ALBUM REVIEWS
THE 69 EYES
West End
NUCLEAR BLAST
Helsinki vampires tap a deep, rich well once more
Anyone who thought The 69 Eyes sounded a tad anaemic on 2016’s Universal Monsters will be pleased to hear that they’ve regained their bite. The Helsinki vampires’ 12th studio album shimmers with cold, dark energy and will satiate fans hankering after the plush ambience of their late-90s to mid-00s run. ‘Do you wanna live forever?’ Jyrki 69 croons like a velvet-throated Elvis on 27 & Done, a track that could have come from 2002’s Paris Kills. Black Orchid and Cheyenna are caressed with deft, Sisters Of Mercy-esque morbidity, but Two Horns Up and The Last House On The Left, which feature delicious turns from Dani Filth and Wednesday 13 respectively, ooze with the Mötley Crüe goth’n’roll glam of The Eyes’ recent work.
FOR FANS OF: Sisters Of Mercy, Type O Negative, The Cult
DANNI LEIVERS
ACID REIGN
The Age Of Entitlement
DISSONANCE
UK thrash legends return from the wastes to thrash some more
Of all the bands that emerged from the 80s UK thrash scene, Acid Reign were the most exuberant. The arrival of their third full-length, a mere 29 years after the last one, already feels like a shot in the arm before the furious riffs of The New Low kick in.
Although only vocalist Howard ‘H’ Smith remains from the old days, The Age Of Entitlement nails the vibe and energy of the band’s earlier line-ups perfectly, with the added bonus of a crunchy and punchy modern production. Brimming with disdain for the modern age, songs like #newagenarcissist and Sense Of Independence are as pertinent and memorable as anything from three decades ago. This is a belligerent, no-nonsense comeback to be cherished.
FOR FANS OF: Xentrix, Death Angel, Anthrax
DOM LAWSON
THE AGONIST
Orphans
RODEOSTAR
Canadian metallers go on a wild, eclectic ride
Flicking through metal subgenres like they were pages of a gripping novel, The Agonist’s sixth album is the Canadians’ most diverse yet. Pitting the Mötley Crüe-esque contagion of Mr. Cold against the djenty bite of The Killing I is no mean feat, swiftly cast aside by the emotional melodic metalcore of As One We Survive while the power metal The Gift Of Silence towers overhead. ‘What good is this land if one day it’s all gone?’ cries the gothic Blood As My Guide before the death metal Dust To Dust flips proceedings into the blackened A Devil Made Me Do It. With frontwoman Vicky Psarakis showcasing her stellar, versatile chops surrounded by phenomenal guitar solos throughout, Orphans proves no metal strain is safe from The Agonist.
FOR FANS OF: In This Moment, Lacuna Coil, Epica
ALI COOPER
ASTROSAUR
Obscuroscope
PELAGIC
Nordic stoner rockers take the high, and the low road
Combining fuggy, stoner vibes with nerve-jangling virtuosity, Norway’s Astrosaur definitely earn their name, managing to play knuckle-dragging primitivism off against stargazing future vision. Guitar heroics jounce up against walls of fuzzed-out riffs while tempos shift and drums clatter away – all of which suggests is the product of three supremely talented musos who have as much love for Kyuss as they do for Miles Davis. If there’s – do you offer up some sweaty headbanging or a bout of thoughtful chin-stroking followed by polite applause? We’re sure we’ll figure it out, but either way the band are due some considerable kudos.
