Coroner - Grin (1993)

More brooding brilliance from the trio who seem to have been around for so long, yet somehow, within the thrash scene, and yet without being thrash, have carved a formidable and eerie niche for themselves. This is awe-inspiring technical metal, heavy and diverse. From the tribal intro to the heavy groove of 'The Lethargic Age' which could somehow pass for Faith No More in its unpredictability. But this is Coroner, and Coroner play their own style of metal, plagued by the sinister whispers of Ron Royce, shattered by the leadweight riffage of Baron and thunder drum of Marquis. A fascinating listen, don't be put off by the length of the tracks, these cuts are worlds of their own, full of odd atmosphere and complexity. 'Caveat (To The Coming)' reminds me of Atheist but there are some huge grooves on here which even bring Mordred to mind. Noise Records certainly had an impressive roster to boast and Coroner are a band to be admired for constantly shifting gears. The riffs of 'Status: Still Thinking' and 'Theme For Silence' will please any headbanger stuck in the '80s when Coroner were lumped in with the likes of Kreator, but if anything, Coroner have progressed in similar vein to Voivod and Celtic Frost. Expanding within their own style which always remains original. Thinking man's metal indeed...

8/10

I Love You - All Of Us (1994)

A pretty hard to find follow up to the immaculate, self-titled debut. I Love You are a wonderful, wistful, quirky and possibly difficult act who with such ease, mix styles to form a strange brew of soulful rock. Certainly slightly popular during the early '90s alterno-metal scene, but I Love You of course tragically faded like so many other extinct specimens. I'm hoping that if you've read this review but never heard of I Love You then you'll attempt to download their albums, otherwise you've missed a treasure.

The album struts like mighty Marc Bolan on opener 'All Of Us', with a dash of The Beatles thrown in, and as 'Blood' flows through the speakers you realise that gone are the darker shackles of the mysterious debut, and instead we are treated to a summery, funky and joyous sound. Superbly catchy, at times psychedelic, and all the while a soundtrack to summer. There was always something slightly twisted and ominous about the debut, and as Jane's Addiction, and Soundgarden achieved cult status, acts like I Love You and Warrior Soul were left floundering, but thankfully, through the sleazy grime they produced, they stuck to their guns, believing in their other-worldly talents.

Thirteen grooves on offer which blend a dirty grunge with a Mindfunk heat, and not forgetting a Last Crack perception which makes them so alien in their beauty. At times bluesy, a variety of instruments, and that unique jangly freshness. I guess I Love You are quirky, but they are simply too clever to be labelled as such. Magic to listen to, not strictly metal due to its diversity, but a record that needs to be heard.

'All Of Us' rises in similar fashion to Mother Love Bone's majestic 'Apple', and although lacking the glam arrogance of Mr Wood's creation, this is a record that needs several listens before being worshipped forevermore.

8.5/10

Kik Tracee - Centre Of A Tension (unreleased)

Well, I have to thank the Rockin' Rabbi for this absolutely wonderful record. Kik Tracee, file alongside Saigon Kick, I Love You blah blah... truly beautiful rock 'n' roll that lasted one album and one EP, and then as I discovered, this unreleased album. And what a tragedy it is that such a record won't be hitting the shelves. I'm unaware as to when this was recorded, but boy, this mustn't be laid to rest so easily in the bootleg charts or download forums.

Kik Tracee always had a knack of writing incredible hooks, sweeping ballads but also getting down and dirty. However, 'Centre...' is pretty much bereft of the down 'n' dirty, instead the band sway and swoon across the fields with what can only be described as a sombre rock 'n' roll goth. And I mean true goth, that dusty style of music huge in the UK in the '80s when bands such as Sisters of Mercy, The Mission, and many others paraded through the sunny streets in dark garb. 'Til Death Do Us Part' is an anthem for the estranged, a wiry, solemn jangle where Shareaux's vocals remind of those gloomy echoes of the mid-'80s where every day it rained. Kik Tracee are shape-shifters of natural beauty, at once a seething beast able to swagger in the breeze, or on the sun-drenched 'Homesick' they drench us in tales from some porch where horses run free and ladies in ripped denim jeans climb into pick up truck's and let their hair flow in the wind. Maybe it's the shuffle of the guitars which paint all these pictures of '80s love-rock, but these kind of hazy days are crushed with the sleazy, G 'n' R storm of 'Cancer Of Hate', but Steven's vocals take him beyond any kind of straight down the line ballsy rock. Again, the band alter time and time again, chugging riffs, then those sugary struts.

'Centre Of A Tension' consumes you, it licks and laps at you, hairspray in your eyes, lipstick plastered over your face, and then suddenly drops you head first into some kind of mystical, psychedelic yet downbeat street in industrial Britain. The band have made vast advances on the sleaze rock debut that was 'No Rules' although the 'Field Trip' EP promised fizzy journey's into a time forgot, and with 'Centre...' not being released, I can only wonder what on Earth is wrong with people in the music business for not signing up such a talent.

There is a dark, brooding atmosphere throughout much of this record, a cauldron of The Cult, Saigon Kick and Last Crack. 'Delilah' is a prime example of that sleek and supremely intelligent talent paraded by musician's who should be filling stadiums. And if you want music to fuck to, then slap on the groovezilla riff of 'Mouth To Mouth'.

Don't let Kik Tracee slip away...

8.5/10

Saigon Kick - Bastards (1999)

This didn't make much of a headway, due to restricted release, but once again proves that it's not always the big bands who have the biggest talent. Even without one of my favourite vocalists, Matt Kramer, Saigon Kick still write some of the most moving songs ever. Far removed from hair metal despite once being lumped in with that category, since Jason Bieler has taken over, SK are more of a Beatles/ Euro-pop/rock act big on lush choruses, sweeping strings, quirky funky '60s grooves and lightweight love ballads. One major negative however to this is the fact that they've lost the swagger of the first two albums which I personally think are metal classics. But, if you like your rock alternative, cheerful and smouldering, then 'A Lot Like You' and 'So Sad To Say' will have you at once bopping, popping and hopping and the next reaching for the box of tissues as you weep to another SK love track.

The band write such catchy tunes that only Enuff Z Nuff have bettered more consistently. The jangle of 'Meet Your Maker' is so wistful with it's lighter-waving chorus, ala Oasis, 'Break My Heart' is pure American pop-rock but 'Who's Crying Now' doesn't allow us to forget the days of reasonably rocking guitars, although this is pure bubblegum Beatles, whilst 'Big Shot' is a real stomper.

I love Saigon Kick in whatever form, but can't help but feel that with Matt Kramer at the helm we are dealing with a far more mystical and edgy animal. Still, this last effort is a fitting finale for a very cool yet criminally underrated band.

8/10

White Fear Chain - Visceral Life (1996)

Any body out there remember the brilliant Last Crack ? Very much part of that pre-grunge wave of alterno metal bands who were simply too cool to be successful. Well, White Fear Chain are fronted by the extraordinary Buddo on vocals, who lead Last Crack into unimaginable realms. So, are White Fear Chain just a clone ? Well, as the title cut bubbles in from the shadows, one would think that maybe this is another attempt at recreation. The music is awkward, jerky, at times funky but without menace, but it's very much Last Crack all over again. However, once the brooding 'Daily Into Darkness' kicks in with its lead weight chug and serpentine writhe, it's clear that despite all the similarities, White Fear Chain have their own identity, but are not that different from Last Crack but this is a great thing. 'Daily...' is a very dark trip, Buddo not quite as strange in his preachings and teachings, and the music does have more of a groove, particularly almost three minutes in. It's then back to the Last Crack weirdities of 'Roaches In The Lamplight Screaming' but don't let the difficult title put you off, this has a catchy chorus to die for as Buddo yells, "Alive!!", and it's then that you recall Last Crack's absurd ability to carve very memorable tracks out of peculiar arrangements, and eerie meanderings.

Check out the swirling 'Shotgun Mouth', reminding me heavily of I Love You and taking me back to those late '80s and early '90s when this kind of music emerged from nowhere, bedazzled me, and yet faded into metal folklore. 'Peppermint Twist' soothes, but abruptly thrashes and quakes, and the final rock-out, being 'Headstone' provides another heady trip into mystical metal stratosphere's, and there's that jangle and angst which Last Crack made their own.

It's a thrill to know that Buddo continued in the music biz. It's a tragedy of course that despite rave reviews these kind of bands fluttered into nothing. White Fear Chain have made no head way at all, but it's a record that once again proves that there is huge talent out there but never fully recognised.

Long live Buddo.

7.5/10

Guns 'n' Roses - Chinese Democracy (2008)

Three millions years late...a thousand studio's involved, a hundred guitarist's, fifty drummers, twenty bassists blah blah..Axl returns...hardly the second coming, more of a very belated apology to fans for blowing it all. Okay, I'm not gonna sit here and suck the arse of 'Appetite For Destruction', it was a good rock 'n' roll record, but not the record it was made out to be. And don't get me started on the bloated 'Use Your Illusion' volumes which waddled out of the sea like some stranded whale in a bandanna. But, we must forget those hazy days of sleaze and concentrate on the Axl Rose solo project, because let's face it, it's not Guns 'n' Roses anymore. He looks like Mick Hucknall (the waxy, ginger braided singer of Simply Red) and he's not the messiah...he never was, but of course, he gave even the normal people in the world a reason to love rock music via 'Sweet Child O' Mine'. So, let's get down to business...fourteen tracks, too many musicians, too long to make, what's the verdict ?

Well, 'Chinese...' isn't as bad as I though it'd be, although at times it's a messy affair, and of the 71 minutes you wonder why it took Axl so long to get it out, but within its fuzzy frame you can also detect elements of class, and I never thought I'd hear myself saying that. The opener, the title cut, is a poor introduction, a daft attempt at a way of saying, "I'm back...", because this sounds like Axl is trying to sound like all the bands he used to want to be like (Nine Inch Nails, a tinge of nu-metal, Soundgarden , Nirvana) when it was to late and he'd pulled those Lycra pants too tight. Of course, when Guns 'n' Roses ceased to exist, and only in legend, the music world moved on, not necessarily for the better as nu-metal and all that crap like grunge and Korn made huge headway across the world, but Axl obviously realised there was no point in making 'Appetite...' part two, but the opening strains of 'Shackler's Revenge' and various other cuts on the album, seem lost, sailing away some over-produced, densely layered cloud, where his vocals are obscured by electronics...but, and I say a big BIT, when Axl finally remembers he's in Guns 'n' Roses, he still knows how to rock. 'There Was A Time' is a magnificent track, slightly ruined by the Nirvana riff that backs the incredibly catchy chorus, but lyrically it's a stomper, in fact, most of the lyrics on the album are very good indeed, and when Axl decides to give those lungs a scream, there's that real element of sleazy fury again, not witnessed since the face-scraping jive of 'Welcome To The Jungle'. I'd pick 'Raid N' The Bedouins' over the Marilyn Manson-esque 'Shackler's Revenge' anytime, although the chorus of the latter would soar far greater without the complexities of the mechanics which shroud the vocal attack. Axl must remember that at times it's still col to strip the sound down.

Many will be surprised by Axl's vocal range on 'Better', which again would benefit without the riffage which is clearly Axl's attempt at getting hip with the crowd. 'Street Of Dreams', begins like classic G 'n' R, even has a bit of Bowie and Queen about its drama and struts like a drunkard back to the late '80s with its searing guitars, one of the best tunes on the record. 'If The World' begins like some sinister Faith No More excursion, and by this time Axl is really finding his range vocally, but I'm still not sure about those chugging guitars. Sure, some progression had to be made, hell, it's been a long, long time since he rock 'n' rolled, however, thankfully 'If The World' doesn't succumb to industrial poundings and multi-layered noise. 'Catcher In The Rye' is somewhere between the Faces and Oasis, especially in its production and lazy 'na na' chorus, a true epic anthem cleverly constructed whilst 'Scraped' is a balls to the wall rocker. The album slows with 'Sorry', a rather subdued rock twaddle, 'I.R.S.' begins with a throb and melts into a superb rocker fuelled by Axl's whine, 'Madagascar' is a huge concept, but many may be disappointed by the album's closing tracks, but you should, in reality, find the said 'Madagascar', 'This I Love' (a ballad) and 'Prostitute', with its cool piano and catchy chorus, a fine finale to an album I really expected to disappoint.

Those of you expecting another 'Sweet Child O' Mine' should really bury your head in the sand once again, because Axl, and the musicians he's assembled have certainly created a behemoth of a record, which at times may be a little too overly complicated for its own good, but when all is said and done, there are some excellent tracks on offer, proof that there is life in the old dog yet and the ghosts of 'Appetite...' have truly now been laid to rest...

8/10

Beautiful Creatures - Deuce (2005)

Album number two from my favourite post-'90s period rock 'n' rollers. BC somehow get even heavier despite losing the very cool DJ Ashba. Somehow, this wonderfully packaged record is even heavier than the brilliant self-titled debut album, the riffs are blacker, the sleaze is grimier, and the anthems blot out the stars. 'Anyone' rips into gear, a true arm raiser with enough swagger to decimate a cat-walk. Joe is on great form venomously spiting out the lyrics, bringing the band into the modern era, clashing with some of the stadium acts yet getting no winning vote despite crushing the competition. BC are far more dense than Buckcherry, more heavyweight than Brides of Destruction, yet this is the kind of company they should be keeping, although all three bands have had a bit of a tough time of it, only Buckcherry hitting the mainstream.

How long can a band of this class be overlooked ? How can songs of such majesty and fist-pumping metal be ignored ? As I write, 'Deuce' has made no impact, and Guns 'n' Roses emerge from their hole as if it were the second coming....a false prophecy in my eyes. 'Deuce' makes 'The Chinese Democracy' look like exactly what it is, an overblown, over-produced example of American trash. 'Deuce' offers us seventeen cuts ( four live ), and everyone is a stonker. 'Anyone' has the arrogance, the chorus to reduce cities to rubble, Leste's sneer is a demonic Brian Johnson (AC/DC), the guitar attack of Anthony Focx, plus additional riffage from Grossi, Thomas and Simpson, is simply slick yet thunderous. The strains of 'Freedom' remind me a hell of a lot like a more vibrant The Cult as it shakes through its mammoth chorus, but it's 'Unforgiven' which takes the album up a notch.

'Deuce' is a remarkable album that takes the best of early '90s alterno-metal, bathes it with a rock 'n' roll yet weighty swagger, and shoves it in your face. tragic that so many have missed the boat, because 'Unforgiven' kicks, scratches like anything Guns 'n' Roses have produced in the past. 'Straight To Hell' is more bona fide rock 'n' roll, but again, the band show their subtle side with the enigmatic 'I Still Miss You' and 'Starr Cross' whilst the reflective 'I Won't Be The One' sends a shiver to the soul.

I can only promote these bands as much as I can on this blog, in the hope that a few readers might want to inject a bit of quality music into their life. Beautiful Creatures are one of those quality bands you need to hear, or you may forever exist in the commercial void of stadium rock, which for decades has plodded like some kind of cheating, fake and bloated elephant. Beautiful Creatures deserve your ears.

9/10