CD Reviews
White Chapel – Mark of the Blade (review)
White Chapel – Mark of the Blade (review)
Reviewed by George Archibald
Knoxville natives White Chapel are currently celebrating 10 years in the industry with their Decade of the Blade tour. Along with this tour the band is gearing up for the release of their 6th studio album, Mark of the Blade, available June 24th via Metal Blade Records. Mark of the Blade is the follow up of 2014’s Our Endless War, which peaked at number 1 on the US Hard Rock Charts. This week the Van’s Warped Tour website has allowed anyone to come and stream this album for free, before being able to purchase the album on its release date.
Over the last few albums White Chapel has shifted their songwriting to more of a melodic sound rather than a technical death metal sound. Mark of the Blade brings further experimentation for the band with the addition of clean vocals. It’s a different step for vocalist Phil Bozeman who is known for having a very aggressive vocal style with growling lyrics and deep gutturals. You can have a listen for yourself on the track “Bring Me Home”. It is very somber song allowing this dynamic to shine through. I think the addition of clean vocals can be a well utilized tool for the band in the future.
Mark of the Blade continues to follow the themes that made Our Endless War popular, with content about rebellion and resistance to authority, and themes of togetherness. The instrumental track “Brotherhood” is also a nice break in the album to hear the stylings of guitarist Alex Wade. An acoustic guitar intro leads you into a very lead driven riff accompanied by a solo. This track creates a sense of menace as it plays on, with several eerie guitars riffs carrying this track into a build up before the instruments cut out to a piano outro.
The track “Dwell in the Shadows” is a nod to older White Chapel songs; very quick paced technical guitar riffs push the tempo of this song. The drummer is using blast beats and double bass stylings which are reminiscent of the old days of WC. Mark of the Blade kind of left me wanting a bit more of the old stylings of WC while keeping me interested in what they will do next. This is Exile; this is not, but rather a matured sound for the band. It would have been nice to have had Phil cut loose more on some of the songs. It seems like they are lacking that fire that the band had on some of their previous singles. Overall this album is fair, if you are a fan of the older albums you may be searching for more from the band. If you are a newer listener this a great introduction to this chapter of White Chapel.
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CD Reviews
Phasers Engage: A deep dive into the debut album of inter-dimensional travelers and the music they make.
“Departure Initiated” is the debut album of Phasers Engage. It’s a fun instrumental jam from outer space .
I’ve never been a huge fan of instrumental bands. There are a few I enjoy, like John 5 and the Creatures and Apocalyptica, and even with those bands, I can only listen to a little at a time or see them live. I feel like Phasers Engage would be a great band to see live.
There are parts of the album that I super dug, the heavier, darker, and spookier parts and the lighthearted, fun, and whimsical parts as well. This album reminds me a lot of Mr. Bungle, minus the vocals. The album has seven songs and feels like it conveys an interesting story via sounds and codes. I feel like if they would have added some vocals, even silly, nonsensical lyrics, it would have heightened the album much more, in my opinion.
The band is very good, and the instruments are played with precision, and you could tell the band was having fun making the album. It’s for sure an album to check out. If you’re into instrumental inter-dimensional sound waves and jams, then this album is right up your alley.
Check the band out on Facebook :https://www.facebook.com/PhasersEngage?mibextid=eQY6cl
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CD Reviews
SCAREFIELD DEBUT ALBUM “A QUIET COUNTRY”.
Newcomers SCAREFIELD just released their debut album, “A Quiet Country.” Inspired by 80s horror movies, I thought that this sounded right up my alley, also combining the love of thrash and heavy metal.
Opening up the album with “Ancient Evil,” this track sets the tone for the album. Thrashy guitars, killer drums, and power metal vocals.
The album has 11 tracks. Each track is delightfully titled with a horroresque feel. Songs like “Altar of Fear,” “Child of the Corn,” “Primitive Shadows,” and “Shiver”.
I really dug the album as a whole; I loved the concept, the artwork, and the guitars shred on this album. The shreds remind me of old-school metal, and in a good way. My favorite tracks would be “Altar of Fear,” “God of Terror,” “Always,” and I also loved their version of “House of the Rising Sun.”.
My only criticism of the album is that at times the vocals are too clean for me as a thrash/horror themed album, which is understandable since the singer, MARKUS KRISTOFFERSSON is from Sweden, and you know the Swedes love their power metal, but they also love to have their vocals a lot cleaner. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the vocals; I actually love his voice, and at times throughout the album, it gets heavy and gnarly, which was amazing.
Overall, I think it’s a very successful album and is worthy of being in anybody’s collection who is a fan of this type of metal. I look forward to seeing what SCAREFIELD does in the future. Hopefully we can get an American tour, with the resurgence of the youth getting into this style of metal, I feel that American mosh pits will be going crazy for those fast guitars and drums. I would love to see them play with The Burning Witches.
Buy the album here: https://hypeddit.com/scarefield/aquietcountry
Check them out here: https://www.scarefield.com
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CD Reviews
Alestorm – Voyage of the Dead Marauder
Another solid (most likely plundered) offering from the pirate metal scalawags known in these parts as Alestorm. The five-song EP Voyage of the Dead Marauder washes up on these shore on March 22, 2024, via Napalm Records. This new effort is produced by Lasse Lammert of LSD-Studios, who has worked alongside genre mates Gloryhammer and Wind Rose.
With the new release, ALESTORM is “Scraping the (bottomless) Barrel” for the fifth time for what is their eighth album , following the international success of the previous Seventh Run of a Seventh Rum album that was released in June 2022.
If you’re an existing fan of their trademark pirate-style metal, then Voyage of the Dead Marauder is a batch of good new stuff. If you’re not a fan, well, maybe you should listen until you are. (This is how I learned to like country music, by the way.)
The first track is the title track and features German hurdy-gurdy musician Patty Gurty sharing vocal duties with vocalist and keytar player Christopher Bowes. The song is in the same vein as “Captain Morgan’s Revenge” from the previously mentioned Seventh Run of a Seventh Rum album. Patty sounds great, but I’m willing to bet she was the only sober one.
Apparently, you can be a pirate anywhere, including the desert and the Great White North. Alestorm proves this with the song “Uzbekistan” as they reminisce about the time they invaded the lands of shifting sands and ultimately turn the President of said land against them. Next up is the tale of a simple farmer who was forced to become a pirate due to governmental tyranny in “The Last Saskachewan Pirate.”
“Sea Shanty 2” is an instrumental offering and would fare well with a watering can full of tequila at one of Alestorm’s live shows (see the lengthy list below if you the need to fulfill this desire).
“Cock” is the last track, and I can hear all of you snickering jut from the title, but wait until you listen to it you immature bastards. The second time you hear it, you’ll be singing along to the tale of an enchanted dream about a Leprechaun who pulls out his schlong.
ALESTORM are:
Christopher Bowes – vocals, keytar
Gareth Murdock – bass
Mate Bodor – guitar
Peter Alcorn – drums
Elliot Vernon – keyboard
ALESTORM Live 2024:
UK & Ireland Tour 2024
w/ Korpiklaani & Heidevolk
21.02.24 UK – London / O2 Forum Kentish Town
22.02.24 UK – Norwich / LCR UEA
23.02.24 UK – Nottingham / Rock City
24.02.24 UK – Bournemouth / O2 Academy
25.02.24 UK – Bristol / O2 Academy
27.02.24 UK – Belfast / Limelight
28.02.24 UK – Dublin / Academy
29.02.24 UK – Cardiff / SU
01.03.24 UK – Birmingham / O2 Academy
02.03.24 UK – Oxford / O2 Academy
03.03.24 UK – Glasgow / O2 Academy
05.03.24 UK – Manchester / O2 Victoria Warehouse
06.03.24 UK – Liverpool / O2 Academy
07.03.24 UK – Leeds / O2 Academy
08.03.24 UK – Newcastle / NX
09.03.24 UK – London / O2 Forum Kentish Town
“Tour Of The Dead Marauder”
w/ Elvenking & Glyph
19.03.24 US – Cincinnati, OH / Bogart’s
20.03.24 US – Grand Rapids, MI / Elevation
22.03.24 CA – Toronto, ON / The Concert Hall
23.03.24 CA – Montreal, QC / MTELUS
24.03.24 US – New Haven, CT / Toad’s Place
26.03.24 US – Pittsburgh, PA / Stage AE
27.03.24 US – Detroit, MI / The Majestic
29.03.24 US – Milwaukee, WI / The Rave
30.03.24 US – Omaha, NE / The Admiral
02.04.24 CA – Winnipeg, MB / Park Theatre
03.04.24 CA – Saskatoon, SK / Coors Event Centre
05.04.24 CA – Edmonton, AB / Midway Music Hall
06.04.24 CA – Calgary, AB / The Palace Theatre
08.04.24 CA – Vancouver, BC / Commodore
09.04.23 US – Spokane, WA / Knitting Factory
10.04.24 US – Boise, ID / Knitting Factory
12.04.24 US – Sacramento, CA / Ace of Spades
13.04.24 US – Santa Ana, CA / The Observatory
15.04.24 US – Tucson, AZ / Rialto Theatre
16.04.24 US – Albuquerque, NM / Sunshine Theater
18.04.24 US – Oklahoma City, OK / Diamond
19.04.24 US – St. Louis, MO / Red Flag
20.04.24 US – Indianapolis, IN / Old National
21.04.24 US – Nashville, TN / Marathon
Festivals 2024
28.06.24 FI – Sulvilahti / Tuska
05.07.24 DE – Rock Harz / Ballenstedt
11.07.24 HU – Dunaújváros / Rockmaraton
12.07.24 CZ – Vizovice / Masters of Rock
13.07.24 AT – Area 53 / Leoben
14.07.24 NL – Pirate Metal Party / Helmond
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