The Miserable Metal Mind Podcast

This EP is a reissue of the band’s second release in 2021, with two additional songs added to the mix. A combination of progressive metal, sludge and grindcore, it’s 36-minutes of aural abuse that will either have you stomping around in a circle or vomiting in a corner.  Within minutes of Jesus Take the Needle, the opening song, there is a crushing feeling in the chest as Voidgazer’s intense approach takes over. The riffs are massive, the vocals raw and angry, and the overall approach appears to be one that cares not who is in the way. Omar Olivares’ brutal vocals rage over the top of patterns of sprawling riffs that cascade throughout. The rhythm section punches hard, Kyle McNeil bashing seven shades out of his kit during the slightly QOTSA vibe on Expectations Management , another gnarly and savage beastie. In fact, there is nothing but gnarly beasties included in the seven songs on offer, to the extent that you are ready to offer Olivares throat lozenges after his performance....

Forever synonymous with the legendary Phil Lynott, Grand Slam didn’t release an album until 2019’s Hit the Ground , which incidentally, will get a reissue later this year. With founder member Laurence Archer reforming the band in 2016 alongside keyboardist Mark Stanway, there is certainly a market for the rich, layered songs that Archer can weave.  The current line up features Archer, singer Mike Dyer, drummer Benjy Reid and bassist Rocky Newton. Archer is clear about his writing style “The way I look at it is that from writing those songs with Phil in 1984 to now, my writing style and the way I write, haven’t really changed that much. I’m not a shredder, I prefer to write songs and build that way. So, there’s that timeless continuity in how I write, fusing with all the experiences we’ve had as people over the years. I put the basis of the song together, I have a rough melody line, I might write the chorus line, and I give that to Mike who goes away and comes back with his thing: i...

Four classically trained musicians who wish to celebrate their favourite band in a way that only they can. Formed in 1993, this is a project that few could have anticipated would have mushroomed in such a way. “We just loved Metallica and we wanted to play it with the instruments we were able to play, which just happened to be cellos,” says band leader Eicca Toppinnen. “We played a metal club in Helsinki, and then we were asked to do an album and we thought the guy must be kidding. Like, who listens to this shit on record? And then like five months after it was released, we were opening for Metallica. It’s still unbelievable to me.”  Astonishingly, this is Apocalyptica’s ninth album and their second tribute to the metal legends, with whom they have now become good friends. The band formed the idea for this second album when they celebrated the 25th anniversary of their first album, Plays Metallica by Four Cellos. “We played the full first album and it was so much more fun and exci...

Formed from the disbandment of Kalidia, Italy's Xeneris offer up their debut album Eternal Rising, the brainchild of Frederico Paolini (Composer and Guitars) and Roberto Donati (Bass) who give you symphonic metal, with the help of Maryan (Vocals) and Stefano Livieri (Drums). Over the 11 songs on offer we get some interesting music, although with a running time of just under 48 minutes, does seem to drag just a bit.  The album starts with Barbossa, with an opening burst that reminded me of an orchestral My Dying Bride. Strong vocals and pounding drums are noted early, but the guitars and bass are unfortunately somewhat buried under the synths. When the lead breaks through, the solo is exquisite. Next, we get Before the River of Fire , and the drums are initially more aggressive, the vocals heavy without the operatic histrionics I associate with this style of music, but again the over prominent synths tend to drown out the guitars, which is a shame. Following this is lead single Ete...

2024 continues to be a gift in terms of solid releases, and the news recently that a new album from thrashers Flotsam & Jetsam will arrive in September certainly made my eyes light up. Enjoying a rich vein of form over the past decade, the current line-up has made some stellar music, with 2021’s Blood in the Water a career best in my humble opinion. The band recently released I Am the Weapo n, and now follow it up with new single Primal . Both tracks are solidly Flots, full of snarling guitar, the phenomenal drumming of Ken Mary, and of course, the vocals of Eric ‘AK’ Knutson. He’s surely one of the best singers in metal and proves his quality once again here. Primal especially manages to blend melody, the thrash edge and a pounding drive that is dynamic and aggressive. Hooks galore grab the listener, with some superb guitar from Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley.  About their new single, the band writes: "We're very excited to once again unleash Flotzilla onto the metal...

With the morning’s breakfast digested and hangover managed, we make our way for the first band of today’s selection. We arrive at the venue 10 minutes early and are told we cannot enter, and we must queue. Instead of queuing we go for a pint, which makes us miss Dead Monarchs. Apologies. [Something tells me this isn’t the first time our Neil has done this!] So, the first band we do catch is the first band back at the Underground is Dunes. My Bloodstock colleagues and I had the good fortune to witness them at said festival completely by chance. We were impressed then, and I was keen to know if they could do it again. It’s immediately apparent that the three-piece’s take on the stoner rock groove has lost none of the lustre that appealed to me a year earlier. With a similar sound to early Queens of the Stone Age, they entertain with their bouncy and occasionally heavy tunes. This band obviously are friends with the rehearsal room as they are tight and professional. We are requested to gi...

Purveyors of dark melodic metal for over thirty years, Evergrey formed in 1993 and with a back catalogue of thirteen albums, Evergrey are a band who encompass a very Swedish style of metal which has earned them a legion of loyal and dedicated fans whilst never really attaining a huge amount of popularity especially in the United Kingdom. Over the last few years, the tide has begun to turn, and people have finally started to appreciate the wonder that is Evergrey with the band headlining the Thursday night slot at Bloodstock Open Air Festival this year.  Evergrey have had one of the finest runs of albums in recent memory which began with Hymns for The Broken in 2014 and had continued since with the band pumping out albums at an incredible rate whilst never compromising in the quality releasing some of the finest material of their career. The question now is whether this home run continues with the band’s fourteenth album Theories of Emptiness ?  The answer is a resounding ...