Reviews
Dark Sky Park
Sons Of Texas
Huron
Jack Frost
The Winery Dogs
Follow Me
Baptized In The Rio Grande
The Dead Stay Dead
Mélaina Cholé
Hot Streak
Self-Release Words: Jules Burnan
Razor & Tie Words: Paul H Birch Opening with the pugilist bloodbath of ‘Never Bury The Hatchet’ the pummelling riffs and bellowing vocals are an unexpected Texas Chainsaw Massacre scenario for those expecting Southern-fried rock. Formed in McAllen, Texas two years back this bunch of twenty-somethings have attracted the attention of Lamb of God producer Josh Wilbur and delivered eleven tracks of savage metal that appropriates Billy Gibbons’ pitched guitar squeal here and there but are more likely to dilly-dally among the wild cactuses where BLS or Pantera hung out. ‘Pull It And Fire’ has a rough welcome groove with, only for lead guitarist Jes De Hoyos to break out and audition for a prog metal band. Similarly ‘Blameshift’ appeals but the ricocheting double bass drums ever present high in the mix proves annoying here and on the bruising ‘Nothing King’. It’s obvious these lads want to get a few things off their chests, but in the rush to do so there’s not room to ruminate and enjoy the moment. The outrageous bluesy Sabbath swinging of ‘The Vestry Man’ and ‘Texas Trim’ redeem their busyness Those tracks where they strike black gold are ‘Baptized In The Rio Grande’ itself where with the foot eased on the peddle a little singer Mark Morales goes for the “born and raised” style narrative and makes you begin to care. Going even easier on the aggression, ‘September’ strums in on an acoustic and a single noted electric before rocking it up – that it becomes a compelling tale of a single mother barely coping with bringing up her kids, might get overlooked and it deserves attention. ‘Breathing Through My Wounds’ likewise chills in part on an acoustic with effective double tracked vocals, avoiding becoming a rough and ragged power ballad. You might taste blood in your mouth after listening to SOT but you can always spit it out.
Self-Release Words: Pagan Hel Huron only procrastinate about the things that matter and that is their finely tuned craft of producing such virulent masterpieces, otherwise they just take the bull by the horns and launch into a tirade of madness, effortlessly and painlessly striking with all guns blazing, no questions asked! Each track creates a tendency to be psychotic and vengeful, showing little remorse and empathy, but unlike the signs of a psychopath, Huron release their emotions so deeply they remain embedded in the skull forever! However Huron do not have to apologize or sympathize for anything on this album – brutality is the name of the game and they know just how hard to hit before going all out and bludgeoning the ears to their death, make no mistake. The fearless dominance shown by this band is prevalent and inspired by utter compulsion to grasp its own throat and throttle itself, but not without throttling the listener half to death first. It makes its mark with a blood stained grip that executes in keeping with the trend to annihilate in abundance. Not one of the tracks slip back into the shadows, but forges ahead in a dominant stance, all kicking and fighting for their lives, leaving a trail of destruction in the dirt as it passes, that is one way describe the band’s new album. In bone splintering explosion the poisonous riffs inject themselves into a waiting vein and ravish the nervous system, which could have the band arrested if they were to show those psychotic tendencies in person and not just with their music! From the off this album goes out to regain power and control over its contemporaries, and this is a British band we are talking about here, which is surprising, as there are not many UK bands, apart from a handful, who can say they own this level of brutality!
Self-Release Words: Rich Broom Dear reader, I’ll start with a confession. This is the first time I have ever heard of the Austrian band, Jack Frost and boy am I pleasantly surprised! This, their eighth album [otherwise known as Melaina Chole], will take you on an exploratory adventure [for all the right reasons I assure you] from their high-end riffs ringing out from the guitars, straight back down to a slow, deep chugging sound you’d get with industrial or doom metal. Laced with an almost acoustical element from time to time and a quiver of a Johnny Cash/Ville Valo vibe from front man Phred Phinster’s voice, it’s a wellrounded sound that stands out all on its own. Each song is easy to listen to. I feel the album is something you would find yourself listening to on a cold winters night for comfort and atmosphere, whilst riding on a public bus, headphones on, head resting against the cold glass as you travel home from work. To put it simply: it’s music to get lost in whilst you are in your own little world. ‘Half Man’ would be an apt song to picture yourself in the above scenario. ‘Loser In Your Eyes’ and ‘She Must Come Down’ are two songs that I would say provide the most variety within themselves and offer the listener a feeling of familiarity, but one that you can’t quite put your finger on – perhaps a band you’d come across on a Metal: A Headbanger’s Companion CD. If you have a wide appreciation of music, rather than pigeonholing yourself into rigidly set genres, then I see no reason why you would not like Jack Frost. Yes, it is slow paced at times and it doesn’t necessarily make you want to jump up and down, but I defy you not to at least nod your head along with the deep beats from the kick drum, or even break out into a air-guitar solo once in a while! If you’re looking for something different, Jack has your back. Released December 18th 2015.
earMUSIC Words: Ashley Crowson Hot Streak starts off exactly as you would expect, an all out blend of everything you expect from these musicians. ‘Oblivion’ bring’s an almost jazz feel to a great classic 80’s rock track. The first thing that screams out at you for familiarity is Kotzen’s voice. Imagine Chris Cornell but with a little less of the thick tone and more dynamic, it fits the track well, and is a great opener. Following straight on is ‘Captain Love’, this is more of the glam/hair metal style of the 80’s than anything else, flavoured with matching cheesey lyrics to really drive home the style. Sheehans bass playing takes control before the solo break before Kotzen comes in with a style and tone very reminicent of Joe Satriani and its then that I really start to recognise how much like Satriani the whole song is, imagine his ‘I Wanna Rock’ track but written for vocals, and you won’t be far off at all. Title track ‘Hot Streak’ comes in with a strong Jazz feel, showcasing Portneys skin beating skills in the field, while Sheehan and Kotzen combine their stringed weapons of choice with a great blend of simplistic playing to perfectly compliment the drums. The musicianship of the band really is stands out with this track, with it soon breaking into very fluid dynamic playing taking in everything each member brings to the band, but pushing out a something that in no way sounds forced. An all round good feeling rocker of a track, ‘How Long’ carries that talent straight on. Sometimes when bands get together with so much talent, the outcome can fall short of the expectation. The Winery Dogs have turned out an album that takes a look at what you expect, laughs at the pigeonholed ideas, and gives you a plethora of musical ideas that probably wouldn’t work had any other musician attempted. Read the full review at RAMzine.co.uk.
It’s not very often that you listen to an unsigned band and are blown away by the freshness and raw power of their music. With Dark Sky Parks’ debut EP, “Follow Me” we get just that. Taking inspiration from Royal Blood and QOTSA with a hint of Black Sabbath and Ziggy Stardust, the Yorkshire rockers get everything right. It doesn’t take long to hear what this band is all about. Rock. It’s that simple. The music grabs you from the first moments of Follow Me, the opening track and doesn’t let go till the final moments of track 5, Suicide FM. The guitar work throughout, handled by Ainsley Stones is brilliant. No notes seem to be wasted and the solos, when they arrive, just feel right. Hannah Jasper and Aiden Hall combine to create a solid and tight rhythm section that bands that sell out Wembley Arena would be jealous of. It would be wrong to single out certain aspects of the bands music, but it must be said that the vocals on this EP are fantastic. Debbie Bilsons voice is so unique that its difficult to make comparisons with other female artists. With all this being said, there are no stand out songs here. Each track creates a hypnotic journey in the listeners mind and despite being having a dark lyrical content, its easily relatable and the upbeat music allows it to not sound “depressing”. Dark Sky Park are a breath of fresh air in rock music. The influences on the band are clear, but they have created a sound that is unique. If they continue making songs like this, I have no doubts that they can go all the way. Record labels take note: sign these guys up. They are brilliant. Dark Sky Parks will release a their first full length album and tour in 2016
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