Another pretty big week of great rock, country and metal releases for us to check out. Let’s dive right in!
Rise Against: Ricochet
Between being one of my favourite bands of my youth, and one of the first reviews we did here at Overtone with their last album, it’s safe to say anticipation was pretty high on my end for this release. Especially when I saw them at Download earlier this year and they still sounded as great and as pissed off as ever. So, when I say that not only was a little disappointed by this, but it actively didn’t make me feel anything, know it sadly comes from a genuine place. Like, is it bad? No. But it is hardly up there with their previous albums. And a lot of that can actually be put on the shoulders of the production. The mix and effect on Tim’s vocals are horrible, and the main reason for the sour taste left in my mouth from this album. It feels like an MJK ‘my voice is another instrument’ type idea as it’s so far back in the mix, but it really just makes it hard to hear and focus on the lyrics properly, a real highlight of their music, usually. Honestly, it makes it sound like a demo, not a final recording, making the album feel rushed despite there being a four year gap between releases. Songs like ‘I Want it All’, ‘Us Against the World’ and ‘State of Emergency’ are all still good, but don’t quite hold a candle to a lot of their back catalogue.
I’d love to hear them live to see if I ‘get’ it a little more. I’m hoping that after a few more listens the style will grow on me, as it’s clearly a conscious decision to go in this direction. It gives off slight Genesis vibes, but that isn’t what I really want from my punk. It’s worth checking out, but for those who are fans of the band already, brace yourselves, it’s different. As I said, not bad, but certainly not up there with their previous release or their best. I don’t want this to be fully negative though, as it’s still a solid 7.5/10! There are plenty of elements of classic Rise Against in here, just wrapped up in a weird-ass bow.
Chevelle: Bright as Blasphemy
YES. It’s no secret that I’ve been impatiently waiting for this album, and now that it’s finally here it is everything I wanted it to be. It very much fondles my eardrums in all the best ways. I absolutely loved NIRATIAS and this feels like the perfect follow-up to that album. This would normally be the point in the review where I talk about which tracks are highlights, but this whole 40-minutes is fucking incredible and one big highlight of rock in of itself. From the awesome opener to the incredible, proggy two-part ‘Cowards’, followed up by a slower, Tooly reflective song, only to slap you in the face with all the riffs in ‘Wolves’… and that’s just the first half of the album! The final half of the album is just as spectacular, with ‘Blood Out in the Fields’ being so simple yet effective, giving me goosebumps. I could gush about this album all day, but it really needs to be heard to fully appreciate it, so stop reading this and check it out immediately! They’re like a more alt, consistent Tool and I love every second of it. Their last album, as fantastic as it was, grew on me a little after that first listen, but I don’t even need that with this. A very easy 10/10. They are maybe the most underrated band on the face of the planet, and it’ll certainly end up very high on our top albums list come December!
Jordan Davis: Learn the Hard Way
We’ve already checked out this awesome album! Read the full review here.
Black Honey: Soak
The fourth album from the British indie rockers is a solid release in their genre. While it’s not wholly my sort of thing, I completely get the appeal, and it’s incredibly unique and well written. I remember checking out their sophomore album way back in the day and enjoying it, but missed their last one. Despite that, it’s easy to hear their progression to here, and this is a clearly good addition to their growing discography. Tracks like ‘Dead’, the dark, gothic ‘Carroll Avenue’ and ‘To the Grave’ are all big highlights, but the whole album is good and had a great flow, the nearly 40-minutes going by in a flash. It gives off big Mother Mother vibes, and y’all know how much I love that band. If you’re into chilled out, fun indie rock, this is definitely the album for you, and I enjoyed it more than I expected to! It’s a solid 7/10, and this won’t be the last time I listen to some of these tracks!
Heartkiller: Üdv A Világomban
The much anticipated debut album from the Hungarian melodeath band finally dropped this last Friday, and it’s pretty good! It’s packed full of technical riffing and drumming, heavy screams and some massive, melodic clean choruses. I have no idea what they’re singing about, but they’re passionate in their delivery, too! Tracks like ‘Életre Ítélve’, ‘F.e.a.r.’ and the title track are all personal highlights, but there isn’t a bad track on here! I completely get the thrash comparisons too, as it feels as much like Testament as it does In Flames, which is awesome. Honestly, there isn’t a great deal to say about the album, other than if you like melodic death metal, thrash or a more European metal sound, this is well worth checking out! A solid 7.5/10 from us!
Cass McCombs: Interior Live Oak
The psychedelic folk singer-songwriter is back with his 13th studio album. I remember checking out his previous album last year but sadly ran out of time to review it, so it’s nice to have a quieter week to sit and really jam with this. It’s an incredibly chilled-out release, very much fitting that relaxed Americana-folk mould, but certainly doing it in his own way. It’s again not fully my sort of thing, but I fully see the appeal of this. I had it on in the background while I cooked and it was great! As such, I don’t really have any tracks that stand out over others; it was all a similar sort of vibe and energy. However, as a whole it’s a great release and experience to listen to, and I’d recommend to anyone into the more chilled side of music! There is no denying his talent, as some of his riffs, arrangements and lyrics are incredible. It did get a little samey for me, especially at the insane 75-minute runtime, but I still enjoyed it and know a lot will love it. 6.5/10
Baest: Colossal
This things combines hard/classic rock and stoner/doom riffing with straight up death metal, to pretty fantastic results! And while I certainly wouldn’t say it ‘took some getting into’, by the time ‘In Loathe and Love’ came on I was hooked and jammed the whole rest of the thing in one sitting, loving every track. The band are so hugely talented; the instrumentation being phenomenal throughout while the screams are somehow both brutal and catchy in equal measure. Heck, whether it was Simon Olsen’s vocals or the generally not-depressing guitar and drum work, it made the screams feel less heavy at times, definitely lending itself towards an almost death’n’roll sound on occasion. It’s another album that’s impossible to pick highlights from as every song is as good as the last. It’s insane to me that it’s taken me four albums to finally hear about them to check them out, but they have a huge new fan in me! If you are at all into the heavy side of metal, check this out ASAP. I’m already desperate to see it live, too! An incredibly easy 9/10 from us!
Luke Marzec: Something Good Out of Nothing
Another debut album, this time from the Devon-based jazz/blues/soul rising star. It’s easy to see why he’s a fast-rising star too, as this is an incredible release. The opener is an amazing track, and it’s easy to see why it’s blown up as a single, as well as setting the tone for the album well. Then you have the (old-school) Randy Neuman-esque ‘Red Boletes’, the fantastically jazz-pop ‘Broken Promises’ and ‘Enough of Single Measures” that are all also awesome. However, if you’re into this sort of thing, you’ll enjoy the whole album! It reminds me of a less rocky Cardinal Black, and I love that this kind of sound is taking off in the UK again! His voice is incredible and his songwriting is amazing, blending together so many styles effortlessly and doing so while still making it relatively accessible. If you are at all curious, give this a spin, you won’t be disappointed! A very solid 7.5/10