Vultures :- Axewound

Vultures – Axewound

British supergroup soar on debut album

Rating: - 7/10

There are only two types of supergroup, those that succeed and either rival their original band or even in certain cases eclipse them ( A Perfect Circle, Down, Transplants). Or there are the ones that crash and burn never to be heard from again (Them Crooked Vultures,Adrenaline Mob,Chickenfoot).

Axewound, founded by Bullet for my Valentine mainman Matt Tuck and consisting of members of Glamour of the Kill, Rise to Remain, Pitchshifter and Cancer Bats, where described by Matt himself as sounding like a cross between Slipknot and Pantera whilst being “metal as fuck”. To be honest he isn’t far off.

Their debut album Vultures is significantly heavier than any of Bullet’s previous offerings, offering up a much harsher and thrashy production and vibe, as well as the riffs becoming more furious and brutal than Matt has written before, even producing some Meshuggah esque grooves during the title track Vultures. There are some moments when the band set into Bullet territory, the track Cold which features Matt sharing lead vocal duties with Liam Cormier from Cancer Bats, could have easily featured on Bullet’s last album Fever, but still packs the punch that has been missing from that album.

Man of the match award on this album clearly goes to Jason Bowld of Pitchshifter on the drums. He provides a powerful backbeat to the album as well as the occasional scatter gun fills that are peppered throughout the record. Liam also proves once again why he is one of the best vocalists and frontmen in the game, adding hardcore swagger to the vocals which adds another dimension to the mix, practically on the single Post Apocalyptic Party.

The album does fall into heavy Bullet influenced territory on tracks like Exochrist and the heinous ballad Collide, which is the albums main weak point. But these flaws are made up for with the rest of the album maintaining a high level of consistency as well as being rammed full of ragers like Post Apocalyptic Party, the title track (featuring Synester Gates from Avenged Sevenfold on guitar) and the thrashy Testament inspired Victim of the System.

Overall this is a solid debut album from the group, which easily warrants another release from the band further down the line. The album is easily the heaviest project any of the members of the band have worked on, as well as being packed full of visious riffs and killer vocal hooks. As supergroup’s go Axewound is pretty damn good, lets just hope some of it translates into the new Bullet album. Unlikely though

For Fans of: - Cancer Bats, Avenged Sevenfold, Slipknot, Bullet for my Valentine

Never Mind The Bollocks - Sex Pistols

Never Mind The Bollocks (35^th Anniversary reissue):- Sex Pistols

Punk’s genesis gets its 35th anniversary reissue.

Rating 8/10

                35 years after its release and Never Mind The Bollocks is still seen as one of the defining moments of the 70’s Punk scene, taking the Pepsi challenge with albums such as The Clash’s London Calling & The Ramones self titled. The bands influenced by this album are as broad and as diverse from Gallows to indie bands like The Libertines.

                Its amazing to think that four adolescents from London with limited musical knowledge (in Sid Vicious case absolutely none), assembled by Malcolm McLaren  created and shaped the UK’s thoughts about what punk sounded like, looked like and the attitude of Punk rock embodied.  They may not have been Burklee College of Music graduates, but with their fuck you/take no prisoners attitude they went on to define a generation.

                The album still sounds as raw as it did the, even after being reissued and remastered for what seems the one millionth time. Lydon’s vocals still have that snarl that made the songs sound so unique and distinctive.  Guitarist Steve Jones, who is still in my opinion one of the most, underrated song writers in British music and here he displays his greatest work, even if he was dismissed from the band for allegedly admitting to liking The Beatles. Songs like Anarchy In The UK, Holiday In The Sun and Pretty Vacant are still as anthemic  as ever and remind you that although the band where essentially a construction in order to jump on the Punk bandwagon, they did produce some of Punks most legendary songs. The reissue also comes with a good quality live show from Scandinavia featuring live tracks as well as DVD footage. The collection also comes with a selection of B sides, which are good but it is clear why they were left of the final cut of the album.

Overall this release is an essential release for Pistols fans; the album still holds up after all this time, Filled with special features and bonus material. I can’t see any fan being disappointed by the album, even if Mr Lydon himself isn’t too happy about its rerelease.

For fans of: - The Clash, Green Day, The Stooges