Back catalogue: Metal

Review: .By its very nature, Tenkiller is a very different beast to Chat Pile's other releases. Recorded in the winter of 2020 to be the soundtrack to Tenkiller, an indie movie about the lives of ordinary people in small-town America, it sees the noise-rock/post-hardcore combo focus on mood and tone, rather than form and function. As a result, fuzzy and forthright cuts of the sort you'd expect come supplemented by dystopian, industrial-influenced soundscapes, lo-fi alt-country, guitar-laden mood pieces, low-slung and effects-laden creepiness, intense electronica and the kind of slow-burn ambient-not-ambient that was once the preserve of cult bands such as Labradford.

Review: 'Who Killed Marilyn?' is an early track written by Glenn Danzig when he was with the Misfits. Originally recorded in 1979 with the Misfits but due to financial issues with pressing vinyl copies at the time, was then re-recorded again in 1991 and released under Glenn Danzig's name. An important song in the history of the legendary figure, this is the first time this single has been issued on the CD format. Also included is an additional version of each track remixed and remastered by Danzig himself.

Review: Norwegian progressive death metal auteurs, Diskord, make their discordant (geddit?) return on the ferocious 'Degenerations.' This third full-length, and follow up to 2014's dizzying, 'Oscillations EP', serves as an intimidating insight into the cosmic grandiosity such an extreme and niche genre can conjure. Over a seven-year writing/recording process, enlisting the help of Colin Marston of genre legends, Gorguts, as well as imbuing the material with a plethora of unlikely instrumentation from electric upright bass and cello to theremin, has resulted in a work so seemingly impenetrable, yet vastly rewarding with each subsequent delve into the psychosphere.

Review: Taking both acts on their core traits, Full Of Hell primarily deal in death-grind fusion with some blackened aspects and a powerviolence twist, with their tracks rarely crossing the two-minute threshold and their average album length clocking in at approximately 20 minutes and some change. Primitive Man on the other hand, are the type of abyss dwellers that deal in lengthy sonic dirges, often running for well over an hour at a time. What happens when you combine two unmatched forces of modern extremity into one nightmare-fuelled hellscape of sonic torture? You get a truly oppressive display of grinding, trudging sludge-soaked doom with walls of caustic harsh noise which drone on for lengthy uncomfortable sections. Ugly, slow, unwelcoming and vile, 'Suffocating Hallucination' does its utmost to earn its nihilistic title, and offers little in the way of hope on its successful pilgrimage into the abyss.

Review: Heaven In Hiding is the fourth studio album from Imminence, a Swedish metalcore band with an imposing presence in the modern day scene. They formed in 2009, and at this point their prominence can't be argued with. The album was foreshadowed by the title-track as the lead single, and it's a staggering track which flips between protracted moments of frosty balladry and blistering screamo explosions. The production is striking and modern, not least on album opener 'I Am Become A Name' and the composition reaches epic, orchestral heights. This deluxe edition comes as a box set with a necklace and feather included - one for the collectors.

Review: Birmingham metal behemoths Judas Priest make their illustrious return on LP number 19; Invincible Shield. Serving as follow up to 2018's frenetic yet direct Firepower, the material this time around promises to hark back to the more loose, proggy edges of classic 70s cuts such as 'Sinner', whilst simultaneously eschewing the more grandiose experimentation found on the likes of 2008's symphonic Nostradamus. In essence, it's a victory lap of almost every sonic avenue the band have torn through during their multiple decades long tenure and although plagued by pandemic-related delays which then morphed into touring/scheduling conflicts, the six-year wait has been beyond worth it. Riffs = Check. Leather = Check. Rob Halford's sky-piercing vocals = Double Check.

Review: It's been seven years since the tragic passing of Chester Bennington and the abrupt end of nu-metal legends Linkin Park, while their legacy remains praised and intact by avid fans. Papercuts offers up a career-spanning greatest hits collection, yet rather than sequencing each bundle of tracks chronologically in terms of specific album release, the cuts are mixed with the design of flowing as naturally as possible, with the anthemic 'Faint' from 2003's Meteora rubbing shoulders with their iconic Jay-Z Collision Course collab 'Numb/Encore'. Elsewhere, 'One Step Closer'; the breakout single from 2000's genre-defining debut LP Hybrid Theory is followed directly by 'New Divide', which served as the lead single from the Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen soundtrack. From their rap-metal beginnings to their signature style of nu/alt-metal to the their calmer accessible later era, this compilation delivers a succinct yet sprawling distillation of Linkin Park's most vital contributions to the several dynamic scenes they helped to elevate.

Review: Ministry were a very different band in 1982, when Al Jourgensen started out as a synth pop provocateur straining at the leash to take things darker. He has repeatedly sworn off their debut album With Sympathy as a sanitised version of the sound he was pursuing, and this collection of live recordings from the year before it was released show a sharper edge to tracks like 'Revenge' and 'Effegy'. It's still absolutely synth-pop of the era, when the music was only one step removed from post-punk anyway, but most importantly the sound is clear and bright, showing the first iteration of the band at their best and playing close to home.

Review: It's fascinating diving into the earliest realms of Ministry, before they were even signed to record their debut synth pop album With Sympathy. Al Jorgensen swore off that first release as a misstep before they become chief architects of industrial metal, and this compilation supports his case when you hear the sound of the band at their first gigs in 1981-1983. It's a lot more confrontational than the polished, arguably brilliant, sound they were encouraged to release as they emerged from the underground. From the electro-punk thrust of 'Falling' to the raw version of 'Cold Life', they feel entirely edgier as a proposition compared to most synth-pop bands of the era. With additional gems like rare mixes of 'Everyday (Is Halloween)', this is an essential compilation for anyone interested in the roots of Ministry.

Review: With the iconic Montreux Jazz Festival constantly working to offer the most dynamic respites from their jazz-centric billing, and showcasing their tastes for the best in outsider (anything other than jazz) music, it shouldn't come as too much of a shock that the legendary Motorhead ripped a mammoth set apart back in 2007. Featuring a plethora of tracks from their catalogue such as 'Killed By Death', and 'Ace Of Spades', while also serving as the first official release to feature the trio's much loved cover of Thin Lizzy's 'Rosalie', it's delightful and absurd in equal measure to hear Lemmy and his cohorts embracing an entirely different type of audience to deliver one of the most unique sets of their latter days.

Review: If you're in the mood for heavy, fuzz-drenched guitar riffs, psychedelic intent, bass-heavy grooves and gnarled, echo-laden vocals, Geordie outfit Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs has you covered. They're at their weighty, intense and intoxicating best of 'Land of Sleeper', their first studio album for three years. They set the tone with the exceptionally dense, atmospheric and intense 'Ultimate Hammer', which evokes the grand heavy rock/proto-metal of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Led Zepellin. The album continues in that vein, with a dash of punkish, late '70s/early '80s 'new wave of heavy metal' thrown in. A few critics have already suggested that it may end of being the best heavy rock album of 2023; while it's too early to tell, it's certainly a fantastic full-length excursion.

Review: Porcupine Tree made a fine comeback in early November with their 'Harridan' single. It was well received and certainly lived up to the band's reputation for being one of the UK's most forward-thinking, genre-defying outfits. That was their first new music in 12 years and now comes their album Closure/Continuation. It is a grand statement that is presented here as a deluxe version with an album artwork booklet and a Blu-Ray boxset. It is packed with their definitive and singular take on progressive rock from front to back.

Review: .During their live appearances - and especially ones captured for posterity by radio stations - Tool have often delivered surprisingly and unlikely cover versions. These, alongside a smattering of similarly eyebrow-raising duets and demos, form the basis of Absolute Ultra Rare, an unofficial compilation of obscurities that should be essential listening to fans. It sees the alt-metal and progressive metal heroes variously turn their hand to Pink Floyd (a surprisingly jangly take on 'Comfortably Numb'), Rage Against The Machine ('Know Your Enemy'), ska ('Wrong Way'), and Wings ('Silly Love Songs', which is turned into a moody growl). Throw in some heavy takes on their own tunes (see the opening rendition of 'Passenger') and you have a suitably epic collection of rarely heard tracks.

Review: American alt-rock masters Tool still hold a dear place in the hearts of fans who loved them the first time around. The unique band released several now classics albums - often with quite large gaps in between. This vast six-CD collection, amusingly titled Box (just don't try and google Tool - Box for any further info because, if you are anything like us, you will get distracted by the brilliant array of storage options you're presented with) collects plenty of their most standout tunes from all across their fulsome discography. A great one for collectors that brings everything together in one place.

Review: Transmission Impossible charts the early career of American alt-rock masters Tool via performances recorded for radio broadcast - and the odd snippet of the accompany interviews. A majority of the tracks featured were recorded for radio stations across the US (and on a couple of instances, in the UK) between 1991 and 94, though disc three also boasts cuts laid to tape in 1998 and 2000. The band's original line up (which features throughout) was known for its loud, dynamic and energetic performances - all ten-ton guitar riffs, sweat-soaked drums, heavy bass and wild lead vocals - and these recordings capture their live sound perfectly. For fans of Tool, it's a genuine must-have collection.

Review: First released almost two decades ago, when it was trailed as a "true metal" tribute, Evil Lives features an impressive array of artists delivering killer covers of songs by the band that arguably started the metal movement, Black Country legends Black Sabbath. Given the quality of bands and solo artists involved, there's plenty to set the pulse racing (and ears ringing), with highlights including a raw, redlined stomp through 'Supernaut' by 100 Homo DJs, Ministry's breathless, riff-powered romp through 'Iron Man', an infectious and predictably anthemic take on metal singalong 'Paranoid' courtesy of Vince Neil and George Lynch, a deliciously psychedelic and relatively slow motion 'Black Sabbath' cover by Iced Earth and a typically atmospheric live recording of 'The Mob Rules' by Carmine and Vinny Appice.

Review: Trailed by her label Loma Vista as "a rebirth in process", Chelsea Wolfe's tenth studio album wears its weighty and deeply personal inspirations (cutting ties with friends and lovers and the extensive period of healing that follows) as a badge of honour. While these themes are most explicitly explored in the lyrics (and shine through her delicate, frequently weary vocal performances), there's a darkness and brooding intensity to some of the music on show that undoubtedly suits its subject matter. For proof, check the gnarled, raw and fuzzy Nine Inch Nails-meets-Tricky flex of 'Whispers In The Echo Chamber', the claustrophobic sound design and razor-sharp guitars of 'Everything Turns Blue', the Mezzanine-era Massive Attack growl of 'Tunnel Lights' and the breathlessly brilliant closing cut, 'Dusk'.