STACK #122 Dec 2015

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Simon Lukic’s belief in heavy metal is utterly unassailable.

Ozzy Osbourne Memoirs of a Madman With talk of another new Black Sabbath album, Ozzy Osbourne’s solo career has taken an understandable backseat. It’s been four years since Scream , so the green light was given for another compilation. The audio component of Memoirs of a Madma n is solid, but offers nothing new. The

Anthrax Chile On Hell Of the bands comprising the so-called ‘Big Four’, Anthrax has always been the most entertaining live. Metallica has the hits, Slayer the intensity, and Megadeth the technicality, but Anthrax is the massive ball of energy that explodes on stage. This is true of their latest live DVD, Chile On Hell. Shot in front of a dedicated crowd, it’s hard to not get caught up in the show, despite some five covers being included in the set list. The Raining Blood tribute to late Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman aside, it’s about time that Antisocial and Got the Time were sent into retirement. Nuclear Blast/Caroline/Universal accompanying two-disc DVD, however, will interest fans. One features all of Osbourne’s video clips, bar one – Shot in the Dark is absent because of copyright, and the other features live footage. The live component is grainy in parts, but it’s unreleased material that Osbourne devotes will need to see. Sony Music

Cannibal Corpse A Skeletal Domain After 26 years most would assume that Cannibal Corpse – arguably the world’s most successful death metal band – has taken their music as far as it can possible go. They’ve pushed the lyrical envelope, and their use of blast beats, guttural vocals and atonal riffing has inspired countless clones around the world. Therefore, it would easy to excuse a veteran act for going through the motions and dialling in a new set of tunes to appease contractual obligations. This cannot be said of A Skeletal Domain. The artwork and song titles don’t give much away: visually it’s what we’ve come to expect from the band, but the major difference lies in the music. Guitarist Pat O’Brien, who wrote the lion’s share of the material, leads the charge. His songs mix a fresh dose of thrash metal influences with the bands patented death metal stylings to give the album an energy reminiscent of their debut Eaten Back To Life . A Skeletal Domain is quite the album and should be at the top of every extreme metal fan’s wish list. Metal Blade/Rocket

METAL MAYHEM PUNK

Devin Townsend Z 2 Anything involving the talent of Devin Townsend is never straightforward. Here he presents a two-CD set, one titled Blue Sky and the other Dark Matters – the follow-up to popular 2007 concept Ziltoid the Omniscient. Blue Sky is a continuation of the lush pop melodies he explored on Epicloud,

At the Gates At War with Reality Yet another band reunites to release new material. Sweden’s At the Gates reunited – for the second time – in 2010, hitting the world stages to great acclaim, even making it to Australia in 2012. Hailed as one of the most influential melodic death metal bands, they struck

and in a word it’s exquisite – and essential for latter day Townsend devotees. Dark Matters, however, leaves me flat. Other than the lyrics and vocals, it covers the same sonic ground as Blue Sky, lacking the aggression of the first Ziltoid . Considering Townsend’s past, it’s a surprise Z² isn’t as varied. EMI/Century Media/Universal

gold with their swan song effort Slaughter of the Soul back in 1995. At War with Reality (the Venom reference shouldn’t be lost on anyone) is burdened with great expectation. Fortunately it delivers: the album succeeds in touching on the many aspects of their sound, without betraying their past. Century Media/EMI/Universal

Like your metal with a sense of humour? Check out Anthrax radio on JB Hi-Fi Now to delve deep into their mad world!

Emily Kelly is not generally as angry as the music she listens to.

Smashing Pumpkins Monuments to an Elegy

Billy Corgan finds himself in an odd place these days – his peak musical prowess now somewhat eclipsed by his own personal limelight. He’s in the simultaneously glorious and nightmarish position of having

the music world’s undivided attention for the remainder of his career; the question just remains of how he’s going to wield it. Lead single Being Beige threatened to be a blatant metaphor for this, the band’s tenth LP, but thankfully Corgan is nothing if not supremely talented and ambitious, and thus worthy of your time. Cooking Vinyl/Universal

Swingin Utters Fistful of Hollow Swingin Utters continue their quest to be the most perpetually underrated punk rock band this side of the millennium, with new LP Fistful of Hollow . You’d be hard pressed to find nonchalant variety like this in just about any other punk album this year. They’re not trying to be diverse in their approach, the creative inclination just spews from their every pore; immediately apparent in every opening bar and satisfying to the final note. Fistful of Hollow disproves the age-old adage about old dogs and new tricks. Almost 30 years into their career, the Utters are still delivering. It’s just such a shame this has been relegated to the depths of a B-grade Fat Wreck rush release. Let’s hope Tell Them I Told You So is not just their strongest track but also their swan song, as they progress to greener pastures. Fat Wreck Chords /Shock

Punk Goes Pop – Volume 6 Punk Goes Pop used to be an opportunity for the biggest hardcore bands to unashamedly flaunt their most sickly sweet pop influences via clever covers. As the concept has evolved, it’s undeniably taken advantage of its legacy of intrigue and utilised it to introduce smaller bands to ravenous

punk rock audiences. The biggest drawcard on volume six is August Burns Red, who devour Miley Cyrus’s Wrecking Ball with gusto, but there are few more exciting inclusions than this. Just reminders that perhaps metalcore kids should stick to what they know best. Fearless /Unified/Warner

The Bennies Heavy Disco No one sounds like The Bennies. The Melbourne four-piece care so little for their reputation, their status, and what’s hip or acceptable, that they’ve become one of the most exciting entities on the local punk rock circuit. There’s an undeniable charisma that comes from expression

Vices We’ll Make It Through This It’s a notable occasion indeed when one of Australia’s most reputable Australian punk rock labels, responsible for the rise and rise of Parkway Drive, signs a new local talent. There is no shortage of bands that sound like these East Coast riff lords, but it’s apparent that Vices learned something on the

without censorship and The Bennies are proof that it can lend you a fervent fanbase, too. The real winner on Heavy Disco is bonus track Green-Mix City, which combines unrelenting dub samples, joyous horns and hilarious lyrics to form the party anthem of your summer. Poison City Records

road after an extensive US tour late last year. It’s perhaps that perspective that has lent them the maturity to handle the responsibility that comes with backing from the big boys. It’s certainly lent this effort a calm confidence that eclipses their peers. Resist/Cooking Vinyl/Universal

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