As fresh in 2018 as they have ever been Canadian rock giants Anvil return with their 17th album Pounding The Pavement. The band seem to have taken on board comments from fans saying they want a return to the sounds Anvil are known for and this album will not disappoint those fans.

The post Deliberations From The Shire with Mike James – Anvil appeared first on RAMzine.

When we talk about pioneers of a sound they don’t get more pioneering than Godflesh who have been making post punk and industrial music since its inception in the very early nineteen eighties and they have been influencing bands and the scene from then on. Drawing influence from power electronic of forefathers Whitehouse, noise rock band Swans, as well as ambient music creator Brian Eno and fellow heavy metal titans Black Sabbath. Godflesh are among the pioneers of both industrial metal and post-metal and are considered a significant experimental metal and extreme metal band.

Post Self is a look back at what has influenced them back in the day and given it a modern feel. In places it’s menacing, intense and an all consuming  assault on the ears. But largely the eighth album by Godflesh is atmospheric in a post apocalyptic landscape. For me the album conjures up barren wastelands where deserted towns have been left to dwindle, after the localised industries have gone from the area, all under a grey skies. This album is mostly instrumental with the lyrics perfectly complimenting the music which highlights themes like anxiety and depression, mortality and fear itself.

[divider]

The post Deliberations From The Shire with Mike James – Godflesh appeared first on RAMzine.

This is the first full-length album by symphonic gothic act Coburg, based in London. The Enchantress perfectly sums up the frontwoman Anastasia who the band are named after. This album is a melting pot of synth soundscapes couple with her full vocal range be that haunting and gentle to full of power and gusto.

Releasing The Enchantress around this time of year works so well as the nights draw in and the weather changes to a more gloomy feel for the next few months. One moment your listening to an epic guitar solo that would put any of their peers to shame the next the pace has upped and you feel like you want to break out of hell and go menacing people. The tracks on this album could be played alongside a multitude of acts ranging from Butcher Babies and Rammstien to NIN and Nightwish or Huntress.

I was hooked on this album on first play as I walked to the office and the sun was rising on an overcast day, it’s hard to pick a few standout tracks as they all hold up for me but if I had to pick it would be ‘Warriors Bloods’ just to sing along to, ‘Till The Bitter End’ is a beautifully sweet song and ‘Echoes In The Night’ is just simply a future anthem.

Coburg’s Enchantress is out 24th October 2017.

The post Deliberations From The Shire with Mike James – Coburg appeared first on RAMzine.

From the opening guttural screams and crushing riff this is not going to be the easiest of listens, but for fans of Gautier Serre (Igorrr) the four-year wait is over!

This is a boiling pot of musical madness. For instant, the track ‘Houmous’ blends Balkan accordion with pounding glitch beats and erratic vocals akin to Mikee Goodman of Sikth. All whilst coupling them with beautiful operatic sounds from vocalists Laurent Lunoir and Laure Le Prunenec – and that’s just one of the tracks off this album.

In places, there are some truly breathtaking and haunting songs that then get the Igorr electro blastcore effect on them, which somehow works so well. Then you add in some Turkish gipsy violins, black metal, Bach, Chopin and Aphex Twin and this just about sums up what this album consists off.

This might sound like the most erratic album of 2017 with what appears to be thousands of samples in it but when reading into this album it’s actually sample-free and “Serre” has produced everything you hear with help from a few choice musician to help him make this opus.

Usually, I like to point out a few tracks that stand out but this album is different and needs to be listened to as a whole body of work, it’ll take a few listen but it really is an astonishingly clever album that you should defiantly give it a try.

Defiantly one of the acts to catch at UK Tech Fest next month!

Igorrr’s Savage Sinusoid is out now via Metal Blade Records.

[divider]

Check out the last edition of Mike James Rock Show below! The RAMzine Single Of The Week was Tesseract’s ‘Smile’.

The show also features interviews from Fozzy’s Chris Jericho, Suicide Silence, Normandie, Metal Truants & Wednesday 13

The post Deliberations From The Shire with Mike James – Igorrr appeared first on RAMzine.

Poison The Parish is the fresh new album from South African stalwarts Seether. It pulls huge influences from the heavier side of Grunge to the early sound of Nu-Metal, think Nirvana meets Deftones with a sprinkling of Tool and Alice In Chains in there too. This is the seventh album from their illustrious career and the pressure is on as the last four albums all went top 20 in the Billboard top 200. From having Poison The Parish on constantly for a few days now I don’t think getting this album in the top 20 again will be a problem.

Front man Shaun Morgan has put this album out on his own label as well as producing it and running his own festival too. This album is heavier than others in their catalogue with more emphasis on the guitars and louder drums but is still very radio friendly with catchy sing-a-longs even if the subject matter is a little deep and in places tells the story of Shaun’s recent life.

Standout tracks for me are the lead single ‘Let You Down’ which just sound epic when cranked up to full volume alongside ‘Nothing Left’ & ‘Stoke The Fire’ which showcases this heavier sound to its best.

Seether Poison The Parish is out 12^th May 2017 via Canine Riot/Spinefarm.

The post Deliberations From The Shire with Mike James – Seether appeared first on RAMzine.

It’s not often I get to review comedy albums but this is something different. You may recognise the name as one of the presenters of VH1’s “That Metal Show”, but what most people don’t know over here in the UK is that Don Jamieson is an Emmy-Award Winner and circuit comedian. This is his third album on legendary label Metal Blade Records (yes they do comedy too). Compared to the previous albums which are more pun and jokes this show centres around a handful of stories packed to the rafters with punch lines.

There are stories from his time at “That Metal Show” including a great antidote about Amon Amarth and his hero Lemmy.

It’s also interesting to hear a comedic viewpoint on Brexit from a comedian from overseas. There are plenty of USA pop culture references that, for a UK audience, might be slightly over our heads but the way he tells the stories and his timing makes this a truly international laugh-out-loud live album, recorded at The Funny Factory in Cuyahoga Falls.

It’s hard to pick tracks that stand out on an album like this but the true story of hanging with Keifer Sutherland at a movie premiere is great. As well as one about the after show party at an Aerosmith show meeting with one of the biggest icons on earth; these stories are going to leave you wanting to hear more. Am I going to tell you who the Icon is? NOPE.

Don Jamieson’s Communication Breakdown is out 21^st April 2017 via Metal Blade Records.

[divider]

Check out RAMzine’s single of the week on Mike James Rock Show! Last week it was Skarlett Riot’s ‘Feel’.

The post Deliberations From The Shire with Mike James – Don Jamieson appeared first on RAMzine.

If energetic alternative rock is your thing then the eagerly awaited new offering from Life Of Agony is just the tonic. It has been 12 years since their last album and the world has changed beyond all measures. There is a drive and intensity in these new songs that only someone like Mina Caputo could pen, wearing her heart on her sleeve and letting all that has gone by in the last decade poor into the lyrics.

A Place Where There’s No More Pain is rammed full of melodic catchy tunes and is one of the most relevant albums of the first part of the year so far. There has been a lot of hype surrounding this album and for me, it stands ups to it. The musicianship is on fire with their signature sound still there even with a break of over a decade from the last recording, Mina has gone on record to say that she “Shines a light on the path of all lost souls” and it’s safe to say this is a story that needs to be told.

Stand out tracks on this album are hard to pick as all ten tracks individually stand out but for me ‘World Gone Mad’ and ‘Song For The Abused’ really hit the button.

Life Of Agony’s A Place Where There’s No More Pain is out 28^th April 2017 via Napalm Records.

[divider]

Check out RAMzine’s single of the week on Mike James Rock Show! This week it’s Skarlett Riot’s ‘Feel’.

The post Deliberations From The Shire with Mike James – Life Of Agony appeared first on RAMzine.

If big catchy sing-a-long tunes are your thing then the new album from New York City’s Eve To Adam will not disappoint. Imagine the fist-pumping sounds of Avenged Sevenfold or the headbanging riffage of Queens of The Stone Age and you can get the scope of the type of song that is included in new album Odyssey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXn_fHp56NI&list=PL_dOi81BfHvVfUZZLw9JzLvMCYijYfSOi

This album is a huge step up from 2013’s Locked and Loaded, having called up legendary hard rock producer Michael ‘Elivs’ Baskette (who has worked with Slash and Alter Bridge to name a few), to help with the band’s overall sound alongside Zardonic who is known for his work with the electronic side of metal. That combination coupled with the band’s writing ability to score massive anthemic tunes really gives Odyssey the sound of a band that should be selling out arena’s where ever they play.

If rock is making a comeback then Eve To Adam are at the forefront of the charge pushing the boundaries and ideas of what modern rock is all about. Standout tracks on this album for me are ‘Emergency’ a tune so uplifting it’ll be stuck in your head hours after listening to it, also I have to mention the intro and first song ‘Altitude’ that starts off like the eighties tinged new wave synth pop tune then drops into a riff that anyone from Zakk Wilde to Synyster Gates would be jealous of.

Eve To Adam’s Odyssey is out now via Rocktagon Worldwide Music.

[divider]

Check out the first ever RAMzine Single Of The Week on Mike James Rock Show! – Through Fire: Breathe. 

The post Deliberations From The Shire with Mike James – Eve To Adam appeared first on RAMzine.

Raising up from the undead of Holywood Davey Suicide returns with his 3^rd full-length album Made From Fire later this month. Having been at loggerhead with labels and the likes for nearly 2 years this album marks the rebirth of one of the “Top 50 Rockstars In The World” ( -Kerrang).

This album is packed to the rafters with synth driven sleaze from beyond the grave. Always known for their industrial yet catchy punk fused metal this album does not disappoint. The tracks on this album would easily feel right at home blasting out in big arena’s or in an underground club where the ceiling drips the sweat of the maddening crowd.

Davey’s lyrics blend so well with the melodic tuning and the way he sings them drips sex appeal with the ‘lock up your daughter’ style danger, that someone like Manson or Zombie would portray. The trying times the band have been through of late, has made them stronger as a unit. This shows all across the album and with tour upon tour planned, it could be the year Davey Suicide takes over the world.

Stand out tracks for me are: “Take The Pain Away’ which is leaning towards a big arena sound to the likes of Avenged Sevenfold, and ‘The Chemical In You’ which will test your spelling in time with the music.

Davey Suicide Made From Fire is out 24^th March 2017 via Trisol Music Group. 

The post Deliberations From The Shire with Mike James – Davey Suicide appeared first on RAMzine.

Finland is renowned for its quality Death and Thrash influenced bands, Skeletal have a debut album that will be looked back in time as one of those albums that sets them out from the rest of the pack. The band have taken their time with their first full-length album having formed in 2007 in Jyvaskyla.

They pull a big sound that wouldn’t be out of place in the late 80’s to early 90’s Bay area thrash sound whilst leaning towards the blacker feel of acts like Watain or Behemoth.

The album is a tightly packed 30 minutes of sweeping guitar solos and pounding crunch from the bass and drums. From the opening riffs of ‘Death Works Overtime’ I was hooked with each of the eight tracks effortlessly flowing from one to another and not having two songs that sound the same following each other. Spending time with Tom Brooke in Tonehaven Recording studio has really paid off and given the album a feel of a band that are easily at home in the studio as they are on stage which is rare for a debut. My favourite tracks on this long player are ‘Leap Of Faith’ and ‘Ravaged’ both of which show hints of great players that have been in the past whilst giving a modern twist.

Skeletal Dreadful Life is out 3^rd February 2017 via Inverse Records.Fi.

The post Deliberations From The Shire with Mike James – Skeletal appeared first on RAMzine.