Brand-New Classic Metal - Tumble Reminds Me Of Everything

 ALBUM REVIEW: Tumble - Lost in Light - Echodelick Records

You know the kind of person you meet who reminds you of other people, and they tell you they "get that a lot"?  Tumble's Lost in Light (Echodelick Records) is their own band and sound, but they inspired a co-worker to add to my Pentagram, and Black Sabbath observations Yes, and Brand X (which is apparently Phil Collins' first band) among a couple others.  They're the classic metal version of "yeah, I get that a lot."
Toronto trio LIam Deak, Tarun Dawar, and Adam Guerra mix Doom, Stoner, Sludge, and Psychedelic Rock/Metal into a tasty stew all their own. With only twenty minutes and five songs, this EP delivers a very tight blizzard of classic sounds.
"Laid by Fear," is a journey, with an uplifting Doom-y opening (don't ask, just get it and listen,) then, almost three-and-a-half minutes in, a delicious guitar solo is followed by a tasty drum solo, then more guitars before emerging from doom into as anthemic as sludge gets.
"The Less I know" follows with a definite Sabbath vibe, lots of familiar riffs and beats with the growly vocals described above. If you ever need a definition of "fundamental text" Black Sabbath is even more foundational than Led Zeppelin, and at under three minutes, this is comfort food for the classic metal fan, and a perfect example.
The third track, "Dead By Rumor" continues the familiar classic metal groove. It doesn't remind me of a classic rock hit so much as one of those second-tier tracks "real fans" prefer over the mainstream hits. Typically you'll find it as one of the deeper cuts on a "Greatest Hits" compilation.
"Sullen Slaves" brings Yes and other Acid Rock heroes to the party, with cleaner bass and guitars, and smoother vocals.  I'm only now sensing a pattern as I'm writing this.  It's a glorious pastiche, but more like old paper dolls, with a foundation you can mix and match with.  It works, and works well.
You read this far, so you know there's a fifth track. "Wings of Gold" is not much different than the first four, a brand-new classic psychedelic rock anthem sounding much like something you loved thirty years ago, and still twist the knob up when it comes on the radio.


Buy the album here: https://www.tumbleband.com/
and here: https://tumbletheband.bandcamp.com/
(FWIW, I'll never share the Spotify page.  They do not pay the artists well at all.)
10 / 10
LARRY ROGERS

Larry Rogers, Yugoboy's Stereo, Yugoboy Preoductions, Tumble, Classic Rock, Stoner Metal, Doom Metal, Acid Rock Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Yes, Phil Collins, Brand X, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy, Echodelick Records,

Brainstorming a Power Metal Masterwork - Brainstorm - Plague of Rats

ALBUM REVIEW: Brainstorm - A Plague of Rats - Reigning Phoenix Music

If you remember a time when a senile president worked with both sides of the aisle and held the respect of many across the political spectrum, you remember a time when metal was big and operatic.  A time when Power Metal ruled the land, hair was huge, shoulders had pads, and autotune was a terrible idea not yet inflicted on the industry.  Brainstorm's Plague of Rats (Reigning Phoenix Music) brings all that back with huge everything - huge guitars, huge vocals, huge themes, huge enjoyment.
Yeah, I enjoyed this.  A lot.
The opening track (creatively named "Intro") spends a full minute sixteen setting the table, getting us ready for the glory that is to come. "Beyond Enemy Lines" brings both guitarists, a driving drumbeat, and Andy B. Franck's ridiculously catchy vocals, reminiscent of, be definitively not Bruce Dickinson.  I could compare it to Saxon or Manowar or even the better Spinal Tap tunes, but none of that could adequately describe the perfect harmony between guitars and vocals.  As much as I love Iron Maiden and could never speak an ill word about them, but on rare occasions, Dickinson's opera training made him seem slightly separate from the sound.  Franck's vocals are slightly earthier, and again, perfectly tuned to the music.
"Garuda (Eater of Snakes)" follows, a slower, but definitively epic song more Metal Church, than Maiden. "False Memories" adds some Thrash elements to the Power foundation.  Not a lot, but enough to maintain Brainstorm's claim to having a unique place in the Power Metal sub-genre. I mean, hell, "Your Soul That Lingers In Me" has huge Kansas feels - they're great in their own right.
Metalcore fans should at the very least pick up "From Hell."  The punch and drive combined with growls and power vocals make for a terrific four-plus-minute face melt. The fact that Brainstorm is from Switzerland likely helps in maintaining their sound in the face of America's current infatuation with -core.
"The Dark of Night" keeps the party going, with a cute little denouement of near-acoustic guitar.  Lyrically, they don't really stray from standard metal tropes, including elements of epic mythos, horror, and violence. Given my deep and abiding love for the genre, I don't really care, but this isn't the album if you're looking for deep introspective and personal lyrics.
Brainstorm's a great name, for as much as there's a core power formula, they've incorporated a fitting melange of elements and styles befitting the results of a open-minded likely weed-fueled brainstorm session.




Buy the album here:  https://shopus.reigningphoenixmusic.com/collections/brainstorm
10 / 10