Westbound Nocturnal

DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present the long-awaited fourth album of Germany’s NOCTURNAL, Serpent Death.As aptly titled as any NOCTURNAL full-length so far, Serpent Death slithers and strikes with a venomous menace. Arguably the band’s best-produced as well as best-played record to date, Serpent Death loses not an ounce of power and poignancy; if anything, NOCTURNAL sound more energetic than ever, revitalized and ripping and defying their seemingly advanced age. Whereas the preceding Storming Evil perhaps leaned too much on the cleaner side of things, Serpent Death is robustly analog, flexing both muscle and clarity, all while remaining steadfastly analog. Further, there’s more (but subtle) twists in the songwriting and dynamics, evincing an ageless metal wisdom whilst not sacrificing any urgency in the process. Avenger, as always, is an absolute riff-machine, firing off memorable lines right and left, but he’s more-than-ably backed up by a blood-red-vital rhythm section in bassist Incinerator and drummer John Berry. New vocalist Invoker has a rougher and more hollering voice, perfectly suited for these classic metal-inclined tunes. So, less “sharp” pure thrash and more “warmer” traditional metal: it’s a trade-off that pays in spades on Serpent Death. Timeless, eternal, both behind the times and ahead of ‘em – there’s few bands with a body of work quite like NOCTURNAL. Even if it’s another five-plus years between albums, Serpent Death handily satisfies with a sound that’s so old, it’s new!

Tides of Despair is the new record from Nocturnal Depression, more than ten albums in from one of the big names in depressive black metal who started out in the mid-2000s.The album is fully composed, written and recorded by Herr Suizid, rejoining Nocturnal Depression after a long break, and Lord Lokhraed, with guest performance of other great artists on vocals and guitars, and mixed by Alessandro ‘Algol’ Comerio, multi-instrumentalist from Forgotten Tombs, Hiems and Mek Na Ver.

Westbound Train has been skanking around the Boston scene since the new millennium got under way, and Transitions is the group's third album and their debut for the Hellcat label. Like Bim Skala Bim, the godfather of the Beantown ska scene, the septet's trad sound is fired by emotive, soulful vocals. And although they're not quite as polished as Bim yet, this Westbound Train is still bound for the big time.

Dennis Coffey - Live Wire: The Westbound Years 1975-1978 (2008) {Westbound CDSEWD 148}
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© 1975-78, 2008 Westbound Records / Ace Records | CDSEWD 148
R&B / Funk / R&B Instrumental / Detroit Rock / Disco / Pop Soul / Guitar

When Dennis Coffey’s incendiary ‘Scorpio’ went both Pop and R&B Top 10, it was a surprise for both the guitarist and his record label. The album from which it came had already been and gone when some pioneering New York DJs started playing this cut to full dancefloors. Suddenly Dennis Coffey was catapulted from successful producer and session guitarist to star status. ‘Scorpio’ went on to have an extended afterlife as one of the founding tunes of hip hop. Dennis recorded several more albums for Sussex before the label went belly-up in the mid-70s, but by this time he had over a decade’s experience as a session guitarist, playing on many of the great Detroit soul recordings at Motown, Ric-Tic, Invictus and many more. Along with Mike Theodore he had produced several great records, both in his home city and in LA. On the basis of this track record Westbound’s Armen Boladian approached the pair to see if they could be tempted to become producers and artists for him back in Detroit.

When the Ohio Players recorded their second Westbound album, Pleasure, in 1972, they weren't as big as they would be from 1974-1976. But their popularity was growing – slowly but surely – and those who were hip to the band recognized it as one of the most cutting-edge acts in the funk field. A lot of bands were providing funk in 1972, but not many of them used jazz progressions as creatively as the Players used them on "Laid It," "Walked Away from You," and Pleasure's title song. Those tracks are gems, and the Players are equally captivating on the sweet soul ballad "Varee Is Love."

Creatively, commercially, and conceptually, Pain was a major step forward for the Ohio Players. This 1971 album was quite a departure from their previous work – in the late-'60s, the Midwesterners' forte had been raw, hard-edged Southern-style soul along the lines of Sam & Dave, Rufus Thomas, and Wilson Pickett. But with Pain, they became a lot more experimental and unveiled an interesting, distinctive brand of funk that incorporated elements of jazz and blues as well as rock. The jazz influence is especially strong on "Never Had a Dream," "Singing in the Morning," and the hit title song, while "The Reds" is a progressive blues number that draws on jazz as well as psychedelic rock.

Hailing from Indianapolis, Caesar Frazier (spelled ‘Ceasar’ from time to time) was a funky soul-jazz organist who recorded several albums for the Eastbound/Westbound label family during the ‘70s. In addition to recording on his own, Frazier also played keyboards in Marvin Gaye’s backing band. Collaborations with contemporaries were numerous and to this day Frazier’s legacy is still alive through samples & remixes from outfits such as ‘Gang Starr’ and ‘Arrested Development’. In 1972 Frazier cut his first album ‘Hail Ceasar’, which featured musicians commonly associated with the Prestige label’s jazz-funk outings — Melvin Sparks (guitar), Houston Person (tenor), and Idris Muhammad (drums).