Rapid Fire Reviews: La Chinga

Canuck power trio La Chinga return on October 6^th after a five-year hiatus with their fourth LP, Primal Forces. The Vancouver band has been around since 2011 and they’ve been pretty consistent in putting out great hard rock records. Now signed to the mighty Ripple Music, is Primal Forces a worthy successor to their last LP, 2018’s Beyond the Sky? The answer is a resounding yes.

I honestly wasn’t expecting Primal Forces to be this great. The boys really hit it out of the park with this one. They’ve really come into their own with this album, sounding even tighter than before as a band, thus delivering their most polished record yet. “Light It Up”, the first single, is a very good indication to what you can expect on this LP: a cool, kick-ass hard rock number that takes no prisoners. “Ride the Dragon”, the second single, channels AC/DC at times and is a highlight of the album, featuring a smoking-hot guitar solo. “Bolt of Lightning” is hands-down my favourite track of the LP: a terrific rock n’ roll tune with Zeppelinesque qualities. “Backs to the Wall” and “Witch’s Heart” are bangers with plenty of good riffs. While I find the first side of the record to be the strongest, Side 2 is pretty solid as well, with songs like “The Call” and “Electric Eliminator” delivering the rock goods in spades.

Primal Forces is a thunderous album and easily La Chinga’s best to date. I really appreciate the fact that we get 10 songs instead of the customary 7, 8 or 9 that seems to be the norm for bands nowadays. It makes for a fuller listening experience, in my humble opinion. Primal Forces is a great throwback to the legends of ‘70s and ‘80s hard rock with a generous offering of fresh, balls-to-the-wall rock n’ roll. If you dig electrifying hooks and endless riffs, La Chinga’s got you covered and then some.

Ripple Music’s Bandcamp page for La Chinga: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/primal-forces

La Chinga on Bandcamp: https://lachinga.bandcamp.com/ 

Rapid Fire Reviews: Nebula

Nebula is a stoner/heavy psych power trio that was formed in 1997 by two members from desert rock pioneers Fu Manchu. The band’s been active for the most part, going through a ten-year hiatus between 2009 and 2019, but they’ve released two albums since their return. They’ll be unleashing a new live LP titled Livewired in Europe on October 27^th via Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

Truth be told, Nebula has always sounded a little too stoner/grungy for my taste. I like their music, but I don’t find it’s anything memorable. While I recognize that singer/guitarist Eddie Glass is craftier than most stoner rock guitarists, Nebula just never really got my full attention. Well, they did with the one record in their discography that sounds the most unique to me: Heavy Psych in 2009. I really love that album, it’s by far my favourite Nebula LP. I have to admit that I did enjoy their 2019 comeback record, Holy Shit, more than I thought I would. However, last year’s Transmission from Mothership Earth didn’t really do anything for me apart from a couple of songs I liked. Is this new live album worth listening to? Absolutely. More so for fans of the band, but non-fans as well, I think, will find something to like here. It gives this particular collection of songs a second lease on life and the renditions of the three tracks that represent Transmission from Mothership Earth sound even better than on their studio counterpart, in my humble opinion.

Nebula is legendary among stoner rock music fans and those listeners will love what’s on display here. Fans of live albums like myself will appreciate the craftsmanship of what this very talented band has to offer in a live setting. At times channeling Jimi Hendrix, Alice in Chains, Fu Manchu, and Sleep, Livewired in Europe is a perfect storm of a concert LP. Twelve tracks that span the band’s entire career: a terrific snapshot of how great they sound as live performers. The sound quality is nothing short of stellar and you can clearly hear every bit of the distorted guitar, throbbing bass, and pulse-pounding drums. Put your headphones on, sit back, and get ready for a fuzzy cosmic trip you won’t soon forget.  

Heavy Psych Sounds’ Bandcamp page for Nebula: https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/nebula-livewired-in-europe 

Musings: Titanosaur - Echoes

Titanosaur, Geoff Saavedra’s one-man army band, returns to planet Earth on September 29^th with a crop of 10 songs that will have listeners headbanging the night away. Echoes is Titanosaur’s third LP and he shows no sign of slowing down. Hudson, New York’s prolific multi-talented musician has an instantly recognizable sound, which is no small feat in an era where an ocean of bands and music acts roll out new offerings every Friday.

Echoes opens with the foreboding gothic-tinged “Bring Down the Sun”, a song that sinks its hooks in you and pulls you in for the duration. A stellar track and a highlight of the LP. “Free Your Mind”, a song about clearing one’s head, is a doomier, slower cut that I really dig. The latest single, “The Ghosts Are Calling”, has a fuller drum sound that benefits the song and features a superb guitar solo. “Firestarter”, a fiery track about pyromania follows, and it’s jam-packed with cool riffs. “I’m Still Here” was the LP’s first single and a strong statement from the man himself. An introspective tune that most of us who’ve faced life-changing challenges can relate to one way or another. “The World Is on Fire”, another terrific single, comments on the state of the world of the past couple of decades. Nest up, yet another single, the catchy “What’s Your Pleasure”, this one’ll have you bobbing your head with its cool heavy riff. “So Strange” is a poetic song with a different vibe that I instantly liked. “Dissolve” is loaded with heaviness with its chugging guitar and features another excellent guitar solo as an added bonus. The final track, “In the Echoes”, is all-out metal that’s thicker than molasses with a pounding bassline. Love the flurry of guitars in that one.

Titanosaur is here to stay. Saavedra has already triumphed many times in the face of adversity on a personal level and I’m sure he’ll continue to do so. With his alter-ego Titanosaur by his side who consistently delivers powerful tunes, there’s no stopping him. Echoes elevates this one-man band’s stock to a higher level. Titanosaur is quickly becoming a staple of sludge metal much like AC/DC and Motorhead are predominant purveyors of hard rock. From the distinctive guitar tone to the tough gruff vocals, Echoes is an album with a rich soundscape. If you enjoy your metal thick and thunderous, then take Echoes for a spin, you’re in for a mammoth of a good time.

Titanosaur on Bandcamp: https://titanosaur1.bandcamp.com/ 

Sword & Sorcery Spotlight: September 2023

I thought I’d do a shortened version of Sword & Sorcery Roundup from time to time, starting this month—Sword & Sorcery Spotlight where I’ll focus on a couple of S&S titles that caught my attention or am anticipating for the current month.

What better way to start than to take a look at the recently released Audible version of Savage Realms Monthly Book 20 from May 2023! As usual, we get three Sword & Sorcery tales and author interviews, all narrated with aplomb by Moose Matson. “Crypt of the Night Queen” by Remy Morgeson runs about 28 minutes and is my favourite of the bunch. It concerns a thief named Fex who gets more than he bargained for after meeting a woman in a bar. A fast-paced yarn that is engaging from beginning to end. Next up, “The Spirit of the Steppe” by Carl Brown, clocks in at about 48 minutes. A solid tale from a new author about three youths on a hunt to slay an unnatural beast as a rite of passage to become warriors. We cap things off with “Hag of Bones” by W.E. Wertenberger running at about 51 minutes. It’s a story about a Saxon by the name of Kol and his men who battle the undead and the witch who controls them. I’ll admit that this is the one I liked the least of the three. It just didn’t retain my interest, but it’s a well-written tale that fans of Viking stories will surely enjoy.

The proceedings are conducted by our ever-reliable master of ceremonies, Moose Matson, who always seems to have a blast bringing these tales to life. We even get extra special effects in the form of wenches laughing and voice effects in parts of the stories. It really contributes to making these audiobooks a fully immersive experience and I dig that a lot. As usual, no knowledge of previous issues of SRM is required to enjoy these fantastic tales and you can pick it up as an audiobook or print/kindle at the link below.

Savage Realms Monthly: Book 20

In Conan news, Titan Books and Heroic Signatures will be publishing a new series of Conan the Barbarian short stories, Savage Tales Short Fiction, as well as other characters created by Robert E. Howard such as Solomon Kane and Bran Mak Morn. Its comic book division, Titan Comics, is already red-hot this year with the new Conan the Barbarian series penned by Jim Zub with artist Robert De La Torre, this will only add to the excitement. They will be released monthly on eBook platforms starting September 26^th. Here is the publishing schedule of Savage Tales Short Fiction for the first year:

“Conan: Lord of the Mount” by Stephen Graham Jones – September 26th, 2023

“Conan: Black Starlight” by John C. Hocking – October 17th, 2023

“Solomon Kane: The Hound of God” by Johnathan Maberry – November 28th, 2023

“Conan: The Child” by Brian D. Anderson – December 26th, 2023

“Conan: The Shadow of Vengeance” by Scott Oden – January 30th, 2024

“Belit and the Jade Temple” by V. Castro – February 27th, 2024

“Bran Mak Morn: Red Waves of Slaughter” by Steven L. Shrewsbury – March 26th, 2024

“Conan: Terror from the Abyss” by Henry Herz – April 30th, 2024

“Conan: Lethal Consignment” by Shaun Hamill – May 14th, 2024

“Solomon Kane: The Banquet of Souls” by Steven Savile – June 25th, 2024

“Conan: Bone Whispers” by Michael Stackpole – July 23rd, 2024

“Conan: The Halls of Immortal Darkness” by Laird Barron – August 20th, 2024

“El Borak: The Siege of Lamakan” by James Lovegrove – September 24th, 2024

Here are links to pre-order the first two stories on Amazon:

Conan: Lord of the Mount

Conan: Black Starlight

There you have it, folks! That’s plenty to get excited about. Stay tuned to the blog for more Sword & Sorcery news, heavy metal music articles, and free short fiction from yours truly. 

Musings: H.E.A.T - Extra Force

Sweden’s hard rock/arena rock band H.E.A.T returns with a special album titled Extra Force. A follow-up to last year’s Force Majeure which was the return of the band’s original lead singer, Kenny Leckremo, after frontman Eric Grönwall’s departure for Skid Row. This is a compilation album of sorts, featuring two new tracks, two re-recorded songs previously sung by Grönwall, three singles from Force Majeure, and six songs performed live. There are various versions of the LP out there; CD, vinyl, and digital download with different tracklists. The one I got is the iTunes version which is the most complete one, featuring 13 tracks in all. The major difference from other releases is that the iTunes version includes three tracks from last year’s Force Majeure, so if you already have that LP, the three tracks found here are duplicates of those. Extra Force is designed to serve as an introduction to the band’s music.  

I must confess that I’d heard of the band H.E.A.T for years and had heard their songs here and there, but never took the proper time to dive in and listen to a full album of theirs. It’s only last year when Eric Grönwall became Skid Row’s new singer that I actually went on YouTube to listen to some of their songs. It’s then that I found out that their original singer, Kenny Leckremo, who’d been their vocalist from their inception in 2007 until 2011 when Eric Grönwall replaced him, had returned to H.E.A.T. So, you could say that the band has come full circle. Kenny and Eric are both phenomenal vocalists in their own right, but each of them has a distinctive sound. In any case, the current iteration of H.E.A.T sounds amazing and I really hope I get to see them perform live in the near future.

Here is the tracklist for the iTunes version of the album:

1 - Freedom (New song)

2 - Will You Be (New song)

3 - Rise (Kenny Leckremo Version - Original from H.E.A.T II - 2020)

4 - One by One (Kenny Leckremo Version - Original from H.E.A.T II - 2020)

5 - Back to the Rhythm (from Force Majeure - 2022)

6 - Nationwide (from Force Majeure - 2022)

7 - Hollywood (from Force Majeure - 2022)

8 - Rock Your Body (Live - Original from H.E.A.T II - 2020)

9 - One by One (Live)

10 - Dangerous Ground (Live - Original from H.E.A.T II - 2020)

11 - Back to the Rhythm (Live)

12 - Nationwide (Live)

13 - Living on the Run (Live - Original from Address the Nation - 2012)

“Freedom” is a kick-ass new song, an ‘80s-tinged earworm that instantly hooks you and never lets go. “Will You Be”, the other new track, is a splendid ballad. It’s a shame that bands hardly ever do ballads anymore, apart from vintage bands from the ‘80s that are still around such as Extreme, Winger, and L.A. Guns to name a few, and H.E.A.T of course. “Rise”, an Eric song redone by Kenny, is an anthem. I went back and listened to the original and I prefer Kenny’s version. “One by One”, the other re-recorded version, is a banger of a track. Raise your fist and sing along! It’s a high-energy, infectious song. The next three tracks are singles from Force Majeure starting with “Back to the Rhythm”, a perfect synth-infused rock tune with a catchy chorus. Then it’s on to “Nationwide” and “Hollywood”, two stellar tracks that are instant classics and arena rock at its best. Next, we move on to the live portion of the album. I have a bit of a bone to pick here. Three of the live versions found on Extra Force are songs already included as their studio counterparts. Bands often do this when they add extra live tracks on their EPs/LPs. Why not release songs for which we don’t already have a studio version on the same release? It’s much less interesting to have repeats of one song studio/live than it would be to have a completely different song instead. Especially when the live songs don’t all come from the same performance as is the case here. Anyhow, that’s my two cents.

So, the live tracks begin with “Rock Your Body”, another ‘80s-inspired anthem featuring cool harmonies from the band. By the way, every live performance sounds crystal-clear and could be released as an official live album somewhere down the line. Next up is “One by One”, studio version already included, but this one is slightly longer live and an excellent rendition. “Dangerous Ground” has to be the most metal song of this LP. It’s a great pick to feature it live, especially with the crowd interaction. Next two tracks are “Back to the Rhythm” and “Nationwide”, which if you bought the iTunes version are already included as studio versions. The set ends with “Living on the Run”, which Kenny says is one of his favourite H.E.A.T songs and they kill it live! It’s a great throwback to Bon Jovi, Europe, and ‘80s hair metal in general. The crowd participation in this song is terrific as well.

H.E.A.T is a band that represents the essence of ‘80s arena rock and hair metal. Each musician is gifted and Kenny Leckremo has a tremendous set of pipes. Extra Force is the perfect summer album released just as summer ends, unfortunately. It’s got plenty of catchy riffs and flashy guitar solos to satisfy old school metal fans. It shot right into my Top Five albums of the year so far, it’s that awesome. This is the kind of music I grew up with and that I dearly love. From top to bottom, save for my minor gripes about the live repeats, Extra Force is an outstanding album and a perfect way to get into the band’s music for newcomers. Fans of Europe, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Scorpions, and ‘80s arena rock will go nuts for this record.

H.E.A.T’s Official Website: https://www.heatsweden.com/ 

Short Story Time: The Bypassed Mind

Howdy! It's the first Saturday of the month so it's time for another FREE short story from my archives! This month’s story is one of my most beloved (and one of my very first) short stories that was published as part of the now defunct Amazon Shorts series back in 2007 titled "The Bypassed Mind." This romantic suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure was directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel Bid Time Return also adapted as the film "Somewhere in Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. You can download the free PDF right here.

I'll see you again on October 7^th for another free story. Until then, enjoy "The Bypassed Mind” and visit the links below for the past months’ free tales.

“Breaking and Entering”, the story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing anything, just to see what goes on behind closed doors. One day he’ll stumble upon something that will change his life forever…

“Scapegoat”, a tale about the Curse of the Cubs, the love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of nostalgia. Even if you're not into baseball, this fantasy tale filled with mystery is sure to entertain you.

Last but not least, fans of Conan and Dungeons & Dragons can also download a PDF of the first two tales of the ongoing adventures of my Sword & Sorcery character AMOK right here. 

September Bids Goodbye to Summer and Hello to Bandcamp Friday!

It’s the first Friday of the month, so that means it’s Bandcamp Friday! 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 picks to help you find some great tunes for September.

First off, my Album of the Month for August, French traditional metal quintet Meurtrières’ first LP, Ronde de nuit, came out last week and it’s a spectacular album. Sung in French, it’s an awesome throwback to the days of the NWOBHM. You can read what I had to say about it here and pick it up right here.

Second, on September 22^nd, the mighty Ripple Music will be releasing psychedelic rock quintet Dead Feathers’ sophomore LP, Full Circle. It’s a superb album that is both retro and fresh featuring one of today’s most talented singers. You can read my thoughts on it here and pre-order it right over here.

Third, London heavy metal quintet Imperium are set to release their second EP, When Kings Meet, on September 23^rd. It’s a great slab of raging metal and you can read my thoughts on it here and keep an eye open when the pre-orders go live on Bandcamp right here.

Fourth, Poland’s speed metal quartet Vengeance (AKA Fukkin’ Vengeance) will unleash their debut LP, Sewer Surge, on September 22^nd via the excellent metal boutique label Dying Victims Productions. This is raw, bad-ass metal at its best, folks. You can show the band some love by pre-ordering their album right here.

Fifth and final, the first-ever solo album by Wovenhand and 16 Horsepower singer/songwriter David Eugene Edwards is titled Hyacinth and I declare it to be the most hypnotic album of 2023! A fantastic gothic folk LP reminiscent of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at times. It’ll come out on the 29^th and you can pre-order it right here.

That’s all she wrote, folks! As usual, show your love to the artists and labels who put out so much great music to brighten our lives. Even if it’s just a couple of tunes here and there, your contribution on Bandcamp Friday makes a big difference. Until the next BC Friday, stay tuned to the blog for some cool stuff throughout September.