The Regal Eye is the 4th album from Greek metal band Scorcher, brothers Vangelis Tekas and Chris Tekas are now listed as the only permeant members from what I can see but they have been a band since 2010. Scorcher have a style that sits between the NWOBHM and the American power metal sound, they can gallop like Maiden, scream like Priest and get dark and moody like Jag Panzer Or Metal Church.
The Regal Eye is all about riffs, Vangelis (guitar) and Chris (bass) always seem as if they can’t leave a good riff go, nearly every song follows a similar pattern of playing two verses, with a chorus in the middle then stopping dead, as if finished before restarting the riff from the beginning again, a few times it made me think that it was repeating the song from scratch. It’s a sign that these siblings have a lot of enjoyment in what they play, so they just want to keep it going. Personally I think a couple of tracks could do with a bit more brevity as I said this play, stop, restart thing happens a couple of times.
Vocally Vangelis is about there, his screams more like Tim Owens than Rob Halford, but they suit the more muscular, thrashy sounds well, production too gives variation, with De-Synchronized a little quieter and muddier, at least on my copy, but this is probably deliberate. Also included is partially re-recorded version of Nightwatch from their 2018 record Systems Of Time, what has been re-recorded I’m not sure but it closes The Regal Eye well.
Scorcher live for heavy metal, that’s very clear on this fourth album and no matter what my grievances are with this record you can’t fault them for that. 7/10
Rheinkaos - All My Being Is A Dark Verse (Self Released)
The duo of guitarist Dimitrios B. and vocalist Savaoth formed Rheinkaos in 2007, they’ve had a demo in 2008 and looked to release a debut full length. However this never materialised as Dimitrios moved to The Netherlands, he formed post metal band Forests Alive, but has decided to re-work two songs that should have appeared on their debut album to reactivate Rheinkaos.
Rheinkaos - All My Being Is A Dark Verse (Self Released)
The duo of guitarist Dimitrios B. and vocalist Savaoth formed Rheinkaos in 2007, they’ve had a demo in 2008 and looked to release a debut full length. However this never materialised as Dimitrios moved to The Netherlands, he formed post metal band Forests Alive, but has decided to re-work two songs that should have appeared on their debut album to reactivate Rheinkaos.
With inspirations from Dødheimsgard and Ulver and that post-metal history too, there’s a higher level of experimentation here, the unique approach definitely for those who enjoy their music on the fringes, unclassifiable and full of genre twists.
The two tracks Beta Religion and The Commencement Fear make for a near 20 minute release that invites ambient electronica, some twitchy synth percussion and then blasts of black metal, it's like Daft Punk playing Behemoth at times, or Fear Factory meeting death doom. It could be jarring but Dimitrios is a master craftsman melding the stylistic clashes together.
I'd say that The Commencement Fear is probably the most experimental as it twitches with pushing beats and then shifts into proggy moments and then symphonic black metal, but both of the tracks on All My Being Is A Dark Verse will capture the imagination of anyone that loves to indulge in broad soundscapes and fusions of countless genres. 7/10
Longshots - Between Two Fronts (Self Released)
Modern hard rock with a female singer who has brilliantly jazzy vocal style? Yeah count me in, The Well, the first track on this four song EP, gives an introduction into what Thessaloniki band Longshots do. It's a funky, slither of a song driven by some bass as the melodic guitars breathe out the melodies. There's a sinful quality to the song, coming from the jazz vocals and that heavy bass throb.
On Black And White there a bit more of the same, smoky vocals, a power chord chorus and a love of the slow burn, though it moves into alt rock territory too. Longshots though can adapt and evolve, they do this on the title track which takes a heavy rock groove after an acoustic beginning then shifts into a rumbling breakdown and a bass solo. It's certainly the heaviest song on this EP, while Hidden Figure returns to the groove with a louche breeziness.
Between Two Fronts showcases different sides of Longshots, exactly what you want an EP to do for a band. Heavy bass, riffy guitars, thundering drums and big vocals Longshots tick a lot of boxes. 7/10
Aelveryth - Dagsetr (Self Released)
A solo project based in Thessaloniki, Aelveryth is the alter ego of Marios Georgiou, based around his passion for extreme metal and sci-fi/fantasy, the record is a totally DIY solo record, with Marios writing/playing everything and learning about recording/producing along the way.
Dagsetr is an Old Norse word that translates to Nightfall, and it deals with the closure of things, be it the day, or your life. Lyrically it's inspired by personal demons, negative emotions expressed through the songs as Marios' feelings of emptiness and despair are exorcised through the music here.
I have to say it's a good for a self produced record, the mixing and mastering makes it sound quite professional and while you can tell it's self produced (well I can) it doesn't distract too much, yes they could be better, but the fact that this is a first attempt from someone learning as they were recording, it could be a lot worse (trust me).
The compositions too are decent there's a lot to like as the music shifts between synthy melodeath on In Bottomless Descent, more atmospheric structures on Through Dreadwood and As The Night Falls (Dagsetr) lends itself to being a ferocious title track of blistering black metal. Dagsetr is admirable first attempt at extreme metal from this solo project. 6/10
The two tracks Beta Religion and The Commencement Fear make for a near 20 minute release that invites ambient electronica, some twitchy synth percussion and then blasts of black metal, it's like Daft Punk playing Behemoth at times, or Fear Factory meeting death doom. It could be jarring but Dimitrios is a master craftsman melding the stylistic clashes together.
I'd say that The Commencement Fear is probably the most experimental as it twitches with pushing beats and then shifts into proggy moments and then symphonic black metal, but both of the tracks on All My Being Is A Dark Verse will capture the imagination of anyone that loves to indulge in broad soundscapes and fusions of countless genres. 7/10
Longshots - Between Two Fronts (Self Released)
Modern hard rock with a female singer who has brilliantly jazzy vocal style? Yeah count me in, The Well, the first track on this four song EP, gives an introduction into what Thessaloniki band Longshots do. It's a funky, slither of a song driven by some bass as the melodic guitars breathe out the melodies. There's a sinful quality to the song, coming from the jazz vocals and that heavy bass throb.
On Black And White there a bit more of the same, smoky vocals, a power chord chorus and a love of the slow burn, though it moves into alt rock territory too. Longshots though can adapt and evolve, they do this on the title track which takes a heavy rock groove after an acoustic beginning then shifts into a rumbling breakdown and a bass solo. It's certainly the heaviest song on this EP, while Hidden Figure returns to the groove with a louche breeziness.
Between Two Fronts showcases different sides of Longshots, exactly what you want an EP to do for a band. Heavy bass, riffy guitars, thundering drums and big vocals Longshots tick a lot of boxes. 7/10
Aelveryth - Dagsetr (Self Released)
A solo project based in Thessaloniki, Aelveryth is the alter ego of Marios Georgiou, based around his passion for extreme metal and sci-fi/fantasy, the record is a totally DIY solo record, with Marios writing/playing everything and learning about recording/producing along the way.
Dagsetr is an Old Norse word that translates to Nightfall, and it deals with the closure of things, be it the day, or your life. Lyrically it's inspired by personal demons, negative emotions expressed through the songs as Marios' feelings of emptiness and despair are exorcised through the music here.
I have to say it's a good for a self produced record, the mixing and mastering makes it sound quite professional and while you can tell it's self produced (well I can) it doesn't distract too much, yes they could be better, but the fact that this is a first attempt from someone learning as they were recording, it could be a lot worse (trust me).
The compositions too are decent there's a lot to like as the music shifts between synthy melodeath on In Bottomless Descent, more atmospheric structures on Through Dreadwood and As The Night Falls (Dagsetr) lends itself to being a ferocious title track of blistering black metal. Dagsetr is admirable first attempt at extreme metal from this solo project. 6/10
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