Search Results

'The world is going down the shitter, this is music that represents it'. Ahead of WristMeetRazor's upcoming third album, vocalist Justin Fornoff talked to Jake Longhurst about the music, the imagery, and the inspiration for the next step in the evolution of this band. Jumping straight into the sound and feel of the album, inspirations for the album were the first port of call - with an industrial sound I felt the whole release was reminiscent of Code Orange's 2020 album 'Underneath', but Justin instantly shot the thought down - "I wouldn't say it's influenced by Code Orange, though we have played with them, but I would say it's influenced by some of the influences of Code Orange for sure", namedropping 90's groove metal and 90's industrial as two huge influences, as well as smaller takes from black and death metal, with plenty of metalcore still in the mix. Notably, he mentioned the relative lack of screamo which has been a staple of their sound up until now: "we wanted to take the band in a different direction... there's enough bands doing the chaotic screamo thing and it was time for us to go a different direction." The record is, of course, not just made up of its influences. Each song was written individually, without a specific thought of a concept, but forms a cohesive semi-conceptual album that revolves around a core set of themes. On the first listen it felt nihilistic, but Justin reassured me otherwise saying that "It's about this absurdist, misanthropic kind of view that I've taken on that I feel is more relevant now than it's ever been before." Having as much care for the world around him as Justin does has led him to hating the things pushing the world down, giving the record its misanthropy which is not aimed nearly as wide as it first seems. Each speck of loathing and venom is targeted, whilst the listeners are encouraged to try and take solace from the hopelessness, that there is still something out there to be fixed if we can work together to fix it. One thing that struck me particularly was Alex Eckman-Lawn's striking art for the cover, and Justin was more than happy to go into depth about the design and decision making behind it. Shown above, the front of the record depicts four human figures tied up on power lines, with their bodies made up of mechanical parts. Asking on whether the religious motif of crucifixion was deliberate, Justin gave an emphatic nod and explained that "there was a heavy influence for it to be not necessarily messianic, in that there's multiple of them, but more so that it's the degeneration of the crucified kind of person within society, how every person that kind of raises themselves up to speak out is eventually crucified and degenerated into a rusted through machine." Further explanation gave way to the thought of how the working class are left to rot and have further power lines built over them, by other working class people, all in the service of some supposedly 'important' person. Justin and the band spent plenty of time working on more than just the music, as clearly shown by the art, but that wasn't the only thing they worked on. The build up to the album included a veritable treasure hunt that started off with just 12 zeroes, in order to find the name of lead single 'Trepanation' and get 12 seconds of the song. The entire record is built upon these little details - "this is a maximalist record where the minutiae all matters, literally to every tiny extent". Not content to leave it at the incredible depth of the imagery and the treasure hunt, the whole record is full of little pockets of detail. Without giving too many details away, Justin had this to say about all the nuance and subtlety involved "There's a tonne of stuff hidden in this mix of clips and different sounds... I don't think anyone will ever find it unless you somehow get the files to the record and can bump up the sound and some of them... It's part of the the mystique of the record". The last note of the interview was on Justin's favourite part of the record, and he ended up settling on tenth track 'The Vanity Procession' in part due to how buried in the record it is, as well as the lyrics and subject matter of the song. He's taken aim at everyone who believes in the power of fame and celebrity to boost themselves when they're only using it to step on people who are barely one rung lower on the ladder than they are. His feelings on all this came out quickly, "the only things that actually mean something are when you're putting out music that you really and truly believe in and care about, and when you're putting a tonne of effort into creating a piece of art that will speak for who you are and say what you want to say." Lyrics like "You can't own the shadow, it's just an ego veil" sum up his thoughts poetically and let any vitriol flow steadily through the song, pinpointed at all who've made this move. "the only things that actually mean something are when you're putting out music that you really and truly believe in and care about, and when you're putting a tonne of effort into creating a piece of art that will speak for who you are and say what you want to say." With that last bit of detail, Out Of Rage and Justin parted ways. Feeling suitably enriched with plenty of new tidbits of knowledge, the record has opened up the next of its many layers to us, and with further listening maybe we'll be able to uncover a few more of its panoply of secrets. 'Degeneration' is released on March 29th via Prosthetic Records. Words: Jake Longhurst Art: Alex Eckman-Lawn

WristMeetRazor’s screamo-styled metalcore has its fair share of fans, but on their third record the group are taking a turn away from the introspective lyricism and core sound of their first two records, and evolving into a leaner, meaner, industrial beast. ‘Degeneration’ finds the band in the midst of a world at war with itself whilst society caves in, and have penned a claustrophobic, caustic LP that fits in perfectly with this backdrop. The now five piece sound worlds apart from their previous incarnation. In their 2019 and 2021 releases, there were only three band members, and they were sonically quite distinctly different from what has come to be created here. Album three is a more aggressive release that shares much more with Code Orange, 90’s nu metal and even black and death metal than it does anything they’ve done till now. Kicking down the doors with a savage guitar riff and gutturals, ‘Turn On, Tune In, Drop Dead’ gets proceedings off to a flying start. The Code Orange comparisons may come thick and fast here (more on those tomorrow when our interview with Justin goes live!), but should be left at the door as second song ‘Static Reckoning’ is firmly rooted in death and black metal influence. The lead single for the whole release, ‘Trepanation’, comes in third on the songlist and is the most groove-laden so far, evoking Machine Head amongst other bands. As seen by the wide variety of bands and genres mentioned here, each song has a very definable personality that marks them all separate from each other, but what is more impressive is that all of these varied sounds and styles still mesh phenomenally well into a crushing and cohesive piece of music. ‘Xeroxed Reflection’ has the album’s one and only feature, coming from Kevin Iavaroni, and the first true breakdown of the album as well. The lyrics here, and on much of the rest of ‘Degeneration’, speak to the state of humanity - on ‘Xeroxed Reflection’ lead vocalist Justin and Kevin debase the idea of fame, and spitting vitriol at those who would change their looks, their personality, their entire being just for a second of time in a spotlight that doesn’t care for them. The most potent and powerful lyrics come further on, between ‘Love Thy Enmity’ right through to ‘No Ceremony’. Possibly also the most upfront sets of lyrics, the three songs (and intermission in the shame of ‘Culled and Forgotten’) give an excellent view into the way Justin was thinking whilst writing this. Each one shares his contempt for the people up above us all, and without much work at all you can understand exactly what he thinks we should be doing to them - “Give them the rope” sums things up succinctly enough. Tenth track ‘The Vanity Procession’ further continues the train of thought set out by ‘Xeroxed Reflection’ but with less subtlety and more venom in every word. The industrial feel of the album shows itself off here, with some more of the black and death metal influence peering through the cracks, and even little bits of nu metal appear throughout. ‘Negative Fix’ certainly focuses back onto the nu metal influence some more, but doesn’t compromise any industrial sound here. At this back end of this review, you could be forgiven for thinking that this release seems to be hopeless and nihilistic - on the contrary, the perspective shown here is almost absurdist out of love for humanity. The desire Justin so clearly has for a better world has manifested itself here as what appears to be nihilism but is just absurdism pushing for us all to live better lives, without oppression. The last song on the main album, ‘Greatest Love Offering in the History of the World’ is the last outlet of this, and is at once twisted, but also completely sensible with the hindsight of everything that has come before. However, it is worth listening on, letting this track play out, and you might find more than meets the eye. This album should not, and I believe can not, be discussed without a mention of its album cover. Four people being crucified on power lines is, on the surface, an unsettling image that rings with the message of the album, but is much more than that. The sacrifice of those people on power lines is a note perfect replica of the way individuals are given up for the wealthy throughout this album, and the biblical tangents I’m sure are no coincidence, for a band from America where government and church run in concordance, contrary to those lines in the First Amendment detailing the separation of church and state. An album as thought through as this deserved an album cover that was equally thought through, and WristMeetRazor most definitely have that in this piece by Alex Eckman-Lawn. What was once a screamo three piece has become a five piece who are totally unafraid to mix a very wide variety of subgenres of heaviness, forming an amalgamation that is incredibly heavy, lyrically scathing, and immensely accomplished at what they do. WristMeetRazor have given us a belter of an album that, with any luck, will work its way into the conscience of any listeners and stay there for years to come. 'Degeneration' will be released on March 29th via Prosthetic Records. Words: Jake Longhurst Photos: Ashley Simpson

Violent, abrasive music. It's the kind you’d expect your parents to call satanic, your teachers to deeply frown at, and your gran to disapprovingly tut-tut towards. Surely it couldn't be written by anyone other than crazy axe murderers, hellbent on the destruction of the human race? Death Goals could not be further from that, frankly they're as kind-hearted as they come. On Sunday, they are performing their one and only headline show of the year at Camden’s Black Heart to support Mermaids, the British charity supporting trans/gender and non-binary children and young adults. Both members of the band are very openly queer with both their albums directly dealing with queerness and all sorts of things surrounding it, including gender expectations, toxic masculinity, and pain. Of course, these are things that all too often can be dealt with and felt by those of us in the queer community. However, this does not stop them being upbeat and bubbly whenever we’ve caught them at a show, and their incessant positivity is a glorious thing to bear witness to. The utterly wonderful queer hardcore duo Death Goals, aka Harry Bailey (he/they) and George 'Grog' Milner (he/they), earlier this year played their first ever European tour in support of Danish hardcore band EYES. Booked to play at the Dutch festival Roadburn in Tilburg this April, there’s arguably no band better suited for our first feature. Our first time meeting Death Goals was at ArcTanGent 2023. Hearing fom Pupil Slicer that this small hardcore duo were “Cool as hell and queer as fuck” it was only natural we’d want to talk to them. Chatting about the need for queerness in hardcore, they provided a lot of insight into the way they write and their thought processes around music - and as they said, “queer rights have never been in more jeopardy than they are currently”. Queerness is being persecuted the world over, and in a week where the NHS have just banned puberty blockers for children it is more important than ever to have good queer representation. Death Goals know just how much representation means to people, “We have a lot of trans people come to our shows… they feel like they can mosh and have a good time, they don’t feel like that at some shows… that should be the norm.” Happy to disregard the status quo musically and personally, the duo wrote album one, ‘The Horrible And The Miserable’, over the COVID period and let it just fall out of themselves and their conversations about queerness. They then focused in on it as not just lyrical content but a band identity for their phenomenal sophomore album, ‘A Garden Of Dead Flowers’. Having played numerous shows with other hardcore bands, they stated that they “play a lot of X, Y and Z in genres and scenes where it can be heavily straight male dominated, and that's not necessarily inherent, but it just happens, and it’s quite nice to come in and kind of kick the door down and be like ‘Hey what’s up, we’re queer as fuck’ you know?”. Hardcore and queerness have always gone hand in hand, and queercore is rapidly starting to define this newest wave of metal. Growing through the cracks of the underground to start flourishing, this nascent style is rapidly gaining traction across the UK and the world - bands like Good Cop, The Callous Daoboys, Pupil Slicer, Cainhurst and more are all queer and hardcore or hardcore adjacent, with more always on the way. The chaotic duo are gaining plenty of traction themselves as well, with a crushing set at Reality Unfolds Fest in January - read our review here - alongside the aforementioned European support run and coveted Roadburn slot which they are feeling truly privileged to be a part of. Now also booked for NOIZZEFEST and a show with Spaced in Nottingham in April, touring with KNIVES and headlining MAY/HEM day fest in May, playing Second Impact in Italy in June and Burn It Down in Torquay this August. They're building up a head of steam, and the momentum they certainly appear to have created is not going to be easy to stop. Now chatting to them over Zoom a few days before their sole 2024 headline show, they're passionately saying just why it's so important to support not just trans and non-binary people, not even just queer people, but every single person you can. As people with a platform, they take it, and think it's incredibly important to do so - "if people aren't using their platform for fundraising or spreading awareness, then it makes the idea of being queer completely redundant. First and foremost, the idea of being a queer person is about supporting and celebrating the community that you find yourself a part of". Being a queer band matters so much to them because being a band has given them this very platform they can use to help others, which they feel is fundamental to the idea of anyone with a platform but in particular punk and alt bands, summed up very eloquently by Harry here "If you're a punk band, and you're not addressing the fucking horrendous acts that are going on the world against other people, you're fucking shit." "If you're a punk band, and you're not addressing the fucking horrendous acts that are going on the world against other people, you're fucking shit." After the decision taken by the NHS this week, it feels to them even more pertinent than ever to support the community that's given them so much love, saying "if we play one show where we can give a percentage of proceeds that's making a difference to someone's life, if the money that we make via this show benefits one trans youth life, then we've done what we set out to do." By setting their stall so openly, against the tide of the government and public opinion, they have also inadvertently helped expand the scene that has birthed them, whether they would admit it or not. There has been, according to George, "a movement in the dial" where there's now enough queercore bands that they can have tours and shows of just queercore bands without it feeling performative, and yet still fostering that same safe atmosphere. Asking a horrible question to finish our chat, Harry and George each had a moment to sum up the band's perspective and intent in a few words. Harry gave us a few gems of knowledge as varied as 'Make Metalcore Gay Again' - watch out for the merch - and 'Kiss hard, mosh harder', a brilliant mantra indeed. George managed to make the short sentence into a paragraph describing his position on what he settled with, but the resulting words 'Look out for everyone' have never been so crucial. If you see Death Goals on one of their already announced shows, or one of the litany they have yet to announce for this year (yes that's a small heads up, get excited), then take that to heart. Protect queer kids, use your platform for good, and look out for everyone. Writer's note - Out Of Rage has not existed for very long, and so hasn’t ever released a feature of this size before. We knew that, since the publication was formed around the hardcore community, we wanted to start off with a band from that scene, and that with so many queer people involved we almost knew we’d start with a queer band. With all this in consideration, Death Goals felt like truly the perfect place to start. An enormous thank you goes out to both of them for their time and their efforts, in everything they have done and continue to do. Words: Jake Longhurst Photos: Kayleigh Fryer Editor: Amber Brooks

New Orleans' BRAT are very much out of bubblegum on their debut album 'Social Grace'. Combining death metal, hardcore and grindcore into a deeply intense concoction, the ten song and 21 minute album rips through speakers and eardrums galore. Out the gates we have 'Ego Death' running rampant, at less than a minute and a half long it kicks down the door of the album starting off fast and frenetic before slowing right up and turning down the corners of your mouth, as it descends into a gruesome breakdown fit for spin kicks and flying elbows. Not content to rest on their laurels though, BRAT get riffing and let 'Hesitation Wound' do the rest. Befitting musical comparisons with bands like Kublai Khan and GEL, the biting guitar tone and half-growled half-shrieked vocals leave little to be desired in terms of pure heaviness - anyone who has so much as seen a moshpit in their life will be aching to stagedive once the breakdown here kicks in. The best and worst thing about this album is summed up in one word: consistent. The riffs are consistently good, the breakdowns are consistently satisfying, the lyrics are consistently well-written, and the production is consistently excellent. However, so much consistency seems to have bred some similarity here, so the midpoint of the album falls down a little on repeat listens as it gradually blends together into one churning onslaught of brutal yet persistent sonics. There are plenty of separately memorable moments, for example 'Truncheon' has an utterly brilliant riff towards the end of the song, but portions of the album feel slightly lacking in uniqueness. That said, it is still deeply visceral and with more moderate listening it would almost certainly feel less cut-and-paste. To cut back to the positives, 'Sugar Bastard' and the title track both feel like instant classics. The former has some crisp two-stepping parts and gripping lyrics, with tempo changes that keep it refreshing and also heavy as all hell, whereas the title track is the longest song on the whole album at three minutes long and features a few Slayer-esque guitar parts, enormous bass tone, and the best breakdown on the entire LP. Lyrically it stands strong too, with scathing words about humanity spat back at the world with pure venom that closes the album out in fine fashion. For a debut album in a genre that has always struggled with homogeny, this is a stellar release. Even where it struggles with similarity, songs being similar to other good songs is a great place to be in on a first album. With some standout moments and a high level of song-writing shown, there is potential aplenty for BRAT. Words: Jake Longhurst Photo: Greta Gerstner

February is a big month of music and music related events in the UK, and arguably none more so than Independent Venue Week! Celebrating all the small venues that each and every one of your favorite bands started their careers playing, Independent Venue Week is so enormously important to every single music fan out there, not to mention the entire music industry and all the workers at the venues, musicians and bands, and so many more people. Supporting independent venues is essential, so please check out the Independent Venue Trust and see what you might be able to do to support your local venues - and don’t forget to visit your local for gigs whenever you can! The Mobo awards are also happening on the 7th of this month, and the nominees for best alternative act are as follows: ALT BLK ERA Arlo Parks Deijuvhs Kid Bookie Skindred Young Fathers Check out the Mobos, and watch out for the best alternative act award, we’re excited to see who comes out on top from this extremely strong lineup. As mentioned last month, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes are touring early this month, but they’re far from the only band on tour right now, and they’re not even the only band to have headlined at the one-off Download Pilot to be touring the UK this month. Enter Shikari are going on their first ever arena tour, after their first ever number one album last April ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’. With Fever 333 and NOAHFINNCE in support, plus Enter Shikari’s phenomenal live pedigree, it’s bound to be a spectacle. Malevolence are also touring early this month, doing the complete opposite to Shikari as they head out to hit as many small venues as they can! If you can somehow grab one of the remaining tickets, you’re surely in for a belter of a show as their pummelling hardcore sound is some of the best in the world, and they’re easily one of Britain’s best heavy bands. Pain Of Truth and Rough Justice will be joining them for the whole tour, which frankly is just asking for something wild to happen each and every night. On a slightly less brutish note, progressive metal band TesseracT are touring the UK starting in Nottingham on February 20th, with an excellent lineup behind them of Unprocessed as the main support, and God’s favourite band (as insinuated by their recent EP) The Callous Daoboys will be opening proceedings. Mixing TesseracT’s brilliant new material and breathtaking musicianship with Unprocessed’s masterful guitarwork and The Callous Daoboys’ pure madness is a recipe for one of the most insane metal tours of the year, and is sure to be a highlight for anyone who makes it down to see them. Late in the month on the 23rd and 24th is the latest edition of CVLTFEST, which is being resurrected for an amazing weekend of acts such as Conan, Wallowing, Sugar Horse, Pijn, Torpor and more! With an array of the best bands in the scene right now, any lovers of doom, noise, or similar genres should absolutely be getting themselves over to Manchester for this exquisite lineup. Best part is, it’s a Friday and a Saturday, so you can be hungover on the Sunday and then not feel horrible at work on the Monday, it’s perfect! Finally we have Knocked Loose, who are touring at the very beginning of March with the mighty Deafheaven acting as their main support, and Parisian hardcore band Headbussa taking the opening slot. Mixing a couple of different styles of heaviness on one lineup is becoming more and more popular these days and Knocked Loose are no strangers to it, with their last UK tour featuring two outright dream pop bands on the lineup! This time however, they’ve stuck a little closer to home, with some San Francisco blackgaze warming up the crowds before they turn the volume to 11 and the crowds IQ points to 1 at every show on the tour. Cover Photo- Jake Griffin Words- Jake Longhurst

Come one come all, it’s time for the first ever Out Of Rage preview! We’ve got a lovely list of events we’re looking forward to attending, either to review or photograph, or just enjoy as punters! First up, there’s a notable event happening today and tomorrow that we think is incredibly important - Boom Leeds is holding two days of benefit gigs in order to keep their doors open, and the star studded lineup includes bands such as Static Dress, Higher Power, Cauldron, Pest Control, Bodyweb and more. With one of the UK’s best DIY venues under threat, we’d love to see as many of you as possible down at such an important event. Next up, a week from now is another heavy couple of days. Reality Unfolds festival is happening at the New Cross Inn in London from the 12th to the 14th of January. With a blisteringly good lineup of artists it would be criminal not to consider going down - Pupil Slicer’s first ever London headliner, Fuming Mouth and Genocide Pact playing their first ever UK tours, and an amazing supporting lineup of Cage Fight, Death Goals, Celestial Sanctuary, Ghetto Justice, and so many more brilliant bands. We’ll be there all weekend and will say hi to anyone around! There’s a particularly notable heavy tour heading round the UK later this month too, with Sheffield’s own Bring Me The Horizon getting themselves around to a number of arenas in support of their upcoming album. With a new single released today and the news about Jordan Fish still fresh on everyone’s lips, this is bound to be a tour to remember. Finally, at the end of this month and beginning of next there is a little band called Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes who are doing a small acoustic tour, followed by a full UK tour, all in support of their upcoming fifth album Dark Rainbow. You should find about half of the Out Of Rage team at the Manchester show, and I will likely be at both the Nottingham and London shows too! There’s plenty of other big and small heavy music events coming up, but we’ll tell you all about those at a later date. In the meantime, we’ll see you in the pit! Cover Photo: Kayleigh Fryer Words: Jake Longhurst

Coming a little later than usual, here’s the Out Of Rage March preview! We’ve still got bags of awesome gigs happening over the next month or so, have a read to see what might interest you! First up is the almighty Skindred, who are roaming the UK this weekend in pursuit of selling out not their first arena as a headline band! Having been staples of the UK live music circuit for two decades and counting, it’s a beautiful moment to see a band so loved get to finally take that next step and cement themselves onto the next echelon. Having already sold out both Manchester and Birmingham, the London Wembley Arena show is not far behind, so any ‘Dred fans who somehow haven’t got a ticket need to get that train booked to the Big Smoke and get your T-shirts ready for the biggest indoor Newport Helicopter ever! Not the only brilliant metal tour of next weekend, Conan are taking Wallowing on a sightseeing trip around the UK with local support at every stop. Combining the battle-axe stylistics of Conan’s brutally heavy doom with the demented sci-fi beekeeping of Wallowing’s abrasive sonics, the need for earplugs is going to be high. However, that should not stop anyone from going to see this exquisite tour lineup, as both bands are masters of their craft and excellent live performers to boot. Combine that with some stellar local acts and you’ve got yourselves an amazing night of crushing live metal that will not disappoint. To top off next weekend’s craziness, Hitchin’s own queer hardcore band and dear friends of ours Death Goals will be playing their only headline show of the year on Sunday 17th at Camden’s Black Heart in order to raise funds for Mermaids, a charity supporting trans and non-binary children and young people. Joining them on the lineup is the devastating one-two pairing of Good Cop and Victim Unit, two other queer bands penning riotous heavy music. The show is guaranteed to cause absolute chaos and if you are even remotely into your hardcore then you need to be in attendance. Get to the Black Heart this Sunday to see some awesome bands and support our trans and non-binary youth! For a slightly less intense, but no less fun show, the legendary DragonForce are making a return to us. Playing a coheadlining tour with Amaranthe, and being supported by Infected Rain, it’s the kind of tour that’ll have your fist in the air and head swinging back and forth whilst plastering the silliest grin possible right into the middle of your face. Aside from the Guitar Hero 3 infamy of Through The Fire And Flames, the bands have a huge back catalogue of brilliant music that is just waiting for tons of quite tipsy Brits to sing along in not so perfect harmony. Upping the intensity once more will be deathcore heroes Carnifex, who are taking a long weekend trip to visit our little country for a brief jaunt around the place. Rounding out the rest of what is a very heavy bill is Aborted, Revocation, and Vexed! All four bands bring something a little different to the table, with Vexed’s nu metally bounce being the most left field on this tour, whilst Revocation have a more progressive style of death metal compared to Aborted’s more technical and grinding style, and Carnifex’s blackened deathcore sound is a whole separate beast here. If you want maximum chaos, this is a tour you won’t forget quickly. For something that covers the punkier side of things, at the end of the month Manchester Punk Festival will be happening in, of all places, Manchester! Between the 29th and 31st of March, across seven of Manchester’s best small gig venues, there will be a slew of amazing artists playing all sorts of different styles of punk. Such bands as The Bar Stool Preachers can keep you smiling and bouncing with upbeat ska vibes, Witch Fever will get you headbanging to their uniquely grungy and Sabbathian version of punk, and incaseyouleave will give you all the room you need to scream and cry to their delicately powerful emo punk whilst Ikhras will pummel your eardrums into submission with some of the best new hardcore you’ll have heard in this country. Last on our preview for this month is the upcoming Dream State tour, which is happening from the end of this month into the beginning of next all the way through to the middle of April. They’re taking the sensational Graphic Nature with them around the UK, and they’re stopping almost everywhere other than London, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see them! Both acts will put on an awesome show, and the melodic Dream State will be a brilliant foil to their heavier nu-metally support. Words: Jake Longhurst Cover Photo: Kayleigh Fryer

As one of the founding fathers of heavy metal, Judas Priest should need no introduction to anyone in the alternative scene. Continuing to evolve throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s with smash hits like ‘Breaking The Law,’ ‘Electric Eye’ and ‘Painkiller,’ the band have cemented their legacy and then some. It’s astounding, then, that a group with nothing more to prove still sound so impassioned and dedicated on their 19th studio album, ‘Invincible Shield.’ Despite the band’s pre-release comments that their next output would be a more progressive outing for the group, fans should feel right at home with ‘Invincible Shield.’ Throughout its 53-minute runtime, Halford and company harken back to the best and brightest moments of their long and storied career, catering to any and all Judas Priest enjoyers. Fans of 1990’s ‘Painkiller’ should be pleasantly surprised by the return of aggressive thrash riffs and fry screaming on tracks like ‘Panic Attack,’ or ‘As God Is My Witness,’ while casual listeners may prefer more classic cuts like ‘Devil In Disguise’ or ‘Sons of Thunder.’ Thankfully, these sounds are still as exciting today as they always have been as slick modern production and shockingly strong performances keep the album sounding both polished and frantic every step of the way. Whether it be Halford’s soaring lead vocals, Tipton’s ever-impressive lead guitar work or Travis’ thunderous percussion, every member of the band could be mistaken for a counterpart 30 years younger. That’s not to say, however, that Priest are resting on their laurels with this one. ‘Escape From Reality,’ with its doom metal adjacent riffs and monstrous chorus, feels pulled straight from a Black Sabbath album, though Ozzy would surely have struggled to hit the high-notes that Halford continues to nail at 72 years old. The record’s epic closer ‘Giants in the Sky’ is similarly intrepid for the band, incorporating more blues-based scales and a personal lyrical theme. The metal gods may have little left to prove in 2024, but their continued dedication to evolving their sound is admirable and shines through on every track. ‘Invincible Shield’ sounds like Judas Priest’s victory lap as they celebrate their legacy and impact while continuing to look into the future of the very genre they helped pioneer. If this turns out to be their last album, it will have been a worthy - even wondrous - conclusion to their legendary story. Words: Jay Kirby

Finnish nu-metal band Blind Channel are back with their 5th LP, ‘EXIT EMOTIONS.’ Fusing elements of pop and hip-hop into a more alternative sound, the group found rampant success with their previous record, ‘Lifestyles of the Sick & Dangerous’ and its Eurovision single ‘Dark Side.’ Less than two years later, this new album continues to solidify the group as a force to be reckoned with. Blind Channel make a statement on the opening track ‘WHERE’S THE EXIT,’ urging the listener to ‘get the fuck up right now;’ with overdriven guitar riffs and a gigantic chorus, the song makes this a very easy command to obey as they kick the album off strong. None of the cuts on ‘EXIT EMOTIONS’ ever outstay their welcome— even the longest song fails to break the four-minute mark— but instead speak of a band who have refined their rage-fuelled, hook-centred style of songwriting into a filler-free experience. 3rd single ‘DEADZONE,’ as a prime example, mixes claustrophobic trap beats and rapping in with a chorus sure to get entire arenas singing along, and does so with the confidence of a group on the rise. ‘EXIT EMOTIONS’ may not be a sweeping reinvention of the band’s sound, but it hardly needs to be as tracks like ‘XOXO’ and ‘KEEPING IT SURREAL’ keep things fresh, modern and all-around exciting. That’s not to say that every creative decision throughout the album’s blistering 35-minute runtime is a success. ‘NOT YOUR BRO,’ with its oddly-placed synthesised vocal samples and half-hearted breakdown, stands as a notably weak addition to a generally consistent album. The record also teeters on the edge of melodrama at times, with the Nickelback-esque hard rock riffs of ‘HAPPY DOOMSDAY’ and the heavy-handed lyricism of lead single ‘FLATLINE’ bringing the second half of the album down a touch. These criticisms are, however, only minor blemishes on what is otherwise an extremely polished and electrifying release in the nu-metal sphere. While ‘EXIT EMOTIONS’ hardly reinvents the wheel, it sure does keep it turning fast and pointed somewhere exciting. The group have continued to use their performances at Eurovision and Download as a springboard, delivering a record sure to please any fans of the genre. Vocalist Niko Vilhelm claims that “it’s this feeling of never being enough is what drives us forward.” With this new release, it’s safe to say they can finally lay those fears to waste. Words: Jay Kirby Cover Photo: Christian Ripkens

Coming straight out of the very same area of the world that birthed Knocked Loose, Louisville’s Volcandra are bringing fantasy styled blackened melodeath to the eardrums of all who will listen. Their second album ‘The Way of Ancients’ flicks through the whole lexicon of metallic sounds, with soaring, epic moments that feel like flying, icy licks and screams, and rivetingly heavy moshpit-guaranteed riffs. Those epic moments start off right out the gate, with the very first song ‘Birth Of The Nephalem’ introducing the album with an almost jubilantly heavy sound. With lyrics about characters and lore from the Diablo games, the band are leaning heavily on the fantasy side here, and any fans of swords and/or sorcery in their metal will be able to get their fill here very easily. The song comes out to a good and healthy five minute run time, which is a pretty regular length across the album, but that time goes by quickly with the enjoyment felt through each riff, growl, and set of blast beats. Lead single ‘Fouled Sanctity’ follows, which immediately gets to grips with putting a grotesque look on the face of the listener as a series of gruesome riffs whirl through the song, and the band have said as much - “We chose ‘Fouled Sanctity’ as the first single because it takes no time cutting to the chase. From the very first riff you know you’re in for a ripper.” They don’t hold a single punch with this one, and the lyrics paint a suitably nightmarish picture too, with plagues and razed buildings featuring amongst all sorts of wicked tales. ‘Nemesis Confession’ took up the baton with further aggression being shown off across the next five minutes, including some of vocalist Dave Palenske’s most visceral screams across the whole record. Lyrically carrying on similarly to the previous song, the fantasy setting and twisted imagery convey a depraved atmosphere that perfectly matches with the music underneath it all. As the song fades into the next, ‘Maiden Of Anguish’, the story of her rise and subsequent defeat weaves over yet more brutal metal. Whilst there are no individually weak parts in this track, its placement in the album makes it feel a little more forgettable due to the fairly similar sound of this song to the ones before and after it, although that is not to say each song doesn’t stand up of its own accord. ‘Seven Tombs’ follows, and marks itself out by taking its time over the intro before breaking back to this well-established sound of blackened melodeath, even though it has the shortest run time on the album. With each song being a new step in the journey of this album, this feels like the post-dilemma quest in a movie and progresses the story whilst still staying true to the lyrical style employed elsewhere. Track six is ‘The Blackened Temple’ takes a little more of that epic feel, and by the end feels like a sprawling expanse of a song. With rolling riffs and pummelling drums all under guttural lyrics, even though this song is just over four minutes long, it is a brilliant example of what this band can accomplish. The penultimate track on the album is ‘Not Even Death’, which has all manner of diabolical lyrics and punishing riffs. Many individual moments here wouldn’t sound out of place next to Cryptopsy, whilst others have been dragged straight from the depths of ‘90s Norway. The final song on the album is the title track, and clocking in at almost eight minutes long it is the longest piece on the album. Mixing all the black metal and death metal influence they’ve showed off thus far with even more melodies, this song feels not too far from Iron Maiden in their heyday with a galloping pace, uplifting melodies, and fantastical lyrics. Make no mistake, there aren’t any operatic Bruce Dickinson-esque wails to be found, but the Volcandra apple has not fallen too far from the Iron Maiden tree here. Volcandra should be immensely proud of the despicable sonics they’ve concocted here. Icy black metal, technically astute melodeath and classic heavy metal stylistics meld brilliantly across what is an incredibly listenable album. There might be a little fat left that could have been trimmed, but even that still melts in the mouth to leave a satisfying taste and certainly doesn’t upset the whole experience. ‘The Way of Ancients’ comes out on March 1st via Prosthetic Records. Words: Jake Longhurst Photo: Patrick Ballard

Edinburgh husband and wife duo Hand Of Kalliach released their debut album to seemingly deaf ears - what was a stunningly beautiful album full of deft riffs, haunting melodies and a wonderful blend of heaviness with Gaelic folk music went sadly almost unnoticed by a lot of the heavy music world. For album two, John and Sophie have levelled up and now have the backing of LA's Prosthetic Records to help them reach the audience they deserve. 'Corryvreckan', the title of the album, is taken from the whirlpool that lies somewhere in the Western Scottish isles where the goddess Kalliach (or Cailleach) lives. To signal the coming of winter, she arises from her slumber to wash off her plaid and casts it across the land in it's new bright white. This is intrinsically linked to the festival Samhainn, which is the title of the bands first release. Album two weaves the Scottish folk tales into songs that can put you into a trance as you're affixed by their beauty, yet in a mere moment erupt into a maelstrom, ripping your breath away and leaving you in awe of their sheer power. Kicking off the album is a perfect example of this glorious juxtaposition that the duo are already masters of. 'Three Seas' allows the beautiful folk influence to set the scene, as the lyrics introduce those titular three seas at the corner of which Corryvreckan is found, where Kalliach is gradually rising from the depths of the sea to make herself known and spread her cloak over the land as snowfall. The instrumentals are entrancing, John's guitar work is splendid alongside his drumming, and Sophie makes light work of the bass. However, the pair shine most when the vocals come to the fore - both of them have exquisite control over two wildly different vocal styles as Sophie has one of the most beautifully haunting and ethereal singing voices I've heard, and John can summon a gruff roar fit for the battlefields of the Celts and Picts that counterbalances Sophie perfectly, giving them a ridiculously broad range of sounds between the pair. Following up from the certifiably epic album opener is 'Fell Reigns', which lyrically continues from the previous song but keeping up a more consistently heavy sound throughout, where the third song 'Dìoghaltas' is a song of vengeance sung predominantly in Gaelic. Song four 'Cirein-cròin' showed off a side to the band that wasn't so obvious on album one, with an almost Amon Amarth-esque style of melodeath happening that does rear its head again later in the album, fitting the theme of the song as Cirein-cròin is the name of a Scottish sea beast that shares some similarities with the Norse Jormungandr. This sense of musical evolution through the album is phenomenal, as each song has its own identity whilst all still satisfying the Hand Of Kalliach manifesto, that being their unique brand of folky melodeath with vastly differing vocals and Gaelic inspired lyrics. Now we reach the midpoint of the album with 'Deathless', the fifth track of nine. Sung from the perspective of an onlooker witnessing Kalliach's ascent before being dragged into Corryvreckan's gaping maw, all to a soundtrack of riffy melodeath. 'The Hubris of Prince Bhreacan' shares the same Amon Amarth-esque sensibilities but with a tale of pride and hubris, with a mortal man taking one step too far and finding himself at the bottom of the sea, wedded to Kalliach and becoming one with the rocks she lies within. His name is tied to the whirlpool, as the Gaelic name for the watery feature is Coire Bhreacain or 'the cauldron of the plaid'. Seventh comes 'Unbroken You Remain' which precedes the penultimate, and shortest, track on the album 'The Cauldron'. Track seven has lyrics that may or may not relate to the Prince on the song before, but can definitely be taken as an uplifting song, and when in a dark moment could catch you unawares with their deceptively irresistible power. As alluded to earlier, the whirlpool is referred to as the cauldron frequently, and track eight once more returns to the rise of the wintry witch goddess through the cauldron to bring about the change of the seasons, in under three minutes of thrilling Gaelic metal. The most powerful track on the album is unquestionably the final song 'Of Twilight and the Pyre' - instantly instilling a sense of wonder from the delicately plucked strings of the introduction, and more of Sophie's haunting vocals singing about the coming of winter once again, as a primal drumbeat enters below the gentle sounds of strings and singing. John joins the fray with both guitars and voice at roughly the halfway mark and bolsters the song taking it from a beautiful lullaby feel to a muscled up chant, almost ritualistic in its hypnotic nature. Hand Of Kalliach have outdone their lofty standards with 'Corryvreckan'. Their sophomore album is rife with gorgeous melodies, intoxicating soundscapes, and stunningly written lyrics. Whether on your first listen or your tenth, there will be something else hidden within this wonderful new release for you to uncover, as you dig your way into the sonic world that has been woven here. 'Corryvreckan' comes out on February 23rd 2024 via Prosthetic Records. Words: Jake Longhurst Photo: Matthieu Gill

On the last day of the year, Out Of Rage gave to me a wonderful Manchester gig. Headlined by local grunge/post-hardcore band BLYTHE, supported by Wigan’s Shrouded, and openers Tape It Shut providing fast paced political punk rock from Reading. In Manchester’s Northern Quarter, the perennially punk venue Aatma served perfectly for an evening of raucous guitar tone, screaming about the government, and enjoyment of amazing music. Tape It Shut walked on stage at twenty to seven, opening their set with a spoken word piece before realising a guitar wasn’t plugged in right! With what came to be some fairly trademark humour, they made light of it and blasted into their first song - one thing that linked each and every track they played was an innately political tone, whether overtly calling out the government or more subtle use of lyrical themes. Blasting through a healthy tracklist in about 40 minutes, the band were a jolt of energy and immensely enjoyable to watch! Mixing in queerness, anti government rhetoric, punk rock and fun made their show a brilliant way to start off the event. Up next were the much more local Shrouded, from neighbouring Wigan rather than leafy Berkshire. With a sound that draws heavily on both Deftones and Royal Blood, they mixed grungy tones with lightning riffs and licks, and incredibly powerful vocals from singer Matt Barber. Largely sticking to the aforementioned sound, they did change tack to a more melancholic song midway through that had a more nuanced sound and showcased their songwriting ability through its restraint. An excellent outing for the Wigan outfit, they impressed everyone and will definitely be ones to watch for the local scene. Finally we were greeted with the sounds of Manchester’s BLYTHE. If Alice In Chains were female fronted and had a little more post-hardcore influence, then you’d have a pretty good estimate for how BLYTHE sound. Having seen none of the three acts playing on the night I was naturally reserved on how good the show might be, but all three smashed it, and BLYTHE as headliners did a stunning job. With harsh vocals and driving drums, the band powered through a hypnotic set, finishing with their two released singles ‘Aphid’ and ‘Mannequin’ before saying their goodbyes. The evening had been a smash, and after many drinks and enjoying our New Years Eve, we all went home with the kind of grin you can only get after seeing amazing live music. Words: Jake Longhurst Cover photo: Kayleigh Fryer