Warhog Narrates Our Dystopian Present

 

 ALBUM REVIEW: WARHOG -The Dystopian Chronicles, Vol. 3

Not having been privy to volumes 1 and 2, my open mind soaked up Warhog's Thrash/Power/Prog Metal gleefully. The Dystopian Chronicles, Vol. 3 does what it says on the label - providing an analysis of what Cool Zone Media's "It Could Happen Here" refers to as "The Crumbles," the general erosion of societal glue and norms, leading to the generally unsettled and irritated attitude everyone is swimming in these days.
As an EP, I've only got four songs to review. "Unleash the Beast" opens with a nice (if standard) ethereal ambience before Robert Powers' drums kick in, Eric Kendall's rhythm guitar joins in. A pedal switch adds distortion and Scott Beetley's vocals come in clear as day narrating the current climate of corporate greed destroying everything good (online, Cory Doctorow calls it "enshittification," check out several episodes of the podcast "On The Media" where he elaborates) because the beast has been unleashed.
"Future Shock," originally a book by Alvin Toeffler seeking to explain the rapidly changing culture of the late 60s (they hadn't seen anything like social media) brings the listener through the anger and frustration of common people in a world being destroyed by industry within which the voiceless many toil. As much as "Unleash the Beast" introduces many of the ideas and mindsets, "Future Shock" delivers a thesis.
Four songs, but twenty-five minutes means Warhog gives themselves room to stretch and express themselves more fully. "Hollow" starts its seven-and-a-half minutes at a slower pace (it was here I stopped and added "Prog" to the genre description above.) No less ardent a critique of the dystopia brought by industry, finance, mass media, and the corruption of everything than "Future Shock," "Hollow" wants to make sure you get it. If ever a video for this tune appears, it will spend the musical interlude's four-plus minutes showcasing scenes of industrial destruction before a Power Metal interlude yearns for relief.
A bit on the nose for a title, but "Stewards of a Broken World" starts us with some nice Iron Maiden-esque guitar work working beautifully with the vocals to bring real hope to this dystopia they chronicle. Maintaining the Progressive Groove sound, the tune rises and falls in tempo and stridency. The line "There's nothing we can do but watch it burn" precedes over a minute of solos. When singing returns, the cynicism remains at a ten.
To maintain the concept album illusion, a seventeen second faux radio transmission closes out this powerful critique of the state of the world we find ourselves in.
My personal left-wing politics interpret these tunes in a specific way, but the songs themselves are mostly observational and generally critical. Anyone elsewhere on the political spectrum, so long as they accept the science of climate change will find something familiar about the rage at what is being done to us in the name of more profits for the oligarchy.
The music behind the message is excellent, and I think I'm gonna try to find Vol. 1 and 2 for the full set.
If you like guitars in your hard rock and heavy metal, aren't looking for incoherent screams, and have an open mind about the world outside your door, this EP is right up your alley (provided said alley isn't jammed full of municipal waste.)



Buy the album here: https://warhog.bandcamp.com/

10 / 10
LARRY ROGERS

Larry Rogers, Ghost Cult Magazine, Warhog, Scott Beetley, Eric Kendall, Robert Powers, Justin Hopper, Iron Maiden,Power Metal, Thrash Metal, Progressive Metal, Cool Zone Media, It Could Happen Here, Cory Doctorow, Alvin Toeffler, On The Media, Yugoboy Productions, Yugoboy's Stereo

Deathblow Lands Political Blow Of Rage

 

 

ALBUM REVIEW: DEATHBLOW - Open Season - Sewer Mouth Records

Twelve minutes of music.

Twelve minutes of Punk Rock music.

Twelve minutes of some of the best hardcore it has been my privilege to review.

It's an EP, so twelve minutes is to be expected. Fortunately, all twelve minutes of Deathblow's Open Season (Sewer Mouth Records) is punk as f***.

Hardcore punk like M.O.D., S.O.D., Suicidal Tendencies, and their mid/late-eighties contemporaries made doesn't seem to have a huge audience in my western New York stomping grounds, which is a ruddy shame. I would go to see these guys in a heartbeat.
 

Opening with title track "Open Season," brain-melting power takes over, revealing just how political these guys are. So glad they're on the right side of history. Us lefties need outlets for their rage, too.
"Deny Defend Dispose" has some  powerful messaging about America's righteously inequitable health are system. The guitar solos they manage to cram into these twelve minutes help make Open Season feel longer and "Deny Defend Dispose" allows Holson Grossl and Adam Kelly to shred  with glorious abandon.

Unusually introspective "Tormentor" follows, boiling with anger. Holson Grossl (also vocalist) aims the gut-wrenching frustration of many at the inchoate tormentors of most non-oligarch Americans. "Tormentor" is nowhere near as pointed as "Deny Defend Dispose" or "Open Season," but the simmering unfocused fury of 21st Century culture makes this one almost anthemic (were it more, you know, anthemic.)
 

"Never Again" takes a minute to get to Grossl's vocals, while Paul Lachika and Rob Larson treat us to a ferocious display of how bass and drums respectively are essential to the sound of Deathblow and the Hardcore genre generally. Normally background and easily dismissed, the rhythm guys deliver the gasoline that fuel all those black-eye producing mosh pits. "Never Again" may be one of the most effectively subversive pleas for ending the genocide in Palestine as well.
 

 

Twelve minutes.
 

I wish there was more.
 

Few enough bands wear their left-wing politics so brazenly any more. Besides Dropkick Murphys, I'm having some trouble coming up with anything this decade. The right has a huge percentage of Country Music (and they can have it) but us lefties have to be satisfied with the Murphys and old copies of Laaz Rockit's Surf Nicaragua and Dead Kennedys stuff. We thought we had a lot to rage against during Reagan and H.W. Bush. We hadn't seen anything.
 

I'm gonna stop myself here (this rant could take a while) and simply give these twelve minutes of mind-blowing slam dance fodder a full ten and a strong encouragement to buy this now.



Buy the album here:  https://deathblow1.bandcamp.com/album/open-season
10 / 10
LARRY ROGERS

Larry Rogers, Ghost Cult Magazine, Deathblow, Sewer Mouth Records, M.O.D., S.O.D., Suicidal Tendencies, Dropkick Murphys, Laaz Rockit, Dead Kennedys, Holson Grossl, Adam Kelly, Paul Lachika, Rob Larson, Hardore Punk Rock, Yugoboy Productions, Yugoboy's Stereo

Harem Scarem sadly missed Headbangers Ball

 

 

ALBUM REVIEW: HAREM SCAREM - Chasing Euphoria - Frontiers Music s.r.l.

This album is a catchy, groove-filled, joyously fun romp through pre-Grunge AOR metal. Harem Scarem's Chasing Euphoria (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) instantly jumped onto my 2025 Top Ten list within moments of hitting "play".
The title track, "Chasing Euphoria" stabbed an ear worm into my skull. I cannot stop bouncing to it. The rest of the album - the press kit called the genre "Melodic Hard Rock," which must be their way of avoiding "Hair Metal" or "Glam Metal" - doesn't matter, this just makes me happy.
Released about a month ago as of this writing, I find myself playing it again and again despite not needing to do a review.  If I like it this much, I gotta share it.
Initially formed in 1987 in Canada the biography in the press kit shares a journey from local grinders working twelve years to get signed and then enjoy a mid-range career with international fans, a temporary name and genre change before settling into this tight bundle of awesome.
I am quite sure a good Google would fill in all the gaps I left in that run-on sentence.
"Better The Devil You Know," "Slow Burn," and "Gotta Keep Your Head Up" tumble all over each other with all the catchy, bouncy fun you found slathered all over MTV at the time these guys started. Definitely before Grunge.
"World On Fire" is the obligatory power ballad this genre makes almost mandatory. It's not bad for all that. (I am on record as a non-fan of power ballads.)
"In A Bad Way" is slower, but more AOR rock than power ballad. "Reliving History" follows and brings the fun back with it. "A Falling Knife" rounds out these eight tracks with a solid rocker.
Honestly, the first half of this album is epic. The second half is very good. The whole thing is worth the price of admission. (The power ballad got the "9" below, your mileage may vary.)
I would love to see a packed venue with these guys. The show would register on seismographs far away.


Buy the album here: https://soundcloud.com/haremscarem/sets/chasing-euphoria-5

9 / 10
LARRY ROGERS

Larry Rogers, Ghost Cult Magazine, Harem Scarem, Frontiers Music s.r.l., Melodic Hard Rock, Hair Metal, Glam Metal, AOR, Canada, Yugoboy Productions, Yugoboy's Stereo

Swedish Rockers Degreed Bring Back The 80s with Terrier Energy

 

ALBUM REVIEW: DEGREED - The Leftovers Volume I (EP) - Frontiers Music s.r.l.

I can't wait for Volume II. Seriously. Cannot wait because Volume I rocks.
Wait.
I should end with that. Lemme tell you about Degreed's The Leftovers Volume I (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) first.
Celebrating their fifteenth year these  Swedish metal monsters feel genetically engineered to spike my amygdala with joy juice. "If It Wasn't For Me" opens with a Bon Jovi-esque apology to a lover because "This could be perfect/If it wasn't for me. . . If it wasn't for me/You wouldn't be crying." Instead of a schmaltzy power ballad we get a rocker - straight-up eighties-style MTV Headbangers Ball glossy guitar solos and strong, clear vocals.
Daniel Johansson's tortilla chip-crunchy guitars open "Good Enough," destined to be some affirmation junky's new favorite song.  I mean, how many times can "I'm good enough" pound through your skull before you'll believe it? The relentlessly upbeat and frantically paced "Love Your Enemy" follows and ends with a literal smash. The guitar solo's a bit short, but welcome, nonetheless.
Keeping up the pace "Wildchild" pleads "Can't you hear me screaming? I'm not a bad guy. I'm a Wildchild" and more self-defensive lines with reckless abandon. This particular guitar solo kicks hard while doing things I didn't quite expect.  The second one (yes two guitar solos in one song!) is a bit more standard, but still squeezes out more amygdala joy juice.
"Get Up!" live has got to make any venue pulsate with the energy of a thousand feral cats. As good as the verses are and the singing in general, "Get Up!" repeated at this beat would be impossible for a corpse to ignore. (Another great little Johansson solo accent only ups the awesome.)
Given the straight Hair Metal vibe of the first five tracks, I suppose a power ballad was to be expected.  "Hard To Be Human," at least hits the "power" side of power ballad and keeps the schmaltz level to a minimum.
The digital (and review) version of this is only six tracks. It also happens to be available now. At the time of this writing, you'll need to wait until July 18, 2025 to buy the physical version and get nine tunes. I can only hope they're as punchy and fun as these six.


Buy the album here: https://ffm.to/degreedleftoversi
9 / 10
LARRY ROGERS

Larry Rogers, Ghost Cult Magazine, Degreed, Frontiers Music s.r.l., Daniel Johnsson, Bon Jovi, Hair Metal, Power Ballad, Headbangers Ball, MTV, Yugoboy Productions, Yugoboy's Stereo

Holler Brings New Classic Rock To Life

 ALBUM REVIEW: HOLLER - Next In Line - Scarlett Records

This is the second time I'm writing this review. The first one was a very long trip to the realization that even though I really like this album I have this little quibble that Terence Holler's vocals don't quite match the music. Kind of like a poster where cyan got printed half a millimeter off register. It's still enjoyable as hell, but there's just ~something~.
That said, let's get to the goodness Holler delivers with Next In Line (Scarlett Records). The single best feature for me is how much karaoke bait is in here. From "A Miracle" on, I wanna sing along with everything.
Sounding somewhere between Survivor, Journey, Def Leppard, and Boston, Holler brings eighties synth-rock to a new decade.
"Stormy"'s lyrics trend a bit complex, but "Chandelier" will lead to some questionable choices with "One Two Three Drink" repeated at least 6 times in rapid-shot-challenge-succession and "I wanna swing from a chandelier" daring frat bros to do some truly stupid stuff. The song ends very abruptly. Every time I think it cut off for a phone call.
"The Ocean," a slower-paced power ballad comparing a loved one to the ocean follows the rambling enjoyable "Don't Fool Me" (try not to look too hard at the lyrics). Great poetry this ain't, as "24Seven" and others demonstrate. It is great top-down scream-along tunage for all the genre-standard love song lyrics.
Denis Chimenti and Luca Fuligni's guitars do a spectacular job keeping this firmly rooted in hard rock territory. "Crystal Eyes" kicks up the pace with a riff that elevates the heart rate as Holler has "got to get away from your Crystal Eyes." Based on the pace, that's a pell mell all-out sprint.
As I wind up this second stab I finally figured out my disconnect. Holler's voice has a rasp, and this Yacht Rock tour de force calls for a smoother delivery. Probably a bit of distortion on the bass or guitar could have solved it.
I don't know. What I do know is Holler provides us with almost and hour of pure fun that probably kills live.
Holler don't break new ground, they're not trying to. They deliver music that surpasses anything Top 40 has spewed at us in thirty years and would fit anywhere on the radio dial from Classic Rock to the Soft Rock station in your office cube farm, to New Rock, and any place else you'll find Yes, Asia, Kansas, and all those other forty-plus-year old acts with the glossy-looking logos.
Y'know what? Don't pay attention to my personal quibbles. Get Next In Line and check it out for yourself. You won't have any complaints (your job is not critic; mine is.)


Stream/Buy the album here: https://scarletrecords.bandcamp.com/album/next-in-line

9 / 10
LARRY ROGERS

Larry Rogers, Ghost Cult Magazine, Holler, Scarlett Records, Terence Holler, Denis Chimenti, Luca Fuligni, Yes, Asia, Kansas, Survivor, Journey, Def Leppard, Classic Rock, Yacht Rock, Yugoboy Productions, Yugoboy's Stereo

DramaScram and Urakka - Bookends of a night of Metal, Montage 5/10

I may add more pix as I process, but I've got a Babayaga show to do next.

Hyena Howls Heavy Metal

 ALBUM REVIEW: HYENA - About Rock and Roll - Dying Victims Productions

With a name like Hyena, (with its not insignificant "y" and the easily render-able and readable logo), I brought some expectations to this review.  About Rock and Roll (Dying Victims Productions) exceeds all of them. Peru never sounded so good.
All ten tracks are high-energy traditional metal, with all the self-referential meta lyrics and guitar solos they can jam into thirty-eight minutes. Hyena travels no new ground here, but they absolutely stomp all over old school metal.
The opening grooves of "Nightriders" deliver a solid preview of the rest of this monument to metal.  "About Rock and Roll" brings the first of several of those meta self-referential tunes.  I'm not sure what it is about metal that makes every band create tracks selling the audience on the awesomeness, brutality, vigor, or party time of whatever metal they're pushing. I mean, it's been going on since Bill Haley and His Comets exhorted is to "Rock Around the Clock" but I have yet to hear a Top 40 act extolling the virtues of autotune and their reliance on samples. So, besides "ARR," Hyena pummels us with "Ready to Explode," and "Metal Machine."
The standard mix of horror, dark mysticism, and occult themes provide the other primary lyrical content - "Hail the Fire," "Epitome of Evil," and "Echoes of the Underworld" deliver with the twin axe attack of most NWOBHM acts.
This time machine of delicious riffage fits in my collection in the Quiet Riot, WASP, and Raven. Despite the glaring influences of Iron Maiden, and Randy Rhodes, at the end of the day, I still land primarily on WASP as the overall "sounds like."
Except for the fact that everywhere is now connected with everywhere, and any element of culture can show up anywhere, you'd want to blame their Andean origins for the old-school sound. I've been fortunate enough to get a bunch of non-American metal lately, and I'm jazzed as hell that the international scene is robustly populated with creative takes on existing styles.
If your Classic Rock station plays Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot, and Judas Priest you're gonna want this album. Like, now.


Buy the album here: Bandcamp
10 / 10
LARRY ROGERS

Larry Rogers, Ghost Cult Magazine, Hyena, Dying Victims Records, Quiet Riot, WASP, Raven, Bill Haley and His Comets, Iron Maiden, Randy Rhodes, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Judas Priest, Peru, Classic Rock, NWOBHM, Yugoboy Productions, Yugoboy's Stereo