The texture of The Further Side will not surprise anyone who knows that Nova Collective is a supergroup featuring Haken's Richard Henshall, Between the Buried and Me's bass player Dan Briggs and Cynic drummer Matt Lynch. For the kind of album that The Further Side is, it is performed with the most pin-point of precision. Every piece of this record is deliberate and executed with grace. Production wise, nothing is out of place, Dan's bass work is splendid, the back-and-forth between the guitars and keyboards is well balanced and the drum work is technical, but not overwhelming to the listener.

I would be grossly remised however if I didn't bring up the songwriting, which is so boring and mediocre. The two chordal instruments does allow for Nova Collective to give the impression of something closer to jazz fusion with the textures, but the execution of these forms is uninteresting. There are solos for sure, but more often than not, The Further Side is a unified technical show piece, with modulating tempos, time signatures and styles. This record reminds me of the worst aspects of 2010s Opeth, when they were trying to be like pre-Moving Pictures Rush. But even the earliest Rush albums had decent hooks to latch on to to compliment Alex Lifeson's extended guitar solos. What does The Further Side have besides technical proficiency? 

This is the kind of record that I know that I would have enjoyed if it was in Guitar Hero, like An Endless Sporadic's Magic Machine. But as someone who even less about technical demands in their progressive music, Nova Collective leaves me feeling empty. Of course it's impressive, but who is it meant to impress if not the band members themselves? 

Best Songs: Cascades, State of Flux

Twenty years after the first ‘S&M’ concerts, and Metallica team up once more with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for a musical extravaganza, as metal meets classical in the ultimate musical collaboration.

Containing two CD’s and a DVD of the concert, ‘S&M2’ lives up to its predecessor, but is as different as it is similar. Besides advancements in technology allowing for much, much better sound and picture (on the DVD), the band have this time, taken the performance from a concert hall to a huge arena, and with thousands of Metallica fans in attendance, the audience participation really enhances the experience, especially on the ending of ‘The Memory Remains’.

The differences don’t stop there. What’s noticeable on the DVD, is that, unlike the first ‘S&M’, where Metallica were in their late 30’s, battling shifting musical trends, addictions, and personal strife, and “taking a risk” with the whole endeavour, this time the band are now all in their late 50’s. They’re sober, a cohesive unit, and they’ve done this before, and you can see how they seem so much more relaxed this time around. Conductor Edwin Outwater’s visual energy is infectious, and the orchestra musicians are no doubt, absolute professionals, but I can’t help but feel like the pep talk backstage was something like “hey, don’t worry, just have fun”.

If any risks are taken this time around, it’s the middle segment which sees the orchestra given time to shine. With classical pieces, a double bass tribute to Cliff Burton, as well as an orchestral version of ‘The Unforgiven III’, which sees James Hetfield go guitar-less. I don’t think this has happened since he burnt his arm in the early 90’s?

While sentimentality and nostalgia will always make me prefer the first ‘S&M’ over this one, the reality is that ‘S&M2’ is every part it’s equal. Featuring classics such as ‘One’, ‘Enter Sandman’ ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ and ‘Master of Puppets’, as well as newer songs, ‘The Day That Never Comes’, ‘Moth Into Flame’, and ‘Halo On Fire’ (which sounds incredible with the orchestra), the CD’s and DVD make for a fantastic audio and visual experience, and this is as essential a part of any Metallica collection as the first. Will the band still be around in their 70’s for part three? Let the waiting begin!

Released in 2007, Megadeth’s compilation boxset, ‘Warchest’, is an absolute tour-de-force of material. A great collectable for fans, you’ve got four discs of music and a DVD, which covers a huge variety of original songs, covers, demos, live recordings, and everything else in between.

The first three discs are compilations running in chronological order through the bands career. Interspersed with live tracks, demos, remixes, live recordings and short interludes of Dave Mustaine talking, they cover every aspect of the band, from 1985’s ‘Killing is My Business…’ all the way up to 2004’s ‘The System Has Failed’. This is a fantastic starting point for newcomers to the band, or a great retrospective for long-time fans.

My only real complaint here is that most of the songs are the 2004 remasters. Not that it’s that big of an issue, but personally, I think a lot of these tracks sounded better in their original versions.

Disc four is a live concert from Wembley Stadium in 1990. Shortly after the release of ‘Rust in Peace’, this is thrash-era Megadeth at their best, and the live recording proves that. And finally, disc five is a live DVD, shot in 1992. Admittedly, I love Megadeth, but live, I do find them a little boring. They kind of play the songs, and that’s it. Occasionally they headbang, but they don’t really seem overly animated. Still, the sound and picture are great, and at barely 50 minutes in duration, it’s a totally harmless watch, and more than worthy of belonging in this boxset.

Die-hard fans will want this for any unreleased tracks, in particular, discs four and five. Accompanied with a 36-page booklet, and beautiful 3D packaging, this is a fantastic set, and while it might seem a little dated by today, the absolute wealth of material makes it a must-have for fans.

Formed in 2015 by rhythm guitarist Brandon Corsair (Drawn and Quartered, Draghkar, Azath) Serpent Rider have been in existence for a decade now and following a couple of split releases, a 2021 split with Ezra Brooks and a four-way split in 2022 which featured the two tracks from a 2019 demo, the band's debut full-length album, The Ichor of Chimaera, is finally here. The five-piece play a traditional style of heavy metal that has its roots in the 1980s and USPM bands like Manilla Road and Cirith Ungol, but with the modern sheen and vitality of latter-day acts such as Smoulder and Eternal Champion. I mention those latter two in particular, because, like them, Serpent Rider feature a female vocalist, the splendid R. Villar, and also like to tip their hat to epic doom masters like Candlemass, Solstice and Solitude Aeternus.

The Ichor of Chimaera is an album that is steeped in the traditions of metal and is clearly the product of a band that is well-versed in that world. The riffs are great, from the rip-roaring, nitro-charged gallops of opener "Steel Is the Answer" and "Tyrant's March" to slower, more hulking and ominous doomy slabs such as "The Hero's Spirit". The guitar sound is thick and powerful and the lead breaks often provide some real highlights for me, as lead guitarist Paul Gelbach unleashes some full-blooded, white-hot solos that give the tracks a real keen edge. The five-piece don't shy away from inserting the odd catchy hook here and there either, with the choruses of "Radiant" and "Tyrant's March" refusing to stop bouncing around inside your brain long after the album stops spinning.

Lyrically Serpent Rider stick to the tried and tested formula of epic metal which inhabits the fantasy worlds created by the likes of Moorcock and Robert E. Howard and there is nothing wrong with that, but it is a very safe option to be honest. The vocals, provided by R. Villar are very much suited to the material and are exceedingly well-enunciated with barely a single word being missed, even by my tinnitus-ravaged hearing. She has a very classic-sounding delivery and has a really nice tone, often reminding me in a weird way of Morris Ingram on Solstice's New Dark Age, particularly on "Tyrant's March", a track which does display hallmarks of Rich Walker's phrasing. If I had one misgiving then it would be that sometimes the vocals sound a little bit reedy when pushed up against the thickness and depth of the guitars in full flow, but this is truly a minor niggle.

Kudos must also go to the rhythm section for the sheer depth and power of the band's sound with Brian Verderber basswork and Brandon's riffing combining to devastating effect. Drummer Drake Graves provides a bit more than just time-keeping with some interesting fills and more complex beats than you may expect - the title track for example has a really interesting drum track and is worth paying particular attention to.

I would heartily recommend The Ichor of Chimaera to anyone who has any love for heavy metal in general or epic metal specifically. Well-written and consummately executed this should tick all the boxes for fans of good, old-fashioned, fist-pumping metal. Sure, it doesn't address real-world horrors or the psychological pressures of modern life, but sometimes it is OK to just have a good time and forget about all that shit and at this minute I can't think of many better ways to do it.

This is it, the conclusion of my Blood Incantation marathon.  This is the album that gave me reason to check them out, and I finally have room for them on my albums log as my need to explore other genres made me late to this party.  A death metal album taking influence from the 70's German rock and electronic scene?  For a wacko like me, that's a dream to good to be true.  But what with all the dick-sucking going around for this album, one can't help but wonder, does it live up to the legend, or is it overhyped?

Immediately the prog rock and prog electronic influences are used as key ingredients in the hyperactive death metal, but the album also makes a point of switching genres mid-song from death metal to prog rock two minutes into Stargate Pt. 1.  I have to admit, while the instrumentation was beyond magnificent, rivaling the best aspects of their incredible debut, the sudden genre switch was a little jarring.  I would've preferred a little more buildup and a little more death in the beginning.  Was this a bad omen, or would I learn to accept that after hearing the rest of the album?  Stargate Pt. 2 was an intriguing and powerful prog electronic track that recalled all the best aspects of Tangerine Dream and Vangelis while remaining a Blood Incantation song, proving that they've mastered the art of electronics after having struggled so much with it on their previous ambient EP, Timewave Zero.  In the last two minutes, it carefully turns into a prog rock song with some beautiful Tullian flute.  Even the last bit of death metal feels pretty naturally handled.  Pt. 3 makes for some fantastic death metal in both technique and production.  There's this middle section of acoustic guitars mimicking the worldbeat vibes of The Tea Party, but it doesn't last long enough, unfortunately.  And some of the electronics that make the album so unique are present at the end, but not for long.

The next epic, the three part Message, begins with a more upbeat, melodic and almost alternative take on death metal, one that recalls the noisy but anthemic and somewhat aquatic atmospheres of Biomech.  But after 50 seconds, they switch back to the same old death metal.  Thankfully, the extremities are met at a capacity I have only ever dreamed about!  They go back to the original format after another 50 seconds or so, which is an interesting take and makes me glad there's more of that new sound involved. But once again, the standard but impressive death metal sound overtakes the balance.  I mean, they're playing some excellent riffs that make me wanna rip my shirt off and fly into the sun with a bottle of whiskey, but shouldn't they take the time to really expand on the new tricks?  Part 2 goes right into the prog rock, pulled right out of the 70's British scene with surprisingly authentic melodies that blend with the death sound on occasion.  It even has vocals that sound way too much like Roger Waters.  But if they could do that all along, then they SHOULD'VE used them a little more in previous tracks to expand on the various tricks they were trying to play.  Still, this one revived both the Pink Floyd prog and the more conventional kind of prog in one go while maintaining the atmospheric strengths of previous Blood Incantation albums.

And then... Part 3 took me by 100% surprise by introducing itself with a power metal riff of all things.  It has a tendency to switch things around though, as, once again, the power metal was not lived up to.  But it DID do an excellent job of maintaining many of the past sounds and tricks at a reasonable balance beyond that while delivering on of their best epics since Vitrification.  This one is easily the most epic-feeling song on the album, recalling the whole spirit of the band and its improved sense of effects and reverberations, as well as Faulk's wonderful drumming.  This song is also an excellent example of how our two guitarists have impeccable synchronization.  All is a relatively perfect harmony until in fades into aquatic sound effects, bringing our epic to a close.

This also closes my epic adventure in the Blood Incantation catalog.  What with this genre-tagging including space rock and Berlin school, I was stunned that a death metal album was finally attempting these things.  It's been 30 years since Emperor put synths in black metal, so an album like this is way late.  However, was it perfect?  While I admire a band for trying to reinvent the genre, there were some areas where the unique tricks and extra genre choices needed a little more balance.  If they fix that on the next album, you may end up having the greatest death metal album in the world.

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