Cataclysm (Live From Moor Beer Vaults) - Track Listing:

1.Only Violence (Live) 07:43

2.Cataclysm (Live) 05:14

3.The Void (Live) 05:22

4.Fauna (Live) 05:33

5.I.H.O.D. (Live) 05:03

6.Flesh Wound (Live) 08:09

Members

Sean Durbin - Bass

Sean Burn - Guitar

Craig Newman - Vocals

Jack Revans - Drums

Review

Cataclysm (Live From Moor Beer Vaults) is the new live album from Doom/Stoner Rockers Troy The Band that features the band performing their debut album Cataclysm live at the Moor Beer Vaults in Bermondsey, February 9 2024. Cataclysm was acclaimed within the underground scene when it was released earlier this year and it’s good to see Troy The Band releasing a very raw take of the whole album. 

The live performance is excellent with the album running around thirty seven minutes in length with the actual album running for a couple minutes longer. The sound here is unapologetically LOUD and RAW with the band having a way more DISTORTED and SLUDGIER sound compared to the studio version of these tracks. 

There’s a ton of guitar feedback and amplifier reverb which can be quite deafening to hear at times especially within the opening track Only Violence. I wouldn’t be surprised if Troy The Band blew a lot of FUSES that night or even broke some speakers as they reached some high decibel levels throughout this performance.

If you’re already a fan of Cataclysm (like I am) then you know what to expect musically speaking but it’s great to hear how Troy The Band sound like on stage with this album being a great companion piece to the original album.

My favourite tracks on this version are: Only Violence, Cataclysm and Flesh Wound. As this features Troy The Band playing the heaviest and aggressive sounds of the whole performance. The Psychedelic sound effects that appeared on the original version are presented here superbly well though in a more distorted fashion. This gives Troy The Band a more unpredictable energy to their overall sound.

Cataclysm (Live From Moor Beer Vaults) is another outstanding release from  Troy The Band and proves why they have become one of my favourite upcoming bands from the UK Doom/Stoner Metal scene. 

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

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Be Good - Track Listing:

1.Loan Shark Business Park 04:52

2.Space Bastard 03:26

3.How the Wheel Rolls 05:28

4.In His Cups 04:01

5.Designed for Big Movement 05:40

6.Wah Boot 04:06

7.Born with a Beard 04:26

8.Castaway 05:09

9.Lungs of Doom 05:54

10.Be Good, Get Good or Give Up 04:41

Review

Be Good is the debut album from Stoner Rockers Kraken Waker who come from my hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne and who I’ve seen a few times live where they always put on a great show. Kraken Waker play a similar style of music to bands such as Red Fang, Clutch, Planet Of Zeus with a bit of Black Label Society and Alice In Chains thrown in for great measure. 

The band do add a heavy dose of Groove Metal which gives the album a more melodic and heavy metallic sound which comes right into play on the excellent opening track Loan Shark Business Park. The sound is quite modern with Kraken Waker playing an aggressive style of Stoner Rock/Metal which becomes more Groove oriented within the heavier sections of the track. The vocals are superb throughout which immediately draws you into Kraken Waker’s deeply satirical world which is thanks to the clever lyrics they’ve written for this track which is one of the albums main strengths. This shows how the band have a great sense of humour to match the hard-rocking grooves that appear on the majority of the album.

Be Good is built upon a foundation of EPIC RIFFS with Kraken Waker playing a wide range of different riff-centric styles with even a FUNK sound appearing on the second track Space Bastard. A song that’s very straight to the point but one that has a classic CLUTCH sensibility running through its DNA. There’s a great sense of NOSTALGIA within this track which fuses different eras of the Hard Rock and Stoner Rock scenes which shows how the band have great timing and creativity which only becomes more apparent as the album progresses.

Third track How The Wheel Turns takes a more Heavy Metal stand with a subtle Psych Rock swagger which becomes more Sludge Rock and Grunge based with Kraken Waker switching genres that allows the track to become slightly heavier and melodic. The instrumental jams are a breath of fresh air especially if you’re a fan of Classic Hard Rock. However, Kraken Waker shows some Progressive melodies that have a slight Mastodon sound to them. This is one of the standout tracks on the album and showcases what the band does so well. 

You can classify Be Good as ALL KILLER AND NO FILLER with the band have written a collection of outstanding tracks with the band even adding THIN LIZZY classic sounds into their music with the outlandish fourth track In His Cups being the prime example of this. The track alone will speak volumes to fans of CLUTCH but performed with a determined gritty attitude of Kraken Waker’s own creative making.

The second half of Be Good only becomes stronger and even more outlandish with Kraken Waker delivering more subtle slabs of aggressive and muscular STONER ROCK that’s packed with plenty of attitude especially on tracks such as Designed For A Big Movement, Wah Boot and Lungs Of Doom being the other standout tracks from the album.

There’s a bit of everything for everyone to enjoy on the whole album as Kraken Waker delves into so many different musical genres that you never know what you’re going to get. This allows Be Good to be quite a different and exciting style of Stoner Rock than you initially expect with Kraken Waker always delivering the goods through every individual track. 

My advice - Add this to your collection now. As this is a superbly entertaining album which should hopefully allow Kraken Waker to build a cool reputation within the Stoner Rock community.

Words by Steve Howe

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Midnight Climax - Track Listing:

1.Midnight Climax 04:26 

2.Noble Oath 03:21 

3.The Chained Elephant 06:46

4.Oh, You're High, Huh? 06:30

5.Kosmonaut 09:10

6.Poison in Disguise 05:50

7.Snakes 05:29

Members

Lynx - Vocals

Octopus - Bass

Cole Donovan - Guitar

J.F. Stone - Keyboard

Diesel - Drums

Review

Doom/Stoner Rockers OLD BLOOD are back with another Acid tinged release full of highly passionate and soulful Occult Sounds on their new album Midnight Climax. With their highly seductive lyrics leading the record to have a rebellious edge which comes right out of the gates of the excellent opening title track of Midnight Climax. With it’s frenzied and surreal approach with screeching guitars which pays respect to bands such as Black Sabbath and KYUSS, the band are in fine spooky spirits with the song embracing a dangerous “femme fatale” charge that comes right through the lyrics and great vocals from lead vocalist Lynx.

There’s more to OLD BLOOD than the usual Doom/Stoner Rock tropes with the band focusing upon areas of Grunge, Heavy Metal and Classic Hard Rock with a deep love of the Blues being added for great measure. Midnight Climax has got some fantastic sonic sounds which can be quite Spooky and Spaced Out at the same time. This part of the album becomes quite cerebral especially on tracks such as Noble Oath.

Noble Oath sees the music being played at a catchy, aggressive and fast pace which allows Lynx’s vocals to soar higher and higher with the Occult/Blues Rock atmospherics that OLD BLOOD play along the way. 

Third track Chained Elephant is a dramatic change of pace which opens with a Jazz/Blues instrumental sound which undergoes a dramatic tone a few minutes in when a subtle THRASH guitar solo with Classic Proto-Doom guitars allows Lynx to add a gloomy Grunge vibe to the vocals. It’s an interesting style of music that ultimately succeeds at being daring and totally different at the same time. This is perhaps one of the riskiest tracks I’ve heard from OLD BLOOD but this pays off big time as it's quite subversive whilst paying respects to their Doom/Stoner Rock roots.

Fourth track You’re High, Huh, is another soulful Blues Rock driven number with a soulful Psychedelic drive drawing upon quieter movements before adding heavier strands of Grunge, Occult Rock and Stoner Rock energy slowly dominating proceedings. Lynx’s vocals are commanding yet again but with a sense of emotional vulnerability within the more tender moments of the track. Shades of Thin Lizzy and QUEEN classic guitar solos appear which is music to my ears with this being my favourite track on the whole album.

Fifth track Kosmonaut is where OLD BLOOD decide to go all out on the HEAVY METAL EXCESS front with an amalgamation of different musical styles with this being the longest track on the whole album. This has a classic “ROCK OPERA” structure where OLD BLOOD experiment to their heart’s content. It’s way OVER THE TOP but it’s full with some of the best creative ideas and instrumental sounds on the whole album. There’s a gloomy presence on the later stages of the track with OLD BLOOD going through the more DOOM & GLOOM style of Occult based Stoner Rock with moments of warped Psychedelia building into a frenzied Blues Rock charge.

The final two songs of Poison In Disguise and Snakes allows OLD BLOOD to end the album in highly confident fashion with a switch to 1960’s Blues Rock and 1970#s Psych Rock sounds which can be wholly aggressive and beautifully melodic that gives Midnight Climax a timeless quality when the closing stages appear.

Midnight Climax is another magnificent effort from Old Blood who have gone from strength to strength with each passing release. This is perhaps their most outlandish and outrageous album to date but one that is also their standout record to date. 

Add this one to your record collection when you have the time. You won’t be sorry.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to OLD BLOOD for the promo.

Midnight Climax is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Glory Or Death Records.

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