Reviews roundup – Sepultura vs. Marillion vs. Big Trouble vs. Mississippi Stomp
SEPULTURA
Metal Veins – Alive At Rock In Rio
Eagle Rock
Sepultura, eh? Is anyone still left in Sepultura? The Cavalera brothers may be gone, but the other two are still banging away with “new” vocalist Derrick Green now into his second decade up front.
And they still make an unholy racket as this live CD / DVD / Blu-Ray will attest. This new album sees them teaming up with the French industrial percussion band, Les Tambours du Bronx. And it’s loud.
They still wheel out all the classics inthe shape of ‘Refuse / Resist’ and ‘Roots Bloody Roots’, but even if you strayed off the Sepultura track over the years, you’ll be won over by the other material, with the exception of their Prodigy cover version.
The DVD / Blu-Ray also has a documentary of behind-the-scenes preparation with interviews, rehearsal and soundcheck footage and clips of the band just seconds before they hit the stage. But it’s the CD that won me over.
MARILLION
A Sunday Night Above The Rain
earMusic
A live Marillion album, eh. We don’t get many of them these days. It’s certainly different from the live album above. Anyway, this documents the Marillion fan weekend in March 2013 in Port Zelande, Netherlands, where Marillion performed their most recent studio album “Sounds That Can’t Be Made” in its entirety.
And as such, it will be essential listening for the ever faithful Marillion fans. They also bunged in some favourites of yore, even going as far back as ‘Garden Party’, a song not often performed by new era Marillion.
The band, as always, are impeccable, and even if the new material doesn’t instantly grab you, it makes for rewarding repeat plays. As well as this double CD, it’s also out a two disc DVD and Blu-ray, both of which also have the entire Montreal show from the Canadian weekender, in addition to the Dutch one. As I said before, impeccable.
BIG TROUBLE
Long Start To A Short Career
Toucan Cove
Big Trouble were one of those bands who never quite managed to jump on board the cock shock rock train before it crashed into a flannel yard on the cusp of the nineties. Apparently, they supported just about everyone, including the likes of Skid Row, Extreme, Bulletboys and more, but never managed to get picked up.
Well, a thousand years later they’re back with a new EP, and it fits nicely into the world of Junkyard, Tangier and their bluesy glam metal ilk. Which means I quite like it, as that was the world I inhabited back in the day.
For sure, it’s still not Premier League material, but you can see why they would have a rabid club following, and be popular at Rocklahoma with the likes of ‘Your Love’ and ‘Step Right Up’. It does what it says on the tin, and is a nice reminder of my misspent, teenage years.
MISSISSIPPI STOMP
Chickasaw Lodge
independent
Lastly, for today, we’re heading down the swamp for some roots rock, courtesy of Mississippi Stomp. And it’s really rather good, if you like that place where The Band fool around with The Black Crowes to jam out on some old style country meets blues meets gospel meets rock.
It’s their debut album, though they seem to have been on the go for a wee while, with some of them going back two decades through an array of cover bands, but this sees them writing and picking their own songs. This is the kind of record that fans of The Allman Brothers will take to. It has a hint of jam, but remains rooted in harmony and melody, something that is always welcome round these parts.
A handful of these tunes are already on repeat play, with ‘Got My Number’, ‘Hill Country’ and ‘ Pickin’ Time’ picking up a lot of plays. A cracking record you should really check out.
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
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