Gama Bomb - Survival Of The Fastest (2006)

These Irish 'retro thrashers' continuously pay homage to old school thrash with their mediocre brand of chugging speed. Sadly, as I'm finding myself saying time and time again - if anyone is listening - why the fuck is the new scene so vital when it's simply so dire in its attempts to mimic the past ? The humour is here for all to hear, zombies, sci-fi, blah blah, and the usually global warming issues wrapped up in a tepid style of thrash that comes across as a bad version of Exodus, Nuclear Assault and countless others before. I guess if you've never heard thrash before you'll find this great - but for anyone who owns records beyond Metallica this will hit the ears as a rather lukewarm homage to all that's gone before, but why spend forty minutes of your life listening to this bland moshing when you can slap on Nuclear Assault's 'Survive' and thrash real hard. None of this revival makes sense in the slightest, unless it acts as a way for new fans to realise how dire the new breed are compared to the original guys who, in some cases are still going and doing it much better, harder and faster. By keep repeating myself I'm beginning to sound as dull as the riffs that litter Gama Bomb's debut record. It's just not funny anymore...I was there in the '80s, you guys weren't so get the fuck over it.

5/10

Kix - Hot Wire (1991)

Kix were a reliable band, deserving of the recent album box set release I guess, although I could've thought of loadsa cooler, even thrashier bands who deserve their own box set. Even so, this cheeky mover does it's best, once again, at combining AC/DC ('Girl Money'), sleazy glam ('Luv A Holic') and '80s hair metal pout ('Tearin Down The Walls'). Okay, so vocally it begins to grate after half the songs have settled in - at times it borders on Cinderella for tonsillitis rasps, but it makes the perfect soundtrack to any teen metalhead's bedroom, with enough rebel yell for Hell, albeit slightly out of time by 1991.

6.5/10

Sixx Am - This Is Gonna Hurt (2011)

Nikki Sixx is my hero, and Sixx Am seems to be a very popular project with music fans in general. I, sadly, can take it or leave it, because whilst I can acknowledge Nikki's songwriting talent and DJ Ashba's guitar wizardry, I'm continuously left cold by the vocals of James Michael. The band's debut was very good in parts but I always struggled to get my ears around Michael's all too subtle - weak, anyone ? - tones. So many times a tune would kick in with killer guitars, a heavy drum, a crushing melody, and then it would be flattened by Michael's almost 'nu metal' croon, and this time around the vocals have just destroyed my faith in Sixx Am. Sure, this is an emotional trip, and Mr Sixx would probably say, well, if you don't like it then fuck you...so fuck me it is, because put another vocalist on this and Sixx Am rocks, but as it stands Michael is a watery mess that brings to mind a cliche of emo bands, his emotional subtle tones just killing every killer riff, grating on my nerves as he soars to the top of the charts...put James Michael in front of My Chemical Romance and his vocals probably work, but not here...not for me. There's no doubting the strength of the songs, 'Lies Of The Beautiful people', 'Live Forever' et al, are good, solid rock n roll tracks, but it's oh so pristine, the edge blunted by the predictable holier then thou vocals from a man that has a voice which suits only some mediocre middle of the road band, and I never wanted Sixx Am to be that type of band, and musically they aren't, but vocally it irritates so much that I just can't sit through another listen. This probably won't be the last we hear of Sixx Am but all the while James Michael is at the helm, I'll have to pass....this really does hurt, and there's nothing more painful than a band whose vocalist sucks. Sorry.

5/10

Anthrax - Worship Music (2011)

I for one, welcomed back Joey Belladonna with open arms, so lost was I by the bands John Bush meanderings. Judging by sales and reviews, 'Worship Music' is what everyone hoped for and more, the band stomping the stage as part of the Big Four and ready to thrash again. Should we believe the hype ? Well, in most cases yes...it's Anthrax, and for me 'Spreading The Disease' and 'Among The Living' are two of metal's greatest records, even 'State...' and 'Persistence...' were decent affairs, and now we've come full circle, thrash metal is back in a big way, there's lotsa fresh new talent (albeit too many bands paying respects to the past with their sound) and so we always hope we'll never be let down by the original masters...Slayer have always stuck to their guns, as have Megadeth, whilst Metallica for me anyway, have been a disgrace since '88, but can Anthrax enable us to worship the scene again ? There's no doubt that Anthrax aren't just here to make up the thrash numbers, the mighty riff attack of Ian and Caggiano is one that reduces houses to rubble. If there's always been one band known for its chug then it's Anthrax, but this time round there's a refreshing, melodic, yet pummelling chug bolstered by the startling Belladonna and a renewed set of pipes....there's no jokes, no gimmicks, just pure cranium carvery as the five piece hammer home a weighty affair that clearly finds no purpose in reminiscing on the days of mosh! 'Earth On Hell', and the mighty mayhemic 'Fight Em Til You Can't' propel Anthrax back to the top of the league, blessed with amazing melody, this could easily be Sabbath circa Ronnie Dio, and Maiden at it's most sublime, with added velocity. Bello's bass is, as expected, of earthquake standard and Benanate's drums raise the levels of the boom, and that guitar sound is so punishing, lead weight, crushing, devastating, and crisp and clear. Anthrax 2011 isn't necessarily a thrash band - 'Worship...' simply concretes their legend without the need to resort to tried and tested ways. The monstrous 'Judas Priest' and album closer 'Revolution Screams' are titanic in structure whilst 'I'm Alive' is destined to become a timeless metal anthem, the melody an absolute killer. As the album progresses the band does tend to slow, but as I said, Anthrax have no need to thrash anymore, but instead have crafted an album of highly polished metal anthems that never once require bermuda short buffoonery but instead take the classic, cold steel energy of bands such as Sabbath (circa Dio), Priest, Maiden, and their own sense of knowing, to construct a dark rumbling beast. 'In The End' a prime example of how a band such as Anthrax need not worry about the wave of pretenders that have saturated a field they once ruled. Anthrax will always rule, in what ever form they take, but the skin they seem most comfortable in is one that within its fold includes Joey Belladonna. Metallica - listen to this and weep.

8.5/10

Souls Of We - Let The Truth Be Known (2008)

Also known as George Lynch's Souls Of We, this four piece are the brainchild of ex-Dokken fret-master George Lynch, and fronted by ex Brides Of Destruction warbler London LeGrande, and what a corker of a record it is. One could imagine this drifting through the air waves in 1992, as it has that type of alternative vibe but it also packs a punch, mainly due to Lynch's rather surprising doom-laden and grunge infested guitars. Admittedly, LeGrande has never had the strongest set of pipes but his rasp someone slots in amongst those swampy guitars, making Souls Of We a pretty infectious debut that weaves a dark path through sweaty bayous and gnat-infested swamps. I was shocked at how instant this record is, and whilst I thought initially that fourteen cuts would be way too long, I became absorbed by the voodoo vibes and startled by how catchy and clever it all is, especially as Lynch's twiddlings do their own thing amid the murky backwater blues. This somehow evokes the likes of Alice In Chains and a more swampy Mindfunk, but it's huge on the grooves and LeGrande is more than happy to provide the swagger - check out the venomous yet languid 'January' with its soaring chorus. At times it's as thick as quicksand but it continues to pull itself free with surprising choruses of infectious quality - 'St Jude' is mesmerising, and almost original as rock tracks go, but the sheer weight the band offer is the biggest and most pleasant surprise - Lynch drags the likes of 'Skeleton Key' and 'Sorry To Say' into Sabbath-esque caverns, but each time the band rescue themselves from the treacle by way of a cool hook or catchy chorus. I never thought I'd find Souls Are We so fascinating, and the well packaged cd, complete with candy skull artwork is a joy to the eye. Hats off to them, I just hope they get some success, because any band that can remain so heavy and yet so cool deserves another shot at glory. My guess is that Souls Of We will just fade away, but if you can grab this record then let yourself become immersed in the sludge because this is fragrant ooze!

8/10

Heaven's Edge - Heaven's Edge (1990)

There were a lot of people in the metal world who felt that Heaven's Edge should have been massive and that their fire was quickly extinguished by the wet flannel known as grunge. Although I'm of the opinion that Nirvana and many of the dire grungeheads did indeed put a pay to metal in the early to mid '90s, I'm not sure if Heaven's Edge would have been huge, despite the fact this is a quality debut record. When I first about these Philly guys I thought they were gonna sound pretty weak, but I was wrong - this debut is a bolshy affair that has a considerable weight alongside a set of stomping anthems which may have seemed a little out of time. Think Crue's 'Dr Feelgood' for that distinctively crisp production and put together a set of big haired metal acts who never quite made the grade, but give it all a lethal injection of sonic guitars and bombastic drums and Heaven's Edge are the monster you'll come up with. If this had emerged around '86 then things may have been dfferent - if Heaven's Edge had surfed on the same wave as say, Skid Row, or Extreme, then they'd have got the kudos they deserved, but despite some rockin' reviews, this debut scarf waver fizzled out in the Seattle rain. Yes it's hair metal, but it's so huge in its sound and so damn talented, just sit back and be scorched by the guitar attack of Steven Parry and Reggie Wu. And there's those massive sounding drums from David Rath, flying high on a cosmic riser, and fronted by the immaculate Mark Evans, who, with puffed out chest took metal yells to new heights. It's not an album that's rough around the edges - far from it, some will hear a little Bon Jovi, especially in the vocals, whilst others may hear some Dokken fury in those chords, but it's the bands' ability to write a catchy hook that impresses most. 'Play Dirty', 'Skin To Skin', 'Bad Reputation', 'Is That All You Want ?' are all smoking tunes which sound fresh today, but would have surely hit bigger times had the band existed, or released them a couple of years earlier. It's great the album has a reissue because any fan of melodic metal will surely find Hraven's Edge heaven sent, and for the sceptical hard metallers out there, even they'll be surprised by the beefy ingredients this album has to offer. More stomp than pomp...

8/10