Formed by ex-members of San Antonio bands Muscle Car and The Debasers, The Walk Offs are a retro sounding rock band, heavy on the bar-room sound. Following on from their 2019 EP ‘Jump In The Front Row’, ‘Sorry For Nothing’ cements their commitment to blue collar rock with six songs that fall somewhere between Nat Freedberg’s finest tunes and The Replacements in a nonchalant mood. It isn’t edgy, but in terms of delivering a succession of old school riffs and solos, it’s the kind of release that’ll score highly with fans of the style.
Monthly Archives: October 2021
Watch: Sepultura – Live @ Rock In Rio 2001 (full show, pro-shot)
Following the departure of frontman Max Cavalera in 1997, Sepultura found themselves in the unenviable position of being the true underdogs of thrash/groove metal. Replacing a much-loved frontman is never easy, but in Derrick Green they secured a powerhouse performer; a man capable of bringing a new energy to the band’s old songs, and also maintaining a commanding stage presence.
LORDS OF BLACK – Alchemy Of Souls, Part II
After his associations with Ritchie Blackmore came to an end, vocalist Ronnie Romero didn’t take any time out to reflect on the loss of his highest profile job to date. Instead, he threw himself further into his work. In 2020 he reconvened with his old band, Lords of Black, and released the heavy, semi-theatrical ‘Alchemy of Souls, Part 1’; gained a job as frontman with the new-look Vandenberg; forged associations with Michael Schenker’s revolving cast of stars, and became a member of Milan Vrabevski’s Intelligent Music Project. For most people, this would already represent too much of a heavy workload, but on top of that, Romero also took on the job of being Joe Lynn Turner’s replacement in the much-loved Sunstorm. Their sixth album ‘Afterlife’ (released in the first half of 2021) was much better than it had any right to be, and cemented Ron’s reputation as a reliable and committed performer. One thing was for certain: he didn’t need Blackmore.
Watch the new video from Kesem
The stoner/psychedelic band Kesem have only recently released their album ‘Post-Tera’, but they’re not resting on their laurels. At a time when any live promotional work is still a little hit and miss due to Covid-19 restrictions, they’re promoting the album with a new video clip.
SAIL – Flood
Although Sail are a predominantly heavy act, a quick dig through their back catalogue shows that the UK riff makers are anything but stuck in their ways. Their material often has a stoner and doom undercurrent, but there are various different avenues taken along the way: 2020’s ‘Mannequin’ single displayed a strong bluesy vibe; the title cut from 2017’s ‘Slumbersong’ took an unexpected detour into shimmering dreampop without losing the band’s generally ominous tone and 2019’s ‘Starve’ mixed desert rock grooves with a pleasingly crashy riff that straddled aggression and melody in the most perfect way. The point is, it sort of doesn’t matter where you drop into the band’s work; if you love a heavy riff, there’s almost something to suit, and you’re almost guaranteed to come away feeling very satisfied.