Archive for nu-metal

SOiL – Play It Forward

Posted in Review with tags , , , , , , on 31st July 2022 by Mickelrath

SOiL
Play It Forward
Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Released: 26th August 2022
via Cleopatra Records

It’s been quite a long time since we’ve heard from cult heavy metal, SOiL. They have kept their following for over 20 years now. Since their 2 mammoth hits “Halo” and “Unreal”. After their 2013 album Whole and the unfortunate health concerns of singer Ryan McCombs, they have stayed largely quiet. Now, they’re back with a new album Play It Forward. A new album filled with covers of songs that the band have found meaningful and have helped them through the rough times of the past few years. As much as I was craving new material from the band, I have to admit it’s really good to hear them playing again. Even if it’s hit songs from the likes of Neil Young, Foo Fighters and Halsey. 

There should be no surprise that they took the original songs and added their own individual flair to the tracks. The production is loud on muddy in that early 2000’s nu-metal way. The guitars grind away with the thumping bass pounding on the low end of the production. For some songs like White Zombie’s “Thunder Kiss ‘65” and Motörhead’s “No Voices In The Sky” this works fine and sounds pretty much like a straight-up like-for-like cover version. However, when you give this tuned-down bombastic production to Halsey’s “Nightmare” or “What’s It Like” by Everlast, it changes the core foundation of the songs and really gives them a new identity. 

Ryan McCombs’ vocals add a pretty interesting layer to these songs. You’ve never heard these songs sung like this before. His low temperate growls and unique inflections add a great final touch to these songs. Giving that growl and intensity to Foo Fighters’ “Monkey Wrench” and The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated”. It all comes together in such a magical way. A real mixtape adventure of a listening experience. 

After so long with no new music from SOiL it’s really great to have them back. It’s nice to know that band played these covers with so much vigour and passion. Songs that clearly mean a lot to the band. That’s the magic of music. It can lift us out of the dark times and with these covers, the band could potentially allow their audience to discover songs they may never had the chance to. Would I have preferred a new album of original material? Yes, absolutely! However, I feel this could tide the fans over until that day arrives.

7/10

Mick Birchall

Leave a comment »

Ministry – Moral Hygiene

Posted in Review with tags , , , , , , on 1st October 2021 by Mickelrath

Ministry
Moral Hygiene
Industrial, Nu-Metal
Released: 1st October 2021
via Nuclear Blast

Ok, this album is pretty intense. They have never been the sort to hide away from their views and thoughts on the world. On this album they really go for the jugular and hit home. Their unique blend of eletronica and metal is present and their industrial sound is very stylish and works well here. Ministry is one of those bands that I could never truly get into fully. They make music that is slightly out there music and it can be quite difficult to get into at times. I guess I just have to be in the mood for it. However, this new record Moral Hygiene is an interesting listening experience… in 2021. It really does feel that the band should’ve released this in Donald Trump’s presidency. As some of the lyrics are questionable.

As always with Al Jourgensen and his merry band of industrial insanity, the music is pretty heavy. Both in lyrical theme and in production. The production itself reminds me of all of the good things in the industrial genre. Heavy toned chords, electronica and heavy percussion that hits hard. The music is really abrasive and confronts you directly. It’s a Ministry album, to say the least. I really like how the album flows together from one song to another. Like the intro “Alert Level” goes straight into “Good Trouble”, which makes the album more bingeable, and allows the listener to go through repeat listens without too much stop, start. You can tell that Ministry has a clear influence in EDM as they integrate EDM into heavy metal quite well and pretty seamlessly. 

Lyrically, you can tell that the band wanted to put this album out during the Trump administration as quite a few lyrics seem to be directed to him and the support for the republican. It ultimately still works. Though it’s still jarring in 2021 after Trump is no longer in power. The same can be said for the previous album AmeriKKKant. It’s not bad but it makes the album pretty dated. Unlike other political rock albums they don’t really make much of an effort to make the songs timeless. An example of political albums that stood the test of time would be The Clash’s London Calling. 

Overall, not a bad album. Again, I’m not much of a fan of Ministry but this was a bit more listenable than a lot of their work that I’ve been exposed to. It’s a good album and for Ministry fans, it’s more to add to the back catalogue. 

6/10

Mick Birchall

Leave a comment »