PATRIARCHS IN BLACK – THE VISIONING
Patriarchs In Black the new venture for former Type O Negative drummer Johnny Kelly and Hades man Dan Lorenzo, and everything in the first two albums is present and correct again on “The Visioning”, their third. That is to say in amongst the outright riffing of “What Do They Know (for the champions) and the slower, more Sabbath brew of “Before I Go”, there is a raft of special guests on Bass and vocals. Karl Agell (Corrosion Of Conformity), Eric Morgan (A Pale Horse Named Death), and Kyle Thomas of Exhorder are probably the best known, but it makes for some brilliantly varied stuff as they turn into Dog Eat Dog for the rap of “Welcome To Hell Again” and there’s some mighty southern slabs with” Whiskey On My Mind”.
The title track changes the vibe yet further, as they move themselves into almost psych areas, but nothing changes the overall feel, which, as Kelly puts it, is about “fun, fun, fun”.
It shows.
Rating 8/10
SHUN – DISMANTLE
The opening track of “Dismantle” is all you need to know. “Blind Eye” is brooding along, and then – all of a sudden – it thunders into life. It’s astonishing in scope.
They’ve drawn comparisons to the Foos, and you can almost see that, but what Shun do is way more interesting, as “Aviator” proves. These are stadium rock songs in all but venue.
Produced by Jawbox man J. Robins, there’s something lush sweeping over “Drawing Names” and “Storms” quietens things down in much the same way as the mighty Soen might do.
“The Getaway” brings the energy, and “Interstellar” is like the trip into the doomy void that the cover art sort of hinted at.
As interesting as it is classy, “Dismantle” breaks things down brilliantly. So do anything you like but don’t shun, Shun.
Rating 8.5/10
DENDERA – MASK OF LIES
Does the name Russ Parrish mean much to you? No. But I’ve heard of – and seen – Steel Panther (and we’ll leave it there) and he’s Satchel their guitarist. He turns up on this too, playing a solo on the superb “Drift Away” and that’s sort of the company that’s being kept here.
Indeed, you can tell a lot from the bands that a band has opened for. In the case of Dendera Sepultura, Queensrÿche, Saxon, Death Angel, Gloryhammer, Skindred, Rhapsody of Fire are just a few.
And, no matter how varied they all are, they’d have fitted in for sure.
The title track here is ferociously heavy and sees Ashley Edison singing with Steve Main adding the growls, and if this is power metal, then it’s more the metal end.
“Fading” is a piece of modern metal that has a mark of class and that goes all the way through to the last one, “Drag Me Below” which explores more prog intentions.
A record that deserves to see them leap forward from support to topping bills.
Rating 7.5/10
WORSHIPPER – ONE WAY TRIP
It’s fitting that this, the third album from Worshipper, begins with a riff. The rest of it is packed with them too.
“Heroic Dose” is more than just a mighty opener, it’s a window into this world. For example, “Keep This” might have some more energy – and some keys – but it is very much a classic rock track, with an emphasis on the “classic”.
Singer and guitarist John Brookhouse, drummer Dave Jarvis, bass player and backing vocalist Bob Maloney, and guitarist Alejandro Necochea have been doing this 10 years and quite honestly, the experience shows brilliantly as they change tack to something a little more fuzzy on “Only Alive” and if you were expecting, as I was a little touch of trippyness on “Acid Burns” then you’d be wrong.
“Onward” even brings a bit of metal in as it builds slowly, and you imagine that it well well-named for a band that seems to be nowhere near the finish of its journey yet.
Rating 8.5/10
JUPITER CYCLOPS – THE AGE OF THE UFONAUT
If you’ve ever heard the opening bars of the first intro on an album and turned into Bevis and Butthead screaming “Yes! Yes!” then you’ll recognise the thrill.
It happened on “UFOnaut” and it never really stops. Before the NWOBHM was just that, there was something else going on and Phoenix’s Jupiter Cyclops bridges the two worlds brilliantly.
“Between Worlds” is an adrenaline rush, and whatever Dustin Lyon has done in the past, he was born to play the riffs they’ve made on the likes of “Burn From The Inside”.
The answer to that question of what they were doing before is all the four men here are in other bands, but came together in a meeting of minds and when it comes to the Space Rock Voodoo (as my Monster Magnet t-shirt says) of “Way Down Below, you’ll be glad they did.
Indeed, as “Lumerian Nights” finishes things here, you are left to reflect that in the week where Deep Purple released a record that (although superb in fairness) continued their evolution, here’s one that is more like they used to taste.
Rating 8.5/10
