Anthrax - For All Kings (2016)

Anthrax have returned and with a real monster here in For All Kings. Pound for pound, this is exactly the kind of disc I was waiting for from these guys and it definitely cements the fact that they can still do it after all these years. The excuse for Worship Music was something to the tune of, “we wrote the music to accompany our new vocalist, Dave” but that's not the case here and you can see and hear the difference. Obviously the band have stepped it up quite a bit and For All Kings definitely sounds more like a thrash album than a modern metal or groove metal disc. There are still groove elements here reminiscent of We've Come For You All, but I actually liked that album and can't say that I mind them. For All Kings is definitely the kind of album that wants to combine thrash with a little more substance and structure, just so long as the choruses come in catchy as saccharine and that they certainly do. 

The record is surprisingly punchy, with a drum performance that really serves as a fine backbone, as Scott Ian's riffs seem to have one foot in eighties thrash, with another in eighties prog metal (think Queensryche). There's also an obvious pop/rock flair here as the chorus melody of “Breathing Lightning” sounds very much like a radio cut. Save for the fact that it's almost seven minutes long. Other than the fact that thrasher “You Gotta Believe” (yeah, it makes me think of Sonic The Hedgehog or some anime theme) are quite long pieces, the record features much shorter and easier to digest pieces amongst what some might call more muscular numbers. Yet I feel it was a fine idea to mix them up as the band have done here. I also feel that there's some obvious lyrical nodes to The Dark Tower here, as with 93's Among The Living. All in all, I think that if you're looking for a thrash disc with very bright and memorable choruses as well as prominent musicianship that sounds like a band that's been doing it for over thirty years, you can't really go wrong with this one. As much as I hated most of Worship Music, this album really feels like the band have picked it back up and delivered a record that I think Belladonna fans are going to be very proud of. No, it's not technically as much of a thrasher as was made back in the old days, but it's definitely the best record I've heard from them since We've Come For You All. I've always been partial to the John Bush era, but with this disc I'm opening up to Belladonna and perhaps that's a good thing. I almost feel like it's a thrashier Sound Of White Noise and a secondary “Black Album” in that respect. For All Kings is the kind of thrash album that still sounds like thrash, but still has an obvious commercial viability and will pick up just as many sales at Wal-Mart as it will in independent record shops. Even if you don't like this album, it's really hard to deny the fact that they really put the pedal to the metal on this one. Sure, there are some slower ballads to be found here like “Blood Eagle Wings” and even some touches of atmosphere that might feel alien on a thrash record. But for a band that was fucking around with electronics and Nu-Metal riffs the last time, I don't feel that I mind this kind of experimentation. 

There's almost a final opinion in the very phrase that I've used about four or five times in this review so far, “I don't feel that I mind” which couldn't be further from the truth. I don't feel that I mind many of the ideas on this record, I don't feel that I mind this record as a whole and I think they could have put out a far worse recording than this one. It's not perfect, but I didn't expect that. I wanted an album that shows what these guys can do with a little bit of snow on the mountains, and that's what we got. It sounds like it comes from experienced musicians, rather than trend-hoppers and I can't say that I mind that either. Welcome back, Anthrax.

(12 Tracks, 59:00)

8/10

Emil Bulls - XX (2016)

German alt/nu-metal rockers Emil Bulls have been around for twenty years, yet this is now the first that I'm ever hearing of them. In order to commemorate the band's twenty year anniversary, this “Greatest Hits” compilation was made in a very peculiar way. At first, not having known anything about the band prior, I was going to say that such a disc was a horrible marketing attempt for a brand new recording. But XX is simply not that. Instead of giving you a “Greatest Hits” collection of sorts, the band decided to record many of their songs in a much sappier, lighthearted tone as you'll witness here. It actually sounds kind of goth, to be honest; definitely a mile's difference from the kind of material you'll hear during the much upbeat “Hellfire versions” as they are titled. This, is in essence the band's actual “Greatest Hits” disc, which fans will have to purchase as a special limited edition digipack, of which I am not fond of. If you're going to release a “Greatest Hits” album, then it should come with these lighter “Candlelight versions” to begin with, rather than making people spend extra money for what is the actual product.

Of the many tracks offered here, I'll mention that there is very little difference between the lighthearted (some might say darkhearted) version of “Dear Sadness” and the slightly more upbeat original. The same could be said for “Dancing On The Moon” of which the differences are nearly vacant. However, the differences between the fiercely brackish Hellfire version of “Way Of The Warrior” and the Candlelight version of the track are so much like night and day that it's amazing how it works. It's almost like Emil Bulls have transformed into a completely different band, not unlike something to the tune of Coldplay or U2. The same might be said of “Hearteater” which takes an almost Mudvayne meets Soilwork approach and turns it into a nearly romantic ballad. Look, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't heard it for myself. Then we have a thrasher with a clean chorus in the form of “The Most Evil Spell” that completely changes shape. I actually had to listen to see if “you fucking coward” was in the piece, which it was. There's actually quite a few F-bombs in this poppy number, making me think of something from Gotye, Finger Eleven or Maroon 5 with a little more bite. I think it's “Worlds Apart” though, that had the greatest effect on me. Though the Candlelight version is quite expectable for such a composition, I really like the balls-out Soilwork influenced Hellfire version of the track. I wish I'd heard that one years ago.

As you can see, XX is definitely something different, but it actually works and I have to say that I'm quite fond of it. From what I've heard on both discs, I can see that Emil Bulls are indeed an act to be reckoned with and it's very surprising that these guys never made it to the US. I can see fans of acts like Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Soilwork, Five Finger Death Punch, Motograter and Linkin Park really getting into the material presented here. Just think, twenty years have passed and I had no idea who these guys were and just how damn catchy their tunes are. Sorry folks, but we don't have all the great rock bands here in the states. Give this one a listen to see what you're missing.

(2 Discs, 29 Tracks)

8/10

Akhenaten - Incantations Through The Gates Of Irkalla (2015)

A project of two very talented brothers, Akhenaten is a black/death act similar to that of Melechesh, Nile and SepticFlesh of whom has been covered here. The Houseman brothers have separate duties here, with Jerred handling all of the music and S. Wyatt handling the vocals. It's not an uncommon way to record and is exactly the same way that we do it in Torii. The brothers excel heavily in creating Egyptian atmospheres, especially when there are no vocal elements involved (and there are several of these). Incantations... is the sort of album that balances atmosphere and metal together quite brilliantly, except for just one tiny hiccup. It's very muddy during the metal sections and awfully low in the mix. It feels like a clean production process was used during it's sandy soundscapes and a rougher process was utilized during the metal sections, which seems to make the heavy stuff seem like it had been recorded in a separate box of some sort. My guess is that the metallic sections were recorded with a different program, or perhaps in a different quality, which makes the whole thing seem completely unbalanced as far as sound is concerned. Akhenaten feels like a good band with a whole lot promise, but you can tell that these guys have no real idea what they're doing as far as mixing is concerned and should have hired someone to do that part for them. I'll admit that I'm not all that good at it either and still don't like the quality of the first track on our forthcoming album, as I'm tempted to change it yet again. That's what I think needed to be done here. While Wyatt uses an excellent filter for his vocals that makes things sound inhuman, it can be very tough to hear anything of a metal variety apart from guitars. Perhaps the program they're using for drums is watermarked or something, it has a fuzziness that really thickens the whole thing in a not so memorable way. What is done here at a musical standpoint however, is celebratory and I'd certainly consider it promising. I think that fans of SepticFlesh and Melechesh are going to thoroughly enjoy the piece, but it still has some obvious mixing errors which definitely take away from what would be magnificent as a clearer performance. That being said, this coming from two guys is still quite phenomenal. As far as that SepticFlesh cover, “Anubis” is by and large one of my favorite songs but it's still a pretty tall order for a band just starting out. I'm glad to see that it left such a mark on them however, and hopefully they'll continue to expand and polish this middle eastern style with time.

(12 Tracks, 56:00)

7/10

Rules of The Grim Tower (Prime)

The Grim Tower (Prime) is a virtual dumping ground for all of my reviews, good and bad. The entire site will be managed from this Blogger app, so all album art pictures will be found at the bottom of review posts.

There will not be a high social media presence for (Prime) but when I have high speed data, I will be able to update The Grim Tower's .Com domain quickly from posts here. So basically, this is a "you saw it here first" sort of thing. Publicists will get links, but I wish you luck posting these properly to social media. ;)

Bands, there will be no remorse here. This is the unhinged arena, where you are either praised or dejected. I have become a bit more lenient, but I also feel that I have become a bit more fair, which means that I am not going to praise sub-par compositions.

This is not a place to promote trends. It is a place to tear them the fuck apart. This page is sort of like the lone door in a alleyway, where you have to know the password before you can enter.

Yes, we do score here. Do not complain to me in an email/comment if you feel my score was not to your liking. I am a fair, honest and lenient critic. But I know where I stand. You can curse me all you like, I'll not lose sleep over it. That being said, I do not simply tear apart musicians who are trying very hard. I do tear apart musicians who aren't trying, and are piggybacking off of the latest trends. That I've never really felt was metal, even though metal will not be all we review here, of course.

My goal however, is to make sure that most of the non-metal releases get covered in New Noise. Additionally, Tometal will be gathering up my reviews here for use on their site. I'm cool with that. This is just meant to be a small blog in which to more or less "draft" reviews for the big leagues.

Enjoy and please don't get offended. 2015 is over, so let us not have a repeat of that. Grow some balls, take some constructive criticism, or just simply laugh.

"Oh, that guy hates my record. Haha. Fuck that guy."

That's kind of how I look at other reviewers who tear apart records I like. I don't write emails explaining my disappointment. There are few real entitlements in this country (contrary to what some people might have you believe) and a right to an opinion is a necessary one. The more that I flip through the pages on Orwell's 1984, the more I shudder to think of a world where such a website like this and others, might one day be illegal.

Alas, I'm rambling. So once again, enjoy the reviews.

- The Grim Lord

Manimal - Trapped In The Shadows (2016)

Having not heard the band's previous record, I'm going completely off what I've heard here from the Swedish power metallers. The disc claims to be a mixture of Painkiller-era Priest with a touch of Queensryche at their best, and I can say for the most part that the definition is true. The riffs certainly remind me of thrashy Priest, while the melodies and progressions clearly remind me of Queensryche. I could never get into Queensryche and may have mentioned that I still can't get into the legendary Operation Mindcrime album. It's not that I haven't tried though, I've given that record five listens at least and just never felt it. Trapped In The Shadows is a completely different story however as the record comes forth with the Priestly power evoked on “Irresistible” (6:02) and charges right into the proggy “March Of Madness” (4:36) which both show fantastic highs from Samuel Nyman, and pure firepower from axeman Henrik Stenroos. Both pieces are literally catchy as hell and should have nearly every classic metal fan with their horns raised in the air. “The Dark” (4:58) seems to stand in the way though and almost feels a bit out of place. Though Nyman hits the highs in chorus, the track just sort of plods for me and you'll see what I'm talking about. The title cut (4:12) comes next though, seeming like a variation of “Painkiller” as it quickly changes to a more melodic note, by which a fantastic and very memorable chorus number escapes. There's even a nice little solo on the piece. “Invincible” (5:20) follows right in thick chugs, as background keyboards and clean harmonies really bring the chorus home. So far, I can say that this record has far more hits than misses, and when it does hit, it hits hard. Additionally, these guys like to texture their songs a little more than other bands in their genre, giving me something more to listen to than verse chorus. The bridge sections really deliver, allowing them to really bring it on home with the finale. Love them or hate them, Manimal are one of the best power metal acts I've heard in a very long time. Can they keep this up?

A Swedish interviewer on MA says that around “Man-Made Devil” (5:27) things started to slow down for him. While I can see what he's talking about, I can't completely agree. Even Painkiller had it's slower cuts, like “Touch Of Evil” for example. But there's not a damn thing wrong with that, especially noting how memorable the cut was. With this song however, the band seem to go into an almost theatrical state that brings with it more chunk later on in the piece. There's a piano section, as well as a really interesting theremin type effect that creates an otherworldly atmosphere to the track. It's different, but different is always good. If these guys made nine more copies of “Irresistible” then I would have irresistibly thrown the disc into the waste bin. We need to allow musicians to experiment and evolve, which is what they've done here. “Silent Messiah” (6:02) really comes off like Helloween, which certainly isn't a problem, especially when you're catching Nyman's amazing highs in there. The track adds some electronic effects and orchestration (to which some might utter, what?) which adds a little bit of possibly unneeded longevity to the piece. Though the much shorter cut, “The Journey” (4:13) takes things into a more balladic nature as the legendary Udo Dirkschneider guests on a much different piece than we might expect from the Swedish metal act. It's another experiment, which should appeal to fans of Udo's previous work. “Screaming Out” (4:17) continues the experimentation, as a backing children's choir backs Nyman's chorus. It strikes me as a bit odd, especially seeing that the track is quite punchy. The final note here is “Psychopomp” (5:15) which features an unexpected harsh vocal chorus in lieu of the familiar heavy metal heat. It feels like a bit of an afterthought and doesn't really accomplish anything that hasn't already been accomplished on the earlier cuts.
Having taken the entire album into observation, I can honestly say that it began as a really promising piece. But I feel that after “Man-Made Devil” things just sort of fell apart. The last couple of songs just kind of felt like outcasts and didn't really strike the impact that we felt with the first half of the disc. When you first hear this disc, it's going to feel like a giant has punched you in the face. But as you continue listening, it's going to feel as if that mighty giant has walked on to greener pastures. I liked the fact that they were experimenting, but perhaps it became too much of an experiment at the end, sounding like a band that perhaps got a bit confused or maybe even rushed. Trapped In The Shadows is still worth a listen, but it's a classic example of starting out with a bang and ending with a whimper.

(10 Tracks, 50:00)

7/10

...And We're Back!

As you can already see, I've been changing up a few things around here. Much of this is mere placeholder right now, but everything that doesn't get placed in New Noise Magazine will end up here. This blog is far easier to manage, which means I get the reviews out quickly and that's what makes me happy.


Enjoy some grotesque cover art for now.

Still works...

:)