Buckcherry
Roar Like Thunder
The funniest thing about Buckcherry is, despite making the music to soundtrack a recently-divorced, middle-aged man’s crusade to take out his new Harley and pick up 20-year-olds, they sound like they can’t even be bothered with it. Bands like this are supposed to ignore their use-by dates, not adhere to them. Still, Buckcherry have been useless for ages, so embracing that appears to be them cutting out the middleman. Wouldn’t be surprised if they called it a day soon, honestly; they’re about due.
So, in the spirit of mercy (‘cause just listen to this thing; it’s a dying gasp if there ever were one), let’s not be too mean to Roar Like Lightning. After all, if you’ve ever pondered what the 11th Buckcherry album might bring to bear—haven’t we all?—it’d be exactly this. So, by definition, it’s actually not a disappointment. It’s still no good, but, like…what would you expect?
This is late-period Buckcherry’s steez to a T, consisting mostly of humdrum, cookie-cutter hard rock that almost rings as the off-brand version of itself. Its best comes from when it’s markedly pacier and more switched-on, like with When The Sun Goes Down and Let It Burn that skip over that floor-level bar with some sprightliness. On other other end of the spectrum is where you get Come On or Set It Free with their haggard, arthritic AC/DC impressions. Considering the average player in that band is approximately 400 years old, that’s meant to be as damning as criticisms come. There’s also Talkin’ ‘Bout Sex which, by some act of divinity given the name and who’s making it, is not the grossest thing imaginable, and settles for just embarrassing itself instead. “Holy moly!” honks Josh Todd on the chorus, the reaction that this Steven Tyler homunculus apparently has when talkin’ ‘bout sex.
As far as anything else even verging on the general orbit of interesting goes, you’re sadly out of luck. It’s very late-period Buckcherry in that regard. To give them credit, the overwhelming malaise that tends to waft around albums like this isn’t here; it’s just that difficult to acknowledge its existence, let alone care one way or another. Quite the irony that’s that the case on an album called Roar Like Thunder, eh? Well, maybe if it were anyone else. Right now, Buckcherry’s roar would probably scare themselves more than anyone else.
For fans of: AC/DC, Hinder, Saliva
‘Roar Like Thunder’ by Buckcherry is released on 13th June on Earache Records.
Orthodox
A Door Left Open
Depending on the traction this album picks up, there’s an ‘Are Orthodox the next Knocked Loose?’ discussion already waiting to happen. Though, aside from the fact that ‘next Knocked Loose’ implies that the original are looking to be replaced (which they aren’t), it doesn’t feel like too close a comparison. Both play hardcore heavily shaped by metal, but Orthodox have that distinct nu-metal feel that keeps them apart from your more blanket ‘metallic hardcore’ names. And that’s definitely an advantageous position to hold when they can still reach over the aisle for guest spots from Boundaries’ Matt McDougal and Comeback Kid’s Andrew Neufeld (and even Mastodon’s Brann Dailor if you really want to push the boat out).
And yet, A Door Left Open doesn’t feel substantially elevated by any of that. It’s still good, for sure, but in the exact way that other releases in the same hardcore / nu-metalcore bracket tend to be. Perhaps it’s not too surprising when you consider that this is Orthodox’s fifth album now, a milestone that tends to indicate something working and therefore it’s worth clinging barnacle-like to for all it’s worth. At least among their devised list of pros, Orthodox are working with some good instincts. Adam Easterling works his frenzied vocal flesh-rippery with the perfect animalistic intent, even finding it elevated when McDougal takes the baton to somehow crank it up further on Blend In With The Weak. There’s also a great, tight drum sound from Mike White at play, verging on the always-welcome ceramic percussion tone, just with more driving power.
Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with the way A Door Left Open sounds at all. Anyone jonesing for a fix of high-octane, low-commitment heavy with likely be more than satisfied with what Orthodox bring here. If you want more, though—like variety, above anything else—perhaps this won’t quite get there as much. Like, the only measurable bit of difference anywhere comes from Dailor on One Less Body, thanks to a voice that isn’t remotely comparable to anyone else on here. Otherwise, A Door Left Open can run together with great ease. It’s more a feature of this creative style than a consequence of it; you get the impression that Orthodox are entirely aware of that. At least it’s never a boring listen, or one that’s devoid of the brutality that’s the literal lifeblood of an album like this.
But if any discussions with the intent of ‘the next Knocked Loose’ are to be entertained, you do need to approach them under the knowledge that the two bands will be compared. At best, Orthodox are superficially in the area, as in they, too, are a heavy hardcore band. But with everything else, from the minutiae of the sound to the breadth of what’s done with it, A Door Left Open isn’t the same thing, even slightly. That’s not to say it’s not a worthwhile inclusion into a perennially fit-to-burst hardcore canon, but the notoriously lax criteria for approval isn’t glowing in its favour. It’s a decent quick-fix of heaviness, and that’s about all.
For fans of: 156/Silence, END, Boundaries
‘A Door Left Open’ by Orthodox is out now on Century Media Records.
Battlesnake
Dawn Of The Exultants And The Hunt For The Shepherd
Here’s your cheat sheet on Battlesnake—they’re a six-piece from Australia; they clearly like Judas Priest; they probably like Mad Max; and they all dress in cult-y garb with their singer having a big, weird, horned hood. Not that anyone was expecting a low-key listen with that title, but, y’know…just making sure. In actuality, the band that Battlesnake bear the most resemblance to are The Darkness, albeit in specific forms. Neither are strictly comedy bands, but when their classic rock LARPing is turned up to its maximum audiaciousness (and often ridiculousness), the lines become exceptionally blurry. But whereas The Darkness’ worsening limp has only seen them fall time and time again, like a monstrous gas-guzzler rattling across the Australian outback, Battlesnake are becoming a rather huge force as they go on.
Essentially, they’re build on the same wavelength as their previous album The Rise And Demise Of The Motorsteeple, another ludicrously-named trad-metal ramp that, for its barrel-chested bravado, was a little slight in its presentation. Thus, Dawn Of The Exultants… addresses those issues by…feeling a bit longer. That’s about it. And it’s not even that much longer, either; it’s mostly an effect achieved through scene-setting interludes, though it would be nice if four of these 11 tracks weren’t just those. At least you can’t fault how fervently Sam Frank commits to the bit within them, vamping with rolled Rs and constant scene-chewing. Plus, it’s dialling up the significance that Battlesnake want coursing through every second of their work. ‘Show, don’t tell’ can easily be bypassed when lore-dumps on a demonic insect queen or a holy war machine do feel as epic as Battlesnake want them to. (Though in the former’s case, Beelzebug II, a big, evil bug might actually be one of the most thematically grounded and relatable themes an Aussie band can drum up.)
Naturally, then, there’s a brimming excess to how this album sounds that’s only fitting for a body of work that sports the word ‘exultant’ in its name. It’s that sort of chugging, interminable classic metal that always thrives in a larger-than-life space. In the combination of Brian May-style wailing and a robotic clack at times reminiscent of a Judas Priest more keyed into their fundamentals, there’s even the makings of a distinct style that Battlesnake have claimed here. None of this feels designed with being a throwback in mind, crucially. It’s a touchstone and a point of reference, but Battlesnake are happy to slam through it, opposed to others who’d view it as a hard-and-fast boundary. Thus, they aren’t saddled with the weight of ‘the correct way’ to do rock music surfeited with its own indulgence, and you can really tell.
Almost automatically, Battlesnake are given a leg up, and they get a lot of mileage from it. Not only have they sidestepped the horrid hems of parody completely, but they’ve swung it back around to something legit. In the way that the old school could be silly without letting itself become overrun by that, Dawn Of The Exultants… nails the balance, vibe and focus on quality that’s absolutely necessary. It’s almost like it can be done without ending up a total farce or barely-hanging-on copy of a copy. You just have to have some craft and ambition.
For fans of: Judas Priest, Green Lung, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
‘Dawn Of The Exultants And The Hunt For The Shepherd’ by Battlesnake is out now.
Words by Luke Nuttall
