Reviews roundup – Porn ~ Alpha Blank ~ Rainium ~ Demonhead ~ Ivar Kuura
PORN
No Monsters In God’s Eyes – Act III
Echozone
And so we reach Chapters 20 – 32 in the final installment of the Mr Strangler trilogy.
We’ve had “The Ogre Inside – Act I” and “The Darkest Of Human Desires – Act II” and now it’s time for the French gothy industrial outfit Porn to put Mr Strangler to rest. Or will he see to you first? Who knows? Well I do because I’ve heard the record but *SPOILER ALERT* – no that would be wrong.
Mr Strangler is a cheery fellow. He’s really keen on everyone unleashing their inner ogre which seems to involve a lot of murder and mayhem. Naturally, this being the final act, there has to be some form of natural justice but the build up to the grand denouement is well written and presented. Musically, they’re still operating in that Stabbing Westward meets Type O fashion with the declamatory vocals of Porn main-man Philippe Deschemin bringing the unholy saga to life.
As befits a concept album the music flows from one piece to another and it’s a worthy successor to the first two acts. The production is thick and absorbing and when they drag you screaming through the likes of ‘High Summer Sun Part 1’, ‘Among Dark Red Roses’ and ‘A Lovely Day’ you can’t help but become a part of their dark and horrific world. Absolutely brilliant. And terrifying on headphones. [the whispers, the whispers….]
https://www.facebook.com/PORNtheband
ALPHA BLANK
Life In 2 Pieces
Cowectoo Productions
You only need five fingers to get the name of all the great French rock bands tattooed. That’s T R U S T. I still find it weird that I once saw them headline a theatre show in Edinburgh. Strange days.
But here come Alpha Blank to blow a few preconceptions out of the water. Although, oddly, not in the way I expected when I saw an array of alt rock and modern prog on their list of influences. Alter Bridge, Breaking Benjamin, Porcupine Tree. Um, no thanks.
However this is a really, really good hard rock album. For sure, the odd alt guitar line sneaks in, there is the occasional proggish breakdown but basically this is just classic hard rock done well. There is a power and aggression I wasn’t expecting and guest appearances from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Richard Nixon. Although I’m guessing neither are aware of this, unless free steroids and a seance were involved.
There are enough keyboards, I suppose, to merit a proggy tag as well but when they get with the business of rocking it’s mighty fine. Best for me were ‘Hold Your Fire’ and ‘Not Afraid’, both of which would grab the attention of a passing listener. The production is superb for an independent release and this could easily be reissued by a major without tinkering. The closest they veer to their influences are probably on ‘Afraid’ and ‘Spaceship Xploder’ but wherever you land this is an excellent and enjoyable release.
RAINIUM
Sounds of Berlin
independent
What’s with the 24 second intro, eh? For a moment there I thought Michael Voss had had his nadgers nipped.
Because, yes, it is the onetime Mad Max, Bonfire, Wolfpakk fella who does the singing here. And it’s very mainstream, late eighties hard rock that’s on offer. Which is fine by me.
And as lead guitarist Jay Parmar has done time in a Dokken tribute band (they exist? Really?) his guitar work suits the songs perfectly. There is actually a Dokken-esque quality to a lot of the songs and as they’re a band I remember splitting the rock world fairly decisively, that may colour your opinion of this record as well.
To their credit, there are plenty of memorable melodies dotted about hither and thither and if anyone is looking for some tunes to soundtrack a remake of a Jan-Michael Vincent film, then it’s sitting here waiting for you. There are some percussion issues which annoyed me slightly and that tended to be on the poppier songs like the title track.
The best song is probably ‘Just The One’ which would have grazed the US Top 40 back in the day although I was also taken with the sort of ballad with guest female vocalist Ilo Schnittchen. I’d also have come to a halt after the main album proper as the three ‘bonus’ tracks seem unecessary. But the main nine tracks are an enjoyable reminder of the eighties for those of us old enough to remember and also for any melodic hard rock fans looking for a new fix.
DEMONHEAD
Black Devil Lies
Fastball
Aye, you tried to fool me there with your wee acoustic intro. But then the riff arrives.
See Demonhead are a thrashy, true metal band from the mythical continent of Australia and this is their second album, following on from the debut “‘Bring On The Doom”. And it’s rather good.
It’s sort of fusion of what Metallica sounded like when they were good circa 1987 and 1992ish Pantera with some trad metal thrown in for good measure. But they also manage to be melodic at the same time which is a really clever trick that not many can pull off. Virtually every song manages to mash up their influences into their own sound with thrashy riffs and piercing solos galore.
When they stumble upon a good chorus they make dams sure that everyone can hear by having everyone shout the words VERY LOUDLY in case your attention had slipped, It’s hard to pick highlights but I was really taken with ‘Children Of The Night’, the title track and ‘Eyes Of The Insane’ but there isn’t a track here that I would skip over. And that’s a rarity in a modern metal album, most of which overstay their welcome. It’s got a great, smack you in the face production and a special clap to the splendidly named Rüe Power whose guitar work is a sight to behear. Metal album of the year so far.
IVAR KUURA
Hermitary of Oblivion
IK Records
Fancy some old school metal meets stoner with a hint of Sabbath? Then say hello to Ivar Kuura and ‘Jackals’, the opening track.
Turns out he was involved in music for quite some time, right up until 1997 when life got in the way. But it was only when he moved from Finland to the USA a couple of years back that he dug out a guitar and got back into it.
What’s missing from the bio is how he ended up getting a band together in Hakkila and making an album back in Finland. Must have missed all those 24 hour days of sunlight.
Musically, the four tracks on this EP are enjoyable. But they’re very different from each other. After the doomish opener, it’s into a Snowy White pop tune before the Dogs D’Amour styled ‘Little Jimmy’ and then a Dire Straits closer in ‘Little Shrike’. As a collection it makes no sense and his voice is an acquired taste. Although it works best on the closing track. Which will give you an idea of the type of voice he has. It’s peculiar.
https://www.facebook.com/ivarkuuracom/
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