Category: Recently Added

The Fangs of the Dodo – ‘The Curtained Sleep’ EP (Self-Released)

The Fangs of the Dodo – ‘The Curtained Sleep’ EP (Self-Released)

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The sun has actually come out, which is a pretty rare occurrence for Jonny B’s particular corner of the Über Kingdom, so he’s making the most of it (responsibly) by sitting in the garden to knuckle down on some more reviews. Considering that it is pretty pleasant out, he decided to opt for something from the more gentle and upbeat submissions that have come into ÜRHQ for review and picked out the fun sounding The Fangs Of The Dodo to see what they have to offer…

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Joe Satriani – ‘Shapeshifter’ (SonyCMGUK)

Joe Satriani – ‘Shapeshifter’ (SonyCMGUK)

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In these deeply uncertain times, Jonni D reckons that it’s good to know there are still some steadfast universal truths we can cling to: sausage rolls are only to be consumed with brown sauce – get that ketchup outta here; the Star Wars prequels have merit for those wishing to do some digging; and Joe Satriani remains a vital force in the world of virtuosic, instrumental rock music.

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Shodan – ‘Death, Rule Over Us’ (Deformeathing Productions)

Shodan – ‘Death, Rule Over Us’ (Deformeathing Productions)

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Have you ever had music that had so much energy and gets to you in just the right way that you have a hard time putting into words what you like about it? That is how John B feel about this, and since he needed to write a review this was wildly inconvenient. When the press information is just one paragraph saying it is melodic death metal and giving just some very basic info, our man knows that they are confident enough in the product to let it speak for itself. That confidence was well placed. This album is honest. The passion of the band comes through on every track…

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Dynazty – ‘The Dark Delight’ (AFM)

Dynazty – ‘The Dark Delight’ (AFM)

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They say that every cloud has a silver lining, and, personally speaking, one advantage of the current lockdown is being given the opportunity to listen a whole shitload of new music that otherwise most likely would have passed Monk by. After all, ÜRHQ normally receives in excess of 100 album submissions each and every week: most of them are added to a spreadsheet for our esteemed team of ninja reviewers to digest. Now and again, our chief pack mule look at one and say to myself “that looks interesting” – but running a busy website, attending up to four gigs a week and helming a PR company normally has meant that he just doesn’t get the time to explore may of these offerings further… but the last few weeks, and the coming months, have undoubtedly changed that scenario, and so the boss man finds himself cherry picking our inbox with a wee bit more attention than before…

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Bonfire – ‘Fistful Of Fire’ (AFM)

Bonfire – ‘Fistful Of Fire’ (AFM)

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It’s hard to believe that German rockers Bonfire have been lighting a flame (sic) under the melodic metal scene for almost 35 years now. Perhaps part of the reason for this disbelief may that they have been flirting on the edge of the scene for much of that period, not quite achieving them same level of success as some of the their contemporaries (and countrymen such as Helloween), but instead ploughed a slow and steady furrow that has led them to the release of this, their 16th studio album and the third with vocalist Alexx Stahl.

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Commando – ‘Love Songs #1… (Total Destruction, Mass Executions)’ (Firecum Records)

Commando – ‘Love Songs #1… (Total Destruction, Mass Executions)’ (Firecum Records)

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According to our Tim, when thrash metal goes wrong it’s incredibly disappointing and that’s exactly what’s happened with the debut full-length from Commando. Hailing from the crossover end of the thrash spectrum, their songs are short and bratty bursts of energy, the majority of which are under two minutes long and the entire 16-track album wraps up in a neat half an hour. It’s full of juvenile humour and fast riffs, but it’s also totally forgettable and has little to recommend. The emphasis is firmly on fun but unlike similar bands, it was probably a lot more entertaining to record than listening to it is.

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tētēma – ‘Necroscape’ (Ipecac Recordings)

tētēma – ‘Necroscape’ (Ipecac Recordings)

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Like any educated rock fan, regular ÜR subscribers will be more than familiar with the name of Mike Patton, frontman of the legendary Faith No More and Mr Bungle, among other bands to whom you genuinely should need no introduction. You may, however, be less familiar with this, another of his multiple side projects, as debut offering ‘Geocidal’ more or less slipped under the radar of many critics and listeners alike. Now, after five years of experimentation with a combination of old and new sonic dynamics, Patton and his partner in crime Anthony Pateras have re-emerged into the sunlight with this extremely avant-garde follow up?

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Devilskin – ‘Red’ (Self-Released)

Devilskin – ‘Red’ (Self-Released)

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Red. The colour of passion. Vitality. Blood. Danger. Romance. Anger. Horror. Love. It is also the title of this, the just released new album from New Zealand metallic groovers Devilskin. It is a title that was carefully chosen by the band, with bassist Paul Martin telling us that the quartet “wanted to reflect the diversity, strength and depth of the songs on the album with an undeniable declaration”. Well, they certainly succeeded as, on first impression, ‘Red’ is as rich and vibrant as its name suggests…

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Aerial Salad – ‘Dirt Mall’ (Singing Light Music)

Aerial Salad – ‘Dirt Mall’ (Singing Light Music)

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As punk rock bands go, Aerial Salad are very much babies in the field when you consider the late ’70s/’80s heyday of the genre, though it’s great to see such an up and coming band keeping faith with the old school in your face attitude of the greats before them. A sophomore full-length release can be a more daunting prospect though and has been a real thorn for so many bands, so it’s time to see how the trio have managed to cope with expectations.

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Joywave – ‘Possession’ (Hollywood Records)

Joywave – ‘Possession’ (Hollywood Records)

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Joywave are someone Jase Walker got to see a while back supporting PVRIS in Manchester’s Gorilla venue and left quite an impression on our man with their stylish synthpop music. They announced part way through the set amongst other things that they had a forthcoming album and our bai felt quite privileged in that je was the one tasked to review it!

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