STACK #144 Oct 2016

REVIEWS MUSIC

John K Samson Winter Wheat

Alter Bridge The Last Hero

Darkthrone Arctic Thunder

Devin Townsend Project Transcendence Devin Townsend’s body of work equals that of Frank Zappa. Kanye West aside, there is arguably no modern day composer with a back catalogue as intriguing as Townsend’s. By his own account, Townsend has always kept a tight grip on his musical output, but with Transcendence he has relinquished control, giving his band mates greater input. This decision adds to the overall feel of the album, making the experience more a band effort rather than a solo project. Despite this, Transcendence is a deep, multi-layered creation that anyone familiar with Townsend’s work will devour. (Inside Out/Sony) Simon Lukic

Since Canadian band The Weakerthans' dissolution last year, the world's been lacking the intoxicating narratives delivered in the unmistakable timbre of vocalist John K Samson. His solo material was always a neat bonus to The Weakerthans' catalogue, but now his band has retired, a new album from Samson is truly an event worth celebrating. Winter Wheat offers nourishing variations on tone and topic, the most brilliant of which falls on Select All Delete (an instructional dissection of modern tech anxiety). The real heartbreaker lies in the double whammy of 17th Street Treatment Center and Virtue at Rest , in which recurring feline confidante Virtue The Cat makes her final appearance. Just gorgeous and good for the soul. (ANTI) Emily Kelly

Alter Bridge’s fifth studio album is a fine slab of hard rockin’ goodness. At the heart of The Last Hero is the magic which vocalist/guitarist Myles Kennedy and guitarist Mark Tremonti seem to conjure up when they get together. Alter Bridge’s strength lies in their ability to take an idea like My Champion – which wouldn’t sound out of place on an '80s movie soundtrack – and follow it up with Poison In Your Veins , which feels contemporary in comparison. A difficult thing to do, but Alter Bridge – as is the case here – make it sounds effortless. (Napalm Records/Rocket) Simon Lukic

After a three-year absence, Norway’s most contentious heavy metal band return with another studio album. Starting as a thrash metal act in the late '80s and then navigating their sound through the annals of death metal and black metal styles, the last decade has seen Fenriz and Nocturnal Culto settle on a traditional heavy metal format. This time around, Arctic Thunder takes Darkthrone’s sound back to the origins of extreme metal, recalling the style of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost. Arctic Thunder finds the duo mining the past to great affect, so kick back and enjoy the ride. (Peaceville/Rocket) Simon Lukic

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