Blood Vulture – Die Close Review

By Saunders

For all its notable strengths, gripping guitar work, and towering hooks, Die Close has a few hiccups expected from a debut album. The two shorter introductory and interlude pieces are decent enough, yet ultimately disposable, while the stronger moments and soaring melodies on the Gothy melodrama of “A Dream About Starving to Death” are tripped up by some overly goofy lyrical and vocal turns. Nevertheless, outside of these minor sore spots, Die Close is consistently entertaining and occasionally gripping at its potent best. Olds still displays some tongue-in-cheek humor and horror shtick, also reflected in the accompanying music videos, though overall, Die Close is a dark and brooding album. Expectedly, Olds is the star of the show, defined by his excellent guitar work and standout vocals. Vocally, Olds shifts between several modes, showcasing solid range, character, and emotional depth.

Blood Vulture came from nowhere, unleashing a fresh, emotive and punchy blast of doomy heft, blockbuster hooks and haunting harmonies. Bolstered by stellar performances and addictive songwriting, where the album’s earwormy hooks and stronger material showcase Olds as a serious artist on the rise, Die Close signals an assured and confident debut. A few kinks aside, Die Close is a hugely enjoyable album that’s well worth a listen and should cement Blood Vulture as an exciting new voice in the doomsphere.

#2025 #35 #AFI #AmericanMetal #BloodVulture #CaveIn #ChelseaWolfe #Crowbar #DieClose #DillingerEscapePlan #DoomMetal #Grunge #LinguaIgnota #Mastodon #MutoidMan #PureNoiseRecords #ReverendKristinMichaelHayter #Review #Reviews #RoyalThunder #ShadowsFall #Sludge

Crystal Spiders – Metanoia Review

By El Cuervo

Out of the fertile grounds of North Carolina comes Crystal Spiders, spinning their latest auditory web entitled Metanoia. Metanoia follows two prior full-length albums and a musical tradition of gritty sounds from the American South. It’s steeped in this culture, hinting at a chewy blend of classic metal and the weightier grooves of stoner rock. Does it succeed in harmonizing these elements into a meaty whole?

Metanoia delivers a burly fusion of its heavy metal and stoner rock influences, blending the energetic jauntiness of ’80s heavy metal with the thick guitar tones of ’90s stoner soundscapes. Stoner grooves are the priority, even when paired alongside classic metal acrobatics. First impressions are solid, with the opening passages on “Torche”1 featuring leads that are good and occasionally wander into very good territory. An unexpected, trilling guitar layer around the mid-point contributes to the psych/stoner vibe, and a hearteningly soulful singer caps a track with sturdy bones. The production packages these elements into a pleasingly rustic aesthetic, sounding as if Crystal Spiders recorded live in a room together. It lands somewhere between Royal Thunder and Kyuss, but is executed with a classic metal sensibility.

Despite Metanoia’s sturdy bones, the body they support is sometimes flabby with a plain face. The songwriting suffers from noticeable bloat. With just seven tracks stretching to 44 minutes, the band isn’t afraid of length. But even your first exposure to the album on “Torche” feels a bit too long; its core lead is good, but not good enough to carry nearly six minutes. By the time you reach the almost nine-minute finale (“O.S..”), you might expect something exciting and climactic. Instead, the same core passage loops through the first half, with the song changing but not significantly for the remainder. Likewise, “Time Travel” keeps returning to the core passage in its first half, and I’ve passed my saturation point with it well before the end. After several minutes, it just sounds lethargic. Notwithstanding a handful of notable solos and transitions, the songs generally move slowly and repetitively between passages. Metanoia feels like 20 minutes of ideas stretched into 40 minutes of music.

By comparison, “Ignite” is immediately more urgent and entertaining as it speeds up to a canter with a nifty lead in its first verse. The dramatic flair of this riff is a welcome change and injects some drama that the rest of the record lacks. This song is the exception that proves the rule of bloated songwriting, as I enjoy the shortest track most. Similarly, the back half of “Time Travel” features an instrumental passage that speeds through a spirited lead with a more technical solo. The album proves more entertaining when it progresses past slower and mid-paced tempos. Beyond these satisfying moments, however, I struggle to highlight any other points of note. Music that stands out must overcome endless choice in a world with virtually limitless options available at a listener’s fingertips. Metanoia’s overall quality is such that it’s difficult to muster any more strengths or weaknesses.

I had a ten-day work trip between my first and last listens to Metanoia, so it had plenty of time to passively gestate. But in reality, I nearly forgot that this review was due; it’s just not a memorable or remarkable release, and hadn’t called to me once during that period. Despite the core strengths of the Crystal Spiders’ sound across their guitar leads and lively production, the bloated songs and solid-but-unexciting songwriting prohibit them from truly excelling.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: v0 mp3
Label: Ripple Music
Websites: crystalspiders.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/crystalspiders
Releases Worldwide: May 23rd, 2025

#25 #2025 #AmericanMetal #CrystalSpiders #HeavyMetal #Kyuss #May25 #Metanoia #Review #Reviews #RippleMusic #RoyalThunder #StonerMetal

Balance of Power – Fresh from the Abyss Review

By Steel Druhm

It’s strange when a band you like goes into an extended period of inactivity. You miss them for the first few years and get impatient for new material. After 4-5 years though, you move on and eventually give up on hearing more from them. Stranger still is when a band that put you through all that abruptly returns some 20 years later with a very different sound. This is the experience I’ve had with the U.K.s Balance of Power. Active in the late 90s as a slick, hook-oriented power-prog outfit, they introduced the world to the stellar vocals of Lance King. On albums like Book of Secret and Ten More Tales, they showcased power-prog at its most sticky and anthemic. 2003s Heathen Machine was a much darker, introspective release with heavy nods to Pink Floyd and John K replaced did a great job replacing Mr. King. Then they went radio silent. 20-plus years later the band pops back up with an overhauled lineup and another new vocalist, this time Hazel Jade Rogers. Will their out-of-the-blue 6th album be a happy surprise for whatever fans are still out there? Let’s find out.

The core of the sound on Fresh from the Abyss is only occasionally recognizable as Balance of Power, and the overall style is much more radio-friendly and verging on hard/alt-rock. If I heard this album without context I doubt I would think of Balance of Power at all. Opener “Last Man Down” has some of the classic BoP charm in its DNA and there are hints of their classic style if you listen closely, but it reads more like early aughts alt-rock with Hazel Jade Rogers roaring gruffly over simple riffs and slightly cheesy keys. It’s inoffensive and mildly interesting but not much more. “Never Be Here Again” is an overwrought rocker that could have been on any early Sirenia album and fit in. The chorus sticks decently but it isn’t the kind of song I need to hear much of again. “Monster” is pure Cheese Whiz desperately trying to be accessible but coming across as rather cringey and dated.

There are a few decent songs here that show that all hope is not lost. “Abyss” is way heavier than what comes before, rocking hard and riding free with great urgency as Hazel explores the more extreme edges of her vocal range to good effect. It’s a solid song with balls and it partially redeems the album for its somnambulant first half. “Velocity” is an odd but endearing cut that starts off dark and Gothy before unveiling a dreamy, emotional chorus that sticks the landing. It reminds me of the stuff Autumn was churning out in their Altitude era and that’s a compliment. “Deadlands” is a decently spirited that reminds me a lot of 90s Metal Church at times. Hazel nails her vocals here and sells the song effectively. Closer “One More Time Around the Sun” is overlong at 7 minutes, but there’s a lot to like with its slow-burning energy which reminds me Royal Thunder. In fact, I’m reminded of them multiple times across the album, though a watered-down version of their more impactful style.

Hazel Jade Roger is a talented singer with a fairly broad and versatile range. When she pushes her vocals toward a more edgy, harsh delivery she shines and commands attention. Her softer delivery on “Velocity” is also quite captivating. I still prefer both Lance King and John K to her but there’s no denying her abilities. The music behind Hazel is a bit less inspired. While Balance of Power always aimed at catchy, earwormy songs, there was always a regal grandeur to what they did. That feeling of scope is all but gone on the new material. A lot of the songs feel like dated alt or nu compositions and some of it is pretty awkward. It wasn’t until the fourth song that I felt there was a chance the album could be salvaged, and that’s not a great sign. That’s not because the band lacks talent. New guitarists Chris Masimore and Stoney Wagner have chops. It’s the generic nature of the writing that causes the issues (they’ve both been replaced since recording the album at any rate). Keyboardist Julien Spreutels is sometimes a bigger factor than the guitar battery, and his frenetic runs are interesting but some of his playing is very cheesy and overweening. A mixed bag of execution across the boards.

After 20-odd years moldering in the grave, I can’t say I expected great things from Fresh from the Abyss. Between hardly sounding like the Balance of Power of old and the dated feel of some of the songs, there are significant problems that short-circuit my enjoyment. I’d recommend folks check out their Ten More Tales or Heathen Machine albums instead if you want a proper Balance. In a nutshell: not as fresh as advertised.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Massacre
Website: facebook.com/balanceofpowerband
Releases Worldwide: April 19th, 2024

#25 #2024 #Apr24 #BalanceOfPower #FreshFromTheAbyss #MassacreRecords #PowerMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #RoyalThunder #UKMetal

Listen to #TheTobaccoRoadShow episode 120 - The "SLOWER!” 28 February

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/cowboysjukejoint/episodes/2024-02-28T19_33_37-08_00

#CowboysJukeJoint #radio #podcast #cowpunk #whiskey #soaked #blues #Chicago
#TheVentures #VuduSister #Fishgutzzz #SaddleofSouthernDarkness #Killbilly #SlackeyeSlim #IndiaRamey #WildEarp #BottomShelfBourbon #ImmortalLeeCountyKillers #CrookedSaws #TheQuadrajets #SouthboundSnakeCharmers #BonesShake #MuddyRuckus #TheWeirdSisters #Calibro35 #BlackRoad #TheSlowandEasy #RoyalThunder #HeavyTemple #Slower

Metal Insider's Ian shared his top five metal shows of 2023:

#LiveMusic #Concerts #GigLife #TopGigs #BestOf2023 #CattleDecapitation #RoyalThunder #IanHadToBeThere #MetalInsider

https://metalinsider.net/columns/top-5/ian-had-to-be-there-my-top-five-gigs-of-2023

New music video from Royal Thunder 🤘 https://youtu.be/xxHI4F0OJFY?si=QXFrMknOXSJ1jxG7

This band has been in my regular rotation for years now.
#HeavyMetal #RoyalThunder