By Maxazine South Africa 
Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are too many to listen to, let alone review. This ensures that too many albums are left behind, and that’s a shame. That is why we post an overview of albums that arrive at the editors today, with short reviews.
Photo (c) Jorge Fakhouri Filho
Slothrust – What They Grow In The Garden
The American alternative rock trio presents a versatile new collection of songs that swings between catchy pop melodies and gritty guitar outbursts. On “What They Grow In The Garden”, the band tries to appeal to a broader audience by coupling accessible choruses with their familiar quirky lyrics. The fierce single “Dystopian Cemetery” has excellent radio energy and immediately gets stuck in the listener’s head. Yet it is striking how inconsistent the level proves to be throughout the entire length of the record. Tracks such as “Twisted Paradise” lean a little too heavily on predictable pop structures, which comes at the expense of artistic tension. More successful is the prickly “Burn The Deck”, in which the band once again dares to show its rough edges to the listener. It has become an entertaining and commercially appealing record, although you will search in vain for truly innovative musical approaches within the guitar genre. (William Brown) (7/10) (Equal Vision)
St. Paul & The Broken Bones – Proxy
The well-known soul outfit from Alabama delivers a compact but highly energetic new collection of songs. On “Proxy”, the band returns to a very direct and unpolished funky sound that blasts tightly from the speakers from the very first second. The invigorating single “Loving Wrong” forms the dynamic centrepiece of this release and allows the raw vocals to come fully into their own. The horn section on the tight “Cold Trace” sounds exceptionally fierce and penetrating, giving the songs enormous stage power. Yet it remains a shame that this release, with only four tracks, is over very quickly, making it feel more like an interlude. The quieter song “Gutter” brings a little more emotional balance, but cannot entirely compensate for the abundance of machismo rhetoric. The band delivers a likeable and very powerful record that will undoubtedly provide a huge explosion of energy live. (Daniel Harris) (7/10) (Thirty Tigers)
Kai Hansen – Born With A Hammer
“Born With A Hammer” is the solo album by the German singer/guitarist Kai Hansen, co-founder of Helloween and founder of Gamma Ray. Figurehead of German power metal. The album sounds very modern, as does the music on “Born With A Hammer”. The man responsible for this is Eike Freese, who has also worked with Deep Purple and Simple Minds, among others. “Born With A Hammer” is his first solo project since “XXX-Three Decades In Metal”, which was released in 2016. The musicians playing on the album are a mix of familiar names and family. Besides Kai himself, we hear his son Tim on guitar, and Eike Freese is not only responsible for the sound but also plays a bit of guitar on “Born With A Hammer”. The rhythm section consists of Alexander Dietz of Heaven Shall Burn on bass, while Dan Wilding of Carcass is behind the drum kit. A warning for Helloween and Gamma Ray fans, the music on “Born With A Hammer” differs quite considerably from these bands. Of course, we also hear these two bands reflected in the music on this album, particularly on the final tracks of the album, but stylistically it is nevertheless something quite different. Not pure power metal but traditional heavy metal/hard rock with plenty of room for Kai’s vocals and electronic accents such as in “I.D.G.A.F.” The best song is the title track, which I can without any doubt describe as the “Bohemian Rhapsody” of metal. What a fantastic song! Hats off to Kai Hansen, who does not play it safe with “Born With A Hammer” but chooses to colour outside the lines. (8/10) (earMUSIC)
Lizz Wright & Kenny Banks Sr. – Nearness
Lizz Wright is a versatile singer who, since her debut “Salt” in 2003, now has seven albums to her name. Her latest project, “Nearness”, is released together with Kenny Banks Sr., a highly regarded jazz pianist with whom she has been working for some time. “Nearness” is an intimate, minimalist album, carried by Wright’s warm vocals and Banks Sr.’s subtle piano accompaniment. Wright has a beautiful voice. Her delivery and timing are among the best in her class. Opener “The Nearness of You” sets the tone with a fitting, restrained setting. That is precisely where both the strength and the limitation of the album lie. The space, calm and musical refinement can be pleasant, but also require a listener who is willing to surrender to them completely. Because although the small line-up beautifully exposes the qualities of both performers, the music lacks some dynamics at times. A subtle orchestral colouring might perhaps have provided more variation. It never becomes bad, but being truly carried away proves to be a challenge. Even Amazing Grace remains somewhat lukewarm, whereas more sustained intensity seems possible precisely there. A wonderful album for a quiet Sunday morning. But for a complete listening experience, the musical stimulus is sometimes lacking. (Bart van de Sande) (5/10) (Blues and Greens)
Anthrax – Cursum Perficio
Anthrax are back, and not gently. After ten years of silence, the men come crashing in with “Cursum Perficio”, an album that both nods to the past and looks ahead. The title is Latin for ‘my journey is complete’, and that sense of completion hangs over the entire record. Opener “Persistence of Memory” begins slowly with an orchestral edge, before “The Long Goodbye” turns things up a notch. It is only with “It’s for the Kids” that the band unleashes the real violence: ripping riffs, pounding drums and a chorus that calls for a mosh pit. “The Edge of Perfection” is a strikingly experimental track on the album, almost seven minutes long and with an icy edge that you would not immediately expect from Anthrax. Further on, “Infectious” and “Watch It Go” provide the necessary noise, while “My Victory” closes the album as it should: with a full chorus and without unnecessary fuss. Not everything is equally sharp, some songs remain stuck in neat mediocrity, but anyone who likes raw thrash will find plenty to enjoy here. Not a polished farewell album, but an honest, solid blast. (Anton Dupont) (7/10) (Nuclear Blast / Megaforce)
