(review) Metallica – ’72 Seasons’

Thrash metal giants, one of the Big 4 of thrash metal are back! Metallica is back with new studio full length album, first one since 2016 and ‘Hardwired…’. This one contains twelve songs and I was a bit sceptic upon hearing they will deliver new music, but now I am totally convinced that Metallica still got something to say. If I must compare some older albums to this one, it would be a mixture of ‘And Justice For All’ and ‘Metallica’, being a thrash metal bomb yet still retaining that old spirit of Metallica history. The title song has such contagious chorus that I listened to over and over again. James’ voice is convincing and strong and although album has some weaker points it shows mainly some strong songwriting and sense of drama, melody and harshness. There are couple of more mid tempo songs on there, but also some really thrash metal speed jewels and I am glad that band returned in couple of songs to that kind of songs and not only long and epic progressive thrash metal that they applied on couple of last albums. Also, guitar solos are back, with all that wicked melodies and hooks. Although there is one very long song, over eleven minutes, called ‘Inamorata’ which closes the album and if you listen to it closely and carefully, you will hear how great that one is. One other song that I must also highlight is ‘Lux Aeterna’, short anthem in the vein of NWOBHM old school influenced style. My other highlights on this album are ‘Crown Of Barbed Wire’ and ‘If Darkness Had A Son’ being two standouts for me. This is an awesome come back and I am glad that Metallica can still make a killer album!

8/10

Groove-infused Australian metal band Carbon Black signs with Wormholedeath!

Hard-hitting Australian metal band Carbon Black has announced a partnership with Wormholedeath for the release of ‘We Remain’ Special Edition. The album was initially released independently in 2022 and received critical acclaim, with several positive reviews. Carbon Black is thrilled to partner with Wormholedeath to bring their music to even more audiences around the world.

‘We Remain’ is an album that Carbon Black is immensely proud of, and for good reason. The album was recorded piece by piece throughout 2020 and 2021, during a time of great personal and global turmoil. Despite the challenges, the band persevered, and the result is a powerful collection of songs that speak to the experiences of the last two years. Legendary producer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley, known for his work with Dream Theater and Iron Maiden, mixed the album, adding his immense experience to create a truly thunderous mix that sets the bar higher than ever. The song “Under Order” also features a guest appearance by former Judas Priest vocalist Tim Ripper Owens. 

“We are extremely excited to announce our partnership with Wormholedeath to bring a Special Edition of ‘We Remain’ to a worldwide release,” said Carbon Black. “With their professionalism and proven history, we’re certain the album will reach many more ears than ever before!”

Carbon Black is based on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. Their debut EP ‘Principium’ impressed the critics, scoring 4/5 in both ‘Heavy Mag’ and ‘Metal as F*ck.’ The band’s first album, ‘End of This,’ recorded with ARIA award-winning producer/engineer Lachlan Mitchell, received very positive reviews and exposed the band to many new ears with a string of coveted local shows sharing the stage with Max & Igorr Cavalera, Marty Friedman, Voivod, and more.

Carbon Black’s lineup includes Jonathan Hurley on vocals, Steve Giles on drums and percussion, Rob Giles on bass guitar, and Damon Bishop on guitar. The band’s blend of social and political commentary and a lot of heart has earned them a loyal following and critical acclaim.

Carbon Black has a strong social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest. For more information, please visit: www.facebook.com/carbonblackband www.instagram.com/carbonblackband www.youtube.com/@CARBONBLACKband twitter.com/carbonblackband www.pinterest.it/carbonblackband

(book) Branko Kranjčević – ‘Proklet bio rock ‘n roll’

Kutina je od osamdesetih, a posebno u devedesetim i ranim dvijetisućitima imala veliki utjecaj na hrvatsku underground scenu svojim brojnim odličnim bendovima, ali i jednim mjestom za svirke, klubom koji se zove Baraka i ovo je priča o toj sceni i tom fenomenu, tom klubu koji je zapravo DIY priča, sve što se tamo događalo je posljedica entuzijazma tamošnje ekipe i ljubavi prema toj našoj underground sceni.

Branka koji je autor ove knjige upoznao sam u nekoliko navrata osobno i djeluje mi kao jako srdačan i prijateljski tip čovjeka, kao uostalom i svi bendovi i ljudi iz Kutine koje sam u ova tri desetljeća imao čast upoznati i/ili svirati s njima. Dakle ova knjiga počinje u bivšoj državi, prikazuje bendove koji su počeli scenu u Kutini s rockom, punk rockom, pa i heavy metalom. Slijedi meni najzanimljiviji dio, a to su devedesete, jer sam ja suvremenik te scene i poznajem većinu ljudi o kojima knjiga govori, ljude iza bendova kao što su Razlog Za, K.O.O., Bakanali, La Kurtizana… Knjiga sadrži brojne povijesne činjenice vezane uz tu scenu, kao što su nastajanje svih tih bendova, svirku američkih Ignite u Kutini što je i dan danas jedan od najboljih Ignite gigova na ovim prostorima ma što tko rekao, uređivanje Barake i gradnja scene kroz svirke, performanse, predstave, festival Organizirani Kaos čije ime se neizostavno pojavljuje u mozgu kada pomislim na grad Kutinu. Naravno, sve je to nabrojeno u knjizi kroz oči mnogi protagonista na dokumentaran način. Osobno sam također sa svojim bendom Corewar svirao u Kutini u Baraci daleke 1998.i koncert mi je ostao u sjećanju kao jedno od boljih gostovanja koje smo imali. Mi u Čakovcu smo također tih devedesetih gradili za naše prilike moćnu scenu i fascinantno je koliko su naše dvije priče slične, a različite. Veže ih kao nepogrešiva činjenica i čvrsto ljepilo ljubav prema ovoj sceni koja gori i danas u nama, gdje god se nalazimo.

Ova knjiga je vrijedan dokument jedne povijesti, jednog vremena i nije vrijedna samo kutinskoj sceni, već kao i dokument scene cijele ove regije i važan dio njene povijesti.