The Miserable Metal Mind Podcast

Remember Skillet? Bursting into the world of rock and metal in the mid-90s, they’ve had a successful career to put it mildly. Their stats are hugely impressive. 20 years signed to Atlantic Records saw the band from Memphis shift over 20 million units and their current streams are over 24 billion. Throw in Grammy nominations, Top five albums in the Billboard 200, and plenty of other accolades, and we are dealing with a bit of a monster (pardon the pun!)  So why would a band as successful as Skillet decide that album number 12 would be something different. An independent release no less. Their first release since 2022’s Dominion , there’s a vibrancy to the band’s sound. Frontman and founder John Cooper explains. “Since this was the first independent record, it put some pep in my step, so to speak. We did exactly what we wanted to do. If I was on the road and felt inspired to write, I just did. In the past, we’d make a bunch of ideas and whittle everything down for the album. This tim...

Formed in South California in 2017, New Skeletal Faces bring us a second full length album, their debut for the Peaceville label, Until the Night , which brings more Death ‘N’ Roll to our ears, channelling the spirits of old school metal with the gothic aesthetics of Christian Death blended with the black metal of Bathory.  From the opening strains of guitar fade in on Disexist , it is obvious this is going to be an unusual ride. The repetitive riff from guitar/vocal/keyboardist Errol Fritz is slightly discordant, the vocals very different from what I expected. I thought they would be growly, but instead they are more of a high-pitched shout, which often makes them indecipherable. They do work well with the music.  Title track Until the Night is almost musically like a rocked-up Cure at their 80s best. The roll of the death ‘n’ roll moniker is more apparent on Ossuary Lust which has a real groove to it, and the double bass drums of Don Void really come into their own here. Th...

1978 saw the seventh album by UFO and the final release by the classic line-up of Mogg, Way, Parker, Raymond and Schenker (until their reformation in 1993). Chrysalis records present the album in a newly remastered package which includes a previously unreleased 2024 mix of Live at The Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, originally featured in parts on the seminal Strangers in the Night live record. Mixed from the original multi-track tapes by engineer Brian Kehew, this is the most sonic version of the recordings to date. Kehew comments that, “Our new mix of the Cleveland show is definitely a bit more aggressive than the original Strangers LP, sounding more like a front-row seat than Row 50 position.”  But let’s drop back into the album first before getting to the live tracks. Having released the brilliant Lights Out in 1977, UFO were on a high and returned to the studio to record Obsession . It was on the subsequent tour that Strangers in the Night was recorded. Obsession may not have h...

Progressive metal has been in a very healthy shape for many years, and it is a genre that continually modernises and evolves with new and interesting bands coming along and taking metal to new sonic strengths. One such band that epitomises an amazing modern progressive metal sound are Danish/Swedish prog metallers VOLA who floored me when I first heard their song Stray the Skies many years ago.  They are a band I have fanboyed over since and seen grow exponentially in terms of skills as both performers and writers across their three albums which have all added something new and brilliant to the VOLA sound. That growth continues with their stunning fourth album Friend of a Phantom . VOLA are definitely the product of a wide range of ideas and influences with elements of progressive metal, djent, alternative rock, electronica and just whatever else takes their fancy.  Add into the equation the intelligent yet poignant vocals of frontman Asger Mygind, huge and explosive melodie...

They’ve been plying their trade for over 15 years and show no signs of stopping. Social Hand Grenade , the latest album by the Northern Ireland quartet is everything you’d want from a band whose hard rocking style has cheered thousands at festivals and indoor shows throughout the UK and Europe.  Written over a period of two years, Social Hand Grenade is stacked with those hard rock anthems that demand a beer in hand and a fist in the air. With roots firmly fixed in their metal influences, the opening salvo of Kill the Lights (featured here earlier this year) and Stop the Bleed set the stall out early. It’s a heady mix as always with Trucker, not all 100mph by any means, and the Americana vibe of California on The Run shows the lighter side of the band. It’s a neat song that allows singer and guitarist Tom Harte scope to open his melodic side, aided by some delicious harmonies.  Here Come the Vultures continues the variation, and although Harte’s instantly recognisable vocal...

In my humble opinion, Demon never quite got the recognition they deserved. Lumped in with the NWOBHM movement, they moved away from the heavy metal style after their first two albums, and concept album The Plague saw them step much more into the progressive and melodic style which was followed by a series of cleverly crafted records.  Having split in 1992, singer Dave Hill revived the band with a new line-up in 2001 and they have been gigging and releasing music ever since. Buoyed by their excellent album Invincible , this was something of a bucket list show that wasn’t going to be missed. I’d only ever seen Demon one before, at Fuel in Cardiff, and with better lighting and sound at The Patriot, there was an air of anticipation from the healthy Friday night crowd who gathered.  Two solid sets by Risen Prophecy and Intense had warmed the fans, but seeing the band enter and begin their intro certainly raised the excitement levels. It’s only Hill who remains from those heady da...

Eighties metal revivalists Pounder release their third album, Thunderforged on the 25th October via Shadow Kingdom Records. As a trio from California, they’ve been playing music mainly influenced by NWOBHM bands like Diamond Head and Angel Witch, American metal bands like Night Demon, Haunt and Fatal Curse, and pay a massive debt to Accept.  The band members actually have history in other bands, in fact the lead singer/rhythm guitarist Matt Harvey is also the lead singer of death metal/grind band Exhumed. Lead guitarist Tom Draper has previously been a live guitarist for Carcass and Angel Witch, and bass player Alejandro Corredor is currently in Nausea (not the punk band, but the LA grindcore band). Joining them on Thunderforged is session drummer Mike Heller.  As soon as you see the album cover, you know exactly what you’re going to get. Driving rhythms, classic guitar solos, speeding into the night chargers, a bit of sunset strip flash and AOR accessibility; basically, a p...

Canadian Goth Metallers Pøltergeist (not to be confused with the Swiss Death Metal band Poltergeist, formerly Carrion) offer up their debut album, after a slew of demos on bandcamp.  With a penchant for the mystical metallic music of Angelwitch, Cauldron and the Blue Öyster Cult, as well as the Goth/Shoegaze of the Sisters of Mercy, the Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine and the Mission, the band formed from the ashes of trad metal band Whyte Diamond in 2019.  The Goth influence is instantly obvious in the slow intro Einfurung , with a plaintive two note piano motif running behind some disharmony synth notes, but once the second song Burning Sword starts it becomes a more Metal affair. The vocals of Kalen Boker (also lead guitar) are quite styled like Wayne Hussey of the Mission, the guitars of Jacob Ponton twang away in a typically Goth jingle and this runs through the entire album. The bass of Ben Wytham really underpins the guitars, with drums Al Lester of label ...

Well, how does one go about describing and summarising Devin Townsend? It’s a tall order but I’ll try my best. One of the most prolific and beloved musicians and performers in the grand sphere of hard rock, heavy metal and progressive music. An artist in the truest sense of the word whose expansive work covers a multitude of genres, sounds and moods: skull-crushing heaviness, joyous euphoria, heartfelt melancholy, guitar badassery, ambient soundscapes - the man has done it all, from Strapping Young Lad to the Devin Townsend Project to collaborations like Casualties Of Cool.  It is safe to say you never quite know what you are going to get when Devin releases a new album, and it is part of the excitement of new music from Dev that you have no idea on the journey you are about to be taken on. So, let’s hit play on new album PowerNerd.   What is clear is that this a much punchier and direct album from Devin especially in comparison to the relaxed feel of 2022’s Lightwork alb...

I’ll readily admit to only ever skirting the fringes of Frost*. The supergroup formed in 2004 are favourites with a couple of good friends, but life has never provided the time or direction for me to dive into their catalogue. A double concept album Life in The Wires might not be the best place to start a deep dive, but this is where I join, and it’s been a delight to live with this release for a couple of weeks.  I’ll not draw the usual history lesson, but suffice, this is a band where high quality musicianship isn’t an issue. Frontman Jem Godfrey is joined by what is regarded the classic line-up here, alongside guitarist John Mitchell, bassist Nathan King, and returning drummer Craig Blundell. Why a double album then? “Every prog band worth their salt really should do a double album, shouldn't they?” says Godfrey. “We've always kind of had this idea of wanting to do one. So, I sat down last summer and thought, well, I'm just gonna have to get my head down and go for it”. ...

I must admit that when Obnoxious Youth dropped into my inbox, I was rather expecting something akin to some crusty old punk band to be gracing my ears from the speakers, and the task of reviewing album number three was not something I was feeling a huge amount of relish in undertaking. So, when eventually, and rather reluctantly I pressed play on the death deck, I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, there was a punklike feel and energy to the music and definitely a dirty crustiness to the sound, but there’s a fair bit more to this bunch of Swedish/Finnish veterans than I had lazily assumed. Burning Savage doesn’t hang around, and with 12 tracks and clocking in at just over 36 minutes, it flies by, covering numerous styles and sounds, with the unique, evil character of the band the only consistent element. Take the atmospheric keyboard intro Alpha Diabolos which has a Merciful Fate/King Diamond feel but leads straight into the blackened Motörhead worship of Imminent Evil.  This sort o...

It was over seven years ago when I last reviewed an album by one of the leading lights in folk metal, Finland’s Ensiferum. That was 2017’s Two Paths , and I admit it was more enjoyable than expected with a solid rating.  Winter Storm sees the band follow up from 2020’s Thalassic , and with a line-up that has remained static for four years. 10 tracks of classic anthemic quality, album number nine is likely to delight the band’s army of fans that have built over the near 30-years that they have been together. Written almost completely by founding guitarist Markus Toivonen, the exception being Fatherland which was penned by bassist Sami Hinkka, this album sees even more great tales that are laced through the power folk metal that the band has made their own over many years. Described as “more like a musical rather than a traditional album” by Hinkka, the interplay of harsh and clean vocals certainly gives it that feel. It’s grandiose, epic and adventurous.  It’s singer and key...

Few bands bring despair, melancholic beauty and heartache that Finns Swallow the Sun have managed for nearly quarter of a century. With each album, there appears a natural progression, which sees them evolve in an organic way, never forced, and with an ever-growing appreciation from fans both old and new. Following on from 2021’s stunning Moonflower , Swallow the Sun bring us their latest and ninth album.  Ten songs, that span 50 minutes, switch from six-minute songs that grab the emotions to shorter blasts which remind you that underneath the beauty lurks a distinctly heavy metal band who can open the riff factory and let loose. A new moment for the band appears with the arrival of two-time Grammy nominee producer Dan Lancaster, best known for work with Bring Me the Horizon, Muse, Don Broco and Blink 182. A departure for him, and for the band. The result is something a bit special for fans of this genre.  I’ve seen a few edgelords commenting that this isn’t as gripping or...