ThunderGod

Blimey! Didn't realize it was so long since I'd last been here! Anyway... It's the last Wyrd Ways Rock Show of 2017... or certainly the last one before the traditional post-Yuletide Behemoth, anyway. Despite the fact that this is, effective a Christmas show, I'll only inflict one Christmas tune on you. It's one you'll like. I promise. What else do we have for you? Well, the last Record Of The Week is a bit of a cracker, then there's loads of other stuff, including Nick from Nuclear Blast having a bit of a chinwag with Robb Flynn of Machine Head. Who says I never get you anything nice? What are you waiting for? Click this link and turn it up LOUD! If you want to subscribe, you can do it via iTunes by clicking here

Need to get back here a lot more often! Anyway, here's the details for the latest show: You know what they say about "The best laid plans...", yes? Well, the plan for this was to have it out on Friday night before SOS kicked off. That plan was then modified so I would get it out on Saturday morning before I set off to SOS. Then real life and tiredness intervened (twice!), so you're getting the "sort of preview" AFTER the event. It's not THAT bad, since you will be able to read the review of the Saturday bands on the new, improved Wyrd Ways Rock Show website by clicking the link. In fact, I would heartily recommend reading the review whilst listening to this show. Do your neighbours a favour. Turn it all the way up. This one's one in the eye (or should that be "ear"?) for anyone who says "Metal is dead". Listen to The Wyrd Ways Rock Show CCCXXXVII by clicking HERE If you're an iTunes type person, you can click HERE If you want the RSS feed, just click HERE

As promised, we’re neck-deep in Bloodstock in this edition of The Wyrd Ways Rock Show. Carl and Suzi report live(-ish) from outside The Mötley Brew at Catton Hall on the Saturday afternoon of the festival. We also chucked in an archive interview from Hang The Bastard and a brand new interview from Sabaton’s new drummer, Chris. Add to that Dr Jim’s summing up of this year’s Brutal Assault, and you’ve got a show to listen to! https://soundcloud.com/carl-pickles/wyrd-ways-rock-show-cccxv https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/wyrd-ways-rock-show/id1025482825?mt=2 RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheWyrdWaysRockShow (for those of you who don't use iTunes but still want to subscribe)

Blimey... it's been a while since I posted anything on here. About time I sorted that out. I do need to get more active in the Metal scene again. The Wyrd Ways Rock Show is still going, and we've not got to the 314th edition. Here's the blurb: We’re having a little breather from the festival stuff in this edition of The Wyrd Ways Rock Show, before going ballsdeep next time out. That means new stuff from Act Of Defiance (Shane Drover and Chris Broderick’s post Megadeth band), Lamb Of God, Kataklysm and loads of others. Come and have a listen. You owe it to yourself. You’ve been good all week, so come and reward yourself with some quality Metal! https://soundcloud.com/carl-pickles/wyrd-ways-rock-show-cccxiv https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/wyrd-ways-rock-show/id1025482825?mt=2 RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheWyrdWaysRockShow (for those of you who don't use iTunes but still want to subscribe) Please note that I'm now using Soundcloud to host the download version (unless you become a subscriber or Member). It provides a better service than PodOmatic does these days. If you are a subscriber using one of the old links please use one of the above links to keep your subscription going.

Of course he'd like to get back with Priest! Who wouldn't? They're the biggest band he's ever been in. Admittedly, it would be very interesting to hear Rob Halford duetting with Ripper Owens, but I think that the nearest we'll ever get to him recording with Priest again is if he gets Glenn, Ian and Scott (and even KK, if he can be dragged off the golf course!) to guest on a new album. He needs to get his career going properly, rather than messing about with other people's bands. That's the problem as far as Ripper's concerned. His actual proper back catalogue is pretty poor, in terms of quantity (the quality of his two albums was pretty high - I own them both!). He's always playing the side-man (which is something Jon Schaffer told him when he let him go from Iced Earth), and should get out on his own. Since he left Priest, he's only recorded two of his own albums, the rest of the time he's been in Iced Earth and Malmsteen's bands, so if you turn up to one of his gigs, you'll probably get the same sort of thing you'd get if you went to see someone like Graham Bonnett: a glorified cover band.

Not bad. It ends a little abruptly and you probably could have done with editing your interviews a little (just to tighten them up). It might have also been worth getting a couple more people into it, such as a fan or two, a DJ who does play Metal. Just head over to The Parish on a weekend, and you'll probably find plenty of people to talk to. Same if you head over to The Old Turk in Dewsbury - the manager is Joel Graham from Evile, and the regulars include people like Dan Mullins (My Dying Bride/Thine) and Andy Burton (Toranaga). This is an incredibly deep rabbit hole and this sounds like more of a start of something than the whole thing.

Let’s get something straight before we start, shall we? Power Metal, as a subgenre is totally and utterly ridiculous. That has to be a given. Soaring guitars, soaring vocals, bludgeoning drums played at a speed you’d expect from bands classed as being much heavier. Some bands, like DragonForce, take that to extremes. Other bands, like HammerFall and Sabaton play it straight down the line and create some truly anthemic stuff. Then there is a German outfit by the name of Powerwolf. They use twisted, blasphemous religious imagery, cross-pollinated with werewolf mythology, corpse paint and monks robes as costumes. The formula should be a recipe for disaster, but it works when it really, really should be an absolute train wreck. It doesn’t exactly hurt the German band’s cause that Attila Dorn’s voice is a truly stunning instrument. There is absolutely no way to mistake this man’s pipes for anyone else’s. Incredibly charismatic and powerful in a subgenre where many vocalists go for range rather than power, he works in a similar register to Sabaton’s Joakim Broden. Then there’s the keyboards. The best keyboard players use their instruments to add colour to the proceedings. That’s another thing that helps this insane formula work so well. Falk Maria Schlegel’s sepulchral cathedral organ matches perfectly. Right from the off, these guys are not messing about. The opening track (which also happens to be the title track), Blessed & Possessed has “anthem” stamped through it like a stick of Blackpool rock. The momentum gained from that one takes you barrelling straight into a pummelling Dead Until Dark, before slamming down another anthem in Army Of The Night. This one has “live favourite” stamped all over it. That takes us into the first single, Armata Strigoi, with its staccato riff and yet another masterclass from Dorn, beautifully supported by Schlegel… and so it goes on. If your foot isn’t at least tapping, or your head nodding by this point, you really are deficient in some major way. Other honourable mentions have to go to Sanctus Dominus, Higher Than Heaven, We Are The Wild, Sacramental Sister… sod it… I’ve just realized I’m typing out the titles of the entire remaining running order. ALL the tracks on this one really hit the spot in a pretty major way. There is truly not one single track you could even think of as being “filler”. On Blessed & Possessed, Powerwolf absolutely nail the formula. They’ve got close on previous albums, most notably on the mighty Bible Of The Beast, but for this one there is not one single misstep throughout the entire album. This is absolute perfection. It’s an incredible piece of work. The pace only really drops on the final track, Let There Be Night, but that just allows Attila to really flex his vocal cords. The man sings out of his skin on that one, and when matched with an exquisite solo from Matthew Greywolf… well, it’s not often I can be said to be lost for words, but hearing this song for the first time was one of those occasions. Make no mistake. Powerwolf have thrown down the gauntlet and staked their claim for Album Of The Year for 2015. This one is absolutely awesome. What's more, if you get the limited edition version, you get a CD of cover versions. No hesitation at all with a rating of.. *****/5

Yes, YOU! If you're posting in this forum, this will definitely be of interest to you: One of the main reasons I started The Wyrd Ways Rock Show was in an effort to get more new and up-and-coming bands exposed to the masses. That's why the Shock Of The New feature was born and why I brought Suzi on board to run it last year. It's also why Wyrd Ways PR started last year. Now for the next stage. Over the next few months, The Wyrd Ways Rock Show and Wyrd Ways PR are intending to build a compilation album featuring the best new and up-and-coming talent the world of Hard Rock and Metal have to offer. This compilation will be available for free download from The Wyrd Ways Rock Show website as well as being sent to all the media outlets, promoters, managers and DJs worldwide who are on the Wyrd Ways PR and Wyrd Ways Rock Show mailing lists. In addition, the bands who contribute will also be awarded a spot in the Shock Of The New feature on The Wyrd Ways Rock Show, which appears on both Planet Mosh and The Wall Rock Radio. It may also be possible to arrange a gig at The Old Turk in Dewsbury. If you want to be considered for a spot on the album, please send an email to THIS ADDRESS with attached mp3 files at 320kbps or wavs at 1410kbps as well as a band biography, relevant web addresses and official photos if you have them. Submissions are open right now, so don't hang about.

You're right about Rap Metal not being dead. There's also Hacktivist: http://youtu.be/_1AiCDcObFM

Their drummer, Dan Mullins (who also helps out My Dying Bride) is a mate of mine. Personally, I thought they were better live than recorded, although I did only see them the once.

We’re into the last couple of shows for 2014, but that doesn’t mean there’s no more new stuff for me to play in The Wyrd Ways Rock Show. You’ll be hearing from Papa Roach, Primordial and to keep things somewhat Christmassy, Christopher Lee! Yes, Saruman The White himself will be closing the show. You can listen to, or download, the broadcast version of the show BY CLICKING HERE. The show also features Covered and a Shock Of The. You say you need more? The best way to get more is to subscribe, by heading for THIS PAGE and choosing the option that best suits you. If you are a subscriber, as usual, you get the show at a much higher level of quality. You also have access to the Members Only pages of the Wyrd Ways Rock Show website.

As a rule, I don’t tend to do themed shows, but this whole thing about treating “female-fronted Metal” as a genre on it’s own really annoys me. That’s why every band you will hear on The Wyrd Ways Rock Show this week is fronted by a woman. That means you’ll be hearing from Izegrim, Holy Moses, Triaxis and Huntress among many others. You can find it here: The Wyrd Ways Rock Show The actual website has probably expanded quite a bit since you were last there. Click here and take a look at what you've been missing.

Let's just put it out there Sister Sin are probably the best proper Heavy Metal band you've never heard of. That in itself is something of a crime, especially when you consider this Swedish foursome have just released their fifth album, which you are about to be reading a review of. So who are they, then? Sister Sin formed in Gothenburg in 2002 and have released five albums (Dance Of The Wicked, Switchblade Serenades, True Sound Of The Underground, Now And Forever and now this one). Theyve also toured with the likes of Arch Enemy, Alice Cooper, Motrhead, Michael Schenker, Lordi, In This Moment and U.D.O as well as releasing a single with Doro Pesch. So they've been around the block a few times and they've earned their stripes. What about the album, then? Its good. Its VERY good. Liv has a damned fine set of pipes, in a similar vein to Veronica Freeman of Benedictum and Manowar's Eric Adams, producing a powerful throaty roar that makes you sit up and take notice. Guitarist, Jimmy, is all pent-up fury. Tight, muscular riffs and short, sharp solos. The rhythm section of Dave (drums) and Strandh (bass) nail it all to the floor. Solid as the proverbial rock. Want to know about the songs? OK. Here we go: The band are snarling and growling straight out of the gate. Food For Worms makes an aggressive start with a blistering solo. Liv starts as she means to go on, setting out her stall for the rest of the album with her powerful, gritty vocals. The single, Chaos Royale, is a bit of an odd one. Again, plenty of aggression, but punctuated with some seemingly odd time changes That is until you recall the name of the song, and suddenly it all makes sense. A touch of musical chaos means the song itself couldnt be more fitting. Au Reviour keeps up the breakneck pace. If you havent at least nodded along to part of one of these songs, your ears need checking. This one is the first to have a huge chorus. Youll be singing along by the third one. There's a slight drop in pace, with the momentum exchanged for intensity when it comes to Desert Queen. The slightly spooky intro opens up into a huge groove and lyrics somewhat reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe's writings. Mentions of ravens and scarlet. This is another one that you cant help but move to some way. There's also a very nice use of sepulchral keyboards, sounding like the kind of church organ you get in a cathedral. Makes a nice change from a Hammond B3! Count Me Out is a break-up song. Not one of those mopey ones, mind. The anger pouring out of this one is almost palpable. Stay the fuck away from me/Out of sight and mind. A little bit of strings to add colour, strangely enough not out of place, leading into rather a nice solo. The pace goes back up again for Stones Thrown, which boasts another massive chorus. From what we've heard so far, The Jinx is a bit of a surprise. Acoustic guitar at the beginning tells you all you need to know its the ballad! Liv shows that she really can sing although its pretty obvious she's still pretty annoyed! Ruled By None is a potential set-closer. Certainly it's going to be a live favourite. It's a big song with gang vocals on the chorus, matched to the infectious enthusiasm exhibited right the way through this one. Sister Sin really do have the chops to go all the way. It would have been very easy to let this album fade out there and finish with another ballad, or just not add another song. Instead, there's Sail North, a thundering duet featuring Liv and well not sure, but the credits say "Vocal sample on Sail North by Eddie Meduza (RIP)", but there seems to be more than a sample here. Final verdict? Its a good one. Bloody excellent, really. No weak tracks at all and no pointless noodling or excessive fiddling. OK, I could have done without the ballad, but that's pretty much the only thing that stops this album getting full marks. As it is, it's definitely in the upper reaches of my best albums of the year so far. ****

Following a pair of sell-out shows at The Corporation in Sheffield, a winning run in the Metal 2 The Masses competition, culminating in a storming set on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock and recent dates with New York legends Warrior Soul and Californian Stoner overlords, Fu Manchu, South Yorkshires Goat Leaf are prepared for one last aural assault to cap off a very successful year. Capitalizing on the momentum gained from their second album, A Lack Of Oxygen and packed shows at iconic venues such as the Camden Underworld and Purple Turtle in London and The Asylum and Scruffy Murphys in Birmingham, the band have become a live force par excellence. Teaming with Swedish noise merchants, Stonewall Noise Orchestra, the lads are hitting the road for a few dates in December, climaxing in headline slot on the second stage at the inaugural Winter Rocks festival at the bands spiritual home, the Sheffield Corporation. The tour stacks up like this: December 3rd Bannermans Edinburgh 4th The Hairy Dog Derby 5th The New Intrepid Fox London 6th Winter Rocks Festival Corporation Sheffield

The hiatus is almost over. There are only a few hours left to wait before it rises again from the pit.... It returns very soon...