Used Future - The Sword

Unlike Firepower, this is an album I was actually looking forward to listening to. If you're playing the Riffs And Raffs drinking game at home, take a drink every time I use the term "Stoner Rock" to get absolutely tanked!

If you asked me what I made of The Sword half a decade ago, I would've given them glowing praise. They were the kings of riff based Heavy Metal, magnificent bastards of Doom Rock and generally pretty fucking awesome at their craft. Since then, they begun their transition from Heavy Metal to Stoner Rock with the High Country album but there were still a couple of heavier tracks to enjoy. Used Future marks the complete metamorphosis into Stoner Rock by removing the aggressive Metal elements and replacing them with synth and Prog touches. Sure, the music's still good but it's a shame we had to lose a stellar Heavy Metal band to gain a great Hard Rock one.
Album opener "Prelude" is a pointless introduction to "Deadly Nightshade", the true album opener. Not only is it a good song but it's a great way of reminding fans about their new sound that's clearly here to stay; it's The Sword's blend of riff based Hard Rock with a cosmic touch. It's also a great choice for the lead single, as it's an easily accessible track from the album and the start of an unofficial trilogy of three songs that could very well be part of one Prog Rock movement, similar to the seven sections of "2112" - Rush. Whilst this album contains fuzzy bass, epic riffs and dynamic percussion throughout, "Deadly Nightshade", "Twilight Sunrise" and "The Wild Sky" run along so perfectly that they could quite easily be repackaged as a 10 minute epic. This is good news if you like the complete album experience but not so much if you want powerful precision strikes of great music.
This whole album feels like it was supposed to be enjoyed in one sitting; again, not unlike Prog Rock albums of the past. When I revisited a couple of songs just to brush up on the material, they often started abruptly due to continuing on from the previous song, which can be a little annoying if you just want to listen to a couple of favourites off the album. There are some highlights here and there if you enjoyed the Classic Rock style tracks from High Country such as "Brown Mountain", instrumental album closer that likely borrowed the riff from "Wheel In The Sky" - Journey without realising, and "Used Future", title track that could easily be a repurposed cover of a 70s B-side from [AOR BAND NAME HERE], but the majority of tracks are written to blend into the next one in order to carry you through your drug-fuelled musical odyssey. I know I've referred to this album as Stoner Rock but I don't think I've come across such a blatant example of the genre as this in a while.

As a result of this, certain aspects feel a little bit irritating if you just want to enjoy the album without hitting the dank load. For example, in this 13 song album, there are THREE non-songs. "Prelude", "Intermezzo" and "Reprise", all of which are terrible. "Intermezzo" is a moody synth-based interlude that adds nothing but padding and "Reprise" borrows the outro from "Come And Gone" to round off the album that could've quite happily concluded with "Brown Mountain". It comes across as arty-farty when you look at the song titles and general feel of each track but I guess you won't mind if you're high off your tits when listening to the album.
However, this desire to "experiment" has produced some gems. "Sea Of Green" and "Come And Gone" are tracks I never would've expected to hear on a record by The Sword and yet they work incredible well, offering slower Blues and Psychedelic Rock tunes to the categorically Hard Rock ones. There are also subtle features that amplify the quality of the music like the slow-burn build up of the bass and percussion in "Nocturne" or the more delicate mix during verses in "Book Of Thoth" to differentiate the song from previous Stoner Rock material. It's small changes like this that make a big difference, especially when compared to albums that get stale due to their lack of creativity around the halfway point.
Maybe producer Tucker Martine is the one to thank for that but either way, the band knew what they were doing. There may have been a couple of pretentious missteps here and there but as long as the music you're putting out is good and well crafted, this is how you get away with a bit of musical pomposity without coming across as a bunch of wankers (Queens Of The Stone Age, take note!); small steps towards a desired destination, not applying all the changes at once or assuming fans want to hear you sonically jacking off. In this case, The Sword applied synth aspects to Apocryphon, started focusing more on Hard Rock with High Country before putting out Hard Prog with Used Future, all the while improving their weaker aspects like vocals and the overall mix of material.

Used Future isn't my favourite album by The Sword (as I'll always take Heavy Metal over Stoner Rock) but this could be their most creative and ambitious to date. It's a shame that they've chosen this direction to follow as I still think they're at their strongest when blasting out thunderous riffs or creating battle anthems for frost giants but at least the album wasn't a complete disaster like whatever Muse put out before Drones. It's a tough one to rate as I doubt I'm personally going to revisit tracks as often as I have done for High Country (a 7/10, according to my review) but I do think they should be praised for their efforts and successes in recording a well oiled machine of Stoner Rock.
I'm gonna give it a 7/10 again as I feel the criticisms about pretentious aspects from the band that gave us "Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians" go beyond my opinion and into critique. Plus, I'm going to apply the general rule I have for concerts, sports and entertainment based events to this album; if you have to get wasted to enjoy it, it's probably not that great. In this case, you're better off getting high as fuck, just like High Country, but unlike High Country there aren't songs that stand out when you're not baked in the same way "The Dreamthieves", "High Country" or "Empty Temples" did. Out of interest, if any of my readers do partake in the occasional marijuana puff, feel free to listen to this album and let me know if it blew your mind or if I'm just talking out my arse with all this Stoner Rock stuff.
Also, get a damn job, hippie!

Tenology: My Ten Favourite Rock/Metal Songs Of 2015

Well, here we are. Just over a week into 2016 and so far, nothing feels that different (apart from the crushing absence of Lemmy). Rather than look at some of the albums that I didn't get a chance to listen to last year, I'm kicking things off the same I did last January; a list of 10 songs I loved from 2015, along with a few Honourable Mentions.
I suppose I should mention that any of the songs released in the last year that were included in the previous Taster Session post will be omitted from here, although it's safe to say I loved them. You may also find that several tracks listed here have been mentioned in other posts on this blog, although I'll try to stick to newer ones. As always, my Tenology posts are generally opinion based and these songs reflect what I enjoyed listening to throughout the year. I haven't listed them in order of greatness but you'll probably be able to tell which ones I favoured more than others from my write-up of each song.
It's also worth mentioning that there are bound to be several songs from 2015 that I will really like but have yet to listen to, so if you've got any recommendations then feel free to list them. Anyway, time to start another 2015 countdown!


1. "Cirice" - Ghost B.C.

Yes, I did mention this in a separate Taster Session post and yes, I still like it now as much as I did when I first wrote that. I should've listened to the whole album by now although I seem to recall this band releasing a song called "If You Have Ghosts" which is fucking terrible. I don't know what the original sounds like but it was almost enough for me to completely write off this band, as it sounds less like a Metal anthem and more like a generic Foo Fighters track. However, if you've heard that shitty cover and agree with me then you should know that this song is enough to make you forgive them.


2. "Cold, Clear Light" - Johnny Blazes And The Pretty Boys

OK, I talked about this one a little bit on the blog too. Basically, it's a great Blues track with a semi-decent couple of solos and an incredibly catchy melody. It's also very fun to play on Rock Band, if that kind of thing appeals to you. I'm not sure if the album this comes from (Soul Vernacular) is available on iTunes yet but if you want to buy this track, they have a Bandcamp where you can support them.


3. "Fire And Ice" - FM

Finally, a new song to talk about! I never really got into FM's earlier material but last year, they released another comeback album that actually contained many great tracks such as "Cold Hearted", "Diggin' Up The Dirt" and "Life Is A Highway". However, my favourite off Heroes And Villains is easily "Fire And Ice", a tune which borrows the piano refrain from Joe Cocker's "Woman To Woman" at the start but eventually breaks into its own song after the drums kick in. Definitely an underrated tune from 2015 in my books.


4. "Flying" - The Answer

Aaaand back to tracks already mentioned on the blog, specifically in my review of Raise A Little Hell - The Answer. I didn't spend much time talking about this song, as it was a bonus track on a deluxe edition, but I reckon it was probably my favourite new song by the band. It's a great driving song and deserved a spot on the main tracklist although I guess the band couldn't charge extortionate prices for three new songs if they weren't very good ones now, could they?


5. "High Country" - The Sword

As well as reviewing the new album released in August, I discussed this track in particular on yet another Taster Session post. It's not as heavy as some of their better known material but it's got some powerful riffs (including one that's a wee bit close to a certain Audioslave track) and I still enjoy listening to it. It's probably my favourite tune off the album too so it definitely belongs on this list.


6. "Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart" - Chris Cornell

Another album I should probably check out after the rest. There's a strange sort of fairytale sound to this song thanks to the pizzicato strings and mandolin intro, two things you wouldn't expect to hear in a Rock song. However, Chris Cornell pulls through and creates a song that's both memorable and better after multiple listens. If you haven't heard this song yet, don't expect it to sound like Soundgarden 2 or even Soundgarden Lite, unless Soundgarden went through a soft Alternative Rock phase I'm unaware of.


7. "New Day Rising" - Von Hertzen Brothers

Possibly my favourite song of the year but only in single edit form as the album version goes on a bit too long. Great riffs, awesome vocals, good use of dynamics and I bet it fucking slays when performed live too. I know a few other tracks by this band and I like them too so maybe I should give an album of theirs a listen. If you like this song and want another track to check out, try "Insomniac".


8. "Open Fire" - The Darkness

If you like The Cult or the song "Hooks In You" - Marillion, you'll want to give this track a listen. I talked about it briefly in my review of the album Last Of Our Kind but one thing I can officially confirm is that this album (and this song) helped get me into The Darkness. At first, I couldn't stand the falsetto vocals but "Open Fire" focuses more on the guitar riffs and less on screeching every line. There's a bit of falsetto in the chorus but it fits in well with the rest of the song, unlike others where it just sounds forced. Definitely one of my favourite songs by the band as well as favourites of 2015!


9. "Reapers" - Muse

I was tempted to review Drones - Muse but ended up tweeting my thoughts about it instead. In short, it's a good album but there are still traces of Matt Bellamy's inflated ego littered throughout. However, one of the album highlights is the track "Reapers" which I suspect was originally meant to be the album's title track before they decided to change it to some wanky album outro. A top notch riff reminiscent of "Still Of The Night" - Whitesnake and some great guitar work too. The only downside is the unnecessary outro that sounds a bit like the end of "Blinded In Chains" - Avenged Sevenfold.


10. "Speed Of Light" - Iron Maiden

I may be ending the list on another track I've already discussed twice but goddamn, it's a strong track. Lyrically, it may not fit in with the album's main concepts but as far as singles go, it was enough to get me excited for their new album. At first, I wasn't sure about Bruce's vocals but those doubts were easily extinguished after multiple listens.

Before you tell me that I've missed a song or that one of those tracks doesn't belong on the list, here are some tracks that didn't quite make the cut but were still decent.


"Breakaway" - Inglorious

It's hardly one of the bigger songs of 2015 but among all the comeback albums and surprise singles, this track stood out for me. It's got a great riff, a driving rhythm and some solid vocals too although I wouldn't rate it in the top ranks of my favourite or even highly enjoyable songs. It's mediocre by Hard Rock standards but good for a few listens every now and then, thus making it into my Honourable Mentions.


"Demolition Man" - Razzmattazz

I reviewed the album this came from on the blog as well so that's probably the best place to go if you want to know more about this band. However, this is the song that introduced me to it and for another AC/DC tribute act, these guys definitely bring a punch worthy of the Honourable Mentions section.


"Martyr" - Last In Line

I haven't talked about these guys on the blog yet because I only found out about them a few weeks ago. Basically, Vivian Campbell (Dio & Def Leppard guitarist) has put together a supergroup named after Dio's second album and they'll hopefully be releasing an album entitled Heavy Crown this year. It's something that caught my attention because I seem to recall all the band members being pretty respectable musicians. However, out of both tracks they've released, this is probably the superior recording and even then it's not great. I'll keep an ear out for Heavy Crown but in case I forget, I thought I should mention it here too.


"Orphan" - Toto

I've been waiting to find another great Rock track from Toto for ages (ignoring "Hold The Line" and "Africa", of course) and these guys must have heard me. Unlike some of their more Pop or Prog oriented tracks, "Orphan" definitely belongs to the Rock genre and considering it was released over 30 years after the peak of their career, it's still as strong as their signature songs to me. If I had to expand this list of my favourite songs from 2015, I reckon this would be number 11.


"Sean" - Foo Fighters

In case you missed it, Dave Grohl and his backing band decided to release a 5-song EP of Foos tracks entitled Saint Cecilia that had been unassigned to previous albums but written throughout their career. Since they released it for free without any hype, I wasn't exactly expecting much. However, two tracks ended up on my phone after I listened to the whole EP (the other one being "The Neverending Sigh") and I would recommend listening to it if you preferred the Foo Fighters before they got all shouty and angry. It's a little bit short for it to make it onto the main list but it's still my favourite off the EP.

Next week, I'll try to review one of the albums released towards the end of last year. Either that or something to do with video games, depends on how much time I have.

High Country - The Sword

If you've been following my posts for the last couple of months, you'll know I've been desperately waiting for this album to come out. I talked about the title track in July but now it's time to look at the entire package.

Based on the small selection of songs I'd heard before buying the album, I was expecting something amazing. What I got was decent although, if I'm perfectly honest, a little flat at times. If the previous four albums by The Sword were solidified in the Heavy Metal genre, High Country definitely wobbles between that and Hard Rock. From the album cover abandoning the usual jagged font to the song's themes centred more around magic than mythology, The Sword haven taken their biggest genre-crossing step yet.
Album opener "Unicorn Farm" is a bizarre introduction combining a catchy rhythm with some of the synth elements previously employed in Apocryphon, flowing perfectly into "Empty Temples", the first of several Thin Lizzy impersonators on this album. It's a great track which gives you a glimpse into the sound of the rest of the album; the clashing drums and megaton power chords have been softened but every now and then, there's an explosive moment where you can hear remnants of Gods Of The Earth and Warp Riders bursting through.
The main factor behind the change in sound is possibly the percussion and Santiago Vela III's more restrained drumming this time around. There are still a couple of apocalyptic tracks where the pace is energetic and you can imagine riding into battle with these songs booming out in the distance ("Suffer No Fools" and "Buzzards"). Otherwise, the album is largely dominated by Blues-inspired Hard Rock not unlike a previously mentioned 70's Irish band ("The Bees Of Spring" and "Ghost Eye"), heavier Modern Rock tunes experimenting with backing vocals and a touch of brass ("Seriously Mysterious" and "Early Snow") & healthy combinations of the two, resulting in some of the strongest tracks on the album ("The Dreamthieves" and "High Country").

Sadly, the band is only as strong as their weakest link and whilst he's improved since 2008, J. D. Cronise's vocals are still flagging behind everyone else ever so slightly. It's almost like listening to a slightly more abrasive tribute to Josh Homme but fortunately, the music is good enough to stop The Sword from becoming another Guns 'N' Roses. Aside from a few songs which sound a bit monotonous in the fog of crunching chords ("Mist & Shadow"), the riffs are generally suitable and will easily stick with you after a couple of listens.
The best way to describe the genre (or subgenre) of this album would be Stoner Rock as I suspect most of the tracks were written to be listened to when absolutely baked. After all, the band have released a special "weed-themed" edition of High Country that comes with rolling paper and a stash box, not to mention the obvious euphoric connotation with the name of the album. It would make sense, considering the flatter songs would probably sound incredibly peaceful whilst stoned.
If you are into the occasional toke and happen to listen to this album whilst in high country yourself, you'd probably rate it 10/10. For all us sober critics, I reckon a 7/10 is more than fair. It's not the best album they've written if you're into heavier riffing & the kind of soundtrack Vikings would listen to if they were still about, but I would say it's quite an interesting yet admirable entry from their discography if you're into Rock music overall, assuming you can listen past the occasional musical dissonance and droning vocals.

Taster Session #1

After last week's trilogy of video game posts, I decided to go back to album reviews but after checking online to see if there were any albums that caught my eye, I couldn't find any worth reviewing or listening to. What I did discover was a series of upcoming albums from bands I like listening to.
Now I understand this flies in the face of being open minded and I wouldn't recommend avoiding bands just because you've never heard them before (otherwise nobody would have a career) but the simple truth is no new albums or bands have made me think I should listen to their material.
When I hear a single on the radio and like it, I'll give the album a try. If I hear good things about a band, I'm more likely to try them out than if I hear nothing about them. Either way, I was left in a bit of a situation as I didn't want to go back to another opinion post or Tenology. So here's ANOTHER NEW IDEA!

As there are several upcoming albums from bands I'm aware of hitting the shelves in a few months, there are also quite a few singles from these albums online already. I'll be talking about some of those singles in this post and will discuss my experience with the band in the past as well as giving my expectations for the respective album, just in case I end up reviewing them.
Right then, let's get started!

"High Country" - The Sword         (listen here)
From the album High Country (21/8/15)

I should start off by saying that I love The Sword. They're like everything awesome about Black Sabbath mixed with everything awesome about Slayer. Heavy riffs and explosive drums all combined to make a musical score suitable for Ragnarok. Their first album starts off OK with some great standalone tracks and their second album packs a necessarily hefty punch, as any good Metal follow-up album should. The third album was perhaps a bit prematurely experimental but luckily the fourth album returned to apocalyptic riffing.
This song kind of makes me wonder where the 5th album will go. It's heavy, sure, but it also sounds very different to The Sword that sung about "Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians" or "The Black River". In fact, it sounds a bit like "Believe" - The Bravery spiced up with some reworked riffs from "Gasoline" - Audioslave (this song definitely has a bit of cheeky riff pinching from "Gasoline"). However, I highly doubt this means The Sword have gone uber-commercial and morphed from Heavy Metal to Hard Rock like Megadeth did with Super Collider.
What it probably means is The Sword want to release a well received album and maybe get a bit of radio play with this single. I could be dead wrong as I haven't heard as much buzz about it as, say, Last Of Our Kind - The Darkness when the first singles were being released for that. I'm a little worried that this is the title track as it lacks the same wallop that title tracks are supposed to provide. Either way, it's made me excited to listen to High Country as I really enjoyed the song and I trust The Sword will give Rock and Metal fans an excellent album.


"The Vengeful One" - Disturbed          (listen here)
From the album Immortalized (21/8/15)

I'm familiar with Disturbed and some of their more popular hits ("Down With The Sickness", "Inside The Fire", etc) but I wouldn't call myself a massive fan. I like their sound to a passable degree although unlike some of the other Metal bands I generally favour, Disturbed tend to rely on that sound a little too much. I'm not saying they can only play one song with different lyrics over and over again (like another band we'll be looking at shortly) but whenever a new Disturbed single is released, it always has the same staples of their music.
This track is no different and sounds just like their "best" material so if you were a fan of Disturbed during the Indestructible period and are hoping they haven't lost their way, fear not! If this single is anything to go by, you're probably in for another album of similar material. I tend to be OK with this if the material is good and yeah, in Disturbed's case it often is. I might check this album out as Disturbed have surprised me with a couple of awesome songs ("The Infection" springs straight to mind) but I don't know if I'll review it here.


"Thunder & Lightning" - Motorhead          (listen here)
From the album Bad Magic (28/8/15)

Another band who are overly-reliant on the sound of one song. Motorhead have the same problem as AC/DC, something I refer to as 'The Simpsons Syndrome'. They've been consistently making music for such a long time that it's hard to imagine a world where there isn't a Motorhead release every other year. I think the main reason people still listen to this band is because Lemmy IS the band and you can't dislike Lemmy. He's like a pirate that quantum leapt into the Rock and Metal scene.
Anyway, "Thunder & Lightning" is not a Thin Lizzy cover (although there is a cover of "Sympathy For The Devil" on the upcoming album, which I'm keen to hear). It's a typical Motorhead track with thrashing drums, thunderous bass and gravelly vocals. I've often found that Motorhead are capable of putting together a really cohesive album that works from start to finish. You may not like all the songs but they belong on the album, if that makes sense.
Plus, contrary to popular belief, a Motorhead album isn't just the same track recycled ten times. There are bound to be slower songs on Bad Magic that still hit hard and it'll probably be another decent effort. Unlike AC/DC, Motorhead have yet to show signs of aging or creative rot. Their music is still fast, furious and full of energy and for that reason, I have no problem with them still producing albums.


"Complexity" - Eagles Of Death Metal          (listen here)
From the album Zipper Down (2/10/15)

There are two things I need to lay out in the open before I talk about this song. Firstly, these guys aren't Metal. Their name is based around someone comparing their music to the equivalent of the band The Eagles but of the Death Metal genre. Anyone who hasn't heard their music should kill that expectation immediately. Secondly, they're not Mock Rock like Tenacious D or Steel Panther. They're a Hard Rock side-project from Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age) who have decided to change their name to EODM for some stupid reason.
Whilst I like quite a few of their songs ("Wannabe In L.A.", "Miss Alissa", "Speaking In Tongues"...), I don't really have any fondness towards these guys in the same way I care about The Answer or maybe some older bands. I wouldn't have lost any sleep if these guys never went back into the studio but I'll definitely listen to the album when it comes out. For an album opener heralding the return of this wacky outfit after seven years of absence, "Complexity" is pretty generic. I doubt this band are smart enough to ironically write a bland track called "Complexity" but it sounds like it could easily be a filler track from any of their previous albums.
There's bound to be great material on Zipper Down but I'm in no hurry for October to roll around, nor am I desperate to listen to this song again any time soon. However, if you're a fan of these guys then do check the single out. As I said, it sounds like it could easily blend in with their previous works so I guess that's a good sign for EODM purists.


"Coming For You" - The Offspring          (listen here)
From the album ????????? (??/??/??)

I vaguely remember listening to The Offspring's latest album from 2012 (Days Go By) and the only track that stuck in my mind was some piece of shit called "Bumping In My Trunk" or something dumb. Thing is I didn't actually hate the album, it was just that track that stuck in my mind because of how crap it was. I can remember the album being more mature than Ixnay On The Hombre, which was just pure 90's Pop Punk but done in a great way.
Based on this single, it's almost as if the band were going through musical regression but got stuck halfway. It sounds like Oasis trying to cover Green Day or a bunch of thirtysomething adults trying to recapture their youthful rage and passion from twenty years ago. I could be completely wrong but based on this single, I'm guessing fans of The Offspring's earlier material might not be into this. However, fans of Alternative Rock with a tiny bit of a Punk bite will love it.
Despite my earlier criticisms, it strips away the worst elements of Oasis/Green Day whilst blending the best together. Since this track was released as a single without an album, we'll have to wait for more information to come out before forming any solid conclusions on whether that's the direction this band are heading in but as far as speculation goes, they have me intrigued. That is all.

There are more albums coming out this year that I'm bound to check out but at this current point in time, no singles have been released. Perhaps when Megadeth, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Black Sabbath, The Smashing Pumpkins and Iron Maiden give us a sample of their material, I'll come back with Taster Session #2. Also, if there's a single, band or album you think I should listen to, feel free to recommend it/them in the comments. I'm always happy to listen to new Rock/Metal music if you think it's good enough!