King Goat – King Goat EP


Before I start today’s review, I should probably say that I am by no means a big doom metal connoisseur, I have had a few minor encounters when I was still looking for the direction I wanted to take and that’s about it. So please excuse the lack of comparisons that the aficionados among you might be able to find. Anyways! Brighton-based King Goat are on the menu today, with their self-titled EP!

Released in December 2013, the three-track record is actually quite diverse despite the low amount of songs: a multitude of riffs in each song, under-laid with drums that don’t try to stand out too much and rather deliver a great a supporting performance keep the listener from getting bored anytime soon.

Although there’s only three songs, the total playtime comes to about twenty-seven minutes. That length is mostly due to the thirteen minute opener, The Final Decline, which spends about two-thirds of its time in building up momentum step by step before erupting in doomy glory. I do have to say that the build-up is a bit too long for my taste, but I get what the quintet is aiming for, so I tip my hat to them.

While the production is really tight and clean, it doesn’t overdo it…thus achieving a warm and fitting sound. But my personal highlight is definitely the vocalist, who has a plethora of different singing styles in his repertoire and is, in my opinion, the main driving force on the EP. Especially his clean vocals reminded me in some parts of Ozzy in his glory days…free goosebumps included.

All in all, the blokes did everything right and I can heartily recommend giving them a listen…especially since you can legally download their stuff for free below! For more info, go to their Facebook page and if you are in the general vicinity of Brighton…go check ’em out live!

Cauldron – Chained to the Nite


When I was a little child there was one record, my former all-time favourite, which made me imagine that my playroom was an oversized drum kit. So just before joining my mother and father for the weekly Saturday evening game show, I took the Playmobil pirate ship’s mast and circus tent’s middle pole and drummed through my room like a maniac who forgot to take his Ritalin. Later on I switched to the air guitar and played amazing imaginary gigs in my room every Saturday night.

Why do I tell you this? Because, every time I listen to Cauldron‘s Chained to the Nite, I become this professional air guitar player from my oh so precious childhood again.

Cauldron, formed out of the ashes of Goat Horn, is part of the New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal scene and released their debut full-length album in 2009. It quickly became one of my favourite heavy metal records, simply because there is not even one mediocre song on it. The melodies go right into your auditory canal, even after the first listen, and make you tap your foot to every single song. The three-piece Canadian band certainly didn’t invent anything new but they are hungry, loud and, most importantly of all, genuine without taking themselves too seriously.

All in all, Chained to the Nite has everything some 80s metal bands used to dream of back in the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal years. As I already said, the melodies are catchy and Ian Chains provides one classic staccato metal riff after the other. Together with the clean and kind of unique vocals, old-school solos and polished, crystal clear production, Cauldron delivers an effective traditional heavy metal record which I can’t stop listening to.

If you’re into the metal revival movement, you shouldn’t pass up this brilliant record filled with fast, aggressive and slow earworms!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeJAZGLayBA]

Trash Monday CVI

Warning: what you’re about to witness doesn’t conform to the usual Trash Monday standards, it far exceeds anything you’ve ever heard or seen here in terms of WTF-ness. Make sure you watch this video with headphones on if you don’t want your coworkers/roommates/parents to assume you’re into seriously messed-up porn.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJl06nxPub8&feature=youtu.be]

Issues – Issues


When Issues released their debut EP in late 2012, I was severely impressed by it and I was amply stoked when they announced that they would be recording a full-length in 2013. At the same time I had some minor doubts as to whether they could keep up the high level of the EP…luckily the self-titled album not only lives up to it but, in my opinion, exceeds it by miles. But let’s dive in, shall we?

For those of you who don’t know, the sextet from Atlanta plays very modern post-hardcore with heavy R&B influences in the vocal department and some rapped vocals…while it seems weird on paper, it works surprisingly well. Especially since the instrumental parts are quite groove-orientated and yet maintain a great deal of heaviness to them. One gripe that people might have is that the twelve songs are quite over-produced, but to be frank, I couldn’t imagine their thing to work for them without it.

The main factor that differentiates the band from the flock however, is without a doubt that they manage to incorporate pop melodies into their songs, without it sounding incredibly stupid. A good example is the song, Late, which you can find below: in my opinion the song could be played on the radio and, except for the screamed parts, nobody would think about it twice.

Another focal and selling point of these forty-four minutes for me are the dual vocals, which feature on the one hand the amazingly soulful vocals of Tyler Carter and on the other hand the aggressive screams of Michael Bohn, the original Woe, Is Me vocalists. Mostly the clean vocal melodies coupled with the vocal effects in some songs still blow my mind…mainly because I’m not a huge fan of vocal effects in general, but it just works for me in this ensemble. The female guest vocals by Nylo on the song Tears On The Runaway, Pt. 2 are also a nice addition, even though I have to admit that I would have loved a heavier guest vocalist on one of the songs as well.

To sum things up, Issues managed to improve on the one negative aspect of their EP, that being the length, and deliver a solid record where every song, even the DJ interlude, has a right of existence. I can strongly recommend giving the song below a spin and if you like what you hear, visit the band’s Facebook page for more info and buy the album!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTvcW_s0FCo]

More Than A Thousand – Vol. 5 Lost At Home


They’re finally back! The Portuguese quintet More Than A Thousand has been working on their new record for quite a while and at some point it seemed that it might become the next Chinese Democracy. However, in early 2014 the band announced that Vol. 5 Lost At Home was going to be released on February 24th and thus put an end to the wait of fans! Let’s see what it has to offer and whether it can meet the high expectations following the general praise of its predecessor.

For those that have never heard of the band, their sound can be described as melodic metalcore, but I like to put them in a made-up category called bounce metalcore, since their songwriting is strongly aimed toward making the listener want to jump around and freak out. This can especially be observed in their energetic live shows, which to this date have never failed to impress me. Said formula is strictly kept during the forty-five minutes of the album but executed on a new level, with catchier melodies and choruses.

Literally every aspect, that makes MTAT what they are, has been further improved: the heavy parts are more aggressive and brutal than ever, the melodic parts are bound to be stuck in your eardrums after the first listening and the “bounciness” has reached incredible heights. To the point where I’ve personally found it difficult to resist jumping around in public while listening to it on my headphones.

While the thirteen songs are for the most part straight-forward, there are a handful of surprises. Like the almost-ballad I Am The Anchor which is completely growl-free and is in my opinion the catchiest song that the guys from Setúbal have written to this day. Furthermore, there are some pretty sick guest vocals by Robert Ljung of Adept on the song No Mercy For The Weak, which gives it that extra little something.

All in all, it’s safe to say that Vol. 5 is the band’s strongest record so far and does not have to hide from international competition in any way. So, be sure to give the record a listen when it comes out and be sure to catch them whenever they’re on tour, since they always put on quite a show! Visit their Facebook page for additional info and listen to the song below.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nHsFhRsV4Q]

Versus You – Moving On


It’s been almost five years, but the arguably most well-known punk band, Versus You, from our small country is back with a new record called Moving On! The title fits exactly, since they have definitely evolved in this past half-decade: while they were always on the pop-punk side of the spectrum, this has become even clearer this time around…and I, for one, absolutely dig it! But let’s get down to business.

While the opener starts off with the almost overdone canon in D major, the rest of the song is a nice example of fast-paced good mood inducing pop punk, at least on the instrumental side. The rest of the twelve songs follows a similar pattern of up-beat and danceable power chords and straight-forward drumming with a multitude of fills. The occasional solo is also thrown in to break things up when necessary, while still keeping the song together…which is always welcome in my book.

Even though the main part of the thirty-one minutes seems to be cast from the same mold, there are two songs that separate themselves from the rest: the closing ballad You Are My Friend and the, simply brilliant, Be Better Than Me which features an acoustic lead melody and the perfectly-fitting female backing vocals by Hannah Smallbone. The thing that strikes me about them is that they provide such a beautiful contrast to the main vocals that makes this piece so catchy.

Earlier I mentioned that the instrumental side is on the happy side of life, but the lyrics in some parts touch on very serious matters, albeit sometimes in a tongue-in-cheek humorous way. A good example of that is the song 30 Pills which tells the story of an HIV-infected guy who has been rejected by society: even though the message itself is quite social-critical, especially the chorus has a ring to it that makes me smile every time I hear it…but then again, I tend to have a twisted sense of humor.

As a closing statement, I’ll stay that I much preferred Moving On to its predecessor since it’s just more in my ballpark of the punk genre. The clean and yet authentic sounding production, I have to say, played a big part in that as much as the generally catchy nature of the tracks. If you want to find out for yourself whether you like it or not and want to spend an enjoyable night, head on over to den Atelier in Luxembourg this Saturday, February 15th, since that’s where the band will have their release show! You can get a first taste below and more information on Facebook!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMWfCVCOKkQ]

Sublind – Thrashing Delirium


Thrash is dead. Now, I know that’s a dangerous statement, so don’t get me wrong: thrash metal is anything but dead, but even the classic bands have adapted the modern sound that is so commonplace these days…and I guess that’s what happens at some point in the career of most bands. However, there are a fair share of new bands emerging that swim against the current and stick to the old school thrash that so many people love. I’m proud to say that one of these is resident in our little country and goes by the name of Sublind. To make things better, I’m happy to say that the five guys are releasing their debut album Thrashing Delirium this month…so let’s take a look at it, shall we?

The moment you start the forty-three minute musical journey, you are bombarded with pure metal and everything you, as a fan of the genre or as a newcomer, could hope for is condensed on this record: fast-paced riffs that convey aggressiveness through their simple but shit-stirring nature, relentless drumming that will make the headbanging set in even earlier than healthy and last but not least raw and powerful vocals.

It’s interesting to note that the quintet did not have the intention of having a perfect sounding album when they started recording these ten songs, which is why it’s not over-produced in any way whatsoever. The drums are not triggered, the string instruments aren’t quantized and, if you hadn’t guessed it, there is no auto-tune or other correction on the vocals. While some people might argue that’s a cheap excuse for a bad sound…I share the strong opinion that it conveys just what this music should be all about: attitude! And besides…the final product sounds pretty damn good, but be your own judge of that.

The lyrics are mostly of a slightly cliché nature, with such topics as drinking, war and having sex with dead people…what? While Shakespeare might twist in his grave at some of the lines, I, for one, love this approach…since it makes for great sing-alongs at gigs! The vocals are mostly screamed, with a few excursions into high-pitched screams, and are generally well performed but they are also the only thing where I could imagine a small improvement through a bit more variation.

To round things off, there is probably one of the best drinking anthems on here…in the form of the Luxembourgish song Humpeknupper! More information can be found on the band’s Facebook page and you can get an impression by checking out the song below. Last but not least, if you have no plans this Saturday, February 15th, be sure to head to the Café Remelenger Stuff in Rumelange, since that’s where the release party will be held! UH!

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/123177612″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
~Yannick~