Musings: Judas Priest - Invincible Shield

The mighty Judas Priest return with their 19^th album, Invincible Shield, after nearly fifty-five years as prime purveyors of metal. The current lineup features Metal God Rob Halford on lead vocals, Glenn Tipton on guitars and keyboards, Richie Faulkner on guitars, Ian Hill on bass, and Scott Travis on drums. Judas Priest fans have been spoiled as of late, what with former Priest axeman K. K. Downing’s band K. K.’s Priest releasing their excellent second LP last year, The Sinner Rides Again, featuring former Priest vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens. Do Halford and company still have the magic metal touch? Read on to find out.

I’ve never been the biggest Judas Priest fan (I was always more of a Maiden man), but have always had tremendous respect for the band and its phenomenal lead singer. I’ve owned a handful of their albums over the years, my favourites being 1990’s Painkiller and 1976’s Sad Wings of Destiny. Priest’s last offering until now was 2018’s solid Firepower which I enjoyed quite a bit. Invincible Shield, in my humble opinion, is a much stronger album. It pays tribute to a plethora of Priest eras, from the late ‘70s through the ‘80s, and continues their evolution into a modern 21^st century sound. From the get-go, the instant classic first single “Panic Attack” with its throwback synth intro, sets the table for a flurry of awesome metal tunes. “The Serpent and the King”, the fourth single, is a banger of a song and rides on the momentum of the LP’s opening track. The most recent single, the title track, is catchy as all hell and is one of the highlights of the record. “Devil in Disguise” is an earworm and one of my favourites. “Gates of Hell” slows the pace down a bit leading to the superb third single, “Crown of Horns”, a power ballad of sorts featuring a lengthy instrumental part. The second half of the album is less commercial but equally strong, starting with the catchy “As God Is My Witness” followed by the second single, “Trial by Fire”, and a couple of outstanding tracks, “Escape from Reality” and the blazing “Sons of Thunder.” “Giants in the Sky”, a splendid homage to the legends of rock and metal who have left us too soon, brings the curtain down. I usually don’t bother with expanded/bonus track editions of albums, but I decided to give it a shot with this one and was well-rewarded. The three bonus tracks are all terrific; “Fight of Your Life” belongs on the standard version of the album as much as any other track, while “Vicious Circle” is a great song, and the last song, “The Lodger”, happens to be one of my favourites of the whole LP, reminding me a lot of the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name.

Invincible Shield, ladies and gents, is a nearly flawless old school metal record from top to bottom. It’s an album about empowerment, about persevering through the hardships of life and celebrating the pure love of heavy metal. It’s no filler, all killer here, no skipping, just enjoying every tune where every song features one or two cool guitar solos. I swear, Rob Halford is the human equivalent of a fine wine. I think I enjoy his vocal prowess even more now than I did twenty years ago. In terms of ranking this bad boy in the grand scheme of things, I’d say it’s easily one of Priest’s top five records. I’ve been playing it non-stop since yesterday morning. Invincible Shield is an easy candidate for my Top Five Albums of the Year thus far. If you’re a Judas Priest fan, an old school metalhead, or just enjoy listening to awesome metal music, Invincible Shield is a no-brainer—you need this LP in your collection!

Judas Priest’s Official Website: https://www.judaspriestinvincibleshield.com/ 

Musings: Bruce Dickinson - The Mandrake Project

Iron Maiden’s legendary frontman Bruce Dickinson returns with his seventh solo album, The Mandrake Project. About nineteen years in the making, the long-awaited concept album was finally released last Friday. Dickinson has gathered a bunch of amazing musicians for this record, led by Roy Z who shares songwriting credits with Bruce as well as handling guitar and bass duties. Is it the masterpiece we were hoping for? Read on to find out how I feel about it.

I waited a while before reviewing this album because I wanted to let the songs sink in a bit. After four spins, I’m pretty sure my feelings about it won’t change too much in the future. It’s an hour long, composed of ten tracks, and upon my first listen, not that I was disappointed but I just didn’t find it all that great. You have to be in a certain mood to really appreciate it, I believe. Already I liked it better on the second listen, and it had really grown on me by the fourth spin. I’ve heard an interview clip of Bruce saying that the LP is divided in two parts; I’d argue you could even split it into three parts. The great thing about this record is that it doesn’t sound like a Maiden album at all, and that’s a good thing. I’m a huge Maiden fan, but if I listen to a Bruce Dickinson record, I want it to sound different than what he does with his regular band. So, don’t look for Steve Harris’s trademark galloping basslines, they are nowhere to be found.

“Afterglow of Ragnarok”, the terrific first single, has got one of the catchiest riffs of the entire record. I love this song and it definitely sets the tone for the album, but the rest of the LP sounds rather different and features a wide range of metal and rock styles. “Many Doors to Hell” is one of the most accessible tracks on the album, a lighter song with a catchy chorus. “Rain on the Graves”, the second single, is one of my absolute favourite songs here. The videoclip for it is ten shades of awesome and you can clearly see that Bruce is having a blast on this track. “Resurrection Men” has a spaghetti western vibe and is a damn good tune. With “Fingers in the Wounds”, I’d say there’s a shift and the atmosphere of the record shifts here, starting the second part of the album. It’s a good, eclectic song with beautiful piano parts. Next up is the much-awaited “Eternity Has Failed”, the track that spawned the Iron Maiden song “If Eternity Should Fail” off of 2015’s The Book of Souls. Bruce played the demo of it for Steve Harris and he loved it so much that he pleaded with Bruce to have it on the next Maiden record. It feels like an alternate version of the now well-known Maiden song. I love both songs; they’re equally strong and I can’t pick a favourite at the moment. “Mistress of Mercy” follows with its great driving riff and superb guitar playing. “Face in the Mirror” really grew on me over time, an acoustic guitar and piano-driven tune; its chorus is an earworm. For the last two songs, we ease into what I’d call the third part of the album with two lengthy, epic-sounding tracks. “Shadow of the Gods”, with its various movements is a definite highlight of the record, followed by its sister song, “Sonata (Immortal Beloved)”, featuring shades of David Gilmour on guitar. It’s the closing chapter of the story and it’s quite possibly my favourite song on the album.

Bruce Dickinson is in top shape vocally on The Mandrake Project. It’s a very satisfying album that I wasn’t too enthralled with at first, but it gets better with every new spin. In my humble opinion, it’s not a masterpiece but it’s a damn great record, and certainly one of Bruce’s best solo albums. In any case, I’d say it was worth the nearly two-decade wait. Fans of Iron Maiden, Bruce’s previous solo outings, metal and hard rock in all its forms are bound to find something to like or even love on The Mandrake Project.

Official Website for The Mandrake Project: https://www.themandrakeproject.com/ 

Short Story Time: Beyond the Doomed Cave

It's the first Saturday of March, so it's time for a FREE short story! This time, I’ve chosen "Beyond the Doomed Cave", a Bradburyesque Gothic coming-of-age tale about a witch in a churchyard. Originally published in the Sinister Landscapes anthology in 2008 and reprinted in my second collection, Spooky Showcase, in 2012. You can read/download the free PDF here.

In case you missed the previous entries in Short Story Time, you can download them at the links below. Enjoy and drop me a line to let me know what you think of them!

“Silently It Creeps” is a short and nasty, creepy little tale about the monster under the bed.

“The Chilling Hour” is a tale about Nick Kubrick, a horror DJ who investigates and debunks supernatural myths in his spare time in the foggy city of Bitternest, Louisiana. He would go on to star in his own novel, Nocturnal Offerings, a few years later.

“The Errand” is a tale about a man who goes through the woods of Bitternest to run an errand and will see the course of his life altered forever.

“Hershell’s Motel” is a strange tale about an unusual motel where, you guessed it, bizarre things happen.

“The Rattling Man” is a coming of age Halloween tale. Do you believe in the bogeyman? Do you believe in the Rattling Man? Find out who or what he is!

“Crimson Nightmares” is my take on the “Halloween” movie series. Written and initially published digitally back in 2011, this 106-page novella picks up 33 years after the events of the second "Halloween" film from 1981, the night when Michael Myers terrorized Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and the residents of Haddonfield, Illinois. It follows little Lindsey Wallace, the little girl Laurie Strode babysat in the first “Halloween” (1978) film, who is all grown-up now and bears the scars of that terrible night to this day. She has moved to my fictitious town of Bitternest, Louisiana to get away from her past and has been leading a quiet life, that is until something inside Michael Myers snaps and he comes looking for her on Halloween. Add to that a killer clown with an agenda of his own and it’s a Halloween you won’t soon forget. It’ll be a showdown for the ages when Michael Myers comes to the eerie city of Bitternest.

“The Bypassed Mind”, a romantic suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure that was directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel Bid Time Return also adapted as the film "Somewhere in Time".

“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 close 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. 

Musings: Blaze Bayley - Circle of Stone

We nearly lost Blaze Bayley last year following a heart attack in March. He underwent a quadruple bypass surgery and is now fully recovered. I, for one, am very grateful that he’s still among us and continues to make awesome metal. His latest album, Circle of Stone, was completed just before his heart attack. The former Iron Maiden frontman shows no signs of slowing down with his latest album. It’s been almost three years since his last record, the excellent War Within Me. Once again, Blaze is backed by melodic metal band Absolva and also gets a hand from an eclectic mix of collaborators. So, how does his latest opus fare? Read on to find out!

Circle of Stone makes perfect usage of the two sides of a record. Side A features six unconnected songs touching upon various themes, while Side B is more of a mini concept album of six songs, focusing on a forgotten tribe and a search for the truth in the heart of the circle of stones. “Mind Reader” blows the doors open with a bang, giving us a short, catchy tune. The Blade Runner-inspired “Tears in Rain” features a cool riff worthy of Blaze’s best songs. “Rage”, the second single, draws inspiration from Welsh folklore. A powerful song about the consequences of impulsive rage. “The Year Beyond This Year” is a terrific song about resilience and is one of my favourites. “Ghost in the Bottle” is a gem of a song about making the best of what you have and pushing forward. “The Broken Man” is an introspective tune featuring a softer side of Blaze with superb guitars. Side B begins with “The Call of the Ancestors”, a magnificent instrumental with bag pipes. The title track and first single follows, and it’s one of the very best songs of the album. A classic Blaze tune with guest vocals from Swedish metal band Wolf’s singer Niklas Stalvind. “Absence” is a kick-ass track with fiery guitars. “A Day of Reckoning”, a song about reclaiming what’s yours, and “The Path of the Righteous Man” form a duo of standout tracks that continues the tribe’s journey. The final song of the set, “Until We Meet Again”, is a gorgeous acoustic love song and my favourite track. It features the lovely Tammy-Rae Bois who duets with Blaze.

Blaze Bayley has really outdone himself with Circle of Stone. It’s another example of a singer who keeps reaching peaks we weren’t expecting when he should well be past his prime by now. Blaze ages like a fine wine and his vocals sound better than ever—to hear him sing those ‘90s-era Maiden songs live is quite the experience as he performs them even better than in his heyday. He’s just on another level here, sounding rejuvenated and delivering a profound album that may very well be the finest of his entire career. Whether you’re a fan of Blaze from his tenure as frontman in Maiden, have followed his prolific solo career, or simply an old school metalhead, Circle of Stone hits all the right notes. Another strong contender for the Album of the Year list.

Blaze Bayley’s Official Website: https://www.blazebayley.net

Musings: Ace Frehley - 10,000 Volts

The spaceman is back! Legendary former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley returns with his eighth studio album, 10,000 Volts, delivering plenty of catchy choruses and his signature guitar solos. Followers of the blog know my love of all things KISS and Ace was always my favourite KISS member back in the day. He’s certainly been the most successful of the original four when it comes to solo careers. I’ve been eagerly waiting for 10,000 Volts to come out with much glee, but also much trepidation. His solo records since his big comeback of 2009 have been pretty great, and this is his first LP of original songs since 2018’s awesome Spaceman. Is it the masterpiece we’ve been promised? Read on to find out, spaceheads!

The title track, also the first single, is an instant classic that cracks open the record with great fanfare. It’s vintage Ace through and through and a hell of an earworm. The second track, and second single, “Walkin’ on the Moon”, is in my opinion the weakest song on the album. When I first heard it, I became skeptical of what the rest of the LP would sound like, the two first singles being so different from one another. I must admit that I’ve warmed up to it since its release; it’s not a bad song per se, rather just an average rock tune. Track number three is “Cosmic Heart” and it’s a fantastic song! It may very well be my favourite song here, with its ominous vibe, featuring Ace in rare form on the axe. Next up is the third single, “Cherry Medicine”, and I could breathe easy once I heard it in anticipation of the full album. It’s an infectious tune and a definite highlight of the LP. “Back into My Arms Again” is a terrific old school rock ballad, one of Ace’s all-time best. “Fightin’ for Life” is a street song about the average Joe. It’s got cool licks and riffs with a catchy chorus and hooks. “Blinded” and “Constantly Cute” are fun, head-bobbing tunes. A little cheesy in an Ace sort of way, but it’s part of the charm of these songs. “Life of a Stranger” is a superb ballad, very melodic and reminiscent of Ozzy’s ‘90s ballads at times. “Up in the Sky” is a banger and deals with Ace’s fascination with outer space. The tradition of closing his albums with an instrumental continues here with “Stratosphere”, albeit a shorter track than usual for Ace. Nonetheless, it’s brilliant and is the perfect way to end 10,000 Volts.

After a handful of spins, I can say that I believe 10,000 Volts to be Ace’s strongest outing since his phenomenal 1978 debut LP. Yep, a bold statement, I know, but it’s that great. It’s astonishing that the man can still create such inspired, melodic, catchy, and all-around high-quality records after fifty years of ups and downs. If you’re a KISS fan or a fan of Ace’s, it’s a no-brainer, this LP belongs in your collection. If you dig hard rock, metal or simply love albums chock-full of great melodies, you’ll be pleased with the space Ace’s latest collection of tunes. This is a record that will undeniably have a spot in my Top Five Albums of the Year when 2024 comes to a close.

Ace Frehley on Bandcamp: https://acefrehley.bandcamp.com/album/10000-volts 

Double Shot of Reviews: Goat Major & I Am The Intimidator

Greetings! Here’s a double shot of reviews for you since I’m not gonna be very active on the blog this month. I’m moving out of town, a three-hour drive away, at the end of the month and I have a hectic schedule until then. You’ll see two more reviews on the weekend of the 24^th and 25^th for Musings on Ace Frehley’s 10,000 Volts and Blaze Bayley’s Circle of Stone, two of my most anticipated albums of 2024. I’ll return sometime in the first week of March once I’m fully settled into my new condo. My girlfriend and I can’t wait to start our new life there! Alright, on to the music. Both records will be out March 8^th.

The first one is from Welsh occult doom trio Goat Major. Their debut album, Ritual, will be released through the mighty Ripple Music label. This 8-track album grew on me with every spin and I found myself loving it by the third listen. It’s got many sonic layers that you don’t necessarily hear until you sit down and focus on the songs, and then it hits you. The highlights for me are “Turn to Dust”, a song reminiscent of stoner giants Sleep with cool occult vibes thrown in for good measure; “Light of The End” with its relentless riffs and clobbering percussion; “Mountains of Madness”, an epic 8-minute tune where each band member gets to show off his craftsmanship; and my favourite track, “Evil Eye”, which was the catchy first single loaded with killer doomy atmosphere. Ritual is a solid album from top to bottom and fans of doom, heavy rock, and stoner rock will especially dig this talented band’s sinister musical offerings.

Ripple Music’s Bandcamp Page for Goat Major: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/ritual

The second release is a 6-song EP from Portland, Oregon native Andrew Stromstad with his brainchild I Am The Intimidator with a self-titled release via Oregon boutique label Miserable Pyre. I Am The Intimidator is a very unique concept of NASCAR-themed metal. Yes, you’ve read right! Stromstad decided to combine his love of NASCAR racing driver Dale Earnhardt with fantasy to deliver a full-throttle, high-speed thrash metal offering. The results are surprisingly quite great. Stromstad sings, plays guitar, bass, and drums and does a bang-up job of it. Highlights for me include “Gasoline”, the fast and furious first single with its super catchy chorus; “I Am the Intimidator”, a speedy metal blast with terrific guitar work that’s old school metal to the bone; and “Crying from the Abyss”, my favourite song, an all-around stellar track with a ferocious guitar and bass attack. I Am The Intimidator, the band and the EP, are well-worth your time and money if you’re into metal and classic rock.

Miserable Pyre’s Bandcamp Page for I Am The Intimidator: https://iamtheintimidator.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-the-intimidator 

Short Story Time: Silently It Creeps

It's the first Saturday of February, so it's time for a FREE short story! This one’s very short and nasty, and has only been published online back in the spring of 2006 (the second story I ever got published). It’s a creepy little tale about the monster under the bed. I give you “Silently It Creeps”. You can download the free PDF right here.

In case you missed the previous entries in Short Story Time, you can download them at the links below. Enjoy and drop me a line to let me know what you think of them!

“The Chilling Hour” is a tale about Nick Kubrick, a horror DJ who investigates and debunks supernatural myths in his spare time in the foggy city of Bitternest, Louisiana. He would go on to star in his own novel, Nocturnal Offerings, a few years later.

“The Errand” is a tale about a man who goes through the woods of Bitternest to run an errand and will see the course of his life altered forever.

“Hershell’s Motel” is a strange tale about an unusual motel where, you guessed it, bizarre things happen.

“The Rattling Man” is a coming of age Halloween tale. Do you believe in the bogeyman? Do you believe in the Rattling Man? Find out who or what he is!

“Crimson Nightmares” is my take on the “Halloween” movie series. Written and initially published digitally back in 2011, this 106-page novella picks up 33 years after the events of the second "Halloween" film from 1981, the night when Michael Myers terrorized Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and the residents of Haddonfield, Illinois. It follows little Lindsey Wallace, the little girl Laurie Strode babysat in the first “Halloween” (1978) film, who is all grown-up now and bears the scars of that terrible night to this day. She has moved to my fictitious town of Bitternest, Louisiana to get away from her past and has been leading a quiet life, that is until something inside Michael Myers snaps and he comes looking for her on Halloween. Add to that a killer clown with an agenda of his own and it’s a Halloween you won’t soon forget. It’ll be a showdown for the ages when Michael Myers comes to the eerie city of Bitternest.

“The Bypassed Mind”, a romantic suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure that was directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel Bid Time Return also adapted as the film "Somewhere in Time".

“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 close 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. 

February Welcomes the First Bandcamp Friday of 2024!

It’s the first Bandcamp Friday of the year! For the occasion, I’m doubling the number of albums I’ll shine a light on. It’s also because I’m moving out of town at the end of the month and will not have time to do a BCF roundup for March, so you get a double dose this month. By now you all know the drill: Bandcamp waives its revenue share and all the money goes directly to the artists and labels for a full 24 hours. The year is just beginning and it’s already stacked in terms of new releases. So, without further ado, here are my ten picks to help you find some great songs and albums for February.

First off, Kontact, a heavy metal/space rock quartet out of Calgary, Alberta released their first LP, Full Contact, on January 19^th following their 2022 debut EP, First Contact. This band has a great sound harking back to the heydays of heavy metal with some prog rock thrown in for good measure to deliver an awesome album full of sci-fi tales. You can pick it up here.

Second, the mighty Ripple Music released a surprise compilation on January 25^th titled Planet Desert Rock IV to celebrate the heavy rock underground show of the same name in Las Vegas for three nights of incredible music. A “Name Your Price” release featuring 16 tracks from Ripple’s talented roster, the likes of Freedom Hawk, The Obsessed, Wo Fat, Steak, Salem’s Bend and many others. Get yours right here.

Third, doom supergroup Slower released their self-titled debut LP via Heavy Psych Sounds Records on January 26^th, paying homage to the music of thrash metal legends Slayer. It’s a fantastic album that’s sure to please fans and non-fans of Slayer alike. You can read my thoughts on it here and get your copy over here.

Fourth, sludge metal one-man army Titanosaur returns with a fresh new single to kick off the year: “Let Me Go” was released on January 26^th. It’s another earth-stomping tune that’s sure to get your juices flowing. You can grab the song right here.

Fifth, another Calgary, Alberta heavy metal band, Traveler, released their third album, Prequel to Madness, also on January 26^th. A superb set of nine kick-ass songs for lovers of traditional metal and NWOBHM. Traveler has become a very reliable band when it comes to old school metal with a modern edge. You can buy Prequel to Madness over here.

Sixth, a great find for me, Ember Belladonna with her debut album titled The Grove will be out on February 9^th. It’s a wonderful folk metal album with the flute as its lead instrument that’s cinematic and hypnotic all at once. You can read my thoughts on it here and pre-order your copy here.

Seventh, legendary doom band The Obsessed return with their fifth LP, Gilded Sorrow, on February 16^th via Ripple Music. It’s been seven years since Sacred, their last album, came out and Scott “Wino” Weinrich and company release what might just be their best record yet! You can read what I had to say about it here and pre-order your copy right here.

Eighth, direct from Spain, heavy metallers Iron Curtain are back with their fifth LP (with also a bunch of EPs under their belts), Savage Dawn, via metal boutique label Dying Victims Productions. The album will be out on February 23^rd and it’s a sledgehammer of a record! Fans of old school metal and speed metal will dig it a lot. You can pre-order it over here.

Ninth, what is definitely one of my Top Three most anticipated releases of the year, former KISS guitarist and legend Ace Frehley will return to our galaxy with his eighth solo album, 10,000 Volts, on February 23^rd. The spaceman seems to be in rare form judging by the first single and title track of the record. I can’t wait to spin the full thing and you can be sure I’ll do a Musings column on it once I’ve had a chance to give it a couple of listens. You can pre-order 10,000 Volts right here.

Tenth and final, on March 1^st, former Ozzy axeman Zakk Wylde along with bassist Blasko and drummer Joey Castillo will be back as Zakk Sabbath, their Black Sabbath tribute band. The trio released a phenomenal first album titled Vertigo back in 2020 covering Sabbath’s debut LP in its entirety. This time around, Doomed Forever Forever Doomed, will be a double album covering Sabbath records number 2 and 3: Paranoid and Master of Reality. Please take note that the album will only be available on vinyl and CD; just as was the case with Vertigo, there won’t be a digital release (a bad practice and annoying as all hell in my opinion!). If that’s alright with you, you can pre-order it over here.

There you go! Show your love to all those hard-working bands and labels. I’m sure 2024 will prove to be another terrific year for metal and Bandcamp Friday is a great way to share the love of music. Next edition of BCF is on March 1^st, but I’ll see you for the one after that, on April 5^th. In the meantime, be sure to drop by the blog often as I’ll have lots of goodies for you until then. 

Rapid Fire Reviews: The Obsessed

The Obsessed has pretty much grown to legendary status at this point. Led by frontman Scott "Wino" Weinrich, the trio has now expanded into a quartet. Active since 1976, but undergoing many lineup changes, splits, reunions, delayed record releases—having their first album recorded in 1985 to only see the light of day in 1990—The Obsessed is literally obsessed with leaving an indelible mark on the doom metal landscape. The current lineup features Wino on vocals/lead guitar, Brian Costantino on drums with newcomers Chris Angleberger on bass, and Jason Taylor on rhythm guitar. Gilded Sorrow, the band’s fifth LP, will be unleashed on February 16^th via Ripple Music. Wino already has one solo album with Ripple, the excellent 2020 release Forever Gone as a chapter of Blood and Strings: The Ripple Acoustic Series.

Gilded Sorrow has been seven years in the making, a follow-up to 2017’s Sacred on Relapse Records. In my opinion, Sorrow is a stronger album than its predecessor in almost every aspect. Wino feels rejuvenated here, more so than on Sacred, which in and of itself was a comeback album for the band at the time—twenty-four years had elapsed since their previous album. Right off the bat, “Daughter of an Echo” makes a strong statement, opening the LP with a menacing, addictive riff. One of my absolute favourite tracks on here. The first single, “It’s Not OK”, is a catchy song and the dual guitars really pack a punch on this track. “Realize a Dream”, the third and current single, is solid, followed by the title track, a slower, heavier, and doomier tune. It’s all about creating a foreboding atmosphere. “Stoned Back to the Bomb Age”, the apt-titled second single, is sludgy and heavy as a mammoth. “Wellspring-Dark Sunshine” is a gloomy number with terrific guitar-play. “Jailine” is super catchy and probably the most accessible song on the album. “Yen Sleep” gets a new lease on life here, having originally appeared in 1999 on the “Incarnate” compilation of rare and unreleased tracks recorded between 1983 and 1994. I find it sounds even better in this iteration and I’ve always loved that song. “Lucky Free Nice Machine”, a one-minute instrumental, closes out the LP; it’s okay, but really doesn’t add much to the overall experience.

With Gilded Sorrow, The Obsessed delivers an album that gets better with every new spin. Its lyrical themes are aligned with the turmoil of recent times and only adds to the ominous doom metal mood of the album. Aside from their self-titled first LP, I’d say this is the best the band has ever sounded. Wino ages like a fine wine, both vocally and as a band leader. Gilded Sorrow truly is an album that was well worth the wait. Pre-order it with confidence at your earliest convenience.

Ripple Music’s Bandcamp Page for The Obsessed: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/gilded-sorrow

The Obsessed on Bandcamp: https://theobsessed.bandcamp.com/music 

Musings: Ember Belladonna – The Grove

It’s always great when you discover an album that’s completely unexpected. About 95% of what lands in my inbox from PR firms/labels/bands goes straight to the recycle bin (extreme/black/death metal which I really don’t care for). However, every now and then, an album stands out from the pack and grabs my attention. Ember Belladonna’s upcoming The Grove debut record is such an album. It’s a folk metal record, it’s different than what’s out there, and she’s Canadian—I’m always willing to lend fellow Canucks an ear (or two). The Grove will be released on February 9^th.

Ember Belladonna is first and foremost a classically trained flute player. So, be warned that the flute is the lead instrument on this wonderful album. If that’s not your thing, then too bad for you; you’ll be missing out on a superb record. The Grove has the feel of a concept album. It’s mostly an instrumental affair, a cinematic escape of sorts that bewitches the listener from the very first notes that are played. “Tenalach” cracks the album open, a gentle flute instrumental that serves as an intro to the proceedings. “Heart of the Grove”, the centerpiece of the record, is a gorgeous, hypnotic song featuring The Darkeyed Musician on vocals. “The Wild Hunt” is another lovely instrumental with the full band taking part; guitar, bass, and percussion. It’s quiet but slowly gets things moving. “Ruination” is a more dynamic number where the band takes center stage, with the flute at its heart. James Delbridge from the band Lycanthro handles vocal duties for this one. The title track follows, a dreamy, flute-driven melody with tuneful acoustic guitar parts. “Spirit Woman”, the first single, gives a darker edge to what was more of a mellow album up to this point. Laura Inferno from The Inferno Doll sings the lead for this track, dishing out demonic-sounding vocals. Followers of this blog know that black/melodic death metal really isn’t my cup of tea. It took a couple of listens to get used to it, but I have to admit that it works well with the thematic of the song. Anyway, I know that I’m in the minority as I’m sure 95% of you enjoy listening to extreme/black/death metal, and I’m aware that I’m just an old man shouting at the clouds. Still, I can’t help but wonder just how much better this song could’ve sounded if Ms. Inferno had sung it with her “normal” voice. Up next, “Unnamed”; the evil of the spirit woman has subsided and we’re back on the righteous path with a beautiful instrumental that sounds almost Celtic with a strong bass presence that I really dig. The curtain comes down with an instrumental version of “Heart of the Grove.” Oftentimes artists release instrumental renditions of songs and it’s a forgettable addition to an album; not so in this case. Without the vocals, we can appreciate the beauty of this dazzling song even more. It’s the perfect way to close out this marvelous ceremony.

We need more artists like Ember Belladonna. She weaves layers of melodies expertly to craft a unique-sounding gem of a record. The Grove is both captivating and entrancing. The musical arrangements are exquisite and take the listener on a journey to a distant fantasy world. Its short running time of 28 minutes only makes you want to hit the repeat button and listen to it all over again once it comes to an end. I declare The Grove to be the first must-own album of 2024!

Ember Belladonna on Bandcamp: https://emberbelladonna.bandcamp.com/album/the-grove