Category: Album Reviews

Emerson, Lake & Palmer ‘Works Live’ (BMG)

Emerson, Lake & Palmer ‘Works Live’ (BMG)

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Back in 1977 the punk revolution was in full swing, railing against the opulence, excess and self-indulgence of the rock superstars of the day, especially the progressive rock ones. So what were archenemies Emerson, Lake & Palmer doing at the time? A world tour with a full 70-piece orchestra and a choir, that’s what. That tour is captured on ‘Works Live’, a 1977 recording culled mainly from the Montreal Olympic Stadium performance, which now gets an updated and remastered release.

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Parker Barrow ‘Hold The Mash’ (Self-Released)

Parker Barrow ‘Hold The Mash’ (Self-Released)

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Parker Barrow’s sophomore album, ‘Hold The Mash’, is a louder, dirtier and more assured statement than many bands manage on a second pass, with Megan Kane’s voice tearing through the mix like a headliner who knows the room is hers. It leans hard into blues-soaked Southern rock, but there’s enough swagger, hook and muscle to keep it from sounding like a retro exercise.

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Fabienne Delsol ‘Indigo Red’ (Damaged Goods)

Fabienne Delsol ‘Indigo Red’ (Damaged Goods)

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You may be more familiar with Fabienne Delsol than you think. ‘I’m Gonna Haunt You’, a track from her 2004 debut album ‘No Time for Sorrows’ soundtracked a pivotal scene in the second series of the hit BBC black-thriller ‘Killing Eve’, which was a very suitable fit. With a love for fuzz guitars, psychedelia, French pop and exotic soundtracks, Fabienne Delsol imbues a coolness of ‘60s styling and has now arrived with album number five in the shape of ‘Indigo Red’.

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CJ Wildheart ‘DEViL’ (Devilspit Music)

CJ Wildheart ‘DEViL’ (Devilspit Music)

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The artist by the nom de plume of CJ Wildheart should need absolutely no introduction to not only regular readers of this here always ever so humble website but lovers of classy rock ‘n’ roll music as a whole, as he was one of the similarly-monickered co-founders of one of perhaps the singularly most recognized and notorious glunk pop acts to have emerged from the Über Kingdom in the past two generations. After a nigh on 40-year interaction with the band that has experienced more stops and starts than a rain-sodden TT race, the firebrand sauceror (sic) has just unleashed his eighth, and perhaps most visceral and vital, solo album on an unsuspecting Überverse…

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Glenn Kingsmore ‘Cairn Holy’ (Casualty Records)

Glenn Kingsmore ‘Cairn Holy’ (Casualty Records)

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Best known as the drummer with Belfast punk legends/veterans (whichever term they prefer to use) The Defects, this latest solo album, his fifth, is a completely different prospect from what one might expect given its creators’ background and pedigree, but at the same time what one should expect from a solo offering, in that it treads different waters from those in which he normally swims…

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Corpse Water ‘Something In The Water’ (GrindScene Records)

Corpse Water ‘Something In The Water’ (GrindScene Records)

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If there is one man who has stood over the Northern Ireland grind scene (sic) like a colossus it is Pete Clarke. For the past decade the frontman of Strangle Wire, and before that Zombified and the brief industrial death spin-off The Obscene Machine, he has devoted almost his entire life to this most extreme of metal sub-genres, not least through his record company, via which he has not only profiled local acts from this particular wee corner of the Überverse but also championed genre legends such as Basement Torture Killings and Foetal Juice. Now, he has once again emerged from the darkened sewers of his hometown of Lisburn with his latest foul infestation of our senses and sensibilities…

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Solace – ‘Fading Failing Ruin’ (Magnetic Eye Records)

Solace – ‘Fading Failing Ruin’ (Magnetic Eye Records)

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Originally rising from the ashes of Godspeed, New Jersey’s Solace celebrate their 30th anniversary this year with the release of their fifth studio album ‘Fading Failing Ruin’, their first in seven years. They’ve just completed their biggest run of gigs in those 30 years with a successful European tour including a prominent appearance at the Desertfest, so fans may already be familiar with one or two of the new tracks from what is a huge new chapter in the band’s career.

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DEAD PIONEERS ‘WAGON BURNER’ (HASSLE RECORDS)

DEAD PIONEERS ‘WAGON BURNER’ (HASSLE RECORDS)

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Starting out as an art project of proud Native American front man Gregg Deal, and mutating over time, by public demand, into a full blown working band, Dead Pioneers have made great strides and attracted considerable interest with the punk rock vibe and strong anti-fascist message of their first two albums. They’ve befriended Jello Biafra and toured with kindred spirits like Pennywise, Propaghandi, even Pearl Jam. Now they’re unleashing their potent third album ‘Wagon Burner’.

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King Salami and The Cumberland Three – ‘16 Knockout Hits!’ (Damaged Goods)

King Salami and The Cumberland Three – ‘16 Knockout Hits!’ (Damaged Goods)

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The brilliantly named King Salami and The Cumberland Three were formed by a Japanese punk, a French punk, a Spanish punk and a Caribbean tennis teacher 20 years ago this year. With a fearsome live reputation, they have knocked out numerous releases over those years, and now they celebrate that 20th anniversary with ‘16 Knockout Hits!’, a compilation of many of the best tracks from their back catalogue.

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