Love Live The Newsletter - Smorg #1
Smorg Newsletter Number 1
The Magazine Is Dead… Long Live The Newsletter…
To be honest, I couldn’t make any headway with the magazine. The views were good… The last issue did 500 reads and the previous one did over 700, with most of them hovering around the 500+ mark. But it took so much work to produce an issue and no-one wanted to advertise, contribute etc… so it’ll stay as just me… but on my terms, and in bite sized chunks.
The newsletter will appear on Mondays. I can’t guarantee I’ll do one every week, but I’ll try and in each newsletter you’ll get maybe 3 reviews, a video, and some news, plus links to my podcasts and at other times, it’ll just be interviews (I have some really good interviews in the pipeline)
I’m going to aim for 5 Chaos Theory podcasts a week, just because I receive so many promos. Each one will be about 30 minutes long, perfect for lunch breaks if you’re bored at work or college or for a quick gym workout etc… each one will be uploaded for 8am each weekday morning, UK time.
Monday will be the Alternative version, Tuesday to Thursday will be Metal and Friday, well, anything goes.
Ok, on to the first review
Night Demon - Outsider
Century Media
It’s been 6 long years since California’s Night Demon released their 2nd album, the frantic homage to NWOBHM that was Darkness Remains. An album I absolutely love.
As you’d expect, after such a long gap between albums, this isn’t Darkness Remains part 2. Which is a good thing, but it has left me wanting a bit more of the old energy, which seems to have dispersed somewhat on this new opus. But, balancing it all out, I do also like the new, more mature sound of Night Demon.
Things are more measured, I guess more thought out... apart from the title track which is a supercharged version of what you heard on the last album. If a resurrected NWOBHM band needed a new vocalist, Jarvis Leatherby should be at the top of every list, such is the authenticity of his vocals.
The shift in their sound, partially goes into the old Epic almost meets Doom sound that isn’t a million miles away from their roots, the other change is the layering of the albums longer tracks, such as Beyond The Grave and The Wrath. I’ll put it down to the bands natural evolution, rather than a radical departure from the past.
I can really appreciate the work that’s obviously gone into the album as a whole and it arguably follows the path of Iron Maiden, gradually introducing more Progressive elements. I just hope, in time, they don’t overpower the edgier, more frantic tracks in the way Steve Harris and Co have done.
So yes, I do have a couple of slight reservations, more minor niggles… but the more I think about this album, the more I appreciate and ultimately enjoy it.
The world needs more bands that fly the flag for Metal and Night Demon are most definitely near the top of the pack.
https://www.facebook.com/nightdemonband
Mass Crysis - Imposing Truck
The Goatmancer Record
The problem with the music scene these days, well, one of the many problems, is that there are way too many bands and not enough outlets for reviews. And also, way too many bands that do not give a fuck about the reviews that they actually do receive, and that’s even worse when it comes to airplay…
So when a mass email came through from one of my regular PR’s asking for reviews for this particular album (be they good or bad) as it wasn’t receiving many, I thought I’d advance the album to the top of my review pile.
Now, I can see why this album is getting ignored straight away, it’s neither good nor bad, and that’s the hardest kind of review to write, in my opinion anyway.
It’s supposed to be a Thrash album, but it’s not that Thrashy.. it’s a bit mid-paced and it never really gets to fire on all cylinders. The vocals… umm… I’m thinking somewhere between Dave Mustaine after he’s drunk too much whiskey and Bon Scott with a fucked throat and even like Jim Morrison in places.
In all honesty, I cannot criticise this album. Nothing is bad, what you make of it, is all down to your own particular tastes. For me, I want to hear more tracks like Fit of Nerves, which at least gets the blood pumping… because if you want to be a Thrash band, please, blow the fuck out of my brains, get my feet tapping, my air drumming on max.. you get my drift, I’m sure.
If the band are to progress, the vocals need a complete overhaul, or maybe get a new singer in. They sound way too much like Dave Mustaine, who has a very distinct style. On the plus side, the music is really well played, nicely produced… so they skills are all there… they just need to be better employed.
https://www.facebook.com/TheGoatmancer/
https://www.facebook.com/mass.crysis
The Medea Project - Reflections
Trepanation Records
I’m becoming a big fan of UK based South African duo The Medea Project. They are never predictable and their primal take on a dark sound (no genres, it’s just dark music) really sits well with me.
For this EP, the band have re-recorded one of their own songs, twice and have offered up three really intriguing covers.
The original version of The Ghosts Of St Augustines was a very dirge-laden slice of misery… the new version, The Ghosts Of St Augustines MMX is utterly majestic and not a million miles from My Dying Bride at their Doomiest, with a few hints of Paradise Lost at their grandest… I love what they’ve done with the track and if this is the future, their future looks to be wonderfully bleak.
Next, it’s a cover of Venom’s Warhead… a band I’m not really a fan of, bar a couple of tracks. But with a bit of “Medea Magic”, it seems that any song can sound good… this is a tribal soaked take on the original, with a dark bass heavy sound.
After the video edit version of The Ghosts Of St Augustines = it’s 2 ½ minutes shorter, the next cover is of Tiamat’s Cain. And although it sounds good, I have to say this doesn’t blow me away…
Last, but most definitely not least, it’s a Motörhead cover. Now, at first I thought it was a strange choice, but as it’s one of the least sounding Motörhead tracks they ever recorded, it actually makes a lot of sense.
Nightmare/The Dreamtime from the 1916 album, was indeed a very good choice of songs to cover, with this version sounding like a late 80s version of The Fields of Nephilim, with a hint of Sisters.. and perhaps a bit of Bauhaus… whatever the ingredients, this works really well and it’s a gloriously dark way to end the ep
This is out digitally and on cassette at the end of the week
Further information: www.facebook.com/themedeaprojectband www.trepanationrecordings.bandcamp.com
Radio Shows:
Here’s todays show:
Chaos Theory April 24th 2023
With Steve Thomas-Green
https://rss.com/podcasts/chaostheoryuk/922030/
The new daily editions happen Monday to Friday (about 30 minutes-ish per show)
Monday is Alternative
Tuesday to Thursday is Metal
And anything goes on Friday
The main page for the podcasts is: https://rss.com/podcasts/chaostheoryuk/
If you want to get in touch, email me here: smorgmagazine@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmorgMagazine/