Album Review: HORRIBLE EARTH

Weakened by Civilization

Review Score: 7.0

Reviewed by Johnny Ibay

Horrible Earth are back with their latest release, “Weakened by Civilization“, and the Boston-based deathgrind outfit show no signs of slowing down their brutal assault on the senses. Released through the ever-reliable Horror Pain Gore Death Productions, this 17-track album is a reminder of the band’s vision of cut throat savagery and vicious grindcore intensity.

The albums opener “Worth more Dead” starts off with slow, brooding rung out chords reminiscent of Assuck before breaking into a tremolo picked riff accompanied by a blastbeat. The vocals are an interesting intermediary between extreme metal and traditional grind or hardcore, sounding like a more extreme metal tinged Chris Dodge. In true grindcore fashion, this song (along with the rest of the album) is almost over before you can finish your second or third beer since almost every song is 30 seconds to a minute and a half long.

The album rages on with a relentless onslaught of start-stop speedpicked riffs and brain melting blast beats that give off a bit of a Brutal Truth vibe. Although this is a grindcore album I think that this band truly shines in their use of groove riffs such as the beginning of “Extinction Through Violence”, “Brainworms” and the identical riffs in the intro and title track “Weakened by Civilization” which bookend this release and tie everything together very nicely. “Jazz Odyssey” starts with about 30 seconds of funky drums and clean guitar that sounds like Jimi Hendrix before blasting into furious grindcore for maybe another 20 seconds. I found this track to be a little silly for my liking and thought the album would be better off without it.

Lyrically the band touches on familiar themes of the genre such as inequality, environmental destruction and human rights violations. The production is very clear and punchy, sounding more like a modern metal type production than a basement jamspace recording typical of a lot of grind acts.

Overall, this album is a certified Boston grindcore rager. The production sounds heavy and the music is fast and filthy. I wouldn’t expect any less from an outfit hailing from the area of greats such as Siege, Dropdead and Disrupt. Fans of Assuck, Brutal truth or Siege should check it out.

SKID ROW IN FORT WAYNE, INDIANA

PIERE’S ENTERTAINMENT CENTER

MARCH 14, 2023

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: MARSWORTH

Many know the band Skid Row from their rough and raw vocals or their Earth shattering guitar solos, but going into this show, I knew not to compare it to a show you would have seen them perform in 1991. Don’t get me wrong, the screeching vocals were still present, but nobody could ever overshadow Sebastian Bach; although, it is nice to hear the band still playing the classic hits that they wrote the music for all those years ago. Not many rock groups from that time still have what it takes to put out a full length record and tour with it, so applause is definitely in order! The members may not be jumping around, running, and twirling on stage, but they know how to put on a hell of a show just like they did in ‘91.

Let’s start with my VIP experience. I get there by noon for the early as heck soundcheck, refuse to wait in the freezing weather, and have all my VIP goodies in hand by 12:30. The vomit-inducing anxiety leading up to seeing those 5 men, who’re old enough to be my father, on stage in their street clothes to play 2 songs, have us all turn around for a group photo, and the shortest mingling session you have ever seen was all worth it. Meeting all but my favorite member was still worth every penny spent as the members I did have the joy of meeting were more than happy to see the 20 of us VIP folks.

The time leading up to doors opening was seriously bone rattling. The exhilaration running through my veins was unspeakable, but I never let that change my demeanor as the evening went on. I secure my barricade spot, make nice with the patrons around me, and even see some familiar faces from previous internet connections! The opening acts, No Resolve and Buckcherry, warm the crowd like no other show I’ve attended in the past. The fans were feeling the music and the genuine reactions of the concert-goers is something no artist can forget, even if it is in a smaller venue! Before we knew it, the lights went down for Skid Row.

Being able to have the opportunity to capture one of your favorite bands in a riveting moment in time is out of this world. You can see the youth flaming in the members’ eyes as they get a chance to look into the crowd and see their trusty fans living in the moment. Even if the new album isn’t your jam and you prefer to stick to the old gold, you’re in luck because that’s mostly what they’re serving up! If you’re a Skid fan, take a weekend off to catch these boys perform their hearts and souls for just one evening, you’re in store for something monumental!

Album Review: STEEL PANTHER

On The Prowl

Review Score: 8.0

Review by Georgina Strilakos

Steel Panther is back with a brand new studio work: “On The Prowl”

Steel Panther is a band focusing on not taking themselves too seriously. They approach hard rock and classic heavy metal with a fun attitude and just want to connect with the audience with an energetic, good vibe. The group’s most recent studio work, On The Prowl, stands out as a perfect example of this!

The release has thirteen new songs, embracing the tropes of 80s hair metal, with incursions into synth-wave here and there. The intro song, ‘Never Too Late (To Get Some P***y Tonight)’, has a classic-sounding synth intro, which later delves into a fiery rock and roll anthem, in the vein of artists like Mötley Crüe or Poison, among others.

The song ‘Friends with Benefits’ follows along the same lines, capturing the riffage and swagger of 80s arena rock to absolute perfection. The album is a rollercoaster of fun licks and iconic riffs with a retro twist. From the hard-hitting shuffle of ‘One Pump Chump’ to the soaring guitar antics of ‘Is My D**k Enough’, featuring special guest Dweezil Zappa, a true guitar innovator and the son of the icon himself, Frank Zappa.

The track ‘On Your Instagram’ is probably one of the most fun and dynamic tracks from Steel Panther on this album. The lyrics are absolutely hilarious, and the track itself pokes fun at the nature of social media and how people present themselves through the filters of cameras and the high expectations of curated social media scrapbooks of perfect moments that aren’t representative of real life.

Overall, On The Prowl should be taken for what it is: a fun rock album with a comedy twist, as Steel Panther is just the kind of band that wants you to have a good time and make us all smile!

Find out more about Steel Panther and listen to On The Prowl, which is currently available on Spotify.

ROTTING CHRIST, CARACH ANGREN, UADA, GAEREA

March 4th, 2023

Toronto, ON

Photos By: Kim Baarda

UNDER OUR BLACK CULT @ LEE’S PALACE, TORONTO

You know you are in for one hell of a night when attending a tour dubbed ‘Under Our Black Cult‘. Tonight, the hell was literal and all-consuming.

With the bleak and blustery backdrop of a Canadian winter in full swing, the buses rolled into Toronto carrying a blackened collective of both legendary and contemporary black metal bands, all gathered for an evening of spastic and crushingly-heavy performances.

GAEREA & UADA

Starting the night off, Portugese blackened metal band Gaerea and US west coasters Uada delivered highly-energized and dynamic performances that filled the sold-out venue with a malevolent-yet-seductive aura. A perfect combination to kick the blackened festivities off.

CARACH ANGREN

With the Lee’s Palace crowd thrown into a fevered, blackened pitch, it came time for the pandemonium of Dutch symphonic black metallers, Carach Angren. From the opening notes of the spooky ‘The Ghost of Raynham Hall’ to the closing crescendo of ‘Bloodstains on the Captain’s Log’, the wickedly devilish characters of Carach Angren summoned forth what could only be described as a symphonic black metal circus sideshow from the fiery depths of purgatory.

ROTTING CHRIST

The Greek institution known as Rotting Christ need no introduction. Having just celebrated their 35th year in existence, you can rest assured that these guys will always deliver a battle-hardened, ear-crushing sonic performance. On record, Rotting Christ are unparalleled in heaviness and ambience, a bewitching marriage of blackened impetuosity. On stage, they manage to bring the same level of nefarious enchantment, yet amplify the auditory denseness ten-fold.

The Greek ones have certainly perfected the art of performance, captivating their audience through a dozen songs from the formidable catalog, ending with an audience-approved encore of their deliciously classic ‘Noctis Era’.

Album Review: HAMMERHEDD

Nonetheless

Review Score: 9.0

Reviewed By: Jason Deaville

Let’s take this back. All the way back to the year 1990. Now, for those of you long enough in the tooth, you’ll likely remember ’90 as one hell of a year in metal. I won’t get into any of the details here, as you can do that by checking out my 1990 Year In Metal retrospective. To sum up, 1990 will always be known as a year of musical discovery. One of those discoveries came in the form of an album titled Beg To Differ, the incredible sophomore effort from New York City’s Prong.

The influence and impact of Prong in the early 90s cannot be understated. Both Beg To Differ and the follow-up, Prove You Wrong, went on to inform countless bands in the realm of groove, thrash, crossover, and alternative-metal, literally paving the way for bands such as Gojira, System Of A Down, Skinlab, Pro-Pain, Volbeat, and Lamb Of God. In fact, for better or worse, it could be argued that Prong was directly responsible for nu-metal, which sprung into existence a mere four years after Beg To Differ, with Korn‘s self-titled that dropped in ’94.

With the groundwork laid, let’s jump ahead to the turn of the century. In that time, metal had not only endured, it thrived. With the new century came Kansas City’s Ismert brothers (Abe, Eli, and Henry), all born in the first decade of the 2000s. In 2012, at the ages 4, 7, and 9 years old, the brothers would form the band Hammerhedd. Just a few short years later, the boys would release their debut EP, Essence Of Iron (2018), followed by their debut full-length, Grand Currents (2020).

To my pleasant surprise, both the EP and debut album came chock-full of Prong-like groove, and would go on to receive critical-acclaim, quite the feat considering their ages at the time of both releases. To these ears, it’s like they literally channeled Tommy Victor, spewing out all the dirty-yet-slick elements of Prong‘s Beg To Differ and Prove You Wrong. Magically, Hammerhedd took me right back to the early 90s, a time and place that holds many of my very best musical memories and discoveries.

Thankfully, Hammerhedd have once again proven that they are anything but a two-trick pony with their brand new, self-released album, Nonetheless. The album continues on with the groove-laden approach of their previous two releases yet, this time, there is a marked maturity in both sound and execution. It’s immediately discernible that the alt-metal elements are more pronounced, weaving in and out of the groove metal tapestry that is the core of their sound. If that weren’t enough, the boys sneakily drop tinges of both industrial and hardcore, combining to create a perfect sludge of relentless rhythms and brutal distortion.

As the album winds down, things take an unexpected turn. The quadrumvirate of ‘Fruition’, ‘Down The Hall And To Your Left’, ‘Synthesis Pt. 1’, and ‘Synthesis Pt. 2’ all combine into a trippy, prog-inspired experience not unlike the more hallucinogenic elements of Voivod‘s Nothingface, including, believe it or not, the tone and cadence of Voivod vocalist, Snake. Yep. Hammerhedd vocalist Henry and his merry band of crushingly-heavy brothers perfectly capture the sublime weirdness of the Montreal legends, intentional or not.

Without doubt, the three-piece juggernaut that is Hammerhedd are here to stay. Let us not forget that some of the most influential and successful bands to ever have existed are power trios: bands like Rush, Cream, ZZ Top, Melvins, Dying Fetus, and Motörhead. This is incredible company to keep. Considering their age and already-proven skills, the skies the limit for these exceptionally talented brothers. Stay tuned, as they are only just getting started!