STACK #140 Jun 2016

REVIEWS MUSIC

Metal Church XI Metal Church fans may have been praying for the band’s second vocalist Mike Howe to return to the fold, but they most likely thought it would never happen. Well, it has, and the decision to write a new album was a welcome one. XI feels like the follow-up to Hanging In The Balance , which was Howe’s last studio album with the group. Considering that it’s been some 23 years, XI is quite an achievement. Howe may have aged, but his voice hasn’t lost any power. He’s as distinctive as ever and fits this band perfectly, giving each track personality and a unique edge. XI is a first-rate heavy metal album. (Caroline/Nuclear Blast) Simon Lukic

Letlive. If I'm The Devil...

Mean Jeans Tight New Dimension Party punk is the best kind of punk, and Fat Wreck band Mean Jeans know this all too well. In fact, Tight New Dimension is a quintessential Fat Wreck offering in its naivety mashed with nonsense. It’s not surprising that the band’s unsolicited demo immediately pleased ears in the label’s office. The trio do draw a little too much influence fromThe Ramones on occasion – the vocals in particular all too often sound like a particularly tight imitation delivered at your local open mic night – but when a band sternly describe the impetus behind their music as “have the most fun possible,” can we really expect anything more? (FatWreck Records) Emily Kelly

The Kills Ash & Ice The Kills remain as one of the last in the crop of Rock’s Last Saviours who emerged around the turn of the millennium. How does a 16 year old band who stand for cool keep it fresh? By wearing their experience as a badge of pride. Ash & Ice puts Mosshart and Hince’s authenticity on show, wearing their bluesy swagger like a second jacket through some of the band’s moodiest tracks to date. Typical Kills’ bravado shreds through every other track with stomping big riffs and Mosshart’s hypercool sneer ( Heart of a Dog , Siberian Nights ), but in between come moments for sombre reflection ( That Love , Echo Home ). This late in the game, The Kills stick to tried-and-true, and they’ve never sounded truer than this. (Domino) Jake Cleland

Since their inception in 2002, letlive. have always stood out as renegades. Not just in their injecting some serious and much missed politics into their punk rock, but in their bold overlapping of genres and their massive, manic live show. It’s only been three years since their last LP The Blackest Beautiful , but somehow it’s still been too long between drinks. On If I’mThe Devil... production steps up to meet the group's powerhouse sound. It seems as if frontman Jason Butler’s grandiose vision for the band might be one step closer to

being realised. Bravo! (Epitaph) Emily Kelly

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The most significant and creatively vital album in Norwegian Black Metal! An exclusive high-class re-issue, mastered by legendary Satyr himself! Nemesis Divina

DEATH's legendary 1987 debut Scream Bloody Gore is more than just an untouchable album - upon its release, it was positively genre-creating. meticulously remastered from the original tapes by Alan Douches (Mastodon, Nile). Includes previously unreleased recordings and rehearsal demos, super-expanded packaging, and brand-new extensive liner notes from former DEATH drummer / Autopsy founder Chris Reifert, Sepultura's Max Cavalera, and original Scream Bloody Gore producer Randy Burns.

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