Review: Baron Carta – Shards of Black

Metal powerhouse trio Baron Carta is the brainchild of guitarist/bassist/songwriter Jono Bacon. It features Primal Fear frontman Ralf Scheepers and Pyramaze and Anubis Gate drummer Morten Gade Sørensen. Shards of Black is the band’s third EP and it will be released on June 29th. It explores themes of war, exploration, and humanity itself.

Buckle up and get ready for a sonic metal ride through five melodic and crushing tracks. “Relanar” takes off in true metal fashion with relentless vocals and riffs galore. It really sets the tone for the EP. “Lethality”, the first single, is a killer track with a guitar solo that harkens back to the heyday of traditional metal and NWOBHM. It made my ears smile and I dig it a lot. “Althustan’s Pharaoh” is almost hypnotic with its pounding bass and unrelenting drums. “Ceasefire” is a solid tune but the weakest song of the EP in my opinion. “Act 3: Purged” is an epic, intricate 7-minute masterpiece. It shows the band’s skills on all fronts from musicianship to lyricists and takes the listener through a roller coaster of emotions, ranging from gentle to all-out fiery. By the way, if you’re looking for Acts 1 & 2, you can find them on the band’s two previous EPs, Step into the Plague (2021) and In a Concrete Room (2021) respectively. They are equally impressive.

Baron Carta is undoubtedly a band to keep an eye on. Shards of Black is an ambitious EP that really whets our appetite for a full-length record. I think the band has honed their craft sufficiently and are ready for the big time and for a 9 or 10 song album at this point. Whenever they’ll make the leap, I’d love to hear it! If you’re into traditional metal, NWOBHM, melodic metal and/or if you enjoy big riffs, catchy choruses, killer guitar solos, then Shards of Black will satisfy you plenty.

Baron Carta’s Official Website

Baron Carta on Spotify and Apple Music: https://listen.baroncarta.com/shardsofblack/lethality-presave 

Review: Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate – The Confidence Trick

Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate is a duo, sometimes trio, based in London, UK. They merge a number of genres from prog/alt rock to ambient, minimalist, classical to funk and even metal. Malcolm Galloway handles vocals, lead guitar, keyboards/synths and programming. Mark Gatland is on bass, additional and slide guitars, keyboards/synths, Chapman Stick, and backing vocals. Kathryn Thomas joins them on select songs playing the flute and doing background vocals. The Confidence Trick is their sixth album and it’s a collection of songs with an overall theme of cognitive errors and our repeated failure to learn from history. It will be out on July 15th.

I consider myself a progressive rock fan to a degree. While there are some bands that I adore like Pink Floyd and Yes, and I do enjoy some of Genesis’s output, for the large part, I don’t seem to appreciate what fans love so much about this genre of music. The endless instrumental parts common to prog rock sometimes leave me scratching my head as to what is so great about them. For instance, Yes’s Tales from Topographic Oceans is an album that I can only listen to once in a blue moon. And I could never get into Genesis’s The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. For the record, my fave Yes album is Going for the One, as for Genesis, it’s Selling England by the Pound. And while I love almost everything Pink Floyd has done since Dark Side of the Moon (save for The Final Cut), I’m not too keen on what preceded it. All this to say that while I understand the craftsmanship of prog rock musicians, it isn’t always my cup of tea. A lot of The Confidence Trick falls under that umbrella for me.

“Silence is a Statement” is a great opener and Kathryn Thomas’s flute really enhances its follow-up, “Back Where I Started.” “End of the Line” is a quieter song and definitely one of the highlights of the album. “Perky Pat” is an instrumental and for me, it overstayed its welcome and I found most of its six-minute length to be quite repetitive. “World War Terminus” is a solid tune with a timely commentary on the state of the world. “Pretending to Breathe” is another instrumental, a more minimalist and meditative track that I found used its lengthy runtime much better than the previous one. “Another Plague” is another lengthy piece with a perfect harmony of guitars and piano with great social commentary. Definitely one of my favourite tracks on this record. “Refuge” runs a little over ten minutes and falls more into the classical/orchestral category rather than prog rock and would fit well in a movie. It’s a beauty and doesn’t feel its length. “Interlude” is an aptly-titled instrumental that isn’t bad, but feels like it could’ve been left out of the record. “The Confidence Trick” is the mostly instrumental title track and it’s a terrific composition. “Lava Lamprey” is the last instrumental of the album and to me felt similar to “Perky Pat” in its repetitive structure. “All Empires Fall” is a proggy song with great rhythms and kind of a rap woven into it and I really dug it. “Cygnus” is the 13th and final song and feels like an epilogue to a musical of sorts.

Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate’s The Confidence Trick is an overall pretty solid album. In my opinion, it suffers at times from overly long pieces, but then again, in true prog rock fashion, this is bound to be part of the attraction for prog rock aficionados. In an era of short-attention span, its hour and nine-minute length might feel excessively long to the casual prog dabbler, but will no doubt rejoice hardcore prog/alt rock listeners. In terms of musicianship and songwriting, this band is at the top of their game. The Confidence Trick comes recommended mainly to fans of classic progressive rock and instrumental music enthusiasts in general.

Hats Off Gentlemen on Bandcamp: https://hatsoffgentlemen.bandcamp.com/album/the-confidence-trick 

Review: KISS - Off the Soundboard - Live in Donington 1996

KISS returns with another Off the Soundboard release. This third volume sees the band absolutely destroying Donington back in August of 1996 for the Alive Worldwide/Reunion Tour. By now, if you’ve followed this blog even a little bit, you’re aware of my love for KISS. I’ve seen them many times in concert over the years and the Reunion Tour was very special. It saw the band reenergized, playing classic songs that had been absent from their setlists for over a decade. Every song on this double CD/triple vinyl set is from the classic makeup era and dates prior to 1977. This show might as well have taken place during their Alive II tour back when they were at the top of their game. Make no mistake though, this Donington concert is a showcase of KISS in rare form during the short period of time when the magic was back among the original lineup.

Here is the official tracklist:

Disc 1:

1. Deuce

2. King of the Night Time World

3. Do You Love Me?

4. Calling Dr. Love

5. Cold Gin

6. Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll

7. Shout It Out Loud

8. Watchin' You

9. Firehouse

10. Shock Me/Guitar Solo

Disc 2:

1. Strutter

2. God of Thunder

3. Love Gun

4. 100,000 Years

5. Black Diamond

6. Detroit Rock City

7. Rock and Roll All Nite

I won’t do a track by track rundown. If you’ve read this far, you know the songs and all I’ll say is that there isn’t a dud on this live set. It’s a superb setlist covering the key ‘70s albums from KISS to Love Gun. It’s awesome to get a full show from the Reunion Tour on vinyl and CD at last. The mix is clear, a little bass-heavy at times, but it feels quite balanced for the most part. Paul Stanley’s vocals are powerful throughout, Ace Frehley does wonders on guitar and we’re treated to one of his flashy solos on “Shock Me”, Gene Simmons does a great job on bass and sharing vocal duties, while Peter Criss sounds terrific on drums.

This is the best of the three Off the Soundboard albums this far, topping even the Tokyo 2001 set which I found to be phenomenal. Donington is a near-perfect show that features KISS at the height of their powers. Even if you’re just a casual KISS fan, this is a must-have album. If you’re new to the band and want to get only one album from KISS, I’d advise spending your hard-earned cash on this one. The song selection is amazing and KISS in their prime live is the best way to experience the hottest band in the world. It was just announced that the next volume in the series would be going back to 1977 for a show in Des Moines, Iowa. I couldn’t be more thrilled! The setlist is similar to this release but it’ll focus on the quartet when they were much younger, playing raw, fast and furious rock ‘n’ roll. It’s an exciting time to be a KISS fan!

KISS – Off the Soundboard Live in Donington at the KISS Shop 

Review: Sorcery - Stunt Rock Soundtrack

Sorcery is a hard rock/heavy metal band from sunny Los Angeles, California that was formed in 1975. Back in the day, they used a pretty cool and elaborate gimmick when they played live: They had two professional magicians who used magic illusions on stage while battling each other as Merlin and Satan. This was a band who put on very visual and theatrical shows in the same vein as KISS and Alice Cooper. Sorcery didn’t rely solely on the strength of their intricate visuals, no sir! These guys came on the scene with a stunning debut album that served as the soundtrack to a 1978 mockumentary musical/action film titled Stunt Rock. It was made as a showcase for Australian stuntman Grant Page and the band got to perform a handful of the soundtrack’s songs in the film. You can watch the whole movie in HD for free on YouTube and it’s actually a lot of fun. Heavy rock label RidingEasy Records has just reissued the original Stunt Rock soundtrack as a digital release and a vinyl release will follow in early 2023.

How had I never heard of this band before? Until about two months ago when RidingEasy Records announced this release, I had no clue who Sorcery were. I consider myself quite knowledgeable when it comes to ‘70s and ‘80s rock/metal and for whatever reason, this band (and movie, for that matter) fell through the cracks and I never stumbled across their music. Let me just preface this review by saying that after many listens, this album is truly one of the best rock albums of the ‘70s. And that’s not recency bias talking, it’s really a phenomenal record. The best way to describe Sorcery is a perfect combination of everything that is great about KISS, Led Zep, Judas Priest, Alice Cooper and even Twisted Sister. Lead singer Greg Magie sounds like Rush’s Geddy Lee (in his early days) at times. What’s not to like? And, man, these guys can play! Why isn’t this band more well-known? The rest of their discography isn’t on par with their debut from what I’ve sampled on YouTube, but they should at least have left a strong impression with Stunt Rock for it to transcend the decades. Anyhow, the important thing is that this album is now getting a second wind and hopefully it finally gets the spotlight it deserves.

The album opener is a total banger, classic rock in the tradition of Led Zep’s “Rock and Roll”. It’s followed by “Wizard’s Council”, one of my absolute favorite tracks on the record. It’s an addictive occult rock tune that stays stuck in your head. “Talking to the Devil” is reminiscent of Alice Cooper’s heyday—rollicking rock ‘n’ roll with a killer guitar solo. “Burned Alive” is another occult rock gem and a fun sing-along tune. “Book of Magic” has rhythm for days and another great guitar solo. “Stuntrocker” is a Zeppelinesque title track of sorts and could as well have been something Twisted Sister would have put out in the early ‘80s. “Mark of the Beast” is definitely in my top three songs from Stunt Rock; a bass-driven, KISS-sounding track. “The Bird Song” is a nice departure from the rest of the rockers, a more gentle, acoustic number showing that the band can do it all. “Wicked City” is a cool rocker with a catchy chorus and just an all-around terrific song. “Woman” is an organ-driven, soulful rock tune channelling Deep Purple with Robert Plant-inspired vocals. “Power Mad” closes the 11-song set and it might just be my favorite song of the album. It’s a perfect example of what classic ‘70s rock is. If I were to pick one track to introduce someone to Sorcery, it’d be this one.

Sorcery’s Stunt Rock soundtrack has infinite replay value. It’s a shame it isn’t already recognized as a must-have ‘70s classic rock album. Who knows, maybe this reissue will introduce a whole new generation (and old farts like me) to the magic of this band and give it its proper place in the pantheon of rock. The band is back together and signed with RidingEasy Records and will be going on tour shortly. Here’s hoping we get a new album from them. In the meantime, pick up Stunt Rock as this is truly a special record, folks. If you missed it in 1978, now’s your chance to give it a spin and I guarantee you won’t be able to stop yourself from playing it again and again.

Sorcery on Bandcamp: https://sorcerystuntrock.bandcamp.com/album/stunt-rock-soundtrack 

Review: Indus Valley Kings - Origin

Long Island, New York metal/stoner/grunge trio Indus Valley Kings return with their sophomore album, Origin. Their self-titled debut wound up on my year-end list last year and this new record will undoubtedly achieve the same fate. The band has shown a great deal of evolution in their sound and lyric writing, even surpassing the expectations I had for this brilliant follow-up.

Origin pulls no punches and opens with “Clown”, a song about serial killer John Wayne Gacy referring to his alter-ego of Pogo the Clown. The intricate first single “…And the Dead Shall Rise” is an instant classic, featuring an awesome videoclip that pays homage to zombie movies—mainly Romero’s classic NOTLD. “A Cold Wind” is a slower-paced entrancing track that turns into an impressive jam session that really allows the band to showcase their talents. “Hell to Pay” shakes things up a bit and has bassist Jonathan Lesley Habers taking over vocal duties from singer/guitarist Billy Fridrich. It’s a catchy tune with a grungy vibe. The epic-length “Dark Side of the Sun”, running at nearly nine minutes, is certainly a highlight of the album and runner-up as one of my favorite songs from the band period. Mostly instrumental, it’s poetic and melodically fuzzy. “Mohenjo Daro” is a terrific instrumental track which refers to the archaeological site in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The aptly-titled “Demon Beast” sees the return of Habers on vocals and reminded me of their excellent song “Devil” off of their first record. “Drowned” is a rallying song with cool tempo changes, filled with scorching guitars, a throbbing bassline and relentless percussion. “Sky King” is an infectious, kick-ass, near-instrumental that closes out the nine-song set leaving you to hum the song long after the record stops spinning. Definitely in my top 3 favorites on the album.

Origin puts the trio’s superb musicianship on full display. The band has grown, plays tighter than they did on their first effort, and deliver an all-around more polished and fine-tuned record. Origin shows absolutely zero sign of sophomore slump, instead it shines on all levels. As with their eponymous debut, Origin will be a permanent staple on my metal/doom/stoner playlist and it should undeniably make it to yours. Pick up this gem of an album and let the Kings take you on a trip you’ll want to retake over and over.

Indus Valley Kings on Bandcamp: https://indusvalleykings.bandcamp.com/album/origin 

Audiobook Showcase: Star Wars – Brotherhood

It’s an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan. Disney+ has an abundance of Star Wars-related series, mini-series and projects lined-up (even if they vary in quality from time to time), and us readers have plenty of releases to keep us busy such as comic books, novels, and audiobooks set in the various timelines of the beloved saga.

For the record, I love Star Wars. A New Hope (or just plain Star Wars as it was known back in the day) was the first live-action film I ever saw in theatres as a kid back in 1980 when they released The Empire Strikes Back and it played as a double bill along with the first movie. I became a life-long fan of the franchise. I spent countless hours playing with my Star Wars Kenner toys, I had bed sheets, curtains, plushies, trading cards, comic books, coloring books, 45 RPM storybooks, you name it. Whenever there was a special occasion, I’d receive Star Wars stuff and I’d spend my precious allowance money on Luke, Leia, Han and the gang. A little later I got into the books and I read Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy back in the early ‘90s and loved it.

Since then, dozens upon dozens of novels have been published and when Disney acquired the franchise in 2012, all those books written before that date became non-canonical and now sport the mention “Star Wars Legends.” Every book that’s been written in the Disney era is canon and I must say, for the most part, I haven’t been too thrilled with the offerings thus far. It’s pretty much in line with what’s been going on with the movies. I have a big dislike, to put it mildly, of the entire prequel trilogy. When it comes to the sequel trilogy, I was kind of split. I thought The Force Awakens was decent. I loved the polarizing film that was The Last Jedi, but I hated The Rise of Skywalker and I find it to be the worst of all the Star Wars films. As far as Disney+ goes, I truly loved The Mandalorian, didn’t care for The Clone Wars final season and The Bad Batch (or the short Anime series for that matter) and was highly disappointed by The Book of Boba Fett. The jury’s still out on the Obi-Wan Kenobi mini-series (at the time of writing this, I’ve seen 4 of the 6 episodes and while it does get better in the latter episodes, it took a while to get me interested). Still, I’m always curious and willing to give Star Wars a chance whether it be in the written (or spoken) word format, the big screen or on my TV in the comfort of my living room.

To make a long story short, this is where I stand with Star Wars. When it was first announced that there would be a book taking place between the events of Episodes II and III titled Brotherhood, honestly, I didn’t give a damn. I’ve seldom read stories set in that era of Star Wars, nor is it a period or characters that I care that much about. The author, Mike Chen, wasn’t familiar to me and it simply was not an audiobook I planned on picking up. As pub date grew closer, I started hearing really good things about it and there was a genuine buzz online for it. When the book finally came out, I had a shiny new credit in my Audible account waiting to be spent so I figured, what the hell, why not give it a shot.  

Here’s the book’s official synopsis: “Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker must stem the tide of the raging Clone Wars and forge a new bond as Jedi Knights in a high-stakes adventure set just after the events of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.

The Clone Wars have begun. Battle lines are being drawn throughout the galaxy. With every world that joins the Separatists, the peace guarded by the Jedi Order is slipping through their fingers.

After an explosion devastates Cato Neimoidia, the jewel of the Trade Federation, the Republic is blamed and the fragile neutrality of the planet is threatened. The Jedi dispatch Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the Order’s most gifted diplomatic minds, to investigate the crime and maintain the balance that has begun to dangerously shift. As Obi-Wan investigates with the help of a heroic Neimoidian guard, he finds himself working against the Separatists who hope to draw the planet into their conspiracy—and senses the sinister hand of Asajj Ventress in the mists that cloak the planet.

Amid the brewing chaos, Anakin Skywalker rises to the rank of Jedi Knight. Despite the mandate that Obi-Wan travel alone—and his former master’s insistence that he listen this time—Anakin’s headstrong determination means nothing can stop him from crashing the party, and bringing along a promising but conflicted youngling.

Once a Padawan to Obi-Wan, Anakin now finds himself on equal—but uncertain—footing with the man who raised him. The lingering friction between them increases the danger for everyone around them. The two knights must learn a new way to work together—and they must learn quickly, to save Cato Neimoidia and its people from the fires of war. To overcome the threat they face they must grow beyond master and apprentice. They must stand together as brothers.” Written by Mike Chen, this audiobook is narrated by Jonathan Davis and was released on May 10^th, 2022.

I was more than pleasantly surprised by this book. It finally made me care about Anakin Skywalker! The intersecting plotlines raise the stakes of the following story/movie, Revenge of the Sith. Mike Chen succeeds where George Lucas failed in my opinion with the prequel films in making us care about the new characters he introduced and in telling a compelling story to which we all knew the ending. Brotherhood finds a way to elevate Episode II, and even reinvigorates Episode III. The kinship between Kenobi and Skywalker is so fleshed-out in this book that you really get to see the push and pull of the two characters and how they almost need each other to be whole. Some of the events depicted here also add a lot more impact to the outcome of Revenge of the Sith. Bravo, very well done, Mike Chen! It actually makes me want to watch that movie again, something I haven’t been able to bring myself to do in about a decade. In terms of narration, Jonathan Davis is fantastic as usual and remains my personal favorite reader/voice actor for Star Wars books. I know fans seem to prefer Marc Thompson as a narrator, and while he’s quite good, I find his voicing of female characters lacking and a little cheesy at times.

It’d be interesting to read/listen to another book by Mike Chen bridging the gap this time between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. I’m gonna keep an eye out for Chen’s future Star Wars books. For fans of the prequel trilogy (and I know there’s a whole generation of you out there), this is a no-brainer: get your copy today, you’ll have a blast! If you’re like me and are more on the fence about prequel era books/stories, then I urge you to give Brotherhood a go as I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. It’s a fun, fast-paced, and rewarding read/listen. This new tale in the Star Wars saga gives me hope that there are plenty more great stories to be told in this and the many timelines of the sci-fi/fantasy franchise we hold dear to our hearts.

Rating: Four stars out of five

Get your copy on Audible 

Review: Peth - Merchant of Death

Peth is a doomy rock ‘n’ roll four-piece band from Lago Vista, Texas. In French Demonology, Peth is a demon who punishes kids who fart at the table. He’s basically a fart demon. If that isn’t an original name for a band, I don’t know what is! I stumbled upon this band as a Bandcamp suggestion and man, what a spot-on recommendation it was! The quartet’s debut album, Merchant of Death, was released a couple of weeks ago on Electric Valley Records and it’s been on heavy rotation ever since at my place and on my phone during my commute to work.

Merchant of Death is an absolute blast from beginning to end. The opening cut, “Dwarvenaught”, is like embarking in a time machine to the ‘70s through the glory days of rock ‘n’ roll. “Amok” is an occult-themed old school groove. “Abolish the Overseer”, the album’s first single, is a banger of a song in which the Sabbath-worship is turned up to eleven. “Let Evil In” is a Satan-worship type of tune with a hell of a killer riff. “Stoned Wizard” has an infectious melody with a cool Sabbathian vibe, while “Run the Night” is an awesome cover of the Wicked Lady song from the late ‘60s/early ‘70s. The phenomenal title track, “Merchant of Death”, pays terrific homage to Black Sabbath, even borrowing a few bars from Ozzy and the gang here and there. “Karmic Debt” is an epic-length closer worthy of the classic rock legends that served as inspiration for this record.

You can clearly hear the band’s influences on this outstanding debut record, ranging from classic rock to doom, and even NWOBHM with its Maiden-esque excursions. At times, you could swear this is a long-lost 1972 album you’re listening to. A gem that no one has unearthed until now. One thing is for certain though: Peth is a hell of a fun band to listen to. They’ve crafted a highly addictive first album that will definitely wind up on my year-end best of list, and on countless others I’m sure. Don’t wait any longer, pick up your copy today!

Peth’s Bandcamp page: https://peth.bandcamp.com/album/merchant-of-death

Peth’s Bandcamp page on Electric Valley Records: https://evrecords.bandcamp.com/album/peth-merchant-of-death 

Fear not for the Harbinger is here to sing a tune for June!

If and when Bandcamp Friday takes a leave of absence, Harbinger Friday returns to give you music-buying suggestions so you can still pick up some music on the first Friday of the month and support indie bands. They don’t get all the proceeds as on a regular BC Friday, but it will still help. I had run the first Harbinger Friday earlier this year in January and now it makes its second showing after four consecutive months of Bandcamp Fridays. At the time of writing this, the evening prior, it’s unclear as to whether BC Friday will make an appearance on June 3^rd. So, without further ado, let’s look at some cool music picks, shall we?

First off, released just last Friday, Peth, a killer quartet from Texas released Merchant of Death. This album blew me away and I’ll have a review of it up soon. It feels like it was recorded in 1972 and is a perfect mix of Rock ‘N’ Roll, Doom, and Occult Rock. Released through Italian label Electric Valley Records, get your copy here.

Second, master compilation curator Weedian unleashed the eclectic Trip to Japan on June 1^st with 40 Doom/Stoner/Psych/Sludge bands from the Land of the Rising Sun. I didn’t know what to expect as I’m not familiar with Japanese Doom/Stoner Rock, but I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the bands found on this comp. As usual, it’s a “Name your price” release so you have no excuse not to indulge right here.

Third, hot off the presses and releasing today, what could turn out to be the biggest return of the summer on the Doom front, Las Cruces, with Cosmic Tears through Ripple Music after an absence of over a decade. I’ll let my review of it speak for itself on how I feel about this tremendous album. In the meantime, grab yours here.

Fourth, Indus Valley Kings are back with their sophomore record titled Origin which sees the light of day in five days on June 8^th and judging by the first single, “...And the Dead Shall Rise”, it’ll be one hell of an album. Very much looking forward to spinning the full LP. Pre-order your copy and get the first single instantly.

And fifth on the list, let’s take ourselves back to the magical Rock ‘N’ Roll year 1978 for Sorcery’s debut LP and soundtrack, Stunt Rock, which is being reissued for the first time in ages via RidingEasy Records on June 17^th. Pre-order it over here.

And there you have it, folks. Another first Friday of the month chock-full of awesome music for all tastes. Sit back, grab some cold beers, head over to Bandcamp, support some great bands, and let the music play! Have a terrific weekend and I’ll see you all very soon.