The Night Creeper - Uncle Acid

This is the fourth studio album by the UK's Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats. And for this album I guess Uncle Acid decided to go solo..... :). Hey did Led Zeppelin, or Mr. Bungle ever go solo after their groups broke up? Well all jokes aside (it'd be funnier if I was doing this when they dropped the Deadbeats title on their 2013 record) a friend of mine who does reviews showed me this band, and they are pretty solid. He has his own blogger located here. Check out his reviews, he does more metal and rock reviews. And this album cover screams Halloween in my mind. Well I don't have much to say about them other than I enjoyed this first time though, let's rip it apart this time and see if it holds up ;)

1. Waiting For Blood: This is the first track I heard from the record, and I think it's a great opener. It really grabbed my attention and made me want to review the album. This riff reminds me a ton of Sabbath, but not in a bad way. Like there are times riffs remind me of something and it is like "RIP OFF" but this, maybe the vocals help and the feeling to, I don't think it's a rip off. I think the solo is solid, it's got this really Sabbath all over. I mean even the solo sounds like Tony Iommi.
2. Murder Nights: For whatever reason I think this is a spoof on the title Boogie Nights. You know the 1990's movie with Heather Graham naked. That's reason enough alone to watch it.... Its finally on Netflix. Though I'd say it's not as good as I wished it would be. But as far as songs go this has a hypnotic feeling riff. It feels a tad evil, not sinister and satanic but dabbles in the occult. And the vocals here reminds me of a song that I think people might recognize Wrathchild. The vocal melody in the chorus (or refrain) that is, not the actual voice. The actual voice reminds me of Conan Mockasin, if he were in a Sabbath genre tribute band. All thought, if this was sped up, it might pass as an Iron Maiden riff. The section that changes, the bridge of sorts, it reminds me a ton of Who Do You Love percussion wise. But it is really cool. Only complaint, turn the guitars higher in the mix maybe, they sound really awesome.
3. Downtown: I assume this is the sequel to Prince's 1980 classic Uptown, or at the very least a sister song to it rather. This descending riff makes me feel like I'm going down. I do like the vocals, they sound rather heavenly. That was a left hook for me in all honesty. I just finished listening to albums from this year that bore me or either are uninteresting. The guitarist has another tasty solo, and after guitar part reminiscent of the ending of Train Kept A-Rollin', the song ends. 
4. Pusher Man: I laughed when I saw this title. There's a funk classic by the same name from the 70's. So I was kinda hoping this would be a cover of that track. A stoner rock cover of Curtis Mayfield's Superfly track..... I can picture it now. Sadly it's not a cover, but it is a still a solid track. This is a pretty solid pleasant, to my ears, song. They don't' just focus on slow and grit. Those harmony vocals really give it an atmosphere. I really love those harmonies. I friken love them.
5. Yellow Moon:  I love the flute, thought is doesn't really sound like a real flute. It kinda reminds me of a Mellotron. This beginning have a very intro/transition feeling to it. It's also an really nice change, similar (in the way it works) to what Fluff does on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Also the whole guitar and everything outside the "mellotron" remind me of both The Green Manalishi and Albatross by Fleetwood Mac. But shocking as it may be, this song evolves and changes into something much more joyous. I feel like it'd be a great ending. And that piano that come in at the end, I think they know how to pull my heart strings. While it's too soon to tell, I kinda feel like with a dozen or so more listens this could be a favorite of mine period.
6. Melody Lane: Isn't that located just down the street from Penny Lane. The music isn't bad here, it's more the vocals. The robotic, sharp, psychedelic Conan Mockasin-esque vocals just kinda hurt at the beginning. Now the refrain is awesome, and this song is awesome too. It's just that beginning part I don't think clicks.The solo is another great one. While I don't think it's mind blowing, it's still pretty sick sounding.
7. The Night Creeper: The title track, as you can see, is probably one of the lesser tracks. Not that I don't like it, but like the intro is just nothing that special. At this point the album has established what it can do, and what it's sound is. So this track just feels like it's sticking within those "limitations". I mean, yes there is an instrumental part that feels a bit different in terms and feels very epic and like it's going to build up. That same epic feeling that was missing from The Book of Souls, but I don't know. I just.... wish that build would pay off rather then building and doing a Book of Souls. And that solo isn't great enough to make me feel the thrill I wanted to feel.
8. Inside: This is a song that has a very, how do I put it, marching feeling to it. I mean not really, kinda, but like the guitar has this bluesy thing. It's just like notes are missing. Like instead of doing a blues. Just get your guitar out and play any blues rhythm guitar part, you know what I'm talking about, and it'll fit. Not that this is bad, I just.... don't know what to make of this.
9. Slow Death: Another slower song, that has rain. Oh they used rain, Black Sabbath rip off. If anything, I'd compare this to a non-psychedelic Conan Mockasin track. I know I've compared to vocals to that, but this track feels like one but without the psychedelia. It reminds me a tad of Forever Dolphin Love too. And I love that electric piano roll. This is a really good penultimate track. Very soothing. I also get a vague Planet Caravan feeling from this track. And the way the song gets louder and larger reminds me I Want You. And I can't believe that was 9 minutes long.
10. Black Motorcade: Closing the album was get something that sounds like it'd be better fit on, this might be a stretch, but The Wall. With just guitar as the prominent instrument, well and organ and vocals, it's a nice closer. And those strings really help add to the feeling of mellow I get.

Overall I give this 10 track record a rating of 8/10.  If theses guys are a rip off of Sabbath they are ripping of what makes them great. The fact that the band had no fears in the 70's is why I will never speak ill of them. They had the balls to push the boundaries of the genre they established. These guys clearly picked up on that. The songs here, while similar in sound, all have a certain thing were I can tell when a song starts and when one ends. They don't all blend together. That's really good. This will most likely be a favorite at the end of the year for me. And who knows; this time maybe next year, it will be a 9 or an 8.5. This thing is really great thought, check it out if you like metal or are open to just listening to anything really.

Death•Is•This•Communion• - High On Fire

This is the fourth full length album released by High On Fire. I found out about theses guys via Needledrop about a year or so ago. Well, one of my friends wanted me to do this album, so I said... Fuck You!. But more seriously, I did this. I think that the album cover is pretty sick. I've already heard half of De Vermis Mysteriis.

1. Fury Whip: The beginning of this song is interesting. It makes me want to stay and see what happens. Sometimes you hear something and it's like "no I don't want to go on", thus far I want to continue. The guys voice reminds me of a more raspy Lemmy. Actually, his voice reminds me a lot of Mastodon's lead singers voice. This song reminds me a little of the whole Blood Mountain album.
2. Waste of Tiamat: I like the acoustic intro to this song. The way that it sounds. This song is pretty cool. I think it's a lot like the first track, but that isn't always bad. I kind of want the next track to be more mixed up, but you know, whatever. I do like this solo a lot though. I think it's pretty cool the way it sounds.
3. Death of this Communion: This song actually reminds me a little of Black Sabbath. On their new album 13. I will be reviewing that soon, hopefully it will be up by the end of the month. I like the kind of "ugly?" sounding offbeat guitar hits. Other than that I don't really know what else to say.
4. Khanrad's Wall: I like the way this song kind of starts out Spanish sounding. I kind of hope that they keep some of that sound through the rest of the song.
5. Turk: I have a stuffed turkey named Turk. This song isn't actually that bad. I'm enjoying this song more than the last few. This song is kind of cool.
6. Headhunters: Where's Herbbie? I like the way that this song is starting out. It's kind of like an intro to this song.
7. Rumors of War: I think that this song is pretty good too. It's reminding me more of Mastodon, but good Mastodon. You know, not the songs that are weaker. 
8. DII: This is a pretty sick track. And I love the mellotron in the background. I wish you could hear it a little better. But yeah, this is a solid song.
9. Cyclopian Scape: I really like the beginning of this song. This is a pretty solid song. And the ending, that's pretty sick.
10. Ethreal: This song isn't as good as the last few for me, but you know, whatever.
11. Return to NOD: I do like this tracks title, but there isn't really anything special from this track. I mean I do like the "breakdown" part of the song, but beside that I am not hooked. Maybe in the future with a few more listens I'll be hooked, but yeah.

Overall I have to give this a 7/10. I don't hate this, but I don't think it was mind blowing. I did enjoy this and look forward to, definitely not anytime soon (maybe a few months), reviewing another album by these guys or in this genre.