The Miserable Metal Mind Podcast

My first time seeing Therapy? was opening the main stage at Reading festival 1992 and I have seen them on every tour since. They are one of the most consistently good live bands on the circuit.  The Irish punk rock band arrive at the Manchester Academy celebrating 30 years of their breakthrough album Troublegum, and this is the biggest venue they have played in Manchester for a long time. The place is packed, and the atmosphere is electric.  The intro tape plays, the band hit the stage and open with a blistering Stop It, You’re Killing Me. Unsurprisingly, the crowd goes wild. Therapy? look great and sound on top form. Andy Cairns’ vocals are as visceral as ever. A quick switch into their version of the Joy Division classic Isolation throws the audience into an increased crazed frenzy. The three-piece (Michael McKeegan on bass and drummer Neil Cooper alongside Cairns) are on fire as they storm through the Troublegum album, not necessarily in order but still sounds great...

Having driven back from London first thing and experienced Storm Bert flex some ferocious muscles across South Wales, getting back in the car in the evening to trek across the bridge again for this show was not the most attractive option. Hunkering down in front of the wood burner and supping a hot chocolate was infinitely more appealing but having hauled my aching carcass out of the house, this was a show that rewarded in spades and made the horrors of the UK’s motorway network bearable.  I covered the self-titled debut album by Mür recently, and it is likely to creep into my top ten albums of 2024. Having flown in for just a couple of the shows on this tour (sharing support with Monosphere), the Icelandic quintet present as a real curiosity.  They arrive on stage wearing an odd collection of clothing. If they are trying to cultivate an image, then I’m curious to know what it is. Main driver of the band Kári Haraldsson (Vocals, Keytar, Synthesizers) is decked out almost param...

We all have gateway bands that open the doors on our journey of musical discovery. Though we may move on as our tastes change those feelings and emotions connected to those early days remain true and sometimes a huge galvanizing shot of musical nostalgia is very much the tonic needed.  Welsh melodic rock band Powell-Payne clearly want to celebrate heavy rock where big songs and huge choruses were the norm. However, on their debut Voilà the Welsh quartet show they are intent on more than just reworking that classic rock sound and sentiment. The musical bar is set so very high from the get-go and Powell-Payne simply hit the floor running.  A huge statement of intent is made from the opening three songs. This is pure, unadulterated feel-good rock music that picks you up and whisks you along for what is an exhilarating aural ride. Surely this is why we listen to music right? Better Days is a powerhouse of an opener, and such is the infectious energy and the instant clout of cha...

Every year throws new discoveries your way, if you have an appetite for current releases. The plethora of bands that emerge from obscurity is astonishing and those hidden gems that tick all your boxes can come in a variety of genres. Be it a new thrash or death metal outfit, or something a little more expansive and progressive, it’s a given that by the end of each 12-month cycle, most people will have found at least one new band to follow going forward.  In 2024 there has been a range of new music that has really taken me by storm, and the latest of these discoveries is Icelandic quintet Múr. An outfit that I’d never heard about until this album dropped in the in-box, they now are in my crosshairs with a support slot to Finnish / English band Wheel in Bristol now on the list of forthcoming gigs. This is a band who have already stirred the scene, with an impressive fourth place in the international finale at Wacken Open Air in Germany in 2022.  The collective parts of Múr have...

A recent encounter with Brighton’s The Rattlebacks came earlier this year at Fuel Rock Club in Cardiff when the band were the opening support on the Tailgunner spring run. I don’t recall their music in great detail but they had a swagger and groove that pulled through a hard rock sound mixed with grunge and alternative which was thrillingly both retrospective and contemporary. A heady mix indeed.  I’ll freely admit that they were not a band who remained on my radar but when guitarist Jack 'Coxy' Cox contacted me with a link to their debut album Sidewinder,   I was more than happy to give it a listen. I was not disappointed, for this is one fine album. 11 tracks that highlight the band’s quality with some excellent performances and song writing.  It’s a strong opener with The Taste, which punches hard with a definite Alice in Chains vibe soaking through the core of the band’s sound. Lovely harmonies blend with a dirty, sleazy delivery, allowing vocalist Josh Clarke room ...

Now a vehicle for Ofnus singer Will Philpott rather than a going concern, Blessed Brân, Son of The Sea is the latest release and another example of the creativity that lurks within so many in the underground scene.  Black Pyre formed in 2017 and became prominent in the UK Black Metal scene, creating a buzz with their rudimentary 2019 Forbidden Tomes EP, through to their Winter Solstice debut which really upped the quality. Demands on time and other projects saw them ease into hiatus, although Philpott has continued to make music under the Black Pyre banner.  Drawing deep on Welsh heritage and mythology, Blessed Brân, Son of The Sea is an interesting album with some stirring highlights. The album explodes into life with opener Until I Perish, a repeated chilling riff and guttural vocals the highlights. It’s the title track that really increases the temperature, with a ferocious tempo, fiery drums and a classic mid-section move to Opeth style haunting atmospherics as the tal...

It’s a cool evening in the Welsh Capital as a band who are rapidly arriving at their 30th anniversary arrive at the start of the UK leg of the Bleed Out Tour.  Within Temptation are one of the biggest symphonic metal bands of all time, probably sitting in the big three alongside Nightwish and Epica. Over the years the band has proved to be worthy of arena headline slots, as well as high billings at festivals across Europe. This is a band who have headlined Bloodstock remember, putting them on a par with Megadeth, Gojira, Parkway Drive and Ghost. It's somewhat surprising then, that the Utilita Arena in Cardiff is probably only half full when the Dutch outfit hit the stage. But for those that have chosen to attend, it’s a treat for the band pull out every stop in a 90-minute performance that wows with a hugely impressive and massive stage show that supports a wisely curated set list which draws from 2023’s Bleed Out as well as a mix of fan favourites from the band’s impressive...

What a night of metal at O2 Academy Islington! I got there quite early as I’ve made the mistake of turning up half an hour after doors before, when there have been four bands on and caught the last song of the first band. The venue was around half full when first act, Germans Hiraes took to the stage, and the people that were not there missed a treat.  A rousing synth intro gave way to blast beats from drummer Mathias Blässe, and Britta Görtz let loose a vocal that sounded like Zed Yago mixed with Arch Enemy. This was heavy stuff, with quick frenetic energy crackling around the venue, as Through the Storm was belted out, and they embarked on a five-song set. There were some great little guitar motifs and dual parts from Oliver Kirchner and Lukas Kerk, especially in About Lies .  The bass from Christian Wösten was driving solidly and the tone was good. The band looked like they were really having fun, and Britta truly engaged with the audience, as well as getting off the st...

Let the six hours of sodomy begin. No no it's not a casual Saturday night around my house, nor is it a tiptoe tour of the dark Web. It is in fact the 40th anniversary release of Sodom's 1992 classic album Tapping the Vein .   As you would expect, the album gets a new coat of paint with a remaster and rejig. It doesn't lose any of its charm nor is it particularly enhanced by the digital remaster, but it's always nice to hear a new spin on an old classic.   A weird place for thrash metal in 1992,even weirder if you're a thrash metal band from Germany but thanks to the Fatherland for keeping the thrash alive. Sodom have a massive massive debt of gratitude to their homeland. But as Tom 'Angelripper' said in a recent interview with Decibel magazine, " We just decided to make music for Sodom fans. Lots of bands changed in the early 90s and got more commercial. We wanted to make heavy metal music and didn’t care if it was successful. Some people say this is a...

For many men of a certain age, Doro Pesch was a poster girl for heavy metal women, myself included. Over her 40 years career, she has consistently released albums, (19 so far), between former band Warlock and under the Doro banner.  They have been, if I am honest, been variable in quality, but the Metal Queen has stayed true to her rock/ metal roots throughout, albeit with the occasional foray into country and ballads.  So, after 2023's Conqueress- Forever Strong And Proud , she brings us a Christmas song, Rock 'n' Roll Christmas Party , and some might wish she hadn’t. The first thing you notice is that her voice is as strong as ever, a bit deeper and huskier, but still definitively Doro. The music is typically heavy rock with a nice solo,  the lyrics are trite and clichéd, "Rock 'n' Roll Christmas Party with metal and wine" for example, but overall it’s a fun bit of fluff.  Doro says " It's a great song to celebrate this special time of the year...

It’s fair to say there is more than a little excitement surrounding this release. The excitement revolves around the fact this band are capable of writing some of the heaviest riffs and music on the planet, and we all hoped this continues to be the case.  This is the band’s first release since The Wretch in 2011. It’s a powerful drum beat that leads into the doomy riff of the first track, Embrace the Lie . The riff shines and eases any worries, it’s a monstrously heavy tune. Slow, menacing and powerful. The baseline on the second track paints a solid path for the riffs to travel and when the main riff of We Are Perdition kicks in, the listener's head is compelled to bob along in time. This music is heavy and surrounded in heft and atmosphere.  The chunky tunes roll along until a soaring guitar solo ride over the doom, leaving a joyful feeling. These Indiana doom merchants are living up to their legend moniker, a term well-deserved. Since The Gates of Slumber one man concept...