BLAST FROM THE PAST

SOFT CELL Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret...And Other Stories: Live Live Here Now

Back in 2019, synth-pop's greatest duo seemingly closed the chapter on a wild 40year ride. In reality, most of the action took place in the early 80's when singer Marc Almond and keyboardist Dave Ball shocked the music industry by taking their cover of the Northern soul classic "Tainted Love" to number one all over the world. More hits followed, but by 1984 the project had run its course; Almond and Ball went their separate ways but eventually reconvened for 2002's Cruelty Without Beauty, only to drift apart once again. Fast-forward nearly two decades... In celebration of Soft Cell's 40th anniversary, the pair staged an epic final concert in 2019 to give their fans a proper farewell. Then Covid struck and as Almond notes, "that changed everything." The pair felt inspired to record again, resulting in last year's excellent comeback album *Happiness Not Included - which further inspired Soft Cell to return to the stage in 2021 for a full-album presentation of Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, the duo's acclaimed 1981 debut. Two years on, the Blu-ray/CD release has finally seen the light of day, and it's a gem. Almond and Ball, defying Father Time, are in remarkable form, singing and performing such classics as "Bedsitter," "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye," "Sex Dwarf" and the big hit better than ever. - Johnny Fletcher

Burning Witches

The Dark Tower Napalm Records

2023

Swiss metal band Burning Witches willfully embrace the metal stereotypes of the 2020s. Girls who rock: it’s been done. Leather and chains and songs about witches and demons: check. Spooky album covers: absolutely. But now to the music. These ladies are incredible musicians and entertainers. Founded by guitarist Romana Kalkuhl in 2016, she recruited vocalist Laura Guldemond, and most recently, guitar virtuoso Courtney Cox (of The Iron Maidens). Their fifth studio album The Dark Tower is a maelstrom of heavy riffs, crushing drumbeats, and melodic yet ferocious soloruns. Guldemond’s vocals are equal parts growl, rasp and power, but she maintains enough musicality to avoid the “cookie-monster” effect. Cox stepped in late during the recording process, but she appears on three tracks, making an immediate impact. With song titles like “Evil Witch,” “Unleash the Beast” and “House of Blood,” it’s clear that these extraordinary artists understand their core demographic (male metalheads). It’s a smart play. - Matt

Alschbach

FARMIKOS Farmikos (2015) Self-released

For eight years I’ve been telling anyone who would listen that the debut album from Farmikos is the best hard rock album of the last decade. The brainchild of former Ozzy guitarist Joe Holmes (a one-time student of Randy Rhoads), Farmikos is a hard rock masterpiece. Holmes is a brilliant guitarist and songwriter, and his pent-up talents are on full display on this record. You see, Holmes was Ozzy’s touring guitarist from 1996-2001. He also did a stint with David Lee Roth, but never got a chance to compose music of his own. As a result, Farmikos feels like the work of a mad (but brilliant) scientist who finally got a chance to build his Frankenstein. The result is a 52-minute pummeling masterclass on how to produce a lyric-driven hard rock album, with riffs aplenty and tasteful yet dark and savage guitar harmonies. Check out “Spoon and Sun” and “The Sound of my Gun” and you’ll see what I mean. Matt

Alschbach