Reviews roundup – Conquest Of Steel vs. Patti Parks vs. Sean Wayland vs. We All Die (Laughing)
CONQUEST OF STEEL
Of Fire And Steel
No Face
Aiiiieeee!!! It may be five long years since I clapped ears on Conquest Of Steel, but I’m glad to report that time has not withered their heavy metal thunder.
Of course it doesn’t really matter because come June they will be no more. The band said “Conquest of Steel are sorry to announce the departure of James ‘Claymore’ Clarke from the band. As his soul transcends to Valhalla, the rest of the band have seen fit to test their sword arms against other foes and thus Conquest of Steel will rest, until like King Arthur before them their steel is needed and they rise once more to battle the enemies of metal. To all those brothers and sisters of metal who have supported the Steel over the years… we salute you!”
Which is a shame, because this is a good album. Not as good as their concept piece, “Storm Sword: Rise Of The Dread Queen”, but a mighty fine one, nonetheless. They purvey the kind of power metal that goes down a storm in the Germanic nations, but matters less over here. Fools. You, that is, not them. After all, what’s wrong with a British Dream Evil?
The production isn’t great, but when they hit a Maiden like groove on ‘The Warrior and the Witch’ and ‘All Men Must Die’, then it’s a rare romp. So farewell to Dan Durrant, DD Danger, Chris ‘The Destroyer’ Mills, Vic Victory and James ‘Claymore’ Clarke. Thanks for the epicus heavy metallicus. Hail And Kill!
PATTI PARKS
Cheat’n Man
self released
The debut album from Patti Parks, although she’s been making a name for herself on the live circuit for a wee while now.
And it’s an engaging mix of Chicago blues, soul and old fashioned stylee r’n’b that is served up across the nine original tracks. She’s put together an excellent band of players to push the music along, and when the horn section blasts out, you can’t help but be captivated. Fortunately, her vocals match the power of the music, and it’s a real treat when she lets rip.
You can hear that on the opening jump blues of ‘Baby Don’t You Know’, the title track and ‘Back Off’. Then there’s my favourite of the blues tunes, ‘It Ain’t Right’. But she’s not afraid to take the mood down, as she does on ‘Mama’, a ballad that pays tribute to her, um, Mum, and shows that she can handle a variety of styles.
An excellent debut, and hopefully another offering won’t be too far in the distance.
BUY AT AMAZON
SEAN WAYLAND
Barrenjoey
self released
My first thought was Steely Dan, and when I looked up his CDBaby profile, it said “cross over between Steely Dan and Allan Holdsworth, and Midnight Oil”. So I’m sure he won’t mind the comparison.
Australian born / New York based, Mr Wayland has a recording career stretching back over 20 years, so he knows his way about a piano. Luckily, he also knows about tunes, as the two things don’t always go together, and he when he hits a sweet groove, as he does on the likes of ‘No Credit No Problem’, and a look back to his days in the mythical kingdom of Australia on ‘Better Down South’.
23 albums into his recording career, he’s find a good place to be, with plenty of Becker and Fagen influences, with a little hint of funk, all mixed into a poppy take on jazz, that lures you in. It’s a wee bit all over the place, but all the better for it.
One for a summer day when you’ve got nothing to do but kick back and stare at the waves.
BUY AT AMAZON
WE ALL DIE (LAUGHING)
Thoughtscanning
Kaotoxin
It may be a debut album, but the duo responsible, Déhà and Arno Strobl have some pedigree in the world of Euro alt-rock and metal, with the latters collaboration with 6:33 a real highlight of recent times.
As with all good things, it’s quite hard to place, as it flits between metal, doom and darkwave with reckless abandon. But it is heavy, there’s no doubt about that. Some of the riffing fllits with goth metal, but the bass puts them into Sabbath territory, while the vocals look back to the world of Anathema and Katatonia. So. it’s all good so far.
Oh, and did I mention that the album only has one, thirty three minute long song? Sorry about that. Although, if you buy the fancy version, you can hear them take on the Amy Winehouse tune, ‘Back To Black’. It’s actual fairly MAA as it veers back and forth with abandon, but always immaculately arranged and presented.
It’s a clever idea, as it resurrects the notion of listening to an album in its entirety, and as such works a treat, taking you on a resonant and compelling journey. Good work, fellas.
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
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