Well, it’s been an eventful year, not just in Heavy Metal with what seems like a considerable higher amount of lows than highs. There are literally too many obituaries to write, but this year alone, we have lost some Heavy Metal legends in a year where the reaper shows no rest. There have been some welcome returns to the fold, shocks, both good and bad, but most of all, 2016 has been an overall great year for Heavy Metal releases, each band striving to do more and push boundaries with healthy competition. Obviously, this is a subjective list from Heavy Metal Meltdown and there have been excellent albums that haven’t made the list, such as released from Vektor, Witherscape, Abbath, Fates Warning and Mystic Prophecy with the feeling of doing a top 20 being a much better prospect. However… Here it is, Heavy Metal Meltdown’s Top 10 Heavy Metal albums of 2016: So as we shape up for 2017, what can we expect? New albums from Accept, Ghost, Gruesome, Candlemass, Judas Priest, Overkill and Edguy? Hopefully.
2016 has been a fantastic year for Heavy Metal, with tours planned already for Sabaton, Anthrax, Sonata Arctica and Black Sabbath, 2017 is shaping to be just as good. Adam
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This House is Not for Sale Bon Jovi 2016 Island Records Bon Jovi. What can be said about Bon Jovi that hasn’t already said. Bon Jovi over the course of their career have released some monumentally big albums, from the dizzying heights of 1986’s Slippery When Wet, through 1988’s New Jersey to a gradual decline through experimentation with more modern sounds, outside collaborators, dabbling in Country and also trying to recapture their youth. However, Bon Jovi have their own formula which allows them to straddle the line between Hard Rock and Pop pulling in fans from both sides which still sees them maxing out stadiums as one of the biggest grossing touring acts per annum. This House is Not for Sale is the 13th studio album in Bon Jovi’s career, following on from 2013’s extremely poor What About Now, if you overlook the marginally better Burning Bridges, a compilation of unreleased and/or unfinished songs released in 2015. This House is Not for Sale is a unique Bon Jovi album in the fact that it is the first album not to feature guitarist Richie Sambora who after much speculation has finally left Bon Jovi. But, This House is Not for Sale is also unique in the fact that it is also the first album to feature long standing studio/live bassist Hugh McDonald as an official member as well as new guitarist, Phil X, who replaces Richie Sambora. John Shanks and Jon Bon Jovi are once more at the helm for This House is Not for Sale and are so embedded in what they do, John Shanks is now part of the Bon Jovi furniture. This House is Not for Sale does not stray far from the Bon Jovi formula laid down with every album since Crush was released in 2000. Each song from This House is Not for Sale has that accessible, radio friendly sheen all over it that has come to be expected of Bon Jovi, coupled with a big bass drum sound whilst being awash with keyboards and repeating guitar melodies that conforms to most big stadium selling acts. Predictably, This House is Not for Sale begins with the title track, a fast-paced Hard Rock song by numbers, a trend which runs throughout This House is Not for Sale with songs like Knockout, Roller Coaster and The Devil’s in the Temple. There is no denying that Jon Bon Jovi knows how to write a song, the songs are just songs by numbers. This House is Not for Sale pushes more from the Hard Rock sound that Bon Jovi built their reputation on and enters the watered-down pop/indie market, a typical example of this is the breakdown in Living with the Ghost. There is even some remaining Lost Highway Country type vibes with the poor Reunion before ending on the clichéd big Power Ballad, Come on up to our House. This House is Not for Sale is a safe album from Bon Jovi, Jon Bon Jovi doesn’t push himself, preferring to stay in his overly familiar croaky lower register. There is nothing outstanding on This House is Not for Sale with even Phil X constrained to nothing more than an imitation of Sambora, his guitar tone even having that echo and reverb that gets added to all ‘big’ guitar sounds. Lyrically, there is lots of longing for the past and a previous time, such as Born Again Tomorrow which features the line: “if I was born again tomorrow, I wouldn’t live my life any other way”, a nice line from someone who has been there, seen and done it all and has millions to sit back on. This House is Not for Sale is better than What About Now, but is still an average album at best. If you’re looking for a Hard Rock album or the Bon Jovi of the past, then this isn’t it. However, if you’re looking for an album that sounds like a modern pop record but without the embarrassment of listening to the same music as your kids, then this would suit you. 4/10 Adam This House is Not for Sale (Bon Jovi/Shanks/Falcon)
The Northern Sanctuary Witherscape 2016 Century Media Records Witherscape are a Death Metal band from Sweden that incorporate a much more progressive element to their sound. Witherscape’s sound can be rooted deeply in Melodic Death Metal moving more towards including Progressive Rock into their fold. For those who are not familiar with Witherscape work, you can expect a sound in a similar vein to Opeth and Edge of Sanity, the latter featuring one half of Witherscape, Dan Swanö. The Northern Sanctuary is the 2nd studio album from Witherscape, following 2013’s The Inheritance, if you don’t count 2014’s EP, The New Tomorrow. The Northern Sanctuary picks up near enough directly where The Inheritance left off, a solid sound with excellent song-writing from the Heavy Metal virtuoso, Dan Swanö, whose résumé would take far too long to list here with the other half of Witherscape being Ragnar Widerberg of Doom Metal band, Witchcraft. Once more, Swanö shows that there is literally no end to his talents by also producing The Northern Sanctuary. Swanö has given The Northern Sanctuary a clear sound, it isn’t awash with distortion and buried beneath blast beats and growls, it is crisp and to the point without taking away from the overall Melodic Death Metal sound without being strained by being plain black and white. The Northern Sanctuary being an absolute pleasure to listen to. Beginning with the Tubular Bells-esque keyboard, Wake of Infinity sets the ball rolling before descending into the familiar Melodic Death Metal crunch that you expect from Witherscape, especially with the host of bands which litter Swanö’s CV. Swanö has a voice that is not only suited to Death Metal, but also melodic with Swanö actually having a decent singing voice, which is also shown in Wake of Infinity. Wake of Infinity is a very catchy track with its repeating keyboard pattern in the background acting as an almost odd anchor for the song before ending with the guitar harmonising the keyboard. Witherscape chose to release the second track on In the Eyes of Idols as the music video from The Northern Sanctuary. If the opening track was catchy, then In the Eyes of Idols turns up the heat, from a memorable guitar riff by Wilderberg as Swanö growls rhythmically along with the bass before switching to his singing voice. In the Eyes of Idols also features Swanö having some great interplay with himself via some studio trickery. However, it is not all Swanö, the guitar solo laid down by Wilderberg has a fantastic tone, not just on In the Eyes of Idols but throughout the entire of The Northern Sanctuary. Not all of The Northern Sanctuary is balls out Death Metal, as The Northern Sanctuary also shows a more subtle side the band through some fantastic keyboard and acoustic playing during The Examiner and after a few listens, it’s a wonder why Witherscape chose to go with any other song to release as a single. The Northern Sanctuary is made entirely by its dynamics, it ebbs and flows between aggressive and subtly beautiful, masterfully arranging the best of both worlds into a solid album with even the 13 minute title track seemingly feeling an average length without the urge to shout “get on with it” rising. Overall, The Northern Sanctuary is a decent album and in a poorer year of album releases, The Northern Sanctuary would be easily top 10. If you’re looking for a decent Melodic Death Metal band since Opeth stopped releasing anything good, then look no further than Witherscape. 8/10 Adam In the Eyes of Idols (Swanö/Kuhr)
Concussion Protocol Vicious Rumors 2016 SPV/Steamhammer Records Vicious Rumors are a Heavy Metal band from the USA that also contains elements of Power, Progressive and Speed Metal. Releasing their debut studio album in 1985, the seminal Soldiers of the Night, Vicious Rumors are able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Fates Warning and Queensrÿche and although the band has undergone many line-up changes throughout the years, Vicious Rumors are still led by founding member Geoff Thorpe. Concussion Protocol is the 12th studio album by Vicious Rumors and the follow up to 2013’s relatively lacklustre Electric Punishment. However, Concussion Protocol is heavily boosted by the addition of new vocalist Nick Holleman and bassist Tilen Hudrap to the line-up of Thorpe on guitars, Larry Howe on the drums and Thaen Rasmussen also on the guitar. Concussion Protocol also features guest spots from Night Ranger’s Brad Gillis on Last of Our Kind and former Vicious Rumors guitarist Steve Smyth who played on the 1996 album Something Burning and Cyberchrist released in 1998 plays on the track Chemical Slave. After Electric Punishment, something had to be done to get Vicious Rumors back on track with Concussion Protocol. Once again, at the production helm is Juan Urteaga who has worked consistently with Vicious Rumors since 2011’s Razorback Killers. Joining Urteaga in the production seat is Vicious Rumors himself, Thorpe and between them have created a sound that is meaty and heavy enough to appeal fans of the heavier side of Speed Metal, yet melodic and interesting enough to tweak the interest of Progressive Metal fans. Concussion Protocol is kicked off by the title track with its pounding beat and great guitar harmony work between Thorpe and Rasmussen before smashing forward with a riff that would appeal to fans of Iced Earth or Ripper-era Judas Priest. As for a track that introduces Holleman as the new vocalist, it isn’t the best, Holleman sticks to the lower registry, a re-occurring theme throughout the first half of Concussion Protocol; this is what gives Concussion Protocol that almost Tim “Ripper” Owens feel, heavily prevalent in Chasing the Priest, Bastards and Every Blessing’s A Curse. However, the album is torn asunder with Holleman opening up his higher registry giving us a glimpse as to why he’s in the vocal seat with the Queensrÿche style Circle of Secrets. Holleman gives his best Geoff Tate impression as he reaches some really high melodic notes. A music video was produced for Take It or Leave It which has a fantastic bass groove from Hudrap which forms the backbone for a record that contains great chanting style chorus’ from Thorpe and Hudrap whilst Holleman flows through the song. Admittedly, Holleman’s voice may not be the best, but he does well with what he’s got, throwing his voice from rhythmically low to high melodic squeals, aided with a slight reverb and delay from the producers seat. But the song itself belongs to Hudrap, his walking bass run in the breakdown before the chorus chant stands alone and makes the song. However, Thorpe singing on Life for a Life is not needed and only serves to sully the album, the style doesn’t fit the rest of Concussion Protocol and is a total waste of 6 minutes. Vicious Rumors have delivered an album that is significantly better than their last effort, the additions of Hudrap and Holleman is already showing great promise for the future and once more, Vicious Rumors show that they’re not easily defeated and have delivered a decent album of relatively good songs. 7/10 Adam Take It or Leave It (Thorpe/Howe/Holleman/Hudrap)
Terminal Redux Vektor 2016 Earache Records Vektor are a Thrash Metal band from the USA. Vektor began life in 2004 and play a much more progressive type of Thrash Metal than many of their counterparts with a heavy emphasis on Science Fiction themes. Due to these Sci-Fi overtones, Vektor would hugely appeal to fans of Voivod, Coroner and Watchtower with much of Vektor’s work seemingly heavily influenced by the Voivod trilogy Killing Technology, Dimension Hatross and Nothingface. Terminal Redux is Vektor’s 3rd album and is the long overdue follow up to 2011’s fantastic Outer Isolation still containing the line-up of David DiSanto on vocals and guitars being joined by Erik Nelson. The fantastic rhythm section of Frank Chin on the bass and Black Anderson beating the drums completes the Vektor line-up. Once more Vektor pull one out of the hat and continue on their Sci-Fi journey, this time, Terminal Redux tells the story of an astronaut who discovers how to become immortal. Using this knowledge, the astronaut then uses this to benefit himself both politically and financially. The production of Terminal Redux has been conducted by Byron Filson with co-production by Vektor themselves. Between them, they have created a great sounding album full of technical virtuosity that can be clearly heard and appreciated throughout the album. Each instrument plays its part exceptionally well with Chin’s bass providing a fluid and lucid backbone for Anderson to drive Terminal Redux forward with his relentless and powerful drumming. The album itself is a progressive tour de force with each song averaging around 7 and a half minutes, beginning with the excellent Charging the Void as the story opener, describing how the protagonist of the story finds the secret to immortal life. Charging the Void also features some great choral work, giving an almost angelic feel behind the pounding double bass and snare as two very separate worlds collide. Released before Terminal Redux dropped, Charging the Void gave a glimpse of what to expect from Vektor and once more, it doesn’t disappoint. Every song on Terminal Redux has been excellently crafted through a band that has obviously sat down and meticulously worked out every single part of each song. The concept fits around the music perfectly, neither overpowering each other and as odd as Sci-Fi concepts can be, Terminal Redux doesn’t make you sit back and think, what the fuck, it is very easy to enjoy as opposed to other Sci-Fi concepts released this year such as Dream Theater’s Disney-esque The Astonishing. One of the best tracks from Terminal Redux is the third track, LCD (Liquid Crystal Disease) which features some great trading on and off with guitar parts between DiSanto and Nelson culminating in some beautiful harmonies that only serve to make you appreciate Vektor’s musicianship more. Even the short instrumental, Mountains Above the Sun with its beautiful acoustic melodies shines out amongst the heavy bookends of LCD (Liquid Crystal Disease) and Ultimate Artificer. Terminal Redux is a great album by a band that continues to grow to be better and better. Terminal Redux will be towards the top end of the albums released this year, it is a fantastic album of excellent musicianship with the only problem being, how will Vektor follow this? 8/10 Adam Charging the Void (Vektor)
The Empire Vader 2016 Nuclear Blast Records Vader are a Death Metal band from Poland that are widely known for their distinctive and unique taken on the genre. Vader are a band that has had a solid and consistent output since their debut, The Ultimate Incantation, released in 1992. Vader are also well known for the seminal Death Metal albums, 1995’s De Profundis and Litany, released in 2000. The Empire is Vader’s 13th studio album and the follow up to 2014’s fantastic Tibi et Igni, if you don’t count the 2015 album of covers, Future of the Past II – Hell in the East. Vader plough forward with The Empire as you would expect, it clocks in at less than 40 minutes and Vader get the job done. Once more, Vader have held a stable line-up containing Peter on vocals joining Spider on the guitars with Hal and James making up the rhythm section of bass and drums. As has been the trend with all the recent Vader albums, The Empire has been produced by the Wieslawski brothers who have produced every Vader album since 2006’s Impressions in Blood. The Wieslawski brothers know exactly what Vader want and are able to accommodate everything that Vader desires and it is no wonder that each of these Vader albums since 2006 have an extremely similar sound coursing through them. Because of this, you know exactly what The Empire is going to sound like and Vader once again deliver the goods. For the second time this year, an album contains a reference to the Winged Hussars. The Empire opens with single from the album, Angels of Steel and sets the pace for the rest of the album. Angels of Steel blasts forward at true Vader pace with its tenacious blast beats and rhythmic growls leading the way. It would be wrong to refer to The Empire as a concept album, but there is an overly strong running theme of war throughout, from the fantastic opener, Angels of Steel, through Prayer to the God of War, the sublime headbanger Iron Reign, the allusions made to Star Wars in the Galactic Empire themed Genocidius and the pure blast beat onslaught of The Army-Geddon all make The Empire another great addition to Vader’s already decent catalogue. As stated above, Vader are masters of their craft, they have their own unique take on Death Metal with no other band sounding like them, even during closing track to The Empire, Send Me Back to Hell, contains an opening riff that wouldn’t be out of place on Slayer’s Hell Awaits has been given the distinct Vader sound and it takes a close listen to realise this about the opening riff. The Empire is easily one of the best Death Metal albums released this year, if not the best. The Empire will sit happily in a back catalogue by a band that never fails to impress. Vader are consistent if nothing else, maybe sometimes they lack that killer touch that other bands have that will be the only thing stopping The Empire from possibly reaching the top ten albums of the year. However, don’t let that put you off purchasing the album, in fact, if you’re a Death Metal fan, go and buy it, it’s fantastic and you won’t be disappointed. 8/10 Adam Tygers of Pan Tang Tygers of Pan Tang 2016 Mighty Music Records Tygers of Pan Tang are a Heavy Metal band that rose to prominence in the highly influential New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement in the early 1980’s. With an ever changing roster of members, founding member and long serving guitarist Robb Weir now leads the Tygers of Pan Tang who are best known for releasing the NWOBHM classics, Wild Cat, released in 1980 and 1981’s brilliant Spellbound. Over the course of their career, Tygers of Pan Tang have disbanded and reformed multiple times, but since 2004, they have managed to keep a relatively stable line-up. Tygers of Pan Tang is the eponymous latest release by the band and their 11th studio album overall. Tygers of Pan Tang is also the follow up to the fantastic 2012 album, Ambush. The magic that was captured for Ambush is still present 4 years later with a line-up that hasn’t changed consisting of Jacopo Meille on vocals, Robb Weir and Micky Crystal on the guitars and Gavin Gray and Craig Ellis completing the rhythm section on the bass and drums. As with a lot of the NWOBHM bands recently, Tygers of Pan Tang have opted to produce the album themselves with a sound that oozes a classic NWOBHM sound with a modern twist. That aside, Tygers of Pan Tang is far from a nostalgia trip, it shows a band that isn’t content to rest on the laurels of the past with some tracks having a more accessible Hard Rock sound such as the infectious I Got the Music in Me, in which Meille shows how groovy and soulful his voice is. Only the Brave is the album’s opening track and the single from Tygers of Pan Tang. Only the Brave continues to capture the sound from Ambush with its hooks and extremely catchy and melodic chorus. Only the Brave treads a fine line between the Tygers of Pan Tang of the past and the modern sound, for the example, the riff is classic Tygers of Pan Tang, that wouldn’t be out of place on Wild Cat, however, Meille’s vocals are far superior to Jess Cox’s rather weak and weedy voice and it is this that once more, fully makes the album. As stated above, there are tracks on Tygers of Pan Tang that would be out of place on Spellbound, but there is more to Tygers of Pan Tang than just another NWOBHM band recapturing their youth. From the Mr. Big sounding Dust to the more almost Black Keys style breakdown in Glad Rags, purposely built for the live environment. There are songs on Tygers of Pan Tang which show a totally different side to the band, the sublime slow burning ballad, The Reason Why and Angel in Disguise not only show the experience behind Tygers of Pan Tang, but also shows that they are not afraid to try something a little different to what people would normally expect. In a year where NWOBHM bands have bounced back with a vengeance, releasing albums that not only challenge themselves, but lay down the gauntlet to the younger bands, Tygers of Pan Tang may not be as good as Diamond Head’s eponymous album or Steve Grimmet’s Grim Reaper’s Walking in the Shadows, but it is certainly up there. Tygers of Pan Tang falls just below their last album Ambush and that’s certainly not a bad place to be! 8/10 Adam Only the Brave (Tygers of Pan Tang)
Heroes of Mighty Magic Twilight Force 2016 Nuclear Blast Records Twilight Force are a Power Metal band from Sweden which formed in 2011. Twilight Force play a vein of Power Metal that is extremely fast, with high soaring vocals and lyrics which focus on fantasy themes, swords, sorcery with heavy allusions to the role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons. As a band, Twilight Force would appeal to fans of Rhapsody of Fire, Pathfinder to the likes of DragonForce and Gloryhammer. Heroes of Mighty Magic is the 2nd studio album by Twilight Force and is the follow up to 2014’s Tales of Ancient Prophecies. Heroes of Mighty Magic continues a similar bardic song that began with Twilight Force’s debut album. For Heroes of Mighty Magic, the adventuring party remains the same, with nobody needing to re-roll a new character as the familiar faces of Chrileon on vocals, Lynd and Aerendir on the guitars, Blackwald on the keyboards and the rhythm section of Born and De’Azsh on the bass and drums. The production of Heroes of Mighty Magic has been done by Blackwald and Lynd. Between them, they have produced an album that is well orchestrated with someone songs written that are very good. During the production, Twilight Force opted for a sound that is designed for listening to Heroes of Mighty Magic through a pair of headphones rather than your hi-fi. A lot of people tend to listen to music on the go now and if you are one of those people who do, then you will get the full binaural experience. However, as good as this is, for those who wish to play it on their hi-fi leads you with a rather quiet and weedy sounding album. Heroes of Mighty Magic has a grandiose and epic feeling flowing throughout it, not only does it regale of tales from the fictional Twilight Kingdoms, created by Blackwald, but it would also fit alongside an 80’s Fantasy movie such as The NeverEnding Story. As expected, because of this, Heroes of Mighty Magic turns the cheese factor up to 11 and therefore, Twilight Force should only be consumed by those with a high tolerance for brie otherwise, the sound of Heroes of Mighty Magic may be too much. Heroes of Mighty Magic wastes no time kicking in the trumpet fanfares which signal the start of the first track, Battle of Arcane Might which sets the tone for the rest of the album. Once the pace is set, Heroes of Mighty Magic rarely relents, but the main problem with this is that the album is so heavily story based that it leaves you feeling bewildered occasionally as to where you are up to as it is arguable that the album overlooks hooks and memorability for story. That said, Heroes of Mighty Magic is orchestrated and arranged very well and is a credit to the work and effort that Twilight Force have put into the album, it is also forgivable that the galloping horses and bugle that beings Riders of the Dawn draws huge parallels to Stand and Deliver by Adam & the Ants. Do not think that Heroes of Mighty Magic is a bad album though, as said above, the album is well orchestrated and you won’t hear a better album of orchestral arrangement this year and there are superb guest appearances by Fabio Lione of Rhapsody of Fire on There and Back Again and Joakim Brodén of Sabaton on the title track. However, the main criticisms of Heroes of Mighty Magic other than the production is that the album is just too long, clocking in at just over 70 minutes, Heroes of Mighty Magic falls into the bracket of relatively repetitive with the penultimate track Epilogue giving a feeling of a Manowar spoken track that got out of hand at near 7 minutes. Heroes of Mighty Magic is at best an average album, yes, it’s epic, grandiose and majestic and it looks great, but falls short on the sustenance. There are some decent tracks, but as stated above, it is easy to get lost within the narrative. Heroes of Mighty Magic is far from rolling at 1, but nowhere near rolling a natural 20, its slap bang in the middle and just enough to pass your check. 5/10 Adam Flight of the Sapphire Dragon (Lynd/Blackwald)
Brotherhood of the Snake Testament 2016 Nuclear Blast Records Hailing from the Bay Area, Testament cut their teeth in the pits of Thrash Metal movement and are one of the bands that stayed true to their Thrash Metal roots with the distinctive vocals of Chuck Billy and the ever present guitar of Eric Peterson. As the so called ‘Big 4’ exploded into the mainstream and altering their sound, it can be argued that bands like Testament, Overkill and Exodus carried the Thrash Metal flag keeping the genre alive. Brotherhood of the Snake is the 11th studio album and the long awaited follow up to the fantastic 2012 album, Dark Roots of Earth. Brotherhood of the Snake features near enough the same line-up as Dark Roots of Earth with the only change being the exit of Greg Christian to be replaced by ex-Death bassist, Steve DiGiorgio. DiGiorgio completes the line-up of Chuck Billy on vocals, Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick on the guitars and Gene Hoglan beating the drums. Continuing in the same vein as Dark Roots of Earth, Brotherhood of the Snake has a very, if near identical sound to the previous album. The reason for this would be that once more the production has been conducted by Billy and Peterson themselves with the mixing and mastering done by the legendary Metal producer Andy Sneap who has helped shape Testaments sound since the 1999 album, The Gathering. As you would expect from Testament, Brotherhood of the Snake blasts open the speakers with the pounding title track before the single from Brotherhood of the Snake, The Pale King kicks in with another pounding rhythm, a running theme throughout Brotherhood of the Snake, Hoglan’s drums drive the album forward at breakneck speed without relenting once. Testament have a fantastic sound, it is uniquely theirs and it prevails throughout the album with themes revolving around religion, bureaucracy and vices. In comparison to the previous album, Dark Roots of Earth, Brotherhood of the Snake falls just below this and that isn’t a bad comparison. Dark Roots of Earth is one of the best albums that Testament have released and for Brotherhood of the Snake to be just behind is a high accolade and serves as a benchmark to just how good Brotherhood of the Snake actually is. Clocking in at just over 45 minutes, Brotherhood of the Snake feels as if it is over as quickly as it began, the title track, The Pale King, the Book of Revelations themed Seven Seals and the pro-marijuana anthem, Canna-Business are all serious highlights from Brotherhood of the Snake. As a band, Testament have produced an absolutely fantastic album, Billy sounds just as he did 20 years ago and once more Skolnick plays his heart out showing that even in the Metal world, there are still guitarists that are underrated and overlooked. It is now getting close to the end of the year and at the year end, Brotherhood of the Snake will be riding high in the lists and once more, just like with Dark Roots of Earth, Testament have out-done themselves and produced another near flawless album. 9/10 Adam The Pale King (Peterson/Billy)
World Gone Mad Suicidal Tendencies 2016 Suicidal Records Suicidal Tendencies are a Heavy Metal band from the USA who have spent the entirety of their career successfully straddling the perfect line between Thrash Metal, Hardcore Punk and Crossover. Although known for their distinctive style and sound, it is also fair to say that compared to their contemporaries, Suicidal Tendencies have gained a huge cult following by never trading their integrity for massive commercial success. World Gone Mad is the 12th studio album by Suicidal Tendencies and is the follow up to 2013’s rather lacklustre 13. Amidst rumours that this could be their final album, World Gone Mad ushers in a new era for Suicidal Tendencies. Led by original vocalist, the ever present Mike Muir, World Gone Mad also features long serving guitarist Dean Pleasants with new members, guitarist Jeff Pogan, bassist Ra Diaz and former Slayer drummer, Dave Lombardo. For the production of World Gone Mad, Muir has opted to do most of the production himself. However, acclaimed Metal producer Paul Northfield has also helped with the production having previously worked with Infectious Grooves and most Suicidal Tendencies and albums since 1992’s The Art of Rebellion. This has given World Gone Mad a slick finish that sounds decent and actually sonically better than 13. However, the points were Muir opts to sing, where maybe the production could do a better job at handling his vocals as they sound rather weak. As an album, World Gone Mad begins very strongly with the album’s single, Clap Like Ozzy, which features some absolutely fantastic bass playing from Diaz and some very distinctive drumming from Lombardo as they cement their roles instantly as the new rhythm section for Suicidal Tendencies. Clap Like Ozzy is hark back to classic Suicidal Tendencies and you can see it easily sliding in their live set alongside classics from Lights… Camera…Revolution and The Art of Rebellion with its barked vocals and fast Hardcore Punk beat. Unlike a lot of their peers, Suicidal Tendencies stuck to their guns and refused to bow to pressure to be more popular or streamline their sound and instead forged their own path by slamming forward with their own style of anti-establishment and finger to authority Crossover. World Gone Mad is no different, with uncertain times ahead, particularly in the USA, Muir asks the questions of what comes next with songs like The New Degeneration, Get Your Fight On!, One Finger Salute, Damage Control and the title track are all fantastic examples of this and keep the album alive at typical Suicidal Tendencies pace. The main problem with World Gone Mad is that the fast, Hardcore Punk songs are excellent, but the slower, mid-tempo songs where Muir actually sings are sub-par to piss poor. The final two tracks Still Dying to Live and This World are a huge anti-climax. Still Dying to Live is the equivalent of Suicidal Tendencies does The Beatles and feels like a 7 minute dirge, leaving World Gone Mad to not so much peter out as fizzle and fade out. All in all, World Gone Mad is an album of two very distinct halves, when it’s good, it’s good and when it’s poor, it’s poor. That aside, World Gone Mad is leaps and bounds ahead of the previous album, 13 and recently with Muir hinting that World Gone Mad may be the final Suicidal Tendencies album, then World Gone Mad wouldn’t be a totally bad way to bow out. 6/10 Adam Clap Like Ozzy (Muir)
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