Album review overview: Megadeth, Van Morrison and more

Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are way too many to listen to them all, let alone review them. It ensures that too many albums are left behind. And that’s a shame. That is why today we post an overview of albums that arrive at the editors in short reviews.

The Inter Section Going Places

Adventurous fusion, with influences from prog, jazz and electronica. That is The Inter Section: not a traditional band, but an international collaborative project featuring no fewer than 25 musicians from ten different countries, which nevertheless delivered a solid album with “Jazz and All That” in 2024. Now there is the follow-up: “Going Places”. No idea where the group has been, but it has not been very inspiring. The album opens with “We Have Liftoff”, and immediately the sterile sound stands out. As if everything comes from a MIDI keyboard: the kind of device that works overtime on King’s Day as automated accompaniment for well-meaning recorder tunes with which children earn a few euros. The collective around composer and producer Steve Ehrlich never really manages to surprise. The melodic fusion, with touches of funk and soul as a melting pot, is skilfully ruined by an overly clinical production, making everything sound equally flat. Take “Soul Much Love”: this is what a cheap wedding band sounds like, unworthy of a project like The Inter Section. And that is a shame, because if you listen past the production, you can clearly hear that the problem is not the compositions themselves: they are thoughtful and well constructed. The only real highlight on the album is “Blouberg Blues”. Otherwise, this is mainly a missed opportunity. (Jeroen Mulder) (4/10) (Inter Section Music)

The Paper Kites If You Go There, I Hope You Find It

The Australian indie folk formation The Paper Kites releases an atmospheric and dreamy masterpiece with “If You Go There, I Hope You Find It”. The band is known for its ethereal sound, which is further deepened on this new album with beautiful arrangements and harmonies. “If You Go There, I Hope You Find It” takes the listener on a calm journey through melancholic landscapes and intimate thoughts. Singles such as “The Sweet Sound Of You” and “June’s Stolen Car” showcase the band’s familiar strength, with the interaction between the different voices creating a magical effect. The guitar work is subtle and refined, allowing the focus to rest fully on the lyrical content and the overall atmosphere. The production is spacious and evokes the feeling of a live recording in a remote cabin, which only enhances the authenticity of the project. There is a constant flow of soothing melodies that never feel forced and invite repeated listening in silence. This album is the ideal companion for early mornings or late evenings when time is allowed to stand still. A beautiful demonstration of craftsmanship. (Norman van den Wildenberg) (7/10) (Nettwerk Music Group)

The Mel Outsider Reformation Mel Goes Funky

The Mel Outsider Reformation is the band built around singer and producer Adrian Melling. As a producer and technician, Melling has worked with artists and bands such as Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens, Wishbone Ash and Michael Chapman, to name just a few. He has also worked with the old bluesman David ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards, with plans to release recordings later this year. But that aside. Alongside his production work, he spent many years as a member of The Outsiders UK, not to be confused with the Dutch band around Wally Tax, hence the addition UK. For several years now, he has been the frontman of The Mel Outsider Reformation, an eleven-piece band. After the successful “Miss Victory V” from a few years ago, the second album has now been released, titled “Mel Goes Funky”. The album contains ten self-written songs. It has not really become a pure funk album. Funk is present, certainly, and it swings, but the roots clearly lie in blues, soul and rock. Bassist Matt Pawson, who also plays dobro, dulcimer and keyboards, and drummer Karl Francis keep everything tight and provide a solid foundation. The other musicians, guitars, keyboards, horns and singers can build the rest of the structure on top of that. Notably, each song is essentially a short story set to music. The opener “I’ve Been Unfriended” immediately presents a cheerfully sounding calling card. A very nice detail can be heard in “Consider The Waitress”, in which the waitress herself makes an appearance in the form of singer Helen May. Other tracks that deserve special mention in my view are the orchestral “Backroads Again”, a fine duet with Helen May, and the more than seven-minute-long “Jet Black”. “Mel Goes Funky” has turned out to be a very good album. Varied, well-written and excellently performed. Highly recommended. (Eric Campfens) (8/10) (Planet Records)

Megadeth Megadeth

With their seventeenth and final studio album, Megadeth does what few bands dare or are able to do: say goodbye on their own terms while still performing at the highest level. Produced by frontman Dave Mustaine and Chris Rakestraw, this self-titled album proves that the thrash metal pioneers have lost none of their technical skill or their ability to write blisteringly fast, intricate riffs after four decades. Lead single “Tipping Point” opens explosively with a thunderous guitar solo before Mustaine’s iconic voice takes over, a statement that this farewell is meant to be taken seriously. Tracks such as “I Don’t Care”, “Let There Be Shred” and “Puppet Parade” show the band in full thrash mode, with newcomer guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari and returning bassist James LoMenzo delivering solid performances. The special bonus track “Ride The Lightning”, co-written by Mustaine with Metallica’s James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and the late Cliff Burton, serves as an emotional bridge back to where it all began, a respectful tribute to his roots. While some songs may sound a little safer than the experimental peaks of the past, the band compensates with a consistency and professionalism befitting veterans of their calibre. The album cover, designed by filmmaker Tim Burton and depicting a burning Vic Rattlehead, perfectly captures the apocalyptic atmosphere. For fans, this is not a swan song filled with self-pity, but a dignified end to a legendary career, played with the conviction of a band that knows when it is time to stop. (Anton Dupont) (8/10) (BLKIIBLK)

Van Morrison Somebody Tried To Sell Me A Bridge

At eighty, Van Morrison remains an indefatigable force in music, and with “Somebody Tried To Sell Me A Bridge” he returns to the blues, the genre that forms his musical DNA. This twenty-track album is a love letter to classic blues, featuring fresh interpretations of standards made famous by B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Lead Belly and John Lee Hooker. Recorded in the historic Studio D in Sausalito, California, Morrison is joined by an impressive cast of blues royalty, including Taj Mahal, Buddy Guy himself and Elvin Bishop, alongside his regular band of recent years. The album opens with “Kidney Stew Blues” and takes listeners on a journey through the history of the blues, with Morrison’s distinctive voice and multi-instrumental talents at the centre. Highlights include a radically reworked version of Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame”, slowed down to ballad tempo and enriched with gospel-like vocals, and an electrifying rendition of John Lee Hooker’s “Deep Blue Sea” featuring guitar work by Elvin Bishop. The collaboration with Taj Mahal on “On A Monday” and “Delia’s Gone” adds extra colour without overshadowing Morrison’s unmistakable stamp. The production is warm and organic, retaining the spontaneity of live recordings while never sounding messy. While some tracks may feel like filler on this extensive tracklist, the moments where Morrison’s deep knowledge of and passion for the blues fully shine through prevail. This is not a groundbreaking album, but it is proof that Morrison can still be relevant and vital at an advanced age when he returns to the music that shaped him. (Elodie Renard) (7/10) (Orangefield Records)