I would have to say that they don't really sound like a C.O.F rip-off and I found myself liking this almost instantly. They don't have quite as much power overall as bands like C.O.F. and are certainly not as fast. However I would be hesitant to class them in the same style. Given that recently I have been listening to stuff like Cradle Of Filth, Emperor and Bal-Sagoth, this is quite different. The vocals are quite impressive and they do vary a lot with certain parts sounding like Pete Steele from Type O Negative! Another point is that Old Man's Child have a rather nice heavy guitar sound and they do solos too. This is another thing that sets them aside from C.O.F. If you really want to compare this to some other band then I would have to say At The Gates is quite close to what they sound like.

They certainly know how to make catchy tunes. Opening track "The Millenium King" is a cracker with some rather nifty time changes and mosh bits even! Second track "Behind The Mask" is a rather cool riff-tastic, fast-yet-catchy number. I can't help thinking how the vocals are similar to Dani Filth's though. Following from this is "Soul Possessed" which is yet another catchy tune with cool time changes and atmospheric synths mixed with crunchy riffing. Fourth track "My Demonic Figures" has a riff that seems familiar but I can't think of where it's from. I hate that sometimes. Still it is a rather cool tune anyway.

Overall, this is a rather good, pure (death)metal riffing album that in todays rather washed out music scene is a beacon of light in a sea of shite. It's good to see that the underground is very much still alive and can still produce some great bands.

Technically, I would have to say that Old Man's Child are very competent musicians and they have a nice sound. The twin guitars have a real crunchy and razor-to-the-bone sound and the bass is rather healthy and low.The drumming is close to perfection and his snare sound is enough to make drummers faint and think of stealing it. Occasionally they use synths to add an extra layer of sound which is done extremely well but they are not used that often. When they are though, it is impressive.

This is a rather fine album that will happily sit in your stereo a good few times anyway. It is quite a short album too so you probably won't get bored listening to it since it's only 30 to 40 minutes long.

Rating: **********

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Graham Lapper, DJ extraordinaire

For this album, Stuck Mojo have changed their line-up a little and have replaced the original drummer and bass-player for reasons unknown to me. However, guitarist Rich Ward, a damn fine and extremely competent player, and lyrical expressionist Bonz are still present and kicking ass! They also enlisted the producing talents of a veritable genius in the form of ex-Wildheart and Strapping Young Lad frontman Devin Townsend. Smart move lads I have to say.

They have kept the heavy, grinding guitar that they had before but it seems to have taken on a new lease of life and is even more menacing than ever. Their are bands that would kill for a sound like this!! They also use various samples which adds a new dimension to their music and is probably due to the influence of that man Devy Townsend. Just listen to Strapping Young Lad's "City" to hear how good this guy really is. The samples don't spoil it at all and are used sparingly and when they are they just make the overall impact even greater.

Opener "Pigwalk" complete with cool intro sample is a vicious snarling beast with a brutal stabbing riff and a nice bit of speed. This is the type of thing that separates them from the crowd. It also has a lovely mosh-bit grinding riff that makes this album worth buying just for this song alone. When turned up full on my headphones, I could actually feel my ears screaming in pain!! That's the way it should be!!

Other stand out tracks include "Mental Meltdown" that just reeks of raw energy; "(Here comes) The monster" which is one of the coolest and danceable tunes you may ever hear. It's such a catchy tune and it instantly grabs and draws you in and you just can't help moving with it. This could almost be their anthem tune and when you hear Bonz spitting out lines like "Time to unleash the beast from the south-east" you just know they are serious and don't take no shit and they certainly don't compromise. If only all bands had values like this; "Twisted" which is another one of those catchy riff tunes with a mild southern rock influence; "Animal" - a pounding fast f**ker that even when it slows down still threatens to rip off your head and smash it with a hammer then use your body as a punchbag; "Violated" - A speedy, nasty number about rape that is appropriately aggressive and is guaranteed to provoke an emotional reaction. Bonz' screams give you chills and as I sat listening and typing I found myself filling with rage towards men that abuse women (who, in my opinion should have their dicks cut off and forced down their throat). Following from this is a hip-hop/industrial style instrumental that is great to chill out to and is possibly there to calm the fire of "Violated".

It certainly seems like Stuck Mojo have a lot to say and this is made very apparent in the spoken word/instrumental called "The Sermon". This carries one of the truest messages about the state of the music industry today and follower "Despise" highlights this very effectively.

I would have to say that I f**kin' love this band and this album as well. It's purchase should be made compulsory and if you have any taste at all then you should make it one of your goals in life to own this album. For a taster, find a copy of the Brutal Bunch free CD's that came with Metal Hammer this year. You should find "Pigwalk" on number four and you can hear for yourself.

Rating: **********

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Graham Lapper, DJ extraordinaire

'Just Another Fake' is a ranting diatribe about people who pretend to like you, and unlike the lyrics to most songs these days, you can understand what he's talking about. Meaningful lyrics backed by powerful, skillful music: isn't that what music should be? Instantly the Hard Resistence vibe hits you and doesn't stop till the end of the CD. The music is basically metal with hardcore attitude, and will probably be enjoyed by any open minded individual that likes heavy music. All the songs are very memorable with clear, crunching guitar riffs and assaulting vocals.

'Friendship' is a heart-felt story of two best friends and the respect between them, ending with "R.I.P. I will never forget you, brothers to the core."

'Scratched' is basically a spiteful 'Fuck Off' to an ex girlfriend/wife who was screwing around and ruined a 17 year relationship.
"To us you are dead, buried, forever out of sight."

'Respect (for you)' is HR's answer to the Spice Girls' "Mama". How can someone write a metal 'I love you mum' song? I don't know how they did it, but it sounds ace. It has such a 'groove' to it. Very memorable, very heavy, very soppy, very heart-felt. I have respect for them for doing this song.
"I respect you
And all the things you do
You take care of me
And make me feel free"

This really is an excellent EP, I truly think most people would like it. If you want to get hold of it, try contacting their record company:
Lost And Found records
Bünteweg 1
30900 Wedemark
Germany

Rating: **********

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Kevin

Opening track, "It's all yours" is a very moody song but it rocks. My first impression was that Misery Loves Co. have changed a little. This is good though as they have progressed, expanded whatever you want to call it. Don't worry, they haven't totally changed or sold out. Far from it. They are still as abrasive and aggressive as ever. However, if they didn't progress then they would become another one of these sad bands like Oasis and Korn, to name two, that trowel out albums that are the same as their previous ones. This gets very boring but thankfully Misery haven't.

The overall feeling is one of anguish or possibly despair and there is a definite strong reference to the injustices of modern life. The band have probably seen and been through a lot of s**t in the last few years and this is reflected in the music.

The atmosphere projected is very dark and moody especially on songs like "Prove me wrong" - a slow and haunting start builds up into a provoking little number with a rather nice guitar that goes CRUNCH!. Second track "A million lies" is featured on Earache records' "Earplugged 2" compilation and I can see it becoming the first single from the album if they release any at all. Not that it is an easy access, mass appeal song. Quite the opposite as it maybe takes a couple of listens to get into but it grows on you and is one of those songs that you will remember and will be singing for ages. I doubt that they will be on MTV though. F**k yeah, I say, since all the best stuff is too scary for MTV.

This album is full of twists and turns and surprises at every turn. The start of "Complicated game" sounds like something Trent Reznor would be proud of but the similarity ends very soon. It quickly becomes more than anything that Trent can put together.

After this comes "Taste it (imaginary gun)" a rather cool and scary song that for some reason reminds me a little of Helmet. Strange. This tune rocks!

The vocals on the album overall are a little different. They are a lot more aggressive but there is still the interplay of the calm and harmonious with the guttural scream of torment which is an integral part of their music. It adds a lot more emotion to it and can't help provoke a reaction in the listener.

On a technical note, the production is tight and the guitar sound is full and heavy as are the bass lines. The drums pound and it is quite possible that they have opted to use real drums as opposed to machines. Listen for yourselves and see what you think.

Overall, I would have to say that "Not Like Them" is another damn fine piece of art from one of Sweden's finest exports and is a cracking bit of industrial metal that really isn't like anybody else.

Kevin: 'A Million Lies' (MH: 'A Thousand Lies'), 'Owe You Nothing' (Bros: 'I Owe You Nothing'), 'Deny Everything' (X-Files), 'Them Nails' (Megadeth: 'These Boots'), 'Feed The Creep' (Alice Cooper: 'Feed My Frankenstein'), 'Not The Only One' (strange G'n'R link)

Rating: **********

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Graham Lapper, DJ extraordinaire

This band are majorly influenced by Iron Maiden, Helloween (who also are heavily Maiden-influenced, surprise, surprise). and, to a lesser extent, Megadeth. We're talking melodramatic lyrics, Dickenson-esque wail-song and wall-to-wall cheesiness.

The thing is that bloody well works. It's immensely enjoyable, as long as you're not too uptight to admit that you actually like a bit of heavily spread cheese upon occasion. Mosh round your room to this when no-one's looking; I won't tell on you.

I particularly liked "Black", an ode to our favourite hue : over-the-top, dramatic and completely silly ("Black. Is the meaning of night." etc). "Despair" has a very singalong chorus (all together now: "Down in the depths of des-PAY-ERRRR!!!"), "Ready to Strike" could be described as "moshtastic", "Shadow Thief" describes a "silent assassion, clothed in black" (ooh scary), and "Sonnet of Sorrow" has a medieval feel, probably in an attempt to gain a little credibility.

It's pure cheese, but Hell, why not? Buy this and I'm sure it will get quite a few surreptitious plays.

Kevin: I love it! It's so much fun. I always liked Helloween (Keeper era) so naturally this is cool in my eyes. Helloween's 'Future World' and Jag Panzer's 'Future Shock': no similarities, honest.

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Wolfbitch

Back onto happier things. This album is well worth getting as it consists of very good rock tunes with brilliant guitar solo's and great songs to compliment them. All the songs are in the same style (hardly supprising) but each is a song on its own: none are too similar. I feel though that the drummer could be a bit more adventurous in some areas of certain songs which had long gaps between vocals; then again that may spoil the songs as the beat gives a very good groove for the rest of the band and the crowd at any concerts they have to get into the party mood.

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Malky

Garageland are a four-piece playing kinda retro indie rock-pop with quirky lyrics, sometimes reminiscent of Blur. In my opinion they are rather mediocre. They seem to employ the very standard song structures used by most close-to-mainstream giutar-based bands with boring riffs and uninspired drums.

You could argue that I'm not impressed because of their musical genre, but I think that they just lack a certain spark that makes bands like Blur and Oasis immediately appealing to the public. They sound like every other indie band and I have no desire to sing along.

Basically, Garageland are all right, but nothing special. Their music is mellow and quietly groovy at times and perfectly good background music. I wouldn't fork out good money for this though.

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Wolfbitch

To buy the CD contact: Powers Court, c/o Danie Powers, P.O.Box 2441, St. Lois, MO 63114

When I first put on the Powers Court CD sent to us, I burst out laughing. The first song "Lord of Winds and Breezes" (a title which immediately conjures up thoughts of flatulence, sorry) has really, really silly vocals: a sort of underwater demonic voice coupled with female screams of "oh, ah, oh-oh-ohh" (a bit like a very badly faked orgasm).

To be fair, the actual instrumental music on this album is very competently written and performed. It's "good old" trad metal, albeit a tad unoriginal with the second song "Spellbinder" shamelessly lifting a riff out of Sabbath's "Children of the Grave". There's a lot of catchy, meaty riffs which would be fine to mosh to if they didn't stop and start for attempted melodramatic effect.

What really ruins this album is Danie Powers' vocals. Her voice is not suited to this musical style and she makes matters worse by attempting to make it all eerie and eldritch by growling, screaming and using ridiculous filters (you have to hear "Season of the Witch"; the mixture of voices is what I imagine a paranoid schizophrenic hears in his/her head). She could have gained a little ground by using her female voice in "Dying Embers" effectively employing a clear flowing style, but she attempts to sound masculine and is too clipped.

I sincerely hope this band is taking the piss, but I doubt it. What is so hilarious about them is that they seem to take it all so seriously. How can you be serious when your lyrics have cheesy Pagan themes and are incredibly lame (although that never did Black Sabbath any harm -- then again, their "satanic" lyrics were really just a gimmick and they knew it). The problem with trying to be all dark, moody and scary is that if you don't pull it off you look completely stupid. I'm afraid that Powers Court lack the style and originality to avoid ridicule.

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Wolfbitch

Aerosmith - Nine Lives

That's all I can say as no more need be said other than: GREAT, SMASHING ,SUPER ,GET THE ALBUM!

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Malky