.:CD Reviews:.
GROUND OF RUIN – Cloaked In Doctrine (Ground Of Ruin 2008) |
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GROUND OF RUIN is an Irish Metal band combining elements from Black, Death and Thrash Metal. In short this leads to Blackened Death/Thrash. Formed in 2003, the band has been putting a lot of effort in making their own tunes and getting out the word about them through gigs at festivals and elsewhere with big names like DESASTER, DESTRUCTION, MOURNING BELOVETH, ANATA, and several others.
Signed they are not, but that didn't stop them from creating a few releases: "Promo 2005", "Visions Of Obscenity" (EP, 2006), "Promo 2007" and their latest output, "Cloaked In Doctrine", the EP that came out on the 30th of December. The collaboration with Lugga Music Productions should help to get more promotion and gigs and maybe eventually lead to a label deal, so they can finally start making full albums.
"Cloaked In Doctrine" contains four tracks, totalling a playtime of almost 23 minutes. "Upon The 13th Hour" is an intro, starting with a soft "storm", followed by soft symphonics in a dark atmosphere. Carefully the accoustic guitar comes in, creating a nice atmosphere while offering a relaxing tune. But then all hell breaks loose with the title track. Thrash, pure and honest. The Black Metal elements are present via the vocals and the sound of the guitars, in a way. Interestingly the band knows how to keep the attention alive by slowing down at some point and adding more melody, to strike back with full force.
"Burning The Olive Branch" starts in a Doomy manner with double leads. The midtempo music of the verses transposes into something more pounding in the chorus, where Dave uses his throat to growl. Then the music falls back to the Doomy kind of before, after which it evolves to a mixture of Black and Thrash, with the typical humpapa rhythm. Overall this is another very nice song, but I did have the impression the band stretched it as if not knowing when to stop or what turn to take before putting an end to it.
Last but not least there's "Beneath Contempt". The Black Metal riffing plays a looped melody, the drums accentuate via the cymbals. Here as well, Thrash is what follows and how! The chorus is where the tempo drops a bit, to drop even more with the music going Doom again and releasing all anger in a Death/Thrash combo that made me think of CENTINEX, the Swedish Death Metallers. Much further in the song you also get a slow solo part to break the speed. But rest assured that the band hits the pedal again afterwards to end this EP in a splendid manner.
There are still lots of great underground acts that deserve more attention than they're getting. And that counts for bands from Belgium, Germany, France, Scandinavia, USA, Ireland and many other countries. One of the Irish formations has the chance to achieve more and that is GROUND OF RUIN. Releasing something each year is another reason to not doubt their determination, next to the quality Metal they bring. Even if it's only now that this band is brought to my attention, I can honestly say that "Cloaked In Doctrine" is an EP/MCD to check out if you're into the more extreme side of Metal that are Black, Death and Thrash. May these Irish be signed by a label that knows how to deal with this kind of band, so the means for full albums and tours can be made available.
More info at www.myspace.com/groundofruin.
Line-up:
Dave Hynes - vocals
Rob Chanders - guitars
Dom Brennan - guitars
Derek Gibson - bass
Francis Moran - drums
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TANKARD, the kings of Beer Thrash, celebrated their 25th birthday last year with a Best Of album containing a re-recorded selection from their back catalogue - sort of like DESTRUCTION did earlier the same year with their "Thrash Anthems" - and titled it "Best Case Scenario: 25 Years In Beers".
The band's last proper studio release was "The Beauty And The Beer", which was released in 2006 and was, all things considered, a very decent Thrash album, inline with what TANKARD has been doing all along. TANKARD is never mentioned when it comes to German Thrash. It's always KREATOR, SODOM and DESTRUCTION that occupy the throne and who can have anything against that? TANKARD on the other hand have been and still are about beer... and Thrash. Also, the production, once again handled by Andy Classen (KRISIUN, SPELLBOUND, HOLY MOSES, PRESIDENT EVIL, SENCIROW, LEGION OF THE DAMNED and many more), has never been about brutality like most other releases he/Andy worked on. Fun is an important factor in the compositions and the sound doesn't need to be like a thunderstorm (like KRISIUN's latest output), so keeping it Thrashy and at the same time polished is more than enough for these beerfans.
"Thirst" is the 13th album and their 5th via AFM Records. The release was set on the 19th December. Ten songs, totalling a playtime of almost 45 minutes of pure and straight-forward Thrash. The lads play a lot in high revs, as shown in songs like "Octane Warriors", "Deposit Pirates", "Stay Thirsty!" (although midtempo seems to dominate at first), "Hyperthermia", "Zodiac Man" and not in the least in "G.A.L.O.W." ("Gods And Legends Of War"), where the bass guitar plays a very important role. The pace is a bit slower in "Echoes Of Fear", even though Olaf increases the tempo later on, "When Daddy Comes To Play", which features a children's choir for a specific reason (see below), "Myevilfart" and the last track, "Sexy Feet Under".
Overall TANKARD present another load of decent Thrash, but somehow I cannot consider this a killer album. It's not, because there are a few filler songs. Personally, I thought the faster tracks were the better ones and those seems to be what TANKARD does best. At the same time you can be easily confused in terms of tempo. For example, a song starts slow, going to midtempo and you think this si the general pace with maybe a step on the gas in the chorus. But no, all of a sudden the pace is upped several levels and it's a bit hard to distinguish bridge from verses, so to speak. Fast Thrash, no problem - in fact, Thrash should be, no, is fast - but at least try to keep some structure in the songs.
Lyrically Gerre and co. opted for the following subjects: e.g. energy crisis and political involvement, foot fetish, Finland and saunas and last but not least, the pedophile case in Austria earlier this year. A man known as Fritzl had locked up his daughter for more than 15 years, abused her, had a few kids with her, etc...etc... without her ever letting leave the house, find a job, meet friends, and so on. Hence also the addition of a children's choir in the song. Why this choir re-appears at the end of "Sexy Feet Under" is a riddle to me.
So, all things considered, is "Thirst" worth buying? TANKARD fans need not worry and can buy this unheard. Thrash fans will also have a nice treat here, but if you're critical enough there's a chance you'll shift your attention to DESTRUCTION, KREATOR, HEXEN, maybe even LEGION OF THE DAMNED and others. Everything is well executed and the sound is good, but somehow it's a bit too much of the same after a while. Or in other words, TANKARD has been Thrashing since more than 25 years and you just know what you get. You like/love it or you don't. Heck, why change a winning formula?
More info at www.tankard.org.
Line-up:
Andreas Geremia - vocals
Andy Gutjahr - guitars
Frank Thorwath - bass
Olaf Zissel - drums
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I got to know (about) the Greek Black Metal band UNHOLY RITUAL last year (2007) when they released "Promo '07" in order to reach a bigger audience and also make sure labels would find the band worthy to add to their roster. And so it happened, as Emotion Art Entertainment & Music Ltd. offered the guys a contract. The first release is the long-awaited debut album "Rex Mundi". At first the album was supposed to come out via JordanRiver Ent(ertainment?) early 2008, but after a few months it became clear UNHOLY RITUAL would have to find another label to do this. "Rex Mundi" came out eventually on the 17th December.
I already added a short biographical part in my review of "Promo '07", but there's a small update: guitarist Trauma left the band and has been replaced by two other guitarists: Åd Ventus ("Herald Of Unspoken Aeons") and A.Z ("Destroyer Of Eternities"). And if I'm correct, drummer Blastphemer also left and has been replaced by Talos ("Mechanical Blasphemy"), unless he just changed his name. Either way, the "Promo '07" line-up also finalized "Rex Mundi".
The new album consists of older and new songs. All songs from "Promo '07" (see **) made it onto this debut, as well as two from the "Denial From Heaven" demo (see *) from 2001. The track "Unholy Ritual" dates from 2004. The cover art is the same as before, but the band's logo has changed. As there are four tracks I already commented on, a first portion of the review is easily made.
From the first song, "Killer Instinct", on you get a great mix of melody, bombast and brutality. The keyboards are very important - pretty obvious considering the symphonic aspect of the songs -, although most input comes from the guitars. The keyboards set in gently, but the killing starts sooner than you think. Blastbeats, demonic vocals (Erevos undergoing a transformation for this), throat-slicing riffs, ... everything's there. Variation is a key aspect of the songs, be it the melody, drumming or atmosphere. One change that needs mentioning is the one around 02:55, which reminded me of an INNER FEAR song. Now, I don't know the band, but I do know of Marthus, the drummer: click here to see him play the song that contains the melodic part that I heard in UNHOLY RITUAL's composition. This specific part is simply great and so different from the normal flow of this song. You get another side-step around 04:30, which is Blastphemer's moment.
"Vae Victus" is next and for this song the band shot a video, which they burnt on the accompanying DVD (with "Promo '07"), but can also be seen on their Myspace page. There's no time to rest before the start of this second track and the pace has been fastened a few levels, while a pinch of violence has been added as well. Musically you compare it with KEEP OF KALESSIN and DIMMU BORGIR. The symbiosis of heavy guitars and symphonic elements works extremely well and makes this song more than worthwhile to listen to. The keyboards's role has been expanded a bit, with more attention for the piano portion.
"What Lies Beneath" must be much more vicious and ferocious again, which leaves you with the question "What kind of beast is this?", for its power and velocity are not to be mocked. Direct target-acquiring, instant killing. The shrieks and brutal instrumentation form the musical equivalent of the beast or an army of monstrous soldiers. You can easily imagine a battle between two or more tribes, although lyrics indicate something completely different. But know that the song is another proof of UNHOLY RITUAL's skills.
"Childish Fears" starts with a mysterious, creepy intro (which returns around halfway, accompanied by a child's laughter) before the guitars and drums set in. The pace is slow at first, but there's never a sacrifice of heaviness. Erevos's input shows similarities with the shrieks of Dani Filth (CRADLE OF FILTH), to name just him. The whole atmosphere of this song is very sad and depressing. Around 02:45 the Greeks go more Progressive, in the vein of DREAM THEATER, VANDEN PLAS and the likes. When the band is ready for the final part of the song, you can be sure there's no need to think of sweet, playful dreams. This is dark and depressing music, an attack on your mind. To focus on the "Childish" element and put an end to the "Fears", the band used a music box. Now that's what I call original (although it's probably been done before), since this is a very appropriate object here.
"Exiled As A Serpent (Returned As A Wolf)" is the first song that seperates the "Promo '07" songs from the new ones. Starting in a mysterious way with icy winds, the storm breaks loose and Erevos' demonic voice welcomes you. The music is dangerously aggressive and a threat to the mind, especially in the verses. The keyboards assist the guitars in the chorus where the pace is set at midtempo. Afterwards Q_Snc can continue with his melodic leads in symphonic format. This is another great song, but especially the vocal parts are mindblowing. Erevos' shrieks are demonic, bestial and whatever else that fits this context. It's as if his throat is being raped, so to speak.
The bridge towards "Consequences" is provided by the instrumental and bombastic interlude "In Flagrante Delicto", with a key role for the organ, backed by choirish keyboards. All in all quite a good track, as it also breaks the violent stream of sound UNHOLY RITUAL delivers.
"Consequences" shows once more that keyboards are a vital instrument in UNHOLY RITUAL's music. The typical Black Metal blasting flows out of the speakers together with Q_Snc's leads, while Erevos' icy vocals guide them further. In the verses the keyboards play a more atmospheric role, while the might and power comes from the guitars, pushed onwards by Blastphemer's mad drumwork. This aggressive part is cut off by a softer moment dominated by the piano and symphonic elements, after which the power is restored with inclusion of the demonic, icy vocals. And truth be told, they annoy a lot and even ruin the song to some extent. The music, on the other hand, is more than good. Towards the end you get a spacey keyboard solo while the Black Metal chuggs on before the final step on the gas. Everything ends with church choir chants and a melody that made think of QUEEN's "The Show Must Go On". Overall, a decent song, but the vocals are the weakest link.
And this brings us to the other old song, "Where God's Light Is An Error", that forms a barrier that blocks the passage to the last two new songs. It's a fast midtempo track where the blasting comes in once the right pace is found. The soft keyboard melodies contrast heavily with the powerful guitarwork. Around 01:45 there's a very nice rocking part before all falls silent and the tension is slowly being rebuilt. Sadly, Erevos' demonic vocals do annoy again. Maybe not if the song would be played apart among other bands' songs.
"Subquantum" is the last real new song, since "Unholy Ritual" dates from 2004. Cold winds, some thunder, evil undergrounds, tension rising... Are we in Mordor? Or worse? Danger approaches... whispers of evil calling upon the God of the Woods...
...after which it's best to be on your guard as the "Unholy Ritual" unfolds. Typical Black Metal sets in, with a demo-ish sound. Ingredients consists of shrieking vocals, varied tempos and rhythm and especially Blastphemer's input that stands out. This is a very good, but raw old school song, injected with piano accents and keybord soloing. And yes, the vocals effects of before are also applied here. The music - must it be said? - is as qualitative as the majority on "Rex Mundi". In short, "Unholy Ritual" is a great song to end a very good debut album. On a sidenote, Aphazel from ANCIENT provided the ghost vocals.
"Promo '07" was a very pleasing release for me, also because it convinced me of the potential of UNHOLY RITUAL. A copy-paste from the review: "On a musical level one should consider the band a marriage between (old) EMPEROR and (new) DIMMU BORGIR. The vocals are inline with those of Shagrath, Ihsahn and alike." And this logically counts for "Rex Mundi", which shows a powerful force that can get as big as its colleagues abroad and can help to put Greece on the (Black) Metal map. Pure quality is assured here and the variety or better, Progressiveness, makes UNHOLY RITUAL stand apart from other typical genre bands. The sole problem for me was the effect - the effect, not Erevos' input itself, which was very good - applied on Erevos' singing/shrieking, sounding like an icy cold wind. In practically each (!) song can you hear it. It might have its use, but sometimes it's better to let the music do the talking. I'll end in rougly the same way as before: To all fans of Symphonic (and Progressive!) Black Metal: surf to the band's MySpace page and empty your wallet for "Rex Mundi" or order it at your local shop or online.
More info at www.myspace.com/unholyritual.
Line-up:
Erevos - vocals
Trauma - guitar
Q_Snc - keyboards
Drakhon - bass
Blastphemer - drums
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A new band has risen: VOODOO CIRCLE. Mastermind behind this formation is guitarist Alex Beyrodt (SILENT FORCE, ex-PRIMAL FEAR, ex-SINNER, ...). This idea of forming a Hard Rock band that would add more guitar-driven music - reminiscent of bands like RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, DEEP PURPLE and the likes - back on the market already came to existence in the spring of 2007, as I was told in the interview (click here) with him back then. Since he writes all the songs and it's sort of his band, the official name is ALEX BEYRODT'S VOODOO CIRCLE, a bit like LUCA TURILLI'S DREAMQUEST. Why and how VOODOO CIRCLE was founded can be read on the band's website by clicking here.
For this new band - it's not a studio project, as Alex wants to put the band on the road - Alex not only found qualitative musicians, but also succeeded in adding a few guest appearances. The line-up consists of David Readman (vocals, PINK CREAM 69), Mat Sinner (bass, PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER), Mel Gaynor on drums (SIMPLE MINDS, GARY MOORE, BRIAN MAY) and finally Jimmy Kresic on keyboards. Guests on this first album are Doogie White (ex-RAINBOW, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, EMPIRE), RUDY SARZO (DIO, OZZY, WHITESNAKE), Norifumu Shima (CONCERTO MOON) and Richard Andersson (MAJESTIC, SPACE ODYSSEY). The release date of this debut album was set on the 5th December.
The "Voodoo Circle" starts with "Spewing Lies", which immediately - well, after the mysterious intro - the high-standard quality that can be expected. The music is indeed very much guitar-driven and everything simply screams "ROCK!". Not just the riffs, but also Alex's solo moments - or is it Norifumi Shima, since he's the guest in this song? - are truly a treat to listen to. David's vocals fit perfectly in this kind of Hard Rock and I don't think a better vocalist could have been found. To complement the music, that is. The keyboards play an important role, too, as they're in charge of melody an atmospheric backing. All in all is "Spewing Lies" a good to very good song to start with.
"Desperate Heart" is a song that could easily be a single. The keyboards are more in the front now, especially in the intro, laying out the melodic carpet, but also making the song more complete later on. The pace is again set at midtempo, but at a lower rate. The guitarsection is filled with electric and accoustic moments, although the electric ones take the majority of the time. The quality is still high, but the chorus is the element that bothered me the most, or better said, the repeating of "My deserate heeaaart..." as start of every line in the chorus. Other than that, no complaints.
"Kingdom Of The Blind" is next, with its spacey intro and SILENT FORCE-like guitardoodle. What follows is again "ROCK!", in a direct manner. The song adds a lot of punch and drive to the album and features - what else? - awesome guitarwork. From the sound of it, this could easily have been a SILENT FORCE song, not only because Alex Beyrodt plays and composes for that band, too, but also because DC Cooper's voice would fit as well as David's. Next to the guitarsolos, Jimmy gets to show his skills with the keys. All of this combined results in one of the best songs on this first release. Truly masterful music!
And this increase in quality continues with "Man And Machine". U.D.O. has an album and song with this title and SILENT FORCE's last album, "Walk The Earth" (2007), started with a song with this title. But the VOODOO CIRCLE one isn't a copy of either of those songs. This version is uptempo, oh yes, and far more Bluesier. Once again (also the name of a SILENT FORCE song, off the "Worlds Apart" album from 2004) this is a song that is perfect for DC Cooper, too. But let it be clear that David Readman does an awesome job. "Man And Machine" is therefore also one of the best tracks here.
"Master Of Illusion" is the title of the latest POWER QUEST release, but here it stands for a slow(er) song, sort of like a powerballad. The guitars still dominate, obviously, while halfway there's a nice keyboard moment in a spacey form. Although it's not the best song ever or even on this album, the result can be considered as decent. Just like that other slow song, "Heaven Can Wait". When you google this title, you get references to GAMMA RAY, IRON MAIDEN, MEAT LOAF, a film and even MICHAEL JACKSON. The verses contain no heaviness, which is reserved for the chorus. Here as well there's a keyboardsolo over halfway.
But it doesn't take long before voodoo vibes are put back into the music, as the midtempo "We'll Never Learn" shows. Here the organ makes its entry and not in a minor role, but strong and fierceful. The music contains more punch and raises the quality level once again. As a result, this is one of the better tracks. The punch and pounding of the drums in "Dream Of Eden" is one of the key ingredients for that song. Its intro is creepy and each step something new is added: first the bass, then the guitars and drum accents. Musically Alex decided to take the Bluesy road again, but not comprimising on power. Focussing back on the guests, this is where Doogie White and David sing the vocal lines, while Rudy Sarzo adds his bass knowledge and Richard Andersson his keys skills. This unity of talent created something very much worth hearing.
Before the album closes with an instrumental track, there's time for one faster and one slower song. "Angels Will Cry" is where the tempo gets a serious increase and the instrumentation is more direct. Splendid guitarwork, as usual, and the music reminds of not only SILENT FORCE, but also - and not in the least - of AT VANCE. No real complaints here, as everyone does a top job. The slower song, "Enter My World Of Darkness", is one that refers to Alex's fame in Japan, as the intro is in Japanese style. Not only that, but since he's married to a Japanese, I guess she influenced him a little to implement that into his music. The drums are very important and Mel hits the skins hard but solid. It's a slow song, but you can put a big stamp on it that says "majestic!". Musically I couldn't suppress the thought of BLACK SABBATH (the period with Ronnie James Dio). The keyboards have the responsability to add sounds that can be described as "monstrous". I don't have another term for it, but that fits best, in my opinion. All in all, another decent song. There's nothing really wrong with it, but I didn't find it as attractive or interesting as the others.
The "Voodoo Circle" is closed with the instrumental "White Lady Requiem", that starts with the organ, after which the guitars, then the drums and so on are added, all in a mysterious atmosphere. Mel decided it would be best to use both pedals to add more power to the compositions and up the pace to fast midtempo, by manner of speech. One word here: guitargasm! This is obvious since we're dealing with a non-vocals song, so this is a highlight for all the guitarlovers out there. The keyboards add complementary melodicness and backing, but don't step to the front to claim all attention. It must be said that there are better instrumental songs out there, like with any kind of song, but what Alex composed is no less qualitative than what he has done since many years. So, generally speaking, "White Lady Requiem" is a good song to end with.
VOODOO CIRCLE, the name alone bares mystery. But after years of being in the shadows with SINNER and SILENT FORCE Alex Beyrodt now can show the world he's as good a guitarist as many others out there (Yngwie Malmsteen, Jeff Loomis, Chris Broderick, Luca Turilli, Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi and more). Ok, there might be some exaggeration here, but if you hear what quality the man has put out so far and now with his "solo" release, there's no questioning his abilities and skills. Hailed as a god in Japan, he should be treated almost similarly in Europe. VOODOO CIRCLE is Hard Rock, of very high quality, and for everyone who not only likes this kind of music, but also those that miss guitar-driven Rock...with soloing, obviously. Highly recommend material? It depends. Recommended? It sure is!
More info at www.voodoocircle.com.
Line-up:
David Readman - vocals
Alex Beyrodt - guitars
Jimmy Kresic - keyboards
Mat Sinner - bass
Mel Gaynor - drums
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CORPUS is a Belgian Progressive Rock/Metal band, formed in 2002. Taking their time to write songs, the band finally managed to produce a first full-length. "The Rise" is a good enough title for a debut, which came out on the 4th of December. In the context of a Belgian Metal Special for the MetalCast I managed to meet drummer Steve Vanderperren and obtain a copy of "The Rise". That was in the autumn of 2009 and as we're now March 2010, it's obvious this review is a bit overdue.
The band's line-up consists of four people: Benno Van Keulen (vocals, bass), Steve Vanderperren (drums), Tobias Vanderhenst (keyboards) and Wouter De Coster (guitar). Either Tobias joined the band later or he couldn't record his parts for some reason, but the booklet mentions Toon Noppen (IO) having done all keyboard parts. Benno handled most of the vocals on the album, though Steve also got his share and guests like Tim De Ridder (THE SEVENTH), Lio Meessen (IO) and Peter Meynckens (AXAMENTA) took the rest of the vocal parts. Since a few months CORPUS is looking for a new and permanent vocalist, as - if I recall correctly - the songs just needed vocals, hence Benno and the others stepping forward as Chinese volunteers.
"The Rise" starts with an orchestral intro called "Captatio Benevolentiae", which guides the Metal instrumentation that follows shortly. The pace is rather slow, but as is common with such intros, speed is never an issue. Anyway, this track alone is already worth checking out. "Where I Am" follows closely with a powerful, melodic start. Keyboards offer the leads, while guitar and drums are the providers of power. That soon changes to guitar-driven verses, though the keyboards sprinkle exotic/Eastern touches. The chorus is where Toon can be in the spotlights again with a.o. a harpsichord input. The rhythm is pretty good and the drums are varied, as Steve manages to add fills and accents where needed. Benno's clean vocals aren't the best, but they sound relatively good here. As varied as the drums are, it's in fact the keyboards that take the prize in that category. To conclude, Toon can show off a last time with a solo, before the chorus is done once more and the powerful intro comes back as outro.
"Sophie's World" is next and in my opinion the first of the good songs. "Where I Am" was very good, just to make a distinction. No rocking intro here, but a rather mysterious one, even Jazzy, judging by the way the piano leads are done. Midtempo Progressive Rock takes over with added atmospheric backing. A very nice part, including the piano accents. The verses sound very sobre, humble, though the clean singing is, to be honest, quite boring and sometimes misses a tone. Musically however, all is well and in a way you can feel/hear the band is holding the breaks. By which I mean, the result is already good, but it can get better. So, one less good song and that's mainly because of the vocals.
But then "The Fatekeeper" comes along. The guitar plays one melody, the keyboards counter with another. A contrast is created between the calm verses and the chorus, where the real and symphonic power can be found. This sounds marvellous! The guitar solo is backed, or spiced, by strange twinking keyboard sounds, in preparation for the keyboard solo. The chorus is sung with a second vocalist, i.e. Lio Meesen. All in all, another very decent song. "Where I Was (Reminiscences)" keeps the quality level high. This time it's Steve's turn to play the first bits. The combination of toms and sticks is not only well done and thought of, it's also very original. I can't remember hearing anything similar on any album I have in my collection (no matter which band or Metal genre). Oh sure, Mike Portnoy does something in roughly the same way in "Dance Of Eternity", but Steve beats him. I don't know who sings here (it's not Benno), but this kind of voice doesn't fit with the music. The instrumental roles are again as such: keyboards offer melodies and backing, the guitar and drums provide the power. In the last section of the song the vocals are kept silent and all attention goes to the humble, slow and sad instrumental input, which puts an end to it all.
The next four tracks belong together and form the "Heartless" tetralogy: "Autumn Rain", "Stop Haunting Me", "Corridor Of Wolves" and "My Gift". The "Autumn Rain" starts wit the kind of humming keyboards that can be found in several SUMMONING tracks. Once more the vocals are the weakest link and lack the power that is needed to properly convey what is to be conveyed or expressed. Drums are absent and the guitar lets out a faint whail, yet also throws in a lead. Overall, a pretty "meh" track. "Stop Haunting Me" is then a much better one, as it takes of in a direct manner, Rocking very much. Keyboards again in the melodic department and Tim De Ridder feeling like a (grunting) fish in the water in the heavy verses. The chorus is where the tempo drops and keyboards are the dominant instrument. Afterwards the band gives the music a spacey Prog Rock twist and hit the pedal for a powerful outbreak. All ends with an ambient/atmospheric outro, which is good, because...
..."Corridor Of Wolves" begins calm. The guitar, ambient backing and soft singing are the main ingredients. The piano falls in to support the guitar melody, followed by a powerful chorus. There is a keyboard solo, if you can call it that, which consists of a symphonic composition, followed by the piano. One more time the chorus is played before the piano closes the corridor. Last but not least, "My Gift"'s intro builds the tension through the guitar and strange backing (at least to my ears). Slow Rock kicks in and shfits into higher gear, making the music flow really well. Instrumentally I've got no complaints. Spaceyness is added here as well, in the verses, which sound rather calm and serene. The firmness of the chorus does contain a touch of sadness, but how good it sounds! The rocking part that comes after this - and I can only hail the band for doing this - is ended abruptly. All that is left then are the twinkling keyboards, paving the way for another cup of sadness. This last track is over 10 minutes long, which means more music is to come. And it comes with a Progressive outbreak, followed by the earlier Rocking part, turning into an uptempo aggressive composition. Peter Meynckes's screams are then a perfect example of what vocal type should be used here.
Back to the regular songs then. "The Reason Why" has the bass guitar as spotlighted instrument in its soft, ambient intro. The clean singing is high in the mix and this made me frown. Once the guitar and drums are added, all sounds much better. Power is reserved for the chorus, but sounds pretty sad, even if the lyrics reflect a more aggressive and angry mood. Steve not only adds the usual drumming parts, but also throws in percussion, which is for the better of the song and music. The solo moment (no, not the butter advertising ;-)) consists of the keyboards, assisted by wild Rock. This transcends into a Jazzy part, calm and soothing, before morphing back the powerful music that preceded it. There's ven room for a symphonic implementation. Overall, this is a rather dramatic and dark song.
Three more songs, two of which are highlights like several before the "Heartless" tetralogy. Those other two are "Disconnect" and "Losing The Shackles". The first one rocks a lot, even in its Prog Rock form. This is definitely one of the best songs on the album, no doubt about that. There is a calm break, but afterwards the power has to be let loose. As the tempo goes up for the solo, METALLICA came to mind. Either way, qualitative Metal here. "Losing The Shackles" starts in an 80's manner, rather strange and spacey, flowing over into calm verses, but the music sounds better at full power and volume. Keyboards are again a very important element here. Power and diversity is how this song can be described in short. But between these two you'll hear "Where She Is". This song has a symphonic, yet sad intro and based on that it seems the band wrote its first ballad, but the Rocking music over halfway easily erases that thought. Strangely enough the production is different than for the other tracks, with the music sounding similar to "The Fatekeeper". I found this song quite to very good, but I can't be as positive about "Where She Is". To me it's one of the least good/weakest songs on "The Rise".
My knowledge of the Belgian Metal scene grows little by little and it's sometimes staggering to learn how many good bands are left unsigned and unknown to the outside world that is the international community. CORPUS has currently been playing many gigs and will continue to do so anno 2010, while continuing the search for a proper vocalist. "The Rise" shows perfectly what potential these guys have and potential they have indeed. The music is solid, diverse and powerful where needed. Original and interesting accents and fills help give the band an own face and image. My only problem with "The Rise" are mainly the vocals, which are just not powerful enough for the music and do in many cases more bad than good.
More info at www.myspace.com/corpusbe.
Line-up:
Benno Van Keulen - vocals, bass
Wouter De Coster - guitars
Tobias Vanderhenst - keyboards
Steve Vanderperren - drums
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HEAVEN'S BASEMENT is a British Rock 'n' Roll band that saw the light of day some time ago. When exactly is unknown to me, also because I can't find any mention on the band's website or MySpace page. Only a few days ago (I'm writing this in January 2009) I received a copy of the self-titled EP, which came out early December 2008. It contains six tracks, all well composed, with a very good production and you can just hear and feel the passion for this music coming out of the speakers.
If you need comparative material, check out the following bands (the list is not limited to those): THUNDER, VOODOO SIX, THIN LIZZY, SAXON, OVERLOADED, LED ZEPPELIN, and maybe even some TENACIOUS D, etc...
The EP starts with the direct "Tear Your Heart Out". This is Rock 'n' Roll to the core with melody playing a modest, though important, role in the chorus and mainly via the singing. The bass has been put in the mix and this benefits the music a lot. Around 02:40 all falls silent - well, almost - to prepare the listener for the outburst that follows. Very good start, nothing more to add.
"Executioner's Day" is an even better song, as the band implemented some Blues influences and this gives the music a specific touch, it increases the listening pleasure. At least, in my opinion. Musically I had to think of AINA and Richie's singing reminded me of Thomas Rettke, if my ears didn't fool me. The guitar solo is simply outstanding. Here too there's a slow moment at around 02:40 to let the power come back and another solo take over. An absolutely great song!
"Graduation" is the song where the guitars were given a fatter sound, more groove. Musically the NWOBHM influences can be detected and the melodic chorus sounds like a marriage between a.o. AC/DC and IRON MAIDEN. Nothing wrong here, like in the other tracks.
Time for some more Bluesy Rock again, a bit like their native colleagues from THUNDER: "Saint Routine". But that's only for a part of the song and mainly the start. Radio-friendly is a term that can be easily be tagged onto this track, so it's one of the lighter moments on this disc. But have no fear, because around 03:15 you get a tempo increase and the Rock factor increases a lot, as if the band thought "All brakes loose!". And that does the song a lot of good.
With "Fear Of Getting Off" the pace is slow, slower than before, but the music still contains Bluesy elements and the bass gets another promiment role. While the verses are calm, so to speak, it's the chorus that holds the power. In general it's a good song, without a doubt, but it didn't do me much. Unlike what preceded.
And last but certainly not the least, there's "Reign On My Parade". This uptempo rocker closes the EP in an excellent manner, with the verses contrasting nicely with the slower chorus. Richie adapted his singing to a more dirty style. Before the guitarsolo kicks in, you get a sort of breakdown moment. Not too long after either Sid or Jonny finished the solo there's a calmer part where the drums and bass play a key role. The tension grows again and we're off for more soloing. No need to say more, except that this song once again shows the quality that is provided by HEAVEN'S BASEMENT.
A new Rock 'n' Roll band has stood up to show what it's all about and that you don't have to have played this music for tens of years to do it right. HEAVEN'S BASEMENT makes music that puts a smile on your face, that increases your level of joy, your lust for life (meaning, the will and desire to live, not kill ;-)). The quality is amazing, especially for a first release, as it sounds as if these guys have been playing together for more than 15 years. "Heaven's Basement" is - to my ears - one of the surprises of 2008 and a quote from frontman Richie says it all:"We're the band that will make you fall in love with Rock 'n' Roll all over again." And I couldn't agree more.
More info at www.heavensbasement.com.
Line-up:
Richie Hevanz - vocals
Sid Glover - guitars
Jonny Rocker - guitars
Rob Randell - bass
Chris Rivers - drums
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THE MODERN AGE SLAVERY is a new band, founded last year by ex-members from what seemed to be a cult Hardcore band called BROWBEAT, a name that doesn't ring the tiniest bell for me. In December the line-up was completed by guitarist Simone Bertozzi, whose name did ring a bell. He plays the bass in EMPYRIOS, the Progressive Metal band that released its second album this year, "The Glorious Sickness". Whereas "...And The Rest Is Silence" was heavily influenced by SYMPHONY X, DREAM THEATER, EVERGREY and similar, the newest is groovier, Thrashier with some Industrial touches. But let's focus on THE MODERN AGE SLAVERY again.
Earlier this year a 4-track demo was released and this got the attention of a.o. Napalm Records, whose core-business is Gothic, Black and Folk. But since a certain while they're expanding and trying to book successes with other styles as well, like Power Metal, Progressive Metal to even Deathcore, as THE MODERN AGE SLAVERY's music is labeled. With four songs in the bag, the band wrote another eight to make the debut album, "Damned To Blindness", which Napalm Records released on the 28th of November.
The production was handled by Simone Mularoni (DGM, EMPYRIOS, GORY BLISTER), meaning a clear but powerful sound that quite simply rips your eardrums to shreds. The artwork was done by Dennis Sibeijn (JOB FOR A COWBOY, CHIMAIRA, SLAYER, LAMB OF GOD, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, ...)
The first thing that welcomes you is a dark, mysterious, agonizing and industrial atmosphere ("Progenies Of Ancient Slaves"). Not just the sounds, but also hearing people being beaten by a slick whip and chains while somewhere something is bound to erupt, explode or anything along those lines. And it doesn't take that long before the "Red Lines Of Obsessions" come flooding out of the speakers with a devastating force that instantly takes your mind hostage. Screams, lightning-fast Death Metal with Hardcore influences that will offer you no rest. Ok, there's a slow moment in the middle before the full power is unleashed again. With its 02:42 minutes it might be a bit too short, or end too abruptly as it feels sort of incomplete.
The title track follows very rapidly and the blasts are even more ferocious. It's the drums that are the most variable instrument, from furious blastbeats to devastating breakdowns with the guitars. But those are also full of power and destructiveness. At some point it does have something CLAWFINGER-ish, more specifically from the "Do As I Say" song. A killer second song, to say the least. Ferocity from start to finish and excellent to vent your anger or frustrations or energy.
"Drop By Drop" also contains the full-on blasting, but is overall a songs in which the flow is important instead of going straight for the kill. Variability is key here, from crushing breakdowns to fast runs. But never does the level of brutality drop. Not for the weak of mind. Think THE HAUNTED meets DYING FETUS meets VOMITORY, to give an example.
And yes, more blasting, but this time ("A Desert To Die For") it's more Hardcore-inspired playing, as in Thrashy drumming and riffing. The awesome production makes everything comes out extremely strong and powerful, especially in the pounding moments. And there's also a guitarsolo to detect, though only briefly. How can this song be described musically? Hm... What would happen if you mix MACHINE HEAD with KRISIUN?
"A Desert To Die For" also ended a bit too soon or unexpected, if you ask me, especially since the fist notes and blasts - in short, the directness - of "Vile Mother Earth" takes over all of a sudden and you can hear it's not inline with the previous track. You get the usual blasting and breakdowns and evil guitar accents, but at this stage it's too much. Sure, the song is not a copy of the previous songs, but it's too much of the same, meaning something different than blasting and breakdowns would be very welcome. Also, its playtime of little more than 3 minutes is not enough. There's no proper ending and the song feels like a sample instead of a full one.
The start of "The Sublime Decadence Of An Era" is not as direct as the others, the tension gets built here before the right flow is found. Midtempo and a bit more at ease, so to speak, which is a very welcome change after the several stages of blasting. Giovanni still screams as if possessed, but decided to add growls too as a contrast of verses vs bridge and chorus. Nice to hear is the guitarpart in the middle. No real heaviness there, just melodic guitartunes as a sort of break from the brutal part. And brutal it gets more and more, especially in the last minutes of the track with the drums also having found an extra dose of energy...
...to continue like before, i.e. fast, blasting and energetic playing in "Shell Of Perversion". Pluspoints go to the transition between slower and fast parts and surprising indeed, a dead moment for the drums with just Giovanni's screams and the guitar fulfilling their tasks, before this instrument strikes back hard. All in all a good song.
Yay! More Death Metal blasting and growling ("Descent To Oblivion"). Not to mention the viciously raging guitars backed by an ADHD kind of drumming. Giovanni has not be cured yet, so he too sounds like a madman, superbly mixing screams and growls. Everything combined actually makes this one of the better tracks on this album. And here the ending is good and on time.
The longest song is "Purple", clocking in shortly before 6 minutes. Slooow yet ultra-heavy Metal with screams that sort of don't really fit with the pace, save for th breakdown-ish moments. MACHINE HEAD going more brutal, you could say, but that is only a small portion of this hard block of Metal. The slow playing and non-fitting screams start working on my nerves at this point, especially due to the screams. Luckily the pace gets upped, but it must be said that compared to the shorter songs, this tempo upgrade isn't as good, but practise makes perfect, as they say. Overall, not bad, but I find it one of the least interesting tracks.
Aha, relief. The usual ingredients are back, the usual compositions have returned. "The Modern Age Slavery" is ofcourse a songs that blasts everything in its path off the map. The breakdowns are therefore also inline with a devastating power that makes your head crack. Giovanni's screams and growls now do fit the music again. The drums again offer a good deal of variability. I've got not much more to add than add this song to the list of highlights.
Last one then. "Wolverine Blues" is not a THE MODERN AGE SLAVERY song, but from ENTOMBED. You can hear the guitars and overall compositions sound different, as the guitars seem to have been tuned a bit differently or better said, they're less hard. Pounding midtempo grooving Death Metal is what can be found here. I don't know how the original sounds, but this rendition is well done, in my opinion.
So...Deathcore. It's not always easy to put these two genres together to create something that offers the best of both. THE MODERN AGE SLAVERY did more than a good job and thus succeeded in their mission. The passion, anger, frustration and musicianship clearly are etched into the music and the guys must have several reserves of energy to bring this to the stage. "Damned To Blindness" offers qualitative Death Metal spiced with Hardcore breakdowns and screams. At some point the music has elements from Technical Death Metal bands like ANATA, SPAWN OF POSSESSION and others. Then again, the brutality of formations like KRISIUN and KATAKLYSM have been important, too. And not in the least the energetic Thrashiness of THE HAUNTED. All these elements combined make THE MODERN AGE SLAVERY a violent force to reckon with and "Damned To Blindness" an album that get the lads far. I would advise to work on song endings and not always blast (to blast), but use blasts more wisely.
More info at www.themodernageslavery.com.
Line-up:
Giovanni Berselli - vocals
Luca Cocconi - guitars
Simone Bertozzi - guitars
Mirco Bennati - bass
Gregorio Ferrarese - drums
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Early this year (end of February) the Rap Metal formation, or Crossover as they call it, STUCK MOJO released "Southern Born Killers", which was recorded with producer Andy Sneap (EXODUS, MACHINE HEAD, ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE, KREATOR, TESTAMENT, ONSLAUGHT, etc...). Now, 9 months later (28th November), the follow-up is ready: "The Great Revival". This is also the second album with the new vocalist Lord Nelson and once again the band appealed to the services of Andy Sneap and this time also Rick Beato. On the new album you won't find as much Metal as before, but there's still a certain level of it. Instead you get Southern Hard Rock with Rap and ofcourse Metal elements.
The line-up changed as well, as drummer Rodney Beauboeuf left and Steve 'Nailz' Underwood took over.
"Southern Born Killers" was my first proper encounter with STUCK MOJO and overall I wasn't too happy about it. For me the album contained only a few good songs. References to especially CLAWFINGER were often made en with the new album this band also can be mentioned again, together with METALLICA... in the first song, "15 Minutes Of Fame". This is also one of the best songs on this record. The start is direct and pounding. The tempo goes up as the chorus approaches, a very nice moment. The bridge is fat and groovy and neatly connects with the chorus. Curiosity: there are two kinds of singing, rapping and normal singing. The latter is done by Lord Nelson (I think, since there's no mention of e.g. Rich Ward doing this) and Christine Cook. She can be heard in a few other songs on "The Great Revival".
As you could read in my review of the previous album, I wasn't too excited about the vocals. Especially the rapping worked "enormously on my nerves" (to quote myself from the other review). This time it's not different and even worse. I tried to focus on the music, but got constant talking as disturbing factor. Ok, there is also a lot of clean singing, as said above, and that's a fresh and welcome aspect, even though it's nothing super either. But I like it a hell of a lot more than rapping. Christine Cook's input is nice, but you can tell she's no Rock or Metal vocalist as the music is even adapted to her voice.
One example is the Bluesy but radio-friendly "Friends", where Christine plays a very important role. Overall this is a mediocre song, but still better than the rest. Finding good moments is difficult, but, for example, "The Flood" may be the easiest to examine. It contains water drops in the beginning and at the end and a Japanese-inspired atmosphere, but the music and especially the rap elements quite simply are boring. The best part are the keyboard leads at some point, with the guitars and drums holding a heavy rhythm. The only song I'm also satisfied about for the largest part is "The Fear", for this is a pounding and aggressive bastard of a song. Ok, I'm referring to the music, since the vocal department doesn't really do much good, on any of the tracks.
Oh yes, "There's A Doctor In Town" and "There's A Miracle Comin'" are recordings of an Afro-American priest preaching, repeating the same damn line but not really telling anything, and the church goers applaud and go with the flow, believing whatever the man says about the miracle coming. In the second track the music comes in after 01:30, and continues in a slow manner. Needless to say you instantly start frowning what purpose these tracks have on this album, but there's a clear link with the album cover.
"Country Road" contains the well-known chorus from the "Take Me Home, Country Road" by John Denver. Originally not an uninteresting song, here its use is questionable, although the explanation can probably be found in the lyrics or theme of the album. Still, both vocals and music are uninteresting, as far as I'm concerned.
The remaining songs contain the usual ingredients of rap, Southern Rock, clean singing and some heavier moments. None of which makes "The Great Revival" more interesting or appealing.
I think STUCK MOJO fans will very much like "The Great Revival", but with this album the band also tries to reach Southern Rock fans, people who do like the mix of Rap and Rock/Metal (with the emphasis on Rap) and overall people with a very broad taste in music. As for me, I'll pass. Get rid of the annoying rapping and Rap elements and replace it by normal singing and I might check out this new material. If a preference is needed, I'll pick "Southern Born Killers", but like this one, "The Great Revival" is set to collect dust on my shelves.
More info at www.stuckmojo.us.
Line-up:
Lord Nelson - vocals
Rich Ward - guitars
Mike Martin - guitars
Sean Delson - bass
Steve "Nailz" Underwood - drums
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The German Heavy/Power Metal band GRAVE DIGGER has been doing a very good job for over 25 years, not mentioning the DIGGER period when they went mainstream to try to earn more money, which didn't work out, hence continuing years later, after a split, as GRAVE DIGGER and making pure Metal. Needless to say that in this long timespan the band's discography is quite large, with albums and EPs. Logically the line-up changed a few times, but since several years it's been very stable.
Last year (January) the Germans released "Liberty Or Death", which was preceded by the "Yesterday" EP in 2006. "Liberty Or Death" was not exactly a fast album, but showed a better result than the weak album called "The Last Supper". To be able to make the new material, the follow-up to "Liberty Or Death", more powerful and the gigs heavier, ex-RUNNING WILD guitarist Thilo Hermann joined the fold as second guitarist. Earlier this year (2008) GRAVE DIGGER signed a deal with Napalm Records, who is really doing its best since several years. The stay at Locomotive Records was thus short-lived.
"Ballads Of A Hangman" is the title of the new album, but since it's coming out in January, I'm not going to talk about it much. The focus lies on the pre-taste that is the EP "Pray", released on the 28th November. The band entered the Principal Studio in Munster to record the new songs under the guidance of the Resetti brothers. That also counts for the four songs on this EP.
First stop is the title track, "Pray", in extended version. When reading this I thought the running time would be at least 6 minutes or so. It stops after 4 minutes. Four minutes. I wonder how the regular version sounds and how short it is. But anyway, "Pray" is a midtempo-paced straight-forward song. Chris sings as rough and raspy as ever. You know what to expect and that's a good thing. Musically it reminds me of what SAXON has been doing on its last few albums ("Killing Ground" to "Inner Sanctum"). Epic is a word that fits here. The chorus is very much sing-along, especially in the group chanting "PRAY!". The sound is killer and overall the song is pretty much flawless.
Next is the MOTÖRHEAD cover. "Overkill" is an energetic and pounding song. METALLICA covered it in 1996 or so and it also featured on their "Garage Inc." cover album and personally, I thought that was a pretty good version. GRAVE DIGGER also does a very good. The original doesn't have much cymbals, even if it's advised, while Lars (METALLICA) can't get enough of them, hahaha. But he does a better job then at accentuating certain parts. Stefan prefers to add snare and tom fills and then throw in those cymbals. Let's say, of the three, he's the most enthusiastic one in his playing. So, in short: well done.
The two other songs won't appear on "Ballads Of A Hangman". The starting riff of "My Blood Will Live Forever" reminds me of another song from another band, but I just can't put my finger on it. Nevertheless, it promises a very entertaining song, in true Metal spirit. The drums kick a lot of punch into the music and you just cannot sit still. The chorus is a little slower and almost hymnic. Everything is first class: the sound, the musicianship, the compositions, ... And I think it's a great help that Thilo Hermann is now the second axeman, so each can concentrate on his own parts. A very good song, in other words.
"When The Sun Goes Down" is a slower song, more cruising-like. Atmospheric keyboards can be heard in the back, but they're not really pushing through. They play a subtle role. Chris sounds fiercer than the music, which is kind of funny as it sounds like he wants things to go faster with more drive, more ferocity (by manner of speech), but the rest of the band plays on, thinking "Relax, Chris. We'll go faster later, in other songs." This is another good song, by the way.
GRAVE DIGGER is back on track you could say, after the good-but-not-outstanding "Liberty Or Death". "Pray" is a flawless EP and perfect pre-taste of "Ballads Of A Hangman". Everything just fits here, despite or maybe thanks to having a second guitarist. Must it be said that the Resetti brothers also had a big hand in this? And from the credits on their website it seems GRAVE DIGGER is one of the lifetime clients, as it's not the first time this collaboration is set up. Whatever. Fans of first class Heavy Metal know what to do. If you prefer to wait for the album, that's fine. If you're a collector, you cannot avoid "Pray".
More info at www.grave-digger.de.
Line-up:
Chris Boltendahl - vocals
Manni Schmidt - guitars
Thilo Hermann - guitars
Jens Becker - bass
Hans Peter Katzenburg - keyboards
Stefan Arnold - drums
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Not all Folk Metal comes from Switserland, Finland, Sweden, ... Norway also has its bands and one of them is ÁSMEGIN. The band started in late 1998 as a Norwegian Viking Metal band. The usual line-up changes occured and the next year a first demo was ready, "Naar Rimkalkene Heves (As the Chalices Are Raised)". This demo was released through Marius' own label Valgalder Records. April 2000 was the time of the second demo, "Af Helvegum (On the Path to Helheim)", leaning more towards Folk, but unfortunately never released. At that time the band also was close to its demise, but Tomas and Marius gathered new blood to keep ÁSMEGIN alive.
Two years and other position changes later ÁSMEGIN finally started working on their debut album "Hin Vordende Sod & Sø (The Prospective Broth & Soup)" with Børge Finstad co-producing the recording effort. Lots of people had a hand in this album: Lars Fredrik Frøislie (WHITE WILLOW, WOBBLER) on keys, Lars Nedland (BORKNAGAR, SOLEFALD) on vocals, Sareeta (RAM-ZET) on fiddle and female chants, Anne Marie Hveding on additional female chants, Oddrun Hegge on the Norwegian zither, Gunhild Førland on the flute, and Anja Hegge Thorsen on the Jew's harp. Napalm Records released "Hin Vordende Sod & Sø" in 2003, after which another round of line-changes took place.
And then it was time to focus on a new album, "Arv" ("Heritage"), containing old and new material and out since the 28th November. Lasse Lammert (a.o. ALESTORM) took care of the mastering. And according to the bio text ÁSMEGIN has already started working on the follow-up "Tusind Tabte Siaeles Kakofoni", a double CD.
The "Heritage" starts with "Fandens Mælkebøtte", of which the music comes in with a slow/midtempo Folk loop, brought by the guitars and traditional instruments. Female chanting and male grunts take turns and the music is adapted accordingly: melody for the female vocals, focus on Metal for the grunts. Very nice is the violin-moment halfway, as it offers a sort of resting point, and ease of mind. The biggest problems, in my opinion, are the female singing (Anne Marie Hveding or Gunhild Hovden Kvangarsnes - I don't know) - it's nerve-wrecking - and the strange, muffled production. Particularly the drums suffer from this, as if a blanket or something was put over them. The grunts are good and go well with the music. No complaints about that aspect.
"Hiertebrand" is heavier, mainly on the guitars. The mix is well done, as the bass comes through very clearly. You cannot just hear it, but also feel it. Once again there is a division, melody when the female singing is heard, heaviness for the male grunts. While this (female singing) was a problem in the previous song, it's much better here and sounds close to Cristina Scabbia from LACUNA COIL. Once again, I don't know if it's Anne Marie Hveding or Gunhild Hovden Kvangarsnes, as the press text mentions both for the vocals department. The song is also darker, which explains the increased heaviness. The violin is the leading instrument, while the guitars remain in the rhythm zone, assisted by the drums. "Hiertebrand" is, all things considered, one of the tracks that stand out.
The accordion that starts "Generalen Og Troldharen" instantly gives you the impression you're listening to FINNTROLL or KORPIKLAANI, but once heaviness breaks loose, that thought fades away, despite some similarities still remaining intact. The pace and atmosphere give it a drinking song-touch. No female singing here, but grunts and clean male vocals. While firmly in the front at first, the accordion soon disappears to the back and you have to press your speakers into your ears to hear its melody. Guitars and drums are the dominant elements halfway and you would even wonder if there's going to be any melody at all. Yes, but that's when the guitars and drums are kept silent. This offers the accordion the chance to come back, but it's hard to stay there. Adding a little surprise is the piano at some point in the last minutes. The mix of compositions is good, the production isn't. It's too muffled, if you ask me.
Shortly before the first quarter has passed, the title track comes gently flowing out of the speakers via a violin melody. But that peaceful start is soon cut off by heavy, pounding Folkishness. The clean and raw vocals are represented again. The music very much guitar-driven, but the accordion and violin get the chance to come to the front. Around 03:40 the music suddenly changes, you get something totally different with a higher focus on Folk before the energy gets kicked back into the song. What follows after this Folk moment is much better than what preceded. The violin is much more active and there's more drive... until angelic chanting fills the last seconds of the song. Overall this song is a step forward again in the tracklisting.
So far, so good. Apart from the mediocre production and not-so-good female singing, the music is decent, though nothing that makes me listen in awe as if it were the best Folk release ever or at least this year. Because it is far from that. With "Yndifall" you could say that the best track lies here. It starts with directly with drums (toms) pounding and slowly building the tension with the guitars, including bass. Heaviness is key here and honesty obliges me to add that there's something AMON AMARTH-ish about it. shortly before the 1-minute mark the slow pace is found and Erik growls even lower than Johan Hegg (AMON AMARTH). Kudos for that. ;-) Next to that clean male vocals form a contrast in the bridge. Terms that could describe the music: dark, vicious, dirty. Around 02:25 a tranquil moment sets in, with a mysterious atmosphere. The outburst comes unexpected and throws the music into a time of gloom, as the music continues in a slow Doom-ish kind of manner, gently allowing melody to sip through and lead the music further on. with a playtime of over 7 minutes it's the longest song on "Arv", thus giving the band lots of time to give the song a Progressive character. Very cool is the Folk music around 04:40, first the accordion, then the drums and guitar are added before the slow heaviness takes over. Take your time here and listen a few times to properly discover the many layers. It's definitely worth the while.
Creating a sense of mystery is the first element in "Gengangeren", done via the piano. The guitars and drums are added afterwards, with a big contrast between the gentleness of the piano and the heaviness of the guitars and drums. Especially the drums don't follow a standard pattern, but Erik tries to make good use of his kit. The piano is the leading instrument, the guitar adds crazy touches or even goes through a soft moment as the rest of the instrumentation holds a break. Singing consists of growling and rough singing. Overall the comparisons with the colleagues from the Faroese Islands, TÝR, cannot be ignored. The violin takes over from the piano in the chorus. "Gengangeren" is, in general, well done, but the abrupt ending leaves you confused and I even thought "Prunkende, Stolt I Jokumsol" was also part of it, since there's only a very short silence between these two tracks.
Anne Marie Hveding or Gunhild Hovden Kvangarsnes - I don't know - makes another appearance for the shortest song (barely more than 2 ½ minutes) of the pack, "Prunkende, Stolt I Jokumsol". And it must be said that it's again well done. The music is also more relaxing, Jazzy somehow. You could see this as a moment of relaxation before the last track presents you with another load of heavy Folk Metal. This is so not comparable with what came before this song and you wouldn't even think this is an ÁSMEGIN song. But it's good.
So, last but not least and not the best, "En Myrmylne". This is, clocking in at 9 minutes, the longest song. Logically you would think it won't be a 3-4 minute song prolonged to reach the 9-minute marker, but as variable as "Yndifall". Well... it does bring back the usual ingredients of the other songs. Erik screams more and there's a bigger touch of danger in the verses and due to the keyboards more drama in the chorus. EPICA comes to mind, musically. It's a midtempo song with a jumpy chorus. In terms of non-Metal instrumentation you get a diverse offering: accordion, organ (makes it funky in a way), violin, ... The middle section is linear and the music drags itself forward for a while. The jumpy chorus then comes back and that's a good thing, not only for the sake of diversity. "En Myrmylne" is very listenable, but not really a highlight, in my opinion.
This last few years and especially this year there has been a booming offering of Folk Metal (new and older): ELUVEITIE, EQUILIBRIUM, MOONSORROW, TÝR, MÅNEGARM, KORPIKLAANI, ENSIFERUM, FOLKEARTH, ARKONA, WAYLANDER, FALCONER, ALESTORM, and more. Festival tours like Paganfest and Heidenfest certainly promoted this kind of Metal very much, both in Europe and the USA. In the wake of this, Napalm Records releases ÁSMEGIN's newest effort, "Arv". The band's debut seemed to have been hailed as a very good album, but I can only comment on "Arv". These Nordic warriors may have put a lot of effort in creating new material, but somehow I can't hail "Arv" as a must-have, though I have to give them credit for creating some interesting songs by injecting a touch of Progressiveness. If Folk Metal is your thing, then ÁSMEGIN is a band you have to check out in your quest for new material. Sporadic listeners would do well to give this album several listens, because even I had to change my opinion a few times (sometimes for the better, other times...not). I am however curious what the band will present and how they will sound on the follow-up, "Tusind Tabte Siaeles Kakofoni". But that's for another time (I hope).
More info at www.asmegin.com.
Line-up:
Erik Fossan Rasmussen - vocals, drums
Raymond Håkenrud - guitars, bass, vocals, piano
Marius Olaussen - guitars, bass, mandolin, accordion, piano, mellotron
Lars Fredrik Frøislie - Hammond organ, piano, mellotron, mini-moog
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The UK ProgPower band SHADOWKEEP saw the light of day about 10 years ago, thanks to guitarists Chris Allen and Nikki Robson joining forces. Not too long afterwards the Belgian vocalist Rogue M. joined the fold and the trio entered Thin Ice Studios to record a six-track EP produced by THRESHOLD guitarist Karl Groom, featuring the opus "Dark Tower". This came to the attention of Limb Music Products (LMP in short) and a deal was made in 2000. The band signed for two albums, "Corruption Within" (2000) and "A Chaos Theory" (2002). I bought "Corruption Within" when it came out as the music was to my liking, even though Rogue's high-pitched singing wasn't always easy to overcome/get used to. This album contains several interesting and catchy tracks, but I have to admit that the last few years the album hasn't been played that much or at all, really. It wasn't until I got a review copy of the newest album, "The Hourglass Effect" (out since 21/11), that I took out the debut release again, which brought back a few memories. I could also buy the follow-up, "A Chaos Theory", but somehow I haven't done yet, either because of Rogue's voice or because I have/had a preference for other bands. The album might end up in my collection over time, but it's not a priority.
As usual, SHADOWKEEP also faced several line-up changes, with Rogue M. being replaced by Ronnie Stixx (DIVINE RUINS, VICIOUS RUMORS, ...), but that collaboration didn't last as long. The band had planned to release "The Hourglass Effect" in 2006 with Ronnie Stixx, but due to him having to leave the band and other things the release got postponed again and again. Furthermore, it's only much later that a new record deal was arranged, this time with the Dutch Melissa Records.
On the live front the band has shared the stage with bands like DIO, HALFORD, SYMPHONY X, DREAM EVIL, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM and played at Bloodstock, Headbangers Open Air, Bang Your Head, and more. during that period the first vocalist change occured. For "The Hourglass Effect", for which Richie Wicks wrote the lyrics for the dark and futuristic concept, SHADOWKEEP once again worked with Karl Groom and current vocalist Richie Wicks (ex-TYGERS OF PAN TANG, ex-ANGEL WITCH) soon joined the fold. Drumwise Omar Hayes took the then vacant place behind the kit. And more recently a new keyboardist was attracted: Scot Collins.
Now, after this short flashback, time to focus on the new album. The first song was bound to be made or the title to be chosen, "Shadow Keep". The intro is short, but mysterious in an atmospheric manner. Gentle guitarwork sets in while eerie sounds create a spooky and dark atmosphere. Little by little the tension is built by adding more guitar and drumpower before releasing the full Metalness. Dual leads form a great and ear caressing transition to let Richie's pipes tell the tale, assisted by very talented musicians. Midtempo is selected here, although the flow gets broken, or shall we say upgraded, with technical drumming. Omar knows when to add fills and which, that's for sure. The guitarsolos are top notch and absolutely a highlight in a song that very good itself.
After the warm-up it's time to change into a higher gear with "Incisor". This is Melodic Power Metal of excellent quality, let that be clear. Heavy, chuggy and pounding Metal in the verses, rolling on with a big injection of catchiness in the chorus. Sing along, drum along, bang your head, do something. You just cannot sit still here. Think BRAINSTORM, GAMMA RAY, PRIMAL FEAR, SYMPHONY X, HELSTAR and similar. Omar once again is an important link in the ProgPower chain, for "Incisor" is not your typical straight-forward Power Metal track, as Nikki and Chris added enough change to make it Progressive. Everyone does a more than great job, even Richie, whose voice really fits SHADOWKEEP's music.
Making the riffing a bit angrier, the drums more pounding while keeping the flow in a midtempo pace and giving Richie the liberty to reach for higher notes, gives the result that is called "Ten Shades Of Black". While Nikki and Chris keep a certain chuggy rhythm in the chorus, it's Omar's duty to add accents. Simple, but effective. Halfway there's a small tempo increase before the guitar solos set in. This reminds a bit of SILENT FORCE and DREAM THEATER, not in the least because Richie's singing can be (lightly though) compared to DC Cooper's (SILENT FORCE). The music is still first class, I have no complaints at all. Karl Groom's production skills play a big role in this.
"Riot On Earth" is a title that promises to hide an uptempo and aggressive song. Well, it starts with a movie sample (which movie, I don't know) where someone announces the end of the world ("(...) You're all going to burn in the fire from which you came."), after which the Metal comes crashing in. Midtempo is again chosen, but soon the drumming gets more direct and the guitarwork a bit Thrashy, in a melodic way. The melodicness is very important in the chorus, especially coming from the backing keyboards. And yes, I may be repeating it, but Omar's fills and accents do represent an added value. Without those the songs would clearly miss something. And then, when it's solo time, the tempo gets an enormous boost giving the drums more power and speed, while there's a small role for an organ-like keyboard intervention, after which the chorus comes in again. The song ends with people protesting, smashing windows, breaking things... a riot, in other words.
Aside from the heavy songs you'll also find two accoustic ones: "Six Billion Points Of Light" and "Heart Shaped Stone". The first is pretty much ok. Nothing spectacular - it's accoustic after all - but nothing bad either. The latter is about half as short, but a little better. Some will question the purpose of these songs, but when reading the lyrics it's probably best to have accoustic music to it. In addition, they offer a moment of rest and break the constant flow of heaviness, which makes the album more easily digestable.
So let's carry on with the Metal attack and "Waiting For The Call". Dual guitarbrilliance is the first thing you hear and once again the expectations may be for a fast track, but no, sadly it's not so. You do get the heavy, powerful riffing pushed onwards by Omar's pounding hits, especially in the chorus. The melody aspect is high again and not in the least in the vocal department, where Richie's voice has been doubled/layered and a soft backing atmospheric breeze has been added. The guitars also get their moment of fame, since it would be strange and un-SHADOWKEEP if this was not the case.
The guitars and thundering drums in "As The Hourglass Falls" announce total demolition and demise. The atmosphere is also more negative and a cry for help, so to speak. The tempo is quite slow in the verses, but for the bridge the pedal gets pushed down a bit more to make the music more to the point. The chorus also has this, with double bass, preceded by a determinded slow pounding of the drums, enforced by the guitars. Over halfway there's a nice chilling part, still heavy though. Slowly the tension gets build during the solo moment until all power is unleashed for a rapid trip. Short, but effective. Although I found this song a bit less attractive than the others, the result isn't any less good.
The accoustic guitar appeared in "Six Billion Points Of Light" and "Heart Shaped Stone", where it had a dominating role during the entire songs. Here, in "Leviathan Rising", its role is less big, but quite important nevertheless, for it forms the welcome part of the song. The electric instrumentation takes soon takes over. Tempo changes keep the activity level high and the song overall interesting. Once again I have BRAINSTORM in mind, not just because of the music, but Richie's singing in a way can be linked to Andy B. Frank's. Oh yes, I forgot, the accoustic guitar does come back over halfway for a relaxing interlude. Richie also adapted his singing and with the soft atmospheric backing, ICED EARTH is one of the first bands I think of.
"With Force We Come", another title that should unleash the fire of hell, by manner of speech. Well...no. SHADOWKEEP clings on to slow/midtempo playing, but don't compromise on heaviness and epicness, for that's what this song can be best decribed as: epic! Not in the least is this obvious in the chorus, "With.Force.We.Come.", with the dots indicating a short stop, as if it's a warcry. In the verses Richie gives his all, but there's a second, growling voice. Perhaps it's Richie's with effects, I don't know. Maybe the booklet will tell. Atmospheric keyboards again create a fitting atmosphere and even assist in providing more melody. Guitarwise Nikki and Chris take turns for the leads and solos and even play together for a short while. Overall no complaints here either.
Ok, we've had accoustic stuff before, with the guitar being the central instrument. The ending track, "How Many Times Have We Tried To Save The World", has the piano to fulfill that role. Richie shows he can also sing soft stuff and the piano leading gives it a different feel and touch. Ofcourse, no emotional ballad without atmospheric backing. This song has something EVERGREY-ish, who also are good at making such songs, piano-driven.
After "Corruption Within" I didn't check up on SHADOWKEEP anymore, although I did notice the line-up had changed after "A Chaos Theory". "The Hourglass Effect" was supposed to be released at least two years ago, but the usual problems affected the work on this newest opus. SHADOWKEEP are indeed back and have really worked hard on this new album, as you can tell by the compositions, the technicality of the musicianship and the feel of the music. It's as if they are reborn, injected with new power and energy. Since I didn't detect any flaws and really liked the album that I've been playing it several times the past two weeks, I can highly recommend "The Hourglass Effect" to anyone into Power Metal with a Progressive touch. SHADOWKEEP isn't the best Power Metal band in the world, but they do a damn good job at keeping it real, honest and passionate.
More info at www.shadowkeepmetal.net.
Line-up:
Richie Wicks - vocals
Nikki Robson - guitars
Chris Allen - guitars
Stony Grantham - bass
Omar Hayes - drums
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X-VISION is the third band I got acquainted with via Dirty8. Founded in 1998 these French Metallers took an explosive start, sharing the stage with a.o. ANTHRAX, PRONG, GOJIRA, SLAYER, MEGADETH, SLIPKNOT, KORN, OOMPH! and several others like SEPULTURA and MINISTRY.
The first release, "So Close, So Far", originally came out last year in May via Dirty8, but this release too was included in the deal with Drakkar Entertainment resulting in a re-release on the 21st of November. Lyrically the album deals with topics such as pollution, animal massacre, loss of humanity... a bit like DESTRUCTION's "D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N." album earlier this year.
"So Close, So Far" consists of material that blends elements from Death Metal, Nu-Metal, Hardcore, Thrash and injecting the whole with a good dose of Groove. One example is where Death Metal and Groove à la PANTERA come together is "Paper Plane". The vocals are raw and very Metalcore-ish. You won't detect any growling, rather screaming and rough singing, if you can all it that. The drums are important to add accents in the linear flow of guitar grooves. There is certainly room for a Progressive twist or even solos, but even that has not been considered.
With "The Green Light" and "Blow On Ashes" you'll have the best two tracks on this album. The first takes a blasting start and is more vicious and uptempo, though not devastatingly fast. It's got more energy and drive, so to speak, with the blasts returning now and then. Here you do get a more varied dish as the second half of the song consists of slower material, but with a changing flow, ending in a sloooooow wave. The second one, "Blow On Ashes", starts with some drumrolls that continue with added heaviness via the guitars. The drums are an important element and serve to add accents and variety. Further down the flow breaks have been set to inject the missing brutality once again.
Other than that, there are only a few more songs that don't exactly stand out, but have good moments. "Deadly Adornment", again mixing Death Metal elements in a Metalcore plate, is the first. "The Sky Never Lies" is good for the first part, the short guitarbursts. Afterwards the flow is found, but it never gets as good anymore. Especially the vocals start to annoy a lot. "Cut Off" finishes the list.
Speaking of vocals: think THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN or similar. This kind can be of good use depending on the compositions. While Pierre did a good job in the first few songs, his input gets annoying in practically all of the second half songs. He doesn't change style, but his rough/raw screaming/'singing' doesn't always fit the music. Especially when he speaks in the interlude "And Now?" - which is sort of like what Phil Anselmo (DOWN, ex-PANTERA) did on "The Great Southern Trendkill" - it makes me want to trash the stereo.
The first listen I gave to "So Close, So Far" wasn't positive. Letting it rest for a number of days and then relistening helped a bit, especially for the first few songs, but my hopes were rapidly lost as I got to the middle and second half of the album. X-VISION has created a very brutal and sometimes catchy album, but as far as I'm concerned the music is a lot of the same, with the same kind of vocals (that don't always go well with the music) and leaves lots of room for solos and other twists, even though this might not be a characteristic of the style X-VISION plays (Metalcore meets Nu-Metal meets Extreme Metal in general). "So Close, So Far" is for people with a broad taste and more specifically those into GOJIRA, KORN, SLIPKNOT, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and similar.
More info at www.xvisionweb.com.
Line-up:
Pierre Pauly - vocals
Christophe Edrich - guitars
Nicolas Seguin - guitars
Arnaud Marion - bass
Arnaud Ferveur - drums
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SIKH is the second Dirty8 band whose album I'm going to comment on (the other was DYSFUNCTIONAL BY CHOICE). This French formation was assembled in 2001 Nice, France. Two years later there was a complete line-up, consisting of Kallaghan (vocals + guitar), NicO (guitar), BoZ (bass) and Gaël (drums). Several gigs and another two years later the debut album, "Sikh", is ready. SIKH play a sort of Metal that is unlike what is available from other French bands. This release got the band a spot on the European tour with HED(PE) in 2006, which gave the lads inspiration for the follow-up release. "One More Piece" originally came out in November 2007 via Dirty8, but thanks to a deal with Drakkar Entertainment, it's available on a wider scale since the 21st November 2008.
Here the Hardcore-element is more present, but a good portion of Nu-Metal can also be found in the compositions. Examples of influences are KORN, SLIPKNOT, DISTURBED, ILL NINO and similar. SIHK mentioned KORN, MESHUGGAH, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, PANTERA, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD and PRIMUS on their MySpace page.
The album kicks off with a song - "The Quake" - that at first reminds of the Rock band LIVE, until the brutality breaks loose, influenced by SLIPKNOT, DISTURBED, CREED, PANTERA and similar. Screams, powerful singing and rolling double bass drums. Yes, there's some KORN as well, especially around the second minute. "The Quake" ends with a funky moment, something interesting.
Slow pounding Metal is in short what "5 Seasons" stands for... at first, though. Because then the pedal is pushed down more. The guitars hold their power before unleashing it in the chorus. Melody is very important, via the vocals, but foremost in the chorus. Speaking of the vocals, they're good and fit this kind of Modern Metal/Nu-Metal very well, but the whispering is very annoying and disrupts the listening pleasure, if there's any pleasure at all if this kind of Metal isn't exactly your favourite. Overall, I find "5 Seasons" less interesting than "The Quake". Everything is well executed and produced, but the compositions and vocals make it a whiney song. Not Emo, but still...
"Halcyon Days" injects the first serious amounts of Hardcore into the and album, even though the Nu-Metal influences aren't far. Clean singing, gently guitar heaviness in the verses, grooving in the chorus, all in a midtempo canvas. This is modern stuff, indeed. The bass guitar is very important and very high in the mix. This was also the case in the previous songs. The singing still has a sort of whiney character, but the luckily the music improves the situation more interesting and pounding. Around 02:40 a SLIPKNOT moment is programmed for about half a minute before continuing like before. Honesty obliges me to rate this song as one of the better on "One More Piece".
Oooh, Kal is angry in "Hollywood". At first I hear something CLAWFINGER-ish, which makes a transition into DISTURBED meets PANTERA and KORN and perhaps STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, although I'm not that familiar with this band's discography. Kal sings in a rapping manner. And once again the whiney/wanking touch is there, in the chorus, in contrast with the ballsy singing in the verses. I do have to add that the guitarwork is quite interesting, despite heavily depending on grooves.
"Hammering The Sun" starts calm, but rest assured that it won't continue like that. The level of energy is upped a lot as the music comes pounding out of the speakers. The drums, that follow the guitars are very important, especially the bass drums and the china cymbal to make the music more powerful. I'll probably say it again and again, but the (wanking) singing bores rapidly, especially in the second half of the song. But that's a characteristic of Modern Metal/Nu-Metal.
The tranquillizing chord picking of "Ocean" promises something entertaining and as you try to follow your hearing is blasted by heavy grooves that could make you think of MESHUGGAH, DEDICTED and even MACHINE HEAD. The vocals are covered with radio-effects in the verses and again the guitars hold their power in the verses before venting everything in the chorus. Total power and brutality is what you'll find on this field. And that's also the best part of the song. And yes, the singing is also rougher and angrier. Around 03:30 there's a calm break with the chord picking of the intro, followed by a slow building towards a more aggressive, though slow, piece. "Ocean" ends like it started, it retreats.
"Ballad Of The Harmless" reminds somehow of PANTERA's "10's", off the "The Great Southern Trendkill" album. At least, it's in that vein. This is again a bad - or less good, depending on your views/ears - song, as the instruments sound muffled, the soft singing does more bad than good and especially the percussion samples (if it's samples the band used, else the production on the drum is just yuk!) form a black stain on the music. It's hard to stay focused and find any listening pleasure here.
Back to business with the uptempo and violent "Psychotro", not in the least thanks to the pounding breakdowns. This is one of the better tracks and there's not as much wankery as before. If you want a modern Metal song with balls, this is one that should be on your list. Overall, a pretty good track, nothing more, nothing less. The rap-ish singing is one of the less attractive elements, in my opinion.
Midtempo pounding and aggressive vocals, those are the key ingredients of "One More Piece". Interesting enough percussion was added in the chorus. The grooving guitars and overall compositions remind of SLIPKNOT and particularly ILL NINO. Hold on to your horses, because there's a lot of anger and aggressivity to be found here. The violent breakdowns play their role, too. A song with a serious Fuck You!-attitude.
Two more to go, one fairly good, one not so good. "Box My Balls" isn't something that men like, unless they're into SM or get a kick from this. Kal growls or tries to and it's as if you're listening to soe tribal ceremony being executed. Once the drums fall in, the singing changes into clean with a wanky/sighing undertone. Annoying. The guitar add a peeping/screaming accent, as if to come over as an old radio where you had to look for the right frequency through turn buttons. That too annoys very rapidly. Once that is done and over with, the rest of the song isn't that bad at all. But again the vocals fail to keep things interesting or be interesting at all.
"Slaves Of The 70s (Wisky)" puts an end to "One More Piece". The music is direct in the chorus, yet the music is more in a waiting stance in the verses. Other than that you'll notice a guitar solo, though a screaming and raped one, for a short while. Compared to the other songs, this one is quite mediocre and bores from the start. Yes, this is also based on taste, and I didn't even have to compare with what preceded this track.
SIKH is not really a Hardcore band, but one that mixes modern Metal with Nu-Metal and a good slap of it, if I may say. If you're into Old School Metal, avoid SIKH at all costs. If modern Metal is your cup of tea, also depending on which music you grew up with, then SIKH is a band you cannot ignore. Everything is well executed, but as far as I'm concerned, there's a bit too much whiney-like singing and there are too many Nu-Metal influences. Briefly put, there are a few songs that were to my liking, though never 100%. Old school still prevails in my book, but it's interesting to hear other stuff and expand your knowledge.
More info at www.sikhmusic.net.
Line-up:
Kal - vocals, guitars
Nico - guitars
Boz - bass
Gael - drums
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S-CORE is the fourth Dirty8 band of which I got an album to review. This band was founded in 1998 out of two bands from Strasbourg, France. The first effort came out in 2001, the demo "Fatandwet". Line-up changes followed and the new fold made the track "Us" for the "Trapped In Yourself" compilation in November 2001. Gigs are a necessity for a band, so their schedule got filled quite rapidly. Another two years later the debut album was ready and titled "Riot... Process Engaged". This release got the band lots of success and promotion.
Anno 2007 the follow-up, "Gust Of Rage", saw the light of day, also via Dirty8. The deal with Drakkar Entertainment - yes, I'm repeating myself - makes this album available again, this time in several international countries. "Gust Of Rage" is also my first acquaintance with S-CORE. The bandname says a lot of what music to expect: Hardcore with a good touch of Metal. S-CORE is the most Hardcore band of the quartet I got to review. Must it be said that I find this release the best of the four?
"Gust Of Rage" is a title that says it all, but this is no gust that is blowing out of the speakers. It's a storm, a raging storm, louder than several herds of wildebeests or buffalos. Prepare for the ultimate attack. Words aren't enough to describe the level of anger, aggressiveness, brutality, ferocity and similar. Examples of songs that kick you in the nuts, tear out your intestins, crush your skull and bones are plenty. I'll name the best ones, or those I thought stood out: "Greaser One", "Me And The World" (uptempo, reminding in a way of PANTERA, MACHINE HEAD and similar with extremely dangerous drums), "Buried" (the music is perfect, the growling too, but the cleaner singing is unexpected and doesn't fit that well), "Rising Terror" (just look that the title - uptempo Hardcore with a few slower moments) and last but not least "Worst Of All", which certainly won't cure any headaches or seekers for peace of mind, since this track is short (+/- 01:30) but effective uptempo Hardcore, trashing, destroying and killing everything in its path.
Then there are the songs I still find good enough, though not exactly as much as the aforementioned. "Requiem For A Dying Race" is a song where the speed isn't important, rather the devastating impact it leaves behind and in that the band succeeds. "Misanthropic And Mean" has a MACHINE HEAD-like start, like the Americans did on their "Burn My Eyes" album. Drums once again offer a variety of tempos and fills, keeping the energy and drive at a high level. Rest isn't an option, it's full-on power until the batteries are dead. Somehow I couldn't help but detect a SLIPKNOT-like rhythm, even though S-CORE easily crushes them under them immense power. I hope you'll forgive me the name-dropping, as my knowledge of Hardcore is still very limited.
Something I didn't expect among the growling vocals was rapping. "Gust Of Rage", the title track, is even more ferocious than "Greaser One" and the music remains nicely brutal. But the rapping or singing in that way definitely is a no-go, in my opinion. It doesn't make the song more interesting, it takes interest away. Sure, I'm not fond of rapping, but if it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit. Other than that, I don't have any serious complaints.
Next to the good and less good songs, there are two of which I thought they didn't fit in either of the two above groups: "In Memoriam" and "Pangenesis". Why? Not only because of the compositions (midtempo with excruciating breakdowns) and constant brutality, but also because at this stage this flow of aggressive and pounding music becomes annoying and boring. The level of acceptance is reached and only rest of another kind of Metal is advised as antidote. Especially the 7 minutes of "Pangenesis" are hard to sit through. Well, sit? A lot of you will most likely not sit still, but move, even mosh.
Luckily the tracklisting contains 3 breaks, resting points, so to speak. All combined you get "It Takes A Whole Life To Become A Man". But the three interludes don't fit together, you can't connect them to make a full song. The first is a nice, groovy instrumental with a head and a tail. It doesn't flow over into "Misanthropic And Mean". The second takes a softer approach, namely accoustic. And this might make you think of SEPULTURA's "Kaiowas", but the accoustic guitars of S-CORE fly by at a faster speed. Nevertheless, it's a welcome piece of music after the storm that preceded it. The third interlude focuses back on Metal with a different production, more over the top leading to distortion. METALLICA's "Death Magnetic" album has distortion, here it's also very noticeable. The difference with "In Memoriam" is very obvious, with the latter having the better/best sound, like most other tracks.
What S-CORE have created with "Gust Of Rage" certainly shouldn't be taken lightly. This is Metal/Hardcore of high quality and I've played the album several times before finding time and inspiration to write something about it. Of course there's always the taste factor, but anyone into Hardcore should not have a problem with S-CORE and definitely check them out. Any Metalhead looking for brutal and agggressive music outside of the Death, Thrash and Black Metal box are also advised to look out for S-CORE. The only problem for me is the constant stream of the elements I just mentioned. Strangely enough, I don't have this (or less) with Death Metal. Pluspoints go naturally to the fantastic and extremely powerful production. S-CORE is a band we'll hear more from, rest assured.
More info at www.processengaged.com.
Line-up:
Jean-Christophe Ketterer - vocals
Thomas Ketterer - guitars
Bertrand Champredonde - guitars
Christian Mouilleron - bass
Matthieu-Barthelemy Lienhard - drums
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In the second half of October this year I got a mail from Dirty8, which acts as a booking agency, management and a label, combining 7 bands: S-CORE, X-VISION, SIKH, HOUSEBOUND, DYSBY, and HOLLOW CORP from France, and also SUPERBUTT from Hungary. Next to DYSFUNCTIONAL BY CHOICE, I'll also review the last release of S-CORE, X-VISION and SIKH. Originally these albums came out in 2007, either via Ghandi's Revenge or Dirty8, but the company reached an agreement with Drakkar Entertainment to release these albums on a wider scale on the 21st November.
The four bands fall in the Hardcore category, one more than the other and especially DYSFUNCTIONAL BY CHOICE aims for radio playtime, making it more a modern Rock/Punk Rock kind of band. Although I don't listen to radio anymore, only sporadically to know what the masses have the hots for, I can only give the following names as comparable material - from what I've heard -: PARAMORE, NICKELBACK, GREEN DAY, FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA and similar. This makes the connection with Hardcore non-existent or at least, there's a very thin thread left over.
After four self-produced EPs, the band was ready for a full album, "Travelling In Travel". An Industrial/Electronic intro forms the "Fog", in which The computer voice reminds of U96's "Das Boot" and will come back a few times in other songs, too. After this the "Alert" sounds in the form of modern Rock with a sludgey touch. Vocals are also in that respect, rough-edged.
"Travelling In Travel (Out Of Trap)" starts with the toms building the song, creating a tension, helped by the guitars that increase their energy level once the right pace and directness is found. This song is so different from "Alert" as there's more Punkishness involved. The singing consists for a large part of screaming (in the chorus), but on the other hand I can't help but think of the Irish Rockers of THERAPY?, not just for the music, but also the vocals. Around the second minute there's a calmer moment before striking back loudly. All in all quite good, but the screaming becomes rapidly annoying. Still, the music is very radio-friendly, so you should be able to hear this band a lot on Alternative radio.
Full songs aside, DYSFUNCTIONAL BY CHOICE added interludes to keep the listener's attention alive. One of those three compositions is the atmospheric and spacey "Optimum". Not bad, good for meditational purposes. "Iced Bed" is even more suited, as its soft sounds take you to a world far away from everyday life. The organ (mini-moog?) comes fading in and plays alongside the esoteric melody. But be prepared for the energetic attack that is "Non Reached Lights", reminding of bands like GREEN DAY, PARAMORE, DEUS and similar. It's actually one of the better tracks on this release.
But let's go back to the two songs that come after "Optimum". "Sleep & Learn" starts with a riff that METALLICA used (in a slightly different way) for their "The Unnamed Feeling" song. Drums are added to give the music a pounding touch. The previously used vocal effects are used hre, too. Slow midtempo is the chosen pace and at first the song seems to drag itself forward. This is especially expressed via the guitars. This flow is countered by adding a piano melody, which isn't exactly fast either, but is good enough to be used stand-alone. There's a break around 02:54 before hitting back like before. Overall, this is more about instrumental violence than anything else, in my opinion. It's almost a jam session with the vocal effects being the biggest burden. Sorry, but next! "Feedback Disease" is a straight-forward Rocker. Think MUSE, THERAPY?, FOO FIGHTERS and the likes. Pounding in the verses, increase in energy and singing in the chorus. In general, another worthwile song, but the vocal effects bore after a while.
"Sleep & Learn" was the first song that in my opinion wasn't worth the time, "Pimple" is the other. The music is more extreme than before and while it's not exactly bad - it's nothing arousing either and at a given moment too chaotic -, it's the vocals that really annoy the hell out of me. Shouting, clean singing... all with effects. One would get ADHD and be candidate for a mental institute when listening to this all day long.
Time for interlude no. 3: "C UT". Why they put a space between C and UT is a mystery to me. The music is again atmospheric, dark even and indeed mysterious as if something evil or dramatic is bound to happen. The computer voice is also present here. In short: the music is ok, but overall this track is easily dismissable, unless its purpose is clear in the overall context.
"Gotham" brings back the Rock aspect of the music. Midtempo, very melodic and quite FOO FIGHTER-ish. The singing again is screaming for a big part and that bores rapidly. The music isn't exactly helpful either, although there is a slowdown to give you time to come back to your senses. What comes afterwards is like before, but with a more direct pace and fiercer input, which is - honestly - much better than the first part of the song. It's less noisy, less chaotic.
And with "Underworld" the travelling comes to an end. Clocking in after 07:45, you get a mix of slow and midtempo music, starting gently and coming to blossom little by little. The music is quite good, the rough vocals are ok. But the song is just too long, for my taste. Fans of radio Rock will have a nice treat with this, but this kind of music and long playtimes don't match, in my opinion.
DYSFUNCTIONAL BY CHOICE and Hardcore? Forget that, for the thin thread has been cut by "Travelling In Travel". It's modern, radio-friendly Rock that you get here. Just look at the mentioned bands (MUSE, THERAPY?, FOO FIGHTERS, ...) and you'll see this release isn't aimed at Metal heads nor Hardcore fans. But that doesn't mean the guys made bad music, not at all. If you like this kind of Rock and frequently listen to alternative radio, then I can recommend DYSFUNCTIONAL BY CHOICE and "Travelling In Travel" easily.
More info at www.dysby.com.
Line-up:
Julien C. - vocals
Vincent - guitars
Julien H. - guitars
Fabien - bass
Francis - drums
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The Italian Progressive Metal band ELDRITCH has so far 7 albums up its sleeves and this since 1991 (the year of formation) or better said 1995, the year of "Seeds Of Rage". Last year "Blackenday" came out, showing apparently a different kind of Metal than what the band played in the beginning. Or, in other words, they seemed to have moved from Progressive Power Metal to something more Groovy and Thrashy comparable to MACHINE HEAD, PANTERA, EIDOLON and others. "Blackenday" was my first proper encounter with the band's music, although I heard "Portrait Of The Abyss Within" at the shop, but it didn't really convince me, unlike "Blackenday".
After so many albums it clearly was time for a live album and DVD. "Livequake" was the most appropriate title (based on "Headquake"?) and the release was set for the 14th November. I don't know how the gig was, visually, but I did get the album version to review, which is more than fine for me. ELDRITCH selected songs from each album and with the following numbers:
Blackenday: 5
Neighbourhell: 5
Portrait Of The Abyss Within: 2
Reverse: 1
El Nino: 7
Headquake: 2
Seeds Of Rage: 1
The DVD holds the following:
01. Livequake Concert (complete CD 1 + CD 2)
02. Live in Chicago 2006 (Documentary)
03. Interview with Adriano Dal Canto
04. Interviwe With The Band At Terence's House
05. Videoclip: Lonesome Existence
06. Videoclip: Save Me
07. Videoclip: The Blackened Day
It's clear that "El Nino", which was re-released with demo tracks in 2007, played a very important role. Just look at the tracklisting of the second CD: seven successive songs, including the bonus track from the limited edition, "Nebula Surface". Aside from this album, the band's last two albums were the ones that were spotlighted the most, logically. "Headquake" and "Seeds Of Rage" were also re-released with bonus tracks (in 2006), but were of lesser importance, probably because of the change in style. But there's also a clear distinction between the two discs: #1 is based on the last releases, while #2 goes back to the band's earlier style, i.e. the first three albums.
And the songs do sound very different, Groove (MACHINE HEAD, PANTERA, etc...) is important in the first part, while melody and more riff-oriented guitarplaying is central in the second part. Melody maily because of the keyboards and ex-member Oleg Smirnoff. Now, about the first disc: this change in style wasn't such a bad move at all, especially when hearing the older songs. Midtempo is key, but here and there you get some outbursts to increase the level of power and create a sort of grinding machine. And my thoughts of the "Portrait Of The Abyss Within" album have been confirmed as "The World Apart" and "This Everlasting Mind Disease" are the weakest songs here. They are softer than the other ones and Terence also added more "whine" to his singing, especially in the chorus. The songs that really stand out, for me at least, are "Why?" (sounds a bit like OCEANS OF SADNESS in the chorus), "The Deep Sleep", "Bless Me Now", "The Child That Never Smiles" and "Toil Of Mine", surprisingly enough (or not) all from the last two albums, "Neighbourhell" and "Blackenday".
So, all things considered, I can say that disc 1 is very decent to good live Progressive/Groove Metal.
Disc 2 is unmistakebly Power Metal where melody plays a huge role and the compositions are laid out in a Progressive manner. The focus lies on the "El Nino" album with seven songs. The other three slots are taken by "Headquake" and "Seeds Of Rage", as if not to do injustice to them, as if the band's not proud of those albums. "El Nino" might have been a good album - I haven't heard it yet - but not every song is a hit. What does stand out are the following ones: "No Direction Home" (sounds a bit like ANGRA and SHAMAN), "Heretic Beholder" (especially the drums caught my attention) and "Scar" (overall quite alright). The others just are too mediocre to be enthusiastic about. Mainly "Bleed Mask Bleed", "From Dusk Till Dawn" and the boring ballad "Nebula Surface" suffer from this. In the first two of these three it's precisely Terrence's singing that is the weakest link and an overload of keyboards in "Bleed Mask Bleed". Asides from those two more tracks are worth checking out: "Ghoulish Gift" and "Incurably Ill" (despite the somewhat questionable singing).
Disc 2 is good in that it offers an ear on the band's old material, but in my opinion they should have divided the available slots (10 in this case) over the three first album in a better way and not focus on "El Nino" too much, even if it was re-released last year. But it could of course be that the songs I found least good are good on the studio release. I'll have to check that out, but on "Livequake" they're not the best chosen ones.
"Livequake", the first live release of ELDRITCH. This is of course a special happening, hence a DVD and 2CD version. The show was recorded in Pisa, Italy, obviously and it seemed more than enough people showed up for this event. Being active for more almost 15 years (when starting with the debut album) should have resulted in a strong fanbase already, no? Therefore it was also imperative to let each release be present on the setlist and show the evolution the band and music have undergone over the years. The modern ELDRITCH on one disc, the older on the other, which is a good choice. The atmosphere is good, although the audience isn't heard that often. The sound is also good, but it does have an influence on the older material in that it doesn't come out as it should, I think. And then I'm referring to the difference with the studio releases. Either way, "Livequake" is a very decent release and is in fact more a fan release than aimed at people unfamiliar with the band and their music, because this is not the best release to start with, even if you're seeking a sort of Best Of. As for me, and I repeat, the album is fine and gives a nice ear on ELDRITCH's live performance, but the song selection is a bit weak in certain places.
More info at www.eldritchweb.com.
Line-up:
Terence Holler - vocals
Eugene Simone - guitars
Roberto 'Peck' Proietti - guitars
Oleg Smirnoff - keyboards
John Crystal - bass
Raffahell Dridge - drums
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The US Thrash band HADES came to the real world in 1978, under the lead of guitarist Dan Lorenzo. A few demos, a few singles and eventually in 1987 did the band manage to put out a debut album, "Resisting Success", followed by "If At First You Don't Succeed" in 1988. These releases seemed to be considered must-haves when it comes to adding HADES to your collection. I can't confirm neither deny it, as the only release I have is "The Downside" from 1999. Not exactly the band's best release and certainly not the Thrash of before, but more Doomy stuff. This influence is the result of Dan forming NON-FICTION, where he could use his "slow music" ideas.
After the two mentioned Thrash releases, the band broke up, which was in 1989, to reform about 10 years later. "DamNation" was the last album (2001) before HADES split again and each went his own way. Dan Lorenzo founded THE CURSED in 2006 with a.o. Bobby Ellsworth (OVERKILL) and has one album out so far, "Room Full Of Sinners" (2007). But going back in time, footage from the Boston show in 1988 was found and declared good enough to put it out on DVD, added with interviews and more. The title is plain and simple: "Bootlegged In Boston 1988". Cruz Del Sur Music released this DVD on the 8th November. The gig itself was part of the tour with NUCLEAR ASSAULT and MANOWAR.
The DVD contains three parts: the gig, the "Inside The Metal" documentary and a video of a DAN LORENZO song, it seems. Now, about the gig: the visual quality is far below what is offered today, also because at that time there were no means to do like in the 21st century and as the title says, it's a bootleg. The positive about this gig recording is that you get to see HADES at their best, which makes it nostalgic for the fans and interesting for those who aren't/weren't familiar with the old HADES. While nowadays recordings require several cameras, the bootleg is one camera only and shot from in the press pit, meaning right against the stage. This makes the experience all the more interesting, since the video guy shows it like you would have seen it if you were there. And yes, he doesn't stay at the same place. It's good to have the tracklisting with you, else it's hard to know what song they're playing. Fans of the band will of course have no problem at all with that. What you get is Thrash all the way, there's no stopping them. But at some point, I think it's around "In The Meantime" and "Aftermath Of Betrayal", there's a calmer moment, more Bluesy. Sadly, the lads are too pumped up to properly play this tune, so it doesn't feel as it should do... in my opinion. Time-wise the gig takes 30 minutes of your time and honestly, that more than enough, since it started to get a bit boring towards the end.
The "Inside The Metal" documentary is basically a mixture of interviews with the band members of that time - but many years later - and clips of live performances. Items tackled involve the albums, the band's past, the tours, the music, etc... In those interviews it's clear Dan Lorenzo is the leader, the boss. You do not only detect this in the statements from the others, but also the way Dan talks about everything. All in all, this is an interesting part of the DVD.
And last, the video. This appears to be one of Dan Lorenzo's own songs, "Frozen Planet" off the "Nice Being Alone" release (2003). The image quality is obviously much better than the bootlegged gig. The song is ok, though nothing special. And despite it being more Doomy, there's much better material out there. The song itself is good, nothing outstanding, though.
Fans of HADES will have a nice treat with "Bootlegged In Boston 1988", aminly because of the gig and the interviews. These are also the elements to pay attention to when purchasing this DVD. There's a big downside about the release: it feels like it's not complete. The gig and the biographical stuff go well together, but I personally think more footage or more historical info should have been added to give this DVD more value. All in all I would recommend this release to the fans of the band, the people that have followed it since the 1980s. Newcomers would do better to first check out the albums.
More info at www.myspace.com/hadesusa.
Line-up:
Alan Tecchio - vocals
Dan Lorenzo - guitars
Ed Fuhrman - guitars
Jimmy Schulman - bass
Tom Coombs - drums
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BIBLE OF THE DEVIL would indicate we're dealing with a Black Metal band here - just to keep the standard theme intact - but it's in fact a Stoner/Rock 'n' Roll/Metal kind of band. Formed in 1999 and hailing from Chicago, Il, USA, it seems the band has been specializing - so it is said - in anthemic, hell-raising anthems evoking images of human dementia, conquest, urban debauchery, and violence. The result being five albums so far, including the newest release, "Freedom Metal", released on the 8th November. The members' taste is directed towards the Hard Rock and Rock 'n' Roll of the 70s and 80s, yet with a modern twist. For their fifth full-length release the band worked with engineer and producer Sanford Parker (MINSK, NACHTMYSTIUM, LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR) to give the songs the perfect sound inline with what the oldies delivered back in the days. Or in other words, old school.
Vocalist and guitarist Mark Hoffmann describes the music as follows: "This is a true heavy guitar-lover's album. One for people who would rather actually plug a real Les Paul into a Marshall and just lay waste than those who would merely simulate shredding on their Playstation 3. Although, they too are invited to the party." About the band's name, he added that "We ain't talking about the perverse concept of 'Freedom' in Dubya's sense. We're talking about 'Freedom' in the purest, Hobbesian sense, 'a free man is he that is not hindered to do what he hath the will to do'. And Metal." I can agree with the first statement, as the music and playing feels very naturally and not as polished and fabricated like many other bands do. Regarding the second statement... who can have anything against that?
But let's focus on the music that is released as "Freedom Metal". The first thing you'll notice is the production and sound of it all. It's pure, honest and certainly not as plastic, overpolished and sometimes forced as many other releases. Take "Hijack The Night". It starts gently in order to prepare you for the Rock 'n' Roll feast that is bound to break loose and once this happens, there's no stopping. You get transported at least 20-30 years back in time, when acts like THIN LIZZY, MOtÖRHEAD and SAXON ruled the scene. Mark may not be the best vocalist on the planet, but at least he has the right vibe in his throat that fits perfectly with the music and atmosphere. Top song, if I may say so.
Then there's "Night Oath", where the bass and drum take the first seconds before the guitars kick in as well. Musically it's direct and straight-forward midtempo Rock, with a Stoner touch thanks to Mark's singing. The chorus is played in a galopping manner, while overall the THIN LIZZY influence cannot be hidden. Needless to say that the lads have done a great job with "Night Oath", too.
The high level of quality continues in "The Turning Stone", which sounds darker and dirtier. Melody plays a big role in the chorus. Overall, this song is still true to what several Classic Rock bands did so many years ago. What BIBLE OF THE DEVIL presents can only be applauded for. Oh yes, did I mention THIN LIZZY? Or look for a similar band, it doesn't matter.
Other tracks that stand out as much as the first three are "Heat Feeler" and "Ol' Girl", which truly could have been a THIN LIZZY song, no kidding. This reference is absolutely justified with this song. It's groovy, Bluesy and quite direct, but also contains elements that can link back to SAXON and even DUSTUCKER. Now, about "Heat Feeler": this is a special song, as it consists of two almost identical parts. The first is semi-accoustic and when the bass and drums kick in, it really feels like a trip back in time. Not only that, it's actually refreshing to hear this kind of old school Bluesiness among the heavy guitarriffs of today. And that's what the second part brings, the same pattern but with the guitarsound of the other songs. These two parts connect neatly and everything is well played, but as far as my taste goes, I wouldn't have mind if they continued like in the first part of the song.
But then there's a song that's a little less interesting: "Womanize". No, not BRITNEY SPEARS's "Womanizer". Heaven forbid! The reason why I rated it lower is ironically because of the vocals. Mark doesn't have the right tone or sound, or better said, his singing doesn't flow well with the music. And that's the best part of the song, the music. Luckily the four musicians also realized that and implemented enough room for instrumentalism, which makes the song very interesting from that perspective. Make this a non-vocals song and it would be in the list with the above ones.
The last two tracks are, in my opinion, the least good ones. "Greek Fire" is very much Stoner Rock, as it also has a dirtier sound. About the playing I have no complaints, but the cymbal is used too often, which is disturbing and the singing annoys after a while. "500 More" is kind of like an epic track and brings back the Rock 'n' Roll, even with its midtempo pace. But the song drags itself forward in an uninspiring manner that it bores quite rapidly.
Eight songs, five outstanding, one less and two don't. In other words, there's a majority that makes this album worth purchasing, although it's a close call. Anyway, BIBLE OF THE DEVIL has now at least five releases up their sleeves, so it would be strange if they produced bad music. This is certainly not the case here, as "Freedom Metal" is an album that is enjoyable when you're on the road or maybe even at work, depending on the rules. Anyone into Rock 'n' Roll with a Stoner touch - or quite simply into THIN LIZZY, SAXON, MOTÖRHEAD and similar - should check out BIBLE OF THE DEVIL. It's not the best band in this genre or in the world, but they do a very fine job at keeping it real and honest. It's all about the vibe. ;-)
More info at www.bibleofthedevil.com.
Line-up:
Mark Hoffmann - vocals, guitars
Nate Perry - guitars
Darren Amaya - bass
Greg Spalding - drums
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DOOM:VS is the one-man project of DRACONIAN guitarist Johan Ericson, who has released nothing but sheer qualitative Gothic/Doom Metal with this band. The last few years and thanks to Napalm Records DRACONIAN's popularity has increased a lot. But since Johan likes Doom Metal a lot and cannot implement all of his ideas into DRACONIAN's music, something new was needed, hence DOOM:VS. You could read it as Doom:Versus or just VS or... Doom Us, as Johan explained in an interview with Ashladan.be. While DRACONIAN focuses on melody, DOOM:VS is about heaviness.
"Empire of the Fallen" was the first result. This demo came out in 2004 and sort of lead to a record deal with Firebox Records. The first output then was "Aeternus Vale" in 2006. This debut album got lots of praise from both press and Doom fans, which was more tha just as Johan presented an outstanding Death/Doom album that made you wonder how he would top it. Since DRACONIAN took a lot more of his time, the follow-up took a while, but since the 20th October "Dead Words Speak" is out for those who seek tunes of misery and despair.
"Aeternus Vale" wasn't an album for the mentally instable. Even the pictures in the booklet were an indication of that. Ok, some exaggeration here. With "Dead Words Speak" Johan continues the journey through the dark, offering a view on how not enjoying life anymore, being plagued by ghosts, dead souls. One look at the cover and you know it's not Disneyland you're visiting. All these feelings of anxiety, disgust, fear and being lost have been translated into 6 songs, each containing the classic ingredients of a Death/Doom Metal band.
Heaviness and weeping melodies are perfectly intertwined/ Heaviness coming from the guitars, melodies being delivered for the biggest part by keyboards and samples. Johan's vocal capabilities have also improved and he even gave them a double role: growling for the pain and madness, clean for the fear and weeping. Perfect examples of this symbiosis are 1) "Half Light", where even brass instrumentation adds a creepy touch to the music and symphonic softness carrying the character away into oblivion; 2) "Dead Words Speak", where the character is haunted by dead souls. The guitarsolo at the end is the cherry on the Doomed cake; and 3) "The Lachrymal Sleep" or "Tears Producing Sleep" where the link with DRACONIAN is quite obvious, since it wouldn't be bad to e.g. let Lisa sing the chorus. Gentle piano touches increase the feeling of despair and sadness.
Next to those there's "Upon The Cataract". Cataract means you don't have a clear sight anymore, a sort of clouding appears before the lens. There's a disturbance in your eyes and this is expressed via a noise-like sound in the intro before the dark and doomy music sets in. Of course, you won't feel at ease when you don't see clear, making you weaker and thus increasing your feelings of anxiety. The music fits very well here. Around halfway there's a break and it's unclear what to expect, except for... downfall, as madness takes control.
"Leaden Winged Burden" has an even slower tempo and an even spookier atmosphere. This song is almost like a big cry of despair, wanting help to be released from this awkward situation. It's as if all lust for life has vanished and the only thin to do is seeking peace of mind, eternal rest. The pace is slow, very slow and it's like a stream that carries you away into darkness, free from all worries. Or so you think.
And last but not least, there's "Threnode". As the title says, this song is about self-pity and once again about dispising life as it is and not wanting to be part of it anymore. The song starts with gentle chord picking, after which this melody continues, in a first stage, under the cover of heaviness before the normal flow is set. And thus the journey through dark environments of sadness and despair come to an end.
It is very obvious that Johan has delivered a very good Doom album, especially for those who loved "Aeternus Vale" and like the works of DRACONIAN, MOURNING BELOVETH, SHAPE OF DESPAIR and similar. "Dead Words Speak" is one of the best Doom releases of this year, though not the best. Still, everything has been upped a few levels, from compositions over vocals to the production. In short, recommended material for all the miserable souls.
More info at www.myspace.com/doomvs.
Line-up:
Johan Ericson - vocals, instruments
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When I first read the name EXOTERIK, I instantly thought of the Funeral Doomsters ESOTERIC as it's pretty easy to misread. Upon the first listen it's clear we're not dealing with a Doom band here. EXOTERIK is an Anglo-Irish quartet that plays female-fronted Rock. In this digital era this is also one of the bands that has everything in their own hands when it comes to copyright and ownership of material.
EXOTERIK saw the light of day five years ago (2003) with having a stable line-up in 2005. They already have supported EPICA and shared the stage with, for example, THERAPY? and REUBEN. For their debut album the band stayed in Finland and Latvia, where they recorded "Don't Swallow" under the guidance of producer John Frye, who previously worked with CRADLE OF FILTH, DEPECHE MODE, HIM, NINE INCH NAILS and others. The mastering was done at the Red Room Studios in Norway. The release was scheduled for the 18th October.
"Don't Swallow" consists of 11 tracks, filled with lots of guitar-driven Rock. The tempo is mostly slow to medium, but there are a few injections to speeden things up, like in "Are You Alive?" and "Humanity Inc.". Both these songs also have a different sound, a bit more Industrial-ish, almost (present) RAMMSTEIN-like.
The influences range from GARBAGE, FAITH NO MORE and (old) ANOUK to LACUNA COIL, for example. This is apparent in songs like "Salvation" (heavy, no keyboards, but underneath quite radio-friendly overall) and "Alone" (mysterious intro, dito for first part. Later on it's business as usual with a keyboard 'solo' at some point. This latter song isn't bad, but it can bore after a few listens. Contrary to "Salvation", which is one of the better on this album.
Earlier I mentioned the sound and tempo connection between "Are You Alive?" and "Humanity Inc.", but there are more on this album. The Industrial aspect can also be found in "Raping The Reverie" (the intro, the creepy atmosphere at first) and "Find A Cure (To Save Yourself)" (also the intro). Both songs also have a slow tempo, while the first contains symphonic backing and is the longest track (more than 7 minutes).
Another link is that between "Watch You Bleed" and "Forever Watching", both for having a varied drumpattern that keeps the songs alive and listener focused. The first has a nice rhythm and later on the keyboards are added as electronic backing. In the second song the tempo first is slow, then it goes up, reminding a bit of NIGHTWISH. But it doesn't stay that way as there are ups and downs. Both songs are also among the better/best.
The last connection exists between "Complicity" and "Preservation", both for being sad and melancholic songs, one more than the other. In "Complicity" it's guitar-driven business and heaviness after a good 2 minutes, after the soft first part where piano, violin and bass dominated. "Preservation" made me think of LA-VENTURA, the Dutch Gothic Rock band. This song neatly follows after "Forever Watching". Of these two, it's "Preservation" that wins a place among the highlights.
That just leaves the starting track, "The Catalyst". Here slow and midtempo take turns and the keyboards do play a very important role, more than before and particularly in an atmospheric version. Anneka sings with a more bitchy tone. Not bad, but she does a much better performance in the majority of the other songs. The keyboards' sound/melodies, when coming to the front, are actually very annoying. The calm verses and heavier chorus are each other's opposites in terms of heaviness. Guitar, bass and drums are aligned, with the last adding a funky touch to the compositions. All in all a fairly good start, but definitely one of the least interesting songs.
It doesn't happen everyday that I listen to contemporary Rock, let alone female-fronted, that can be compared with GARBAGE, LACUNA COIL, FAITH NO MORE, GUANO APES and similar. Also note that there are a few Nu-Metal influences - not exactly something I love. Trying to stay open-minded I can conclude that EXOTERIK has done a good job with "Don't Swallow", especially with only three less good/interesting songs. Anneka has a clean voice that does fit this kind of music and she's one of the strengths of this band. The songs are written to get radio play, that's for sure. If you're into the mentioned bands, or similar, check out EXOTERIK, for I don't doubt they can quench your thirst.
More info at www.exoterik.co.uk.
Line-up:
Anneka Latta - vocals, keyboards
Tom Fay - guitars
Dave Parry - bass
Steve Riley - drums
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HUMAN ZOO is a German Hard Rock band that saw the light of day in 2004. In November of that year the single "Straight On The Road" came out. It was produced by Dennis Ward (PINK CREAM 69, ANGRA, SILENT FORCE, DEZPERADOZ, and many more). One year later the band's line-up was completed and the guys used the time to go out and gig. Hooking up with Dennis Ward again, HUMAN ZOO worked on its debut album, "Precious Time", which was released in 2006. This album got the band a deal with AOR Heaven, who would release "Over The Horizon", the follow-up of "Precious Time". Prior to this fact, the German group shared the stage with a.o. BONFIRE, Y&T and GOTTHARD.
Now, on the 8th of October 2008, Bob Media (whose releases are distributed in the Benelux via Rock Inc.) has acquired the rights to re-release "Precious Time". Thirteen songs and one video ("Taste Like Sugar"). The clock starts tiocking with the orchestral intro that is "Cosmopolitan Part I", after which the 80s-influenced Hard Rock fills the room. "Raise Your Hands" contains all the classic elements from this glorious period: clean vocals with a bit of roughness (macho-like), choir-ish singing in the bridge and/or chorus and keyboard backing. Think of DOKKEN, THE SCORPIONS, and similar. But what makes HUMAN ZOO's music extra interesting is the addition of the saxophone, which nowadays isn't used anymore. At least not in Metal.
The start of "Taste Like Sugar" sounds as if it comes off DREAM THEATER's "Images & Words" album. The tempo is slower here, but the music still rocks and here as well the chorus is where catchiness lies. With "Hold The Line" we're entering a warzone, indicated by the added samples. Musically this is something that could have been written by DIO or THE SCORPIONS. The tempo is even slower here, but guitars and bass dominate. The organ is another classic instrument here and makes the memory more alive. Easily one of the best songs on "Precious Time".
As it can't be Heavy Rock all the time, a ballad is needed: "In The Rain". Piano and symphonic backing are key ingredients. Thomas' singing isn't exactly super here, but once he adds more volume it flows really well with the music. Later one the entire band sings the chorus and although it sounds boyband-like, this is a very touching song, especially when the moment is right. The saxophone input comes out really well. Wonderful work here.
After this resting point, let's continue with more Rock! "Let Me Be" certainly cranks up the pace and power again. Great guitarwork, a heavy bass basis and more active singing. The chorus sounds very familiar, as if I've heard in another song before (from another band, obviously). The organ is present again as well. So far so good and no complaints at all. Oh yes, the bass gets its 15 seconds of fame here, right before the guitar solo. Dennis Ward has done a marvellous job with the mixing.
ACEEPT has "Up To The Limit", JON OLIVA'S PAIN "Push It To The Limit" and HUMAN ZOO "To The Limit". This is a powerful track where the guitars are the dominating factor, with the drums, while the keyboards get through the barrier at specific occasions. It's almost like Y&T's "Mean Streak". Here as well, no complaints from my part, for this is another enjoyable song.
"Keep On Rockin'" is a title that explains it all, being a midtempo rocker with the saxophone offering accents again. That same saxophone also formed the intro as "N.Y. Subchord". More, although slower, listening pleasure is offerd in "Give It Up", which starts with the exact same melody as EDGUY's "King Of Fools". In fact, it could have been a slightly altered version of "King Of Fools". Nevertheless, it's a good song, since I like EDGUY's, too. Ok, to like =/= be good, but you get the idea.
"Crowd's On Fire" cranks it up some more. This is one of the songs that put back the energy in you when you're going through a down moment. A positive vibe, that's the main idea here. Truly a kick-ass song and one that can be repeated several times without losing its power. The guitarwork clearly contributes to this. Need a comparison? I'd say SHAKRA.
As extras, so to speak, there are two bonus tracks: a live version of "Straight On The Road", which is a slow midtempo rocker and like the other tracks pure quality. It works quite well in a live setting, although I prefer the more powerful songs, where you'll find more balls. The other one, "In The Rain" (accoustic version), is good and well played, but it lacks the feel and passion of the electric version.
The video of "Taste Like Sugar" is based on a live performance, but with the album sound. I would have preferred the live sound, for that would have fit best with seeing the band on stage.
HUMAN ZOO's debut album is, all things considered, nothing less but recommended material for all those who enjoy(ed) 80s Rock and Metal, particularly if bands like THE SCORPIONS, DOKKEN, Y&T, SAXON, DIO, EUROPE and the likes were on your list. "Precious Time" is a trip back in time, but with the sound of today. With all the modern Rock and Metal that is nowadays available it's great to see there are bands that keep the legacy alive. The saxophone makes it all the more attractive. Plus, this is a great way to show that this music not only is timeless, but also a great opportunity to check it out if you aren't familiar with the style and don't want to dig and dig to know which band to start with.
More info at www.human-zoo-music.de.
Line-up:
Thomas Seeburger - vocals
Ingolf Engler - guitars
Boris Matakovic - saxophone
Zarko Mestrovic - keyboards
Markus Ratheiser - bass
Tommy Strobel - drums
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Willie Basse, ex-member of BLACK SHEEP, a band that also consisted of Slash (ex-GUNS 'N' ROSES), Paul Gilbert (ex-MR. BIG), Randy Castillo and James Kottak at various times. BLACK SHEEP appeared to have been a very important band in the 1980s. Willie later sold the band name to a Rap act, set up a successful recording studio and a real estate company. While I have no knowledge about BLACK SHEEP and only know Slash and Paul Gilbert, it was a total surprise for me when I got Willie Basse's solo album to review.
After many years Willie tries to work on new material to see if he would also gain success under his own name. "The Money Grind" is the title, the European release was set for the 6th October via Willie's own label, New Empire Media. Musically it's inline with what he has always done, Hard Rock with an 80's feel.
The album starts with an instrumental intro in which Willie only has to concentrate on his bass parts, while Mitch goes insane with leads and solos, hence "Guitargasm". Or is it Geoff? Nevertheless, this is a crazy and energetic piece to start with, although the ending is a bit abrupt.
What follows is an entertaining trip a good 20 years back, filled with Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. It's possible to categorize the songs according to taste and what stands out in that context. Starting with the best, the following songs are highly recommended:
* (Love So) Far Away - Bluesy Hard Rock like THIN LIZZY, DIO, MSG and others.
* U Can't Have It All - see "(Love So) Far Away", but with a rougher edge. This is a direct song where everything is simply outstanding, from the rhythm to the solos.
* It's Over - Hard Rock like AEROSMITH, AC/DC, Y&T, THIN LIZZY, ... the guitar soloing is the cherry on this delicious cake.
* Yesterday - more punch, but also more Bluesy. Very 80s-like with great guitarwork.
* Reasons - heavy, straight-forward and a different production with a warmer, more bassy sound.
* Danger Zone - another heavy track with an adapted production, giving the music more balls.
"Po' Boy" and "Immortal" form the second category, thus the second best songs. The first for neatly combining Reggae (verses) and Heavy Metal (chorus). Not that Reggae is my favourite genre, far from even, but what the band presents here is quality that cannot be denied. The second song is the other instrumental, aside from the intro, containing a nice rhythm and putting the bass guitar in the spotlights. Very well done.
The next ones in line are "Guitargasm" and "The Money Grind", the albums title track. The latter starts with percussion after the normal instrumentation takes over, i.e. Hard Rock/Heavy Metal. The music is comparable with DIO, BLACK SABBATH and even (old) MANOWAR. Willie also sounds more macho, but throws in some Halford screams now and then.
The four remaining songs aren't exactly bad, rather less interesting or attractive. "Unloveable" may have something LENNY KRAVITZ-ish (when he still rocked) at some point, and everything is well executed, but there's something missing that makes you (or me, in this case) long for more. "Avarie" is an accoustic, Southern Rock kind of song. There's an electric solo much later, but the whole is mediocre. "Don't Waste My Time" cranks up the level of heaviness again with an honest and pure production. The tempo is slow and the music reminds of e.g. BLACK SABBATH. The verses are the best part, but it's the chorus that is boring. And finally the accoustic "You're Not There", which has percussion instead of drums. The music is ok, but here the vocals or singing in general doesn't lift the song to a higher level. In my opinion it would have been better just let the instruments do the talking and leave the singing for other songs.
When counting the songs that stand out, it's at least 50-60%, even 70% when including the third category. This is for a certain part based on personal taste, that's correct. On the other hand, I cannot deny that, with different productions here and there to fit the increase/change in heaviness or Bluesiness, "The Money Grind" is a qualitative album that spans both the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal genres. WILLIE BASSE (the band) can in general be proud of this, after all those years. Fans of the music and mentioned bands will certainly find a nice treat here, even though it's not the best material around. The quality is there and that's what matters.
More info at www.willie-basse.com.
Line-up:
Willie Basse - vocals, bass
Mitch Perry - guitars
Geoff Nichols - guitars, keyboards
Bobby Rondinelli - drums
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The Belgian scene consists mainly of Death and Black Metal bands, although there are Heavy, Doom and Thrash acts as well, next to the flood of Metalcore formations. One of the new bands in the Extreme Metal category is THE END OF ALL REASON, from Brussels. This 5-piece band was formed in 2004 and soon started working on own material, resulting in a split CD with A TRAIL OF HORROR in 2006.
Four years later a record deal is signed and a first release is out (since the 1st October): "Fragmented". This EP consists of five songs, each packed with skull-crushing Metal, spiced with some Hardcore elements. Sven Janssens from the Belgian Death/Grinders ABORTED helped with the recordings, the mixing and mastering took place at Hertz Studios in Poland. Bands like DECAPITATED, VADER, KRONOS and others also made use of the material and knowledge at those studios.
Five tracks, about 28 minutes of brutal devastation. Icy winds, explosions, computer sounds... welcome in this Science Fiction atmosphere or how Earth could be like in a far future. And then the ruthless storm breaks loose. Pounding drums, monstrous vocals, slithering riffing and destructive breakdowns. Behold the "Chariots From The Beyond". It's easy to think of bands like SUFFOCATION, SPAWN OF POSSESSION, DECAPITATED and similar.
Demonic vocals are the first element you hear in "Ascending The Throne Once More". Screams and growls once again form the bringers of the message, with growling taking the largest part. What you get on a musical level is Thrashy Death Metal with moments of melody as the lead guitar comes to the front. Pure qualitative destruction and certainly not for the weak of heart or mind. As a contrast the song ends with gentle guitarwork as if recorded in the period before WWII. But be sure to hold on, as the terror doesn't stop.
"Aeons In The Void" is about the destruction of Earth, about everything being wiped away, stripped away in an agonizing manner, taking no prisoners. Darkness takes a pleasure at blowing it all away. The usual elements, including breakdowns, are present while the overall result is relatively similar to ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET. It's interesting to detect the change as the verses are full-on humpapa, the chorus galopping/blasting. Around halfway there's a technical piece with lots of attention for melodic leads before coming to a halt in terms of storming the battlefield. This moment and the soloing afterwards have something IN FLAMES-like, the new IN FLAMES. Slowly the right rhythm and pace is sought again. This is one of the songs where Progressiveness is important.
As the last few minutes of the previous song weren't exactly blasting, the start of "Redemption" is very much so. Out of the way, for you won't find any sleep yet. The fast guitarwork adds touches of danger in this stream of aggressivity. This is definitely a top class song. The technicality and Progressiveness have been merged very well. As before there is a moment, a break, of simplicity where melody plays another important role, contrasting brilliantly with the unstoppable force of evil coming from the rhythm guitars and drums. The excellent sound is the cherry on the cake.
The last track, "Barbara", starts with a movie sample: "They're coming to get you, Barbara.". I'll have to search what movie it's from, though. The music is slower than before, and the flow is also adjusted to that, but it doesn't mean there's a decrease in terms of pounding moments. "Barbara" is very different from the rest, not just because of the tempo, but also because of the compositions. Speed was very important previously, but the band chose to work on the flow here and offer something extreme and extremely diverse. One time it's pure heaviness that is king, another time melody occupies the throne. One time the drums push the song onwards, another time they sort of back away and let the listener get into the music better without being overwhelmed by fast playing. As a result you get a playtime of over seven minutes. And this is more than enough to show that THE END OF ALL REASON is more than fast Death Metal.
At the first listen of "Fragmented" I was very sceptical, not believing the EP is in fact a very worthwhile release. Furthermore the band name didn't really help as it has something Metalcore-like. Why, I don't know, but in several cases you can tell from the name what to expect. But after more thorough listens my doubts were immediately erased. THE END OF ALL REASON is a surprise in the Belgian scene and should be able to gain success abroad as well. The surprise is the young age of these guys, being all about 20 years old. And having made such stunning material, Extreme Metal you can expect from any bigger band like DECAPITATED, SUFFOCATION, SPAWN OF POSSESSION and others. The Hardcore elements make the music more interesting, spicey, aggressive and powerful without turning the band into a Deathcore one, for there is far more technicality and Progressive input to make the comparison with aforementioned bands justified. So, all things considered: highly recommended for any Technical/Progressive Death Metal fan.
More info at www.myspace.com/theendofallreason.
Line-up:
Vincent Boedt - vocals
Tom Sergeant - guitars
Thadde Mahmourian - guitars
Thomas Swalens - bass
Jonas Sanders - drums
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Last year the UK Thrashers of PITIFUL REIGN released their second demo, "D.I.V.E.". This was my first encounter with their music. Preceding this demo was the "24 Litre Killer" demo in 2005, followed by the debut album (self-released) "Toxic Choke".
The deal with the Italian label Punishment 18 was signed already last year, not too long after the release of the "D.I.V.E." demo. "Visual Violence" is the title of PITIFUL REIGN's real debut. The release was originally set for May, but this had to be postponed and finally the 30th September was chosen as release date. I got a promo copy (burned CD-R) in late October.
"Visual Violence" contains eight songs, of which three were taken from the "D.I.V.E." demo: "D.I.V.E.", "Fatality" and "Pushed To Prime". I'm not going to comment on them again, save that 1) I thought the guitar solo in "D.I.V.E." seemed a bit too long, 2) the bass is quite high in the mix in "Fatality" - not that I mind - and 3) "Pushed To Prime" contains an awesome rhythm.
The rest of the songs starts with the title track. And it's clear from start 'till finish, this is Thrash! Direct and at a midtempo pace it reminds of EXODUS, EVILE, KREATOR, LAAZ ROCKIT and more. Pure quality, in other words. "Human Coleslaw", for which a video was made and this one being banned on some channels, is even more violent and the pace is also higher. Josh adapts his singing accordingly. The chorus is short and to the point. Musically you can see this as EXODUS meets TANKARD. Again the lads did a very good job.
"Malevolence Of The Butcher" is by far one of the best tracks on "Visual Violence". With a playtime of over 7 minutes it's not only the longest song, but also offers quite diverse moments. The start is calm, but gradually heaviness comes pounding in. While the chorus is set in midtempo, the verses are played with odd-time pounding Thrash. Josh's singing is again adapted to the faster pace and musically bands like EXODUS and DESTRUCTION formed an influence. About halfway there's a nice bass moment, which reminded me of Jason Newsted (ex-METALLICA, ex-FLOTSAM AND JETSAM) on the "Live Shit, Binge & Purge" video cassette/DVD. Afterwards you get a Bluesy solo part that changes back towards Thrash under the form of a fast solo part during which the tempo also increases heavily. Excellent material!
One word for "Raid Deployment": violent, aggressive, ... Ok, at least two words. And that's only based on the start, that is slow, building the pace. Eventually (slow) midtempo is selected. There are a few tempo boosts, but not enough to be exstatic about this element. Overall this is from being a bad song, but it's not exactly outstanding either. The final song, "Thrash, Boobs And Zombies" corrects this mistake by cranking up the pace and containing a sort of galopping rhythm. All things considered I have no remarks about the ending track. Decent Thrash, nothing more, nothing less.
I would like to add a final remark about the sound of this album. Steve DiGiorgio (SADUS, ex-TESTAMENT, ex-ICED EARTH, ...) produced it and of course this will help to get PITIFUL REIGN the necessary attention and promotion, but the band's budget seemed not exactly high or high enough, something that's not to be surprised about, since not all bands have or get support like EXODUS, DESTRUCTION, KREATOR and others. Anyhow, "D.I.V.E." had a rough sound that fit Thrash and PITIFUL REIGN's music very good. The sound of "Visual Violence" is more polished, but at the same time more compact and less powerful. I hope that for one of the next releases producers like Andy Sneap, Jacob Hansen or maybe Peter Tägtgren can be asked or maybe Andy Classen. Each of them has a trademark sound, so it depends on one's taste which fits best.
Last year I was pleasantly surprised by the "D.I.V.E." demo, as it showed PITIFUL REIGN has the potential lead the charge of a next UK Thrash assault. But with four songs it was a bit short. "Visual Violence" quenches the thirst for Thrash a lot more thanks to having eight songs, of which three were re-recorded. The band still has time to further develop their skills and create the ultimate Thrash album, or at least PITIFUL REIGN Thrash album, and while doing so they can be very proud of their work so far. All they need now is gigs, not only in the UK.
More info at www.pitifulreign.co.uk.
Line-up:
Josh Callis-Smith - vocals
Neville Britton - guitar
Alan Pashby - guitar
Matt Walker - bass
Tom Small - drums
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The Greek Heavy/Doom Metal band REFLECTION was founded about 17 years ago and have been working hard on own material. Several releases, like the demos "Before The End" (1992) and "When Immortals. Die!" (1993), but also the "Sire Of The Storm" 7" EP Single (1995) and "The Fire Still Burns" CD (1999) were the result. Two years later the split-CD with INNERWISH, "Realms Of The Night" (2001), came out, That same year Secret Port Records released "The Fire Still Burns-2001 Edition" as well as the concept album "Odyssey" (2003). As usual, a band must undergo line-up changes if it wants to survive. 2006 was the start of a new era: Leo Stivala, singer of the Maltese veteran Doomsters FORSAKEN, was the new man behind the mic, while John Litinakis occupied the bass position and Iraklis Loukakis the keyboards one. Together they worked on the new album, "When Shadows Fall", out since the 26th September.
Live REFLECTION has already shared the stage with SOLITUDE AETURNUS, DEMON, PAUL DI'ANNO, WOTAN and more. In their own country the band has also performed at several festivals, and even headlined some of them.
Before the Metal kicks in, you're welcomed by an accoustic intro, in Greek style. The mix of slow Heavy Metal and the epicness of Doom makes the band comparable with bigger names like CANDLEMASS, BLACK SABBATH, SOLITUDE AETURNUS, CONCEPT OF GOD and others. This is clear in, for example, "Mistress Of Sea", where you'll also find keyboards that serve as enforcer for the melodic aspect.The clean vocals form a big contrast with the heavy riffs and although that can work well, it's exactly this element (not entirely, but still) that forms a brake on the band's career. Leo's singing lacks power and roughness that is needed in these kind of songs. The orchestral version at the end of the tracklisting is alright. The heavy instrumentation is entirely replaced by the orchestral elements and a choir. Although the result is listenable, this version is just a nice extra, nothing more.
Overall the tempo is slow and while the compositions can counter that to make the songs more interesting, it must be said that a tempo increase is more than welcome. But there are songs that sort of stand out, in my opinion, and then mainly thanks to the music: "Ghost Ship", "When Shadows Fall" (which has something Progressive, almost DREAM THEATER-like), "Desert Land" (has a short punchy piece, but slows down soon. It's the drums that keep the song alive), "Serpent's Eye" (again more punchy. Vocals are better than before, but still too weak) and last but not least, "Kingdom Of Fire" (it's heavy, crushing, grinding and one of the best here).
The other few songs are just too mediocre, despite having some good instrumental parts. Just one remark about "Lost": wouldn't the chorus sound much better and be more enjoyable (to listen to) when played faster? Sure, in Doom, it's supposed to be slow, but if it benefits the music/song, then I don't see why it shouldn't be applied, or at least tried.
Combining Heavy and Doom is nice and both styles fit together, but there are bands that do it better, or, make their material more interesting. If REFLECTION want to compose their music this way, fine, but (personal opinion here) get another singer and I think it will be a step forward. Fans of the band might think otherwise and really appreciate "When Shadows Fall". Anyhow, regarding "When Shadows Fall", pluspoints go to the sound and about 50% of the songs, while the following elements prevent a higher score or a rise in popularity or attractiveness: vocals (clean and too weak to complement the instruments), the other songs and overall being too much of the same. I can't really recommend this release but to the band's fans only.
More info at www.reflection.gr.
Line-up:
Leo Stivala - vocals
Stathis Pavlantis - guitars
Iraklis Loukakis - keyboards
John Litinakis - bass
George Pavlantis - drums
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The female-fronted Rock band NIKKI PUPPET is a formation of hardworking musicians. Two albums so far, "Puppet On A String" (2005) and "Militant Mother" (2007). Both albums were very entertaining and showed this band has potential to keep it going for a long while. These first two albums came out via Armageddon Music (later renamed to Wacken Records). Thanks to this deal the band also got to play on, for example, Wacken Open Air. Musically the band improved quite a lot, although keeping their own identity in terms of sound and feel. This was for a large part thanks to producer Herman Frank (ACCEPT, VICTORY, ...), who sat behind the buttons this time as well. Since the 26th September album no. 3 is ready: "Power Seeker".
Last time the similarities with o.a. GUANO APES were still apparent, but NIKKI PUPPET also added some Punkishness and edged towards ACCEPT territory. With "Power Seeker" the usual ingredients are in the package and the sound has been kept compact and dry. Playtime per song is once again kept to the normal 3-4 minutes, in most cases. The influences this time range from ALICE COOPER over SCORPIONS to DIO. Proof of that can be found in the midtempo rocker "Destroy This Toy", "I Can Dream" (radio-friendly, but with a clear contrast between Nicky's voice and the heaviness of the guitar), the punchy "Falling In 2 Pieces" (where the chorus reminds of AC/DC, SCORPIONS, ACCEPT and similar), and last but not least "I Spy" and "Come Back". The first being a fast song in vein of SAXON and ACCEPT, featuring a wild solo, which affects the drums as well. Great material! The latter is a much slower song, reminding of DIO and even METALLICA ("Load"-"Reload" era), due to its Bluesiness. Overall it's a decent song, though radio-friendly as well. The rest of the thumbs up goes to the punchy and great-chorus-containing "Blind Race Of Ice" and the uptempo "Scream".
But there's also slower material, like "Pricks", where the guitar heaviness mainly is found in the chorus. Nicky's singing is also more energetic. However, it's that other slow Rocker that takes away the prize: "300 Warriors". It's slow, heavy and epic. This time it's DIO, BLACK SABBATH ("Heaven And Hell" verse melody) and CANDLEMASS that come to mind. Excellent stuff!
In the middle you'll find an instrumental track, rather short, but it offers a nice change: "Yia Sou Saloniki". Basically it's Christos Mamalitsidis going nuts on the accoustic guitar. No real complaints here, even though the song's not really a highlight. And to name 'em all, the Bluesy, midtempo and funky "Daddy Yells" is, generally speaking, not really bad, rather mediocre.
Speaking of least good, or better said, boring songs, the remaining tracks fall in this category. "Power Seeker" for being very simplistic - NIKKI PUPPET has never been about technicality, but the compositions in the other songs are far better - and not being able to hold the listener's attention. The compressed sound also is an obstacle. And what to say about the accoustic closing song, "Turn Back Time"? This one, roughly put, is sleep-inducing. Seriously, if you must add a ballad, this is not the path to follow.
As much as I liked "Puppet On A String" and "Militant Mother", I have to admit that NIKKI PUPPET's newest, "Power Seeker", isn't as good as the preceding releases, despite the new influences. Sure, the majority of the songs is good and worth hearing. But there's a large portion, too large in fact, that just wouldn't justify a higher score or more praise. "Militant Mother" only had two less good/interesting songs, in my opinion. "Power Seeker" has five. You make the calculation. Situation so far: two good albums, one less good. That's in general no big deal, as every band sooner or later makes such a release. However, I guess this album will very much please those into female-fronted Rock that appeals to a broad audience (read: mainstream). Let's hope Nicky and co. refind the inspiration of before to make a kick-ass follow-up.
More info at www.nikkipuppet.de.
Line-up:
Nicky Gronewold - vocals
Christos Mamalitsidis - guitar
Anke Sobek - bass
Florentin Adolf - drums
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It's been two years since KAMPFAR's last release, "Kvass". The Norwegian Pagan/Black Metallers have since then worked very hard by doing several gigs and getting inspiration for the new album, "Heimgang". My review of "Kvass" was very general, even though I liked the album a lot, since it showed a great step forward compared to the first releases. Or perhaps it's best described as being a successful comeback, since KAMPFAR has only released quality so far. The analog sound was more than helpful and perfect for the cold atmosphere, indicated by the winter landscape on the cover. I now wonder why I didn't add it to my list of 2006, since it's a very qualitative album if you're willing to take the time to listen to it.
That year "Mellom Skogkledde Aaser" (1997) and "Fra Underverdenen" (1999) were re-released, with "Fra Undervenen" containing the EP "Norse". I still have to get those, though. Anyhow, there's not only a gap of two years between "Kvass" and "Heimgang" (out since the 26th of September), but also four more songs on the latter, resulting in a playtime of little more than 47 minutes, or an addition of barely one minute. In other words: the songs are shorter.
The first thing that jumps out is the sound. KAMPFAR has managed to create an own sound/identity right from the start. Dolk's characteristic voice is still a key element in the compositions and the trademark for the band's recognition. Compared to "Kvass" I'd say the instrumentation sounds more digital, but it's still has the KAMPFAR stamp. "Kvass" was more analog to my ears.
The entrance into the underworld, as told in Nordic myths and legends, is provided via "Vantro", an intro full of mystery with a constant melody, enforced by the full instrumentation. Once inside, the "Inferno" awaits you. Tempo changes are key, but the drums really push this song onwards. Dolk's typical shrieks welcome you for a first time and will continue to do so in each song, guiding you as you advance in this dark and cruel environment.
"Dødens Vee"... something dead here? Perhaps it's "The Way Of The Dead"? In any case, "Vee" is the Dutch translation for "cattle", but I doubt there are cows involved here. The tempo is slower, the drumming more simple, although it's precisely this instrument that provides necessary accents to keep the music alive. Also note-worthy is the subtle Folk influence, although you won't hear any flute or accordion or violin or anything similar. It's in the melodies and the way things are played. In addition, the song is divided into two parts, whereas the first is like a sandwich for the second, in the middle. A change that's very well implemented and this adds to making "Dødens Vee" one of the best songs here.
In "Skogens Dyp", the deep forest (if I googled well), the first signs of agony arise and this is expressed via Dolk's shrieks, too. The music is played at midtempo, rolling on on double bass. Here too drum accents are provided as the guitar keeps on playing. Further on there's a guitar break before the power is unleashed again. The agonizing atmosphere continues in "Antvort", which can be easily considered as a normal KAMPFAR song. Uptempo, over 5 minutes long (longer than the first few songs, which ended at around 3 minutes) and close to what was common on the previous albums. However, the atmosphere is quite depressing and dark and it feels as if you're being tormented to no end.
Another Folk-injection can be found in "Vansinn" (deformed?), where the tempo is slower, but the music more flowing, and not in the least by II 13's input. But then there's "Mareham" to speed things up, in true Rock 'n' Roll style and without touching KAMPFAR's Black Metal compositions. When "Feigdarvarsel" comes storming out of your speakers, it's time to move aside, unless you want to make that trip to the underworld. Dolk's demonic vocals might make the start easier by luring you in. Somewhere around the middle or past that point there's a nice drumbreak, adding accents in preparation of the rest of the storm. You could say that break is the eye of the storm, indeed.
"Vettekult" hold the tempo of before, yet allows for a decrease for the chorus. Here as well you'll find a guitar and bass moment (quite interesting, as this doesn't happen often, at least not for the bass) while the drums play the same pattern just to keep the music going. The mood of this song can be described as depressing. And this sure doesn't improve in the Doom-ish "Vandring", where the melody also comes out sad atmospheres. Musically this reminds heavily of EMPYRIUM, of their older releases. Dolk also sounds like a tormented soul, like an old person decaying and having just enough breath to say his last words. But it's all well done and deserves lots of applause.
KAMPFAR said this new album, "Heimgang", would be "KAMPFAR through and through". It's crystal clear that this is the case. The fact remains that - all things considered - each release by this Norwegian Pagan/Black Metal band is worth purchasing. Even today Dolk and co. show that the fire is still burning, perhaps more than ever. "Kvass" was a very good come-back album, "Heimgang" is a very worthy follow-up and quite simply recommended for the fans and anyone else into pure, qualitative Black Metal.
More info at www.kampfar.com.
Line-up:
Dolk - vocals
Thomas - guitars
Jon - bass
II 13 - drums
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Last year the veteran US Power/Thrash band HELSTAR released an album of re-recorded old material, taking 2 per album with "Burning Star" (3) and "Remnants Of War" (4) taking the biggest part of the cake. In addition the band added two new songs, which fit in perfectly with the old material.
Now, almost one year later (26th September), the band's first real new album is ready: "The King Of Hell". It's been since 1995's "Multiples In Black" that HELSTAR made a studio album with new songs. HELSTAR, "The King Of Hell", you can see a connection here and I think they refound the power of old with "Sins Of The Past", making sure the new release would be killer as well and true to their legacy.
It's the king himself that welcomes you. Or better said, his female assistant lures you into the creepy atmosphere and you just feel something's bound to happen, especially when the guitars and drums come into play. James's typical screamy vocals instantly attack your hearing system. Later he gets more vicious. The music is heavy, doomy and energetic. Over halfway there's a pounding moment, as if Satan approaches you with big steps, followed by a Thrashy part and guitar solo. All in all a qualitative song to start with.
"The Plague Called Man" is where the real feast is to be found. It's Thrashy, it's got raging guitars, thundering drums and James singing in a more hymnic manner. To make things more interesting you'll find some tempo changes before the rage continues. Think LAAZ ROCKIT, TESTAMENT, DESTRUCTION, some PARADOX and similar. A pure delight to the ears! The song doesn't really end, as the guitars fade out and immediately connect with "Tormentor", which is one of the new songs off "Sins Of The Past" - here in a shorter version. This one rolls on like a tank, in pure Power Metal style. Midtempo is the pace. The chorus is also sung in a hymnic way. Musically the link with MYSTIC PROPHECY is easily made. In the middle of the song you'll find an entertaining solo moment, the first part being backed by heavy outbursts (guitar and drums) while in the second the music rolls on again.
To show how important drums are in Metal and in HELSTAR's compositions, listen to "When Empires Fall", where it's this instrument that announces the disaster (in the lyrical context). Tempo or speed is not important here, rather atmosphere. You do get violent attacks and flashy guitarwork, backed by a Doomy rhythm guitar, as if to show the devastation, the destruction.
With all these midtempo songs it would be nice to have something faster and furious again. In comes "Wicked Disposition", of which the start certainly clears all doubt about Thrashiness. Sadly enough this part never returns, as the rest of the songs is heavy, crushing, pounding and more. More speed would be very welcome, although the song itself is actually very good. James fronting the formation in a wicked manner. The whole (music and vocals) made me think of BENEDICTUM at some point. Halfway there's a different piece, rougher and more brutal, followed by a Jazzy twist to result in a continuation of the chorus.
"Caress Of The Dead" is the other song that was recorded for "Sins Of The Past". Here its playtime only differs with two seconds. Vicious Power/Thrash is what this song exhales, with a stress on Power - not only in terms of style but also the sound. It also has more punch than "Wicked Disposition". It's great to hear the tempo building via the drums around the middle of the track, after which *bam* the music pounds on and you get a solo as bonus. Welcome to the underworld!
And just when you think the pace will stay like this (i.e. only two Thrashy songs), guess again. "Pain Will Be Thy Name" is very much welcome at this point, like the water you need when having a dry throat, the steak when you're hungry, ... There's a big Thrash injection here and James sounds as if he's possessed, for he screams again and the whole sounds very wicked, evil and mad. The double bass attacks in the bridge are a great addition to the heaviness. Here too you'll find screamy guitarsolos that are the cherry on the cake. "Pain Will Be Thy Name" is without question one of the several pearls on this album.
"In My Darkness" stands out because of its accoustic start, with James singing softly before hell breaks loose. To be honest, James has a powerful voice, but when it comes to gentler parts he doesn't have it to express sad and depressed feelings. I understand one wants to create diverse songs, but on the other hand if something doesn't work, don't do it or consider getting someone else to do it. The tempo is slow, perhaps the slowest so far. And this gives space to the drums to do their thing and play a vital role in making this song as dynamic or variable as possible. It's an ok song, though nothing special.
Last but not least, "Garden Of Temptation". The intro consists of something eastern, Arabic, if you will. Imagine belly-dancers and everything around it. The atmospheric tunes neatly flow over into the heavy outburst of Metal. Slow and just flowing on, it's the next step before the usual viciousness surrounds you. Musically quite alright, but the vocal lines are something to get used too, as James seems to sing in a talky way, something I'm not that fond of, even if it's for the good of the song. But like I said, the music is more than alright and there's enough change in riffing and tempo to stay focused.
In my review of "Sins Of The Past" I said about the new songs: "If the forthcoming album (due in 2008) will be anything like these two new songs, then be sure to get a copy!". I can only confirm what I said last year and am saying now: "The King Of Hell" is a qualitative release filled with powerful and killer US Power Metal. Inline with the old material, but with the sound of today. Add some Thrash elements here and there and it's complete. That doesn't mean I wouldn't mind a bit more speed, which would make the album even more interesting (in my opinion). All in all, HELSTAR still is one of the recommended bands in this league, no matter how many new bands pop up. If you're fast, get your hands on the first pressing, which comes with the bonus track "White Witch", next to those two other tracks, and the "Sins Of The Past" album.
More info at www.helstar.com.
Line-up:
James Rivera - vocals
Larry Barragan - guitars
Rob Trevino - guitars
Jerry Abarca - bass
Russel DeLeon - drums
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Last year the Finnish Epic Metal band BATTLELORE released its fourth album, "Evernight". In that review I added some bio and albums info, so no need to repeat that aspect again. Right from the start, or the first album, "...Where the Shadows Lie", the band showed its potential and Napalm Records noticed that as well, even in their demos already. Each release was a step forward, although the production was the elements to keep in mind the most, as it wasn't that good (= too light, too digital) on "Third Age of the Sun" (2005). The situation was much better on the follow-up, "Evernight".
Many gigs and lots of inspiration later, album no. 5 is ready and this since the 26th September. BATTLELORE's lyrics are inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and this isn't any different on "The Last Alliance". I liked the previous album and was somehow looking forward to this new one, hoping it would be even better, maybe heavier.
Melody is something the songs heavily thrive on and without Maria's input it just wouldn't be the same. The power would still be there, thanks to Jussi, Jyri, Timo and Henri (respectively guitar, guitar, bass and drums), but you would clearly hear the songs lacking something vital.
The sound had greatly improved on "Evernight" and it's at least as good on "The Last Alliance". Furthermore, the mix is absolutely top and the first sign of this is not only the balance between the heaviness of the guitars and drums vs the melody and orchestrations of the keyboards, but also Kaisa's voice. You can very clearly what she sings and in the past this used to be covered a bit by the instruments.
BATTLELORE and midtempo is a successful marriage and has been since several years. That is also a problem, as it would be nice to have some speed boosters to diversify the material. But let's first mention that "Third Immortal" is a perfect starter. Very melodic, quite catchy and you're instantly drawn into the song, into the musical world that these Finnish present through the song. "Guardians" adds a Folky touch with the violin, gentle guitarwork and tribal drumming. The first part might make you think it's a ballad, but once the full power is activated, any thoughts of this are erased. The tempo increase further on is a welcome change, as the song seems to flow a bit better, but that doesn't mean the first part isn't good. On the contrary. This is very qualitative stuff.
Now, about the uptempo and speed: you'll find these parameters in "The Great Gathering". Again I'm reminded of AMON AMARTH, just like last year's "We Are The Legions". The drums add more power, more punch and the guitarwork works in the same way. Later on, Henri even spices things up with blastbeats and together with the fast guitars that creates a bit of a Black Metal vibe, which is a very interesting change and surely makes the music even more interesting. Tomi has a leading role here, while Kaisa's gentle voice takes care of the chorus. She has a solo moment towards the end, after the blast part. Fact is that this song is one of the best here, thanks to the whole package: epicness, melodies, symphonic elements, instrumentation, ... The next track, "Voice Of The Fallen", has the roles switched: Tomi in the chorus and Kaisa in the verses, although they come together at some point. Henri once more keeps the pace high enough and also makes his drumming very variable. The keyboards are the key instrument here, while the guitars add the power.
"Exile The Daystar" is another highlight. The tension is built in a Doomy atmosphere. The lyrics are once again divided between the Tomi and Kaisa, who contrast each other not only in singing, but also in the musical compositions. Tomi in the fuller, dramatic parts, Kaisa in the more gentle moments. The orchestration also helps to create this sad and dramatic feel and contributes to the different compositions flowing neatly into each other. Add a slow tempo and everything is there to make this a good song. "Awakening" is another sad/emotional, but beautiful, track, switches to midtempo later on.
What comes next really moved me: "Daughter Of The Sun". This song is divided into two parts, a peaceful one and a more brutal one. The first is occupied by Kaisa, accompanied by gentle instrumentation and melody being very important. All is well and you hope it lasts until the end. Sheer perfection you could call it. But then heaviness takes over, Tomi comes in and the atmosphere is more emotional. You cannot ignore the contrast that appears here and although that can work in various songs, the heavier part is too sudden, too aggressive. Let me clarify: "Daughter Of The Sun" is a very nice song and very well composed and more. That's fine, but you're listening to a calm piece of music when all of a sudden this moment of tranquillity is disturbed by a vandal. Maybe it's supposed to be like this when you read the lyrics, but when not taking this context into account, I find this transition too blunt.
"Green Dragon" is like "Third Immortal" and brings back some tempo into the music, also thanks to the rolling bass drums. Furthermore, the chorus is absolutely jaw-dropping, mainly because of Kaisa's input and the drums. Metalwise there's enough change between direct pieces (at some point Tomi + music = ICED EARTH with Matt Barlow) and more flowing ones. The same can be said about "Epic Dreams", a title that indicates what to expect: more energetic, revigorated music. "Moontower" keeps the pedal down enough, as the music rolls on like a tank on the loose. Here too you'll find a contrast between the melodic parts with Kaisa and the direct, aggressive parts with Tomi. Plus, the guitars also show their lighter side from time to time, keeping things exciting at all times. Last but not least, "The Star Of High Hope". Its start is guitar and gentle riding cymbal touches. Soon the flute comes in. It's almost as if METALLICA's "The Call Of Ktulu" is merged with the flutes of NIGHTWISH's "Two For Tragedy" in an EMPYRIUM kind of atmosphere. The build-up is very nice and even at some point seems to bring back elements from "House Of Heroes". Tranquil, tribal parts on one side, heavier interventions on the other, each taking turns to create the ultimate listening pleasure.
As good as the first few albums were, I thought "Evernight" was a reasonable step forward, especially compared to "Third Age Of The Sun". The expectations for "The Last Alliance" were even higher, hoping it would be as good as "Evernight". BATTLELORE isn't among my favourite bands and they probably never will, but I have to admit that I've been playing this newest release (or the promo) a lot since I got it to review. Fans of the band might speak otherwise, but personally I find this the best BATTLELORE album to date. The songs flow better, melody and heaviness are better adjusted and lots of catchiness is the cherry on the cake. I'm still not fond of Tomi's grunts, but I can appreciate them more now. His clean(er) singing is pretty good, too. Too many words here. Just go to the shop and buy "The Last Alliance", with DVD ("Live at Female Metal Voices Festival 2007").
More info at www.battlelore.net.
Line-up:
Kaisa Jouhki - vocals
Tomi Mykkänen - vocals
Jussi Rautio - guitars
Jyri Vahvanen - guitars
Timo Honkanen - bass
Maria - keyboards, flute
Henri Vahvanen - drums
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Although modern Metal (referring mainly to Metalcore and similar) is something I'm not that fond of, here and there some bands did manage to catch my interest, due to using old school influences and giving them a modern touch. I was already fearing that ARTAS would be another Metalcore band as it said Modern Metal on the promo. But after a first listen it was clear my fears were unjustified, even though it's a very close call regarding the Metalcore aspect.
ARTAS hails from Austria and was born in 2006, although its previous name was STAUB & SCHATTEN. Before focusing on ARTAS, the band members gathered experience in other projects. Once ARTAS, or STAUB & SCHATTEN, was ready to start their quest (in 2005) the line-up changed not too long after: bassist David was replaced by Radek. Musically the band plays a mix of Thrash, Death and Hardcore. The vocal lines are divided between Obimahan (screams and clean?) and guitarist Hannes (growls).
Thanks to winning the Metalchamp 2007 competition ARTAS got a record deal with Napalm Records. "The Healing" came out on the 26th September. The album was recorded in the band's own studio, where the process span three months. One of the special aspects of ARTAS and their music is that three languages are used: English, German and Spanish. This of course gives the respective songs a different character. Jacob Hansen mixed the album and you can really feel it's like a wild group of wildebeests that come running out of your speakers. Dennis Sibejin's (JOB FOR A COWBOY, CHIMAIRA) took care of the artwork.
Like I said above, musically you get a mix of Thrash, Death and Hardcore. And this is perfectly shown in each song, starting with the devastating "Barbossa". Ultra heavy Death Metal riffing, pounding drums and Obi's vocals giving it a Hardcore touch. His vocals are most remniscent of this genre and would ultimately fit best there. More of this, and even more violent, can be found in "Bastardo", which has an awesome sing-along chorus "Viva, viva Bastardo". This part made me think of DEARLY BEHEADED's album "Temptation". "Bastardo" is also one of the best tracks on "The Healing" and an excellent energy booster.
The title track offers something more from the Death/Thrash pond. Again the vocals play an important role to vent the enormous amount of energy. Musically it's like DESTRUCTION meets HATE SQUAD (or similar 'marriages'). The more melodic singing (still rough, though) made me think of SUIDAKRA. Caution is advised, as with the mentality here you better not stand in the way.
One of the other songs that stand out is "Through Dark Gates", where vocal change is a key element: from clean over rougher/greasier to screaming. Melody is also an important aspect, which makes the song less brutal than the previous ones. In a way, at least from my perception, it's got something IN FLAMES-like. The present IN FLAMES, not that of the early to mid 1990s. "Through Dark Gates" may stand out here, but it's due to the compositions and different vocals, not the IN FLAMES references.
"Blut", like "Fick Das Fett" sung in German, is a welcome song at this stage, since it brings back the Hardcore power. "The Butcher's Guilt" follows and not illogically as blood and butchers are closely related. This is once more qualitative Death/Thrash with Hardcore vocals. "Kontrol" on the other hand doesn't offer anything different from the other songs, but it must be said that the "lalalala" moments are a strange component and seem very much out of place here. Obi and/or Hannes even do some "Oowa-a-a-a" screaming like David Draiman from DISTURBED did in the song "Down With The Sickness". Nice try, guys, but it's not that well done and doesn't fit here.
Since we're dealing with a Modern Metal band here, it's hard not to notice influences from e.g. MACHINE HEAD. "From Dirt We'll Rise" is proof of that. It's a midtempo pounder and in general one of the better tracks, although the screamy vocals might annoy quite rapidly, depending what your preferences are. And finally, it's "Your Judgement Day" and "A Song Of Ice And Fire" that get the last nominations for being highlights on this first album. Speed is not important in either of the songs, but both contain very lethal drumwork, next to the usual ingredients.
Oh yes, before I forget: You probably noticed "Gangsta's Paradise" in the tracklisting? That's indeed a cover of COOLIO's hit, but ARTAS managed to rework it into a brutal, crushing song. The result is good, but you can hear it's based on another song, as it doesn't flow as well as the band's own songs. But it's a nice try.
In terms of Modern Metal there aren't many bands in my collection and not even ARTAS will be added (at least, not at this moment), but I have to admit I was surprised by the quality and passion presented here. "The Healing" didn't heal me, but it did blow me away on several occasions. ARTAS is a name to remember, for they are a devastating force that should be big(ger) in the coming years. Anyone into Hardcore-influenced Death/Thrash Metal with a modern upgrade is advised to at least check out "The Healing". Buying depends on your taste and budget.
More info at www.myspace.com/artasmetal.
Line-up:
Obi - vocals
Hannes - guitars, vocals
Sid - guitars
Radek - bass
Chris - drums
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I'm not really familiar with W.A.S.P. (heard a few songs, though, over the past couple of years), nor with Randy Piper's solo material. Randy was one of the founding members of W.A.S.P., but since a few years has he focused on building a solo career, with a first album called "Violent New Breed", released in 2006. Oh yes, there was also a demo in 2002, "900 Lb. Steam". since the 26th of September the second album is ready: "Virus". The production was in the hands of Chris Laney (guitars). The recordings took place at Platform Studio and the legendary Polar Music Studios (LED ZEPPELIN, GENESIS, ABBA).
Lyrically it seems ANIMAL's songs are about real-life issues, about dangerous habits, about working like hell, about society, about murderers and about one's self. Songs to listen to in these cases are: "Can't Stop", "Unnatural High", "Cardiac Arrest" and the very nice cover "Zombie" (original by THE CRANBERRIES, upped in tempo and given a somewhat happier feel by ANIMAL).
Since Randy played a mix of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal with W.A.S.P., he won't go Death or Thrash now. The musical direction is clear from the start with "Cardiac Arrest", a midtempo Rocker in which loads of energetic and highly enjoyable guitarwork are thrown at you. Add Rich's perfectly fitting voice (with a bit of a greasy edge) and you've got the perfect song to start with in this context. And it only gets better. From "Crying Eagle" onwards it goes up and down, but the downs are never bad, just that the highlights really are that, highlights.
"Crying Eagle" is a pearl of a song, starting with sounds of an eagle (obviously) after which heaviness kicks in. Midtempo also rules here, but the overall compositions and pounding moments make you crave for more. This is also the case in "Judgement Day", which sounds like some shots of anger were injected here. The guitars also have a lower sound, as if tuned differently. But it just is so tastey that you might wonder why there aren't any more songs like this on the album.
Other songs in the list 4-10 worth checking out or standing out because of some element: "Unnatural High". This is a semi-accoustic song with atmospheric backing here and there. You can hear the accoustic guitar deeper in the layers, for the electric guitars come out stronger. Very nice melodies and harmonies, also via the piano, turn this track into a lust for the ear, so to speak. The accoustic guitar returns in the ballad "Who's Next?" and in the uptempo "L.U.S.T.", another absolutely recommended song. The preceding one, "Shoot To Kill", is quite simply a decent Rocker. Nothing special, but more easy-going with once more qualitative guitarwork.
But the two tracks that just didn't cut it, at least for me, are "Can't Stop" and "Don't Wanna Die". The first for its chorus coming over as annoying after a while. The guitarsolo is well done, but is not enough to make this song better. The second also has accoustic elements, but the song is too radio-friendly and also tires after a certain (not that long) time. Here too the guitarsolo offers an interesting moment, but lacks the power and majesty to take the song to new heights. But what are two songs on a total of ten?
My first encounter with Randy Piper's solo material and I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. "Virus" has turned out to be an enjoyable and entertaining mix of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, and should appeal to anyone into JORN, JUDAS PRIEST, HARTMANN, and maybe even ALICE COOPER or THIN LIZZY or indeed, W.A.S.P.. Also if you're seeking something that might remind you of the 80s, ANIMAL is the band to check. The sound is very good, the compositions inline with the great musicianship while the whole emanates passion and drive.
More info at www.animalcave.net.
Line-up:
Rich Lewis - vocals
Randy Piper - guitars
Chris Laney - guitars
Nalle 'Grizzly' Pahlsson - bass
Johan Koleberg - drums
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The German Rockers from TALETELLERS got together in 2005 to form a band, rising from the ashes of TALETELLERS SOULSELLERS. Did they have to sell their soul to keep it going? One year later a first release was ready: the EP "The Missiles of Mercy". This showed instantly what to expect: pure and honest music in a mix of Rock 'n' Roll, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. Influenced by the positive comments the band started working on a full album. In this case "Detonator", which saw the light of day on the 24th of September. This time some sniffs of Thrash Metal were added to the compositions, to give the songs a rougher character and more drive. The label Hammersound saw great potential in TALETELLERS and offered them a contract.
Musically you'll hear stuff that will make you think of METALLICA, MEGADETH, SAXON, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, MOTÖRHEAD and anything similar. It seemed that for the cover art Mark Wilkinson was offered the job. He previously worked on the cover of JUDAS PRIEST's "Painkiller" and "Nostradamus". In January and February of 2009 TALETELLERS will hit the road with GRAVE DIGGER and ALESTORM.
"Detonator" is basically one of those albums that contain nothing more or less than a pure and honest mix of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. Midtempo is chosen the most, although there songs where the pedal is pushed down some more. The first track, "Rock 'n' Roll Detonator", offers a nice first impression of what to expect from this band. Raw energy comes flowing out of the speakers and hits you straight in the heart. So do "Ride The Peril" (made me think of SAXON, STEVE CONE, and similar), "Mean Machine" (keep that head banging!), and "Whore Of Wrath" (doesn't differ that much from "Ride The Peril" - lack of ideas?). The last tempo injection comes from "Destroy", even though there's a slowdown in the chorus.
That was one group. The other consists of songs that are a bit slower, but still rock to no end: "Kings Of Death" (à la METALLICA, SINNER, ...), "Bad Motherfucker" and "Götterdämmerung", the least good song as far as I'm concerned. It's less attractive, although it does have enjoyable guitarwork, which sadly enough is based on the same type of riffing as most of the others.
Oh yes, there's still "Vendetta (Riding The Devil)", the longest song here. I could have put it with the first group, but those tracks are less long (3-5) and "Vendetta (Riding The Devil)" manages to offer the same listening pleasure in a longer time span. On top of that, it's also one of the best songs, offering a short break reasonably over the middle and continuing with a flashy guitarsolo. Straight-forward guitar-driven Hard Rock, what more could you ask for? Something Bluesy perhaps, since that's what "Bring You Down" has to offer. Needless to say it reminds of AC/DC and that's a good thing, especially in terms of variation. This is a welcome song.
TALETELLERS's debut album is, all things considered, an enjoyable release. Especially when you're into the pure and energetic Hard Rock-meets-Heavy Metal mixture, with some Thrash influences - or just see the mentioned bands - then you have no reason not to check out this German band. The sound is of today, powerful, lets the instruments breath when needed while the vibe is of the 80s. The instrumental skills are unquestionably good to very good. The vocals on the other hand... I'll give props to Alan for his drive and passion, but his voice (or the tone/sound) doesn't always fit the music. Time and practise should help him improve this aspect. Luckily the intruments get a lot of talking time, so my criticism is not that big then. But like I said, do check this band out, for they deserve it.
More info at www.taletellers.de.
Line-up:
Alan Costa - vocals, guitars
Stefan Kuhn - guitars
Pascal Louis - bass
Sebastian Berg - drums
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Mat Sinner (bassist) has been playing Hard Rock and Heavy Metal since the early 1980s, under the name SINNER. Or in other words, looooooong before PRIMAL FEAR saw the light of day. Needless to say that over the years many musicians have been in SINNER, but it seems that this time there's (another) stable line-up. Fifteen albums so far, each with varied success, of which I only have "There Will Be Execution" (2003) in my possession. I can't compare with the many preceding SINNER albums to find out if the music has changed a lot or if Mat has kept riding the same course and just improving the sound as new technology became available. The fact remains that, although SINNER is not PRIMAL FEAR, there are similarities in each band's music.
PRIMAL FEAR is one of my favourite bands and I have no real complaints regarding the music. SINNER albums came oout at a regular pace, with two years or a little more in between, but especially the last few years was there a lot less time for the solo direction, as PRIMAL FEAR gathered rapid successes. Last year "Mask Of Sanity" came out and since the 19th of September the follow-up (= album no. 15) is available: "Crash & Burn". Also worth noting is that Mat has signed with different labels over the course of those 26 years now (Nuclear Blast, MTM, AFM Records, Noise Records, Koch, ...). This time it's AFM Records who signed the band.
On this newest release there's a sort of tempo pattern: a midtempo song followed by something more direct followed by another booster. Then all slows down to rebuild again towards a song with balls. This is something you might not pay attention to, but it isn't until you properly listen and/or write down some things that this becomes clear.
The title track kicks life into the album and is a midtempo rocker. Mat's singing sounds a bit forced, and even though he's never been Metal's best vocalist, his voice does suit the music. Not only in this song, but the rest or majority of the pack as well. "Crash & Burn" made me think a bit of AT VANCE and their "Fly To The Rainbow" song ("Only Human" album, 2002). "Break The Silence" is next and that's when things start to get more direct, straight-forward. It's heavier and at the same time darker. The guitarsolo is the cherry on the cake, although I thought that towards the end the chorus gets repeated a bit too much.
Time for a speed boost: "The Dog". I don't know what kind of dog it is, but I like it. Musically this reminds me of SHAKRA, the Swiss Hard Rock band. Here you'll find an increase in power, for this song has the required balls. Must be a big dog then. ;-) And yes, the solo once more is a shining element in the compositions. And here the first pattern ends.
The second pattern as mentioned above begins with "Heart Of Darkness", which is not an ARCH ENEMY cover. Melody plays a key role here and although the tempo is slower, the song does advance at a reasonable pace. You could say we're dealing with a powerballad here. What follows is food for radio stations: "Revolution". This sounds quite funky, so to speak, and has those bells for the drums, if you know what I mean. A tambourine, containing zils, which are small metal jingles. This instrument can also be heard in "Little Head", the other radio-friendly song, mainly due to its chorus. Here the verses are heavy and direct, which is a good choice. At some point the drumpattern is similar to that of HOLLENTHON's "Son Of Perdition". Just look on YouTube.com to see/hear what I mean. All in all, "Little Head" is not a bad song, it's just less attractive as the others.
"Unbreakable" brings back the Rock in "Crash & Burn". The compositions make this a nice song to cruise to when you're out with the convertible. Pluspoints also go to the chorus and the solo. What's next? A faster song, indeed. The title, "Fist To Face", is one indication, the music clearly the other. I had to think of SAXON, in a way, which is a good thing, and I can only say: more of this, Mat. More! Absolutely a killer track.
A resting point can be found in "Until It Hurts", which is a semi-accoustic ballad. Overall quite nice, but not super. and if you're done relaxing, you'll highly enjoy "Connection". This before-last song is pure Heavy Metal, THIN LIZZY-style. In fact, you could say it's a faster version of the Irish band's classic hit "Jailbreak". Ok, it's not a cover, just the music and mainly (flashy) guitarwork is reminiscent of this song.
"Like A Rock" may announce something ballsy again, but that's partly the case. It's a midtempo track, which is lifted to a higher level by the guitarsolo. The music overall is quite to very good and in my shortlist it's one of the best songs on "Crash & Burn", together with the title track, "The Dog", "Unbreakable", "Fist To Face" and "Connection".
I relistened to "There Will Be Execution" this weekend. It's a good album, filled with very decent Hard Rock and Heavy Metal tunes. "Crash & Burn" is different in terms of sound, but that doesn't mean that the songs are less good. On the contrary even, because this 15th album is nothing less but recommended material for anyone into the pure Hard Rock and/or Heavy Metal. Although not a necessity, being a fan of PRIMAL FEAR will help to appreciate this album (more). On a sidenote, there are guest appearances by Dirty Sanchez (percussion), Dennis Ward (backing vocals and percussion) and Nena (backing vocals). The Limited Edition digipack will contain two bonus tracks - "One Night Only" (written by Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson) and "Fast Decision 2008" - and the videoclip for "Revolution".
More info at www.matsinner.de.
Line-up:
Mat Sinner - vocals, bass
Henny Wolter - guitars
Christof Leim - guitars
Klaus Sperling - drums
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HAUK is an American Heathen Metal band, of which the name is taken from its frontman, Hauk. Chris Dooly fills the drumspot, after having played together with Hauk in MYTHREAL. Duke Dubeau was added to add majestic melodies via keyboards, while Boyd Evin is a reinforcement on guitar (bass and lead).
The band has been around for a few years now and presents its fourth release, the "To Hear The Trumpets Call" EP, out since the 19th September. Preceding releases were "Love Songs, Lamentations And Lifthrasir" (2005), "Hard Lemonade" (EP, 2006) and "No Mercy For The Slain" (2008). HAUK is another new band for me, so I can't compare the newest EP with the previous efforts. "To Hear The Trumpets Call"" contains two new songs, a re-recorded Metal version of "Lamentation" and a remix of "Raving Wings".
The title track is loosely based on verse 54 of the Voluspa, from the poetic Edda, translated by James Chisholm. It's about a part of the battle at Ragnarok, told from the perspective of Vidar, one of Odin's sons. Musically the song commences its march via tribal drumming (which comes back a few times) and doomy guitars. It doesn't take that long before the chorus sets in, when the entire instrumentation shows itself. Hauk's clean singing has something hymnic. Think LUNARIUM, TÝR, AMON AMARTH, maybe MOONSORROW and MÅNEGARM and similar. Production-wise it's not that bad. Well, it's not like most demos, because it sounds muffled and you have to crank up the volume to hear all instrumentation. Not even headphones can help, unless there's no interference from outside. Anyway, it could be better, much better. The compositions are good, but the production doesn't let them come out like they should.
Then there's "Love Song #4 (Burn Rome)", which is about Ragnar Lothbrok, a Danish warrior. Hauk wondered what he would do to show his love to a woman. This is a ballad, piano-driven. The keyboards give it a more emotional touch later on. The weak drumticking indicates the beat. Later the guitars are added and this gives the song a bit more push, makes it flow better. But again, the bad/muffled/compressed production isn't helpful. Hauk's singing also suffers from this, as if recorded in a tiny room or something. Here too, the music is very nice, though.
"Lamentation" is a Doomy song at first, becomes more energetic when the chorus comes into play. The atmospheric keyboards reinforce the Doominess, especially in combination with the heavy guitars. Again the singing has something hymnic. Little over halfway there's an accoustic guitar break, wich fits in very well. Lyrically this song's about Odin mourning his fallen son Baldur and what he would do to
The remix of "Raven Wings" is quite nice. It's a direct song, with a nice lead. This has something METALLICA-like, mixed with IRON MAIDEN. Kristy Hanson assists Hauk for the chorus. Melody plays a very important role here, as this is very much guitar-driven and a pleasure to listen to. It would be more if the production were better. The instruments also have more to say here.
HAUK has made an EP of which they can be very proud of. The four songs are Epic Heathen Metal of very good quality. Not the best available, but nevertheless worth checking out. "To Hear The Trumpets Call" offers material for anyone into the above mentioned bands and pure Heavy Metal. The songs are well composed to create the right atmosphere and images in your mind. Sadly it's often hard to hear the trumpets call, or better said, to enjoy the music. The production, I repeat, is too muffled, too compressed to let out the full power that is to be found here. And that's the only downside of this EP.
More info at www.haukmusic.com.
Line-up:
Hauk - vocals, guitar, bass
Duke Dubeau - keyboards
Boyd Ervin - bass, guitar
Chris Dooly - drums
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The German Thrash band SQUEALER has been active since the mid 1980s and released several albums, one more succesful than the other. Several years ago I had the chance to listen to "The Prophecy" and "Under The Cross". As far as I remember those weren't bad releases and one of them was actually worth buying, but somehow I spent my money on something else. Three years ago their frontman/guitarist and AFM Records boss Andy 'Henner' Allendörfer sadly passed away (this will be referred to until the band has ceased all activity, I think), so a new vocalist was needed. Ex-GRIP INC. frontman Gus Chambers took the chance and together the renewed line-up made "Confrontation Street" and renamed the band to SQUEALER A.D. to announce a new start. Musically there was much more Groove than on the previous albums and it seems this is the new direction that will be followed for a while, as even the new release, "The Circle Shuts" (the band's 7th album), has it even more.
"Confrontation Street" wasn't SQUEALER's best album, but still had some decent Thrash songs with a great Gus behind the mic. Since it was all very new, there was enough room for improvement and further adjusting. Gus even told me the follow-up would be more Thrash (and thus less Groovy) again. Sadly, the sympathetic vocalist had to leave the band after less than a year. One can only wonder if it were because of personal or musical reasons. Having listened to "The Circle Shuts", out since the 12th September, for a first time, I guess it's the second one. So, Gus out, and in comes Norbert Vornam, who's very much unknown to me.
While Gus has a rough voice, very suited for anger and hatred, Norbert takes a melodic approach - that made me think of Andy B. Franck, Warrel Dane and similar - and that ofcourse affects the songwriting a great deal. In other words: very unlikely to end up with a ferocious kick-in-the-nuts Thrash album. I'll cut to the chase, as there are only a few real or close enough Thrash songs: "The Sources Of Ignition", "These Urges" and "Thrasher". The rest of the songs aren't less heavy, but speed isn't an issue here.
Let it be clear that the sound is very good, powerful and more (production by drummer Martin Buchwalter (ELVENKING, PERZONAL WAR, SUIDAKRA, ... and mastering by Mikka Jussila at Finnvox studios), so that's not an issue. The biggest problem for me is the melodic aspect and more specifically the choruses. Es, indeed, plural. You've got ballsy verses and all of a sudden this turns into wool by the clean-sung (wanky, if you will) choruses. It's almost IN FLAMES-like. This kind of singing has a big influence on the compositions and it's not just in the chorus of "The Sources Of Ignition" or the other Thrash songs. The following tracks are also infected: "Martyrs Of The Half Moon", "I Came For You" and "The Circle Shuts".
Usually it are just the specific parts that make the respective songs less interesting, but there are two songs that are, in their totallity, boring. There's no other word for it, no matter how hard the band worked on this new album. "New Saviour" and "Once Fallen" are guilty as charged. The first for being an example of modern Metal (it's not Thrash, yet quite groovy and MTV-oriented), the second for the spacey accents, the long playtime - well, it's not that long, but for what it contains it should be shorter - and the melodic singing.
Aside from what bothered me, let's add a positive note. The majority of the songs is good and quite enjoyable in general. I already mentioned the three Thrash tracks, but next to that there's, for example, "Godlike" which reminds of REBELLION's last works and that's a good thing in my book. "Grey" has something PARADISE LOST in the guitarlines, while "I Came For You" cranks up the roughness level, adding ferocity to the tracklisting after the not-so-good "Martyrs Of The Half Moon", which did contain some good elements. The closing title track has sharper riffing, but the solo can't save it overall.
Personal taste plays a role and although I try not to let it dominate, I just can't be positive about these two changes: vocals, compositions (i.e. modern influences). Was Gus too dominant in the writing process? I was looking forward to his ideas. Having a more melodic singer means you have to cut back on sharpness, on viciousness and the like. The result that is "The Circle Shuts" is not what I hoped it to be, but perhaps the fans may have a different opinion, since they should be more familiar with SQUEALER's works. All in all this is a mediocre release, in my opinion. If you're into PERZONAL WAR, METALLICA, MACHINE HEAD, (modern) IN FLAMES, etc... there's a chance you'll like SQUEALER's newest album. Else, listen before you buy and maybe even go back to the older releases to find out about this band's music. For the die-hards: the first edition contains the full "Human Traces" EP from 1989 (out of print since a long time and available on CD for the first time ever) as a bonus.
More info at www.squealer.de.
Line-up:
Norbert Vornam - vocals
Lars Döring - guitars
Michael Schiel - guitars
Michael Kaspar - bass
Martin Buchwalter - drums
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The Austrian ProgPower band SERENITY released its debut album, "Words Untold & Dreams Unlived", last year in April and this after several years of hard work (since 2001). Many of the songs were in the midtempo range and the similarities with bands like STRATOVARIUS, SONATA ARCTICA (including the vocals), a bit of DREAM THEATER and anything else in this category could not be denied. Not that that was a problem, as it helps to recognize the style and see/hear if it suits your taste. The album was recorded at Dreamscape Studios, Munich, and in Austria. Mixing and mastering took place at Finnvox Studios, Helsinki, while orchestral parts were produced in Czech Republic and the whole artwork was done by Seth-Design in Athens, Greece.
That same year (2007), SERENITY toured through Europe with MORGANA LEFAY, SACRED STEEL, THRESHOLD, COMMUNIC, MACHINE MEN, as well as KAMELOT and ADAGIO.
Now, 16 months later (29th August), the follow-up is ready: "Fallen Sanctuary". Not only is there an increase in heaviness, but the input from several other people helped to take SERENITY's music to a new level:
* EDENBRIDGE's Lanvall helped with the vocal arrangements and recordings
* Drums and bass were recorded once again at Dreamscape Studios by Jan Vacik, who was also involved in the arrangements.
* Sandra Schleret from ELIS appears as a guest vocalist and is the first female vocalist on a SERENITY release.
* Jacob Hansen was given the task to mix and master the album.
* The cover art was done this time by Gustavo Sazes from Brazil.
The biggest problem with the debut album was that it lacked speed, as midtempo ruled the tracklisting. The first notes of "All Lights Reversed" didn't show any sign of change, as the start is ballad-ish. This composition also ends the song. Georg backed by symphonics and the piano. But as soon as heaviness kicks in, you just know that this is a major step forward. The guitars are in front and don't just deliver the power. The keyboards have been pushed a bit to the back, although the symphonic accents do get through to accentuate the melodies. Georg's voice sounds more powerful, even though the similarity with Tony Kakko remains untouched. But I don't mind anymore, because what SERENITY shows here is very qualitative. With Jacob Hansen doing the mix you can be sure the drums will come out strong, especially the kicks and those help to enforce the heavy riffs.
"Rust Of Coming Ages" also starts with the keyboards before the power of Metal is added. This piece reminds a bit of, for example, FIREWIND. Fact is that the symphonic/orchestral aspect is much greater here and makes the song fuller. It's almost NIGHTWISH-like. Further on you get a bit of DREAM THEATER as well. The vocal department consists of Georg's clean singing and gutteral growling by Maggo Wenzel (TRISTWOOD, INZEST). The last few minutes of this song are filled by the orchestral elements, with particularly the piano being spotlighted. All in all another great track, full of heaviness and bombast.
A gloomy atmosphere, violins and percussion paint a cold environment in "Coldness Kills". The beginning has something Folk-ish and it sure adds to the diversity in SERENITY's compositions. When the rest of the band joins in, everything sounds more powerful and bombastic and is simply a lust for the ears. The tempo is a little slower than before. Next to the electric guitar the accoustic guitar is added to add more warmth. Hearing the chorus, where melody is extremely important and the orchestral elements really help, I think this would be excellent for nature documentaries, especially those where the helicopter/aeroplane flies over wide landscapes, mountains, rivers and more. Furthermore, the compositions really go straight through the heart, as Dio would say. Electric and accoustic, or heavy and soft, arrangements are nicely divided over the 5 and a half minutes.
Time for more ferocity now, with "To Stone She Turned", where the sharp riffs announce a deadly wave of sounds. Keyboards continue to deliver melodies and bombast, but let's rejoice again for the metallic power this song puts out. The higher tempo and the double bass drums add to the intensity of the music and also contribute to the listening pleasure. This is some of the Melodic Power Metal that I love! Everything comes to rest in the last few minutes: tempo goes down and the orchestral input puts this song to sleep.
"Fairytales" brings peace and calmness via the piano leads and symphonic backing. The melody of the chorus reminds heavily of the NIGHTWISH song "Bless The Child" and specifically the part "Think of me long enough to make a memory". This is a nice resting point and an excellent song when you're overworked and in need of something softer. Sandra Schleret's performance also helps here. She doesn't sing high, like many Gothic vocalists, rather lower and that's actually a very welcome aspect. The first part of the song is devoid of guitars and drums, but the second half sets in with those instruments, keeping the pace slow enough, just giving the melody more power. Gentle piano touches and symphonic backing, like in the intro, form the tail.
When you're all relaxed, your mind should be ready for something happier again, something catchy. That's where "The Heartblood Symphony" comes in, pumping back some energy into the album and venting large waves of melodic sounds, mainly the chorus lines. Georg's singing in the verses are at first covered with an effect, making his voice sound a bit like Christopher Schmid or Rob Vicatta's efforts in LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE. But it's only a short moment, for the regular Georg comes out afterwards. The previous song reminded of NIGHTWISH, but here too I would like to add a band as comparison, but I just can't find its name. Mainly the chorus melody (or Georg's lines) refer to the 1980s, which is of course nice to hear. Little over halfway a piano-break splits the song in two, after which a screamy guitarsolo comes into play. The "Symphony" ends with the piano and accoustic guitar touches. And this is another gem on this fabulous release.
"Velatum" can be considered the second ballad. Its start certainly indicates this. Lyrically the song appears to deal with old Roman archaeological findings. Heaviness and orchestral bombast come in quite rapidly. When the full power of the chorus is unleashed, all thoughts of a ballad vanish. There's something AXXIS about the song, partly vocals, partly music. Instead of ending with the piano, it's all a capella this time. A video for this song was shot several months ago and can be viewed on YouTube.com. It's a nice song, but I don't find it as attractive and powerful as the majority that preceded it.
And once more, the piano paves the way for this next song: "Derelict". And once more the contrast couldn't be bigger when heaviness is added. Midtempo, rolling kickdrums and orchestral instrumentation, turning SERENITY into a force to reckon with. But don't worry, the guitar(s) are the dominant factor here. Diversity was an important criterium when writing this song, as there is a nice balance between heavy outbursts and calmer, melodic moments. Choir-ish singing adds vocal power, but somehow it doesn't feel natural, but a bit forced. The guitarsolo is a welcome addition. "Derelict" is a song that needs several listens and even then it's up to your mood and taste. I have no real problems with this track, but it's harder to swallow than the others.
There was something Folk-ish about "Coldness Kills" and this also counts for "Sheltered (By The Obscure)", where the violins are replaced by the flute. Assisting are the piano, snarerolls and symphonic backing. The heavy guitar and pounding drums are essential ingredients to push this song onwards. The verses are again devoid of heaviness, while the piano leads the way. The keyboards are present in electronic form and this generates an enormous contrast with the rest of the compositions. But they only come in at specific times. The music is more emotional this time. SERENITY has injected this album with lots of symphonic layers and to further stress this a special break was implemented in the second half of "Sheltered".
Last but not least, on "Oceans Of Ruby" the "Fallen Sanctuary" is left behind. A very dynamic and energetic song featuring the two vocal types again: clean and growling. In a way you could say a good shot of epicness was injected here and it's not only the choir-ish chorus that shows this. Oh yes, this song also contains a piano break. I mean, it wouldn't be SERENITY without this, right? ;-) But enough about pianos. "Oceans Of Ruby" ends the album in style, just like it began.
"Words Untold & Dreams Unlived" lacked mainly speed, and while "Fallen Sanctuary" isn't exactly a fast album, it does have more energetic material and better orchestral arrangements that help give the songs bombast and power. This second album is a very big step forward and all things considered pretty much flawless. It's like a completely new SERENITY, but keeping their identity intact. I still wish there were +/- 2 songs that would really give the music a boost, but I'm very happy with the result as it is. I can't or won't add anything else but highly recommend this album to anyone into bands like SONATA ARCTICA, DREAM THEATER, NIGHTWISH, KAMELOT and more, or Symphony meets Progressive meets Power.
More info at www.serenity-band.com.
Line-up:
Georg Neuhauser - vocals
Thomas Buchberger - guitars
Mario Hirzinger - keyboards
Simon Holzknecht - bass
Andreas Schipflinger - drums
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Gothic Metal and Scandinavia, but also The Netherlands, have always formed a perfect and successful marriage, especially in Norway and Finland. One of the biggest names in Finland's history is NIGHTWISH, although it's food for discussion if they are a Gothic or Power Metal band. Let's keep it at a mix of both. They influenced many after them and are still going strong. One of those newer bands is KATRA. This band revolves around vocalist Katra Solopuro, hence KATRA. Some of the musicians in the band have been active in Pop, Rock, Metal, Jazz, ... so there is certainly no lack of experience and various influences. Founded in 2006, the band has been working hard to create the first release, the self-titled debut that came out in February 2007.
On a sidenote, KATRA also participated in the pre-selections of the Eurovision song contest to represent Finland in 2007. They didn't go through, as we all know. But Finland did win the contest in 2006, as LORDI crushed all competition, hehehe.
At the time of the debut album new material was also being written and that would feature on the follow-up. "Beast Within" is the title and the album came out on the 29th August via Napalm Records, who signed the band early 2008.
Musically it's hard not to think of especially NIGHTWISH and WITHIN TEMPTATION. Katra's vocals play a big role, reminding of NIGHTWISH-with-Tarja Turunen period, although Katra is far from a Tarja clone, even though she's a classically trained singer. Melody is very important in KATRA's songs, as is clear in the majority of the tracks. Keyboards are the responsable instrument for that, not just with symphonic arrangements, but also adding some eastern spices. Examples of this input can be found in "Grail Of Sahara" and "Promise Me Everything".
Since Metal is at its base a guitar-oriented kind of music, it would ofcourse be nice to have songs that put sheer heaviness in the spotlights. That's where "Flow" and "Storm Rider" come in. While the first still contains strings accents, it's the core of the music that is the dominant factor. The overall result makes this one of the best songs on the album. The second one is a faster song and around that time in the tracklisting this is a very good move. Sadly enough you'll encounter some samples along the track's path, but they don't endanger the rest of the song.
Among this mix of heaviness and melodies Katra and co. took the time to write something softer aka ballads. Not one, but three: "Promise Me Everything", "Scars In My Heart" and "Mist Of Dawn". The first is musically very decent, but it's the vocal department that knows a few problems. It doesn't sound as good, as well integrated as in some of the previous songs. "Scars In My Heart" is just average, nothing bad, but nothing special either. "Mist Of Dawn" is the best (third time, best time?), which could be due to the symphonic arrangements.
To come back to the melody aspect: there are solos, mostly guitar ones, but here and there the keyboards also get their moments of glory and that makes the album more interesting.
Although "Beast Within" is in general a good and solid release, there are a few tracks that are below the level of the others. "Mystery" contains your typical Gothic-ish keyboards/piano melodies. The heaviness is to be found in the chorus, but both the vocals and chorus disappoint. The band fails to satisfy, since the result is nothing more but boring, in my opinion. The Finnish cover of "Hijo de la Luna" (MECANO), "Kuunpoika", is a nice attempt, but here too the result fails to catch my interest.
As filled as the Gothic Metal genre is, there's always room for one more. KATRA has created a very decent "Beast Within", offering anything you could ask for within the boundaries of this style. Pluspoints go to the very good production, Katra's voice in most songs, the compositions and keeping the legacy of old NIGHTWISH alive. ;-) Yes, I find that a good thing. Less points or points deducted for the ballads (even though they're not really bad), Katra's voice in other cases and certain musical choices. Anyone into NIGHTWISH, WITHIN TEMPTATION and similar is advised to check out KATRA and their "Beast Within".
More info at www.katra.fi.
Line-up:
Katra Solopuro - vocals
Kristian Kangasniemi - guitars
Jani Wilund - keyboards
Johannes Tolonen - bass
Jaakko Järvensivu - drums
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DIGNITY was formed in 2006 by drummer Roland Navratil (ex-EDENBRIDGE) and keyboardist Frank Pitters. Martin Mayr and John Boy, having played together in INVICTUS, joined soon afterwards to work on demo material. The following year everything was arranged to focus on the debut album, "Project Destiny". One spot was still empty: the vocalist. Several auditions didn't result in anything concrete, so DIGNITY kept searching and found DREAMLAND singer Jake E. willing enough to front the band. His entrance happend in October 2007, while the vocal recordings took place in February 2008, at the end of which Jonas Kjellgren (CENTINEX, SCAR SYMMETRY, ZONARIA, ...) started the mixing process. The mastering afterwards was in the hands of Mikka Jussila (Finnvox Studios).
So, everything done on a musical level and for the visual aspect, the Columbian artist Felipe Machado was contacted to design the artwork for "Project Destiny". Napalm Records released the record on the 29th August.
On a musical level it's Melodic Hard Rock that is on offer here. "Project Destiny" starts off directly with a sort of choir-ish welcome, while the instrumentation leads the way, shall we say, up the stairs (see the album cover). Midtempo is chosen the most, here and the majority of the tracks. No worries about heaviness, as the guitar(s) provide enough power, but also can be silent to let the melodies and vocals come out better. Jake's input sounds very good, very sincere and quite passionate. Since Hard Rock isn't as technical as Heavy or Power Metal, it's good to see Roland's experience being put to good use, as he certainly doesn't use a standard pattern, but tries to keep things interesting via tempo changes and fills. Over halfway it's solo time and there's even an epic piano piece before continuing at full force again. A very nice opener and a perfect reflection of the music DIGNITY makes.
The guitar power is certainly present in "Arrogance And Rapture", but it's the keyboards that take up the momst important role. Jake shows he can also sing in a more gentle manner. Jonas Kjellgren has done a very good job at putting the drums reasonably well to the front, as this instrument does a lot of good to the songs. The tempo is lower, though, but it's the way Roland uses his kit and empty spots in the compositions. The contrast between the verses and chorus is also not to be taken lightly, since the latter one contains the power and passion. For some Jake's clean vocals might be a problem, but after a few listens you'll easily get used to them. Personally I think he does a very good job.
Also kicking off with full guitar power is "Cry In Despair" and as the seconds pass by you have the impression it's going to be a speedier song, which would be a great move. But sadly this isn't the case. However, there's is another nice contrast between the calmer, melodic verses and heavier outbursts in between. Furthermore, the situation improves when the bridge and chorus come in and those are the parts where the full instrumentation is to be sought. The tempo also increases at that point and drumwise it's quite dynamic. "Cry In Despair" is comparable to the later incarnation of SAVATAGE and/or JON OLIVA'S PAIN or in other words: pure quality!
Time for a bit more punch again, although the overall melodies aren't exactly happy, more hopeful: "Dreams Never Die". Entirely guitar-driven, this midtempo rocker is another pearl on this wonderful album. The gentle recurring piano touches give the song a more emotional touch (no, not Emo-like, don't worry) and at the same time it has something Gothic-ish, like LACRIMOSA, LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE, some DEPECHE MODE, and similar. But it's just that specific part. Around 03:25 it's solotime, announced by the synths before adapting the canvas for the guitarsolo.
With "Icarus" (no, it's not ANGRA's song) DIGNITY have composed one of the best songs I have ever heard and especially the chorus is simply perfect, epic, hymnic, powerful and so much more. The calm start and heavy outburst is a recurring pattern, but this is not a problem at all, as all songs are shining diamonds. Anyhow, calm start thus, just Jake, the guitar and soft symphonic backing. The power and melody come to life in the bridge, but even more in the chorus. The verses contain no heavy guitars (at first), although this instrument is present. Roland plays a less diverse pattern here, at least compared to his input in the first few songs. The tempo is also not that high. With its 04:40 minutes of playtime you'd think it's enough, but the song fades out on a repetition of the chorus and this makes the song sound incomplete. At least two or three minutes should have been added for a solo, an interlude, extra verses. But that chorus... *drools*
"Inner Circle Sympathy" is sort of a powerballad, until the small speed increase kicks in for the chorus and guitarsolo much later. Guitarpower and keyboard melodies are the basis and overall this song is quite radio-friendly. As good as it is, however, I must say that is the least interesting track, although the keyboard leads over halfway are a nice element.
Hard Rock is what is needed, so "The Edge Of The Blade" kicks back some energy into the album. The basic ingredients have been used in large quantities, which means lots of melody and the keyboards' role being bigger again, while the guitar(s) come out less heavy. Roland's drumwork has changed for the better, resulting in a variable kind of playing: tempo changes, breaks, double bass, well thought-of fills. "The Edge Of The Blade" is also one of the better songs on "Project Destiny".
And before the "Project" is ended with a cover, "Inner Demons" offers another happy, dynamic song full of melody, hymnic singing and a feel-good mood. The keyboard-flute is a perfect ingredient to achieve this. The double-bass drumming keeps the pace high enough, also to inject the compositions with power. Diversity once more is important, to keep your ears attentive.
Last but not least there's the CHRIS DE BURGH cover "Don't Pay The Ferryman". All in all, DIGNITY covered it quite well, but I enjoyed DOMAIN's rendition (on their "Stardawn" album) more.
For a debut album it's more than obvious that "Project Destiny" is very recommended material for any Hard Rock and/or Melodic Metal fan. The sound is very good, the compositions are more than standard Hard Rock, due to the use of keyboards. Despite my finding "Inner Circle Sympathy" the only song that's not as attractive and catchy as the others, there's is really not one weak track to be found. DIGNITY will have a hard time topping this one, but since its members already have gathered lots of experience (one more than the other), this shouldn't be a problem. Strange enough, I found Jake E's efforts here in DIGNITY much better than what he has done so far with DREAMLAND. Is it natural evolution? In any case, kudos to him for improving his singing. To cut things short: DIGNITY = high quality Hard Rock and if you're into this music, you have no reason not to buy "Project Destiny". Definitely one of the highlights of 2008.
More info at www.dignityband.com.
Line-up:
Jake E. - vocals
Martin Mayr - guitars
Frank Pitters - keyboards
John Boy Bastard - bass
Roland Navratil - drums
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DESTRUCTION have been teaching Thrash since the early 1980s and after all these years they sure don't need anyone telling them how it's to be done. Thrash is pure, aggressive, raw and uncompromised power. That was certainly true for DESTRUCTION back in the 80s: the rawness. Back then the means were lacking to have a sound like today's standards, but that was also one of the charmes of the music. In those past 25 years (the band is celebrating its anniversary this year) there was a split with vocalist/bassist Schmier around 1990. Guitarist Mike carried on, making three releases which aren't counted as official discography material according to a message on the band's website. How they sounded... only the people that have these releases can tell, but I reckon it's not as Thrashy as before. The reunion then in 1999, with a strong effort called "All Hell Breaks Loose". A much heavier "The Antichrist" followed, but things also steadily got less good. Just listen to "Metal Discharge", where not only the production, but also certain songs weren't exactly masterpieces.
DESTRUCTION fought back in this new line-up, with Marc Reign on drums. Especially that position has known many occupants over the years. The trio also signed to AFM Records, thus leaving Nuclear Blast. The first release was 2005's "Inventor Of Evil", for which the band worked with HYPOCRISY/PAIN mainman Peter Tägtgren, offering production-wise a much better result than before. The majority of the songs also made this a very decent effort and showed the war isn't over yet, not by a long shot. Although the band's oldest albums are still available, Schmier, Mike and Marc decided to re-record several of their songs and even add a few new ones that would not appear on the follow-up of "Inventor Of Evil". And so it happened: "Thrash Anthems" was born. Mixed by Jacob Hansen, the old songs were given new found power and shone like never before.
Because of this successful collaboration, the Thrash veterans decided to book studio time with Jacob for their newest album, "D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.", which is scheduled for the 29th of August. Each letter in the title stands for the first letter of each song. The new release is also a special one, as the band celebrates its 25th anniversary anno 2008. To stress this fact DESTRUCTION will make a big tour later this year.
Focusing on the new songs, it's clear that the guys still have the will and energy to keep on producing the music that made them big. The new album kicks off with an accoustic intro. And then all hell breaks loose as Schmier's screams it out and heaviness bursts out: fast riffs, devastating drums and an angry Schmier. What more do you want? And it's not only "Devolution", but the following songs also keep the level of aggression and anger high enough to make this album even more enjoyable than "Inventor Of Evil":
* "Vicious Circle - The Seven Deadly Sins" - slow, doomish start with choir singing, "In nomine patris, ..." and then pedal to the metal with lots of double bass attacks.
* "Last Desperate Scream" - heavy riffing and foremost pounding drums. It's not speed that matters here, but the music is more direct. Schmier's vocals are more inline with the music and all things combined make this a very good song.
* "Urge (The Greed Of Gain)" - another speed booster where Marc is responsable for the artillery with a stamina that would make many of today's drummers extremely jealous. Outstanding work! There's also more melody to be found here and although DESTRUCTION isn't exactly a band that relies heavily on melody, the result is well thought of.
* "Odyssey Of Frustration" - ferocious and dangerous, what DESTRUCTION does best. Could be a classic-to-be.
* "No One Shall Survive" - the closing song, again with those pounding drums. Reminds a bit of PARADOX, but that doesn't make it less good. On the contrary even, as both bands are masters of their art.
Next to these vicious assaults, you'll find songs where the band slows down a little to look at the situation a bit better: "Elevator To Hell", where midtempo rules and the real power comes out in the chorus. Schmier certainly doesn't calm down at all. Somewhere in/around the middle a dark part dwells and the tempo level has decreased enormously. It's as if the elevator is going down through a shaft and once arrived in hell you'll feel the power again, expressed via a crazy solo. compared to previous efforts, I have the impression Mike has practised on making his solos a little different, perhaps to better fit the lyrical theme or atmosphere. They certainly are not what you'd expect, but everything's well executed and forms a sort of fresh kind of input. Still, "Elevator To Hell" is - in my opinion - an average song. It's good, but it just doesn't strike you like the other ones.
"The Violation Of Morality" also can be put in this category, although the situation is better. Midtempo also reigns here and Marc adds his typical bass attacks to go for full power after some three minutes, when the guitarsolo is due. I didn't count it with the shortlist above, even though it's also one of the better songs on "D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.".
And so we have come to the tracks that form a sort of black stain: "Offenders Of The Throne" and "Inner Indulgence". The problem with the first is not exactly the speed, even though it's a slow song. Schmier tries to sound angry and whatever more, but this doesn't work with the music. Also, in the chorus he sounds as if he's whining. When you compare this to his input in "The Defiance Will Remain" or "Metal Discharge", for example, he's turned into an Emo here. Don't take this personally, because I'm only referring to the way he sings in this and the other songs. Even Mike's solo cannot bring this song to higher levels. "Inner Indulgence" also has a slower tempo. Despite the few speed increases, via Marc, I find this a less good song. Not exactly bad, just not as sticking, as killer as the others. You expect at some point the Thrash button will be pushed, but it's like waiting for Godot. Like with "Offenders Of The Throne" the chorus is the weakest moment.
25 years of DESTRUCTION, who would have thought that in the 1990s? The comeback was great and anno 2008 Schmier and Mike show once more the band's time is far from over. As good as "Inventor Of Evil" was, personally I think that "D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N." is another (or better) step in the right direction. The sound is different than on the previous albums, since Jacob Hansen sat behind the desk this time, like with the excellent "Thrash Anthems" last year. On a sidenote: guitarist Vinnie Moore (UFO) plays in "Devolution", while Jeff Waters (ANNIHILATOR) can be heard in "Urge (The Greed Of Gain)". DESTRUCTION is still one of the leading Thrash bands and can still kick upcoming bands' asses. Despite the few bad songs, this is an album for the fans and for Thrash fans in general. Here's to another 25 years: cheers!
More info at www.destruction.de.
Line-up:
Schmier - vocals, bass
Mike Siffringer - guitars
Marc Reign - drums
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Ross The Boss, highly famed for his work in MANOWAR in the 1980s. Almost single-handedly - well, bassist Joey DeMaio, vocalist Eric Adams and drummer Scott Columbus also played their part - did he shape the music of MANOWAR's classic albums, from "Battle Hymns" in 1982 until and including 1988's "Kings Of Metal".
As the band he co-founded changed their line-up as years passed by and more concerts were to be played and albums to be written/recorded, Ross played in other bands then, including THE DICTATORS, a Punk band. But his past helped to get his name out and made him one of the most famous Metal guitarists. Not wanting to re-join MANOWAR (small chance Karl Logan would be kicked out or the band playing with two guitarists) Ross decided to form a band around himself. For that he got in touch with some of the members of the German band IVORY NIGHT, a name that doesn't ring any bells with me. I know an IVORY KNIGHT from Canada and the German IVORY TOWER, but that's it.
Musically it's very easy to guess what Ross and co. play: Heavy Metal, perhaps with the occasional flirt with Power Metal. Or if you want band comparisons: MANOWAR and HAMMERFALL have joined in marriage. Ofcourse, similar sounding bands can be mentioned as well.
The album was titled "New Metal Leader", released on the 22nd August and with this I think Ross is trying to get back at his former band mates, who call themselves the Kings of Metal. Anyhow, this title might give the members inspiration and drive to carry on, but they sure aren't leaders (yet?).
The album starts with the intro that is "I.L.H.", an abbreviation of which I don't know what it stands for. It's "Blood Of Knives" that shows us the first elements of Ross's view on Metal today. Midtempo is key here. The drums, although not very technical, have a pounding role, and the guitars were given a fat and heavy sound. Patrick's vocals are clean, but contain that touch of roughness that is important in this kind of music. You could, in a way, lay links with - even though they aren't similar or even identical - Joacim Cans, Eric Adams, Tobias Sammet, ... Luckily Ross still knows how to play solos and this certainly adds points to the song, even though in general it's quite average what the ROSS THE BOSS band brings here.
"I Got The Right" starts in a hymnic manner, which made me think of HAMMERFALL's "Last Man Standing". When the Metal kicks in, it suffices to think of HAMMERFALL, PARAGON, MOB RULES, and similar. Slow midtempo is the pace and although all in all this is a reasonable good song, it doesn't get me excited. Maybe it would have worked back in the 80s. Luckily Ross's soloing makes the song a bit more interesting. The ending is annoying, though: a repetition of the chorus with guitar wankery in the back.
But there must be material that makes you glued to the speakers, right? Ross has been pplaying Heavy Metal for many years, writing classic MANOWAR songs and more, so it can't be that he has lost that talent? Well, no, with "Death & Glory" he sure hasn't. Finally something speedy and very welcome, I must say. There's also a bit more aggression to be found here. Everything fits and even the leads are quite entertaining. This is a true highlight on the album and there should be more like this.
"Plague Of Lies" continues the right direction, although it's a midtempo rocker here, reminding heavily of the 80s. The main rhythm is looped, but the solo later on is very delicious, I'll tell you that. So, track number two that puts a smile on my face. Keep it up!
Among the heavy tracks there's also room for something softer, ballad-ish: "God Of Dying". Patrick's voice doesn't work very well with the music or this kind of song. He's backed by gentle organ sounds, like has been done by MANOWAR in several of their songs. Later the entire band comes into play and the level of heaviness then increases as well. Not really a bad song, but it's nothing special either.
Although "May The Gods Be With You" kicks back the Rock in the music, I find it hard to stay focused. Is it taste-related? The old MANOWAR interests me more than what Ross and co. present here, even though there are similarities. Or is it because there's an abundance of Metal nowadays that made me more critical of what's available today? The execution is very good, the sound is very good, but somehow I can't consider it one of the highlights.
The situation improves a little with "Constantine's Swords", where the pounding drums and guitars remind in a way of MARILYN MANSON's "The Beautiful People". The verses aren't that interesting, but the chorus is where the beauty lies. Sadly, a chorus alone can't carry a song nor can it save a song if the other parts aren't of the same quality level.
Two recommended songs so far, any more? Yes, "We Will Kill". For this title I think Ross looked at the lyrics of "Kill With Power", where this phrase can be found. This song has got more punch, it's more powerful than the previous ones. Even the MANOWAR-ish warcry in the chorus increases this feeling.
After this interesting third highlight, it's back to the level Average. "Matador"'s problems are the boring chorus and the annoying screams, even though the music is much heavier than before and this one clearly shows it's got balls! And to close there's "Immortal Son". The start is accoustic and overall it's a slow, hymnic song. Sadly enough, this one really is the least good, not to say the worst, song on the album.
Ross The Boss has created qualitative material in the past and although he tries to keep the legacy alive here - kudos and respect for that and the music does have something 80s from time to time - there are only a few highlights (4), in my opinion, even though the sound is good and the material overall is quite listenable. I'll repeat what I said a few lines higher: is it because there's an abundance of Metal nowadays resulting in becoming more critical? The idea behind "New Metal Leader" was good, but there are still many battles to be fought to be the leader. Fans of especially MANOWAR will like this and anyone into (present) HAMMERFALL and similar could also find this an interesting release. But personally I think the songs will only do good every once in a while. Fingers crossed for the follow-up.
More info at www.ross-the-boss.com.
Line-up:
Patrick Fuchs - vocals
Ross The Boss - guitars
Carsten Ketterling - bass
Matthias Mayer - drums
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CIVIL CHAOS is a Hard Rock band from the UK. The band was founded in 2006 as SIDEWINDER. From the start they worked hard to get the name out, to even create own material. In a time span of two years the obvious line-up changes happened and because of this the new formation found it better to get a new name: CIVIL CHAOS. The plan is to release more own material via internet, radio and gigs. At least, that's what the press release said. So, CDs? LPs? Yay for mp3s... not. I did get the download single "Live It Up" (available since the 18th August) on a CD-R, so I shouldn't complain, hahaha.
Recently the band signed with Holier Than Thou Records for their upcoming album and single releases. "Live It Up" is the first, downloadable from sites like eMusic, iTunes, ... There's also a "Live It Up" EP, which has (obviously) more songs.
Since I got the download single, there's only one song to comment on. It's like people that review books get to comment on one chapter. Anyway, "Live It Up" is a midtempo rocker, in Classic Rock style. Think DIO, THUNDER, Y&T, AC/DC and similar. Nick's got a greasy, venomous voice that fits this music perfectly. The sound is quite good and as expected when you hear the term Classic Rock. The chorus is catchy and should get the crowd to sing-along. In this little more than 4 minutes track you get qualitative guitarwork (plus solos, yes) and musicianship overall and even a break before coming back to life again. I want more!
CIVIL CHAOS have shown with just this song they can continue to keep Classic Rock alive in case most of the biggies call it quits. This one song is a clear proof of that. I would like to hear the other songs that are on the "Live It Up" EP or even the (upcoming) album, but if it's paid downloads only, I'll pass. It's not the same as when you buy a CD in the stores with better audio quality, booklet, etc... the whole package in fact. But about CIVIL CHAOS: recommended band for anyone into Hard Rock and the mentioned bands.
More info at www.civilchaos.co.uk.
Line-up:
Nick Robinson - vocals, guitars
Lee Kitson - guitars
'Dirty Berry' Burton - bass
Chris Robinson - drums
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Power Metal has long been my favourite style and it still is, but these days it's hard to find bands as qualitative as those that became big in the first years of the 21st century. Melodic Power Metal the last few years meant lots of melody, less and less power. But then there's a band in the Czech Republic, SYMPHONITY, that wants to bring back some life into the "power" aspect of this wonderful genre, while keeping it melodic, unlike the US-style that relies heavily on the guitars and heavy riffing. The band was formerly known as NEMESIS and before that OTTER, when starting in 1994. Over the years the band steadily got more members and a first album, "Goddess Of Revenge", came out in 2003. But as is tradition, the line-up got changed a few times until it wasn't really NEMESIS anymore. This lead to the change to SYMPHONITY and with Olaf Hayer (DIONYSUS, LUCA TURILLI, ...) on vocals the band was/is ready to conquer the world. Limb Music Products could be very helpful in that quest.
So, new line-up and a new album, "Voice From The Silence", to become available on the 15th August. Guitarist Libor Krivak handled the production, while famed Sascha Paeth (AT VANCE, ANGRA, KAMELOT, RHAPSODY (OF FIRE), LUCA TURILLI, EPICA, EDGUY, AVANTASIA, SHAMAN, AINA and many more) did the mixing. And he did a very good job, I must say. Perhaps a little too good, as the bass can sometimes be heard better than the guitars. And if I may, I found the cymbals a bit too silent, too far in the back, while the snare comes out clear enough.
On "Voice From The Silence" you'll notice the influences from mainly great bands like STRATOVARIUS, ANGRA, RHAPSODY, LUCA TURILLI and even DIVINEFIRE. The Czechs even put a lot of focus on letting the instruments do the talking, despite having a great vocalist on board. The guitar certainly does not play a secondary role, as it provides the power and even in many cases the melodies. Also for the solos this instrument is indispensable.
The album has an intro and outro, both instrumental and one more bombastic than the other. The intro, "La Morale Dell' Immorale", has all the power and elements of a full orchestra, including the percussion, while the outro, "Afterlife", is just a piano moment, but a very nice one. And surprise, there's a hidden song on the last track, too. I didn't know that, as it's nowhere written, but my CD-player kept going on past the 1-minute marker, while the outro has already stopped then. So I fast-forwarded and heard "Irgendwie, Irgendwo, Irgendwann", the hit single by Nena and Kim Wilde so many years ago. That really made me frown, but I guess it's to be taken with a grain of salt. The rendition is nice and Olaf sings the German parts, while I-don't-know-who takes care of the English ones.
From the intro it's straight to "Give Me Your Helping Hand", one of the finer songs here. Uptempo, double bass and of course lots of melody. Needless to say that this is only one of the songs that contains the right dose of catchiness, especially in the chorus. Interesting enough, the band also incorporated a special piece in the middle, a bit Progressive-like and close to DREAM THEATER. "Give Me Your Helping Hand" is one majestic song combining elements from STRATOVARIUS and DREAM THEATER in a splendid manner.
And the situation even improves with what could be the best song on the album: "Gates Of Fantasy". The influences from ANGRA, STRATOVARIUS and DIVINEFIRE make this a very epic track. For the, in my opinion, touching but uptempo chorus there's no better vocalist than Olaf Hayer, who's one of the best Melodic (Power) Metal singers, to express certain emotions and with a certain warmth. Here as well there's a piece in the middle that totally different than what preceded or will follow. This time you can hear Eastern elements, the music is also calmer and Jazzy. The connection with the chorus afterwards is well done.
Before going uptempo again, a sniff of spacey keyboards announces "Bring Us The Light", a nice fast midtempo track in vein of old STRATOVARIUS and RHAPSODY's "Legendary Tales" era. Olaf added a bit more power/balls to his singing for certain moments. Feel free to sing along to the chorus, for it's one that will hit you if you're open for it. The bass is again very audible, but that's no real problem, despite my earlier mention. The keyboards did get an important role, especially as harpsichord. Solos are flawless and very much welcome. Overall, this is one of the songs that will do absolutely great on stage.
And then we've got our third uptempo track, "Salvation Dance", and that's something these Czechs are very good at. Guitar and keyboard show the way and the bass also can stand in front. Little after halfway another special part comes along: midtempo and it's like the guys are jamming. But it's all well done. No complaints here. Musically I couldn't help thinking of LUCA TURILLI's "King Of The Nordic Twilight" album, together with some STRATOVARIUS and a sniff of ANGRA.
Tracks 6, 7 and 8 form a trilogy. Due to their running times, the first and third part form a sort of in- and outro, while "In Silence Forsaken" holds all the beauty and majesty. "The Silence" begins with soft winds in the back while gentle piano and keyboard elements do their work. Twinkling sounds as from a xylophone lead you into the second part, after which the Metal instrumentation falls in, inline with the melody and overall keeping it bombastic. Everything falls silent after a minute and a half, when Olaf is to sing his parts, joined by the accoustic guitar. The entire instrumentation soon takes over again, though. The chorus keeps that bombast intact and reminds of STRATOVARIUS. Few minutes before the end there's a beautiful instrumental moment dominated by the harpsichord and drums, while the guitars steadily increase their melodicness and more orchestral elements are added to form one big powerful whole of symphonic Metal. A job very well done, that cannot be denied. "Relief Reverie" is a title that surely doesn't stand for powerful riffs and pounding drums. The piano plays a very important role here. Atmosphere is another indispensable aspect. The lyrics are short and spoken by one of the musicians, I think, because the man has an accent and I don't think it's Olaf. Confirmation needed here. But it's a nice closure of an even nicer trilogy.
"Searching You" stands apart from the other songs, in that its compositions and melodies are different. The focus on Metal is greater. It's a more direct, very rocking midtempo song. While the first part of the verses come over as Jazzy, the second part is very much Metal and in general I need to lay a link to present AVANTASIA so you can imagine what it sounds like. "Searching You" has a certain epicness, but as a whole it's not as attractive as the other songs, although it's well produced and the parts are all well executed. The solos are vital and make the song more interesting, in my opinion.
"Evening Star", finally, is the longest song of the pack, ending at about 08:40. This is another shining diamond, just like "Gates Of Fantasy", for example. You thus get the classic uptempo Melodic Power Metal of before and like several big bands have delivered in the past. The symphonics again provide the melody. The tempo slows down in the bridge, where you'll find a nice amount of bombast, while everything increases again for the chorus. Need comparable stuff? STRATOVARIUS, LUCA TURILLI, ANGRA. Anyhow, around halfway it's solotime, be it the guitar or keyboards. Bass and drums follow neatly and there are even a couple of tempo changes, all succeeding flawlessly. At a given moment silence takes over to let the strings shine in the spotlights, after which other orchestral instruments (e.g. bassoon, I think) are added. Few minutes before the ending of the song it's back to business as usual, but this part is simply thrown at you, for it comes in very sudden. There's nothing to negatively comment on, it's - like I said - another great song.
As with other bands whose release(s) I had the chance to review I'm not familiar with SYMPHONITY's older sound/songs, but I do know that what they present on "Voice From The Silence" is qualitative Melodic Power Metal, with symphonic arrangements, of course. The name-dropping served as indicator of what to expect and fulfill your taste if you are looking for bands who continue where these bands left off. SYMPHONITY and "Voice From The Silence" could be the Power Metal surprise of the year, although I may be exaggerating a bit (much). Either way, quality is assured here. Now keep an eye on the release of this album.
More info at www.symphonity.com.
Line-up:
Olaf Hayer - vocals
Libor Krivak - guitars
Ivo Hofmann - keyboards
Tomas Celechovsky - bass
Martin Skaroupka - drums
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Ivan Mihaljevic is a Croatian guitarist (°16/08/1986), who started his career in 2004 or around that period, at least to Metal-Archives.com. He started playing the guitar at the age of 14 (he also took singing and piano lessons) and has played many gigs so far, even had his own band (FORSAKEN) at some point. Four years ago he played at Wacken Open Air with HARD TIME, said to be Croatia's no. 1 Heavy Metal band. Truth be told, until now I had never heard of either Ivan or HARD TIME. It's thanks to the devoted fan Paola (last name unknown to me) from the Ivan Mihaljevic Street Team (MySpace page) I obtained a copy of Ivan's "Sandcastle" release, which came out on the 23rd of July. It's October 2009 when I'm writing this, as I received the CD in the summer of 2009. Despite his young age, he has already achieved quite a lot, including playing gigs with Paul Gilbert and recording songs for a JOHN DENNER album in 2008, featuring Billy Sheehan, Brett Garsed, Phil Hilborne, Jamie Humphries, Owen Edwards, Danny Gill, ... Most names unknown to me, but I think they are known in whatever category JOHN DENNER's music fits. And last but not least, Ivan played on stage with Les Paul during that period. Next to his time in HARD TIME (gigging and working on a new album), Ivan is a guitar instructor and the plans for his next solo album, "Destination Unknown", are unfolding rapidly.
But on to the received album, "Sandcastle". It has 14 tracks, 8 of which are instrumentals. Since I'm a fan of instrumental music, that's at least one good aspect of this album. Several guitarists have done like Ivan, only going instrumental the whole album. Some examples are Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Kiko Loureiro, Jeff Loomis, Paul Gilbert (one of Ivan's favourite players), Steve Morse, Eric Johnson, Jeff Beck and so on. Ivan gets help from Majkl Jagunic on bass and Craig Devine on drums, but the album also features a few guest musicians: John Denner (solo in "Bulldozer"), Igor Tatarevic (harpsichord solo in "Empathy" and keyboards in "Raindrops") and Taher Sanuri (vocals in "Empathy").
Fourteen tracks with a small majority (8) being instrumental. It starts with "Sandcastle". Sounding like OVERLOADED in the beginning, the music soon turns into something more Jazzy in vein of KIKO LOUREIRO and JOE SATRIANI. The production is quite clear and the guitar is high in the mix, which is of course a logical decision. The title track is a midtempo one, though has an uptempo outbreak. A good move, if you ask me, as it's for the benefit of the song. The guitarwork is obviously very good. Keyoards offer backing in a mechanical manner. Kettle drums put the song to an end. They sound fake and that's a pity after such a good ride. I mean, surely there are better orchestral samples than this?
"Cascading Mirrors" is an even better song. Also having a Jazzy start, things sound very suitable to cruise to in your convertible. Again the comparison with KIKO LOUREIRO and JOE SATRIANI (and similar) can be made. Ivan gave this song a more 80's feel. The more rocking can be detected in the chorus. The guitarwork is once again of exquisite quality and quite touching at some point. To make this all come out as good as possible, several layers were created and for the better. "Bulldozer", as the title indicates, starts with the sound of such a machine/vehicle. Slow Rock follows, but the pace soon quickens. This is the third instrumental on the album and it rocks!! Rock, Jazz and more, all in one and neatly changing from one style to another.
But then fate struck and we get the first crappy song: "Hi-Tech Orient". It contains drumsamples in a Techno/Spacey jacket and at rapid pace. The guitarwork is good, but it just doesn't not fit with such drum... shit. Sorry for the term, but don't make an instrumental guitar-oriented album and then add computersounds for the drumparts. It just doesn't work. Add some spacey keyboards and the mess is complete. Good guitarwork surrounded by the wrong elements. Sad but true. The VIVALDI cover "Spring" makes up for this and can be added to the shortlist of highlights. The same thing counts for the energetic and uptempo "Macedonian War Song". Solid piece of work. And while I'm at it, the excellent and rocking "Shimmering Karma" with its accoustic break (incl. piano) and album closer "Raindrops" (a very relaxing and soothing song, I must say) are the final diamonds to be remembered.
The instrumental portion of "Sandcastle" is obviously very good, save for that one ugly duckling that is "Hi-Tech Orient". The other six tracks all contain vocals and are of a different style. And although it's nice to not hear the same stuff every time, changing styles on one album can be dangerous and disrupt the cohesion. The first example of the style change is the Poppy "Distant World". The accoustic guitar is featured, with a R'n'B-like drumbeat (that alone made me frown) and there's even a violin. It sounds so out of place after the first two instrumental tracks. Overall, it's an ok song, but personally, I find it boring very rapidly. "Questions In My Mind (Part I)" was better, with its midtempo Rock. The chorus added extra melody to the song and the guitarsolo was a welcome element. But here too, it's not Ivan's best work.
The same counts for the EXTREME-like ballad-ish Pop Rock song "Questions In My Mind (Part II)". The percussion is a nice element, though, and works well with the accoustic environment. But it's not all bad, as "Empathy" shows. An accoustic start that flows over into the Jazzy Rock that was present in the instrumental songs. But this time Ivan added vocals, sung by Taher Sanuri. In general, an ok song and the best of the sung ones. Two songs left, "Friend" and "The Road To Nowhere". The first starts accoustically, yet Ivan's vocals sound very whiney and emo. Backing comes from spacey/electronic keyboards. The violin makes a return in the chorus. Overall the music isn't bad, but luckily Ivan added a guitar solo to try to turn the song into a better direction. The other one starts with a traffic jam. Look at the title and it seems like a logical decision. This is a Rocksong, no doubt about that. But the radio-friendliness almost litterally flows out of the speakers. Especially the chorus is outright boring. Once again, no comments on Ivan's guitarwork, as it's good.
Ivan Mihaljevic is a fresh addition to the scene of guitarists that make instrumental albums. It's great to see such talent at such a young age. His music is similar to that of - I've mentioned them enough, I guess - Paul Gilbert, Kiko Loureiro, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and similar. Enough examples of excellent guitarists out there. Ivan had accomplished quite a lot already for being a solo artist and his debut album, "Sandcastle", is a clear example of his skills and insight into music. It is a fact, though, that the album feels more like a compilation than a coherent release. Personally I would advise him to put the songs with vocals, which are also of a different style, on a seperate album and leave the instrumental ones together. Anyway, the quality is there and it comes out best in the instrumental tracks.
More info at www.ivanmihaljevic.com.
Line-up:
Dave Hynes - vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming, percussion
Majkl Jagunic - bass
Craig Devine - drums
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CANOBLISS is an American Rock/Metal band influenced by big acts like METALLICA and MEGADETH, but also by lots of nu-metal bands like DISTURBED, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, SLIPKNOT and others. The band was formed in 1997 and have been focussing on gigs rather than releases. The several line-up changes also were obstacles that prevented an easy progress. A first album came out in 1998, "Wicked Necessary". It took CANOBLISS then 6 years to have a follow-up ready: "Demon Angel" (2004). Three later years "Liberation Of Dissonance" came out, which apparently got them lots of radio play and increased success.
Anno 2008 a new release is ready and this since the 19th July: "Psychothermia". This 7-track EP is, like the previous releases entirely done by the band: producing, editing, mixing, artwork (assembling), and ofcourse the release itself. CANOBLISS describes its music as Progressive Hard Rock/Metal. Nu-Metal is also part of the compositions, else the comparisons with such bands wouldn't happen.
The mix of Progressive and Hard Rock can be found in the first song, "Notorious". This is a pounding song, in vein of METALLICA and more contemporary Rock. The use of two types of vocals works quite well and forms a nice contrast: clean and rough (shouting, if you will). Next to that guitarsolos are a vital ingredient to give the songs that extra spice. All in all a very nice song to start with.
The title track commences with a tension-building intro by the guitars and drums before the rage breaks out. That's before the verses. This raging piece doesn't come back until much later and even then it's very short. The verses themselves lack heaviness, but it's the drums that keep things interesting. At this stage I get the impression I'm listening to LIVE. Midtempo is key here, as is melody. The chorus is overall quite good. Last but not least, there's a very enjoyable heavy part before the solos and that's one devastating force! A job well done.
"Convicted Again" is another very nice song and one of the best on this EP. Musically you can think of CIRCLE II CIRCLE meets DISTURBED, while vocally you could speak of a marriage between James Hetfield (METALLICA) and Zak Stevens (ex-SAVATAGE, CIRCLE II CIRCLE). Ok, and a bit of David Draiman. Once again the musicianship is of high quality.
And there's a love song as well: "Adios". I don't know if it's a love song, but that's the impression I have when listening to the lyrics. Clean vocals (is that John, too?), slow tempo, but quite rhythmic. The guitarsolos top it. The melody of the chorus is so damn catchy that in combination with the rhythm guitar you cannot do nothing. Either you humm along, move your feet or whatever.
Wait, Jazz? The verses of "Take Vics" certainly are Jazzy and that's a nice move. But once the energy breaks loose, with John's shouting vocals, it's back to business as usual and you can just feel the music has an American feel and touch. All in all, not bad, but nothing really special, to be honest. This time the guitarsolos can't lift the song to a higher level.
The nu-metal influence is really present now as the crazy and wild "Slingshot" could have been a DISTURBED song. Even John's singing is like David's, with some rapping rhythm. But on the other hand I cannot deny I somewhat like it, also because DISTURBED is the only nu-metal band I can appreciate and even then it depends on the moment.
More DISTURBED-influences can be found in "Pangea". Pounding, not as crazy as the previous track, very rhythmic and last, variable singing: clean with a rough undertone to clean with some screaming in the chorus. An ok song, but it bores quite rapidly. The guitar- and drumwork is very well executed, let that be clear. But the overall compositions and especially the specific kind of singing in rap-style is just... no thanks.
CANOBLISS can be (very) happy with "Psychothermia". There's not really one bad song here, if you're very open-minded and especially if you're into Nu-Metal, which I'm not. The term Progressive Hard Rock/Metal is very misleading and here it doesn't remind of SYMPHONY X, DREAM THEATER, VANDEN PLAS, SERENITY, CIRCUS MAXIMUS, WUTHERING HEIGHTS or any other such band for that matter. Why not just call it Modern Rock/Metal? Then it's easy to find out how the songs sound and that also fits the song better. But despite this (important) detail, I did enjoy some songs (particularly the first half) and must acknowledge the great musicianship that is part of CANOBLISS. And not to forget that most is done by the band, including the very good sound. To make a long story short: Anyone into Progressive Hard Rock or Metal, seek your material elsewhere. Anyone into Modern Rock/Metal, do check out CANOBLISS, because I have no doubt they will quench your thirst.
More info at www.canobliss.com.
Line-up:
John Maldonado - vocals
Samson Pedroza - guitars
Jon Russo - guitars
Chenzo Vidalez - bass
Mike Russo - drums
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Blaze Bayley, the man, needs no introduction anymore, does he? But I'm going to add something anyway. He's been the vocalist for WOLFSBANE, a Heavy Metal group formed in 1984 and having ceased activities in 2001 or some time later. They did reform for some gigs in 2007, but since then the band is on hold. In the 90s Blaze joined IRON MAIDEN to replace Bruce Dickinson and two albums were the result: "The X-Factor" (1995) and "Virtual XI" (1998). Both releases were for the biggest part considered as "quantité négligeable" or not the best albums in IRON MAIDEN's discography, since they were musically different from the Bruce Dickinson material. Anyway, Blaze and MAIDEN parted ways and the first started his own band, BLAZE, in 1999. Under that name four releases came out: "Silicon Messiah" (2000), "Tenth Dimension" (2002), "As Live As It Gets" (2003, Live) and "Blood and Belief" (2004).
Over the years the band became a revolving door of musicians coming and going. In 2005 a steady line-up was put together, but conflicts with Blaze's management resulted in Blaze having to seek new members once again. That same year a name change occured and BLAZE BAYLEY was born. This would also be the name of Blaze's own label, Blaze Bayley Recordings. Under BLAZE BAYLEY the first release was the "Alive In Poland" from 2007, via Metal Mind Productions. The following releases were next and via Blaze's label: "The Best Of Blaze Bayley" (2008), "Robot" (single, 2008) and "The Man Who Would Not Die" (2008).
Although I never kept an eye on BLAZE's releases, I decided to briefly check out the albums at the shop (didn't buy them, because I had other releases on my list), since I got "The Man Who Would Not Die" to review. "Silicon Messiah" sounded to me like IRON MAIDEN meets METALLICA (the "Black Album" era). Most of the tracks are decent and solid Heavy Metal. "Tenth Dimension" is more melodic, less heavy, but it's still pure Heavy Metal. "Blood And Belief" brought back some balls to the Metal and sounded more modern. Overall, a very worthwhile album and one I'll most likely add to my collection in due time. Come to think of it, it seems that Blaze is like a fish in the water with his own band, since what the man and his mates present on the latest studio offering, "The Man Who Would Not Die", is even better than anything he made under the BLAZE banner. Not that the old material is bad, far from it even.
But back to 2008 for the first studio album, "The Man Who Would Not Die" (out since early August), via Blaze Bayley Recordings. It starts with the heavy and ballsy midtempo title track. The first thing you'll notice is the production, which screams "POWER!". The songs aren't superpolished and that is a good thing, as it lets the roughness of the sound add to the listening experience . It's better than ever. Blaze sings with his typical clean voice, though with an added rough edge. You might compare his input here with a mix of Bruce Dickinson (IRON MAIDEN) and Messiah Marcolin (ex-CANDLEMASS). In between the different parts the Metal comes pounding out of the speakers. To make the listening even more interesting, guitarists Nicolas and Jay take turns to play solos.
One very good song done, one very good song next: "Blackmailer". It starts with firm IRON MAIDEN-like midtempo with Lawrence offering a tight and pretty standard Heavy Metal drum pattern (even in the chorus). That's the verses' music. The tempo goes up for the chorus: double bass, great guitar and drumwork and sing-along lyrics. All of this also reminding somehow of, for example, GAMMA RAY and SAXON. What more do you need? The awesome rhythm is a lust for the ear, as standard as it may be. The solos are once again flawless and well integrated. Only one point of criticism, but it's trivial: the standard drumming, but here it's more than ok to play like this. Any extra fills via toms or cymbals, for example, would disturb the flow. So, I'm more than satisfied with the outcome. Other songs I thought being very much highlights are "Samurai", "Waiting For My Life To Begin", "Voices From The Past", "The Truth Is One" and "Serpent Hearted Man".
Starting with "Samurai". This track begins with a bass intro, but it sounds so similar to DREAM THEATER's "Panic Attack" ("Octavarium" album, 2005). It also starts with the bass and then the Metal comes bursting in (guitars and drums). What follows then is crunchy, straight-forward Heavy Metal. Again the sing-along aspect is very much present in the chorus ("Die, willing to die, Samura-a-ai"...) and musically this would not have misstood with IRON MAIDEN or SAXON. Everybody's contributions make this a true highlight. One minor element, though: Blaze singing "ooooh oooh oh", followed by the solo. The solo is more than fine, very good even, but this particular singing moment wasn't really necessary. It's not exactly a problem, but somehow I don't think the song would be less good without it. "Waiting For My Life To Begin" starts at the hospital. Sharp and furious Metal breaks out and you better buckle up for a wild ride. Tempo isn't key, but the sound and melody are. Aggressive in the verses, melodic in the chorus, where the tempo lies a bit lower to, compared to the firm paced verses. The soloing is very nice to listen to, sadly too short. The chugging riffing that follows directly after could have been taken from an ICED EARTH song. Interesting and well-chosen move. guitars play a very important role here, be it rhythm-wise or solos.
Tension is created and meanwhile the tempo also rises in "Voices From The Past". This is a midtempo song with the focus on instrumentalism. The full power is to be found in the chorus as opposed to the verses that are devoid of heaviness interms of riffing, until the chorus comes in sight. That's when the guitars awaken. The instrumental parts are very well done here. At some point, and quite suprisingly so, a devastating tempo outburst occurs, followed by the obligatory solo. Once again, no complaints from my part. Even the heavy riffing part that occupies the last part of the song fits in well and sounds tasteful, too. "The Truth Is One" is foremost recommended because of the serious tempo boost it gives to the album, especially this far in the tracklist. The guitars have been given a grinding sort of sound here and Blaze sings with passion, especially in the chorus. The pace is set at midtempo there, but with determination. Once the solo moment comes along the tempo quickly increases. Nothing more to say here, it's a killer song. Last but certainly not least is the closing track, "Serpent Hearted Man". It starts calm, with a radio effect. Blaze's voice comes in and the atmosphere turns spooky, suspicious. This specific composition is not only the intro, it also serves as outro. The Metal instrumentation takes over in short bursts, including marching drums and flows neatly into a pounding midtempo powerball. The verses hold the power, the chorus is of the hymnic kind and slower. Special about this last song is the solo part, as it is quite diverse: normal pace, faster, melodic, wild, ... The listening experience sure is one to never forget.
The first and last songs consist of the best material, in my humble opinion. That's where the jewels are hiding. Does that mean the middle section is bad, not as interesting, filler? Nope, not at all. Reviews will always contain a touch of personal taste, which is why I seperated the best from the (good to very good) rest. There is not one bad or filler song here, let that be clear. So, 7 songs done, 5 more to go: "Smile Back At Death", "While You Were Gone", "Crack In The System", "Robot" and "At The End Of The Day". The first of this shortlist is "Smile Back At Death", which sounds like a rolling thunderball, has an epic feel, but at the same time there's a feeling of sadness and sorrow. The title indicates it, but you can also hear it in the chorus. Due to the song's length (more than 7 minutes) and considering the musical compositions, the result is quite hymnic even. At some point a break of sadness sets in, devoid of heaviness. Chord picking, toms and vocals, the basic elements at work here. But then the guitars come in and take over, leaving the atmosphere of sadness and epicness intact, before spitting out a solo. Such a long song also requires an effort to listen and not go over it lightly. The reward is worth it.
"While You Were Gone" is divided into two parts: a slow one with a calm start, which also is used for the outro/ending of the song, and a faster one later on. The slow part does contain the required Metal power, but sounds quite sad overall. Again the title tells you what to expect. At the end of this first stage my impression was that it's not a bad song, but certainly not the best Blaze has done either. And that's when the tempo increase takes place, offering fiercer music consisting of dual leads (awesome change!) and a great rhythm. Instruments demand all attention and Blaze is obliged to let his throat rest. The slow part of before returns afterwards, but it's the speedier one in between that makes this song worth listening to. "Crack In The System" made me think of SAVATAGE's "Complaint in the System" ("The Wake Of Magellan" album, 1998), but the music is entirely different. The beginning rolls and instantly introduces melody. A steady drumbeat and heavy guitars occupy the verse, while the chorus is rather simple to sing: it's the song title. Whereas "While You Were Gone" was partly less interesting, "Crack In The System" is entirely less interesting/least attractive/etc... Worst song so far, or better, least good, depending on how you like your Heavy Metal. But even if I try to remain objective, it's hard to be as positive as before.
Two more songs to complete the talk about the middle-section: "Robot" and "At The End Of The Day". The first is a rapid one, Thrashy even. It includes the typical humpapa-rhythm. This attempt go try something different is good as idea and the execution isn't that bad at all either. Blaze sings in a rather hymnic manner, but since I'm not used to him (I haven't heard him or not that much since he left MAIDEN), I take it that's his normal way of expressing thoughts and feelings? Either way, the song is overall good. Not super, but it's good. "At The End Of The Day" starts calm and I made the mistake of thinking it was a ballad. Once the Heavy Metal button is activated, the music reminds me of SAVATAGE's "He Carves His Stone" ("Edge Of Thorns" album, 1993). Not everything, just the verses. The chorus is slow and the guitars are a bit more prominent. Not only SAVATAGE comes to mind, but also - and logically - IRON MAIDEN and SAXON. Or similar, if you wish. Here as well, it's an very decent song, but doesn't reach the level of the seven highlights, for example.
"The Man Who Would Not Die" is my first proper encounter with Blaze Bayley's solo material. His IRON MAIDEN adventure wasn't his best and when I have to compare with his solo releases, it's obvious which band produced the better albums with him on vocals. Exactly: BLAZE BAYLEY, formerly known as BLAZE. "The Man Who Would Not Die" is his heaviest/crunchiest to date. The fact that the production isn't superpolished helps to keep a high level of roughness intact and make the album/music more honest. The musicianship is very good, from Blaze's singing to Lawrence's determined and solid hits on the drums. Did I mention the excellent guitarwork? Seriously, anyone into Heavy Metal is recommended to get this album. No Blaze fan at the time or IRON MAIDEN? Better listen again at what BLAZE BAYLEY have created and be prepared to adjust your opinion.
More info at www.blazebayley.net.
Line-up:
Blaze Bayley - vocals
Nicolas Bermudez - guitars
Jay Walsh - guitars
David Bermudez - bass
Lawrence Paterson - drums
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Two years ago the German Gothic Rock band LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE released its fourth album, "Filthy Notes For Frozen Hearts", which got them lots of praise and many gigs. From the Gothic/Doom in the beginning (for 2-3 albums) slowly evolving/changing towards pure Gothic Rock since a few album ago, the line-up underwent a change in the vocal department. Christopher Schmid decided to step down (due to not being able to combine the music with his personal life anymore) and let Rob Vicatta do the singing. Christopher will continue as a lyricist and songwriter for the band.
It's been almost two years since the previous album came out and after lots of gigs (incl. with LEAVES' EYES) and that smalle change in the line-up the band re-signed with Napalm Records for "Songs For The Last View", which came out on the 27th June. Last time there also was a single/EP ("Again It's Over") preceding the album, which also had a few bonus tracks. The limited edition of "Songs For The Last View" has 4 bonus tracks and a DVD with video and live footage and more. For the production of the new release John Fryer (HIM, NINE INCH NAILS, PARADISE LOST, ...) was once more the man in charge. The mastering was done by Roger Lian from Masterdisk Studios (NIRVANA, AEROSMITH, PANTERA, ...).
"Songs For The Last View" starts with a heartbeat, hospital equipment and several background noises (child crying, war sounds, ...) and finally our character's heart stopping with pumping. Hear any similarity with, for example, MANTICORA's "8 Deadly Sins"? The music sets in with "A Pearl", which reminds of "Again It's Over" musically. The new vocalist stands out, as he also sings low, but with more roughness. I have the impression that it takes more effort from him than what Christopher did. It's also a bit less clear what he's singing, but that could be due to the mixing. As good as "Again It's Over" was, it's obvious that "A Pearl" is as good, or almost. The sound was crystal clear on "Filthy Notes For Frozen Hearts", since Mika Jussila did the mastering. Here there's more roughness, a bit less polished on the guitars.
"The Shadow I Once Kissed" is the first where the piano has an important role and yes, female vocals in the chorus. There wasn't any mention of this in the press text, which made me think N had also left the band. At least, I hope it's N. This dual singing is where the problem lies. both may be good singers, but they're not compatible, not like her and Christopher. About one minute before the end, there's a slow part, breakdown if you like, which is reserved for the filthy solo. "The Shadow" is an ok song, but nothing more.
And it can even get slower: "Veins". Gentle heaviness in the verses, full power in the chorus. Rob's clean vocals aren't bad, but it's as if he has an accent and his voice would fit more with a modern Rock band. The piano is present again and keyboard accents are added to broaden the melodic structure. All efforts considered, this is not such an interesting track and even the hardest to swallow.
More directness and a heavier approach can be found in "We Shouldn't Be Here", although it started with Techno-like keyboards. Those keyboards (not Techno now) stay in the back, providing melody in a gentle manner, letting the guitars and drums fight the battle. All in all, you can put it in the same box as "A Pearl".
With "And God's Ocean" we have a ballad, ladies and gentlemen. Sadness all over the place, gentle piano/keyboard melodies and dito vocals. Korl's drums sound too loud, too hard for this kind of music. Violin accents increase the gloom aspect, the feeling of being lost, being rejected. Sadly enough, Rob's input isn't the most appropriate and that's because of his tone. How to say this? The sound of his voice is the problem. I don't think that Christopher's would fit either. So whose voice would be good enough? I don't know. but in my opinion why not let someone like N, Lisa Johansson (DRACONIAN) or similar sing the lyrics? In the second part the guitars come in to add more power, but I once again have to disagree with this decision. It totally destroys the atmosphere built in the first part. Nice try, but the song is no complete success.
"Suicide Sun" puts you back with your feet on the ground: heavy guitars, simply, yet effective drums and piano touches. Rob using his lower voice again. Musically I had to think a bit of "My Velvet Little Darkness", which can be found on the band's previous release, "Filthy Notes For Frozen Hearts". Lots of bands re-use elements and LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE is no exception. That doesn't mean it's a bad move, as it helps to recognize the music and the band you're dealing with. However, it can get annoying after a while, seeing the same kind of songs on different albums. ;-) Still, you might find that on lots of Black and Death Metal albums, too, so it would be hypocrital to complain here, also because it's a very good song.
What Rob does in "Dear Amy" (the back of the promo said "Dear Army") is so different from before and here he shows his more modern Rock voice. The guitarwork is also inline with this, heavier and darker than before. The singing is rawer, hoarser. It depends on your taste whether this song fits on the album or not, but I have to admit it's nice to hear something different.
"And God's Ocean" was the first soft song, "A Dead Man" is the second. The piano is again the leading instrument, while Rob sounds like a dead/broken man. The violins come in in a very smooth manner and are neatly woven into the song structure, complementing the piano in a splendid manner. Outstanding stuff, no doubt about that. Hell, it's even better than "And God's Ocean", at least that song's second part.
The beginning of "Sacrificial Lamb" is calm, dreamy thanks to the guitars, but foremost the drums. The full power comes out when the chorus sets in. Rob does a good job, yet his accent when singing "Laaamb" is a (very small) black mark, in my opinion. Musically everything's very much alright, slow and heavy.
After all this sad- and slowness, it would be highly appreciated if something more uptempo came along. And so thought the band, too, as "Lullaby For A Weeping Girl" comes falling in, instantly awakening you, freeing you from the depressed atmosphere you were engulfed by. What else do I need to say than that it's one of the best songs on the album, just like the previous direct songs. Surprisingly enough - and I had that with certain other songs here, as well - it's over before you know it. Sure, most of the time the playtime is around three minutes, but that couldn't be the reason, could it?
"While" offers a "Last View" on the album. Starting gently via the guitars and bass, Rob falls in soon enough. Little by little other elements are added, such as the symphonic backing. You get the impression this is ballad no. 3, but once the entire band comes alive, mainly in the chorus, that thought is erased. War samples make their return, like you could hear them in "Last View". Korl's drumming also reflects that via the kickdrums. Sadness, tristesse and anything similar are key ingredients. Mixed with the instrumentation and yes, Rob's voice, the result is breathtakingly beautiful. In the end our patient's heart still beats or it could be that the previous songs were a flashback and he actually dies in hospital.
LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE have been releasing qualitative Rock/Metal since their debut release, although one album stood out more than the other. "Filthy Notes For Frozen Hearts" was a very decent Gothic Rock release and one that should please fans of DEPECHE MODE, H.I.M., SISTERS OF MERCY and alike. "Songs For The Last View" takes it further, even makes the band sound a bit rougher again, both musically and vocally. The new vocalist, Rob Vitacca, increases the diversity a bit, although the music still comes from the hands of (mainly) Oliver Nikolas and Christopher. It took me some time and I cannot dismiss the new album, as the Germans show that they're not intending of quitting or giving up the battle for the throne, having made one of the better albums of 2008. This is a recommended release and if you're fast enough, get your hands on the limited CD/DVD.
More info at www.lacrimas.com.
Line-up:
Rob - vocals
N - female vocals
Oliver Nikolas - guitars
Tony - guitars
Christian - keyboards
Daniel - bass
Korl - drums
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What do we have here? Seriously, what kind of band is GRENOUER? From what I've read they started as a Death Metal band, in the early 1990s, but seemed to change their music in a more Industrial direction, which was a bad move for certain people/fans. This Russian band is quite unknown outside of Russia, but with the help of Locomotive Records, that problem should be solved over the course of the coming months. GRENOUER's first album on this label and in total their sixth, if I'm correct, is given the title "Lifelong Days" and saw the light of day on the 20th June. For the recordings they booked the Astia Studio under the guidance of Anssi Kippo, who has worked with CHILDREN OF BODOM, NORTHER, IMPALED NAZARENE, LULLACRY and others.
"Lifelong Days" is my first acquaintance with the band's music and I can assure this hasn't been an easy listening experience. Brutal guitars, polyrhythmic drums, shouting vocals with a spacier variant here and there... oh yes, and lots of Groove. The band mentions MESHUGGAH, PANTERA, CLAWFINGER, KORN, DEFTONES, FEAR FACTORY and other, similar bands as influences. This is correct, as far as my knowledge on these bands' repertoire helps me.
I noticed CLAWFINGER elements in "Employed Beggar", KORN came along in "With No Concern" and "Finding The One", etc... you get the idea. It must be said that the Industrial Metal stamp isn't that big and not even the few electronic touches mean you're an Industrial band. No, there's just too much Nu-Metal involved here, way too much for my taste. The only Nu-Metal band (or one of the very few) I can appreciate is DISTURBED, but not all of it. Anyhow, problem areas for me are 1) the groovy but ultra-heavy guitars, which could have been looped in several songs, 2) the annoying vocals (shouting here, shouting there, let's use some space-effect in the chorus, ... it all just doesn't sound or feel right) and 3) compositions that sometimes don't match at all, like in "Indecent Loyalty", for example, where the beginning and ending are two different things, but there's a certain coherence missing.
Mind you, there are some good musical ideas to be found, but most of the material just doesn't cut it for me. It's hard, heavy, brutal and more, but it's also empty and soulless, in my opinion. However, there is ONE song that stand out - well, one and a half -: "The Unexpected" and "Employed Beggar". The first because it's the most direct song on the album and also the most normal one, so to speak. Even Ind's vocals sound very much alright. I had to think of DEDICTED's latest album, "Argonauts", for a moment. "Employed Beggar" is only half good, mainly because of CLAWFINGER influences (not the vocals, though).
Oh right, I forgot. There is a more gentle song at the end: "Patience". Either they're drumsamples or Grave played on an electronic kit. Whatever it is, the contrast with the previous songs couldn't be bigger. The rhythm is also Rap-ish and Ind uses a cleaner voice. Once the chorus kicks in the music also increases in heaviness, yet not like before. Still, this isn't so good either.
Changing your style is one thing, but not really succeeding after the metamorphosis is another. GRENOUER will never be my favourite band and they will have to change again to appeal to more people, I think. Brutal, polyrhythmic (kudos to the drummer, though, for certain types of input) and nerve-wreckingly annoying. This just isn't my cup of tea. If you're wondering, I got a review copy, that's why I wrote this text. And we can't all like everything or accept everything, even when keeping our mind as open as possible. Will "Lifelong Days" appeal to fans of Industrial Metal? I have my doubts. Fans of Nu-Metal, however, could be treated well here. Maybe if these Russians went back to making Death Metal, would that be a good move?
More info at www.grenouer.com.
Line-up:
Ind - vocals
Motor - guitars
Rt - guitars
Slavij - bass
Grave - drums
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From Limited Access Records I've reviewed so far: DAVIDIAN and THE MYSTERY, both clearly Metal. TRUSTGAME is far from being Metal and can easily be put in the Emo/Altrock category. This German band was formed some years ago. When, I don't know, for the website doesn't disclose much info. Considering the EP in 2002, I take it they got together around that year. Then a demo came out in 2006 and since the 13th June the band's debut album is ready: "Trustgame".
The songs contain influences from Punk Rock, Nu-Metal, Grunge topped with an Emo sauce and wrapped in a modern production. The eleven songs total a playtime of a good 45 minutes. Now, don't let the Nu-Metal aspect fool you or anything, because - like I said - you won't find any Metal here. Each song has been composed and produced to demand radioplay, mainstream radioplay, hence Altrock. I used to like such bands back in the 1990s, but since many years Metal is no. 1 for me. As far as radio goes, I hardly even listen to it anymore, due to the fact that there has been lots of bad stuff, crap even, on the air and lots of artists are being hyped beyond credibility. Especially the Emo kind of music is one of those trends that still gets lots of people clinging to the radio speakers. My point is: getting such an album, like "Trustgame", to review came as a really big surprise, also because this is a Metal site.
Since TRUSTGAME is signed to Limited Access Records and this label also houses Metal bands, I guess it's logical that promos are send together with those of Metal releases. Getting to know more bands is good for one's knowledge and maybe can broaden someone's taste. The sound of "Trustgame" is very clear and very well polished and that can affect the power of the songs, but for mainstream appeal all is well. The songs are well composed in terms of heaviness vs softer parts and Thorsten's quite capable of singing, but he just sounds too emo. There's too much wankery in his singing, and yes, he screams too. But that's only in "Vacuum", which has calm verses, but let's the power out in the chorus. The keyboards, be it as piano or in electronic version, play a role in "Break Us Down", "My Satellite", which also contains some violin accents and "DNA".
I'll cut to the chase: the songs I thought that stood out are very few in number and it's not that this is a bad release overall. Not at all. So, noteworthy songs are the Punkish "Dickcheeze", of which I enjoyed the guitar and drumwork quite a lot. The heavy rocker "Notorious" also deserves more points, for it's a decent song. And last but not least, the ballad-ish "My Satellite". Special points go to "Sometimes", the closing song. It's a slow song and Thorsten even sings with a lower voice, making everything sounding close to what the Gothic Rockband LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE has created recently. The rest of the material has references to QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, SIMPLE PLAN, some BUSH, 3 DOORS DOWN in a heavier version and perhaps some SOUNDGARDEN. Oh right, do I need to mention a band like MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE?
Like Metalcore, this isn't my cup of tea, despite the few songs I mentioned. TRUSTGAME does a good job at playing Emo-inspired Altrock, and should therefore attract many people who are into this kind of music. Anyone seeking Metal here is wasting his/her time. This is mainstream music, people, the stuff you frequently hear on the radio. TRUSTGAME should have little to no problems to get that, radioplay.
More info at www.trustgame.de.
Line-up:
Thorsten Schwesinger - vocals, guitars
Florian Hegemann - guitars
Kai Schumacher - piano, electronics
Thomas Kennel - bass
Beray Habip - drums
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To start off, these song titles really are a hard nut to crack, although e.g. MOONSORROW also has Finnish titles, yet those 'sound' more normal. SOTAJUMALA's have something direct and violent. The translation on Metal-Archives.com should explain why:
01. The Killer And The Killed
02. A Coffin With No Dead
03. Celebration of Death
04. Taken Innocence
05. Written In Blood
06. Justification
07. Torture
08. Execution
Finland and Death Metal, it's not exactly the best or best-known combination, except in the Melodic Death Metal department: CHILDREN OF BODOM, MORS PRINCIPIUM EST, INSOMNIUM, NORTHER, ENSIFERUM, OMNIUM GATHERUM, KALMAH, WINTERSUN, etc...etc... Overall it's a undeniable fact that Finland is very active in the world of Metal, in practically each main genre. But let's focus again on the Death Metal aspect of this country's bands. And by that I mean the stuff that relies on heavy, brutal riffs, skull-crushing drumming and growling, demonic vocals. Thinking of Death Metal summons bands like CANNIBAL CORPSE, BOLT THROWER, NILE, VOMITORY, IMMOLATION, KATAKLYSM, VADER, DECAPITATED, GOREFEST, and many many more. Finland lacks such bands, as far as I know. But there is upcoming talent ready to fill that gap. One of them is SOTAJUMALA.
SOTAJUMALA, which means Wargod, has been active for almost 10 years and have one full album so far - next to a demo, EP, Split and Single. The band's debut, "Death Metal Finland", came out in 2004 and got quite some positive response, judging from the comments on the Net. When hearing that one song on their MySpace page, I have to agree that this brutal and unstoppable assault is quite qualitative. That makes the expectations for the new album, "Teloitus" (released on the 13th June), very high. On a sidenote: the distribution is done via the Dutch Displeased Records.
And they are met, even if it took me several listens. The conditions weren't always favourable, which can influence your opinion a great deal, from finding the record mediocre to overrated to very much recommended. The production is clear and polished, but without forgetting we're dealing with a Death Metal band here. The midtempo "Tappaja Ja Tapettu" is the first to give the people around you a first blow to the head. Vicious riffs with pounding drums (including the occasional blastbeats) and Mynni's raspy growling are the main ingredients for the entire 39 minute-course.
And the killing spree continues in an even more ferocious way with "Arkku Vailla Vainajaa" as there's a steady build-up towards the destructive blasting. The bridge or chorus is where the drumming is toned down in terms of blasting in favour of something more flowing. The short guitarsolo accentuates the craziness of the events. The stress clearly lies on the brutal riffing and devastating drums. If this were, for example, a NILE song, the solos would be much longer and divised over Karl and Dallas. But so far I have no complaints. It's better to have a short and good solo than something long and without real direction.
"Kuolinjulistus", while increasing the ferocity or at least keeping it at a high level, reminded me a lot of VOMITORY and especially PANZERCHRIST, two very good bands in this genre. The kickdrums keep the machine gun fire going, while the snare pumps out an occasional granade, so to speak. The guitarsolo is a bit longer and more normal, i.e. less crazy flippering like in "Arkku Vailla Vainajaa" and has been split over 2 parts. The name dropping instantly tells you what kind of Death Metal to expect and to check out if you like these or what SOTAJUMALA presents here.
"Riistetty Viattomuus" is a sort of resting point, as the tempo is slow, but the aggressivity not less. The guitars are more chugga-ish. Timo's drumming is once again quite varied: rolling on in the verses, less kickdrumming in the more all-round stuff chorus. Thankfully these Finns show that they can write slow(er) songs, too, since blasting all the way would be boring. The flow in general so far is also well chosen, as it lets you easier digest the material.
But fear not, for the blast attacks take over in "Verella Kirjoitettu", one of the best songs, if not THE best song on "Teloitus". The verses are in midtempo, the blasts implemented in between and in the chorus, but Timo manages to vary his playing in the blink of an eye without disturbing the tempo, rhythm, flow in any way. Respect! Everything is well proportioned, the growls/grunts fit, the production is very good. But it's the overall compositions and especially the drumming, indeed, that satisfied me a great deal.
Time for another slow track: "Oikeutus". The crazy guitarwork pops up again, in a greater quantity than before to add a little of spice to this bitter soup. The drums are a mix of everything and thus once more varied: flowing in the verses, faster and more dangerous in the chorus. The rolling kickdrums provide a continuous assault so Timo can focus on the snare and toms for some small fills.
With "Kidutus" you should expect another violent attack on the mind... considering it means "Torture". There's a slow build-up where the drums add to the excitement. Variability plays a big role, mainly via the toms, snare and cymbals, since the kickdrums roll on and on, save for some interruptions here and there, but they are few in number. Like in many songs here you could easily put the kickdrums on automatic and have Timo just play the snare, toms and cymbals. As typical as double bass drums and blasts are in Death Metal, it can get annoying and give you a fake impression of what the drummer's playing. That doesn't mean that "Kidutus" is a bad song, not at all. It's all well composed and executed, like the whole album, in fact. Also worth noting is the crazy guitarsolo, something you can also find with DYING FETUS. If you want similar Death Metal, it's PANZERCHRIST and even ANATA that come to mind.
The title track puts an end to the "Execution" of it all. A slow, but ultra-heavy start is only the first step in this demonic and almost Doomy song. Think NOVEMBERS DOOM, maybe some RUNEMAGICK or perhaps MY SHAMEFUL, of course with the emphasis on Metal and not so much the creepy and bleak atmosphere of Doom. Here it's the guitars that have the spotlights on them, although Timo tries to add some accents as well. The kickdrums are once again on automatic. "Teloitus" is also the longest song, clocking in after a god seven minutes. Little over halfway the snare is the center of attention to prepare for an increase in intensity and power. The slowness comes back afterwards, although things are played a bit faster and the guitars' input is enhanced with sort of 'panic' accents. Long, slower tha before and certainly not as direct as the previous, more brutal tracks.
Finland and Death Metal... seems like it works after all, although the music is similar to other non-Finnish bands. SOTAJUMALA is not the biggest Death Metal band in Finland or the neighbouring countries, but what they present here, on their second full album "Teloitus", sure is something to be proud of. The songs are solid, heavy, brutal and aggressive and meet the requirements of (modern) Death Metal. But like I said, there are similarities with others, which I recommend to check as well: VOMITORY, PANZERCHRIST, ANATA, NILE (in a way), BOLT THROWER, some BENEDICTION, etc... "Teloitus" might be in Finnish, but let that stop you from checking it out or even buying it. Fingers crossed for English translations in the booklet.
More info at www.sotajumala.com.
Line-up:
Mynni Luukkainen - vocals
Kosti Orbinski - guitars
Pete Lapio - guitars
Tomi Otsala - bass
Timo Häkkinen - drums
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Not much is known about the following band, save that they started in 1990 and play old school Death Metal, as it was custom to do back then. Think of DEICIDE, MORBID ANGEL, DEATH, BENEDICTION, SEPULTURA and others. The band in question is GARCHAROT, of which it is said it's the oldest Death Metal band in Finland. In terms of releases not many lines of text can be written:
Cradle Of Sorrow (demo, 1994)
The Art Of Dark Desires (demo, 1994)
Sometimes Death Is Better (compilation, 1995)
Core Of Despair (album, 2008)
Next to that and thanks to Metal-Archives.com, the band also made two rehearsal tapes in 1993 and a promo tape in 1997, though these aren't considered official releases. The focus lies of course on the debut album that is "Core Of Despair". It contains 10 new songs and the songs off the two demos and compilation. The result is 20 songs and a total playtime of almost 77 minutes, released on the 12th June. The last time I saw that many (or almost as many) tracks on one disc was on ICED EARTH's "Framing Armageddon" and "The Crucible Of Man" albums.
The ten new songs that form "Core Of Despair" are true and true old school, also in terms of sound. It's rough, unpolished and the compositions certainly don't make you think about anything modern Death Metal-ish. From start to finish you get mostly midtempo songs, but as was common back in the day you also get variety. And by that I mean in terms of tempo and speed, where the drums play a crucial role. It must be said, though, that this midtempo playing does make the songs look alike, but vocals and drums make sure this isn't the case, despite the lack of guitarsolos. Examples of this variety are "Broken Trust", "Doomed To Fail", "Core Of Despair" (with some devastating outbreaks!) or even "Black Star", which has something VADER-ish. But all things considered I can't say "Core Of Despair" is a bad album. Old school is so damn tastey... but guitarsolos would make the new material perfect.
The following tracks, with a *, come off the "The Art Of Dark Desires" and sound like back in 1994. They're demo songs, so it's only normal that the sound is according to the standards. And since it's old school, the memories of that period - even if I was very young then - are great! Midtempo still prevails, the vocals sound very demonic - or, you don't understand a word of it - and the running time of each song is about as long as the new ones. The drum variation stands out in "The Art Of Dark Desires" and "Butchered Orgies". "Carvings Of The Carnals" is pure and rock-solid pounding Death Metal, no questions asked, while "Blessedness" adds a good touch of blasting before giving way for a midtempo pace. So, this one as well, a solid piece of Death Metal. The production is something you have to accept. If you're not into old school, it's your loss. ;-)
Must it be said that the "Cradle Of Sorrow" demo songs, with a +, sound even more old school? The vocals are now more growling/grunting and relatively close to what Lasse does on the new songs. The production is less good, but still as can be expected. Yet everything sounds more silent or more in the back, so to speak, but that could be due to the conversion from cassette to CD. The running time per song is also much longer than the other tracks. At least 5 minutes is the standard, but in this setting this is far from a problem. Especially "Graveyard Rats" stands out, not only because of the number of minutes, but more because of the music. In a way you could even stick the term "Progressive" to it, even though the Death Metal path is never left.
"Holy Communions Perversities", the last song, is basically the same as no. 16, but with the production of the "The Art Of Dark Desires" demo, meaning a fatter sound, so to speak. And that's for the better.
20 songs, 77 minutes of pure old school Death Metal and in fact the entire discography of GARCHAROT on one disc, this is a gift not many bands offer. This is made possible thanks to not only the generosity of the band, but also Suffer Productions, to make this album available on a wider scale. "Core Of Despair" may not be the best Death Metal release, but it sure is one for those who long back to the times when Death Metal was big, dark, dangerous and uncompromised. Old school still reigns and I really don't see what some reviewers have against this. So, anyone seeking old school material in vein of DEICIDE, MORBID ANGEL, BENEDICTION, CANNIBAL CORPSE, UNLEASHED, VADER, (old) SEPULTURA and even (old) DEATH, don't just sit there. Go to the band's MySpace page or that of Suffer Productions and order this release.
More info at www.myspace.com/garcharot.
Line-up:
Lasse heinonen - vocals
Janne Korkeakoski - guitars
Markus Franssi - guitars
Ville Koiviola - bass
Ville Rissanen - drums
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AUVERNIA is an Argentinian Metal band that mixes several styles in a unique way without creating any disturbance between these various influences. You have to go back to 1999, the year when Fernando H. Varela (vocals, guitar) and Juan P. Verni (drums) joined forces, accompanied by bassist Guido Quaranta. This line-up didn't stay together very long, as the next year Pablo Lurbe was the new bassist and Sebastián Olivera occupied the rhythm guitar spot while Eric Roldan joined as the new keyboardist. And so it goes on: Pablo Lurbe and Eric Roldan leave, although the latter continues to contribute to the band's music. Finally in 2006 a new bass player is found: Leonardo Boan. The group is ready for their first release, an EP entitled "You Will Come". Last year Maximiliano Vaccaro conquered the empty keyboards spot. AUVERNIA is now complete again and the work on the first full album has started.
Titled "Towards Eternity", the release was scheduled for the 10th June. This year, too, Maximiliano Vaccaro let the band due to various reasons, but he did get to contribute with intros and outros as well as solos. The rest of the keyboard parts were done by Eric Roldan. The music, as said above, is a mix of Power Metal, Death Metal, Black Metal, Progressive Metal and more, spiced with classical arrangements. Not one style per song, no, several styles per song and that makes it so interesting and at the same time complex.
I could make it easy and name some bands that came to my mind when listening to "Towards Eternity": AFTER FOREVER, ANGRA, AYREON, CHILDREN OF BODOM, CIRCUS MAXIMUS, DARK MOOR, DIVINEFIRE, DRAGONFORCE, DREAM THEATER, EMPYRIOS, FAIRYLAND, GAMMA RAY, HELLOWEEN, IRON SAVIOR, KALEDON, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, SECRET SPHERE, SYMPHONY X, SONATA ARCTICA, DIMMU BORGIR and more ofcourse. But that's only a tiny percentage of the review and far too easy. Applying this procedure would speeden things up enormously, but what about satisfaction then?
Already in the first song, "A New World Is Born", can you detect a variety of influences. The pace is for the biggest part set at uptempo with raging guitars and exotic keyboard layers, giving the song at some point a Techno and later a Black Metal atmosphere. Change is found in the riffs, melodies and ofcourse the tempo. Also keep your ears open for the great rhythm that dominates here. One word to top it: epic!
The midtempo start of "A Little Of Lust" might fool you, but the speed injection isn't far away. This track is guitar-driven with occasional keyboard interventions and accents. Technicality is the keyword here, especially in the drum department. Musically this song is closely related to Italian Power Metal and bands like ANGRA. Pure quality!
"How Cruel Is Destiny"? Judging by the heavier riffing, I wouldn't call it cruel, for it's a delight for the ears. ;-) Well, it's on the guitars that a "scratching" effect was applied, as weird as that may sound. Luckily this is only for very short connecting moments. The symhonic arrangements are nicely woven into the different compositions, one time as subtle backing, other times as leads. Pace-wise things go faster in the chorus. Interestingly enough the song ends with an organ, in MANOWAR-style. The organ is very important in several MANOWAR songs and it seems the guys from AUVERNIA too have understood that this instrument can be an added value.
The majority of the songs are Power Metal with ofcourse lots of Progressive twists and other influences. And it's in "You Will Come" that these other influences are a bit more apparent. Power meets Melodic Black with a vital role for symphonics and keyboards. You could compare it somehow with the Belgian Progressive Death/Black Metallers OCEANS OF SADNESS. Further in the song they get married to RHAPSODY (OF FIRE). At least, that's what my ears and thoughts told me. For the second time - first was in "A New World Is Born" - you also get two vocal types, clean and grunts, which is also an aspect of the Belgian band's music. Juan's technical drumming is once more an extremely important element, offering lots of diversity in tempo, beats, the pattern in general. Another highlight is the piano break before the keyboard solo and heavy, chuggy guitar. To cut things short: "You Will Come" offers so much that one can write a few paragraphs about it. Fact remains that AUVERNIA handles it with so much precision and ease it's unbelievable. I just have one little remark and that concerns Fernando's clean singing: there are times that a grunting voice suits the music much better or at least a clean voice with a certain level of roughness.
Time for a resting point. Gentle guitarwork is what you get in "Interludio No. 1". The result is a relaxing melody, one you can create an entire song with. Meaning longer than the measly two minutes it is now. So buckle up for part two of the wild ride.
This next part makes you instantly aware you're alive. The thunderous Metal, contrasted by the harpsichord, of "Inherent Rage" comes blasting out of the speakers and into your ears. Once again Power meets Melodic Black. The grunting is in a way comparable to BEHEMOTH, although the clean parts (and that's also when the tempo goes up many paces and the harpsichord going exstatic) remind very much of SONATA ARCTICA and their "Wolf And Raven" song, not only the vocal lines but also the music. The Argentinians also spent lots of time thinking of ways to give more freedom to the instruments and let them do the talking. Something I have nothing against. This one is easily one of the best songs on "Towards Eternity".
The fast pace isn't continued when the Doomy "Running On The Road" starts its first tunes, slowly building the tension and pace until... yes, the knob is turned fully open and the pedal pushed to the metal, DIVINEFIRE-style. To break the flow a bit, the bouzouki (I'm not sure, though) comes interfering a few times. A refreshing element to keep your attention vivid. Later on there's a piano moment during the breakdown before continuing in a pounding manner backed by keyboard-choirs. Oh yes, there are solos, of both guitars and keyboards. This is almost DIMMU BORGIR goes (Symphonic) Power Metal. The bouzouki (I think) also puts this song to bed.
The AUVERNIA guys are very fond of fast Metal, Power Metal in particular, and "The Master Throne" is another clear indication of this. RHAPSODY on speed, with a bit more technical twists and a DREAM THEATER or SYMPHONY X-like pattern. The pounding uptempo moment with grunts is again similar to DIVINEFIRE. But here too you'll find lots of change in atmosphere (Black Metal-ish), tempo, riffing, melodies. A combination that makes you sit/stand/lie in awe. How they will pull it off live... I don't know. Pure craftsmanship, I tells ya.
Ooooh, be silent, be afraid, for you're entering the dark and horrific cave to become "The Successor". That's at least how the intro makes it sound like. The organ is used to stress that atmosphere, later taken over by the keyboards assisted by the guitars. Once the right pace is found, there's no doubt that DIMMU BORGIR have had a huge influence. Not only regarding the atmosphere, but the music as well. But it's not like this all the way, since the Power Metal path is taken soon enough. You do get Dani Filth-like grunting/shrieking at some point, but it's the clean singing that occupies the majority of the lyrics. Solo-wise it's all for the guitar (a.o. arpeggios), but the keyboards provide the right backing for the fullness of it all.
Besides the normal tracks and own material, there are also two bonus tracks, both covers. I'm not familiar at all with X-JAPAN's music - I rapidly checked on YouTube -, but I have to say AUVERNIA's rendition of "Blue Blood" is very very good. Covers are usually a sensitive issue, but if it's done well, what's to complain about? Now, I do am familiar with QUEEN's music and here AUVERNIA had better not chosen this song, for the result is actually weak. DIVINEFIRE also covered "The Show Must Go On" (one of QUEEN's best songs) on their "Hero" album. Their impression was one hell of an effort.
Melodic Power Metal spiced with herbes from Black and Death Metal, in a Progressive layout and a symphonic dressing. In other words, a dish that would even put the restaurants with several Michelin stars to shame. Ok, I'm exaggerating and making a strange comparison. But truth be told that this Argentinian band called AUVERNIA has made an album that instantly attacks the bigger names and shows one doesn't have to be signed to a (big) label to be able to create pure masterpieces, although that might help to get recognition in other parts of the world and even get to tour every now and then. "Towards Eternity" is one of the jewels of 2008 and highly recommended not only for Power or Progressive Metal fans (see the mentioned bands above), but also for those that have given up on this great Metal genre, considering most of the recent releases have been soft or promoted as Power Metal but being closer to Hard Rock. So go to the band's website and order your copy now!
More info at www.auvernia.com.
Line-up:
Fernando Héctor Varela - vocals, guitars
Leonardo G. Boan Adam - bass
Juan P. Verni - drums
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The Norwegian Black Metal band SVARTAHRID released its third album, "Sadness And Wrath", last year via Soulseller Records. It took them a long while to properly release it, as everything was done several years ago. The weakest link in the line-up has been the bass - lots of changes there -, as Istar aka Finn Tore Kjaersgaard (guitars, vocals) and Forn aka Runar Bratsberg (drums) have been the core of the band since 14 years or so. And yes, for the newest album, "Malocious Pride" (released in June), a new bassist was attracted: Nidgrim aka Stig York, replacing Frank Iberg. Forn also took care of the keyboards and extra guitarwork for this new album, according to the press release.
As is common/custom in Black Metal the lyrics are in Norwegian and English, with the second one being the dominant one. Last year Nocturno Culto (DARKTHRONE) made a guest appearance and also wrote the lyrics for "Intensjon: Krig". On "Malicious Pride" it's SVARTAHRID all the way, which is good because I wasn't too fond of Nocturno's input, since it was too shrieky for the music.
The album takes you through the cold and desolate environment in ten steps, beginning with the uptempo "Sons Of Mine". Istar's raw vocals welcome you and make you feel at home, in this cold environment. The music is typical Black Metal, with lots of ferocious outbursts in a setting that certainly doesn't remind you of a warm summer's day on the grass. Take a look at the cover and you know that it's up north you need to seek.
The first half of the tracklisting is very promising, with highlights in the assault that is called "Death To All!". Still, the flow is quite diverse, thanks to a calmer piece somewhere in the second half while Istar continues to spit his wrath. "Malicious Pride" is even less remorseful. The backing keyboards add to the atmosphere, but lack a bit of power to create a proper image. The tempo changes from Forn's part prevent monotony and the way they're executed neatly connects the different parts.
The keyboards finally get a more important role in "The Coven"". Well, the title says it all, right? Demonic vocals in a creepy and agonizing atmosphere. Drumwise you get the classic blasts, which intensify the music to make you see it as if your heart is ready to give up and tries to pump your blood with its last powers. Istar sounds even more dangerous and bestial than before. Sure, shrieking is one thing, but it's another to be able to take it a step further. And yes, there's even a short guitarsolo, something that was hard to find (if ever) in the previous tracks. Agony, pain, suffering are just a few terms that fit here.
With a title like "Hellbound" you might expect the same, but I was surprised that it's less heavy, less rough, so to speak. Sure, it's not flower power here and the atmosphere is an attack on your mind, for thou art not in a holy place. Mainly Istar is responsable for the ferocity in this song, although he's assisted by the guitars while the keyboards keep it a bit doomy.
And so it goes on. But SVARTAHRID is still a Norwegian bands and therefore you expect them to write lyrics in their mother tongue. That is the case in two songs: "Kvestet" and "Nivlheim". While the first has all the classic elements, it's "Nivlheim" that stands out because of its intro, delivered by the keyboards and creating an atmosphere of doom, hell, agony, demons... in a theatrical way. Afterwards, when the Metal does break loose, it's business as usual. As much effort this trio has invested in writing and composing, it does get boring towards the end. Or it could just be my taste.
One final comment about "Likbaal". This one is neatly divided into two parts: a slow/midtempo one going on for a couple of minutes, while the other cranks up the speed as if epo was injected into the instruments, or better said, Istar, Forn and Nidgrim. Overall a nice song, but nothing spectacular.
2008 has been quite a Black Metal year so far - speaking for myself, there was ALGHAZANTH, GORATH, CARACH ANGREN, COR SCORPII, KLUDDE and now SVARTAHRID. Of course, there's more to come, as I've got a few more in the To Do-list. As good as "Sadness And Wrath" was, "Malicious Pride" takes it even further, being more Black Metal, since the previous album flirted with Death Metal. SVARTAHRID is a band that deserves to get far, for once more they've released a qualitative album. As far as I'm concerned, things get a bit boring (as in too much of the same) in the second half, but picking out the songs for a playlist will provide more appreciation. Don't let that stop you, for "Malicious Pride" is recommended material for anyone into this dark kind of music.
More info at www.myspace.com/svartahrid.
Line-up:
Istar - vocals, guitars
Nidgrim - bass
Forn - drums, keyboards, guitars
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RED DESCENDING is an Australian Melodic Death Metal band that combines the heaviness of Metal with the melodies and atmosphere of an orchestra. See it like a more melodic version of DARK TRANQUILLITY or the Australian equivalent of HOLLENTHON, the Austrian Melodic Death band who recently released their newest album, "Opus Magnum". The band released its debut, "Where Dreams Come To Die", on the 7th June.
Every step of the production, apart from the mastering process, was handled by a member of the band. The album was recorded, engineered and mixed by RED DESCENDING guitarist Ian Binet. The music videos featured on the album were filmed and edited by RED DESCENDING vocalist and bass player Bernard Shaw and drummer Jeremy Taylor. The album artwork was handled by Tristan Chambers who has performed second guitar duties for the band live. To add the final polish to their album, RED DESCENDING appealed to Peter In de Betou (DARK TRANQUILLITY, DIMMU BORGIR, ...) for the mastering.
"Where Dreams Come To Die" consists of 10 songs, totalling a playtime of about 47 minutes. "Building My Weakness" starts with a midtempo piece lead by the symphonic elements, while the guitars form a sort of contrast. You get a nice atmospheric intro here, with the melodies not exactly being of the happy kind. The production is very good and I especially like the sound of (the bell of) the ride cymbal, since it's been long that I heard it like that: pure, crisp clear and very realistic. About 45 seconds later the real power is unleashed as the symphonics suddenly come to a halt and the drums/guitars combo prepare you for the attack: double bass drums, heavy riff artillery and the keyboards providing the melodies - in between also assisted by the guitar -, which make the song a bit softer, but also fuller. Bernard's grunts are dirty, in a way, and remind of Henri Sattler (GOD DETHRONED) and it's not just in this first song. While "Building My Weakness" lasts for 5 minutes, it never gets boring due to the excellent compositions, the mix of melody and heaviness.
"Century" adds a bit more bombast, especially via the guitars and galopping drums. The symphonics play another big role, as if to replace the lead guitar, even though Ian (guitars) fulfills both roles very well. The atmosphere is overwhelming, also adding some sadness via the symphonics. The guitarsolo is well done, with the trumpets following in the back, but it's just too short. The focus lies heavily on the keyboards/symphonics. While the end result is very good, we're still dealing with a Metal band here and I have the impression that aspect plays a secondary role.
It seems that the situation improves, as the first sounds of "The Grand Memory" clearly show: Thrashy, straight-forward Metal. Very catchy, but sadly very short, since the keyboards soon set in as well once the verses have arrived. The Thrashy part does return in between, but I still would have liked it to have a more important role. Mind you, this is another great song and perhaps my favourite here. Musically it's another lust for the ear. In the chorus Bernard forms a duo with Rebecca, who does a good job, even though female vocals in a Melodic Death band aren't that common. The guitar now has a bigger role than just providing heavy power to back up the symphonics. Leads, solos, ... it's all there. An outstanding piece of Metal, no question about that. The same can be said about "Deceived Again", which is another more direct and Thrash-inspired song. No Rebecca here, though. And yes, melody is still an important element.
Time for some IN FLAMES then. "Slaughter Falls" has an accoustic intro, but the riffs that follow sound so much like what IN FLAMES did on their older albums (e.g. "Whoracle", "The Jester Race"). The tempo is a little slower again, back to midtempo. Guitars and keyboards take the lead, coming out very strong. During the verses the keyboards fulfill an atmospheric role, while the guitar is the center of attention. Half a minute before the middle of the song Rebecca comes in to add some angelic chanting, after which we get a nice heavy piece. Jeremy is also an important member, as he neatly announces each different part by changing tempo or using the toms. And then there's that ride cymbal. Sure, it's just a cymbal, but its sound does get through very well and keeps you attentive. I don't know what the song is about, but there are a few spoken samples from priests from I-don't-know-which-movie. The atmospheric keyboards form a thin bridge to "Descend", which is without question one of the best songs here. You can clearly distinguish each part not only because of the melodies, but mainly because of the specific drumming that is set for each part.
But not all is perfect. "Valhalla" offers a welcome return to a fuller, warmer sound after the Industrial trip. Plus, it's an instrumental track, which means that the music does the talking. The symphonics lay out the main melody, the guitar shoots out a different one, while the drums push everything onwards. All in all quite nice, but somehow not as attractive as the first few songs. Furthermore, it seems to be/sound incomplete, especially when the first notes of "Landscape" are heard. Although not as memorable as the first half of the tracklisting, this last song not only closes the album, it's adds the last doses of fierceness to this debut release.
RED DESCENDING aren't just combining Melodic Death and symphonics, but also try to spice things differently with Industrial elements. Two songs were created in this perspective: "Fragile Nation" and "Departure". The first has a sort of AMON AMARTH feel in terms of heaviness and sound, even though the Swedes aren't active in the Industrial sector. The symphonic backing really is in the back, whiile the Industrial elements are allowed to get through the guitar barrier now and then. "Fragile Nation" is one of the more straight-forward songs on the album. "Departure" deserves the Industrial stamp even more, as electronics play a bigger role. The production was adapted accordingly, giving e.g. the drums a very mechanical sound. But all things considered, this second song stands very much apart from the Melodic Death ones and is, in my opinion, the least attractive, not to say the worst, on the album. It's ok if you want to try different directions, but it's very clear that RED DESCENDING = Symphony-injected Melodic Death Metal, at which they're very good.
There are many Melodic Death Metal bands and there are such bands that try not to be a clone of e.g. DARK TRANQUILLITY, IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY or AMON AMARTH. Why not add symphonic elements? It works for Black Metal and Power Metal and especially the Austrian band HOLLENTHON has proven since a couple of years that it works for Melodic Death as well. RED DESCENDING thought the same and created "Where Dreams Come To Die", which could be one of the best albums of this year, if it weren't for those two Industrial songs that sound misplaced here. Last year BE'LAKOR impressed the world with "The Frail Tide" (which got them a deal with Descent Productions) and this year it's up to RED DESCENDING to offer serious competition. The excellent production is the cherry on the cake. If you're into Symphony meets Metal, but want something heavier than what you get with Power Metal bands, then I highly recommend you to check out "Where Dreams Come To Die".
More info at www.reddescending.com.
Line-up:
Bernard Shaw - vocals, bass
Rebecca Brennan - vocals
Ian Binet - guitars
James McGregor - keyboards
Jeremy Taylor - drums
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Canadian Black Metal. I must say I am not familiar with the Black Metal scene of Canada, but when ZokvisT (vocals) mailed me for a review, I can say I know at least one band now, hehehe. HAK-ED DAMM was founded in 2007 by ZoKvisT and drummer SilenceR. Guitarist VikkeR and bassist ZurhosiS joined later on to fulfill the common goal of creating a "noisy machine of war". Lyrical themes would include suicide, religion, war, violence, physical and mental torture and especially sex. The four got together, practised a lot and eventually came up with a first release: "Black Tortured Metal". This CDemo came out early June (6th) and is a self-release, since the band is currently unsigned and therefore had to finance it all by themselves.
About the band name: Hak-Ed Damm is the Hebrew name for a place in Jerusalem associated with Judas Iscariot, one of the followers of Jesus. In Old-Hebrew, Hak-Ed Damm signifies "field of blood".
The MCD contains a total of 8 tracks. Well, 6 if you don't count the in- and outro. Black Metal it surely is, as the guitarriffs are very clear on that. You get the classic stuff, including the blast beats, the screamy vocals, etc... and that leads to some nice songs. "Black Tortured Metal" commences with drum rolls, in marching style, while gregorian chants neatly join the rhythm. The atmosphere is dark and gloomy and you can feel something's bound to break loose.
And so it does, with "Milita Pestis". What you notice instantly is the poor production. The drums sound way too thin as the snare is barely audible and that counts for all songs. The bass can be heard, but here too you might have to put your ear against the speakers. This means that the guitar and screams have been put the most forward in the mix. Also a problem with the first song is that there's a sort of noise line that can be heard throughout the entire song and I think that has got to do with the bass guitar, as if it's too distorted, but not like you would expect (e.g. electric guitar-ish). Fortunately this problem is gone in the rest of the songs.
Personally two songs stand out for me: "Gathering Of The Slutz" and "Cut The Flesh Before It Ages". The first because of the music and varied drumming (not always blasting, but giving attention to something more normal too). The vocals do get annoying after a while and not just in this song. "Cut The Flesh Before It Ages" is, in my opinion, the best track, as it made me think of old BENEDICTION and especially their "Subconscious Terror" release. So yes, it's more Death Metal-ish than the other songs. Very nice stuff. Another song that deserves a mention is "Grimmer Than Murder". Here the tempo is slow and Doomy, but the band avoids monotony by adding some uptempo outbreaks. Again, nice work.
"Maiming The Virgin" is the closing track, but it's basically a looped organ melody without any real changes that would express a certain kind of event inline with the title. There's nothing dangerous to be found here. But it's sort of compatible with the intro and both tracks make it clear there's a head and a tail on "Black Tortured Metal".
HAK-ED DAMM have produced quite a decent effort, if you look underneath the bad production and sometimes annoying screams. If they wanted to keep it raw and True Kvlt and all of that, fine by me, but "Black Tortured Metal" isn't something you can play if there are other sounds interfering (office, pub, living room, car, ...). Only a few songs stand out, and there are some good ideas, but I wouldn't exactly recommend it to anyone but the people that absolutely don't care about sound quality and like their material pure, raw and uncompromised. Although it seems some compromises were made. But it's a demo, so things can only get better for the future. If you need comparable bands - useful for some - I'd say BELPHEGOR, (depending on the album) TAAKE and similar.
More info at www.hakeddamm.com.
Line-up:
ZoKvisT - vocals
VikkeR - guitars
ZurhosiS - bass
SilenceR - drums
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Not so long ago I reviewed one of the other bands on Woodcut Records, SOTAJUMALA, a qualitative Death Metal band. This time it's a Black Metal band that is served here: ALGHAZANTH. This Finnish bands has been blackening the world since 1995, or some 13 years now. The traditional issue of line-up changes also struck them, mainly in the bass department, but in the more recent years the band had to look for a new keyboardist, vocalist and lead guitarist. Two demos, a promotape and a split preceded ALGHAZANTH's debut album, "Thy Aeons Envenomed Sanity", which came out in 1998 and was the start of a new career, with a new release almost each year. After 2004's "The Polarity Axiom" the band's activity was decreased, also because its members had obligations with the other bands they played in and the line-up changes I just mentioned also played a significant role.
And surprise, surprise - even if I didn't really notice until checking the band's line-up to see where else they play - it's Mikko Kotamäki from SWALLOW THE SUN (melodic Death/Doom) on vocals ànd bass. SWALLOW THE SUN will release an EP in a few months, plus a new album early 2009. Considering the last album, "Hope", came out in 2007, Mikko had more time to join another band, a bit more extreme in this case. And the first release with him is ALGHAZANTH's fifth album: "Wreath Of Thevetat", released on the 6th June. If you google a bit, you'll find the following text: "An ancient king of one of the divisions of Atlantis, the submerged continental system of the fourth root-race (SD 2:222). He is instanced as one of the natural born adept-magicians who neither learned nor acquired knowledge, but who knew all without being initiated. "Under the evil insinuations of their demon, Thevetat, the Atlantis-race became a nation of wicked magicians" (IU 1:593)."
Reading the titles I guess they will deal with Atlantis and related, but I can't make that out from Mikko's screams and growls, not do I have the lyrics with me. But musically it is Black Metal, as the first notes and thundering drums of "Moving Mountains" clearly indicate. Furthermore, keyboards play a significant role to create a haunting atmosphere and/or add backing symphonics. Goat Tormentor's screams are well executed and totally fit with the music. The second half of the song contains an accoustic break after which there's a slow continuation (with keyboards adding a sniff of drama) towards the final outburst.
Things get even better in "The Kings To Come", where midtempo rules for the largest part and the keyboards are an instrument that cannot be missed, increasing the melodic aspect so the guitars don't have to do it all and focus on the harsher parts. Interesting is that the drums don't follow a standard pattern, even though the classic elements are there. Tempo changes, blastbeats, normal (flowing) drumming... it's all there and makes this song very much worth hearing, in collaboration with the rest of the instrumentation, obviously. Shortly before halfway there's a calmer moment, with a drop in tempo and a looped guitarmelody with the keyboards threading more to the front. You could call this a dramatic piece in vein of SWALLOW THE SUN, somehow. But don't worry, the blasting returns after that. All things considered I have to say that "The Kings To Come" is one of the best songs on the album and that's mainly due to its diversity.
"The Phosphorescent" continues in a ferocious manner, with a bombardment delivered by the drums. The screams are outed in an agonizing way, even bestial to some extent and the riffing contains too much danger for one to cope with. The melody is the responsability of the keyboards. Diversity is crucial again and that's for the largest part because of the drums, although the accents by the keyboards give the song more flavour. Composition-wise this is another beauty, implementing slower parts between the devastating outbursts.
More doom and gloom can be found in "On Blackening Soil". Goat Tormentor screams as if it's his last breath. If you seek comparable stuff, look at MOONSORROW (e.g. "Suden Uni") and perhaps some (older) DIMMU BORGIR, although I'm not so familiar with their older stuff. But there are points of contact, similar musical moments and atmosphere. The keyboards once more provide the melody and atmospheric ingredients, at some point assisted by the lead guitar. Around the 4th minute a semi-accoustic moment sets in as a sort of resting point before hell unleashes another time. Great stuff, I can't say it enough. The double bass drums come out very powerfully, and that's just one sign of a very good production.
ALGHAZANTH presents you with classic Black Metal in "Rain Of Stars", yet the keyboards provide choir singing to enforce the creepy atmosphere. At first I had the impression the drums didn't come out as strong as before, but I had to change a little my opinion when there were no other sounds interfering, which can be very annoying. Still, they are well executed and whatever more, but it's as if the guitars and keyboards are drowning them a bit. The effect isn't that big on the final result, but a bit more power (or better said, a bit more in the front in the mix) would not have hurt. For the sake of variety the band opted for a piano break around 04:15, in vein of COVENANT's "Nexus Polaris" album. Like before the music continues its devastating trail, although the lead guitar and screams add to the dramatic atmosphere.
"Twice-Born" adds a serious tempo increase to the album, with even more bombastic and dramatic symphonic keyboards, enforced by Mikko's screams. The keyboards really come to the front many times, giving the guitars a secondary role, although their power and harshness is very much needed, and Gorath Moonthorn doing everything in his power to blast them all to the back, so he can be heard a bit better. And he succeeds at several occasions, even adding double bass attacks to make it clear he's an important element in the compositions. Despite the increased presence of Ekholm's input, I can't say it's a bad song, but it would be nicer though if the guitars would be more important again.
The production is a little different in "Future Made Flesh", as the atmosphere is much darker and the guitars rawer. The song starts in a midtempo, yet thundering way with the keyboards adding a haunting, doomier atmosphere, while the guitars keep on flowing and the drums rolling like a tank. The drums this time are a bit more in the front. Mikko's screams are doubled and sond very bestial. The guitars can be properly heard when the keyboards hold their peace or add soft symphonics. About halfway you can hear piano accents as Mikko holds a sort of speech. The overall tempo is quite slow compared to the blasting and ferocity of before. Atmosphere is very important here, not so much brutality or anything like that. That's why there's a little less variety, there's like one sort of flow. While the combination of it all can be good to escape from the busy music that occupies the largest part of the album and give you something 'easier' to listen to, it's also - in my opinion - the least interesting song of the pack. But it doesn't form a black spot on the album, not at all.
And "As Nothing Consumes Everything" puts an end to the "Wreath Of Thevetat". Midtempo at first, yet very crushing, also thanks to the rolling double bass. The hellish screams tell the tale. Around 01:40 things get semi-accoustic with, yes, symphonic backing before the continuation of doomish events. Around halfway Gorath even adds some blastbeats. The dual leads that come next are very nice, but the epic moment afterwards is even better and is very much reminiscent of MOONSORROW. And that means: more of this! Absolutely tasteful stuff. The accoustic guitar plays a more prominent role for another brief moment right before the last minute, after which the chorus kicks in again leading the way towards the end. Excellent song, although you need to take your time with it, to hear it all.
In other reviews I often read DIMMU BORGIR as influence. ALGHAZANTH is in my opinion a totally different band and there might be similarities, but those are few in number and not identical. I prefer to lay links to, for example, KEEP OF KALESSIN, COVENANT, MOONSORROW and perhaps a bit of BEHEMOTH. In any case, ALGHAZANTH stands on its own, clearly shown by the pearl that is "Wreath Of Thevetat". Everything quite simply fits: vocals, riffing, varied drumming, atmosphere and melodies, and last but not least the production. Therefore it's safe to say that this is a band to check out and keep an eye on and "Wreath Of Thevetat" an album to have in your collection.
More info at www.alghazanth.com.
Line-up:
Goat Tormentor - vocals, bass
Grimort - guitars
Thasmorg - guitars
Ekholm - keyboards
Gorath Moonthorn - drums
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Two years since the re-release of "Eric The Red" and almost two years since their last album, "Ragnarok", the Faroese Folk/Heavy Metal band TÝR has set the sails to conquer/look for new "Land", which they found on the 30th of May. Again they set up camp at the Hansen Studios, owned by Jacob Hansen, one of the most asked producers the past 12 months (DESTRUCTION, ANUBIS GATE, PARADOX, COMMUNIC, SVARTSOT, and many more).
The previous two releases resulted in a tour on European and American soil, with bands like WINTERSUN, AMON AMARTH, DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER and more. The last two years the name TÝR has been promoted and new legions of fans have gathered at the various stops the band made. Some of the last journeys were made with the Paganfest ensemble, also housing MOONSORROW, ELUVEITIE, ENSIFERUM, TURISAS, KORPIKLAANI, ...
"Land" is by far the band's longest album, clocking in after 68 minutes, beating "Ragnarok" and "Eric The Red" with 8 minutes. As usual, the lyrics are in English and Faeroese, Icelandic, Norwegian, which fits the songs and atmosphere better. "Ragnarok" had a long instrumental intro, which you could consider as a full song. This is also the case here, with "Gandksvædi Tróndar", yet here the story-telling factor is of importance, backed by a looped violin-melody. Around 02:40 the typical TÝR Metal kicks in, with drumrolls as a starter. Midtempo is key and the guitars repeat the violin melody of before, while Kári develops his drumming to something more pounding.
It is clear that the overall pace on "Land" is slow to midtempo. There are no fast songs to detect, not unlike the variety there was on the previous two albums. To counter that, Heri and co. decided to shift the focus onto the melodies and taking the time to go from the first note to the last. As a result, but that was also the case before, you'll find a couple of catchy songs, starting with "Sinklars Vísa". The catchy element is of course the chorus. Not that that is a logical thing, but in most cases songs are remembered by that part. The same thing can be said about "Gátu Ríma", where the pace is upped little bit. It's also one of my favourites here. "Ocean", the first long song, stands out mainly because of the diversity in the drumming: slow, humpapa-like, a moment of double bass, and so on. The whole also has something Progressive.
When composing music, you can go far and there will be times that comparisons/similarities with other songs will pop up. It depends on personal interpretation, that's right, but if you listen carefully you'll find at least two songs in this category and both times it's the intro:
"Brennivín" = "Dyer's Eve" (METALLICA)
"Valkyrjan" = "Forever" (KAMELOT) --> A correction is needed: I simply compared it to KAMELOT's song, yet it seems the melody (that TÝR used) comes from Edvard Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite", as mentioned in the booklet of "Land", yet this review is based on the promo. But credit where credit is due. I'll need to properly check out Grieg's work(s). ;-)
The first has two characteristics: 1) two languages, English in the verses, Faroese in the chorus. 2) dark, slow verses vs humpapa-like chorus. The special aspect about "Valkyrjan" is the use of the acoustic guitar at first, with the electric one taking over in a later stage.
As good and/or familiar the material is so far, this slowdown compared to the previous albums can be nerve-wrecking at some point and there has to be at least one song that spoils the fun, if any. That 'privilege' is for "Fípan Fagra". The build-up is slow, with the drumpace going up and down and here too there's a sniff of catchiness in the melodies. The chorus is slow, but the whole song is - in my opinion - hard to swallow as there's no predetermined flow. You get slow moments, a bit faster ones and stuff that fits in the middle, but you really have to make an effort to stay focused. I would say Kári is one of the guilty members, because he plays what he thinks is the right way, the right time to add speed or play at odd times, or whatever. You could compare it to a car that has difficulties to accelerate in a linear way, yet does it with hops and breaks, if you understand what I'm trying to say. The production is like the rest of the album: flawless. But "Fípan Fagra" certainly spoils the listening pleasure. "Lokka Táttur" is the second song of which I'm not that fond, due to the slow pace, but also the droning drumming. Or is it the guitars?
The situation improves enormously with the title track, which is the second long song, clocking in after a good 16 minutes. Needless to say that the Progressive stamp is present. Our Faroese Metallers created a very epic and diverse song here and I can't add much else than finding it very good and most likely the best track on "Land". Sit back, relax, and enjoy the voyage.
"Hail To The Hammer" closes the album. This is a classic TÝR song, played live many times and even appeared as bonus track on the re-release of "Eric The Red", albeit in its original version. On "Land" you get the re-recorded version. It's a good song, which doesn't need more words.
To conclude I want to say that I was looking forward to "Land", since I enjoyed what preceded this release. There are songs that I like, mainly the first 3-4 and the title track. The others are also good, save for the two I mentioned, yet that's not the biggest problem. "Eric The Red" and "Ragnarok" had more diversity in the compositions and the albums were solid as a whole. "Land" has flaws in terms of speed and tempos, which can cause boredom to set in quite fast. Like I said earlier, the production is flawless, I have no complaints at all about that. However, if you want to get to know TÝR's music, this is not the album to start with. "Land" is their longest album, but also the hardest to digest at the moment. Perhaps they should have selected 5 songs or so and have an excellent EP and use the other songs for the next album(s). Mixed feelings thus, but my preference still goes to the previous releases. If you're fast enough, you might want to get your hands on the Limited Edition, which has a bonus DVD with the band's Wacken Open Air 2007 performance.
More info at www.tyr.net.
Line-up:
Heri Joensen - vocals, guitars
Terji Skibenæs - guitars
Gunnar H. Thomsen - bass
Kári Streymoy - drums
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THE MYSTERY, formed in 1996 and catalogued as Female-Fronted Melodic Metal - it's basically pure Heavy Metal with a female singer, since Melodic Metal can be Power, Black, Death, Progressive, Doom, Gothic, and so on. There's melody in (almost) any genre - has recently released its fourth studio album, "Soulcatcher" (30th May). Vocally you don't need to expect anything like lots of Gothic bands, just think of LITA FORD, DORO, BENEDICTUM (though Veronica sings a lot rougher) and more like this. Also because the music is somewhat '80s inspired. Although it took THE MYSTERY 6 years to complete their debut album "Where The Wind Blows Freedom" (2002, self-released), the line-up did undergo several changes, leaving guitarist Alex Martin as sole survivor at that time. Longtime vocalist Denise Olbrich was replaced by Korry Schadwell in November 2006 and she is still behind the mic.
Over the years THE MYSTERY has shared the stage with bands like SUBWAY TO SALLY, DIE HAPPY, DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER, MAJESTY, REBELLION, TANKARD, POWERWOLF, CHINCHILLA and many more. With the new album, "Soulcatcher", I'm sure the list will only get bigger.
Something funny, at least to me, just came to my mind: the titles, not all but still, remind me other bands' songs. Some examples:
Take Me To The Light - The Way Of The Light (KALEDON), Into The Light (KENZINER)
Judas Betrayed - Judas Rising (JUDAS PRIEST)
My Heart Lies Bleeding - The Dragon Lies Bleeding (HAMMERFALL)
World Downfall - Jehova's Downfall (INQUISITOR)
Coming Home - Welcome Home (Sanitarium) (METALLICA)
Angel - The Angel (KALEDON)
I know, you can go far in this and look up many titles that have the same key words, but those were just a thought. Anyhow, let's continue with THE MYSTERY and "Soulcatcher".
The album starts with an intro, guitars and drums only, slowly building the tension. You might think everything will connect smoothly with "Take Me To The Light", but no. It has its ending and the song has its beginning. It would have been better if the intro flowed over into the first song, whereas now it's a seperate track and at least I don't hear or feel a link with what will come.
"Take Me To The Light" starts well, reminding me of KALEDON's "The Inexorable Light", which had almost the exact same riff. Uptempo is key throughout the song, with a good dose of catchiness, especially in the chorus. Korry's voice sounds clean, but has a certain roughness, a crossover between Veronica Freeman (BENEDICTUM) and Doro Pesch (DORO, ex-WARLOCK). No keyboards here, just pure and straight-forward Heavy Metal, the way it should be. I do have the impression that the solo doesn't get through, sounds a bit broken, probably due to the production, which is good, but perhaps a wee little bit too compressed.
Taking it a bit slower (midtempo), but still containing enough punch is "Judas Betrayed". Mainly the drums stand out because of the changing time in the beginning and in the connecting parts. Korry sounds a bit rougher here, as if to express a certain anger, something for which she luckily doesn't scream, for that wouldn't do the music any good at all. Due to those changing drums (and stop-start riffing in the verses) it kind of makes you nod along or use your feet. The music is not too technical and therefore easier to follow and listen to. Less is more, as they say, and with this kind of Metal it's not necessary to try to alter the classic patterns.
Before kicking off the title track a nice piano interlude paves the way: "The Catchers Prelude". The "Soulcatcher" itself is a midtempo rocker, with a tempo increase during the solo moment and in the last 30 seconds where the drums pound on until the end. Korry does a good job and even sound a bit more vicious at first, while going a bit softer in the very melodic chorus, where atmospheric backing (choir-ish) is implemented. It reminds a bit of those slow MANOWAR songs. Here as well, simple doesn't mean weak, as it's one of the best songs on the album.
When listening to "Turn Into Stone" it seems like THE MYSTERY looked for inspiration with (amongst others) IRON MAIDEN. The pace is set at fast midtempo, with the drums pounding like hell in the chorus. There's a tranquil, emotional DORO moment over halfway, with all heaviness falling away. Slowly everything gets rebuilt afterwards to unleash the last bits of power. Well executed, lots of power, but somehow the song isn't as attractive as the previous ones.
The situation improves a little with "My Heart Lies Bleeding", which is another midtempo rocker, hinting a bit at HAMMERFALL's "Glory To The Brave" era. The biggest 'issue' I have is when Korry sings "Tonight" in the chorus, since her voice gets doubled or something, but the result doesn't sound that fluent, I find it a bit forced. I understand they wanted to add some fullness to her singing, but the idea didn't work out that well. Besides this little detail, I have no complaints.
We continue the midtempo rocking in "Suicidal Thoughts", which is accoustic in the verses, but heaviness takes over once the chorus is in sight. All in all a nice to cruise on, but other than that nothing particularly outstanding. Korry also sings a bit more sensual. Just my impression, though. ;-) The guitarsolo is a predictable element, but very welcome.
Time for some heaviness and a power increase, for it's very much needed at this stage. "Heaven At War" is not only a good title, the music also kicks back some life into the tracklisting. The drums are more pounding, the guitars are tuned heavier and the tempo is increased a little in the chorus. This is also a song that will do well on stage, no doubt about that.
And while they're at it, let's take it even further. The intro of "World Downfall" certainly makes your blood pump faster with this tempo increase. The guitars also have more balls and Korry adjusts her singing to equal the instrumentation. Now she's entering Veronica Freeman-territory, hehehe. ;-) The chorus is slower, but the guitars and drums keep it active and energetic. "World Downfall" surely is one of the best tracks on "Soulcatcher" and an excellent one for live performances. Bang those heads, people. Of course you get some nice shredding here, too, and the solo also is long enough to enjoy.
After these fast(er) rides it's best to calm down again and regain powers for the last few songs, starting with "Coming Home". This is a slow(er) song, but quite heavy. Compare it to METALLICA's "The Thing That Should Not Be" - in terms of slower and ultra-heavy -, only a few gears higher. Midtempo, ok? Except for the chorus. The verses contain the powerriffs, the chorus keeps it more flowing. Another solo completes the compositions and another qualitative song is done. Let's go on. :-)
And the "Fire Keeps On Burning", that's right. Pounding Metal, choirish keyboards, sharp riffing and... wanking vocals in the chorus. What a difference with what preceded. The music's very much alright - particularly the verses - and well executed, although I have to say that the bridge and chorus are quite boring and not just because of Korry's input. Well, there are 15 songs and if all would be super, then both thumbs up and all the kudos in the world. No worries needed, as it's the first bad track so far.
The sharpness and speed increase of "Faithless" are more than welcome, for it will positively affect your mood. At least it did with mine. Straight-forward rocking, no fuss, just Metal. Well, it does get slower once the normal flow is found, even in the chorus. Only in between do you get the direct playing of the beginning. "Faithless" is sort of a hymnic song. Quite enjoyable, I must say, although the chorus could be a bit too repetitive in the second half. And as the music fades out... Korry starts the first lyric of "Angel". Depending on your CD-player the transition may be smooth or there's an interruption and you'll be surprised at first. The cutting was badly done, I have to add. It would have been best if everything of "Angel" was on one track, which brings me back to the intro, "Ascending Souls". That one was one track, no transition to "Take Me To The Light". Where DO you find a transition? Right where it should NOT be. Because what if you take out "Faithless", because you want to add it to a playlist with other songs? Sure, you can cut a piece of the ripped song or mp3, but otherwise you get "Don't you" right before another song is picked. Again, bad cut and pasting here. I hope this doesn't occur on the next album.
So, "Angel". This does have the desired speed increase that gets your heart pumping and your head banging again. Oh yes, and it starts with "think there is an angel", for the first part is in the last seconds of "Faithless". But I digress. "Angel" is one hell of a song, outstanding piece of uptempo Metal. Catchy, sing-along chorus, you can't sit still here, unless you enjoy the music without feeling the need to move something (head, feet, hands for the guitars or drums, ...). More of this, please! and I want to see/hear this live, too. And the solo... keep it going, Alex. Ok, it's nothing superspecial, but it fits in the spirit of the music and especially that 80's feel. This song is the perfect medicine when you're feeling down.
Closing up is "Unready To Die", the longest song here with 6 and ½ minutes. Accoustic at first, with Korry coming in very gently. The melody is quite touching. Beware if you're feeling down, for this may produce a tear or two. Soft snarerolls join in after a short while, before heaviness takes over around the 2nd minute. Compare it in a way with METALLICA's "The Unforgiven" or EDGUY's "Land Of The Miracle". Symphonic accents can be heard little over halfway. Past the fourth minute another accoustic moment takes over until everything is silent. About half a minute later, a soft and low sounding guitarmelody can be heard. Thunder rages shortly in the back, while burts and screams of heavy guitars take over until silence swallows everything once more. And then Korry awakes from the dreadful dream with a scream. That was surprising, but in my opinion unnecessary for this very beautiful ballad.
Heavy Metal has always been a fantastic genre, mainly because of the many NWOBHM bands. Even now there are many bands that keep that flame burning by keeping it pure, but also adding some power. The 80s were a great period for Metal and THE MYSTERY has understood that this legacy should be kept alive. Therefore they worked hard on their fourth album. Neither efforts nor time nor money were saved to give the songs a full and powerful sound that would be up-to-date with today's standards. I don't really know how their previous albums sounded, but "Soulcatcher" certainly was a positive experience for me and despite a few trivial mistakes, I can highly recommend this album to anyone into the pureness of Heavy Metal and perhaps nostalgic for the 1980s. THE MYSTERY is a band that keeps the 1980s alive while not sounding outdated, and that deserves lots of respect. Go catch the "Soulcatcher" or let it catch you, that's all I want to add.
More info at www.the-mystery.de.
Line-up:
Korry Schadwell - vocals
Alex "Thunder" Martin - guitars
Christian J. Rüther - bass
Daniel Kahn - drums
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HOLLENTHON's founding dates back to 1994, when the band was known as VUZEM, playing Black Metal. When signing to Napalm Records a few years later, the band is renamed to HOLLENTHON and unleashes its debut album, "Domus Mundi", in 1999. Two years later, "With Vilest Of Worms To Dwell" comes out and shows lots of improvement regarding soundtrack-like production and the atmosphere that is created by the splendid mix of heavy guitars, drums and orchestral and choir elements.
HOLLENTHON masterfully combines orchestral elements with the beaviness of Death Metal, albeit that this Death Metal is toned down a bit in favour of more melody and less brutality like SUFFOCATION, NILE, VOMITORY and others. Orchestral or symphonic implementations can mostly be found with bands that are active in Gothic Metal, Power Metal, Black Metal and Progressive Metal. Mixing it with the ferocity of Death Metal is rare, at least to my knowledge.
"Opus Magnum" is the band's third album - released on the 30th May - and with each album they progressed and sharpened their skills. "On The Wings Of A Dove" is the opener and immediately sets the tone: pounding orchestral elements (brass instruments with choir-ish singing taking over as the Metal gets sharper) with raging guitars and devastating drums. The excellent production is definitely a helpful aspect. Marcus's grunting isn't exactly Death Metal-ish, rather more between Death and Black. In a way you can compare "On The Wings Of A Dove" to THERION - as the mix of orchestra and Metal is what made them big and very much appreciated - but then in a heavier version.
The tempo goes down and the guitars drag the song forward in "To Fabled Lands". Martin's voice still sounds as greasy and dirty as before and that fits the music very much. Any clean singing would severely contrast with this fantastic musical blend. There's more Metal than orchestral input here, though, although the choir does play an important role as well. Ok, it seems there is some clean(er) singing after all and indeed, it doesn't fit that well. But that doesn't mean it's not well executed.
Strings and brass instruments once more claim a leading role: "Son Of Perdition". Heavy start-stop riffing is key, as well as the looped snare and tom hits. Later on the playing gets normal and at the break gentle female singing (Elena Schirenc) can be heard, with string and bouzouki (I think) accents in the back. Clearly one of the best songs on the album.
With "Ars Moriendi" there's a serious increase in ferocity and bombast, from all parties: the band and the orchestral and choir parts. From Wikipedia (Click here to read more): "Ars moriendi ("The Art of Dying") is the name of two related Latin texts dating from about 1415 and 1450 which offer advice on the protocols and procedures of a good death and on how to "die well", according to Christian precepts of the late Middle Ages." Martin's grunting voice therefore fits very well here. This time it's again the guitars that lead the charge and this results in some destructive moments. The choir in the last part, later replaced by violin and piano accents, adds to this grim and morbide aspect before the whirlwind comes back.
The band changed course a little for the intro and melodies of "Once We Were Kings" as they implemented some eastern elements (Turkish, I'd say). The violins' melody is also proof of that. This song has "epic" written all over it. Martin shares the vocal parts with Elena again, though he takes on most of it. The tempo is slower again and the orchestral input is raised again. The changing rhythms are a nice addition in terms of diversity, as overall the band has put a lot of music in this song, even though it ends shortly before the 5-minute mark.
"Of Splendid Worlds" starts directly with attacks of cymbals and twisted guitarlicks, after which the air raid is executed, meaning the bombast and ferocity similar to "Ars Moriendi" is unleashed. Although this isn't a fast song, it certainly isn't slow either, let alone calm. Guitars and orchestra (+ choir) each go for their own melody and this combination is simply outstanding. It does get slower after this first part, and the band takes over, yet letting the orchestral elements and choir come back in the chorus. When the solo kicks in little over halfway, the drums also get more active. A crazy, theatrical piano piece follows with Martin telling the tale and the strings and brass instruments making things scarier.
After all this bombast meets heaviness meets ferocity and whatever more, you might wonder if there's a sort of resting point before ending the album in style. The beginning of "Dying Embers" certainly makes you think that way, as it's a bit ballad-ish. But once the 40th second is there, it's business as usual with lots of attention for the orchestral and choir elements. The brass instruments remain in the back in the verses, inline with the guitars, whereas in the previous songs they usually came in to add some accents or take turns with the normal instrumentation. Musically the band can perfectly do without the symphonic/orchestral extras, but on the other hand it makes the music more interesting. In some cases on this album, it wouldn't hurt to go just for Metal. The calmer part around 03:35 reminded me in a way of what ARCH ENEMY did in "Nemesis". After that hell breaks loose with a screaming guitar solo and devastating brass instruments assisting. The choir also comes to lend a voice. As good as the idea is, the solo doesn't quite match with what preceded. The transition is a bit forced, although the song in general is quite good.
With "Misterium Babel" we've come at the end of this "Opus Magnum" and for this last chapter the band took their time to create an epic and bombastic musical piece, clocking at 08:30. It begins with eastern chanting, done by a girl (or is it Elena again?), backed by atmospheric keyboards, after which the guitars and drums are added in a hypnotizing way, as the singing continues. Slowly the next part comes in sight. The guitars fall silent, Martin sings gently, atmospheric keyboards in the back and percussion assisting the drums. For the bridge it's full power: trumpets (as if to represent the danger that has been unleashed), guitars and grunts. The chorus is Metal only, yet not to be taken lightly as the sharp riffing is as deadly as can be. Little over halfway things get more violent and energetic via the drums and guitars. Particularly the first is responsable for a great dose of variety as Mike sure doesn't follow a standard pattern, but changes tempo, rhythms and tries to make good use of what he has at his disposal. The eastern singing returns now and then and the final part of the "Misterium" is filled with flute and another flute-like instrument, again something Turkish or so, but I can't put my finger on it. Fact is that this last song is one very nice piece of exotic Metal, so to speak. Give it a few spins to discover the many layers.
"Opus Magnum" is my first encounter with HOLLENTHON and their Orchestral/Symphonic/Melodic Death Metal and I can't say it displeased me. Not at all. In fact, it took me by surprise and hasn't disappointed me and I don't think it ever will. Based on what I've heard of previous material on their MySpace page I have to say that this band hasn't released one bad/less good album, although that can genuinely be said once you've heard all three, of course. Still, I can only recommend "Opus Magnum" to anyone into Orchestral Metal and/or Melodic Death Metal that isn't like most of the pack. It might help, depending on your taste, if you think of THERION (the stuff before "Gothic Kaballah") and make the Metal aspect heavier. For me personally, this is one of the best albums of 2008... so far.
More info at www.hollenthon.com.
Line-up:
Martin Schirenc - vocals, guitars
Martin Arzberger - guitars
Gregor Marboe - bass, vocals
Mike Gröger - drums
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PERZONAL WAR's last album, "When Times Turn Red", came out three years ago and although the band played quite some gigs (incl. a tour with DESTRUCTION and CANDLEMASS) it was long silent around this band. Still, drummer Martin Buchwalter was occupied with production duties for SUIDAKRA and playing with SQUEALER.
Moving away from the METALLICA-comparisons and putting their own stamp on their music, although drawing inspiration from e.g. NEVERMORE, PERZONAL WAR are a force to reckon with and not just their previous album made that clear. Because of this long period Metti and co. had lots of time to write new stuff, blending old school Thrash elements with a more modern approach of the situation. The line-up changes (bassist Sven leaving the fold, yet Björn Kluth came to the rescue for the recordings and live performances, and recently guitarist Sascha Kerschgens also quitting) certainly didn't help to make the writing process more flowing. Still, perhaps this is the beginning of something new, something that will benefit the band's career. Daniel (RENISION, PAUL DI'ANNO) is for now PERZONAL WAR's second guitarist.
On to the music on the new album, "Bloodline", which came out on the 30th May. Thrash and more modern Metal are mixed extremely well here. It starts with guitars fading in, mixing aggressiveness and melody. Martin adds riding cymbal accents, toms and kickdrums to increase the tension and then all hell breaks loose: "Evolution". The playstyle is set. Metti's aggressive vocals fit in very well, in the verses and the melodic chorus, where he logically sings in a more melodic way. Around halfway, I guess, there's a nice melodic but heavy interlude before setting in the chorus again and ending the song like it started.
"Utopia" is all about blasting it out, no thrills, no frills, just straight-forward Metal. At least, that's the start. The verses are slow and melodic, with Metti singing in a clean way. Musically the IN FLAMES influences cannot be ignored, even in the bridge or chorus, which consists of that blasting part. Fast drumming, mainly the double bassdrums. Heavy riffing meets melodic leads, backed by gentle keyboards (or samples). Modern Metal on a qualitative Metal, despite the IN FLAMES references. I'll take PERZONAL WAR any day over what IN FLAMES does nowadays. On a sidenote: RAGE guitarist Victor Smolski made a guest appearance on this.
The brutality increases in "All Sides Black", with slow, pounding drums at first. Soon Martin lets out a powerful ball of energy and this translates into violent hits on the skins. Overall, this song also offers pure headbang pleasure, thanks to the ferocious riffing and thunderous drumming. Metti sounds angry and you better not stand in his way, hehehe. Among all this heaviness it's nice to hear the guitarsolos, which are on many occasions too short, too functional with many bands' albums.
Spacey samples simplify the entrance for the guitars and drums to come and deliver "Dead Meaning". The pace is slow/midtempo and radio effects have been put over Metti's vocals. Melody is key, with especially the groovy guitars being responsable for that. Martin keeps things interesting, or tries to, with his double kickdrums. The spacey samples are woven into the structure of the song and although "Dead Meaning""is a sort of resting point after the fast(er) songs of before, it does sound whiney, despite the execution being very good. For me this is for the biggest part uninteresting.
"Two Borders" brings back the Thrash and the appearances of DESTRUCTION/HEADHUNTER frontman/bassist Schmier and SACRED REICH guitarist Wiley Amett (who plays the distorted solo, I think) certainly play a role. Definitely one of the best songs on the album. Fast, brutal, diverse and frightening for the masses... just like it should be. Top job!
A title like "Shred" says it all. Gus Chambers is the one whose voice was deemed most fit, as there's also something Punkish about the song. The ex-vocalist from GRIP INC. and SQUEALER A.D. does a perfect job and it's great to hear him again. The rolling kickdrums and riffs sounds extremely great to the ear. Gus's aggressive approach blends in nicely with the music, but Metti also got his vocal lines, i.e. in the chorus. The guitarsolo is off the hands of GRAVE DIGGER guitarist Manni Schmidt.
"Infected Choice", not to confuse with SEPULTURA's "Infected Voice", is another Thrashy song, with the classic humpapa rhythm. The singing doesn't seem to be inline with that, it's as if Metti is singing to totally diffent music. Melody and a small decrease in tempo play an important role in the chorus, whereas the main riff in the verses keeps on droning on and on. Later on the guitarsolo comes along and contributes to the chaos that is to be found here. The different layers and compositions certainly make you listen a few times to dissect it all. Overall, however, this is another less good song, in my opinion.
All you IN FLAMES/SOILWORK lovers will be pleased with "Dying Face". Midtempo, double bass, clean singing in the verses. Luckily Metti goes for something rougher for the bridge. The chorus is... weak. And if you listen close, you might detect something along the lines of "Feeeeed the woooorld, let them know it's Christmas time...", especially the first part of this famous chorus. Sorry, but NEXT!
This is what I'm talking about: THRASH! The guys have found "New Confidence", so to speak. Fast, Thrashy riffing and drumming to start with and returning in the bridge. Toms dominate in the verses and the first part of the chorus. Both sections also contains the most melody. On an instrumental level, there's quite enough to discover, guitar-wise and via the drums. In short, it's another highlight on "Bloodline".
The positive curve continues in the midtempo "More Than A Day". Double, pounding kickdrums in the verses, something battlecry-ish in the chorus, where catchiness was implemented. This will do well on stage, also getting the crowd on your side, singing along. With the small tempo increase via the drums and the short guitarsolo accompanying it, the part after that reminds of DESTRUCTION, including Metti's vocal lines. Quite an epic track, this one.
The "Bloodline" reaches its end with "Same Blood". No heaviness here yet, for it's accoustic guitar that dominates, that demands all attention. Metti falls in after half a minute or so, with clean vocals, obviously as the music doesn't demand for roughness. Everything sounds so gentle compared to what was played before. The chorus on the other hand injects the song with the heavy elements coming from the guitars and drums. This powerballad is, compared to "Dying Face", so much better, so much more beautiful. Very good ending song, I cannot deny that.
When looking back, I count three less good songs. They're not exactly bad, so I prefer to use 'less good' or 'less interesting'. That leaves 8/11 that did pass, which is a good 72-73%. "When Times Turn Red" left a good impression on me, back in 2005. "Bloodline" also succeeds in this, although I'm not that fond of the IN FLAMES/SOILWORK influences or the more modern Metal in general. Luckily PERZONAL WAR have added enough material that should please old school fans, too. It took them three years - actually two, since the album has been ready since almost a year, but AFM's release schedule was too full then - and what the band presents on "Bloodline" is quality, lots of quality: Thrash meets melody, with the latter having a large impact on the compositions.
More info at perzonalwar.musicground.de.
Line-up:
Matthias "Metti" Zimmer - vocals, guitar
Björn Kluth - bass
Martin Buchwalter - drums
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It was with great anticipation that I looked forward to KALEDON's newest creation, titled "Chapter 5: A New Era Begins", for which the release was set around the end of May, beginning of June. The title can be interpreted in two ways: 1) Story-wise, Daeniel is now the new king of Kaledon. To know more, just go to the band's website (click here), and 2) Claudio Conti (vocals) was replaced by Marco Palazzi. Claudio was known for his high-pitched singing, which was a recurring 'problem', so to speak, yet he improved his singing with every album, especially with "Chapter 3: The Way Of The Light" and "Chapter 4: Twilight Of The Gods".
This was another reason for me to look forward to "Chapter 5", to hear if he would be as good as on the last album, or improve even more. Mainly his high-pitched screams were the weak spot, yet he used them less with each release. Sadly, in a way and the characteristic differences aside, Alex and co. found it better to look for someone else, with a voice that could handle a broader range of songs. Marco Palazzi was chosen, after several candidatures. His voice is indeed very different from Claudio's: melodic, but with a rougher edge and that fits very much on the new album. Oh, I forgot, there is a third interpretation of the title: KALEDON was formed in 1998, so in a way you could consider "A New Era Begins" as an anniversary album.
As I've said in previous reviews, the band has improved a lot with each release, especially since "The Way Of The Light" in 2005 and doing perhaps even better one year later with the fast "Twilight Of The Gods", where fast Melodic/Symphonic Power Metal ruled and dominated. The production also bettered, thanks to Giuseppe Orlando. This is now the band's third album under his watchful ear and this helps to get the band better and adjust the sound in a specific direction.
Let's focus on KALEDON anno 2008. In the last interview with Alex Mele, he told me the music would be less Power Metal, more Hard Rock. This is actually very common nowadays, that Power Metal bands switch to Hard Rock after x albums or x years. Two big examples are EDGUY and AVANTASIA. Even HAMMERFALL have lessened their speed since a few years. Now, I feared that KALEDON would also 'disappoint', but after hearing the new material, I have to admit that the result is actually good. Considering Alex is a big QUEEN fan (and more specifically of Brian May), the musical change is not that much of a surprise.
There are still samples to make the story come to life: crowds, cheering, horses, winds, etcetera. "A New Man" is the start of this new era, the new king, the new musical direction. It's a typical instrument in certain Hard Rock bands, yet our Italians hadn't used it before - as far as I know/remember: the organ, Marco's responsability. This to add melodic power or inject some accents here and there. In this midtempo Rocker Marco feels like a fish in the water and his rough-edged voice carries the melody without problems. The guitars are heavy, but never overwhelming and David's drumming has been limited to more simple stuff, although he was free enough to keep the music active and diverse enough. Around 03:14 Daniele can go his way with an organ solo, which is followed by that on the guitar.
Right after this 'welcoming', we get the first ballad, "Wounded Friend". You can perfectly follow the tracklisting with the happenings in the story, by the way. "Wounded Friend" introduces the compatibility between the accoustic and electric guitars. No organ here, but a piano, which fits better in ballads. Catchiness is an important ingredient here, especially in the chorus, where there's symphonic backing. As cheesy as it is for some, I did find the end result beautiful and touching, somehow. Solos between the keyboards and guitar play another role of importance, practically anywhere on the album.
Evil characters also play a role in the story, so "Mozul" had to be written. This one commences with a symphonic intro, after which the Rock/Metal breaks loose via rolling kickdrumming and guitarriffing inline with that. The chorus is more normal, more melodic, a little faster, although everything remains in the midtempo structure. The keyboard/guitar duel sets in at around 02:22 and as usual cannot be missed, else that would certainly be seen as a lack in the compositions.
Water bubbling, dragon growling... that's how "Undeads Again" kicks off. David has the honour to be the first to set the pace, and slowly built up the tempo. The rest of the instrumentation falls in shortly after, with a proper speed increase around the first minute, dominated by symphonics. After that the tempo falls back a bit to midtempo, yet there's more punch than before. The drums get another moment of glory, with lots of tom use, in the chorus, when the keyboards lead. I think this is that specific drumpart: click here. One of the highlights of this song comes around 03:25. It's the solo moment, indeed. Towards the end the tempo drops, heaviness increases, there's another keyboards vs guitar solo and David's drumming changes to something more thundering. All in all, one of the best songs here.
Howling winds carry "The End Of The Green Power" aka the dragon to the heavens. Due to this sad event, the music is adapted to fit the mood and you might have the impression another ballad is on offer. Until the first minute marker is reached, then all hell breaks loose and the music gets revigorated, the power of the dragon entering the body of Daeniel. The drums are also inline with this sudden change and provide the necessary accents and variability. There are two solo moments, a fast(er) one and a slow(er) one. The organ of before makes its entry again. Catchiness is key in the melodies and chorus.
Firebolt-like explosions appropriately express the "Flash In The Sky", where the music Rocks with a capital R!! The organ is here, too, to add some melodic touches. Midtempo is the pace, although it does have a faster feel. Daniele has lots of work to do, as he also is in charge of spacey accents in the verses and filling the solo moment with synthesizer and piano melodies. At that time the tempo is increased and the guitars also show their power a little more. All the elements combined result in another great song, extending the shortlist of the best on "Chapter 5".
And if that wasn't enough - you're probably wondering where the Power Metal of before is hiding - there's a great and diverse instrumental that follows: "Great Mighty Light". While "Black Telepathy" on "Chapter 3" was fast all the way, "Great Mighty Light" starts fast and melodic, after which midtempo takes over. As usual the keyboards provide the melodies and backing. The ending is the same as the start, so the head and tail are there.
The howling winds return - aren't they being overused, not to say abused? - to pave the way for "Greatest Heart", which has a threatening feel. This is expressed by the keyboards and pounding drums. The dark verses stand in great contrast with the more uplifting chorus. Around 01:50 the speed increases, the guitarsolo is set in and the general riffing sounds much sharper. This also forms the bridge with the second part, or third if you like, of the song. KALEDON did the same with "Hell On Earth" on "Twilight Of The Gods". But another difference is that the dark verses return later in the second part, whereas "Hell On Earth" consisted of two different parts.
And yes, winds once more. It must have been quite a period, with all these winds. And you can also link that to the album title, as in a new wind that blows over the land. Anyhow, Daeniel screams it out that he's the chosen one. And this is the start of the first song that our Italians made a studo video for and released onto the masses: "The God Beyond The Man". Catchiness has also been applied here, mainly for the chorus. It's is interesting to hear the piano kicking off the melodies and increasing the playfulness, the synthesizer taking over, or better said, joining in, together with the guitars and drums. The verses contain no heaviness, it's gentle keyboardwork that provides the counter melody, though. The catchy and sing-along chorus features lots of layered, not just for the vocals, but also the keyboards with the organ included. The joyful piano melody returns around the third minute when the synth solo also commences. The guitarsolo takes over, but without keyboard interfence and connects neatly with the chorus afterwards.
Ah, horses. Finally something else than those winds. They ride for the "Return To Kaledon", which also shows that Alex and company haven't forgotten that they're still a Power Metal band. Uptempo drums, double bass, an epic chorus, diverse sections (incl. tempo changes) and yes, the classic solos. A very enjoyable song and a perfect closer of this new chapter.
The Japanese version features some extras, including two bonus tracks: "Neon Knights", a classic in the BLACK SABBATH discography, and QUEEN's hit "We Will Rock You"... in a speedier version. The first is actually quite good, although it's hard to 'copy' Dio. KALEDON didn't have the intention to copy 1/1, but just made it as entertaining as their own songs, without ruining the original. The fast QUEEN cover is original, if I may say so, as covers usually aren't done this way. On a sidenote: MOONSORROW's cover of METALLICA's classic "For Whom The Bell Tolls" was MOONSORROW-ised enough to make it very much worth hearing. What KALEDON did deserves kudos, as they put their own stamp on this great Rock song. My impression is that they just wanted to show that Hard Rock/Heavy Metal is a great music style and that fun is still a factor that should not be neglected. In my opinion, they succeeded in this mission.
In previous reviews I wrote that the band grew with each album and although they've sort of stepped back in terms of 'difficulty'/technicality on the musical ladder (Power Metal --> Hard Rock), they did not forget their history and kept a certain level of Power Metal intact. I can't tell if "Chapter 5: A New Era Begins" is better than "Chapter 4: Twilight Of The Gods", because both albums are too different in speed, compositions, vocals, etc... Some will find the music cheesy, but once again I have to congratulate this fast growing band with their latest achievement. There's not one bad song here and the compositions provide enough change and diversity, despite the level of Hard Rock being very high. I hope for a return to the Melodic/Symphonic Power Metal of the previous two albums, but on the other hand I cannot deny that I like the 'new' KALEDON. This album is for any open-minded Power Metal fan. The sole question that remains to be answered: will they make it into my year's Top 10 for the third time in a row?
More info at www.kaledon.com.
Line-up:
Marco Palazzi - vocals
Alex Mele - guitar
Tommy Nemesio - guitar
Daniele Fuligni - keyboards
Paolo Lezziroli - bass
David Folchitto - drums
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Last year bassist Magnus Rosén left HAMMERFALL to focus on other endeavours (musical and other), like X-WORLD/5. With this new band he can show his skills in the world of Space Metal - a bit like Arjen Lucassen did with STAR ONE - to present their view of Metal anno 3006. Musically this Sci-Fi Metal leans close to Heavy/Power Metal, but there are of course the 'spacey'/Industrial elements that have to bring this music to life and create a totally new world of heaviness. Assisting Magnus in his quest are Swedish drummer/programmer/engineer Big Swede, PAGAN'S MIND/EIDOLON vocalist Nils K. Rue (who already has experience with Space-influenced Metal), producer/guitarist Andy La Rocque (KING DIAMOND) and Reeves Gabrels, who handles the other guitar position.
Apparently X-WORLD/5 was founded in 2005, but now they're ready to undertake their voyage into the future. The first effort is "New Universal Order", released on the 16th of May via AFM Records.
The expectations were reasonably high, but weren't 100% met. The take-off is good, with the midtempo "Cyberchrist". Nils's voice is as you can expect. Just listen to PAGAN'S MIND's albums and you'll know that over the years he has improved a lot. The keyboards remain the most important instrument for the spacey/industrial elements, melodies and atmospheric backing. Also very tastey about this song is the ultra-heavy rhythm guitar. The effects on Nils's voice later in the song are an obstacle, as far as I'm concerned. Sure, we've got Space Metal here, which means technology, computers, Star Trek, etc... which means it's a necessity if you want to bring the music/setting to life. As far as listening pleasure goes, I mostly pass in such cases. But the impact on the song isn't that big that it interferes with the music, not at all.
"Man Machine" increases the use of electronics and darkens the atmopshere a bit. The drums take on a pounding rhythm and the singing is almost warcry-ish. The spacey guitarsolo causes the drums to add some speed and double bass. Musically this is a step back, or at least, regarding listening pleasure. This slower tempo goes back up in "Charge To War", a title that sounds very promising.
Sadly, this is not the case. The DIMMU BORGIR-ish effects on Nils's vocals sound annoying. The music is very much 'Industrialized', while the guitars don't come out as strong as before, due to not being high in the mix. The best part of "Charge To War" is its chorus: Power Metal! The melody, the drums, the guitarsolo.... so different from the verses and so damn good.
"Stand Up" is by far the least good song on "New Universal Order". The instrumentation sounds rawer than before, those vocal effects are still present, but overall the compositions are bundled into something that sounds very chaotic, which makes it hard to stay focused.
The situation improves only a little in "A Cryptic Message", where the music would suit singers/bands like (those of) Marylin Manson and Alice Cooper. The bass is very audible, so are the drums. Minus points go to, yes, the voice effects, plus the whiney chorus. Musically the Industrial aspect prevails once more. Overall this is another less good song, but luckily it's the last part of the listening pleasure being spoilt.
"Crocked Cross" is where X-WORLD/5 has found renewed inspiration: pounding Metal! Despite the disliked singing, the chorus is again the best part of the song, although the music in general is quite enjoyable, too. The chorus is more 'normal', so to speak, and with the pounding aspect this result in a delight for the ears.
In "Lunar Voyage" you get welcomed by galactic explosions, which come back further in the song. The tempo of the music is slow, with the production being - mainly on the drums - dryer, heavier. On almost each song the production is a little different. The verses have a psychedelic touch, whereas the chorus dwells more in normal surroundings. The solo moment is well executed and srves to complement the spaceyness, the atmosphere of it all and not the sake of adding a solo.
"Argonaut" is where the Metal conquers the throne. Although the electronic/industrial ingredients are still present, the music resembles that of (old) HAMMERFALL, PRIMAL FEAR, some PAGAN'S MIND and even MANOWAR. I can't add anything else but say that this is definitely one of the best songs on "New Universal Order". And it seems Magnus and co. saved the best for last: "New Eden", where the music sounds more threatening, via the keyboards, guitars and drums. You do get a message first, like from a log book. The music is simply outstanding and the contrast between the verses and bridge/chorus is very clear: in the first there's plenty of Metal to be found, in the second it's the melodies that take that place and push the Metal to the background.
A new band, a new injection for Power Metal and Space Metal in general, for which there aren't that many bands (yet?), as far as my knowledge goes at the moment. X-WORLD/5 certainly is a promising collective of experienced musicians, combining their knowledge and skills to create a "New Universal Order". Since a review always contains personal taste, one should also try to remain objective. In general I would say this is a decent effort that can please any open-minded Power Metalfan, who doesn't think it's all about RHAPSODY (OF FIRE), STRATOVARIUS, EDGUY, HAMMERFALL, SONATA ARCTICA, and others. Fans of STAR ONE will also find a treat here. Personally then, I find this decent, but there aren't enough songs to persuade me to buy the album. It is clear, though, that the best songs are in the second part of the tracklisting, and that totals 3, maximum 4 songs. Add the first and you've got the highlights of this first album. Less effects on the vocals would already do a lot of good - something to keep in mind for the follow-up.
More info at www.x-world5.com.
Line-up:
Nils K. Rue - vocals
Andy La Rocque - guitars
Reeves Gabrels - guitars
Magnus Rosén - bass
Big Swede - drums, programming
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Time for some more Norwegian Black Metal with QUADRIVIUM, who sees it Avantgarde-ish. The band was formed in 2005 by Erlend Antonsen (keyboards, guitars, drums) and Lars Jensen (vocals) in order to create keyboards-oriented Black Metal. One year after the forming the self-released EP "Origo" was ready, containing three songs. At that time both members were active in respectively NATTSOL and MYRKGRAV. Also in 2006 Svein-Ivar Sarassen aka Decepticon joined to fill the bass spot. As these three started working on the debut album, "Adversus" (out since the 16th May), Bjornar E. Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES, BLACK HOLE GENERATOR) was asked to do some guest vocals. For "Adversus" and two more to follow albums they signed with the Dutch label Soulseller Records, which also houses SVARTAHRID, BLACK CRUCIFIXION and a few others.
About the band name, here's what Wikipedia had to say (and look at the album cover): "The quadrivium comprised the four subjects, or arts, taught in medieval universities after the trivium. The word is Latin, meaning "the four ways" or "the four roads": the completion of the liberal art