Classix Nouveaux – Battle Cry (Cherry Red Records)

This release comes as a real surprise.  Classix Nouveaux was a new wave/new romantic British band that released some very cool records back in the 1980s, and broke up in 1985.  They were never a big group, but they managed to have a healthy following especially in Europe.  Their frontman, Sal Solo, was very charismatic, and after the band’s demise concentrated more on the spiritual side of music.

Battle Cry picks up where the band left off back in 1985, which means it’s 1986 already, right?  Yeah, wish it was, but they still managed to do it in 2023.  It’s a very solid album with plenty of catchy songs.  There are several potential hits here, but what guarantees a hit in 2023?  The band plays around with the sounds you’re very familiar with, but they never lost their experimental touch either.  The group also revisited two of their older tracks, and sort of gave them a new lease on life.  But it all makes sense in the great scheme of things.  It’s great to get a Classix Nouveaux album in 2023.

Classic Nouveaux fans will certainly be very happy with this album.  It has a very gentle nature, but it also kicks left and right in the most unexpected ways.  Before you know it, you’ve listened to this album 20 times, and you simply can’t stop.  For the old fans the album feels like you’re reuniting with a friend you haven’t seen in ages.  If you’re a new fan, a great adventure awaits you!

Mark Kadzielawa

Wastelander – Endless Survival (Dystopian Dogs Records)

 

Endless Survival is a like a battle between good and evil!  You feel the two opposing camps struggling for absolute domination.  Add the apocalyptic setting, and this could equal to a movie!  This is a really heavy record, and the band clearly follows the path they established on their Wardrive album.

Wastelander mixes a combination of sounds, but they do it so effectively, it actually defines their musical style.  This album has a pounding heart, and delivers crushing blows.  Its musicality is well hidden, and balanced with a delicate proportion.  The focus here is heaviness, and Wastelander achieves this at ease.

There are a lot of cool visuals in the CD booklet, every song is illustrated and connected with the music.  From that perspective, the artistic connection between the music and the visuals is very impressive, and shows that a lot of thinking and effort went into making this album.  All of those factors make Endless Survival a record with a vision that goes way beyond the musical spectrum.

Mark Kadzielawa

Edgar Broughton – Break the Dark (Esoteric Antenna)

Edgar Broughton is a music icon from the 1970s and beyond.  His records with Edgar Broughton Band were filled with rock and groove.  This new album displays a different type of energy.  It has a very toned-down approach, and quite dark in nature, as the title suggests.  It’s a very good album with an interesting angle.

Broughton doesn’t necessarily want to rock you this time, but he wants to tell you things.  This aging rocker gathered a lot of life truths over the years, and now he wants to share.  This album is full of calmness and melancholy.  It is very touching at the same time.  It seems like with each listen you pick on different aspect of the music, and the lyrics. 

Break the Dark is like a new path for Edgar Broughton.  He’s using his musical proficiency in ways no one really expected him to, and it works, it works beautifully in fact.  The charm of this album is certainly undeniable, and it’s reflective nature will find many like hearted listeners.

Mark Kadzielawa

The Church – Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars (Comm Vess)

 

The Church created a real magic with The Hypnogogue album.  One of the more essential releases of 2023!  Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars picks up where the previous opus left off.  While both albums are somewhat connected, this one certainly has its own tone and personality.  As it is with The Church, you may think you are swimming along in the familiar waters, but you can't never predict the deepness.

The whole album feels like a one big suite with various movements.  It’s that melancholic feel that unites those songs into one solid wall of sound.  As for this listener, different tracks stand out on different days.  At the time of writing this review the love goes to 1954, Korea, and Manifesto, but that changes with each spin.  Even after multiple listens, the album still appears very mysterious.  There is a lot to explore for months to come.

The music on this record has a very delicate touch.  It gets into your system, and before you know it, you flow with it.  It has a clarity of someone who lost their sight, regained it, only to see things in more beautiful colors than ever before.  What a great feeling that is, and can only be experienced by someone who understands the gift of music.  In many ways The Church is the gift of music!

Mark Kadzielawa

Repentance – The Process of Human Demise (Noble Demon)

 

This album attacks the listener with a Slayer-like intensity from the first note, and pretty much stays that way until the very end.  The beauty of their approach is how audible everything is.  While being very intense Repentance avoids sounding blurry.  Every instrument here is being exposed properly, and the album is very well mixed and balanced. 

The songs are catchy, plenty of hooks, and the riffs have a very classic feel.  The influences certainly come from the golden age of thrash, and it’s a fact any band should be proud of.  The delivery however, has a very modern feel, and that perhaps is the trick that makes Repentance the band they are.  Also, there are traces of that Swedish death metal sound, but after all many of those bands were strongly influenced by Illinois groups from the 1980s.  It goes back and forth, doesn’t’ it?

The Process of Human Demise is very rich in texture.  It has a very thick sound that can be separated in few individual layers.  As a whole it’s a cacophony of metal!  Instrumentally, this band delivers magic song after song.  The real star here, is the vocalist Adam Gilley.  His performance is the icing on the cake.  He takes these songs and twists them into the prime bangers.  Also, the leads are very creative, and complementary to the sea of massive riffs on the album. 

In every aspect, The Process of Human Demise, is a perfect metal record.  Definitely one of the finest of the year!  While, the last EP (Volume I-Reborn) was very impressive, this album is a huge step forward.  Repentance is like a chemical reaction where the classic riffs blend with a modern sound, and the results are explosive!

Mark Kadzielawa

Mick Ralphs – On The Run 1984-2013 (HNE Recordings Ltd.)

 

Mick Ralphs is of course known as guitarist for Bad Company and Mott the Hoople.  This box combines al of his solo efforts and then some.  It’s a beautiful 4 cd box full of hidden treasures. 

Back in 1984, Mick Ralphs released his first solo album, Take This!.  The album went largely unnoticed, but what an amazing effort it was.  If you are looking for some great rock music, this is the record you need.  Great songwriting, and a proof that not only was Ralphs a great guitar player, but an impressive vocalist as well.  The album is enhanced by 10 bonus tracks, some unreleased, some just working mixes.  This long-lost album is simply worth the price of this set alone!

It's All Good is a collection of instrumental tracks that Ralphs accumulated in the years leading to the first Bad Company reunion in 1999.  And it does include one track taken from the Bad Company set in 1999.  There are a lot of great ideas here that could’ve easily been taken to another level. 

That’s Life-Can’t Get Enough is a collection of home demos.  This time, Ralphs, performs all of the instruments and vocals all by himself.  The man is clearly talented, and fool of groove and invention.  As a bonus, this album includes demos dating back to 1970, and 1977.

Should Know Better-Live at the Musician is a live album from 2013.  It shows off Ralphs in a blues setting.  He’s definitely holding his own, and delivers some choice blues licks that will surprise a number of his followers. 

On the Run 1984-2013 very nicely sums up a solo career from one of the most impressive British guitar players.  Ralphs certainly made a huge mark on the rock scene through his involvement with Bad Company or Mott the Hoople, this is what else he did when you weren’t looking.  And witha player like that you always want to keep on your horizon.  Currently Mick Ralphs is experiencing health problems, following a stroke in 2016.  Let’s listen to his great music, and pray for his full recovery.

Mark Kadzielawa

Venom – Live from the Hammersmith Odeon Theatre (Dissonance Productions)

 

Another legendary performance becomes available in a CD/DVD format.  This is a classic performance from Venom’s golden age.  Originally available on VHS, and then missing in action for many years until now.  There was a lot of live releases from Venom around 1985, most of it in form of mini albums, but the band managed to embrace the very popular VHS format, and while doing so, left some great documents behind.

This is a great show from a very special location, and unique time.  Venom as seen here, no longer functions, Hammersmith Odeon is no longer around, and VHS format was replaced by DVD’s, Blue Ray, and now streaming.  This concert however rocks, and it rocks hard.  From the beginning to the very end.  You see Venom in their prime, not only delivering some intense metal, but also, having a great time on stage.  There are some funny moments here too, and good showmanship.  Venom really knew how to deliver the goods live.

The idea of combining the audio and video is simply fantastic.  You get the best of both worlds, and a fine document in form of DVD that was impossible to find for many years.  The packaging is simple, but very effective.  The booklet includes interviews with Antton Lant, and Shane Embury of Napalm Death.  It’s a real treat for all Venom collectors.

The music of Venom is still alive through Venom, and Venom Inc.  What we have here is a very special capture at a formative time in the history of heavy metal.  Venom has a very special place in that history, and their strong influence is undeniable.  This release is just another proof of that.

Mark Kadzielawa