Page 97 - Classic Rock (January 2020)

and friends (but notably not succeeds in digging her own
Noddy Holder who, Falkenberg grave), to Dunaway’s AC-esque
notes pointedly “refrained from soundtrack. The results call to
contributing to this book”). mind the classic Universal horror
Having the diaries at her pictures of the 1930s: the
disposal bogs the story down in studio’s man-made monsters
humdrum detail sometimes, but and walking dead have inspired
it still offers its fair share of tall the work of both Dunaway and
tales, particularly from Slade’s Cooper, together and apart,
penniless early days, along with since the pair first formed the
some unflinching reflections band that would ultimately
from Powell. And while conceive the enduring Alice
Falkenberg’s writing is brand, way back in Phoenix’s
somewhat cliche-prone, she Cortez High School.
does a fair job of allowing her Tish and Snooky Bellomo
subject to tell his story, even if (original Blondie backing
it’s not entirely in his own words. vocalists, NYC scene legends)
QQQQQQQQQQ cameo as wedding guests,
Johnny Sharp original AC stylist Cindy Smith
Dunaway captures the perfect
Slayer look, and Dunaway exudes

The Repentless Killogy glacial reanimated cool.
NUCLEAR BLAST QQQQQQQQQQ
Farewell tour show, plus grisly Ian Fortnam
short film.
Slayer’s career Manic Street
ends as it began, Preachers
as one of the Be Pure – Be Vigilant
heaviest bands on – Behave
earth, and dogged, to the very The Manics revisit The Holy
last, by comparison to the biggest Bible live; justice is done.
of thrash metal’s Big Four. Released within days of
The Repentless Killogy comes Oasis’s Definitely Maybe, The
in two parts: a concert filmed at Holy Bible, Manic Street
the LA Forum in 2017 during the Preachers’ third album, was
band’s final tour, and a fictional a spoonful of battery acid in
mini-movie based around three Britpop’s sugary tea. Brutal,
exceptionally gruesome videos metallic and embedded deep in
for their last album, Repentless. In main lyricist Richey Edwards’s
the latter, fantasy and reality are battles with depression, political
blurred, with scenes from the LA disillusion and anorexia (he’d go
show and a brief and badly acted missing within six months of the
cameo from the four members album’s release), it was the
of the band, all of which has Manics’ most bleak and
echoes of Metallica’s so-called disturbing work and, 25 years on,
‘thriller concert film’ Through The still widely considered their best.
Never, albeit with a high body Despite some stylish military
count in keeping with the garb on the part of bassist Nicky
brutality of Slayer’s music. Wire, the Manics, who toured
But the regulation concert the album in its entirety on its
footage tells its own story, of 20th anniversary in 2014, clearly
a legendary band bowing out in weren’t the balaclava-wearing
all their satanic majesty, evil pop terrorists of 1994, but the
genius defined in Angel Of Death. album itself had lost little of its
QQQQQQQQQQ confrontational impact, from
Paul Elliott the relatively breezy opening
Yes to menacing industrial
Cold Cold Coffin slaughterhouse rock like Archives
Dir: Brian Cichocki Of Pain, 4st 7lb and The Intense
HARD FOUR PRODUCTIONS Humming Of Evil. In a film that
No-budget indie clip punches reportedly gave Wire
above its weight. a headache, director Keiran
Working and Evans lurks behind on-stage
wowing the netting, often shooting out-of-
world’s film focus, exaggerating the nihilistic
festival circuit and voyeuristic feel of the record
alongside Steven and allowing the euphoric
Gaddis’s Live From moments of Of Walking Abortion,
The Astroturf, Alice Cooper, this She Is Suffering, Revol and
beautifully realised, coal-black- Mausoleum to burst forth like
humoured, monochrome noir glory from gristle.
short features the band’s original A staggering testament to the
bassist Dennis Dunaway. Calico dark power of open-heart rock.
Cooper also stars (as an QQQQQQQQQQ
avaricious gold digger who only Mark Beaumont