Songs of Townes Van Zandt

Townes Van Zandt's legendary status in American folk and country music has been well documented, yet this collection of covers by Scott Kelly, Steve Von Till and Scott 'Wino' Weinrich, three of the most creative and innovative metal/experimental musicians in the last 25 years serves as a brilliant reminder of the Texan's talents.

This isn't the first time these artists have covered Van Zandt. Equally impressive to anything on this record is Kelly's apocalyptic folk project Blood and Time's rendition of Rake; Von Till did a stellar job of The Snake Song a few years ago too. The pedigree of the artist being covered and the artists doing the covering meant that this was always going to be a fantastic record. The song order, which has each one of the musicians playing back-to-back apart from the last two songs, flows beautifully, as do the own guys arrangements, as if these songs were meant to be played this way.

Although I personally prefer the musical creations of Von Till and Kelly in general, for me Wino stands out as the star performer on this record. Nothin' in particular is gorgeous and sorrowful in equal amounts, and A Song For is the perfect closer, off Van Zandt's final studio record. It's awesome to see the idiosyncratic nature of each of the performers shining through - in particular, Kelly reinterprets Tecumseh Valley in a drastically slower manner; using his stunning ability to rinse every drop of feeling out a single chord for dramatic effect (see Catholic Blood off 2008's The Wake also), making it even more emotionally flooring.

A must listen; here's hoping a volume two is in the pipeline.

 9/10

Sleep & A Storm Of Light - Live at the University of Leeds

Sleep, one of the progenitors of the stoner rock/metal genre in the early 90's, reunited a few years ago, much to the delight of large sections of the metal underground. This was the first time the band had visited this part of the country in a long while, and anticipation was high. A Storm Of Light did a good job warming the crowd up, even if their brand of post metal is a little generic and uninspiring. Sleep blew away all memories of them, however, with a memorising performance. The set began with some of the dirtiest guitar you'll hear courtesy of Matt Pike, droning on hypnotically for about five minutes unaccompanied, before Al Cisneros and Jason Roeder joined in, producing an unbelievable cacophony akin to the lumbering of great mammoths. Most of the gig consisted of songs flowing seamlessly into each other, but the highlight of the set was the epic title track from 1993's Holy Mountain, a gargantuan psychedelic journey with devastating dynamics and sludgy rhythms. Even though Matt and Al's bellies have expanded since the bands heyday, their musical talents have as well - both guys are masters of their instruments and it's a joy to watch and listen to, and although purists might be a bit put out by the presence of Neurosis sticksman Jason Roeder in place of original drummer Chris Haikus, it isn't to the detriment of the band whatsoever. Leeds Uni hadn't shook with this kind of subsonic energy since Electric Wizard graced Damnation Festival with their presence back in 2009 - it was a pleasure to witness these Californian legends in their element.

Nate Hall - A Great River

Psychedelic/doom/folk rockers US Christmas are hot property in the underground. Eat Of The Low Dogs and Run Thick In The Night are two of the most awe inspiring, innovative and heartfelt records released in the last five years. Alternating between Hawkwind-esque synth,huge spacy guitar freakouts and gorgeous acoustic songs that recall the beauty of artists such as Neil Young, they are incredible pieces of music. Nate Hall, leader of USX, decided to follow his contemporaries Scott Kelly, Steve Von Till and Scott 'Wino' Weinrich and go on a solo sojourn, with A Great River being released earlier this month.

 Despite the excellent opener The Earth In One Cell and the title track, this release seems somewhat lacking. The few acoustic tracks on Run Thick In The Night stand out ahead of anything on this record. Raw Chords sounds too much like Peaceful Valley Boulevard off Neil Young's latest release to be enjoyable. Often it feels like there's too much going on, too many layers when the music doesn't require them. Take the simple, aching chords of Mirror Glass and Fire Is Sleeping, with tasteful backing violin. This is what I was hoping A Great River would sound like. Nate's increasing penchant for instrumental interludes is noticeable here - unlike on RTITN it detracts from the flow and serves to highlight the paucity of actual songs.

Nevertheless, Nate Hall's own brand of music stands out on this release - it's unique and promising, but just not there in it's execution. I can't see myself returning to this record with the same fervour as If I Should Fall To The Field or The Wake, but any future releases by USX or it's mainman will still eagerly be anticipated.

 6.5/10

Meshuggah - Koloss

Since the release of their breakthrough album and magnum opus Destroy Erase Improve in 1995, Meshuggah have continued to push the boundaries of extreme metal. Every release provided something new, fresh and challenging. The iconic jagged stacatto riff in Future Breed Machine. The point at which your brain nearly collapses in on itself thanks to Thordendahls mind-expanding solo in Corridor of Chameleons. The tightest, most violent and churning rhythm section imaginable, combined with ever-poetic and well written lyrics in Perpetual Black Second. Catch Thirty-Three climaxing all over the place and dragging you deeper into the abyss over the course of 47 minutes. And off Meshuggah's most recent album before Koloss, the suffocating, pulsating palm-muted riff in Lethargica, showcasing the potential of the eight string. Breathtaking, groundbreaking untouchable music. In short, the Swedes had a lot to live up to with Koloss, their first record since 2008's Obzen.

And in short, there isn't a moment like the above on Koloss.

Koloss, unlike the rest of Meshuggah's back catalogue, isn't extraordinary. The opener, I Am Collosus, is unspectacular. It's trademark Meshuggah - Thordendahl and Hagströms' subsonic, off-kilter riffing, Kidmans' usual ululations and Haakes' pounding polyrhythms, but there's nothing to really keep you on the edge of your seat. The Demon's Name is Surveillance is more interesting, asphyxiating the listener with its relentless double bass and razor sharp riffage, and Marrow is another solid tune. However, much of the album plods along with substandard, non-urgent riffing. Lead guitarist extraordinaire Fred Thordendal, known for his Allan Holdsworth-esque jazzy leads, is still impressive in places, but rarely attaining the facemelting power of times gone by. The lyrics lack the poetic elegance and effortlessly acerbic power this time round - I used to enjoy studying the words of the Nothing album greatly, but for no such enjoyment can be obtained with Koloss.

I can't say I'm not disappointed with Koloss. For four years in the making, I expected more. I hate to say it, but unlike all the other records there is very little trace of stylistic evolution, and it has the feel of being a collection of Obzen B-sides at times. By all means check it out, but this is very much the nadir of Meshuggahs' career.

6.5/10

Rwake - Voices Of Omens

Rwake's abrasive onslaught positively molests your eardrums in the way that only great sludge can do, whilst adding some finesse here and there to make for a highly enjoyable listen. The band have been around for a while, releasing three full lengths, but have only really gained any 'mainstream' recognition since signing for Relapse - this album being their first on the label. Like genre progenitors Eyehategod, the riffs here are a mix of bluesy and atonal - witness the grating, torturous, dragging central riff on the album closer, "The Lure of Light" to feel the pure power of their music. Yet like their Southern counterparts Kylesa, Rwake have the knack of throwing in interesting nuances to the music, such as the gorgeous mandolin playing in the intro track - just listening to this whilst looking through the album art is pretty trippy. The lead guitar work is pretty tidy too, with plenty of whisky soaked leads that Pepper Keenan would be proud of. Whilst the albums 59 minutes of intense extreme metal can get a bit wearing, it has just about enough to keep the listener interested throughout. They'll be releasing their follow up to this record later this year - keep an eye out.

8/10

Highlights : "The Great Finality", "Leviticus"

See also - Crowbar, Eyehategod, Kylesa.

Hate Eternal - Phoenix Amongst The Ashes

It takes quite a bit for me to get excited by modern death metal. Aside from Nile, Dying Fetus and Goatwhore I don't really pay that much attention to it. Another name to add to that list would be Hate Eternal. I've always been enamoured by frontman Erik Rutan's undying love and passion for extreme metal, not to mention he is one of the most talented musicians the genre has ever had. Even though his career highlight of his stint in Morbid Angel has passed (witness the solo tradeoff between Rutan and Azagthoth in 'Summoning Redemption' - spellbinding), Hate Eternal still have a lot to offer.

In contrast to the suffocating production and incondite songwriting of 2008's Fury And Flames, PATA is far more clear and focused, without ceding any brutality for polishness. Rutan has once again tinkered with the lineup, but this appears to be HE's best yet. You can just feel the band's confidence coming out of your speakers, from the start to the finish of the album. Opener 'Rebirth' oozes hellish atmosphere, serving as a build up for the aurally sodomising 'The Eternal Ruler', which along with the following song, 'Thorns of Acacia', showcase everything that is to love about Hate Eternal - Rutan's trademark atonal riffage (employing excessive yet tasteful use of the tritone), his divine harmonised harmonic minor leads and savage blasting with clever usage of rhythmic patterns. The rest of the album continues in similar fashion - although if your eardrums haven't burst by the title track then you're doing very well.

An excellent record - perfect antidote for the dross that is the new Morbid Angel.

8/10

Highlights : "Haunting Abound", "Thorns Of Acacia"

See also - Morbid Angel, Nile, Suffocation, Dying Fetus.

Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

Despite the misleading, Scandinavian-sounding name, Agalloch are in fact from the Pacific Northwest, an area more associated with the grunge era than folk-tinged metal. Yet Agalloch summon the same desolate, eldrich spirits as their Northern European counterparts, making for an epic, solemn affair.

Ashes Against The Grain, the band's third full length, once again has the critics and pigeon-holers scratching their heads. It's a mix of folk, post-metal, black metal, prog, without naturally falling into any category - a bit like Opeth. Indeed, the comparisons with the Swedish legends don't stop there - indeed, they could be seen as the American version of them. The album starts off in divine fashion - gorgeous progressions, flowing effortlessly and convincing the listener from the offset. Rasping and haunting vocals, punchy yet soothing guitars, epic song titles (This White Mountain on Which You Will Die) - all positive signs. Yet one's interest level doesn't sustain beyond even halfway through the album. The lead guitar work is somewhat lacking - the melodies are flat and unimaginative in many places, leaving one wanting. Long, languorous instrumental passages pepper the album, which do little for the overall feel of the music.

The potential is there, but the execution isn't. Agalloch may have mountains of critical acclaim but on this record I feel this praise isn't justified.

7/10

Highlights : "Limbs", "Falling Snow ".

See also - Opeth, Alcest, Fen.