Born to a working class family in Birmingham,Tony Iommi learned to talk with his hands. First on the streets fighting with local gangs, later as a musician playing in local bands, his hands brought him security in an uncertain world. Young Tony’s hands gave him protection from bullies and respect in his neighbourhood, earned him money as a factory worker and adoration from his peers as an up and coming guitar player. They also brought him to the deepest depths of sorrow when while working in a sheet metal factory he severed the tips of two of his fingers. Without being able to play the guitar, he no longer had an escape from his bleak existence in an industrial town. Luckily, Tony Iommi is a fighter and his subsequent resurrection defined the guitar sound of heavy metal music.
Iron Man is the autobiography of heavy metal legend Tony Iommi. From his early days as a musician, the unfortunate accident that gave him his trademarked guitar sound to the soaring heights of rock stardom in Black Sabbath it’s all here. While not the most eloquent book ever written, Iommi tells it like it is, giving Iron Man a spoken word/street quality not found in many books. So if you want the low down on Ozzy’s departure from Black Sabbath, the invention of the prosthetic fingers that saved his music career and work with Ronnie James Dio check out Iron Man. It’s a must for fans of hard rock and heavy metal music.- JEFF LEASE

Jeff Lease

The great Tassie quartet is a band I have followed pretty closely for several years. They’re a band who have been extremely intelligent with the management of their musical evolution. And of their career overall, they are inarguably Australia’s premier extreme metal act.

Their newie, which is their fifth long player, is another step forward in that progression. And what it is that they’ve been evolving towards is that fine balance between extreme technical metal and listenability and accessibility. On The Inherited Repression they’ve come damn well just as close to achieving that balance as humanly and musically possible, especially since the two concepts seem so inherently disparate.

They’ve honed their sound even further than they did on their last record (Ob) Servant. Most of the tracks clock in at around the three to four minute mark, and the focus is even more on writing catchy, if still techy, riffs and grooves, as opposed to stringing a series of complex riffs together cramming in as many notes into each as humanly possible. They’ve slowed down and allowed the songs to breathe a little more. This stronger focus on songcraft does them the absolute world of good.

And to the narrow minded metalheads out there who may now be thinking ‘they must have turned gay/sold out’ or whatever, you needn’t worry, there is still plenty of extreme drumming, cutting edge riffery and extreme, howling vocals to sink your teeth into. As previously stated, they are walking a fine line between extremity and marketability.

Best example of this would probably be Forward to Submission, whose main riff is as catchy and as fat a groove as anything they’ve written, but is interspersed with extreme speed and blast beat driven chaos.

The issue that has kept them from being one of my absolute, all time favourite extreme metal acts on the planet has returned on this record. The songs, production and overall approach remains quite cold and calculating, allowing only brief moments of melody, emotion and dynamics to surface. This is purely personal taste however, and of course many metal fans disagree with me on this point, preferring relentless grind to such poxy devices.

Overall, this album is another careful but sizable step forward for this band. They are slowly but surely opening their music up to a broader audience, whilst remaining highly unlikely to lose many of their hardcore devotees. And this, as we all know, is a very hard road to take. Psycroptic need to be congratulated and recognised for their efforts.

Rod Whitfield

Volumes are a relatively new metal act from Southern California, a six piece spreading their own brand of progressive heavy mayhem.

The djent movement is very big in the world of metal right now, and while some close minded metalheads will decide they dislike something simply because it’s popular, I simply couldn’t give a rat’s fat tossbag if it’s selling big or absolutely no one is buying it. Good music is good music, regardless of how many units it’s shifting.

Having said that, Volumes probably sit only fairly loosely within the said sub-genre. They certainly possess some of its characteristics, the down tuned, crunchy, Meshuggah inspired guitar tones and riffage, the off-kilter rhythms propelled by dynamic, Armageddon strength drumming and a propensity towards melody and ambience amid the chaos. Their instrumental prowess and production values are second to none, in the same vein as your Periphery’s, Tesseract’s and what have you.

They stand a little apart at the same time however. They throw a touch of melodic hardcore/metalcore into the mix as well, and the combination of the djenty progressive metal and ‘core elements gives them a sound of their own. It should also give them a pretty damn broad appeal too.

They’re a little different in a vocal sense too. Whilst there is that juxtaposition of down and dirty guttural vocals with the soaring cleans, the dirty parts are a shade harsher and raspier than those of the more straight up djent metal bands, again bringing to mind more of a post-hardcore sound.

So what we have here is a band who put djent and hardcore together, and do both exceptionally well. It’s a highly appealing combination, and I would expect to see these guys looming large on the metal map very shortly. Especially when they pen such strong and memorable songs as well. The grooves are fat and don’t fail to get your head bobbing furiously and the vocal lines stay in your head for long moments after. Check out Edge of the Earth for proof, it’s freight train-like forward momentum combined with soaring vocal highs and evocative atmospherics all at once. Probably the album’s best cut.

Via is a highly enjoyable ride, with plenty going on within its grooves. It’s heavy, progressive, complex, catchy, harsh, soft, ambient and brutal all in the one twelve track package. I see great promise here.

Rod Whitfield

This is pretty brutal thrash metal from Melbourne. Primitive, raw and completely in your face, just the way many people like it.

Having said that, there’s also some decent songcraft and some nice grooves going in amidst the primal onslaught here. Opening surprisingly with a tasteful, mostly acoustic instrumental piece, The Stand Off, this six track EP then proceeds to come at you with all guns blazing. The thrashy moments are absolutely flat knacker and the grooves are fatter than a Biggest Loser contestant at the start of a new series. The musicianship is basic, muscular and the instrumentation hits you like a ton of bricks. And howling above it all is the blazing vocals of tough as nails singer Tommy. This EP is a wild ride from start to finish, culminating in the blunt force trauma of EP closer, and arguably its best cut, Decimate.

Just about everything seems in place here for thrash metal success, these guys just need to hone things a little further now. A little work on their production values and developing a truly signature sound that is all their own, and they are well on their way to a national and maybe even international profile.

If you dig your metal sounds fat, meaty and primeval, these guys are definitely for you. Lovers of anyone from Slayer to Frankenbok should check Decimatus out, you won’t be disappointed.

PS. These guys absolutely destroy all in their path in a live setting as well, so catch them at a venue near you soon too.

Rod Whitfield

I am an unabashed fan of Nightwish, and indeed many of their female fronted, symphonic gothic rock/metal contemporaries, Lacuna Coil, Epica and the like. It undoubtedly comes from the fact that I love heavy and metal music, and symphonic music, and few other genres combine the two to such  convincing and dramatic effect. Nightwish’s incredible 2004 album Once is an absolute landmark release in the genre, it’s the one where everything came together for them compositionally, and it broke them on a worldwide scale as well. Whilst they decided to part ways with their incredible lead vocalist Tarja Turunen prior to its recording, and replace her with the slightly less classically accomplished Anette Olzon, 2007′s  Dark Passion Play was an extremely strong  follow up.

It’s been another very lengthy wait for Imaginaerum. It’s a concept album, based upon the memories of an old composer who is facing his death. There is also an accompanying movie to go alongside the album’s release. Needless to say it’s a ridiculously ambitious and dramatic undertaking, in true Nightwish style.

This however may be the album’s downfall. In reaching for more of a ‘music theatre’ type of feel, they may have overreached themselves slightly (which is extremely difficult for a band such as this), and sacrificed a little of the sheer, over the top bombast that they do best and are best known for.

That’s not to say there’s not a solid wack of pomp and ceremony going on here. There certainly is, and a first time listener probably couldn’t help but be blown away by the sheer size, scope and ambition of the record. Bands regularly suffer in comparison to themselves, and their previous triumphs though, and Imaginaerum falls a little short, especially of Once and even Dark Passion Play.

In constructing an album that is also a story, they have come up with a bunch of songs that maybe aren’t quite as fully realised as they were on Once, since they’re having to serve the storyline as opposed to simply standing alone. Listening through to the end of Imaninaerum, there are far fewer moments that make the blood tingle and the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

Viewed in isolation, this is a fine symphonic metal concept album. It has many fine moments. Once, and to a slightly lesser extent Dark Passion Play, set the bar insanely high for these Finnish masters however, and Imaginaerum comes up slightly short.

Rod Whitfield

Some people have just got it. In music (as well as other fields of course), there are some people who can seemingly do it all, play multiple instruments at a high proficiency, write great songs, record, produce, mix, master and all the rest. These people bring out mixed feelings in the rest of us mere mortals: we are jealous and angry at them for being so prodigiously talented, and you can’t help but stand back and admire their work, especially when one such individual channels his talents and energies into creating riveting, soaring, progressive djent orientated instrumental metal.

That man in this case goes by the name of Paul Ortiz, and what’s more he does it all from his own home in Colchester in England (and apparently also composes movie, TV and video game soundtrack). Can he sing as well? I bet he can’t!  ;-)

Ortiz releases his instrumental works under the name Chimp Spanner, and he has two previous, full length album releases already under his belt. Both are mature, superbly written and realized pieces of instrumental metal, and All Roads Lead Here, a six track EP, takes over where 2009’s At The Dream’s Edge left off. It’s the theatrical and melodic sensibilities that set him apart from other bands/artists ploughing similar musical terrain. He obviously draws upon his extensive knowledge of soundtrack composition to give his pieces that dramatic and grandiose edge, and consequently his songs soar to the heavens and lift the spirits at the same time as display blinding technical wizardry.

That’s not to say all of his works sound like cheesy soundtracks to movies like Top Gun. He gets heavy and twisted when the mood takes him as well. He gives fans of Meshuggah and Periphery something to sink their teeth into, and since he has now apparently put a live band around himself, hopefully we will get to see it done in a live setting in its full glory at some stage soon.

Even further to this, he knows when to get a little funky (Cloud City), and has a beautiful sense of ambience and dynamics to break up the bombast as well. This bloke can just about do it all.

My only complaint with All Roads Lead Here is that a six track EP is simply not enough, especially after two previous full length releases. But at this point I just can’t stop listening to it. A very early candidate for my best releases of 2012, this EP is a progressive metal guitar lover’s wet dream.

Rod Whitfield

More solid metal from Adelaide. The back cover of ‘Worship the Bled’ depicts hundreds of nasty looking bombs/missiles hurtling to earth, bent on annihilation. And this is very much the effect of this record. It’s all about destruction.

This writer prefers a little more dynamics and melody in the metal, but this record will appeal very strongly to those who enjoy their metal unrelentingly brutal and uncompromising. There’s minimal time or space wasted on clean vocals and soaring choruses, quieter passages, soundscapes or ambience, or anything even resembling progressiveness, this is a wall to wall, mind numbing thrash assault on the senses that barely lets up for a single second. And this is the way many heavy music fans love their metal.

Best track honours go to the titanic, call to arms chorus of ‘Hunt All Heroes’. The tiniest hint of haunting, gothic atmosphere is attempted on ‘The Great Waste of Flesh’, before the track descends into mayhem once more. ‘Summon Abyss’ slows down, and fattens up, the groove slightly and closes the album in pretty devastating fashion.

Unlike a lot of metal these days, the musicianship on Worship the Bled is actually quite functional and directly serving of the song, and the production is kept deliberately raw, gnarly and brutal.

This album is possibly a little one dimensional to become a real favourite for this metal fan, but it’s more than well put together enough to appeal to metal heads to whom harmony, light and shade and variation mean little. And there seems to be a lot of those out there, so there is a definite audience out there for these Adelaide heavy hitters.

http://www.truthcorroded.com/

Rod Whitfield

Here’s an Aussie metal institution that has been through a number of changes/evolutions in sound and style over their decade and a half of existence. These changes have coincided directly with the tenures of their three singers: original vocalist Adam Glynn (who went on to front Five Star Prison Cell) brought a real quirk factor and a slightly more avant-garde approach. They then morphed into more a straight up, groove based metal act with the inclusion of second singer Adam B Metal. Current howler Dan McDougall brought an injection of anger and more or a punk/thrash vibe, and this is where they reside today. And very happily too, by the sounds.

One of the charms of the mighty Bok is that on the surface their music is unrelentingly vicious, ugly and in your face, but there is also an underlying tongue in cheek vibe that is very entertaining. They obviously take the writing and recording of their music very seriously, but they don’t take themselves too seriously, which is very refreshing. Their music is loads of fun, at the same time as being gnarly and angry, and this sets them apart from the thrash pack. It also comes across best in their live performances, where they rein absolutely supreme.

That’s not to say that The End of All you Know isn’t a worthy recording. In fact it’s an absolute ball-tearer. It’s typical latter day Frankenbok, some tracks are a flat knacker, death thrashing fury (first single Dine in Hell for example), others are fatter and more groove based (see Bring the Temple Down). And all are super catchy in their own way.

McDougall attacks some pretty serious and angry topics in his lyrics. He gives his opinions on certain political, religious and social issues in no uncertain terms. Even the cover artwork is a statement about a desire to tear the establishment down and establish a new and more equal order in the world.

Despite this however, the aforementioned sense of fun in the metal remains. You can’t help but crack a smile as you thrash the fuck out to this record. And whilst the musicianship is somewhat primitive by today’s astounding metal standards, the playing is still vibrant and tight as a clenched fist. Especially from drummer Mick Morley, who is an absolute pocket sized dynamo, and a very underrated drummist, even on the Australian scene.

This album isn’t reinventing wheels of any kind. What it is doing is bursting out of your speakers, thrashing you all over the room and putting a big fat cheesy grin on your face. And that’s what music is all about….sometimes.

http://www.frankenbok.com/

Rod Whitfield

This sure as hell ain’t no run of the mill extreme metal release. There is a quirky ‘avant-garde-ness’ to this Melbourne five piece’s sound that sets them apart from the extreme pack.

Don’t worry, narrow minded ‘brutal’ metalheads reading this, there is still plenty of crushing, blast beat driven fury within the grooves of this album, it’s just that these guys take a slightly different approach, and they are way better off for it. A lot of the idiosyncrasy comes from the vocals, which owe as much to Mike Patton and Adam Glynn of Frankenbok and Five Star Prison Cell fame as they do to a Glenn  Benton or a George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher. But there’s also a twisted and unconventional vibe to the rhythms and overall delivery of this band’s peculiar brand of metallic lunacy.

So fans of extreme death metal, and those who favour something a little more left of centre from their heavy sounds will find something to like on Crossing the Rubicon. Plus, almost needless to say, the musicianship has all the precision and power required to deliver such extreme music with such conviction. This band is the real deal.

The production is typically in your face as well, straddling that fine line between rawness and clarity that this style of music needs. It ain’t too pretty or overproduced, but it still manages to sound great anyway. No surprises when you open the cover and see the name Ren from Reich records, this time on mixing and mastering duties. The man is a Melbourne heavy music icon. Kudos must also go to Nick Rackham and the band themselves, who shared recording and production credits.

Song-wise, their tunes take a lot of dynamic twists and turns, and their arrangements are highly non-traditional, and so it takes a number of listens for their songs to weed their insidious way into your psyche. But give this album your time and your patience, and each individual track’s unique charms with become apparent in time. Especially a tune like ‘End Game (G.O.D)’, which injects some twisted melody into the mix amid the chaos.

If it’s immediacy and instant gratification you seek in your sounds, best you look elsewhere. But if you favour a little strangeness in your extreme music of choice, then do yourself a great favour and check out these Melbourne boys. They’re doing the avant-garde thing as well as anyone right now.

http://houseofthumbs.net/

Rod Whitfield

Adelaide has started to produce some high quality heavy acts in the last five or six years, and this four piece are no exception. Their debut album utterly destroys all in its path, and then some.

These guys do straight up modern heavy metal precisely the way this writer likes it: balls out; ultra-aggressive but with a little melody thrown in; massive fat grooves everywhere; precision, muscular musicianship and ultra-meaty but crystal clear sound (partly courtesy the great man Forester Savell, who mixed and mastered it. Is there anything this man can’t do?).

‘The Identity’ is a collection of 12 bruising, blistering metal tracks guaranteed to melt speakers and melt faces. These boys are absolutely set in their direction, that of Pantera/Machine Head/Lamb of God influenced metal, and they pull it off with absolute conviction and strength. However they are also forging an identity that is all their own. There are thrashier moments, melodic elements, some tasteful melodic and shredding leads and real dynamics thrown into the mix amid the groove based carnage. And virtually everything works a treat.

The album opens with absolute maximum impact, first track ‘Catch 22’ blasts out of the speakers with pure screaming fury, putting one in mind of the way Pantera’s ‘Great Southern Trendkill’ opens. And the sledgehammering effect of the record barely lets up for a second from there. Each and every track has something to offer the listener, with best tune honours probably going to ‘Shot Down’, with its steam train momentum and killer, rumbling, double kick driven chorus that is catchy as all hell. ‘Drones’ is also worthy of mention, all off-kilter melodies and rhythms, it builds in a menacing fashion to a howling, devastating climax.

Yet another highlight of this band’s sound is singer Matt Kavanagh’s voice. Extremely mature in his technique and delivery, every note he hits, from the low end to the screams to the soaring melody is absolutely dead on the money. He channels Anselmo, Flynn and even Fafara at different times, but also makes it absolutely his own. A real vocal talent.

This album is the best meat and potatoes metal record these ears have heard in a long, long time. Australian or otherwise. I have absolutely nothing against Adelaide, it’s a beautiful city with a great passion for beer, wine and the best kind of football. All very important things in their own right. But it’s a bit of a dead end for heavy music acts, so one can only hope these guys, and others of their ilk, can break out of the city of churches (also very inappropriate for metal) and bring their brand of musical mayhem to a slightly more appreciative locale. Going by ‘The Identity’ they’re one of the best heavy acts in the country at the moment, they just need to get themselves heard more.

http://www.myspace.com/isawband

Rod Whitfield