What most amused me was the fact that I was expecting something a bit more gothy and moody than this collection. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least. I have to say this is a damn good band and a cracking release.
Hoodoo Scoundrels: Witch Song EP
Daft name to be sure, but a fun band just the same. There are one of the few bands I have heard of with a modern pop-rock sound that is familiar but not boring as hell. They clearly are not trying to sound like anyone else and have a creative mind of their own. The fact they do radio friendly, power-pop is only a nice by-product not the be all and end all.
The title track is quite good fun with a wee hint of a similar themed song by Ulrich faves Diamond Head. This collection of four tracks is so much better than almost all that constitutes mainstream rock, especially in the UK. They are accessible but still have some balls to their music, something so lacking these days. This is quite a pleasant EP of 3 minute power pop rock. One would hope this lot have a good future ahead of them.
They have a fan in the form of Brian Eno who got them to change their name to their current one. Just try and listen to “Shame on You” and not smile.
Impiety: Dominator
Another EP, this time of a quite different ilk. This lot hail from the unlikely death metal birth place of the city-state of Singapore, not a place known for its encouragement of alternative lifestyles. This lot produce a death/black metal hybrid with a strong hint of thrash. Its brutal, angry, and never lets up. This EP pummels you so hard that you would think you had just listened to a full length.
Nothing cheery on here and they are still gunning for the meddling Christian. Seething metallic hordes of heathens rampaging across a Christian landscape is the theme there. The band may have had lots of members since its inception in the early 90s but what they produce has never changed or faltered. Brutal metal from start to finish.
Devolution: DESTRUCTION
The 80s veteran German thrashers are back with a cranking new album that does not even have one wee tinge of modern metal stylings. This is head down thrash that would probably put a smile on the face of Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, like “Urge”. It's shredding thrash that has all the right elements of brutality, pace, and ability. The album celebrate 25 years of the band and shows no sign of their slowing down. This is a full frontal retort to all the new wave of thrash upstarts from guys who were there from the beginning.
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