Trollheart

When I see an album by one of the original members of Sabbath (Ozzy excepted) I really have got to check it out, don't I? So our second album from April features legendary drummer

Accountable Beasts --- Bill Ward --- 2015 (Independent)

Introduction: Surely nobody needs to be told who Bill Ward is? I was unaware though that the Black Sabbath drummer had any solo material, but this is apparently his third album, all under his own name. Anyone famous playing with him? Any guests? Um, no. And no vocalist either. But two drummers. So, an instrumental album then, and his first in eighteen years.

Ah. But not available unless I want to buy it. Which I don't. Not on Spotify, not on Google Play Music, not even on YouTube. Guess we won't be checking out Bill's new album anytime soon. Who's next then? Let's see...

Okay, okay, yeah. I checked these guys out on I think the original Metal Month in 2013 and I believe I was impressed. I think someone like Mondo, bob or Frownland is into them, also Ninetales, as they were in his top ten just a few days ago. This is their tenth album and the titles are going to give me a real challenge, but let's see first of all if it's available before I go into any spiel about it. Okay, good. It is.

A Furrow Cut Short --- Drudkh --- 2015 (Season of Mist)

Introduction: I believe the album I listened to at the time was Blood In Our Wells and as I say I have a recollection of enjoying it, notwithstanding the twin facts that the band are Black Metal and that they sing in their native Ukrainain. Was that a fluke? Will I hate this? Only one way to find out...

1. Прокляті сини I (Cursed Souls I) : Powerful guitars, guttural vocals of course but there seems to be a lot of passion here. I'm very slowly learning to appreciate Black Metal for what it is, and not just dismiss it. This is quite melodic for that genre.
2. Прокляті сини II (Cursed Souls II): The power and energy in this music just overrides the fact that you can't even make out the lyrics, even if you wanted to, due to both them being sung in a death vocal voice and in Ukranian.
3. Епосі нескорених поетів (To the epoch of unbowed poets): Very dramatic feel to this, faster than the first two tracks and elements of speed metal leaking in. I'll say one thing: these guys can really play guitar but with three (yes three) of them playing keys, I honestly don't hear it. Not yet anyway. Fucking incredible stuff even so. Love this.
4. Тліючий попіл (Embers): Got a slightly more laidback thing going on on the guitar here, at least at the beginning. Then it kicks up of course (whoever heard of a ballad on a Black Metal album??) but it's just continuing the goodness I'm getting from this album. Still not hearing any keyboards though. Okay, that could be them at the end. Hard to know really. Hey, this fades!
5. Безчестя I (Dishonour I): A really powerful track with some surprisingly introspective moments.
6. Безчестя II (Dishonour II): Slower, more dramatic, really effective. Some excellent guitar work here, but again I hear little or no keys. How can there be three guys who play keys and I can't hear even one?
7. Поки не засиплють чужою землею очі (Till foreign ground shall cover eyes): Faster, more frenetic. Great overall melody on this track. Tremendous guitar outro.

Conclusion: Whether I'm getting more used to Black Metal, relaxing more in my older age, or it's just that I like Drudkh, I love this album. Even the ragged singing couldn't put me off, nor the fact that I could understand nothing of the lyrics. Just a brilliant album.

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Trollheart

Time to move on to the next stop on our short excusion across the Middle East, and if one country is in the news more than any other these days in terms of war and conflict, then I don't need to tell you which one that is, and where we're headed next. Obviously, with the current crisis ongoing, I have no idea whether any of these bands are still operating, remain in the country or are even alive. But we wish them all safety and hope as we dare the dangerous journey northwest through Iran's hated neighbour Iraq and across the border into

Well if we thought there were few metal bands in Iran, try Syria! Total --- and I mean total, including unsigned, split-up, everything --- of twenty-eight bands to choose from! Doesn't leave much scope for variety, does it? Well I personally know no Syrian metal bands, but this one at least comes up on YouTube, so let's try them out.

The Burning Ship -- Buried by the Last Tragedy --- 2011 (Independent)

Truth to tell, it's only a demo, and that's all these guys have released to date. There are only a mere three tracks on it, and I think I can only get two on YT, but as I said above, pickings appear to be very slim here in the Arab States. I suppose the fact that there's a bloody civil war going on at the moment probably limits the amount of people who are more interested in laying down tracks than in escaping the country and trying to survive. Still, we'll see what's on offer and do the best with what we have.

“Deadly isolation” opens this three-track EP, and there's a dark, haunting and desolate feel about the synth intro, with some really nice piano and guitar. Buried by the Last Tragedy (sorry guys but I'm not going to be able to resist referring to you as BLT from now on!) are described as death/doom metal, and the vocal is certainly fitting for both: a dark, nasty, angry growl, with the music slow and powerful though not plodding. Definitely more on the doom than death side though. Very melodic, very satisfying. Two guitarists, one of whom, Akram Al-henwani, also does the vocals, and a drummer with the fantastic name of Nizar James Misanthropic! Plus a bassist of course. The music is really strong and stirring, and both Akram and his mate Ahmad Al-Adllby on the other guitar really know what they're about.

Now I definitely hear a piano there about halfway, but there are no credits for keys or piano, so I can't tell you who is playing. The first track is at least almost eight minutes long, as is the next one, so there's a decent amount of music here even for only three tracks. The third is apparently acoustic and a mere three minutes, but still, that's nearly twenty minutes in total, which is not too bad. The title track then has a really nice sharp guitar opening it, and has that dark doom feel about it that BLT seem to prefer. I really don't see the Death Metal influences here, though I freely admit I know next to nothing about that subgenre. Still, for me, on the basis of what I hear on this short album, I would say BLT are definitely more in the Doom Metal category, possibly a little Black thrown in, but not Death. Anyway it's another good track, pounding and grinding, and at the end it slides into the beginning of the third track, which is acoustic, but unfortunately it cuts off after about ten seconds and I cannot find that track on YouTube at all. A real pity.

TRACKLISTING

1. Deadly isolation
2. The burning ship
3. The distant voice (acoustic)

Short, not to say sweet, but an interesting introduction to the music of this war-torn country. I suppose most of what we stumble across will be like this, as life has to take priority over music, but hopefully we may unearth the odd gem as we tiptoe through crumbling streets where houses have been reduced to rubble, try not to look at the corpses lining the road like firewood, and hold our breath as we try to understand how anyone could manage to put together a band, or create music amongst all this madness...

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Trollheart

After releasing a stunning album, scoring three hit singles and firmly establishing themselves on the metal map, Judas Priest were about ready for a holiday, so they headed to Ibiza. Well, partially true. This was not necessarily just an opportunity for the lads to relax, drink and pull birds --- though I have no doubt much of that went on. Ibiza would be where they would record their seventh album, the followup to British Steel.

Point of entry (1981)
The big hard guitar sound is still there, but there's a more commercial edge to this album than any of their previous ones, as it follows in the somewhat radio-friendly footsteps of British Steel. “Heading out to the highway” has an old-school rock vibe to it, close to the likes of Steppenwolf in feel, and canters along at a mid-pace tempo, with more of those vocal harmonies that were becoming identified with them at this time. The guitar work here I find very reminiscent of Lizzy, while “Don't go” is far grindier and chunkier, not that fond of it to be honest: I think it's a bit fragmented in ways. “Hot rockin'” however delivers what it promises, and hurtles along like a beast. Great drumming from Dave Holland, and fair play to him for lasting more than an album!

I find “Turning circles” a little meh though. There's a lot of energy in it, but there's something about Halford's voice, like he's trying to sound American or something, bit too much of a drawl. Guitar is good though. There's a nice rolling rhythm to “Desert plains” and his voice is much better here, especially when he goes up the scale at the end; I like the chugga-chugga of the twin guitars, and they're back to open “Solar angels”, which has a pretty anthemic feel to it, but “You say yes” is total throwaway. Just terrible. The only thing that saves it is some really decent guitar in the middle. Mind you, I can't say it's the track that drags this album down, as it's been heading that way pretty much from the beginning. Not impressed.

To make matters worse, “All the way” shamelessly rips off the main melody from “Rosalie”, and even though it kicks up the gears I can't forgive Priest for this blatant filching from the classic Lizzy song. Shame on yiz lads! “Troubleshooter” is better, with a boogie rocking vibe, and to be fair, though they've gone a bit more commercial here, Priest have not reintroduced the keys that were present on their earlier albums. That might have been seen as a metal bridge too far for the fans. We end then on “On the run”, and it's also interesting that for an album seen as targeting radio airplay there are no ballads on this at all. It's a boogie swinging rockfest in the vein of The Doors' “Roadhouse blues” and it ends the album strongly, though I feel it may be too little too late at this point.

TRACKLISTING

1. Heading out to the highway
2. Don't go
3. Hot rockin'
4. Turning circles
5. Desert plains
6. Solar angels
7. You say yes
8. All the way
9. Troubleshooter
10. On the run

For a followup to the seminal British Steel this is very very poor. I know it was going to be hard to write anything that would measure up to that behemoth, but here it's almost like they didn't even try. No hit singles from this one: too much Sangria and late nights, guys? A disappointing effort all round, and a serious letdown after my hopes had been raised by the previous album.


However...

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Trollheart

I couldn't have written a feature like this and not included them. I would have focussed more on them had I not already gone deeply into them (I wish!) for the NWOBHM article "Witches, Bitches, Maidens and Monsters: The Bands of the NWOBHM" some time earlier...

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The Batlord

What a godawful ****ing album cover. Jesus Christ. I could literally do better than that, and I don't even know how to use Photoshop.

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Trollheart

Agreed. Considering the title, and surely his resources, you would think he would have put a bit more thought into its design, or whoever did it would have. Maybe it's just as well I couldn't find it, if the music inside reflects what's on the cover...

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Traveling_Alone

Well, the previous album artwork isn't very good, either.

Trollheart

Je-sus! What was he smoking? Or is that even a necessary question?
Welcome to my journal by the way, TA: you're no longer travelling alone, you're with friends here.

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The Batlord

But that's kind of glorious in an ironic way. It's shitty, but not shitty shitty.

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Frownland

Still, it looks like a Mr. Acker Bilt album when it's a rock/metal record.

That's the alternate cover anyway, this is what he went with.



I think we know for certain who had the biggest say on the artwork for Paranoid.

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.