CD Odyssey Disc 1959: Einherjer

It seems like every time I roll a record by this next band fate has me taking a long drive. Last time it was “Norron” reviewed back in June when I went to Sidney to go shopping and this time once again out to Sidney, but this time to the airport. Maybe listening to Viking metal dares the universe to send you on a journey, although neither of mine involved sailing in a longship or looting a monastery.

Disc 1959 is…Dragons of the North XX

Artist: Einherjer

Year of Release: 2016 (remake of the 1996 record “Dragons of the North”)

What’s up with the Cover? A depiction of a carved figurehead, presumably on the front of a Viking longship because, well, that’s where they go.

Why did Vikings adorn the front of their ships with these carvings? Presumably because they are scary and to show they meant business.

How I Came To Know It: This is part of the “Ross Records” collection that I got from my buddy Ross when he left CD technology behind. I secured a whole bunch of Einherjer records at the time. Thanks, Ross!

How It Stacks Up: I have four Einherjer albums, and I like them all. I think “Dragons of the North XX” is my favourite, but then I don’t own the original “Dragons of the North” from 1996 and it is pretty great.

Ratings: 4 stars

I don’t know what possessed Einjerjer to re-record their entire 1996 classic folk/Viking metal album “Dragons of the North” twenty years later. I suppose if you make such a classic record in the genre there’s no harm in making it twice. As for me, I like this record plenty – both times in fact.

The two biggest differences you will encounter is the XX version leans a bit further into metal and away from folk than its predecessor and the vocals of Rune Bjelland and Audun Wold are replaced by guitarist and singer Frode Glesnes. I’m not sure who I prefer better, but Frode is the voice I know on all my other Einherjer records and I like the sound of him.

Glesnes will not blow the doors off any singing contest, but he delivers the melodic rasp and a sinister tone that these songs require. The lyrics – which are almost universally about groups of Vikings killing and plundering about the place, or the perspective of an individual Viking doing the same thing.

The title track leads us off with a folksy guitar riff and the heavy thump of long-time drummer Gerhard Storesund (aka Ulvar) setting the stage. The song is notably heavier and crunchier than the 1996 version, with the ominous pounding of Storesund’s reminding me favourably of Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward. The song has a pulse to it that makes you feel the pull of the oars of a Viking longship as it climbs its way up a river in search of the aforenoted killing and plundering.

The album’s other standout is “Forever Empire” which has the same dread-filled heaviness to it, offset by the record’s best guitar solos. While a few of the lesser solos on “Dragons…” feel uninspired, there are more than a few that pull you in with both tone and construction. They also provide a good foil to the drum-heavy groove. The combo is like the flashes of sword and human struggle that punctuate the moment when the rowing stops and the fighting starts.

Lyrically the stories aren’t always clear, but there is a common thread of mania to the characters Frode gives voice to. These characters are warlord conquerors; an occupation that doesn’t lend itself to humility and circumspection. I have a friend who likes to remind me that with their “if you die while fighting you go to Valhalla” mythology Vikings were essentially a death cult, and Einherjer – a band that is literally named after those dead warriors feasting in Odin’s hall – double down on the mindset that would create.

The result is music that transports you to the nexus of menace, dread, and glory, which is entirely appropriate to the subject matter. Listening to “Dragons of the North XX” is a modern sonic experience that interprets the manic exhilaration of the raiders, and by extension I also found myself contemplating the terror of seeing these raiders inexorably advancing up a river to your town.

Capturing both those experiences across a thousand years of history on a modern heavy metal record is an impressive feat. Making that same record resonate essentially twice twenty years apart even more so.

Best tracks: Dragons of the North, Forever Empire, Slaget Ved Hafrsfjord

CD Odyssey Disc 1958: Katy Kirby

Blue Raspberry is one of my favourite “drink” flavours but I always feel that raspberry gets short-changed on the use of red, which is reserved for strawberry (light red) and cherry (dark red). This record has very little to do with drink flavours, but I just had to get that off my chest.

Disc 1958 is…Blue Raspberry

Artist: Katy Kirby

Year of Release: 2024

What’s up with the Cover? Katy (assuming the brunette is Katy) and another person engage in some sort of embrace. Maybe they’re wrestling, maybe Katy is rescuing them from drowning or maybe it is a more amorous adventure. Whether it is sport, a rescue or sex, based on the sun-dappled water it looks like the weather is cooperating. Way easier to do all those things when the waves aren’t too big.

How I Came To Know It: I was already a fan of Kirby having encountered her through her 2021 debut, “Cool Dry Place” (reviewed back at Disc 1726). When I saw she had a new album out a couple of years ago I checked it out and liked what I heard.

How It Stacks Up: Kirby only has two full length records, and if you’re following along you’ll know that I have both of them. Of the two I enjoyed “Blue Raspberry” slightly more, so it is…#1.

Ratings: 4 stars

Katy Kirby has a languid style to her brand of indie pop that leaves you feeling relaxed and ready to see the world in a fresh and unhurried way. This is a record to both relax you musically, while throwing in just enough unexpected imagery that your mind is active and searching for the next line. Also, it’s very sexy.

Kirby’s high sweet vocals shows a lot of range in songs that are all sweet and introspective, but surprisingly variable in how they approach a melody. This record keeps your groove engaged throughout,

The opening track, “Redemption Arc” is even a bit off-brand, sung in her lower register, with a lurching minor key lilt that had me favourably comparing the approach to “Bachelor No. 2” era Aimee Mann. Unlike early Mann, Kirby is a bit more romantic than fatalist, and “Redemption Arc” is an apology song that is more focused on the comfort of making up than the apology itself. You get the sense that all is forgiven without any words spoken, but the words are welcomed all the same.

The record launches into Kirby’s more familiar high head voice on “Cubic Zirconia” which also oozes with a relaxed romanticism that permeates the record. Not content to rely on the record’s catchiest melody and a delightful birdsong phrasing, Kirby throws in some top-tier imagery. Best stanza:

“Face framed by hoodie like an oyster in a shell
And your eyes are rolling at me as a pair of angry pearls
You're the prettiest mermaid in the souvenir shop
But if you're coming home this late
You know you'd better be drunk”

Not something typically wished for, but there is a strong current of sexy that flows through this record that makes even a drunken homecoming feel like a fairy tale. Readers please note: this outcome is rarely the case and only works for the absolutely prettiest mermaids. If you're a merman, just forget about it entirely. Take off your shoes quietly in the hall and sleep on the couch.

But I digress.

“Wait Listen” has a song construction that is reminiscent of Leonard Cohen, both in terms of how the song builds the story as well as the mix of the tender and the bawdy poetry of a memorable hook up.

That ribbon of lyrical sexuality twists like a ribbon through the entirety of “Blue Raspberry” taking a record that could fall into its own introspection and instead making each song a sensual confession.

Kirby re-examines imagery used in earlier songs throughout the record, trying concepts out from different angles like the facets of the fake diamonds she references early on. She will return to the image of the cubic zirconia on “Salt Crystal” along with pearls (now in the mouth not the eyes), and the erotic nature of a well-placed bite (earlier featured in the amorous adventures of “Wait Listen”). Then, as your mind skips along with the sweetness of the melody, Kirby pulls it all together in a golden hour moment with:

“The rhinestones on your baseball cap reminding me of when
The salt left crystal on the sunset of your sunburned skin”

The best part of it all is that with its slow and relaxed style, this clever construction of image upon image slips into your mind slowly, like a cool summer breeze through an open window – invisible but alive on your skin.

Some albums hit you hard and early, but “Blue Raspberry” is a slow build that steals inside of you with a quiet beauty. It might take a few listens to catch everything that’s going on, but it’s worth the effort.

Best tracks: Redemption Arc, Cubic Zirconia, Wait Listen, Salt Crystal

CD Odyssey Disc 1957: The Hives

When you’re a kid you might say “let’s pretend” to get your playmates to buy in to some imagined world. As a teenager it morphs to “let’s say” and as adults we try to pull off the sophistry of “I think we can all agree” without anyone noticing.

Here on the CD Odyssey we don’t do any of that. It’s just one person’s musical observations (mine) and you can agree as much or as little as you like.

Disc 1957 is…The Hives Forever Forever the Hives

Artist: The Hives

Year of Release: 2025

What’s up with the Cover? The Hives dressed up as a quintette of kings (which would be a good name for a band).

When I was younger I belonged to a medieval re-enactment group. I was a 15^th century pirate with a penchant for purple, which some of the more ardent re-creationists felt was an affront to the king.

It was good fun and I was mostly left unaccosted unless I crossed too close in front of the throne (occupied or not) and made it even more of a thing.

If the Hives tried to cosplay these particular outfits there would definitely be some accosting. Of the fun kind, though. Less fun if they were actually trying to pull this off in the actual 15^th century, where it would have led to five very serious and immediate beheadings.

How I Came To Know It: I read a review and overcame that common bias we experience when we know a band has been around for a while and assume that if we were going to like them it would’ve happened by now. Instead I gave it a go and…here we are.

How It Stacks Up: The Hives have a bunch of records but so far this is my only one, so it can’t stack up.

Ratings: 3 stars

Sometimes when you see a bunch of soccer hooligans marching toward a stadium and chanting I think to myself “what do these guys listen to pre-game to get themselves into a good lather?” “The Hives Forever Forever the Hives” feels like a strong contender. More on this later.

“The Hives Forever, etc.” are what I would call “straight rock and roll, no chaser”. This is the pure stuff. Not particularly creative, nor innovative but just good old fashioned guitar riffs and up-tempo bangers. Good for driving fast, toasting your buddies, or maybe fisticuffs. I like the first two of those things (n.b. not at the same time) and that generally supportive but not all-in approach is how I’d characterize my reaction to this record.

The Hives have a throwback British punk scene sound, with beats that lean forward and guitar chords that crash with frenetic energy. I was surprised to learn they are actually from Sweden. Not exactly a Stefan Edberg “talented but genteel” vibe here.

Where they are Edberg-like is in the precision of their playing, which is top notch. These guys are tight in a way most bands dream about. It is all very fast and furious, but their skills give these songs a polish that most pop songs would envy.

The result is a lot of radio bangers that aren’t exceptionally creative but are a lot of fun. Not a complicated road course here, but they lean tight and fast into what corners there are. As for the riffs, at their best they are timeless perfection and at their worst they are “pretty sure I’ve heard this one before – but still like it”.

In terms of the lyrics, I found myself returning to the aforenoted hooligans (I told you we’d return). I would say that the Hives mostly sing about what can best be characterized as mindless rebellion; middle finger raised to the world (or two fingers in England) combined with recurring announcements exhorting you to party. I love to party, but the parties depicted here feel like the kind that start with friendly toasts and end with someone getting head-butted over something they said about Arsenal.

The opening lines of “Enough is Enough” are:

“Everyone's a little f**kin' bitch
And I am getting sick and tired of it
Went to the doctor 'cause I was sick
Sick of everybody's bulls**t”

And if that doesn’t sufficiently paint a picture, try the chorus from “Paint a Picture”:

“Oh, let me paint a picture
I ain't no f**king slob
Oh, let me paint a picture
More like a f**king god to you”

The chorus from “Paint a Picture” is delivered in unison barroom style that was tailor-made to be a soccer chant someday, if it isn’t already. It’s fun to sing along but it doesn’t exactly provide compelling metaphors or convincing oratory. Then again, it isn’t supposed to. It is supposed be mindless fun, and “The Hives Forever, etc…” is exactly that. Not in any way thought-provoking but a high-energy good time whether driving fast, partying hard, or just getting energized – ideally with no one getting punched.

Best tracks: Enough is Enough, Bad Call, Paint a Picture, Path of Most Resistance

CD Odyssey Disc 1956: The Monks

I’m fresh off an eventful long weekend that had a little bit of everything. There was even a power failure through most of Labour Day Monday. Growing up I experienced many a power failure, often in the winter and lasting several days. Given this, a few hours without TV on a sunny holiday Monday was no problem at all. I just caught up on some reading and set some time aside for a full and undivided listen to this next record.

Disc 1956 is…Suspended Animation

Artist: The Monks

Year of Release: 1981

What’s up with the Cover? The Monks only have two albums and both feature covers with women dressed up as nuns and showing a lot of leg.

Here we have a 'nun' apparently awakening from cryo-sleep (the “suspended animation” alluded to in the album title). Looks like she’s arrived at her destination based on the space station in the porthole window. We don't know how many light years have passed in her journey across space but fear not: simple black pumps never go out of style.

How I Came To Know It: I like the Monks’ first record “Bad Habits” and through that discovered they’d done a second. However, “Suspended Animation” was devilishly hard to find, suffering from low album sales and – I suspect - a limited release.

Eventually I found it on a double album set with both records and a whole bunch of bonus material called, “No Shame: The Complete Recordings”. That compilation’s album art is just the band standing around looking like early eighties mods.

Choosing between that and the long-limbed space traveler depicted on the original was a no-brainer.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Monks albums, which is all of them. Of the two “Suspended Animation” is the lesser record, so #2.

Ratings: 2 stars

Listening to “Suspended Animation” had me thinking that the Monks were a bunch of slackers. Very talented slackers. Their follow up to their much better debut record, the Monks seem prepared to dabble in various musical ideas like a bunch of cheeky dilettantes. Sometimes it works, sometimes it don’t.

The style of the record is mostly a New Wave/post punk feel that was of its time back at the turn from the seventies to the eighties. A bit Joe Jackson, a bit the Clash at the poppier end of their range, but mostly just a bunch of experienced English musicians taking the piss.

Like the Clash, there is a reggae influence on the record in places, and the Monks also seem determined to try to land some funky bass lines and guitar licks. It would work better if the songs weren’t so uniformly at the front of the beat. That’s the New Wave in them, and they consistently refuse to sit down in the pocket.

So you get songs like “Don’t Want No Reds” that could have been a semi-serious song about Cold War angst but instead feels like a funhouse vision of looming nuclear winter. The haste of the beat makes you think that the reds they are avoiding could just as easily be pharmaceuticals as Communist agents.

From there they uncork a wide array of topics, most of which more than live up to the compilation’s title of “No Shame”. Scheming evangelicals, BDSM enthusiasts, and eating disorders are just a few of the themes you will encounter. There’s a good chance if you listen to this record something will offend you but I’m not going to predict what, as it is a target-rich environment.

This being a “complete recordings” situation the original record’s 12 tracks are ‘augmented’ by eight bonus tracks, pushing the playing time to an unwieldy and tiring 75 minutes. I’d like to say they should have just cut all that content, but the truth is some of it is pretty solid, notably “Cybernetic Sister” which has the easy groove blended with what I think is someone exhorting the virtues of a sex-bot.

Through it all, the Monks know how to write a catchy pop hook. I imagine they take a bit of perverse pride in combining sing-a-long quality to lyrics that would likely get you kicked out of the local karaoke bar.

The final two bonus tracks, “Space Noises” and “Electric Shivers” remove all doubt about who the Monks are mocking. It’s everyone, and with these two instrumentals of weird special effects sounds their final victim is, in fact, the listener.

Sitting confused at the end of the long listening journey, and with the echoes of weird computer trills and metallic clangs bouncing in my head, I was not quite sure what to think. It is the musical equivalent of a Jimmy Carr concert; the catchy phrasing draws you in, you laugh at some parts and wince at others, and the next day you can’t even talk about what you heard in mixed company.

Was it all just performance art in the end? Probably yes.

Best tracks: Don’t Want No Reds, Suspended Animation, King Dong and from the bonus tracks: Cybernetic Sister

CD Odyssey Disc 1955: Mozart

Welcome back. Today we dive once again into a genre I know very little about, which is a bit surprising how long both it (and I) have been around. At least for once I’m younger than the composition I’m writing about.

Disc 1955 is…Requiem

Artist: Mozart but also some other bloke named Sussmayr

Year of Release: 1791 (recording is from 1989)

What’s up with the Cover? This cover could be metal as easily as Mozart, with a dope-as-fuck skeleton rocking a shroud. It’s got hands on chest like it plans to sing along to the tune, but without any lungs that’s not going to go well for him/her.

I expect this photo is in some church somewhere (maybe All Saints Church in Newcastle-on-Tyne, where this album is recorded) but I couldn’t find definitive proof of that.

We also learn from the cover that this bit of Mozart magic is coming to you from Northern Sinfonia, which sounds like the name of some magical kingdom in a fantasy novel but is, in fact, a symphony in England.

How I Came To Know It: I found this album in a thrift store in Sidney. Classical treasures on the cheap – yeehaw!

How It Stacks Up: I have five Mozart albums. Well, actually only four – I got rid of the Coronation Mass after I reviewed it back at Disc 736 but it got reviewed, so it gets stacked. Anyway, of those five, I put “Requiem” in at…#4.

Technically, this isn’t 100% Mozart, since his widow had it finished with the help of some dude named Franz Xaver Sussmayr after Mozart died. Sussmayr, I have since learned, was a bit of a thing back in his day but in 2026 not so much. Wikipedia quotes some 19^th century dude named Max Dies who says Sussmayr is “smooth, pleasing, singable, but generally fashionably superficial,” which throws some shade, but frankly sounds kind of alright.

But I digress.

Ratings: 4 stars

Ever want to feel like something very important is happening, but do it safely seated in your living room or car? Mozart’s “Requiem” has what you need. For a song that is supposed to be a mass for the dead, this little ditty from the late 18^th century is quite lively.

Being a mass there’s a bunch of choral singing, delivered delightfully by the aforementioned North Sinfonians. The lead soprano is Yvonne Kenny and while the overall recording of this record suffers from the low-end loss of many of the CDs manufactured in the late eighties, her powerful tone cuts through all attempts at diminishment.

As I noted in the lede, this record swells with import and bombast. It’s practically a Carmina Burana minus the gallop. It is best played loud and then – when you realize the quieter parts are getting lost in the thrum of the car engine – louder still.

Across 46 minutes of playing time (classical music fits rather perfectly on a standard record, which I doubt is coincidence), Mozart finds ways to bring the melodic structure of the piece to a climax multiple times, all the while never making it feel repetitious.

Kenny’s vocals slice through the top of the tune like a cavalry saber (again, minus the gallop), and down in the low end there is a grounding bass (a guy named Gwynne Howell) if that’s what floats your boat (or ballasts it). Cursory research reveals both these folks are a bit of a big deal in the opera world (Kenny moreso), but despite some honest effort, I’m not a fan of opera, so they’re new to me. Anyway, they sound great as does the whole chorus and orchestra.

In terms of the lyrics, you’d think a requiem for the dead would be a somber and majestic sort of affair, but once you translate the Latin you’re in for shock, as Mozart goes for a fire and brimstone approach that would be equally at home on a heavy metal record.

That’s right, my friends, in the late 18^th century a mass for the dead was an opportunity to remind listeners that HELL awaits any miserable unbeliever. We’ve got God sitting in judgment:

“Then the judge seats himself and tries;
No shifting from his all-seeing eyes
Nor ‘scaping then. Who e’er deserves it dies.”

Rather disconcerting. Later our narrator cries out to the “Dread King” for clemency (you can see why) and later still appeals for Christ to save the souls of the “faithfully departed from the hand of hell, and from the deep pit.”

The language of the piece is beautiful and while harsh and threatening at the front end, takes on a repentant and merciful tone as it unfolds. Also, it would make a great music video. Someone should do that.

But I digress.

The whole of “Requiem” is sung in Latin, but even without a translation, the piece has a rousing and metaphysical quality that appeals to something beyond the earthly. You will feel wrapped in the arms of both Death and that angels at the same time, which I am pretty sure what Mozart was going for.

On that note, there is a reason that even 235 years later certain composers are still part of our daily lives, musical soundtracks and (this week at least) commutes to work. It’s because they’re damned good at what they do. Even with the late intervention of an allegedly fashionably superficial composer, “Requiem” shows once again why Mozart endures.

Best tracks: Um…it may be divided into 12 tracks on the CD but this is one song. That’s how they did it back in the day…

CD Odyssey Disc 1954: The Watson Twins

Welcome back to the CD Odyssey where today we take a second dig into recently released Americana.

Disc 1954 is…Holler

Artist: The Watson Twins

Year of Release: 2023

What’s up with the Cover? Sisters Chandra and Leigh (aka the Watson Twins) strike a pose in front of a brick wall. Or possibly this is Leigh and Chandra. I can’t tell. They’re twins.

How I Came To Know It: I learned about the Watson Twins through their collaboration with Jenny Lewis on her debut album Rabbit Fur Coat in 2006 (which I’ve owned for almost twenty years but surprisingly have not rolled to review).

That record got me heavily into Jenny Lewis (and from there, Rilo Kiley) but I never paid the Watson Twins much mind. I bought one of their records in 2010 but it wasn’t until a few years back that I explored their discography in earnest.

That occurred because the local record store had a bunch of their records used and reasonably priced, and so I decided to see how they’d fared over all those years. Turns out there were a couple more good enough to buy, and “Holler” was one of ‘em.

How It Stacks Up: The Watson Twins have released six full length LPs, but I only have three. Of those three, I put “Holler” in at third (or last, if you are being pessimistic).

Ratings: 2 stars

There’s something about twins singing harmony that always sounds special, and the Watson Twins are no exception. While this gives this record a leg up overall the potential was never fully realized in the way I’d hoped.

With that ominous lede and those two stars hanging tarnished in the “ratings” category, you might be eagerly anticipating a whole lot of nasty in this review. If so, you’ll be disappointed. Overall, I enjoyed “Holler” which is a mainstream run at indie country/Americana performed with talent and care.

The vocals on the record have the aforementioned “twin” advantage, and both Watsons together have a rich tone and a talent for phrasing. There is very little solo singing on the record, and even where one sister is leading, there is heavy support. This is a team effort. I could’ve used a little more variation to the way they approached each song vocally, but it is a minor quibble.

They sound best on “Hundred Miles”, where the ladies benefit from a lilting melody, and yet another depiction of the dream of Nashville, deflected. In this case 100 miles in the wrong direction to a town called Crossville. I looked it up and sure enough, Crossville TN is a place – about 12,000 people strong. Likely a fine enough town, but less so if you are dreaming of the bright lights of Nashville like the song’s narrator.

In any event, the song showcases the Watson Twins’ vocals, which do not feature big range or power, but are surprisingly sweet for such a sad song.

“Hundred Miles” is a good song, but it also illustrates that for much of the record I found the vocals float a bit too much mid-range, in songs with workmanlike compositions that just don’t reach in and grab you like art should. The stereo hum of the two-part harmonies are soothing at first, but over the course of the record they left me wanting more, either in terms of a third voice, more solo work, or maybe just songs with more movement in their structure.

But let’s be positive again. I also liked “The Palace” which is a barroom anthem about the local watering hole. Lyrics like:

“Another night at The Palace
Pour me a double in the chalice
If you won't be my king, I'll wear the crown
This watering hole my home
This barstool is my throne
If we ain't making up, I'll throw 'em down”

Feel heavily inspired by the more famous “Queen of the Silver Dollar” of Dr. Hook or Emmylou Harris (depending on your preferred version) which begins with a similar:

“She's the queen of the Silver Dollar
And she rules this smoky kingdom
And her sceptre is a wineglass
And a barstool is her throne”

I like how “The Palace” puts an interesting twist on what is essentially the same scene, but from the queen’s perspective, not the viewers. Through her narrative we learn she’s out on the town because she’s angry with her no-good cheat of a boyfriend. At the Silver Dollar, the jesters flock around their queen and fight to win her favour. At the Palace, you know that any success they achieve is as much an expression of her vengeance as her interest.

“The Palace” and “Hundred Miles” are my two favourites, one for the storyline and one for the melody. There are other good tunes, including the title track, which is clearly intended to be an opening banger, but they didn’t cut quite so deep.

Not helping is very flat production across the record, which makes things sound distant and fuzzy on songs that would benefit from a bit more separation. There is a distinct alt-rock sound thrown into the arrangements but the songs are country tunes down in their bones, and the two vibes don’t always gel as intended.

There’s nothing on “Holler” that straight up irritated me, but there were just too few moments where I wanted to..er…holler. For this reason, I’m going to bid this record a fond farewell from my collection and wish it well in finding a better match than with me.

Best tracks: The Palace, Hundred Miles

CD Odyssey Disc 1953: The Brothers Comatose

A friend remarked to me last night that I tend to review a lot of obscure albums. That may be true, but I’ve got nothing against mainstream artists and have many in my collection. On the other hand, my tastes are wide and varied, and the fickle dice I roll to determine what I’ll explore next care not for the considerations of fame nor notoriety.

Today, the dice gods have decided to stick with the obscure.

Disc 1953 is…Turning Up the Ground

Artist: The Brothers Comatose

Year of Release: 2022

What’s up with the Cover? It’s a funky graphic that – like the album title – explores two kinds of ground, one musical and one agricultural.

I like some of the specific choices depicted here. Snail shell or moth? Banjo case full of mushrooms or guitar case full of flowers?

Best of all, you can choose between a shovel with a vine wrapped around it or a shovel with a snake wrapped around it? On first blush, I think vine-over-snake is the obvious and safer bet, but if you’re shoveling snow out of a driveway, you’re really going to need the flat blade on that snake shovel. Just, you know, wear thick gloves.

How I Came To Know It: Another album I found through an album review.

How It Stacks Up: I went on to explore the Brothers Comatose’s discography (they have seven albums) but so far this is the only one that’s landed in my collection, so it can’t stack up.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

After a few days with prog rock band Moon Tooth my ear was ready for something free and easy, and the Dice Gods obliged with the folk/bluegrass stylings of the Brothers Comatose.

If you are expecting creative time signatures and outré chord progressions I would refer you back to Moon Tooth (or better still, just listen to Rush or Tool) but if you enjoy songs you can slap your knee to and harmonies that you can sing along to in confidence after the first couple of verses, this is the band for you.

For some, this simple approach to music might be misinterpreted as meaning the band isn’t good, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The simpler the arrangements to a song, the more important it is the band plays with coordinated skill. That alchemy of quiet individual confidence, and a constant ear to where your bandmates are sitting in the pocket, is what separates good bands from mediocre ones.

On this front, the Brothers Comatose have their artistry down pat. Their songs have a softness to them that relies heavily on casting their spell of relaxation on the listener. Playing light and a bit slow is often much harder than just forcing in as many flourishes as can be squeezed between notes.

That isn’t to say the Brothers Comatose just play by the numbers. “Turning Up the Ground” has just the right amount of small touches of fiddle, mandolin and guitar in space. These aren’t there for technical excellence, but more like a light ripple of wind across tall grass – almost unnoticed but critical to drawing you closer to the natural movement of the whole.

Many of the songs on “Turning Up the Ground” have a transitional feel to them, with explorations of shifting from one thing to another. Sometimes choosing your art over a day job (“Working for Somebody Else”) sometimes the end of a relationship (“That Shit Ain’t Funny”), or maybe just a plea for connection in a time of uncertainty (“When It All Falls Apart”). These songs tend to bring out the best in the band, creative tension being one of the keys to great songwriting.

The tracks are well-ordered, and the best song comes midway with the break-up tune, “That Shit Ain’t Funny”. The song relies heavily on the restless rise and fall of the melody, and while a lot of the chorus climbs through the scale the first thing you hear is a low guitar walk down. This lets the listen know you’re starting from somewhere low, also evidenced by the song’s first line, “I can see through you like paper”. Yeah – things ain’t going well here…

The song also has some first-rate decisions in the arrangement category, starting sparsely with just guitar strum and then slowly building as we add in each member of the band, culminating in a lovely call-and-answer between fiddle and guitar at the bridge. The whole effect captures that sense of determination when you’re at the “pack the car” stage of a break-up, both resolute and also filled with regret.

On my first couple of listens I told myself that this record was nothing special, but on repeat listens its soft and gentle beauty sunk into my bones. My only complaint is that I had intended to just have a “one and done” relationship with this band, and now I realize I’m going to have to explore their entire discography. If the other records are as good as this, I’ll be well-contented, which is exactly the headspace “Turning Up the Ground” will put you in if you give it a chance.

Best tracks: Working for Somebody Else, Soft and Blue, That Shit Ain’t Funny, When it All Falls Apart

CD Odyssey Disc 1952: Moon Tooth

Before we get into today’s review, a quick word of love for the recently departed Dolly Parton. I’ve been a Dolly fan since I measured my years in single digits. I even had a poster of her on my wall growing up.

I have always loved her music, but as years went by I also came to love the person. In addition to being one of country music’s greatest singer-songwriters, Dolly was the personification of grace, acceptance and love. The world will be a colder place in her absence, but I like to think that somewhere out there at some metaphysical version of “Two Doors Down” she’s ‘laughin’ and drinkin’ and havin’ a party.’

Heaven should be so lucky.

Disc 1952 is…Crux

Artist: Moon Tooth

Year of Release: 2019

What’s up with the Cover? It looks like a collapsed temple of some kind, although it has fallen apart in a remarkably symmetrical manner. I ascribe this to the power of the glowing rune etched on that big stone altar.

How I Came To Know It: The usual way – I read a review and decided to check it out. I recall the reviews others did for this record were fairly effusive in their praise. Mine will be less so.

How It Stacks Up: Moon Tooth have at least three studio albums that I know of, but I only have this one, so it can’t stack up.

Ratings: 2 stars

Something can be good and just not good for you. Therein lies the mystery that is Moon Tooth’s “Crux” and the lowly two stars you see assigned above. Could this band be better than two stars? Quite possibly yes, but not for me.

For those of you not familiar with Moon Tooth, they are a progressive metal band with a sound somewhere halfway between late-era Soundgarden and late-era Rush. That’s some solid parentage from a genre perspective, and given the many kind words I’ve expressed for both those bands, you’d expect some of that love to rub off.

Some does. Starting most notably with the drumming of Ray Marte, which for me is hands-down the best part of this record. Marte is a true technician in the Neil Peart style. While he isn’t the godlike talent that Peart is, he is damned fine at his craft, dealing out complicated rhythms that account for the lion’s share of the record’s frenetic energy.

Vocalist John Carbone edges more toward the deep thrum of Chris Cornell rather than the high-pitched peal of Geddy Lee. Like Peart on the drums, any comparison with Chris Cornell on vocals is bound to come up short, and Carbone is no exception. He has good tone, and great phrasing, but he isn’t going to blow any doors off. It’s solid, but not a star on its own.

The songs are proggy, so if you want some simple thumpers in 4/4 time you are going to be disappointed. This stuff jumps around rather unpredictably. Despite all the complexity the songs are surprisingly catchy, which is always the baseline for progressive rock. At the end of the day, it has to be listenable, and “Crux” is all of that.

But despite the thoughtful composition and the solid musicianship (the guitar and bass are also first-rate), I found it all a bit boring and emotionally unengaging. Worse, it tends to have a self-consciousness that makes the songs feel overblown. In this way it had me thinking of Them Crooked Vultures (reviewed way back at Disc 750) who are similarly technically gifted but left me empty. “Crux” has a better separation of sound than TCV, but it wasn’t enough to make up for something that felt more clever than heartfelt.

Is part of the problem that my range of interest in progressive metal a bit narrow? Undoubtedly, yes. This record is well constructed, well played and worth the price of admission for Marte’s drumming alone. If you are a big fan of progressive rock or metal, you should definitely check these guys out.

But at the end of the day I did not feel the feels, which for me is a dealbreaker. The songs have plenty of dynamic range, but I couldn’t really separate one from the other, and it felt like a series of well thought out musical experiments, as likely to have me staring quizzically as drawing me into a fist-pumping moment of triumph.

So I shall bid Moon Tooth a fond farewell; a puzzle I either couldn’t solve or that didn’t inspire me to try very hard, depending on how you want to see it.

Best tracks: Musketeers, Rhythm and Roar

CD Odyssey Disc 1951: Finsterforst

This next album comes to you slightly delayed, as I have been on a road trip to visit family. This particular road trip’s length calls for about eight albums worth of music, and tradition dictates Sheila gets to pick four and I pick the other four. We’ve been doing this for years and have established some etiquette to ensure we pick records we’ll both enjoy while driving.

This trip the albums were: Black Sabbath - Master of Reality, Boston – Boston, Grace Cummings – Storm Queen, Dick Dale – Mr. Eliminator, Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart, U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind, Wailin’ Jennys – Firecracker, and Jennifer Warnes – Famous Blue Raincoat.

As for the CD Odyssey, it has decided to stick with more metal from the early 2010s.

Disc 1951 is…Rastlos

Artist: Finsterforst

Year of Release: 2012

What’s up with the Cover? An intrepid (and bedraggled) traveler looks out upon a craggy landscape of deep river valleys and majestic peaks.

This looks like it would be one hell of a day hike, and I hope that guy packed a lunch.

How I Came To Know It: This is one of my recently acquired Ross Records, aka albums that I picked up from my friend Ross when he got rid of his CD collection recently.

How It Stacks Up: I snagged a bunch of Finsterforst from Ross, and while the more detailed exploration across multiple listens have yielded mixed results, this is my favourite of the bunch so far. I rank it first or maybe even…forst!

Ratings: 4 stars

The experience of “Rastlos” is that of taking a long, warm, angry bath. You might get in ready to thrash and splash about but you’ll quickly find just lying there simmering with a low-key fury can be surprisingly therapeutic.

You’ll have time to make the adjustment, too. Like all Finsterforst albums, “Rastlos” is long – over 75 minutes of music, spread across a mere seven songs. It’s the kind of music that requires a bit of surrender to enjoy. Don’t meet it head-on, let it come at you like the tide, slow and inexorable, and submerge you.

“Rastlos” is Finsterforst’s third album, and for me the record where they finally get the mix of folk and metal right. It is a bit more black than death to my ear (although I am not and expert in the intricacies of these modern divisions). On previous records the folksy elements clashed with that heavy wall of sound, but here they thread a melodic structure that provides growth and transformation – something I absolutely need to survive songs that routinely surpass 10 minutes’ playing time.

“Rastlos” is the first record with Ollie Berlin taking over the death growl portion of the singing from departed vocalist Marco Schomas. When I reviewed 2009’s “…zum Tode hin” (Disc 1937) I wondered if switching the vocalist would turn the switch for me to liking this band better, and it turns out it has. Berlin’s growl is richer and more melodic and while I can’t say that’s a better experience for others, it was a better experience for me.

The folk elements of the arrangements are well timed as well, providing multiple palate cleanser moments within the epically long songs and keeping things as mysterious as they are aggressive. The guitar riffs are epic and not overused although they could have easily added more without complaint from me.

The songs also feature “clean” vocals courtesy of continuing band member Johannes Joseph, as we all as Viking-chant style chorus moments from a group of fellers called the “Black Forest Choir” which looks to be composed half of regular band members and half guests. All of this gives texture and layers to Finsterforst in a way I didn’t experience on their first two records.

Finsterforst are German and they sing in their native tongue, so I have no idea what they are going on about, but with the help of translation of the titles that range from “Nothing but Ashes (Nichts als Asche)” to “Rush of Flame (Flammenrausch)” I got the impression there was fire involved. I also got the sense of epic journeys across landscapes, but that could just be me projecting from the album cover.

As for the album title, it translates roughly as “restless” and “Rastlos” does have that quality. It isn’t a fidgety restlessness though, but more of a wanderlust and a vision that is big and broad and always reaching outward. These songs are expansive and variably evoked the ocean, fire, or even the thunder of heavy cavalry. Anything that rolls unhindered across a landscape. It makes the listener feel small, but still significant – a witness to something more powerful than yourself.

On earlier records it felt like Finsterforst was just going to go hard to goal and lose the plot along the way. By rounding out their sound and using the length of their songs as a feature to let them properly develop, they’ve landed on something special.

Make no mistake, though. This isn’t easily accessible stuff. It is heavy and intricate, and not friendly to the casual radio listener. But if you can surrender to the heaviness of “Rastlos” it will submerge you into soundscapes of subtlety and power that’ll make that initial shock and shortness of breath all worth it.

Best tracks: Nichts als Asche, Fremd, Stirbt Zuletzt, Ein Lichtstein

CD Odyssey Disc 1950: Sabaton

Welcome back to the CD Odyssey where we have had a month of reviews without metal, but that dismaying trend ends here.

Disc 1950 is…Attero Dominatus

Artist: Sabaton

Year of Release: 2006

What’s up with the Cover? “Hey, mister - looking for a gate to a fantastical alternate dimension?”

“Um…I’ll take the next one thanks. This one looks dangerous and frankly, the entryway is a bit pokey.”

How I Came To Know It: I’ve been a late-blooming but ardent Sabaton fan since 2019. This album was just me digging ferociously through their back catalogue.

How It Stacks Up: I now have ten Sabaton albums. I like them all, and “Attero Dominatus” is better than most – I rank it at #3.

Ratings: 4 stars

Behold the majesty and the ferocity of Sabaton, masters of Battle Metal!

Although there are many sub-genres of metal “Battle Metal” is not one of them, but if it were, Sabaton would be its patron saint. This Swedish power metal band like powerful riffs, crashing drums, bombastic vocals and tying it all together, lyrics about history and battles. A lot.

If you can get over that, you won’t like this record. Sabaton’s obsession with historical events (particularly events involving armed conflict) is intrinsic to who they are as a band. If you are listening through gritted teeth hoping for some other topic to arise, you’re just hurting yourself.

If stories about battles are OK with you, then “Attero Dominatus” is some of Sabaton’s best work, and well worth your time. Only their second record, they are already well established in their sound, with every song thundering down on you like an anthem. It is my favourite record featuring the original twin lead guitars of Oskar Montelius and Rikard Sunden and drummer Daniel Mullback (all of whom left after 2012). Like Sabaton’s neutral stance to history, I like both the original and later lineups.

Some power metal bands are obsessed with playing fast and technical. Sabaton are incredibly polished and tight, but they have a thump that is the envy of their peers. A big part of this is the vocals of Joakim Broden. His voice is low and powerful, eschewing head-voice contortions for a big booming vocal that lends gravitas to lyrics that, in lesser hands, could come off stilted and overly literal.

This album also consistently delivers some the finest guitar riffs in Sabaton’s impressive catalogue. Even the songs I liked slightly less still featured killer fist-pumping guitar bits.

Sabaton don't shy away from any conflict, but World War Two is an oft-visited theme.  "Rise of Evil” is particularly grim as it recounts the story of the rise of Nazism in thirties Germany. Choosing a more ponderous tempo than many other songs on the record, there is a deliberateness to the song, fed by Mullback’s heavy drum hits and a double guitar riff. It evokes an army on the move, a society in upheaval, and a descent into darkness. It is intentionally discomfiting and the track’s title frames the moment for what it was – the rise of evil.

Fortunately, the album’s title track provides a welcome thematic bookend to “Rise of Evil”, as it tells of the last days of Nazi reign as Berlin falls.  Here, Mullback’s drumming switches from deliberate thump to a fast-paced and front-end loaded roll, providing a sense of urgency as the long and violent conflict finally finds an end.

This being only the second record from Sabaton, they are not 100% converted to historical songs. The record’s final track, “Metal Crue” is a lighthearted celebration of heavy metal bands. The lyrics work overtime to include reference to a long list of metal band names that came before (I think there are about 20 dropped names in just 3:45 of running time). Technically this is a sort of history of metal, so maybe the boys stay on theme after all. Not the record’s best song by any stretch, and admittedly a bit silly, but also quite a lot of fun.

My copy of “Attero Dominatus” is the “re-armed” release, which has five bonus tracks, most of which I was glad to have. The highlight is a cover of Warlock’s “Fur Immer” which is majestic and masterful (and has me wanting to check out vintage Warlock records as well). The other bonus content isn’t as good, but good enough to not wreck the original record’s energy.

Overall, this is easily my favourite of Sabaton’s early work, and stands equal alongside some of my perennial favourites released later in their career. If you are a fan of Battle Metal, then this record is a must have. If you aren’t, congratulations on getting to the end of the review, but here your journey is likely to end.

Best tracks: Attero Dominatus, Rise of Evil, In the Name of God, Back in Control