Silent Winter - Utopia (No Remorse Records)
There's something very familiar about Silent Winter, something very German. The Volos band only came back from hiatus in 2028 after 19 years but haven't slowed down a moment, releasing two albums and an EP in that time. the Volos band pay homage to Helloween, Gamma Ray, (early) Blind Guardian, Running Wild and others, but they are really contemporaries, founded in 1995 they first went in hiatus in 1999.
So they're old school and lean towards the Teutonic speed metal sound, using high velocity vocals, rampant drumming and more shredding than a cheese only restaurant. Engineered, mixed and mastered by Steve Lado, who has worked with other Greek bands such as Sacred Outcry, Sunburst, and Need, he gives it a sheen that has it burst out of the speakers We Burn The Future which moves into Hellstorm a track that reflects it's name perfectly.
Now Silent Winter have added a keyboard player to their line up for this album meaning that lead guitarist and main writer Kiriakos Balanos can make a track such as Hands Held High more epic, shifting the Silent Winter style a bit more this track really showcasing Mike Livas' vocals. It keeps a pretty decent pace as Reborn kicks in with a bit of Stratovarius melodic power while Silent Shadows is bold and orchestral but has some fancy double kicks too.
Like I said, Utopia sees a Greek band being German in their style of heavy metal. Uptempo speed metal is the way here, turn it up and enjoy. 8/10
Saisei - Saisei (Self Released)
If you thought Metalcore with dual vocals was just limited to the UK and USA then think again as Saisei have a Japanese name (it means Rebirth) but are from Athens Greece. Stathis and Apostolos have a clean/harsh dynamic intertwined through angst, bristling electronics and mid-2000's metalcore and post-hardcore..
Stamatis and Thanos are the guitarists, of the band but also the masterminds, programming, samples, synths and production is all by them as well. I'm not a massive metalcore fan as anyone who reads this blog may now, but Saisei's debut album draws from the mélange metalcore bands.
With the pulsing electronics on Impetus as on Saisei Goes Punk they do exactly that as Kellin Quinn from Sleeping With Sirens adds his nasal vocal style. They do what they do, it's an Americanised sound but delivered well. 6/10
Harmonize Oracle - Before The Oracle (Self Released)
Harmonize see themselves undergoing a rebrand. Now known as Harmonize Oracle they have cemeted this name change with an EP. It's come about as their singer is now fronting Gloryhammer so they've released this EP as the last recorded tracks with him behind the mic.
While I won't debate that move, it means a new beginning for Harmonize Oracle and while they look for a new singer, this EP, entitled Before The Oracle has new songs, cuts from the previous album Warrior In The Night and a Blind Guardian cover.
Before The Oracle is a bit all over the place, especially with the vocals, there's death growls on Shield Wall, a low boom on Phoenix and the trademark cleans elsewhere. While they look for a new singer this is a little EP puts them on their way to their new guise. 6/10
Disoriented - Crossed The Line (Self Released)
Groove metal, it’s aggressive, abrasive and built on grooving riffs that you can bang your head to. It’s often associated with death metal but often has a lot of thrash and hardcore influences to it as well. Well Disorientated are very much a band who plough a furrow in the groove sound, you can feel the bite of a Dean Razorback with every song as Disorientated’s debut album Cross The Line is extremely inspired by Pantera.
Tracks such as Self Made and Losing Side have that choppy Dimebag style riff and plenty of solos too, the vocals are growled but audible. The most impressive part for me though is the bass which is really technical and plays a big part on tracks such as Wait For The Bullet, it helps that it’s really high in the mix on a song like In Between. I can’t say a lot more about Crossed The Line, if you’re a fan of Pantera or (early) Lamb of God you’ll love it. 7/10
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