risen From The Tomb" Album Review

   Every so often you're made aware of new bands who like to delve deep into the old school sound from the mid eighties we all know and love,recently thanks to the fine people at Haloran Records for contacting me about doing reviews for bands on the label ,this is when i became aware of Thrash/Death/Black Metal Fiends Death Feast and have had the pleasure of listening to their excellent third full length album Risen From The Tomb let's get into the finer details of this magnificent opus.

  The eerie atmosphere of the intro The Initiation sets a tone not far removed from something from a Hammer Horror movie adding a nice homage to Old Horror movies,this is synonymous with what the band are well known for, as soon as you hear the guitars on Crossing The Fire you know you're about to delve into some evil and nasty old school riffage, this is a real headbanger of a tune and along with the intro sets the tone of what's to follow brilliantly, Banish From Monastery is full of riffs for days combined with lo-fi tones reminiscent of Sarcófago, time for some total Metal worship with the brilliant Commandments Of Metal obviously this is about spreading the word of Metal all across the world,we treated to some elements of Speed Metal throughout this track with subtle reminders to the legendary Venom, all the superlatives i've being describing so far get pushed to another level with the rip roaring majesty of Devoted Assassins were the hounds of hell are unleashed with unrelenting fury.

   Things get that bit more relentless with the hauntingly disturbing Hell Funeral the atmosphere is extrmely foreboding and does a fantastic job maintaining that unnervingly dark homage to horror while also having a very chaotic element to the overall sound, an abundance of mayhem is another prevelant theme running throughout this releases ,this becomes abundantly clear on The Evil Crown, the mayhem evloves into chaotic territory with the excellent title track Risen From The Tomb the lo-fi Guitar tone harks back to the Obsessed By Cruelty era of Sodom and has some extremely evil undertones, as soon as the bell chimes ring loud on Volcano and the Guitars roll along like a funeral procession you know you're about to get some old school mayhem that delivers with raw,evil and chaotic fury, The Blood Pact(Outro) sounds like some french horror movie and leaves a very disturbing finale to porceedings leaving you wanting even more chaos and mayhem.

 Overall Risen From The Tomb is a really enjoyable and worthwhile listen, if you like Hammer Horror, legends of Horror like Cushing,Price,Lee,Ingrid Pitt combined with homages to old school bands like Sodom,Venom,Celtic Frost and Sarcófago this is definitely an album for you,the production while having a very lo-fi approach still has a slight modern fell to it,also the musicianship is second to none,with razor sharp leads,extremely evil sounding vocals and a rawness and primitiveness stepped in the old school traditions of metal.

RATING: 9/10

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/7iRdruc2pKJf96sIaXJZnr?si=1AZKjcztSqSCwURwrF5ZSw

BANDCAMP: https://haloranrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hlrn002-death-feast-risen-from-the-tomb

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@haloranrecords

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/deathfeastpt

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/haloranrecords/