Rapid Fire Reviews: Persekutor

Persekutor is a nasty band from Romania. They’ve been around for a decade and their upcoming album, Snow Business, will be unleashed upon the world on June 23^rd via Blues Funeral Recordings. They classify themselves mainly as an ice metal band—a term I had never heard of before. There are so many subgenres of metal these days that I’ve lost track long ago of all the newer categories. Persekutor also falls partially under black metal and sleaze metal, among other genres, which I think are accurate. Readers of this blog know that I don’t discuss or review black metal bands/albums, but Snow Business doesn’t feel like typical black metal to me, so I was good with it.

Man, this album is a ton of fun! The highlights for me are “Suck City” which has echoes of vintage ‘70s KISS, “Polar Trauma” and “Thundersnow” which channel ‘80s NWOBHM. The first single, “Night Job”, is what really caught my attention. You owe it to yourself to at least check out the videoclip for it—it’s ten shades of awesome. You’ll find yourself humming this song all day. It’s definitely my fave track of the LP. “Brain Freeze” is another kick-ass tune; it was featured in the horror flick Christmas Bloody Christmas last year. The title track and second single, “Snow Business”, is a love letter to cocaine, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Alice Cooper, and Ace Frehley. It’s another song that’ll stick with you long after the LP’s done spinning.

Snow Business is chock-full of splendid guitar riffs, licks, and solos, throbbing basslines backed by pulsating drum beats and fills. Persekutor’s ringleader, Vlad the Inhaler, sings with a rough, gravely voice reminiscent of AC/DC’s Brian Johnson and Motorhead’s Lemmy. He has a commanding presence and his persona with mask and shades evokes a more perverse version of Megadeth’s Vic Rattlehead. Snow Business is a powdery blast from top to bottom. This is a superb set of frosty, sleazy, and catchy tunes. Persekutor wear their influences on their sleeves and fans of Venom, Motorhead, early Ozzy, and old school metal in general will get a huge kick out of this infinitely replayable record.

Persekutor on Bandcamp: https://totalpersekution.bandcamp.com/album/snow-business 

Musings: Big Red Fire Truck - Trouble in Paradise

Big Red Fire Truck is a quartet from Sydney, Australia and listening to their upcoming new EP, Trouble in Paradise, you’d swear they were based in L.A. or Miami. Formed in 2016, this is the band’s second EP, following 2019’s self-titled EP. Their sound harkens back to the classic rock and hard rock sound of the ‘80s updated for today’s new generation of listeners.

Opening with a wonderful synthwave-inspired instrumental, “Neon Sunsets”, you know you’re in for a trip down memory lane. The title track follows, a catchy summer anthem reminiscent of ‘80s-era Van Halen and Aerosmith with a dash of Bon Jovi thrown in for good measure. “Love Bite” has nothing to do with Def Leppard’s “Love Bites”, but is more of a rocking tune that feels closer to Warrant’s heyday. I love the wordplay of “Psychotropic Thunder”, a darker song that’s fun to sing along to, infused with ‘80s nostalgia. “Miami Skies” is an earworm and a definite highlight of the EP that’s chock-full of energy. The final track, “Hot Summer Nights”, is a sun-drenched, vintage soft rock tune with echoes of Loverboy and the glory days of arena rock. It’s one of my favourites of the EP.

Trouble in Paradise is a fantastic EP! This is a case where you can absolutely judge the product by its cover. It’s a great throwback to simpler times and a carefree era while bringing a refreshing take on the beloved hard rock genre of the ‘80s. If you long for the days of Top 40 rock radio with catchy choruses and addictive rhythms, then Big Red Fire Truck has the cure for you. For my part, this 22-minute EP will be on heavy rotation all summer long and beyond! Release date on Bandcamp is July 1^st but the press release I have says August 4^th, so keep an eye out and add it to your Wishlist.

Big Red Fire Truck on Bandcamp: https://bigredfiretruck.bandcamp.com/album/trouble-in-paradise 

Rapid Fire Reviews: The Hi-Tops

The Hi-Tops is a band from Calgary, Alberta in Canada. Their sophomore EP is titled Characters and features six fun alt-rock tunes. The quartet’s EP is released via Sodeh Records, a local Montreal label, and I’m always happy to promote quality Canuck talent, especially when it’s from a label in my neck of the woods. Characters is a collection of songs that reflect the band's experiences living under the same roof during their first year together.

Every song has a different flavour, starting with “Shivers”, a cool alternative tune which reminds me a bit of the band Offspring, particularly because of the vocals. “Change of the Season” is more solemn, more of a rock number, and a highlight of the EP. “Peaches and Cream”, the current single, is catchy as hell with its semi-pop hooks and is easily my fave track of the EP. “Criminal” and “Pretender” are both kick-ass songs before the last track, “Old Enough”, a slower, more mellow jam that is a bit of a contemplative song.

The Hi-Tops show a lot of promise with this new EP. Full of infectious grooves that are perfect for those summer drives with the windows down. Alternative, hard rock, and even pop fans will find something to their liking here. Characters was supposed to have been released on May 12^th but I don’t see it on their Bandcamp page yet. I guess it’s just a matter of time before it becomes available. In the meantime, you can listen to it on Spotify at the link below.

The Hi-Tops on Bandcamp: https://thehi-tops.bandcamp.com/

The Hi-Tops on Spotify 

Audiobook Showcase: Savage Realms Monthly #7 & 18

Sword & Sorcery fans rejoice: Savage Realms Monthly returns with not one but two new audiobooks! Catching up with the old print/Kindle issues, we get Book 7 from October 2021 as well as the recently published, February 2023 issue, Book 18. Let’s dig in, shall we?

Book 7 features three stories and runs at a little over two and a half hours. It marks the return of the popular Redgar and Natali stories from Willard Black. This month’s tale is Halloween-centric (to coincide with its October release) and is titled “Death in Darkness.” This one is more action-packed than usual and has our duo facing werebeasts this time around. I had a blast with it and continue to look forward to the next installment in this ongoing series. Next up is Richard L. Rubin’s “Duel at Dragonspoint Valley”, which sees a mercenary by the name of Shreve going up against trolls and other creatures to steal an amulet. It’s got Conan vibes and is an engaging tale from beginning to end. The third and final yarn is titled “Royally Screwed” by Morgan Kane. It’s a humorous story that fans of Terry Pratchett are bound to enjoy. It features a duo of adventurers, Scar and Cyril (along with a talking skull) on a quest to rescue a princess. This is my favourite of the bunch—yes, I liked it even more than the Redgar tale!

Book 18 delivers another trio of tales and runs at about an hour and forty-five minutes. First up, Richard L. Rubin’s “The Sorcerer’s Tower” sees his mercenary Shreve from book 7 return. This time he’s hired by a wizard to steal a sorcerer’s bane and is given a powerful sword to do the deed. I enjoyed this story even more than the previous one and am happy to say that we now have two fun ongoing series we can follow in the pages of SRM. “In the Ruins of Carath-Narr” by L.T. Adams tells the tale of a group of adventurers on a mission to slay a beast. This was a really fun story and it definitely had Dungeons & Dragons vibes. Last but not least, Pedro Iniguez’s “Urak, The Terror” is about a necromancer by the name of Eneko who faces a cult of Kraken worshippers. How can you go wrong with a premise like this? Probably my favourite of the three stories. It channeled H.P. Lovecraft at times with its echoes of “Dagon”, one of my all-time fave Lovecraft tales.

Moose Matson is our ever-reliable narrator once again. He narrates the stories with aplomb as usual. He goes all-out for “Royally Screwed”, injecting life into the various characters and using a wide palette of voices for the occasion. His pacing, enunciation, and portrayal of the cast of rogues and heroes found within these stories only raise their enjoyment. He clearly has a lot of fun reading these tales for us. There is a gap of 11 issues between Book 7 and Book 18, but the quality hasn’t gone down a single bit. Both books are awesome and get a perfect score from me. I look forward to Books 8 and 19 in the very near future. As usual, even if there are returning characters/series, no previous knowledge is required to enjoy these tales, so you can pick up any issue of Savage Realms and join the fun.

Rating: Five stars out of five

Get Book 7 on Audible

Get Book 18 on Audible 

Audiobook Showcase: James Bond - On His Majesty’s Secret Service

I’ve been a James Bond fan since the tender age of seven when my dad took me to the theatre to watch For Your Eyes Only in 1981. My favourite Bond actor has changed over the years, going from Roger Moore to Sean Connery to Daniel Craig. But I honestly love every iteration of Bond on the screen. I’ve only read a handful of Ian Fleming’s original novels but have enjoyed them greatly. Outside of Fleming’s Bond novels though, I’ve only read 2018’s Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz. I liked it but wasn’t thrilled with it. Fast-forward to May 4^th, 2023 and seemingly out of nowhere, a new, short Bond novel is published to coincide with King Charles’s Coronation titled On His Majesty’s Secret Service penned by Charlie Higson. It also celebrates the 60^th anniversary of Fleming’s tenth Bond novel, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The audiobook is narrated by the author.

Here is the book’s official synopsis: “It is the 4th of May, two days before the Coronation of King Charles III and the world’s favourite spy has his work cut out for him. Bond is sent at the last minute to thwart an attempt to disrupt the Coronation by the wealthy, eccentric and self-styled Athelstan of Wessex, who is on a deadly mission of his own to teach the United Kingdom a lesson. Can Bond dismantle his shady plans and defeat his privately hired team of mercenaries?

Charlie Higson returns with a brand-new Bond adventure. On His Majesty’s Secret Service celebrates the Coronation of King III Charles and will be published on Thursday 4 May ahead of the Coronation on Saturday 6 May–60 years after the publication of Ian Fleming’s tenth novel, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, in 1963. Ian Fleming Publications and the author, Charlie Higson, are donating all royalties from print, audio and ebooks to the National Literacy Trust.”

Author Charlie Higson is no stranger to James Bond. He’s written five books in the Young Bond series which features James Bond in his teenage years. When Higson was approached by Ian Fleming Publications with the concept of writing a Bond story around the theme of the Coronation, he was given only a few months to deliver a manuscript, which explains the short length of the book, running at 4 hours and 25 minutes and about 175 pages in print.

The plot of On His Majesty’s Secret Service moves at a brisk pace and Higson’s Bond feels like a good mix of Fleming’s original character and a more modern incarnation quite different than that of Daniel Craig’s portrayal on screen. It deals with a lot of timely issues such as today’s political stakes and Wokism. Some readers might be turned off by that, but I found it felt organic within the story and pertinent without ever beating you over the head to make its point. The baddies are despicable and give off a megalomaniac vibe akin to classic Bond villains. There are a few memorable lines throughout the book, but the one that stayed with me the most is “Headphones, testosterone, Toblerone.” I won’t go into details, but you’ll get it if and when you read/listen to it. The third act is action-packed and full of twists with a satisfying ending. Charlie Higson does a very competent job reading his own book. It’s often a double-edged sword having an author read his own work; sometimes they lack the talent and the voice to deliver a compelling reading. Not so with this one. Higson reads at a good pace, enunciates clearly, and excels at mimicking French and South African accents. It’s also fitting to have an English author narrate a James Bond story.

On His Majesty’s Secret Service is an easy read/listen and while it doesn’t reinvent the wheel in terms of James Bond yarns, it does what it intends to do. Considering that Higson only had a couple of months to pen this book, I think he did a bang-up job and I’m happy that it exists in the Bond canon. While I’m more a fan of Bond stories set in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, I did enjoy this “gimmick” type of tale more than I thought I would. In any case, it was much more entertaining that the subpar final Craig Bond film, No Time to Die. I’d love to read more Bond stories, especially a full-length novel, from Higson in the future. If you’re a Bond fan from any era, I highly recommend picking up this audiobook or hardcover book. James Bond turns 70 this year and this is a great way to celebrate.

Rating: Four stars out of five

Get your copy on Audible 

Musings: Grave Disgrace – Visions of Tomorrow

Grave Disgrace is a special band and it’s always cause for celebration when they release a new album. They’re right up there along with HAZEMAZE, Las Cruces, Altareth, and Eye of Doom as my absolute favourite Doom acts. Three years have elapsed since their last LP, the phenomenal Rest in Peace. The band’s already been around for a dozen years and I feel like they are still Doom’s best kept secret—not enough people know or are talking about them. The power trio from the Russian Federation released Visions of Tomorrow last weekend and it’s bound to become a modern-day Doom rock classic.

“Prologue” gets the dark ceremony going, an aptly titled instrumental running a little over two minutes in length. Then the first single, the gloomy “Living Dead”, hits us with a strong communion at the church of Sabbath. Alexey Uvarov’s vocals sound eerily similar to Ozzy’s early days in Sabbath and it helps to set the mood of the record. “Blind Death” follows, a slower-paced gem, equally Sabbath-inspired. The hypnotic riff will put you under its doomy spell. At nearly ten minutes long, it’s the longest track of the LP. “Razors and Blades”, the centerpiece, is thick, heavy and a highlight of this album. It paints the gloomiest of atmospheres. The title track is next, and it is pure awesomeness. It’s got a cool, groovy riff. “Coffins in Blood” brings the curtain down in a sludgy, massively crushing way. The killer guitar lays us to rest in our bloody coffins.

The three-year gap between albums hasn’t fazed Grave Disgrace even in the slightest. With Visions of Tomorrow, they deliver another masterclass in what Doom music should sound and feel like. Six tracks for 45 minutes of grim melodies. It’s a perfect LP for a cold, rainy day. Come October, it’ll be an ideal soundtrack for the fall season with its grey skies and shorter days. Visions of Tomorrow is simply the best Doom record of 2023 so far and it remains to be seen if any other band will surpass it. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait another three years for Grave Disgrace’s next somber outing.

Grave Disgrace on Bandcamp: https://gravedisgrace.bandcamp.com/album/visions-of-tomorrow

May Bandcamp Friday Be with You

Bandcamp Friday returns to ring in the lovely month of May! You know the drill: Bandcamp waives its revenue share and all the money goes directly to the artists and labels for a full 24 hours. As is tradition, here are my Top Five Eight picks (‘cause five just wasn’t enough this month) to help you find some great music for the occasion.

First off, hot off the press, legendary NWOBHM band Tygers of Pan Tang returns with a blistering 13^th studio album, Bloodlines. They truly age like a fine wine! This is one of their best in years and will satisfy long-time fans of the band. You can grab it here.

Second, speaking of legends, Overkill released an Album of the Year candidate on April 14^th with their 20^th LP, Scorched. You can read my thoughts on it here and pick up this gem over here.

Third, one of my favourite doom bands of recent years, Grave Disgrace, released their latest LP last weekend, Visions of Tomorrow. It’s a gloomy affair that you simply must own! I’ll have a Musings column on it this weekend, meanwhile you can take it for a spin right here.

Fourth, one of my fave releases of the year so far, old school metal band Skinher released their phenomenal first album, Heartstruck, a couple of weeks ago. It’s got melodies and hooks for days! Read my Musings on it here and pick up this bad boy over here.

Fifth, Lawrence, Kansas’ They Watch Us from the Moon (TWUFTM) will unleash their debut LP, the heavy psych space opera Cosmic Chronicles, Act I: The Ascension, next week on May 12^th. It’s a blast from beginning to end! You can read my thoughts on it here and pre-order it over here.

Sixth, Tennessee’s operatic doom metal band Oryad will unleash their debut LP, Sacred & Profane, on May 25^th. It’s a beautifully diverse album that is worthy of your time and money. You can read my thoughts on it here and pre-order it over here.

Seventh, Canadian heavy rock trio Tumble release their two-song debut EP today, Lady Cadaver. The title song is paired with a terrific instrumental titled “The Plague.” The retro rock band caught the attention of Ian Blurton who recorded, mixed, and co-produced the EP. Fans of Blue Cheer and Budgie will really dig this. Check it out right here.

Eighth and final, Swedish instrumental post-metal duo Dimwind released a superb album a couple of weeks ago titled The Futility of Breathing. The band’s 2^nd LP explores the theme of grief after losing a loved one. You can experience a gamut of emotions by listening to it right here.

Bandcamp Friday will be going AWOL for the months of June and July. I usually do my version of it, Harbinger Friday, where I do a roundup on the first Friday of the month to showcase my Top Five albums but this summer, I’ll also be taking some time off so, no Harbinger Friday. I’ll be back for the next Bandcamp Friday on August 4^th. Until then, tune in for lots of Rapid Fire Reviews, Musings, Audiobook Showcases, Sword & Sorcery ramblings, the odd interview with a band, and some articles along the way. And don’t forget to support those hard-working bands and labels who provide us with a soundtrack for our lives. Enjoy the tunes! 

Rapid Fire Reviews: Roseneath

Time for another round of Rapid Fire Reviews! This time we focus on Roseneath’s debut LP, Nowhere Safe, an excellent follow-up to last year’s EP Shine. The Richmond, VA alternative/shoegaze duo delivers another ‘90s grunge-influenced record. It’s a well-crafted collection of 10 tunes that run for 38 minutes.

We can clearly hear influences from Nirvana, The Pumpkins, and echoes of Third Eye Blind in there. For some reason, the album reminded me of the movie Can’t Hardly Wait, a favourite of mine. Some of the songs found on Nowhere Safe would’ve been right at home on that movie’s soundtrack. Highlights for me include one of the two singles, “Free Fall”, the superb “Burned to Black”, the synth-layered “Over It”, and the catchy “Spill.” This album is a breath of fresh air and the nostalgia factor is high. If you miss the ‘90s and the alternative music output of that decade, then Nowhere Safe should hit the mark for you. Pre-order it to get two songs now—the album comes out on June 16^th.

Roseneath on Bandcamp: https://roseneath.bandcamp.com/music 

Rapid Fire Reviews: They Watch Us from the Moon

May is here! I’m currently swamped with submissions for reviews/Musings. I can’t cover it all, so I came up with the idea of doing shorter, Rapid Fire Reviews for a good number of albums that land in my inbox. They’ll be concise and to-the-point. I’ll still have the Musings columns going, but it’ll be less frequent and reserved for albums that completely blew me away. There’s also the fact that towards the end of May until late August, I’ll be devoting less time to the blog for the duration of the summer. I have a lot on my plate and I want to spend more time focusing on writing fiction and completing my ongoing Sword & Sorcery short stories. Have no fear, you’ll still get a couple of Audiobook Showcases, a handful of Musings throughout the summer, special articles here and there, and this new feature, Rapid Fire Reviews (RFR), from time to time to shine the spotlight on some cool new music. So, without further ado, let us begin with our first band to get the RFR treatment.

They Watch Us from the Moon is a mouthful for a band name, but they are definitely worth your time. Their debut album, Cosmic Chronicles, Act I: The Ascension, is an epic, psychedelic, spacey affair. The two highlights of the LP for me were the opener, “On the Fields of the Moon”, and the fourth track, “Creeper AD.” The first song is a stellar track with the twin vocal assault of the two lead gals: Luna Nemesis and Nova 101001. “Creeper”, which runs over 10 minutes, is largely instrumental and features superb guitar playing. Those two songs stood out, but the rest of the LP is pretty awesome.

Cosmic Chronicles is composed of five melodic sci-fi vignettes covering a gamut of genres of music for a solid runtime of 44 minutes. The haunting vocals mixed with the skillset of the musicians make for a remarkable sonic experience, blending classic elements of prog with modern doom at times. The space opera theme they’ve got going is seamless throughout and only adds to the proceedings. When the album lands in our galaxy on May 12^th, take them for a spin, you’ll be out of this world!

They Watch Us from the Moon on Bandcamp: https://theywatchusfromthemoon.bandcamp.com/music