Quick Plays: ANTLERED MAN, WINDRUNNERS, PATRIOT REBEL, DEADLY CIRCUS FIRE

ANTLERED MAN – The Devil Is Them

New Heavy Sounds (Release date – out now)

This is the second album from the London quartet Antlered Man. The four piece released their debut album last year to great reviews and toured extensively in support. Musically the guys provide a challenging listen in the vein of Tool and The Melvins to name but two. Heavy passages, eclectic rhythm changes and a bit of chaos theory are all part of the band’s writing process which does not make for the easiest of listens.

From the epic ‘Audition Tapes For Hades’ to the short, sharp hit of ‘My Surname, My Cum’ the album comes at you like a prize fighter, punching you around the head with vicious blows. Whether you will weather the onslaught or throw in the towel will be up to the individual, me, I had the towel launched early on. This wasn’t for me, but there is a market for this type of uncompromising metal out there and I think in those circles the album will go down a storm.

**1/2

David Wilson

WINDRUNNERS – Undead

Self release ( Release date – out now)

Windrunners bring you power metal all the way from the Ukraine. The band originally started out singing in Russian but soon changed to English to attract a wider audience. Taking their cues from the likes of Hammerfall and Gamma Ray they play full-on, melodic power metal at breakneck speed.

The band are well up to the task and the musicianship on show is impressive. The ballad of the album, ‘Prisoners In Stone’, shows off the band’s skills with subtle passages leading into a bombastic chorus and with intricate playing throughout. It is the full-on numbers though which work best like ‘Lifeless’ and ‘Evil Potion’, both played at full pelt.

Ultimately there is nothing ground breaking here, but it is a good listen and I would happily watch the band in a live setting.

***1/2

David Wilson

PATRIOT REBEL – Two Worlds

Self Release (Release date – 9^th Dec 2013)

This is a debut EP release from Nottingham based Patriot Rebel. The band cite Alterbridge and Velvet Revolver as influences and I could hear that reflected in the six songs on offer. As a debut EP it is not too bad, the guys know their way around their chosen instruments and the songs are well constructed. Best track for me was the last track ‘Storm’ which has a lot of energy and some tasty guitar work.

As an introduction to the band this EP should see them gathering some favourable reviews and raising their profile, a solid debut.

***

David Wilson

DEADLY CIRCUS FIRE – The King And The Bishop

Self Release (Release Date – out now)

This album first appeared as a giveaway with Metal Hammer magazine and, unsurprisingly, gained a glowing review in said publication. So is it any good?

The answer to that depends on how open minded you are and how extreme you like your prog metal. This is a challenging album from the opening track, ‘Through The Soil’, which is split into three sections, through to the final track ‘The Light Within’.

Heavy riffs, complex time changes and more twists than an Alton Towers’ rollercoaster are contained within each track. Think Mastodon, Opeth and Tool in a blender, a prog metal smoothie if you will. There is no denying the musical talent on show here, it takes a high level of skill to create order from chaos and on occasion some tracks do border on chaos.

I can see why some will love this album, but for me it was too full on to be completely enjoyable. So in answer to my earlier poser, it is a good album, but only a select audience will appreciate that fact.

**1/2

David Wilson

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 24 November 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)