Flash - In the USA – Live Recordings 1972-73 (Think Like A Key Music)

 

Flash was a classic prog rock group lead by Peter Banks.  Banks of course is known for his association with Yes.  He was present on band’s first two albums.  He certainly had his vision in which he wanted the music to go.  While Yes went in slightly different direction, Flash was a band where Peter Banks was able to fulfill his calling.

This lavish three disc set concentrates on live recording of the band.  During the band’s initial run back in the 1970s, they never did release a live album.  Flash was still trying to establish themselves as a unit before they untimely disbanding in 1973.  This collection comes as a great treat to many Flash, Peter banks, Yes fans. 

In The USA gives the general idea of what the band was like in a live situation.  Please keep in mind, those recordings were not done with a live album in mind.  It’s a series of radio appearances, or simply personal audience recordings.  Luckily, some archivists was able to fish out these gems, and collect them as one powerful collection.  It’s not perfect, but certainly very satisfactory to the fans.

The release is beautifully packaged.  It looks very presentable, and there were hours of hard work that went into it.  The booklet includes many photos, interviews with the band members.  There is a lot of information about these recordings, and the band’s live activity in general. 

In the USA is a historic document that connect Flash’s studio records with what the band did on stage.  It’s a great supplement to any Flash collection.  It also provides a trip into the past, and allows the listener to get into the time capsule and experience the 1970s, or as many fans refer the golden age of rock concerts.

Mark Kadzielawa

Witchslayer (self-release)

 

Witchslayer is a legendary heavy metal band from Chicago.  Their appearance on Metal Massacre 4 back in 1983 certainly raised a lot of eyebrows.  Many predicted great things for Witchslayer.  Nothing happened, the band couldn’t keep it together and fell into cult obscurity.

In the recent years, the voice of the band, Jeff Allen, put together a new line up, and decided to record the old tracks.  That’s how this album finally came to be.  The material was already there, the big task here was to properly record the songs and do them justice.  After hearing several advanced tracks, and finally the finished album, the mission was definitely accomplished.  The albums maintains the classic sound the old fans grew up with, and with material this good attracting new fans should not be a problem.

The songs on this album are nearly 40 years old.  They sound and feel exactly like the tracks from that time frame.  The new line up did a superb job bringing these songs to life, and finally making them available to a wider audience.  The album has a classic sound written all over it.  It’s Chicago style metal at its best!

While Jeff Allen did a great job overseeing the whole operation, it’s the guitarist, Ken Mandat, who appears to be a critical piece of the puzzle here.  Mandat has the right chops, sound, and feel, but he was also a functioning musician during Witchslayer’s initial run.  Mandat played in Damien Thorne in the early 80s, and he’s still keeping that band alive.  What Mandat brings to the table is that understanding of what Chicago heavy metal should sound like.  It may sound very insignificant, but when you take him away you get a completely different sounding record.  Add a very solid rhythm section consisting of Gabriel Anthony on drums, and Mick Lucid on bass, and you got yourself a band on fire!

The album is a great listen all the way through.  Naturally the published demo songs do stand out, but as a whole, the record sounds very even.  Time after time, it still rocks the same.  The production is great too.  It’s not too modern sounding, just perfect for what this material requires. 

Congratulations to Jeff Allen for never letting go of his vision, and making this impossible task finally happen.  This is a long overdue release of great songs that otherwise would’ve been forgotten.  Now a new generation of fans can enjoy this great music.  The spirit of Witchslayer is alive and well!

Mark Kadzielawa

Morgue Supplier – Inevitability (Transcending Obscurity Records)

 

Morgue Supplier delivers an extreme underground album of pure death, vomit, and filth.  Expect no compromise here, but maximum heaviness and mind-disturbing rhythms.  There is a sense of urgency throughout this album.  It’s like you feel something bad is about to happen.  Its atmospheric mode can be very unsettling.

As you listen to Morgue Supplier you feel like your stereo system might be melting, or you’re witnessing some strangle out of body experience.  Tracks like Departure (Interlude) mess with your subconsciousness unlike anything else before.  So do many other tracks, it’s a horror trip all the way through.

Once you experience Inevitability, you feel like you’ve already visited the dark side on a quick roller coaster tour, only there is no stop in sight.  Yet, there is something there that pulls you back in for another spin.  Morgue Supplier definitely has its eye on you at this point.

Morgue Supplier certainly achieved a high level of extremity here.  The music here borders on avantgarde, and certainly requires a specific taste.  This also makes them a very unique, challenging, and not always easy to digest.  This ain’t no summer of love, but a winter of discontent.  Extremely superb!

Mark Kadzielawa

Inner Decay – Enter the Void (Pest Records)

 

Inner Decay returns with their second album after a four year wait.  Enter the Void is a great old school death metal album.  The band used the time leading up to this record very wisely.  All of the eight tracks are well though out, constructed and executed.  The album has a very smooth flow to it, before you know it, it’s over, and you simply want to go for one more spin.  Timewise it’s exactly at 40 minutes, which is just perfect.  Enough to grab your attention, deliver a solid punch, and end just at the right time.

The songs on this record are catchy, filled with groove, but heavy at the same time.  The majority of the music and lyrics are written by band’s guitarist, Tomasz Bielski.  Bielski is obviously raised on the late 80s to mid-90s death metal.  He’s got a great understanding of that style, and that’s what he channels though Inner Decay.  There are echoes of Death, Bolt Thrower, Paradise Lost, or Immolation, but there is definitely a sense of style developing here. 

Much has to be said about a great performance delivered on Enter the Void.  The band was very well prepared when putting these tracks down.  Every member of Inner Decay delivered the goods, there is no weak link here.  Also, the production is ideal for what the group wanted to achieve.

Enter the Void is definitely an album that deserves to introduce Inner Decay to a larger audience.  They have a solid record on their hands, and certainly did their part to make this the best it can be.  Could this be the turning point for Inner Decay?  Well, this writer is already waiting for you in the void.

Mark Kadzielawa

Cieplarnia - Pętla (2.47 Records)

 

    Długo oczekiwany drugi album Cieplarni jest już dostępny! “Petla” to intrygująca płyta. Muzyka grupy nie jest najłatwiejsza w odbiorze.  Nowa fala w jej wydaniu wymaga szczególnego skupienia, jak i pewnejwrażliwości, ze strony słuchacza. Dla wielbicieli gatunku i stylu jest tu naprawdę dużo do znalezienia. Cieplarnia zdecydowanie nawiązuje do złotego okresu tego nurtu z lat 80-tych.

    W tamtych latach Rzeszów stał się kolebką polskiej nowej/zimnej fali.  Wiele ciekawych zespołów wywodzi się właśnie stamtąd. Cieplarnia również ma swoje korzenie w Rzeszowie mimo tego, że wokalista, Maciek Dobosz, mieszka od lat w Chicago. Niby niemożliwa sytuacja ale z dobrą organizacją i determinacją wszystkie przeszkody są do pokonania.  Cieplarnia wydała swój pierwszy album “Przebudzony” w 2009 roku.

    “Pętla” to płyta bardzo różnorodna, zdecydowany krok naprzód w stosunku do debiutu. Muzyka elektryzuje od początku do końca. Kompozycja “Reaktor” zawiera przepiękną partie gitary, która wznosi ten utwór ponad chmury. Gitarzysta K. Damhirsch, ma w sobie dużo wyobraźni i z nie lada wyczuciem potrafi kolorować muzykę. “Iluzoryczne życie” jest jak gra schematów zarówno muzycznie jak i lirycznie. Ciekawe spostrzeżenia w tekście dają do myślenia. Zresztą większość tekstów na “Pętli” pozostawia dużo miejsca do interpretacji. Na szczególną uwagę zasługują również: “Linia Zero” i “Czas Przeciw Nam”.

    Tak naprawde tej płyty świetnie słucha się w całości. Można wyróżnić poszczególne utwory, jak te opisane powyżej, ale jest to jedna spójna całość. Każda piosenka jest na swoim miejscu. "Pętla" trwa zaledwie 40minut i to właściwie też jest jej urokiem. Są płyty dłuższe, ale w tym przypadku, mniej znaczy więcej. Bardzo zauważalna jest różnorodność brzmień, zespół nie boi się eksperymentować. Jest tu kilka niespodzianek. Album ma w sobie dużo tajemniczości, lecz po kilku przesłuchaniach odnosi się wrażenie, że jest to bardzo przemyślana płytą. “Przebudzony” był preludium po którym “Pętla” odnajduje swoją doskonałość. Od razu nasuwa się pytanie: czym będzie “Pętla” dla albumu numer 3?

    Cieplarnia to ambitny projekt. Interesującym faktem jest, w jaki sposób zespół wykorzystuje swoje atuty, jak i ograniczenia. W końcowym efekcie, wszystko to pracuje dla dobra muzyki. “Pętla” jest solidną dawką rzeszowskiej nowej fali, każde odtworzenie płyty dostarcza nowych emocji i spostrzeżeń. W pewnym momencie można poczuć, że ta muzyka żyje własnym życiem.

Marek Kądzielawa

 

Gus G. – Quantum Leap (AFM)

 

Gus G. is probably most know as a guitar player who played with Ozzy Osbourne for a number of years.  It’s a good feature to have in your resume, but his talent actually goes very much beyond that point.  Gus G. spent years with his band FIrewind, and also managed to release a several solo albums.  Quantum Leap is an instrumental album, and it highlights another face from the guitarist.

Quantum Leap is a very pleasant album to listen to.  The songs are intense but very easily flowing.  Gus’s playing is smooth and superb.  This is not a shredder record, melodies take the center stage, and there is a lot of attention to the compositions.  The direction of this material is closest to Joe Satriani’s approach, but not in style, sound, or tone.  We are definitely dealing here with a player who has a very strong identity.

The music on Quantum Leap contains a lot of thought and reasoning.  There are no vocals to hide behind, Gus G. takes the center stage in every track.  He presents variety of moods in these tracks, but the album has a very positive feel as a whole.  There are plenty of dramatic passages, such as in Enigma of Life, or Force Majeure. 

The album features a number of sounds, and different tunings that spice up the songs, and how they come across.  One constant thing is the experience of this player, and how it shows itself throughout the album.  Quantum Leap is at times a brutally delicate album with notes flying all over the place.  No matter how chaotic it might get, it all combines into one solid element of beauty.

Mark Kadzielawa

Anvil – Impact is Imminent (AFM)

 

Anvil is a heavy metal institution.  The band regularly releases albums, tours, and enjoys their time in the spotlight.  There seems to be no end to their activities, on the other hand why should there be?

Impact is Imminent brings more of great Anvil music.  If you dug this band thus far, nothing will change that.  You will like what Lipps, Robb Reiner, and Christ have to offer.  The songs are solid, catchy, and full of great leads.  This is traditional metal at its best.

Anvil isn’t being revolutionary, experimental, they are just being Anvil.  That’s just perfect and enough for any fan who carries their flag for the last four decades.  This music does not compromise in any way.  Also, you technically hear and feel these guys improving their musicianship.  The only difference is that they apply these new chops to already established format.  In some ways, there is enrichment if you listen hard enough.

Impact is Imminent is full of great tunes, and you hear a band having fun and enjoying themselves.  Lockdown will definitely go down like a storm.  While the band isn’t looking back, their legacy has got a good grip on them.  Anvil knows what works and they don’t mess with it.  Expect another hard rocking album, and that’s exactly what you are getting.  When old is new and new is old, and you’re still jumping like crazy while listening to it, you know things are good.  Way to go Anvil!

Mark Kadzielawa