Reviews roundup – Nightwish ~ Tommy Concrete ~ Gypsy Railhead ~ Lee Ainley’s Blues Storm
NIGHTWISH
Human :II: Nature
Nuclear Blast
This is a tricky one. See, if pushed, I would say that Nightwish were my favourite band. After my wife was crippled I spent one night away from her in the six years before she died. And that was to see Nightwish in 2013. They were also the first band I went to see after she died, when I saw them on the Decades tour.
But then when I think about it, they’ve never really produced a classic album. It’s the live stuff I tend to play most and if you put a blade to my throat I would confess that Tuomas Holopainen wrote his best songs for “Imaginaerum” back in 2011. Although I loved his solo album and the Auri project. But “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”? Not so much. So I was hoping for the best this time around. It wasn’t to be. It’s all a bit meh.
Not that the album is bad. Far from it. But you’d be struggling to call it symphonic metal anymore. If anything it’s hard prog. Which is fine but not what I come to Nightwish for. There’s a couple of really good tunes on it. Those would be ‘Shoemaker’ and ‘Pan’. But no-one needs to hear Troy singing a Nightwish song. And even though I don’t go ridiculously over the top for Floor Jansens vocals, she is definitely one of the best out there. So why would you barely use the immense range that she has? It makes no sense. And as for “All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World”. Well if I wanted to listen to an anime soundtrack I’d listen to one.
I get the impression that Holopainen wants to move on elsewhere but Nightwish is the cash cow. I still reckon he’s poured everything into this but I thought it was telling that when Troy Donockley was promoting the album he was already talking about how he was writing for the next Auri project. Marco Hietala has kick-started his solo career, Floor Jansen could comfortably became a mainstream star in her native Holland post Beste Zangers. Maybe they’re keeping it going for the sake of Emppu Vuorinen who seems to love being in Nightwish.
I reckon this will get filed with the pre 2004 records which get played once a year. And that’s a shame.
TOMMY CONCRETE
Unrelaxed 2
Trepanation Recordings
I need to be careful here. See, he lives about a 10 minute walk from me and hand delivered this. Not that I know him so there’s no nepotism on the go here.
That said, with a name like Tommy Concrete there were only two job options available. And with the state of my driveway I wouldn’t be surprised to get a quote sometime soon. Unless the metal works out for him.
He calls this progressive blackened doom and as much as I hate sub genres it’s pretty much on the ball. I actually remember his earlier band Man of the Hour from back in the day and even saw them live. On this one he’s claimed that Hawkwind are an influence but despite that whetting my appetite the array of spacey swooshes are subordinate to the metal. And it certainly rocks like a bastard.
Turns out this is his seventh full length album so it’s no surprise that he’s got the studio side of things sussed. Because the production is really, really good. Brutal but with depth. Apart from one track with a guest vocal from King Witch’s Laura Gilchrist it’s a proper solo album with Mr Concrete responsible for everything else and even manages to make the programmed drums sound good. Which is an accomplishment. There’s a touch of the Devin Townsend about the music and even the vocals. Which is pretty insane because not many fellas can hit those notes.
He can do the death stuff as well but when he mixes it all up and goes prog metal to the max as on ‘Just Let Me Last Today’ the it’s quite immense. Lyrically, he’s talking about neurodiversity, autism and mental health issues and it would have been nice to have the lyrics available. That aside, this is mighty fine and thus I’m spared a visit from the boys.
https://tommyconcrete.bandcamp.com
GYPSY RAILHEAD
The Watchers
War Flag Records
Hmm. Classic rock meets grunge. Why not.
That’s what you’re getting, along with some dubious facemasks, on this EP from Floridian / Texan rockers Gypsy Railhead.
And it’s alright. Guitarist Duke Hardrider throws in some meaty riffs and even shreds a wee bit on ‘The Reaper’. It’s your basic power trio with Jake Tourmaline on bass and Mason Warren on drums.
It works less well when they try to be more expansive on ‘Screenface’ but when they stick to bashing it out, it works well. The drum sound leaves a wee bit to be desired but I’m guessing this was a wham bam, thank you ma’am type of recording session. Of course, I need to be careful as they were wearing masks well in advance of the pandemic so may well have some kind of supernatural powers.
Closing track ‘The Unknown’ sounds what I imagine a Ramones cover of King’s X would sound like. If that’s your thing, you know the drill.
https://www.facebook.com/ManyMasks/
LEE AINLEY’S BLUES STORM
Evolution
independent
I’m no expert at family dynamics, never having had one but when you’ve got three members of the same family in a band and one of them gets top billing. Well…
Mind you, I’m still recovering from the press release that claims that like Jefferson Airplane, Lee Ainley’s Blues Storm has two female lead vocalists. Well they did. Just not at the same time.
So what are we getting from this dahn sarf West Sussex blues rock outfit. Blues rock, to be honest. Which is what you would expect from a band called Blues Storm. The credits don’t say which songs have lead vocals from the mother and which from the daughter. But whoever sings on ‘I Got Mine (Now Pull The Trigger) has the rockier voice while the lead on ‘Pins & Needles’ has a more plaintive and melodic approach.
It’s all original material with mum Lee, dad Nat, daughter Tori and guitarist Elliot Young all having a hand in the writing. Young is a fine guitarist, happy to throw in some funk rhythms or a searing solo, as the song requires. He really shines on the nine minute closer ‘Emotionally Compromised’ but doesn’t put a foot (or finger) wrong throughout.
The songs are solid rather than spectacular but they’ve managed to get a good sound in the studio, something that so many fail at. Worth dipping into.
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St Columba’s Hospice Tribute Fund for Linda Hamilton
http://linda.hamilton.muchloved.com/
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
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