Johnny Touch - Inner City Wolves

If you couldn't tell from the name of the band or the artwork on the cover, Johnny Touch play heavy metal in an incredibly old-school vein. "Inner City Wolves" delivers a dosage of metal in its least extreme form and does so brilliantly. The music here is good. Damn good. So frequently, bands that play (I hate the word,too) retro-heavy metal are mediocre to terrible, but this Aussie quartet (featuring members of Stargazer, Cauldron Black Ram and Oath of Damnation) has managed to craft some refreshing material that clearly emulates the past greats, all while forging their own style. If this wasn't the case, a reputable label like Shadow Kingdom Records wouldn't put their name on it, and many people outside of the land down under would remain ignorant to one of the continent's finest metal bands. 

The reason that the music on "Inner City Wolves" is so refreshing is because when a band that plays this style of metal these days puts out a recording, it usually lacks anything remotely memorable and I find myself switching to "insert Swedish band here" instead, but that doesn't occur with Johnny Touch. These guys deliver with their rendition of metal that brings to mind past greats like Savatage, when Jamie Whyte is effortlessly shredding on "Lady Stutter," while Pahl Hodgson brings his golden pipes to sound off along the heavy riffage. Their ability to transition between acoustic passages and distorted moments on the epic "Black Company" remind me a bit of Sanctuary, who were excellent at using a more somber acoustic sound, accompanied with a heavy rhythm guitar. The comparisons to other bands isn't something that takes away from the quality of the music, as it actually highlights just how good they are at songwriting. Instead of wanting to listen to the great band who I hear in their sound, I'm drawn in to what Johnny Touch is making because the songs are killer. 

There aren't many weak moments throughout this record, which can mostly be attributed to every member of the band doing a solid to stellar job. The bass thumps along throughout, providing the necessary heaviness when needed, or providing solid fills during the acoustic sections, and the drumming is consistent for every song. Still, the real highlights are the lead guitar work and the vocals. The 3-minute shred-fest that is "Radiation Axeposure" should be enough to adequately show off how good Whyte is with the ax, but his solos on every track are top-notch and would make classic shredders like Criss Oliva (RIP) and David Chastain proud. Hodgon's range is off the hook, as his vocals soar on "Lady Stutter" and "It's Alright," and then descend to a much cleaner tone (and slower pace) on "End of Daze." "Inner City Wolves" is the product of talented musicians with good taste and mighty fine songwriting skills, which is pretty much the formula for a memorable and worthwhile release. If you find yourself wanting to listen to something other than the strange, occult heavy metal from Sweden, or the dozens of Maiden/Priest ripoffs, Johnny Touch has the cure for what ails you. 

Highlights

"It's Alright"

"Lady Stutter"

"Black Company"

Final Rating 

4.25/5 or 85% 

Sinister Realm - World of Evil

In just a few short years of existence, Allentown, PA’s Sinister Realm is already on their third record, “World of Evil”. This was my first hearing of them, and after seeing the album cover, it was clear that some serious heavy metal was about to be unleashed upon my ears. Perhaps rather than heavy, the key word here should be power. That isn’t because this is power metal (it’s not), but rather, it’s because of the sheer strength of the vocals of Alex Kristof. His ability is far greater than he ever lets on throughout the course of this record, and that is a great thing for the band. Rather than trying to deliver a consistently over-the-top performance (ala Ripper Owens), Kristof uses his normal singing voice and lets the catchy melodies take center. This is no more obvious than on the opening track, “Dark Angel of Fate”, where his voice soars over the uplifting guitar leads underneath. If it isn’t clear yet, Kristof’s performance is the highlight of “World of Evil”.

Luckily, however, the rest of the band delivers as well. Though this album is never particularly fast, there is no shortage of interesting, heavy riffs. Sometimes when bands play more mid-paced stuff (“Bell Strikes Fear” is one such rocking song), there is a tendency to become plodding and boring, but that isn’t the case with Sinister Realm. For one thing, the bass cuts through the mix consistently, making Steve Harris proud, and offering relief in case you ever want to look beyond the riffing. Speaking of Steve Harris, the bass tone is remarkably similar to any of the four Iron Maiden reunion records. Very few albums manage to command this much attention on the bass, and it is satisfying to say the least. Beyond the rhythm work and the riffs, the guitars also offer wicked harmonized leads. The best example is the bone-chilling opening to “World of Evil”, which sets the mood for a true heavy metal classic, where once again, Kristof's vocals shine in the chorus. 

At this point you may have noticed that I’ve only made reference to the first three tracks. As with many records that was deliberate. These three songs (alongside “The Ghosts of Nevermore”) are by far the strongest on the album. This is definitely a front-loaded record, but unlike other similarly designed records, the remaining songs on “World of Evil” are still very good, just not up to par with the first four. Nevertheless, the record as a whole is a bit of a grower because of its slower pace, and so these other songs may become more interesting over time. “World of Evil” is highly recommended to anyone who can appreciate brilliant singing, and a fantastic attention to songwriting.  

Be sure to check out and like Sinister Realm on Facebook!

Highlights

"Dark Angel of Fate"

"Bell Strikes Fear"

"World of Evil"

Final Rating

4.25/5 or 85%. 

Written by Scott 

Corsair - Corsair

There isn't much innovation in today's metal scene, and a majority of bands who do try and do something different, tend to fail at it. Then there are bands that manage to break that mold and release some music that stands out very well. Corsair is one of the latter groups, and Shadow Kingdom Records made another brilliant find with this Virginia quartet. The band's self-titled is almost not even metal at some points, and if I had to describe the band's sound simply, it would be heavy progressive rock. Think of the earlier proto-metal bands like (early) Manilla Road, Legend, Heavy Load, Beowulf, etc, and throw in some prog elements a la King Crimson and a little bit of that Thin Lizzy flair, and that's what Corsair brings to the table on their debut full-length. If you can't handle metal that isn't overly evil or relentlessly fast, then this probably isn't for you, but if you can enjoy the less heavy things in life, carry on. 

The driving force for the songs throughout the course of "Corsair" are the always shifting riffs, that consist of distorted chords, wandering notes on the fretboard and some more upbeat riffage, rounding out a well-varied arsenal of rhythm. And the progressive influences never really go too far, as the music is memorable and not just a technical wank-fest for the guitarists. "Falconer" and "Gryphon Wing" are a couple examples of the heavier songs, with midpaced riffage that give the clean vocals an excellent backdrop for some memorable tracks. The amount of melody on this record cannot be understated, as the guitarists have a real talent for weaving stellar melody after melody with otherwise standard riffage for some great results. "Chaemera" and "Of Kings and Cowards" feature some of the best melodic passages on any album slapped with a "heavy metal" tag in quite some time, and the way they mesh with the vocals and other instruments is phenomenal. 

Corsair's terrific guitarwork isn't the only reason why the self-titled album kicks ass, but every other instrument contributes as well. The bass can be heard throughout, delivering thumping bass lines and more prog-like compositions to perfectly compliment everything else. The vocals are just as much of a highlight on "Corsair" as the riffs are. There are two vocalists, with one being a woman (listen to "The Desert"), but for the most part it's one guy doing a hell of a job. The vocalist's clean singing is incredibly soothing to the ears and the effect is multiplied when being backed by the awesome melodies, riffs and solos that span the entire debut. Overall, this is a record that completely caught me off guard. Is it metal, is it rock? I'd say it's definitely a bit of both, but most importantly it's a quality album worth the time of any music fan who enjoys any of the bands that were name-dropped earlier in the review. Shadow Kingdom has once again proved to be one of the best labels around today by picking out Corsair, and the two entities are sure to be praised a lot more as the years roll on if they keep producing material this damn good. 

Be sure to check out and like Corsair on Facebook!
www.facebook.com/pages/corsair/179747970753

Highlights
"Falconer"
"Path of the Chosen Arrow"
"Of Kings and Cowards"

Final Rating
4.4/5 or 88%.