Reviews Round-Up September 2024
• WINTERHAWK – ‘There And Back Again’
• TURBOKILL – ‘Champion’
• SERIOUS BLACK – ‘Rise Of Akhenaton’
• CHAOS PATH – ‘The Last Sign Of Eden’
• ATTAXE – ‘Braving The Tempest’
Although far from a household name WINTERHAWK come highly recommended. Formed in 1977, the Chicago band released just one album, ‘Revival’ in 1982, described by Alexandros Anesiadis in his ‘Heroes Of the Metal Underground’ as “one of the most adventurous and fascinating records the American hard rock / metal world of the 1980s ever offered.” ‘There And Back Again’ (Golden Core, out now) is a hometown live show recorded by the quartet at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom on 22 December 1978. With its twin guitar line-up of Jordan Macarus and Steve Brown and intricate arrangements Winterhawk don’t sound dissimilar to Wishbone Ash, and ‘In The Wakes Of Things To Come’ and ‘Hammer And The Axe’ certainly indicate a band on the rise. ‘There And Back Again’ is a double LP, with the final side featuring a 1978 rehearsal recording and a demo (‘Too Much Of Nothin’’) recorded the following year.
For their second album German power metallers TURBOKILL might not have tweaked the formula greatly, but they know what they like and they like what they know and as a result ‘Champion’ (Steamhammer / SPV, 27 September) romps along like a true thoroughbred. A point of reference might be fellow Germans Freedom Call, and it might come as no surprise that ‘Champion’ came into being at FC guitarist’s Lars Rettowitz’s studio. But Turbokill are no copyists. Frontman Stephan Dietrich has been round the block a few times with his previous band, the woefully underrated Alpha Tiger, and the band (completed by rhythm guitarist Ronny Schuster, lead guitarist Daniel Kanzler, bassist Marco ‘Fox’ Grünwald and drummer Kevin Käferstein) have crafted a catchy and exciting LP. Highlights abound, but the title track does take some beating.
Video clip: ‘Go Your Way’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbEWJVceRd4
Also from the power metal stable, and partially German, come SERIOUS BLACK. Although the band originally came into being following a meeting between Roland Grapow and Mario Lochert back in 2013, the line-up has evolved somewhat over the years and for their sixth album ‘Rise Of Akhenaton’ (AFM, 27 September) bassist Lochert is surrounded by frontman Nikola Mijic, guitarists Dominik Sebastian and Bob Katsionis, and drummer Rami Ali. It’s an interesting and extremely melodic offering, with the likes of ‘Silent Angel’ and ‘Shields Of Glory’ pretty much showcasing the best of the band. Longtime fans will spot that the title track harks back to ‘Akhenaton’, a standout track on the band’s ‘As Daylight Breaks’ 2015 debut, and also shuffled into the pack is a cover of Toto’s ‘I Will Remember’.
photo by Marcus Konetza
Video clip: ‘Metalized’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqILK5L-V20
Describing themselves as ‘kaotysk metal’ German black metallers CHAOS PATH have followed up their 2023 compilation album ‘Rise Of The Apocalypse’ with ‘The Last Sign Of Eden’ (Golden Core, 6 September), their second full-length release of new material. It’s not all pedal-to-the-metal stuff, and while songs like ‘Night of The Blade’ and ‘Firestorm’ are – as you might expect – full-on assaults to the senses, it’s a very clever album and the songs are exquisitely executed: the title track in particular packs a punch and ‘Anthem Of Destruction’ is a real call to arms. It’s available as an eleven-track CD, and also as a limited edition ten-song LP with a free 7” single featuring the ‘missing’ track (‘Dark Times’) and bonus track ‘Spark In The Darkness’.
Video clip: ‘None Shall Survive’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywMvYoMRqqQ
ATTAXE are veterans of the mid-Eighties US metal scene, although back in the day the Cleveland act only recorded an handful of demos and two cassette singles – as well as an unreleased album – before hitting the buffers in the early 1990s. A couple of compilations along the way have kept the name ticking over and in 2019 they played their first gig for nigh-on twenty years. ‘Braving The Tempest’ (Golden Core, out now) is a cracking release for fans of the genre, and seems to blend new material with a handful of oldies (‘Do You Believe?’, ‘Diamonds’ and ‘Can’t Stop The Evil’ were all recorded at the time for their failed 1986 Metal Blade LP). Older and wiser Attaxe have pulled off a stunning ‘debut’ – albeit some thirty-plus years later than planned – and ‘Braving The Tempest’ is well worth adding to any collection.
Video clip: ‘Braving The Tempest’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTXf6oStGSE
John Tucker September 2024