What’s up? It’s your old boy Waldo here, to inform you about some new and upcoming releases, good, bad, or otherwise. Remember, I’m not an elitist, you just have terrible taste.
First of all, I’d like to mention that I RARELY do reviews of releases that have already passed—mostly it’s about two weeks ahead—BUT I’d like to start out this week’s column with Purge from the almighty Godflesh. I have to admit, the predecessor, Post Self, was a killer record, and I would like to say that this birdbrain is a HUGE fan of the Birmingham duo and that includes the more dancey/dub stuff accomplished in their later years. Well, back to the release; EVERYTHING is here, thick, churning riffs, the rigidity of the drum machine, and the painful screams all over the top. This kind of picks up where 1992’s Pure left off, (there is even one letter difference in the names), but it ultimately fails in capturing the spirit of Pure. Hip hop beats, and industrial shoegaze are present here, but it’s not really enough to save the blandness of the whole thing. That’s not saying it sucks, there are about four (half of the track list) of standout songs here, not quite making up for the lackluster feel of the record, but all in all, the package just comes across as a little uninspired for me. I pecking LOVE Godflesh and this is a serviceable effort, but not their best. 6 Fucking Pecks.
What is with this recent spate of old as beak metal bands getting back together? I guess metal is big now, and SOME are even making a little bit of money. Seattle’s Fifth Angel releases their fourth (not fifth, get it?) and their second since the reunion in 2018. There’s not much to say about this, it doesn’t sound organic at all. Hell, even the videos are cheesy and over produced. For a virtually unknown power metal band whose heyday was in 1989, there are some surprises here. Singer Peter Oruliian (also a fantasy writer) has some pretty strong vokills for an old-ass dude, even if he joined the band in 2019. Melodic solos abound here, and in general they are pretty ripping, and the songs don’t really drag as much as you’d think from a bunch of geezers. All in all, I’m not really sure what audience they are trying to attract here. If you are into this AT ALL, go pick up 1989’s Time Will Tell, I got that through the “Columbia House Scam.” Let’s say 4.5 Fucking Pecks
Waldo Out!
