On this follow up to ‘The Price of Decadence’, Broken Lungs aren’t thinking small. Their ‘Love Is Temporary And So Are We’ EP kicks off with a devastatingly heavy chord, followed by another, underscored by a fierce bass rattle courtesy of Alex Dewhurst. It’s a relatively simple musical device that’s guaranteed to jolt the listener, but whether you’re already a fan or approaching these Brummie hardcore merchants for the first time, they immediately have your attention.
THE SPEED OF SOUND – A Cornucopia: Minerva
Celebrating their thirty fifth year in the music business, Manchester’s The Speed of Sound have pulled out all the stops for the follow up for their critically acclaimed 2021 release ‘Museum of Tomorrow’. As it’s title suggests, ‘A Cornucopia’ offers fans a whole bounty of music, and the band have split that into three volumes. The first disc, ‘Minerva’ is a fourteen track indie-ish journey which explores a musical universe that takes in jangling retro guitar work, 60s fuzz, a bit of power pop and a few other styles.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #54
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time around, we bring you some Americana via Australia, some huge electro-pop, a devastating piece of metal, the return of some yacht rock heroes, and more besides…
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PAUL DI’ANNO’S WARHORSE – Stop The War EP
When it comes to trad metal, Paul Di’Anno is a legend. His two albums with Iron Maiden are genuine classics. His voyage into more melodic climes with his eponymously named band showed a strong affinity with great hard rock and metal; the short lived Killers shared a strong combination of heaviness and melody with Di’Anno clearly in good form, and his brief tenure with Praying Mantis also yielded a decent live recording showing off some very recognisable vocals.
DRUIDESS – Hermits & Mandrakes EP
With an opening track titled ‘Witches’ Sabbath’, this EP from British rock band Druidess makes no secret of its chief influences and interests. However, in a world that can feel overpopulated by doom and stoner metal bands, these guys really stand out. Their occult themed material and huge riffs fill the void left by Witch Charmer and Black Moth, and throughout the material on this debut, Shonagh Brown’s melodic vocals provide a superbly clear counterpoint to the band’s otherwise heavy sound.