STACK Issue 151 May 2017

80 / 92

18 MAY 2017
visit MUSIC REVIEWS
Bliss n Eso
Off The Grid
Bliss n Eso are back in town with
their sixth studio album, Off The
Grid – the follow-up to 2013’s
Circus In The Sky. The Aussie hip
hop trio are hitting harder than
ever with this record, with lyrics
like "Music allows us to give you
something/ when it hits home it
could stop a kid from jumping"
on just the second track in,
setting the weighty scene right
from the get-go. You’ve already
had glimpses of how heavy the
thematic concerns of Off The Grid
can get, with Friends Like You and
Dopamine; and the rest of the
record catalogues everything from
alcohol and substance abuse to
trying to be better role models for
their fans and families. Prepare
to tumble through one of B n E’s
best yet.
(Liberation) Alesha Kolbe
endrick Lamar DAMN.
amn – they better start carving Kendrick Lamar’s
ace into hip hop’s Mount Rushmore. Following
he huge success of 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly,
endrick Lamar transcended rap and became a
ymbol – for black lives, social awareness, faith
nd activism. DAMN. is Lamar’s struggle with
ortality and his legacy. K-Dot has gone back to
the trap-heavy, classic hip hop beats heard in early projects like Section.80
and good kid, m.A.A.d city; he focuses less on conceptual musical themes
than he did on TPAB, and instead throws sonically incongruous elements
together to narrate exactly how he is feeling. On FEEL. the 29-year-old
weighs in on crushing expectations: “I feel like the whole world wants
me to pray for them, but who is praying for me?” He definitely hasn’t
lost his faith in God, but you can feel his angst toward society. Yes, the
lyrical content is deep, but not at the expense of the banging beats and
instrumentation we know Kung Fu Kenny can produce: LOYALTY. featuring
Rihanna is a slow-jam floor-filler, HUMBLE. is turn-up music in the realest
sense, and XXX is for the hip hop purists. Closing tracks FEAR. and
DUCKWORTH. are the most authentic storytelling we’ve ever heard from
Lamar, and as the final beats loop seamlessly back into the first, you’ll be
ready for another listen. (TDE/Interscope)Tim Lambert
The Doomsday Kingdom
The Doomsday Kingdom
Leif Edling is best known as the
bassist and primary songwriter for
Sweden’s Candlemass – a band
which, aside from Black Sabbath,
is arguably the greatest doom
metal group of our time. Edling
is currently on leave as a touring
member of Candlmass due to
chronic fatigue syndrome, but this
hasn’t stopped him from following
his muse. The Doomsday Kingdom
doesn’t find Edling straying too
far from his roots, but his health
concerns have no doubt added to
the ominous, brooding feel of the
album. Edling has dubbed himself
'The Doomfather' here, and there
is no more fitting a name for a man
that I would consider one of the
genre's greatest pioneers.
(Nuclear Blast/Caroline)
Simon Lukic
Arch Enemy
As The Stages Burn!
Recorded at the mecca for
heavy metal – Wacken Open Air
festival, in Germany in 2016 – As
The Stages Burn! is a 16-track
aural assault. It also serves as a
reminder that vocalist Alissa White-
Gluz has more than filled the
shoes of her predecessor, Angela
Gossow. It’s also interesting
to hear guitarist Jeff Loomis
(ex-Nevermore) let loose on this
material; Loomis joined the group's
tour during the War Eternal live
campaign and his style and energy
only adds to the Arch Enemy
sound. As The Stages Burn! is
available as a DVD/Blu-ray with a
truckload of added extras, making
it not only a feast for the ears, but
the eyes as well.
(Century Media/EMI)
Simon Lukic
Clowns Lucid Again
Like a knife at a gunfight,
underrated Melbourne punks
Clowns don’t pull any punches
on their ball-busting third record,
Lucid Again – their best work to
date. New members Hanny J on
bass/vocals and Will Robinson on
guitar add a new dimension, which
propels their already extensive
punk palette further afield. Ever-
present, though, is frontman Stevie
Williams’ gravelly squall; like a
pack-a-day 80-year-old, Williams
barks his way through highlights
Like A Knife In A Gunfight, Painful
Truth and Pickle. Closer Not Coping
is a frenetically sweaty, nine-
minute circle pit of scuzzed-out
psychedelia. The band’s penchant
for chaos in their performances
is still alive: Lucid Again nods its
head to punk's roots, but without a
fleeting moment of nostalgia.
(Poison City)Tim Lambert
Kasabian
For Crying Out Loud
Okay, which one of you
sacrificed yourself to the Gods
to make this album happen?
It takes all of 10 seconds into
opening track III Ray (The King)
to bring knees to the ground,
and the energy doesn’t let
up until the last note expires
from your ears. Gone are
48:13’s interludes and back is
the emphasis on psychedelic
guitars. Kasabian’s presence has
always felt large, and through
new gospel highlights, subtly
eerie moments and massive
rock bellows, you can feel their
electrifying aura in stereo. Tying
listeners deer-style to the front
of a crazy rock and roll-a-coaster,
the English five-piece show no
signs of stopping.
(Sony) Savannah Douglas
Pond The Weather
The Weather marks a significant
shift in Pond’s sound, utilizing more
synths more subtly than ever before.
30000 Megatons opens the album
with a mysterious synth, building
slowly to create a wall of sound. We
hear the first guitar three minutes
in, suggesting that the band are
leaning away from their psychedelic
roots. Paint Me Silver is a glorious
pop romp which is followed by
Colder Than Ice which has one of
the band’s three songwriters Jay
Watson singing alongside a smooth
saxophone. Edge of the World Pt.
1 pairs visceral lyrics with a sharp
synth, and transforms mid-way to
become an entirely new song. Zen
Automation starts off serenely, but
as it unfolds Nicholas Allbrook’s
anger emerges, along with the
intensity that underlies the album.
There’s a lot to be said for a band
that manage to sound different with
every release, but this is something
that Pond seem to do effortlessly.
(EMI) Holly Pereira