1000 Mods: Vultures Review

1000 Mods: Vultures

1000 Mods is an odd name for a psych/stoner band but don't let that fool you, these dudes punch out the riffs like they've been doing it their whole lives.  You can hear the old school influences pulsing throughout the album, but that's not to say it's all old school... sure you can hear some Blue Cheer or Hawkwind and even Sabbath in there, but there's a lot of the new school psychedelia going on here too, such as Colour Haze or Orange Goblin and even Kyuss at times.  Vultures is full of large modern sounds dripping with the acid fuzz of the early era of psych rock.

Every track on Vultures is just about as groovy as it gets the happy psychedelic riffs bounce around your speakers like you're front row at a phish concert, then there's the monsterous heavy riffs they have that pull you back down to earth and punch you in the guts.  While they all have that sound that is inherently 1000 Mods, there isn't anything that makes you go “well hey wait a sec this sounds like that track from before” it's a very well spaced, timed and written album, no recycled riffs here.

I really love the slow and menacing openings that happen in a few tracks on this album, they sound awesome and set up the coming thunderstorm perfectly, this is most prevalent on “Vultures” the namesake to the album, which also pounds in to one of the best head moving riffs on the album.  The opening track “Claws” starts with a clean sounding guitar that made me think that this might have been a post rock album but to my surprise it kicked in to the classic fuzz sound that is synonymous with psych rock and really blew me away, I was hooked from start to finish with this album, 1000 Mods have really created a strong album steeped in the old school but dipped in the gooey modern flavour, an instant classic! 

Pros:

Classic sound, modern usage.

Awesome riffs and solos

They don't push the issue, they aren't looking to stress you out or nothing man, they just want to entertain you.

Cons:

For me something about the vocals sounded to uniform, some more variation would be great.

Overall Impression:

This is an awesome album, has all of the ingredients I love, such as heavy riffs, awesome solo's, catchy as hell and that head moving flavour.  This is the perfect album to have on while you're working on your big block in the shed! 

Track List:

Claws

Big Beautiful

She

Horses' Green

Low

Vultures

Modesty

Reverb of the New World

Total Running Time: 38:50

Line-up:

Dani - Bass & Vox

Giannis - Guitars

George - Guitars

Labros - Drums

Genre: Psychedelic Rock/Stoner Metal

Release Date: 30th May 2014

Label: The Lab Recs

Links:

www.1000mods.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/1000mods

 

Yoth Iria - Under His Sway EP review

Yoth Iria come with an incredible pedigree to back them up, the members helped to create the Hellenic black metal scene from way back in the early 90's Mutilator was a founding member of Rotting Christ and Varathron.  The Magus is predominantly a producer and helped build that Hellenic sound that has created bands like Necromantia, Thou Art Lord and of course Rotting Christ.  George Emmanuel the owner of Pentagram Studios and prior member of Rotting Christ shreds the guitars on this EP as well.  So you can see where their sound comes from, it's built upon tradition and brings it forth to the modern era.

Under His Sway is an incredible feat of production, song writing and an immense sound with incredibly nuanced moments of reflection.  The whole EP has had me nodding along while I write this.  The music is black metal at it's core, but it's so much more.  Of course it has the extreme drumming, the tremelo picking and the fury, but somewhere in the midst of all of this incredible chaos, there is soul, there is a story being forged, there is life... and death for that matter.

From the opening you feel this EP being brought to life, you feel the immensity of what you're about to bare witness to and as it builds you brace yourself for the onslaught.  The opening track Under His Sway is monstrous and ever evolving, it begins sparsely as the music builds you truly feel the rage building and this happens a number of times throughout the track in different manners, it's amazing song writing.  It has this feeling of it almost being a marching song that armies would listen to upon their way to war.  

The second track Sid-Ed-Gjinn opens as a crawling middle eastern, black doom epic then just as you're settling in to the chugging riffs and traditional vocals they drop it and fire up the extreme machine and it blows up in to a bigger monster than it was, but yet somehow maintains the chuggy doomy feel.  I can feel myself opening my arms to the heavens while listening to this track, it's unintentional but I want to embrace the sun gods of old and curse all these modern false idols.  This track just feels massive, the music isn't heaps intrusive or over the top, it's the story telling that makes it feel this way.

For the final track on the EP Mutilator reached back in to his reliquary of tracks and revived probably one of my favourite black metal tracks of all time Visions of the Dead Lovers from his old band Rotting Christ, they took it, updated it but definitely kept all of the key ingredients intact, and definitely improved some.  Huge track!

Under His Sway as a whole is an incredibly huge album, it's only a 3 track EP but it gives the listener so much more than that.  You could listen to it 100 times and still hear something that you never noticed before.  It has something that a lot of newer bands are missing these days, sure they have the story via lyrics but Yoth Iria write epics, they write the song as a story you don't just get it from the lyrics you get the story from the feelings the music evokes within you, the lyrics are just an extra part of the whole picture.  Incredible writing and I can't wait to hear more from these guys!

Pros:

• Incredible song writing
• The music builds an image in your mind
• There is more than meets the eye upon first listen

Cons:

• It's just to damn short, I was left wanting more.... don't get me wrong I'm going to listen to this over and over I just wish it was longer.

TL;DR:

Yoth Iria have started something huge, they have written 2 incredible songs and covered one of the best black metal tracks ever, and upon the way have given us a taste of how it should be done, how black metal should be written.  Not with utter rage and chaos but a controlled burn, the rage and chaos is still there but it's measured and spent wisely not just thrown upon the altar and hacked up, it's placed upon the altar and dissected with great care.

Tracks:

1. Under His Sway

2. Sid-Ed-Gjinn

3. Visions of the Dead Lovers (Rotting Christ Cover)

Line-up:

The Magus - Vocals

George Emmanuel - Guitars

Jim Mutilator - Bass

J.V. Maelstrom - Drums

Genre: Black Metal

Release Date: 

Label: Repulsive Echo

Links: 
www.repulsiveecho.com

www.yothiria.bandcamp.com
(bandcamp coming soon)

Follywood and the downfall of creativity

I've always been a big movie fan in the past and some of my greatest memories are from really getting in to films and the people playing the characters that have truly swept me away from reality.

Recently though I think that's changed, I used to make lists of movies I really wanted to see, now that list has shrunk from 30 a year to maybe 1 or 2 and of the ones I watch throughout the year that I just watch and aren't looking forward to, the really good ones are usually not big budget or made by a major studio and I have a feeling that it has something to do with me getting tired of the hollywood formulae.  you know the ones, 'guy meets girl, guy deceives girl, girl gets mad, guy makes it up to girl, they all live happily ever after' or 'baddie does something bad, goodie tries to work out who dunnit, baddie does something else bad, goodie almost catches him, baddie gets away, goodie works out where he is and finds him before he does something else bad, they all live happily ever after'  time and time again these formulas are played out with different characters, different scenarios, and different locations but it's essentially the same plot and I guess I've grown tired of it.  The films that really excite me these days are movies that break that mould and try and create something truly original, and these days for me the only genres that are doing that are science fiction and horror, but even within those genres there is a lot of rehashed plot lined.

Science Fiction and Horror movies are probably my favourite genres mainly because I think I really enjoy the content, even movies that have been lauded as horrible, like John Carter I quite enjoyed because it's something that interests me,  Then there's movies that have been lauded as great which I just couldn't get in to such as Rogue One and that's a big one for me to say because Star Wars is probably my favourite saga ever, for me, I just really couldn't get in to the characters, the story didn't really do a great job of making me want to care about them, I just felt like it was a story that didn't need to be told and the characters were weak and didn't have much substance to them. that's just me though, I know a lot of you probably liked it.

Horror is the other genre I really enjoy and if you don't know why, you should go and read my last blog.  It's a genre which can be tired and sore, but now and then movies come out that really make you see how good the horror genre can be.  I'm not really one for slasher flicks so much but sure I do love some of them, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th of course, but it's mainly the supernatural films I really enjoy, movies like Sinister or Insidious and even the Poltergeist movies it just has a lot of depth if the directors and writers aren't afraid to break the mould and create something different.

Take a look at The Blair Witch Project for instance, which at the time I saw it was absolutely terrifying and almost hard to watch.  and even though it's not supernatural the original Saw film really gave audiences something they'd never seen before.  Those 2 movies changed horror and maybe even film as a whole, it showed that you don't need a massive cast, budget or anything really, it showed that all you need is a good script and the balls to try something different.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that these days the big Hollywood studios and the big execs have been doing this for so long they are getting old, they have no idea what it's like in the real world, they have a formula that makes them money but for people like me it has become stale and boring and I really can't handle much that comes from there these days, even Marvel has gotten boring for me which is kind of surprising as I'm a geek from way back.  I'll watch the movies and probably enjoy them but it's not something I'm really hanging out for, I won't see them at the cinema, I'll probably wait for them to come out on netflix or some other streaming service.

I want to see more movies that push the boundaries, movies that make me go wow or sit back and really make me feel something.  Actors can be a big part of this, when I saw The Dark Knight at the cinema I was absolutely flabbergasted by Heath Ledgers performance as The Joker, when it ended I applauded, not because I thought that it was a good movie that it deserved one, even though it totally did, but the applause just happened completely by accident I just started applauding before I even realised I was doing it, then other people joined in, movies and performances like that really make me see what cinema can be like but these days I feel like they're stuck in a bit of a creative rut and they can't get out of it, it's still making them a lot of money but it's also making people bored.  

Unless I'm the only one, who knows?

Vikinghammer out.

Hidden Intent - Fear Prey Demise review

Hidden Intent are part of the new wave of Thrash Metal that has a massive resurgence of late and are a prime example of what it should sound like. One of the best if not the best thrash metal act in Australia Hidden Intent are continuing to assert their dominance on the genre and Fear Prey Demise is no exception.


I've been following Hidden Intent almost from their inception, seeing them play live at the local footy club just after they had returned from their very first tour of south east Asia which was an interesting gig haha. No vocals for the majority of the gig because of the grueling tour and then long flights home Chris had blown his voice out. But what was clear from this gig was that the band has that fury, the musicians are all top caliber and they have the drive and the will to succeed and as they keep touring and writing, their music is maturing and becoming one hell of a fucking beast!

Fear Prey Demise is the band's second full length release and it's a huge leap forward in terms of songwriting for the band, whereas before they were writing straight thrash metal with the obligatory solos, guitarwork and vocals, now they have matured and their songs have more substance and feeling to them. The music is a very anthemic style of thrash, more like Anthrax and Megadeth than the other 2 bands in the big 4. But everything is so well done it's hard to fault anything, all I want to do is swear heaps and headbang along and that is something because I don't really like Anthrax or Megadeth but these guys offer something a little bit more than them.

The musicianship and vocals on Fear Prey Demise are amazing, everything is played perfectly... Phil on the guitars has to be one of the best guitarists in Adelaide or even Australia his blistering solos are insane, I could feel my face melting away the longer the album went on. Chris' vocals on this album are excellent and his bass playing is not just there to keep time, he's more like Steve Harris he brings it all together and then solo's out himself at times. Then the newest addition to the band Paul on drums just thumps the fucking shit out of the kit and gives this album a perfect backdrop, from the gallops and the blast beats all the way to the softer moments it's all in perfect position!

The songs are insanely well written and you'll never get bored while listening to the album because there's no songs that sound anything like any of the other songs on the album, which is extremely interesting. I'm not sure whether that's because the band is still trying to find their sound or whether it's because they gather influences from such a wide range of sources that they incorporate all of that information in to their music. Either way there's nothing I didn't like on Fear Prey Demise. There's the standard anthemic thrash masterpiece in Addicted to Thrash which would be a real crowd pleaser at gigs, I could imagine more windmills than the dutch countryside. Then there's an almost Black Label Society style barn burner called Petrified which is a lot darker and heavier than anything else on the album. There's the obligatory comedy style thrash bastard by the name of Drop Bears are Real which reminds me a lot of Anthrax. In between these songs there's always something different there's the epic Seeds of Hate, the uncompromising fury of Apocalypse Now and of course the ballad which is titled Waiting Here in Hell which reminds me so much of Metallica's ballads. There's definitely something for all fans here, I FUCKING loved this album!

I can't stop listening to this album, the more I listen the more I find to love about it. 3 dudes wrote and recorded this album which is something that I cannot understand, they sound like a 5 piece at least!

Hidden Intent have just recorded an absolutely classic metal album, Fear Prey Demise will be the album they play to herald the coming of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse.

Pros:

• Same thrash sound, different thrash feel
• Some absolutely blistering guitar work
• a lot more feeling and emotion
• can't stop listening

Cons:

• Can't stop listening... I have things to do man, and my neck is getting sore!

Track List:

1. Prey for your Death
2. Addicted to Thrash
3. Seeds of Hate
4. Drop Bears are Real
5. Waiting Here in Hell
6. Apocalypse Now
7. Eternal Rest
8. Petrified
9. Step into the Light
10. Imminent Psychosis

Total Running Time: 48:11

Line Up:
Chris McEwen - Bass / Lead Vocals
Phil Bennett - Guitars / Vocals
Paul Lewis - Drums / Vocals

Genre: Thrash
Release Date: Available now on their Bandcamp page (link below), Worldwide release 6th July, 2018.
Label: Scarlet Records
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/hiddenintent/
https://hiddenintent.bandcamp.com/

Evil Hunter - Evil Hunter review

It's not often you hear of bands from Spain but I feel like Evil Hunter is one of those bands that you'll hear from very soon. Creating their own brand of power thrash it makes you feel like you could take on the world and leave no survivors. The music is fast, thrashy and epic as hell!


Forged from some of the best metal musicians Spain has to offer, Evil Hunter is an amalgam of pure power and fire and this is their first album working together and it's of such a high standard, I'm honestly aghast at the purity of this recording. Not only is the recording so extremely crisp but the songwriting is incredible, the riffs are huge, the solo's are perfection and the power is almost second to none. As this album is their first outing I'm incredibly excited to hear more from these guys, everything they have presented here is really amazing. But let's delve a little deeper.

The songs on this album are classic power thrash not unlike Cage or Flotsam and Jetsam but I feel like these guys are almost giving it an almost glam metal sound to it, which is an interesting mix, but it doesn't sound out of place or wrong. The music is decidedly anthemic as well, something you can sing and headbang along to that gives you that feeling of power, I could see myself doing that a lot with Evil Hunter.

The musicianship is staggering, these guys are all seasoned musicians so that's to be expected, but what I didn't expect was that these guys would all work so well together. The band just gels so well that you could be mistaken that these guys have been together for an eternity but that's not the case... this is their FIRST album together. The guitars are insanely good, as to be expected in this genre. The bass stands out on it's own it's not just following along with the guitars which is good to hear. The vocals are amazing, Rob Halfordesque or even Bon Jovi-ish, regardless he has a huge amount of power in his pipes that's for sure. Everything is just so cohesive and well played that it's honestly hard to fault in the slightest.

The tracks on Evil Hunter are standard fare for this genre, plenty of power and fire, but they do it better than most other bands of this genre, I feel. They even have the obligatory synth backed ballad which is amazing, I usually don't like it when bands do "the ballad" but this one is surprisingly good, the power stays intact, it sounds like an 80's Bon Jovi ballad, and they keep it free of cheese... mostly, hard not to feel a bit of camp. This is one of those albums you put on when you're feeling down, the tracks are so uplifting and powerful that it's impossible to stay in a bad mood when you listen to it.

Evil Hunter have released an amazing first album, I can't wait to hear more of their work because they can only grow from here which is an insane thought. There is so much power and fury within the walls of this album that it's hard not to take notice, it's not something you can put on in the background because you'll find yourself being distracted all the time. I loved this album, it's everything a power thrash fan needs and more. Take note, Evil Hunter are coming!

Pros:

• So much power
• Incredible musicianship
• Insane vocals
• A standout in a very campy genre
• Power

Cons:

• Does sound a little campy at times
• To much power for mere mortals

Track List:

1. Surf The Waves
2. Evil Hunter
3. Heartbeat
4. Hot Leather
5. Hold Me Tight
6. Go
7. By Your Side
8. Open Up Your Eyes

Total Running Time: 35:02

Line up:
Alberto Garrido - Bass
Gustavo Segura - Drums
Victor Duran - Guitars
Jose Rubio - Guitars, Vocals
Damian Chicano - Lead Vocals

Genre: Power/Thrash
Release Date: 10th April, 2018
Label: Fighter Records
Links:
https://fighter-records.bandcamp.com/album/evil-hunter
https://www.facebook.com/evilhunterband/

Witch Mountain - Witch Mountain review

Witch Mountain are one of those bands that have to be listened, to be understood, gorgeous silky vocals, slow chuggy riffs, everything in their music is as it should be, it's a pleasure to listen to.


Now I have reviewed Witch Mountain before with their last album Mobile of Angels, since then they've changed vocalists as the incomparable Uta Plotkin left to pursue other projects, at the time I thought to myself who are they going to get to replace her? her voice was so perfect for Witch Mountain. From the first utterance of vocal on this album I knew they had found the PERFECT replacement, she keeps up with Uta and not only that she adds a little bit more darkness and age to the vocals which is surprising considering she's only 19, Kayla Dixon has that "it" factor that bands dream of having in their ranks. I feel like Witch Mountain is now complete.

The album only contains 5 tracks but it doesn't need any more than that to get the point across, they get through some really hefty material in such a short amount of time which is no mean feat. While Mobile of Angels was a pretty dark album, Witch Mountain eclipses that by a pretty large margin. Think of Mobile as someone dying slowly where everyone gets to say goodbye and by the end they're ready for the inevitable void. Witch Mountain is like someone dying suddenly in front of their friends and family and the grief and anger that would undoubtedly come afterwards. I guess?

I've already talked about the outstanding vocals, but that's not the only thing that stands out here, The guitars are chunky, slow and heavy but at times sparse and epic. The drums are incredible, they drive the songs to where they need to get to with such finesse, it's remarkable playing. The bass fills out the bottom end and gives the music so much meat, you can almost cut yourself off a piece. All in all I can't fault any of the musicianship on this album in the slightest, one of the most complete albums I've ever heard!

I mentioned before that there's only 5 tracks on this album but they are long and each track tells such an amazing story. The album starts with Midnight, a dark, angry song which is something we are used to hearing from Witch Mountain but not on this level, this track drags you down with it, you can feel the anger it was written with. Next is Mechanical World which is a more experimental type song which really allows Kayla to take her vocal cords for a bit of a stretch. Then comes Burn it Down which is a chunky doom epic, the vocals are really the show piece on this track. Hellfire is next which is a sparse acoustic, almost 1920's deep south blues style rock disasterpiece. Then the final track on the album Nighthawk which is a sprawling 15 minute doomy opus, with many ups, downs, lefts and rights, it almost compiles the album in upon itself and unleashes a final explosion of emotion.

After listening to Witch Mountain a few times I just can't get it out of my head, the groove is second to none it crawls along at a snails pace for the most part and drags you along with it, it's dark and gritty but at the same time light and airy... I feel exhausted after listening to the album but I'm still left wanting to hear it again. Such incredible song writing and with the addition of a new singer they haven't lost what makes Witch Mountain, Witch Mountain which is awesome.


Pros:

• Such incredible song writing
• The vocals are insanely good
• Great use of dark and light
• A more complete album has never been written

Cons:

• After hearing this album I just want more!

Track List:
1. Midnight
2. Mechanical World
3. Burn You Down
4. Hellfire
5. Nighthawk

Running time: 35:06

Line-up:
Nathan Carson - Drums
Rob Wrong - Guitars
Justin Brown - Bass
Kayla Dixon - Vocals

Genre: Doom / Blues
Release Date: May 25th 2018
Label: Svart Records
Links:
https://witchmountain.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/witchmountain/

Classic Bands you may or may not have heard of Part 3: Electric Wizard

From the south of England during times of great turmoil, a sound grew, a sound that echoed with the distrust and hatred of the disenfranchised. That sound reverberated through earth and gave birth to its final form, a Wizard of pure energy and electricity, an Electric Wizard.


This one is a little different to the past couple of bands I've done in this series as Electric Wizard are still actively touring and writing music but outside of their genre, Doom, not many have heard of "The Wizard" or if they have they haven't listened to them. Which is a shame, they take what Black Sabbath invented and made it darker (yes, darker) gave it more bottom end (yes, more bottom end) and they have written some of the most important albums in the Doom genre.

A three hour car ride south from Birmingham (the birthplace of the Black Sabbath) will find you in Dorset the birthplace of Electric Wizard or more accurately the birthplace of Lord of Putrefaction which through a few line up and name changes became the abominable Electric Wizard. A band who plumbs the depths of the diminished 5th and has written some of the darkest doom that ever found it's way out of satan's black heart. Not only do they write some of the darkest music ever conceived but they write honestly some of the catchiest and incredibly sprawling, incomparably heavy, and just absolutely immense music, in every sense of the word.

Electric Wizard is definitely one of my favourite band of all time if not my favourite so I find it criminal that so few people know of them or if they know of them they haven't heard their music before. Electric Wizard should be taught in schools it should be Maths, Science, History, Electric Wizard.

In the early days after the release of Come My Fanatics the band got caught in a series of mishaps Jus Oborn, the founder, Vocalist and Guitarist of the band got arrested for Arson for torching a car outside of a police station, Mark Greening the drummer got arrested for breaking in to an off license and stealing a bottle of whiskey which he sat on the footpath out the front and drank. Tim Bagshaw fell through the window of a church trying to steal a crucifix off the roof that they could use on stage which he got community service for. Mark Greening broke his collarbone in an accident and Jus Oborn suffered a collapsed eardrum on stage and severed his finger while laying carpet wink. All of these anti-social shenanigans and injuries fueled the dark sound that went in to their music back then, which I don't think anyone is complaining about, except for maybe the band members.

Since the release of Let us Prey they have calmed down a bit which is probably a good thing. Their music still reigns supreme in the world of Doom and their legacy remains intact. Jus Oborn has been the figurehead of the band from day one and has had a very strong idea of what the band is and should be which has rubbed a few band members the wrong way Mark Greening the original drummer left on bad terms but later reconciled and returned to help write their second last album Time to Die which they released in 2014. The turmoil between Jus and Mark helped fuel the foreboding sound on the album and made me think of some of their earlier releases. Justin Greaves left on bad terms also stating that he hated that loser (Oborn) and would piss on his grave. I feel like this is a common theme in bands where there is one founder and other members join and leave because they don't really get much of a say in the way the band runs or the way the band writes.

Every band has their hard times and most of those bands use those experiences to fuel their writing process but none more effectively than Electric Wizard, you can hear it through the era's of their music. The early days were fueled by injuries and anti-social behaviour and spawned Electric Wizard, Come my Fanatics, Dopethrone and Let us Prey and you can hear it in those albums. The second era was forged by members coming and going endless touring and the addition of perennial mainstay in Liz Buckingham which gave birth to the albums We Live, Witchcult Today and and Black Masses. Then there's the modern era which saw a former enemy return and Electric Wizard reform the craft that they have spent their entire life perfecting which saw them spew forth, Time to Die and Wizard Bloody Wizard. All of these eras are pretty distinct in their sound, of which I love the second era the best, the addition of Liz Buckingham really fleshed out the guitars and gave them a more catchy sound.

Of all the bands I've ever heard none have been more captivating to me than Electric Wizard, once they come up on my playlist that's all I'll be listening to for the rest of the day, I'll go from listening to a fully shuffled playlist to all Electric Wizard because Funeralopolis or Saturnine popped up in the shuffle. That's not a word of a lie by the way, that's the absolute truth. it's happened way to many times for it to be a passing fancy.

VikingHammer Out!