On their earliest albums, Mexican thrashers Strike Master conveyed a great energy, but their material was often hampered by a thin production sound. In some ways, this made them no different to many of their musical heroes; after all, a lot of the second division thrash albums released in the late 80s sounded pretty cheap, and it was often the bands’ energies in the live field that secured them a fan base. By the time Strike Master released their self titled album in 2017, there was obviously an increased budget, as well as a bigger bass sound driving their material, but there was still a nagging feeling that this talented trio were capable of producing something even better.
Tag Archives: metal
GEORGE LYNCH & JEFF PILSON – Heavy Hitters II
At the end of 2020, George Lynch and Jeff Pilson released ‘Heavy Hitters’, a well meaning but not especially good covers album, on which the 80s legends took all manner of material and made it heavier. Not everything will withstand being made into a massive rock tune, and hearing the two ex-Dokken men cranking their way through Martha & The Vandellas’ ‘Nowhere To Run’ with distorted vocals was especially grim. Likewise, the world didn’t need Duran Duran’s perfect pop tune ‘Ordinary World’ reworked in a sub grunge mould, or the Joan Osborne hit ‘One of Us’ presented as an unimaginative hard rock trudge. However, the musicians clearly had fun mauling other peoples’ material, and three years later, decided to foist a second volume of covers upon everyone. Thankfully, ‘Heavy Hitters II’ is a massive improvement on its predecessor.
NO DIVINITY – Generation Of Pain EP
Released two years after their ‘Ceremony of Suffering’, this second EP from North Dakota’s No Divinity presents a big step forward for the band. Its four songs still feature the huge riffs that their fans have come to recognise, but they’re used in much broader strokes for an increased heaviness. This time out, the band have dispensed with the sub-two minute hardcore blasts, and instead concentrated on their longer, heavier jams – in the vein of ‘Splinter’ – to bring the best out of an intense, crushing guitar sound. More importantly, it comes with some massive production values that help to make their crossover hardcore sound even bigger than before.
MIDNIGHT TRIPPER – Paranormal EP
Released just a year after their ‘Ride The Wave’ EP, ‘Paranormal’ continues Canadian metal band Midnight Tripper’s journey through a world of heavy riffs, and if anything cranks the volume and tension, ensuring an even noisier experience than before. There’s something inherently classic about their chosen sound, but it doesn’t take a predictable 80s route. Instead, the best bits of this EP fuse classic metal with a strong rock ‘n’ roll ethic, creating material that’s aggressive and grubby, but above all, conveys a high octane feeling of fun.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #13
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. For this thirteenth batch, we bring you the usual variety and hope you’ll find something to enjoy. Featured in this selection, you’ll find the return of a favourite band, some epic metal sounds, something with a country/roots core, a perfect slice of pop punk, and more besides. This popular feature has opened ears from different fan groups to new sounds, and we expect this week’s bundle to follow suit. Should you find something new that you’ve enjoyed, why not drop in and tell us? We’d love to hear your feedback. Maybe your band has something new that you think we might want to feature! If so, please get in touch.
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