Paul Sabu has somewhat of a chequered past when it comes to melodic rock. For everything essential (Kidd Glove, ‘Heartbreak’), there are a couple of genuinely average albums, and more than occasionally, he’s been guilty of sullying his releases with some truly awful songs. Surely no-one ever heard his mid 90s track ‘The.. Babysitters’ and genuinely liked it? For some rock fans, the mental scars left by that song are deep. The thought of it can still trigger PTSD.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
NEVENA – Nevena
Serbian vocalist Nevena Dordevic came to the attention of Frontiers Records via her friendship with The Big Deal’s guitarist Srdjan Brankovic, whose own band released their debut album on the label in May 2022. Seemingly, his championing of Nevena was met with a huge amount of trust which was not misplaced.
GET THE FUCK OUTTA DODGE & DAS KAPITANS – Dodge Does Das Does Dodge EP
Released in November 2022 with no hint of promotion, this surprise split release from Get The Fuck Outta Dodge and Das Kapitans is a treat for fans of either band. With a shared label and a shared goal in terms of noise-making, these musical friends have much in common, but scratch beneath the surface and it’s obvious that each band comes with their own very clear musical identity. Das Kapitans mix punk with a lot of very 90s indie rock influences, whilst Dodge play a particularly ferocious brand of lo-fi hardcore. On this split, they’ve chosen to record each others’ material, leading to an experiment that captures both acts in a typically raw mood, but at the same time, adds something new to their world of noise.
HERON – Empires of Ash
Following a couple of EP releases, Canadian doom/sludge metal merchants Heron found themselves on the roster of bands at the independent Sludgelord Records. The sometime home of Stone Machine Electric, Bible Basher and Coffin Torture, the band would be in good company, and in many ways, associations with such a great label forced them to up their game. Their 2018 LP ‘A Low Winter Sun’ was a masterclass in weighty sounds; its sludge fuelled approach suggested a love of Conan, and it’s purer doom elements drew from Electric Wizard, but for the more finely tuned ear, the record also displayed a strange, deep psych and heavy post rock tone in the guitar work that allowed the extremely heavy sound to appear more cinematic in its own way.
DOT DASH – Madman In The Rain
Following a string of fairly jagged albums that pulled together punk, emo and mod influences, Dot Dash’s sound had a drastic overhaul on their 2018 LP ‘Proto Retro’. The rougher edges were smoothed out and in their place came some hugely melodic power pop. The bulk of the record’s tunes came with a 60s jangle as heard through a 90s filter, sometimes as if stumbling upon deep cuts from Teenage Fanclub; sometimes showing a massive love for Buffalo Tom. The musical changes were all for the better, since no matter where you dropped into the record, it was possible to hear something with huge hooks and a really positive feel.