Find us on Facebook!
To keep updated like our page at:
Monday 31 March 2014
World of Metal 8: Lost Insen, Arising Fear, Jesus Christ
Lost Insen are from Tunisia and started life as Dream Theater cover band and you can hear the influence of the premier purveyors of prog metal right from the outset. With the organ drenched first track The Greedy Idiot, which also has a nice fat, crunchy guitar riff and a few time signature changes for good measure, not bad for 4 minute track, in fact all the tracks are relatively short for a progressive band with only the final, majestic, grandiose, middle eastern flavoured Freedom, It's All About clocking in at over 10 minutes ending the album in terrific style. Despite the short lengths the tracks are all excellently written and performed by a band who are obviously excellently talented, from the massively melodic When You Were Here to the heavyweight Breaking The Walls. The guitars and keys of Karim and Fadhel Bouazra work together brilliantly bringing the main body of the songs to life while be aided by Yessine Belghith's bass and Mehdi Braham's drums along with Oscar Zubelzu's strong vocals have more in common with Ray Alder than they do James LaBrie but they fit the bands intelligent progressive metal delivery and they at their best on the acoustic ballad The Way It Has To Be. This record is fantastic, it is one of the best progressive records of the year so far and I urge you to seek it out. Well done Lost Insen you have released and album that many bands can only dream of releasing in their career and never mind as their debut!! 9/10
Arising Fear: Beyond Betrayal (Self Released)
There really is a glut of German thrash metal around at the moment and Arising Fear are fast, furious and full of fury. Coming from the more modern style the band share a lot of stylistic similarities with Trivium and early Machine Head, especially with Alexander Rauh's vocals and on tracks like Deadly Embrace which features those trademark MFH pinched harmonics. The band combine twin guitar riffage and some metalcore breakdowns that hark to groove metallers like Pantera. This is a 10 track album that is full of anthems, Rauh's and Kevin Pöllmann's guitars are awesome, heavy, melodic and very fast with Tobias Möhring's drums and Thomas Franz's bass really bringing the heavy to the album, Möhring's drums especially are the driving force behind Day To Overcome which knocks you out of the blocks and has a massive melodic chorus. Arising Fear are a breath of fresh air to the German thrash scene sounding very American in their delivery which will stand them in good stead for the future. If you are a fan of Machine Fucking Head then you will really enjoy Arising Fucking Fear and their debut album, which is frankly an excellent modern thrash album from these young Bavarians. 8/10
Jesus Christ: We Will Fight (Self Released)
Jesus Christ are a thrash metal band from Russia, they mix frenetic guitars with shouted vocals and lots of attitude, this isn't thrash in the Metallica/Megadeth style and is more like Anthrax in tone with the thrash speed mixing with the hardcore stomp and lots of anti-governmental rallying, with a name like Jesus Christ you would expect the band to have balls of steel. The guitars are straight out of the Spitz/Ian school of riffage and the vocals are pure Belladonna, see Blind Humanity and Traitor as two songs lifted straight off Among The Living. The band do try to expand their sound with death growls but other than that this is strictly thrash. A good album with some good songs let down by the production which is D.I.Y but lends itself to the bands sound. It's not big or clever but it is fun filled thrashing by a band that do what they do well. 7/10
Wednesday 26 March 2014
Reviews: Wolfmother, Gus G, The Oath
Sunday 23 March 2014
World Of Metal 7: Storm Cry, Pohl, Vengeful Ghoul
Friday 21 March 2014
Reviews: Vandenberg's Moonkings, Vanishing Point, Ring Of Fire
Adrian Vandenberg is a former guitarist of Whitesnake co-writing most of their comeback album Slip Of The Tongue, however all of the guitars on the album were done by some guy called Steve Vai. Still Vandeberg has made a career after his fling with Cov and co before hanging up his axe in 1994. 20 years later the man returns with his six string, a brand new band and an album full of hip shaking, powerhouse rock songs that our David would be proud of (old leather lungs himself appears on the final massive Whitesnake cover Sailing Ships). Vandenberg sure knows how to right a rock song with opener Lust And Lies having the dirty, lust filled swagger that the Snake have made their name doing, this moves into the Zep-like rockers Close To You and Line Of Fire which along with the mega-ballads Breathing and Out Of Reach, both of which would be a number one from 'Snake. As you can see I keep mentioning Whitesnake and that is because this album sounds a lot Whitesnake's more modern output with lots of hard rock riffage, killer solo's, big drums and bass from Mart Nijen Es and Sem Christoffel respectively. The whole band are rounded out by the great vocals of Jan Hoving who sounds like ex-Firewind singer Apollo Papathanasio doing a (brilliant) Coverdale impression. This an album for fans of the 'Snake and any hip shaking, python licking, hard rocking music. As a debut this a great, big songs, great production and excellent musicianship, however I wouldn't expect anything less from a former Snakeman, Cov only picks the best to back him and Vandenberg's MoonKings shows this in spades, as the band say on Nothing Touches "Nothing touches rock 'n' roll!" 9/10
Vanishing Point: Distant Is The Sun (AFM Records)
In all my years of metal I've only been peripherally aware of Vanishing Point and with Distant Is The Sun being their fifth album I thought it was about time I checked them out and I'm very glad I did as these Aussies play strong, melodic metal with progressive flourishes. The band fuse the heavy, crunchy guitars of James Maier and founder member Chris Porcianko who bring some seriously technical riffage to every song along with the blast beats of Christian Nativo, the bass of Simon Best providing the driving rhythms and Silvio Massaro's soaring melodic vocals. The band also have lots of symphonic elements with keys and orchestrations playing a part on every track giving the band a sound similar to American melodic prog bands Redemption, Shadow Gallery and Fates Warning, especially on the ballads like Let The River Run while the symphonic backed faster/heavier tracks like Distant Is The Sun and King Of Empty Promises have more in common with Kamelot or Sonata Arctica (who's singer Tony Kakko appears on Circle Of Fire) with their galloping rhythms and big orchestrations. This fifth record is a complex, progressive, melodic metal album that has touches of AOR, prog rock and of course metal. On the back of this album I think it's time I looked for Vanishing Point's back catalogue on the strength of this album. 8/10
Ring Of Fire: Battle Of Leningrad (Frontiers Records)
Ring Of Fire are a neoclassical metal band from the USA made of former Yngwie Malmsteen air raid siren Mark Boals, guitar virtuoso Tony Macalpine who programs the drums, both men are aided in their neoclassical mastery as usual by keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij and former Stratovarius man Timo Tolkki. So as usual the album is filled with the simply staggering guitar playing of MacAlpine who does things to a guitar that very few men can do, he works in tandem with Kuprij to pull some seriously fast riffs on the first two tracks Mother Russia and They Are Calling Your Name and then they conjure some mastery on the ballad Land Of Frozen Tears. This is a technical album with lots of great songs however there is one major downfall, the production of Tolkki is awful it's sounds very weak and muddy, it's similar to the Metal Hammer edition of Manowar's last album. Music like this needs crisp modern production to make it sparkle however this just means the album sound like a bad NWOBHM demo. Poor form indeed. 5/10
Another Point Of View: The Answer
One complaint? Put Demon Eyes back in the set as I love it. One fear: after 12 years the band appears to have plateaued a little and, as much as I love seeing them in small venues, it would be great to see them get a bit of wider exposure to allow them to progress. Maybe they need AC/DC to get back out on the road again. 9/10
Thursday 20 March 2014
A View From The Back Of The Room: Lords Of The Riff Vol.1
Lords Of The Riff Vol.1: Monster Truck, Scorpion Child & Buffalo Summer, Exchange Bristol
Back from Hammerfest and after a quick change, across the bridge and into the tiny Exchange for what was the sold out first show on the Team Rock sponsored Lords Of The Riff tour which was a showcase for young acts. When I say sold out I mean it as the venue was packed tighter than Coverdale into his trousers, there was no room to breathe and the venue warmed up quickly, still sometimes its nice to see a venue sell out for 3 lesser known bands.
Buffalo Summer
Due to the queue to get in we managed to catch the last half of the set by Welsh rockers Buffalo Summer but when the band were grooving nicely to their brand of Zeppelin-like rock playing selections from their debut album and also some new tracks (which sound very good indeed), with lots of funky old school riffs and tracks like Down To The River which has a sing along middle section, as well as A Horse Called Freedom and the foot stomping She's All Natural. Buffalo Summer did a great job of warming up the crowd and put everyone in that 70's mindset that was needed for the rest of the evening. 8/10
Scorpion Child
This show was a double headliner and the closer switched every show this time it was up to Monster Truck to follow Scorpion Child and boy would they have a hell of a job. The Texan band strolled on to the stage with Orange Goblin's Ben Ward looking on and the now four piece (this band has more ex-members than Spinal Tap) plunged straight into the gutter blues of Kings Highway and it hot me as soon as they started to play that this band are very similar to Percy and co. Kings Highway has a very psychedelic Zeppelin vibe to it with Christopher Cowart busting out the Page like riffs and Aryn Johnathan Black having the mystical stage craft and vocal gusto of Plant (albeit through a mic that was knackered leading to feedback) still for 40 minutes the band managed to bewitch the audience with their heavy, psychedelic rock perfect for those with a some medicine to smoke. The relentless riff of Polygon Of Eyes with its awesome chorus came next as did Salvation Slave (more Zeppelinisms), The Secret Spot, Liquor and their cover of Keep Goin' originally by Lucifer's Friend. The band were a revelation to watch, they were heavy, groovy and slightly unpredictable with Black getting into the audience more than once. Scorpion Child blew the roof off the Exchange with their riff heavy-psych rock which ebbed and flowed throughout the set. An absolutely killer set from the Texans that Monster Truck were going to have to work hard to follow. 10/10
Monster Truck
So on came the Canadians, again a four piece but this time loaded with a keyboard to bring the Purple to proceedings. Considering that Monster Truck are from North of the border they sounded the most Southern of the two band kicking off with The Lion which was all blustering riffs and big organs yes they got the place rocking and worked their debut record playing For The Sun, the ballad My Love Is True, the excellent Sweet Mountain River (which sounds like both Black Stone Cherry and Mountain) before the well known track Old Train came in the middle of the set. Don't get me wrong Monster Truck are good at what they do the bass, guitar, drums and keys all work together and the vocals of bassist John Harvey and guitarist Jeremy Widerman work in tandem and give the band a sound similar to fellow Canadians Priestess, however you can help feeling that the songs are all a bit samey and after the sheer white hot brilliance of Scorpion Child, Monster Truck couldn't follow. I'd go and see them in heartbeat but I think they were just a victim of circumstance. 8/10
Reviews: Primitai & Winterstorm (Reviews By Nick)
Wednesday 19 March 2014
Reviews: The Cadillac Three, Shrapnel, Panic Room
The Cadillac Three: Tennessee Mojo (Big Machine Records)
The Cadillac Three are southern and as they say in the opening salvo I'm Southern it ain't their fault. This is music for beer drinking and hell raising born from the legends of Waylon, Johnny and Willie while also bringing Steve Earle, The Allmans and more recently Waylon's son Shooter who the band sound a hell of a lot like fusing rock and country. The band themselves recognise their influences on Get Your Buzz On which mentions the godfathers of Skynryd. Although with three members, the guitar and smoky southern vocals of Jaren Johnson, the Tennessee shuffle of drummer Neil Mason and the multiple instruments of bassist Kelby Ray. The band are very good at what they do, this isn't your faux country of Kid Rock you can feel that these three have this music running through their blood with tracks like Down To The River which evokes the spirit of blues and gospel but with a rock n roll back beat. With bands like Blackberry Smoke and Shooter himself spearheading this revival of Outlaw Country (or Country Rock if you want) The Cadillac Three are putting themselves in good stead with their down home Southern swagger and an album filled with ass shaking sexually charged music rockers countered with the odd cowboy ballad. These self professed hillbillies have created a real stormer! YeeHaw!! 9/10
Shrapnel: The Virus Conspires (Candlelight Records)
Norwich...it's the Thrash capital of the world right? Well maybe that's not true but the five piece wrecking machine Sharpnel are on a mission to make this statement more accurate. The riffs come fast and furious from the outset with bludgeoning blast beats of Simon Jackson rattling the brain cells, the bass of Daryl Abbot (not that one) rumbles the bowels and the razor sharp riffage of Chris Martin and the killer solo's of Nathan Sadd mean that tracks like Kingdom Come, Titan and Braindead breeze through in a barrage of thrash madness with Jae Hadley conducting everything with his awesome grizzled vocals that give the band a modern sound as well as hints to the Bay Area past. 22 has a killer bass intro and again proceeds to smash your face in for over 4 minutes and has a big call and response middle 8. It's not just all super speed thrash mind as they have the right amount of groove to them as well with the title track showing just that. The pace rarely lets upon this album with every track destroying the one previously ending with the super fast All That We Know which ends everything on a highly aggressive note. This album is very strong for a debut and will definitely elevate the band to the same level of British thrashers Evile and possibly beyond. Strong, powerful and violent just how thrash should be!! 8/10
Panic Room: Incarnate (Firefly Music)
Panic Room release their fourth album and they continue to evolve their sound which is what they have been doing since their second album Satellite and again this time they are emotional, powerful and also fully professional on every track. From the opening track Velocity which has a great guitar part from new boy Adam O'Sullivan who replaces Paul Davies and gives the track a Hogarth period Marillion, before it moves into second track Start The Sound which has the percussive drive of Kate Bush and features some excellent orchestrations and keys from Jonathan Edwards and a breathy performance from frontwoman Anne-Marie Helder who has one of the best voices in music at the moment both powerful (see the Asian flavoured title track) and plantative. With Yatim and Gavin providing the rhythm section moving the songs from the moody rockers, to massive euphoric modern prog and tender ballads see All That We Are. The album peaks and troughs bringing in light and shade, working through the piano pop of Waterfall which could be a chart hit and ends the first half of the album excellently throwing in elements of jazz (Nothing New), funk, soul and obviously rock on every track to make a cacophony of sound and also vision. Panic Room have always been a band unafraid to push boundaries and means that every album is a varied and rewarding experience and Incarnate is no exception. 8/10
Tuesday 18 March 2014
Hammerfest 2014
Day 1 Thursday
Fury
Back then for a bit more drinking and then once more into the breach:
Death Valley Knights
Bit of an odd one this part hard rock, part European metal and lots of fun this leather clad troupe led the crowd through some boozy rock n roll that was the perfect start to the party. I didn't see much of the set but I would see them again based on what I saw the music was good the vocals were excellent and the atmosphere they create was intoxicating (in both senses). 7/10
Savage Messiah
Day 2 Friday
So the second day and a late start heading into the main arena at 3 and going straight to main stage.
Shrapnel
I missed Attica Rage but from what I heard they played their brand of heavy Motorhead-like rock to an enthusiastic crowd, Attica Rage are always guaranteed a warm welcome due to their position as the HRH/Hammerfest house band and their awesome live reputation. Still next up were:
Paragon
Now I know nothing about Paragon except that they are power metal band from Germany. Well as soon as they came on stage all leather and metal a huge smile came across my face from the opening of The Legacy this was Teutonic Metal at its best with Helloween and Accept thoroughly copied, still imitation is the best form of flattery. Although if I had to make a comparison I'd say they were a Germanic Saxon. In a whiz of metallic riffage, choreographed stage moves, strong, Biff Byford-like vocals and songs about war, death, fantasy and all the usual nonsense, Paragon managed to win the hearts of the crowd there. This was silly metal that had no real purpose other than to entertain, much like Freedom Call or Bloodbound I found the cheesiness of it all to be quite endearing, here is a band doing what they love an on tracks like frankly mental Tornado and the totally silly Impaler before Thunderstorm finished everything swimmingly (weather obsession maybe?). I would see Paragon again in heartbeat it was the perfect early evening fodder in readiness of what was to come. I knew nothing about Paragon before but now I think I need to hear what their back catalogue is like!! 8/10
A break a beer and back into the arena for what I knew was going to be a good one.
Grand Magus
It was this show that changed my view of Grand Magus forever. In my estimation they went for being a good metal band to a truly great one. With the pre-show track of Manowar's Hail To England (we were in wales but close enough I guess) ringing out and the Signs Of The Hammer were out in force and as the intro music hit a roar came from the largest crowd assembled all day. The three men strolled on and immediately burst into the killer riffage of Kingslayer and then followed it up with Sword Of The Ocean and I, The Jury which incited the first sing along of the set. what I love about Grand Magus is that they are not only great musicians they are also massively heavy live and also very humble each member having a beaming smile on their face throughout, as JB riffed like mad and sang his heart out, Fox provided the power on bass and Ludwig smashed the hell out of his kit! The band went into the massive epic shout along Raven's Guide Our Way and then sped things up with the little played The Shadow Knows, before playing three from their latest album including the epic title track before the final two songs came in the shape of the doomy Iron Will and the heavy as hell Hammer Of The North with its 'woah' refrain ringing out throughout the arena. I've never seen a band that are able to make so many metalheads ecstatically happy, much like Manowar Magus are rapidly becoming a cult band in the UK as their popularity here outstrips their popularity anywhere else. Fast, furious and suitably epic. Magus stole the show!! 10/10
A well needed rest after Magus had shredded my throat, I caught only the beginning of Soilwork but if I'm honest they do nothing for me at all so I went back to get some more fluid and food before the headliners Overkill
Overkill
New Jersey thrash mob Overkill have been doing this stuff since the 80's and were there from the beginning, never one of the Big 4 but one of the peripheral bands like Testament, Annihilator, Exodus, Forbidden and Death Angel that were possibly as good if not better than their more popular compatriots. From the outset of Come And Get It Overkill grabbed my attention with the awesome rhythm guitars Derek 'The Skull' Tailer making things fast and loud aided by Ron Lipnicki's furious drums, D.D Verni's galloping bass and the lead harmonies of Dave Linsk. Through Wrecking Crew and Electric Rattlesnake the band showed their mettle moving from thrash to straight up classic metal. However the major talking point for me was frontman Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth who has more energy than any frontman outside of Bruce Dickinson. He ran back and for the stage and was totally animated throughout the set, he is also a very funny guy putting on this hard man aura in all the between song banter. The songs spoke for themselves with Rotten To The Core, Ironbound, Hello From The Gutter and Necroshine all awesome songs that got the crowd moving although no track did this more than the Headbanger's Ball favourite Elimination (EEElimnination) which ended the main set before the encore consisted of Horrorscope and their awesome cover of Fuck You! by The Subhumans. This was a triumphant set that I loved as I always thought Overkill were straight up thrash but they mix lots of traditional metal in as well to vary things a bit. A great set from a band I would definitely see again! 9/10
So the first day was over and done with and even though I really wanted to see The Vintage Caravan a 2:30 finish time is not really something wanted so they will have to wait till another time. So off to bed for the last day.
Day 3 Saturday
Saturday came along quickly but again I started late (I'm not good at this early lark am I?) going in for Sound Storm
Sound Storm
So apparently Sound Storm are melodic/symphonic power metal band from Italy. I was interested as they only seemed to bring about 20 people to the main arena so I gave them a chance. So the band came on, guitar, bass, keys, drums and singer all the components and then it struck me why so few people saw them. They are dreadful, the music was very basic, the vocals were awful and the presence was terrible. I saw 1 and half songs and that was enough. I try not to be negative but there is no hope for Sound Storm. 0/10
Breed 77
Thankfully Breed 77 were next and they are at least better than Sound Storm, after a period of turmoil the band are on their Cultura 10th anniversary tour and they played a few choice cuts from that record but the set was much like the last time I saw them. The band drew mainly from their last 2 records and Cultura and mixed their Latin flavoured guitars with chunky metalcore. Paul Isola is a good frontman, his voice is not what it once was but it was his between song banter that got me. He went on little rant about how they've never been cool and that magazines like Kerrang or Metal Hammer never supported them, obviously not realising that it's called Hammerfest for a reason!! Still with a glut of big songs and a lot of energy the band made the hour they had go by quickly and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. Although the same strikes me now as it does on previous occasions, Breed 77 are band that do things by their own rules, sometimes to their own detriment. 7/10
Gloryhammer
I missed Monster Truck to see them in a more intimate (and sweaty) venue the following night so it was a gap to pack and then back into the arena for German Thrash Metal
Kreator
With a bigger stage set up than Overkill, one would think where the money was spent. German thrash veterans Kreator had their Phantom Antichrist set up out and with the intro of Mars Mantra the band stormed on stage and plunged straight into the relentless battery of riffage with Phantom Antichrist, From Flood Into Fire, Warcurse and Coma Of Souls/Endless Pain. The band have a no nonsense reputation and for the first part of the set there was little crowd interaction just bludgeoning with riff after riff from founder Mille Petrozza and Sami Yli-Sirnio. The band's style has always leant to the harder edged thrash style of Slayer and was one of the sounds instrumental to the early death metal bands. Pleasure To Kill and Hordes of Chaos came next with circle pits erupting everywhere, Petrozza only taking breaks to incite pits and walls of death during the tracks. The first half ended with Enemy Of God and Phobia the lights stayed off and the band walked off stage. This did stick in the throat a little as it seemed like they were going to finish very early but no back they came guitars in hand as Jürgen Reil put himself back behind his drums ready to abuse them again. The pits really started to get brutal now with Violent Revolution, United In Hate, People Of The Lie and Civilization Collapse making up this end again all delivered with laser like precision. However it all fell apart at the end as they came out yet again this time with Mille waving the flag of hate and after two false intros (which referenced Michael Jackson and Judas Priest) they finally played their most well-known song before finishing with Tormentor. For a band that doesn't say much this last part went on a bit too long and killed some of the momentum, they do what they do excellently, my only criticism is that it can all be a little too much, there is no variation it's like being beaten up (although not as much as those in the pit!) Still it was one of the highlights of the weekend and closed things with a bang! 9/10
Monday 17 March 2014
World Of Metal 6: Human Decay, Marshroom, Trigant
Human Decay are thrash band hailing from Italy and Figli Di Dio is their debut EP, it features three tracks of furious thrash with some technical guitar playing and lots of blast beat drumming topped with some deathy vocals. The band's lyrics are in Italian which is not a problem as most fo the time thrash is purely about the riffs and these are solid, Sperma Benedetto, Vampiri and Meschini Traditori have an old school feel of bands like Exodus and Forbidden mixing the thrash with the death vocals and the rough and ready production. With two speed metallers it's up to Meschini Traditori to end the album with a stomping riff to headbang to and by the time its over you can see that Human Decay have a lot of potential and talent that just needs to be harnessed. 7/10
Marshroom: Kappelmesiter (Self Released)
So a trio made up of one girl and two guys that play hard rock? Sounded like an interesting prospect and as the rim hits of I Like It signal the intro to the bluesy hard rock style with some killer guitar from Vladimir, pulsing bass from Vyacheslav and drums from Yana. This is a band that have a mix of styles and like to mix it up throughout giving them a sound similar to System Of A Down with an off kilter, never quite sure what's going to happen sound. Case in point Mr Kokle which has a kazoo at the beginning and has a Beatles like madness about it before morphing into a Red Hot Chilli Peppers song with lots of funk bass/guitar and runs for over 11 minutes(!) changing style throughout. The two Razzamatazz tracks are very much the same track split into two and leads into Motley Limb which is a big jangly ballad. Marshroom really do throw a bit of everything in the pot to try and make it work and for the most part they do, yes the vocals are a bit weird, the production ranges from adequate to dire and the band are bit like Marmite you will either be taken in them or be totally put off. I'm in the former camp and thought they are doing something abit different and new to a lot of bands out there. 7/10
Trigant: Wolves EP (Self Released)
Trigant are from Germany and yes they play thrash however this isn't your normal Kreator, Destruction, Sodom fodder the band branch out a bit throwing in some groove metal ala Machine Head and Lamb Of God. See Wolves which has a driving percussive intro before the guitars kick in and get heads banging. The guitars of Benjamin and Robin Rechner are great with Benjamin really showing his skill on the melodic intro to Reflection and the drums of Daniel Rodenbuchter really anchors everything on Disembodied. So the music is good but still I haven't really taken to Trigant, this could be because of Peter's vocals which I just don't like (personal opinion I know) still like I said the music is good, the production is crisp and modern and the songwriting for riffs etc strong I just think with a better vocalist the band could be a lot better. 5/10
Tuesday 11 March 2014
Another Point Of View: Crowbar (Review By Paul)
Friday 7 March 2014
Reviews: Bigelf, Adrenaline Mob, Dark Forest, Savage Messiah
Is this Bigelf or creative genius Damon Fox's solo album? That was what went through my mind as I read the liner notes, Fox handles the vocals, guitar, bass and most importantly the keyboards on the majority of the tracks with only bassist Duffy Snowhill remaining from the bands last incarnation and only appearing on a few tracks along with Luis Maldonado invited to "play some solos and add some colour" on the guitar. However for the most part it is Damon Fox flexing his twisted creative muscles on this album, he is aided and abetted on by musical Nomad Mike Portnoy on the drums and as usual Portnoy adds a huge amount of class to every track but never overshadows anything. So on to the album and as usual its a bit of a trip moving through, Beatles like pop-psychedelia, Sabbath doom, propulsive organ driven prog and even a bizarre carnival atmosphere throughout with wurlitzers and organs driving all of the songs. With the Incredible Time Machine Fox starts things off with a creepy lurching song with a sugar sweet verse and ominous chorus and then time shifts (wink wink nudge nudge) into a fuzzy dreamy final section, summing up Bigelf's sound in one 4 minute song, next is the science fiction inspired Hypersleep which has sludgy main riff punctuated by some synths and features Fox's unique vocals before things shift again into a space rock freak out worthy of Hawkwind. The album carries on like this through 12 tracks taking you on a magical mystical tour through Fox's mind from the sitar based rock of The Professor And The Madman, the heavy metal Vertigod and Theater Of Dreams which doesn't sound like Portnoy's former band but rather his inspiration John, Paul, George and Ringo, the most telling of all the tracks is the driving Control Freak which possibly explains why Fox has gone all Steven Wilson on us. This yet another excellent album from Bigelf who shows that really it doesn't matter if the album is just him as he is Bigelf. Welcome to his world! 9/10
Adrenaline Mob: Men Of Honor (Elm City Music)
So I'll say this now, despite the critical beating it took form the music press, I quite enjoyed the first Adrenaline Mob album. In the interim between the first and this second album the band have lost Mike Portnoy (see Bigelf & Transatlantic and Winery Dogs for some reasons why) and in his place have put A.J Pero from Twisted Sister, so not the supergroup they once were only ex-Disturbed man John Moyer and Symphony X's Russell Allen remain in the A-List talent bracket. So what is the album like? Well it's your strict meat and potatoes metal, the riffs are heavy and melodic and the lyrics are chest beating and misogynistic, this is the sort of music Nickelback strive for when they are not trying to write arena ballads. Case in point is the opener Mob Is Back which sounds a lot like Burn It To The Ground with slightly better guitar playing from Mike Orlando. Unfortunately the album doesn't get much better than this, the band seem to be pooling their collective talents and driving in cruise control, this is American radio rock at it's simplest, Dearly Departed is The Foo Fighters, Behind These Eyes is a big Def Leppard like ballad. Maybe I'm getting old but this album disappoints me, it is far below their collective talents, yes I did like the first album as for a one off it was quite a breath of fresh air for all those concerned however it did strike me as a one-time thing and on this sophomore album they prove it by showing no advancement at all. Back to the day jobs I think guys! 4/10
Dark Forest: The Awakening (Cruz Del Sur Music)
Dark Forest are a old school metal band bringing NWOBHM to the modern era. Hailing from the the West Midlands (the spiritual home of metal) the band have all the hallmarks of Iron Maiden and bands of the early 80's along with revivalists like Cauldron. The first thing strikes you is the guitar playing of Christian Horton and Patrick Jenkins which is superb bringing the dual guitar riffage of Murray and Smith/Gers aided by the smashing drums of Adam Sidway and the galloping bass of Paul Thompson. However despite the strength of tracks like The Awakening, Turning Of The Tides, Secret Commonwealth and the rousing closer Sons Of England the band have one weak link and that is the vocals of Josh Winnard who despite having a bit of puff in the higher sections, he is flat for the rest of the time, his voice really is not my cup of tea, maybe it's because most bands of this ilk have a vocalist that can at least sing (albeit some can't hit the notes) not the other way around that seems to be the case with Dark Forest. I was looking forward to some good quality British metal and musically the band pull it off it's just that voice that grates on me so badly. My advice is listen to the album and see what you think but for me the album that could have been so much better if they had just changed one little thing. 5/10
Savage Messiah: The Fateful Dark (Earache)
So four albums into their career Savage Messiah still have a point to prove and they go some way to proving it on The Fateful Dark from the intro of Iconocaust they channel Metallica's arena heroics before the main riff kicks in and its all guns blazing with the super fast thrash riffage of Joff Bailey and Dave Silver which is driven by the face crushing rhythm section of Stefano Selvatico's bass and Andrea Gorio's double kick frenzy and mixes the razor sharp riffage with lots of melodic passages. This trend continues with the fist pounding Minority Of One which has a killer solo in the middle and also shows how good Silver's vocals have become since their debut, he has his own unique delivery that suits the band's modern thrash style. I've been calling Savage Messiah a thrash band but they do bring in traditional metal to the proceedings as well with Cross Of Babylon having the sound of latter period Judas Priest and Hellblazer is prime power metal and Live As One Already Dead is a Megadeth style power ballad. In fact the 10 tracks on this album are full of power and passion packed with killer riffs face melting solos and lots of heavy bottom end all topped by Silver's strong vocals and the crystal clear production. This is a seriously good album, definitely Savage Messiah's best release and it will go some way to push them up into the upper echelons of the British metal scene. 8/10
Monday 3 March 2014
Reviews: Majesty, Klogr, Tides Of Sulfur
Lets lay it down now before we start, that Majesty (no not the band that were to become Dream Theater) sound like Manowar, a lot like Manowar, in fact if anything they are blatant copyists. The rampant drumming, galloping bass, face melting guitars and soaring vocals, coupled with swords and sorcery lyrics mean that the German band have all the loin-clothed bravado of the American 'True Metal' creators. Indeed the band themselves changed their name to Metalforce for one album and signed to Magic Circle Music before returning to Majesty and Massacre records shortly after. So yes the band do sound like Manowar but putting that aside the band play with passion and power, with the dual guitars adding the Maiden-like harmonies to the songs about battle and war that are filled with solos galore and has founder member Tarek Maghary leading the charge so to speak with his Eric Adams-esque vocals which soar above the true metal music. This is metal (or at least Manowar) by numbers mainly but if you like your metal muscular, powerful, slightly cheesy and at least half naked and trussed up with leather, then you will like Majesty's sixth album and you will bang your head, draw your broadsword and grab your war axe to tracks like the frenetic We Want His Head, the sing along Banners High and the anthems United By Freedom and Take Me Home all of which sound like they could be on Kings Of Metal or Battle Hymns. If all this sounds like your idea of hell then I'd give Majesty a wide berth, however for everyone else that ignores the fact this is Manowar, it is a fun sixth album from the Germans. 6/10
Klogr: Black Snow (Zeta Factory/Believe)
Now this is going to be a hard one, Klogr (pronounced kay-log-are) are an alternative metal band from Italy and America, their name comes from the law of Weber-Fechner, which is known as the fundamental psycho-physical relationship (S = K log R). (So now you know) Anyway back to the task at hand and musically the band are labelled as alternative metal and that they are with elements of A Perfect Circle, Tool and modern bands of their ilk, the band have down tuned metallic riffs with some dreamy harmonies, the bass intro of Zero Tolerance opens the track up for the riffage Giampi and Rusty who bring some strong riffs to the track with Rusty also bringing a wide vocal range with shouts and a harmonic clean vocal that sounds a lot like APC and Tool's Maynard. The band then move into the percussive, radio friendly Refuge which should blow up on American FM channels. This seems to the style of the album with chunky metallic downtuned riffs, angry vocals and lots of alternative attitude, so they have enough melody to appeal to those that like the Alter Bridge set but also enough power to tour with Prong (which they are currently doing). The band have a sound that is similar to a lot of bands but a sound that is very much their own mixing the bands previously mentioned with some of the ballads coming off like Bullet For My Valentine (Heart Breathing) and others full of the angst and heaviness shown by NIN albeit without the electronic influences, see Hell Of Income, then the band will move into an almost Deftones area on Room To Doubt before leaving things on the almost Katatonia like dreamscape of Ambergais. The songs are powerful and draw from the American style of alternative metal bands, the production is crisp and makes the songs sound very punchy. This is a grower of an album that after a few plays will open itself up into one of the most intelligent and cerebral albums this year so far. Watch out as Klogr are about to make a huge impact. 8/10
Tides Of Sulfur: Eternal Bleeding Demo (Self Released)
Cardiff noise merchants Tides of Sulfur have obviously adopted the 'music as a weapon' approach to their debut demo. The demo is made up of three tracks each of which are heavy sludge-like metal with screamed vocals from bassist Chris Bull who brings the bowel rupturing bottom end as well as the demon like guttural roars and banshee screams that punctuate the riff assault of Anthony O'Shea who tries his best to make your ears bleed, both men are anchored in their assault by the drums of Tom Lee who smashes the hell out of his kit. The band have lots in common with sludge masters Crowbar as well as throwing in some Neurosis for good measure. From the opening tolling bells, which moves into the killer intro from O'Shea and then the heavy as a hammer bass driven main riff Grimace starts things off nicely and then moves straight into the sledgehammer doom of Walk With The Living before finishing off with the stomach rumbling of the title track which is slow and ominous in the classic Sabbath style. This is a classy debut and is very well produced for a demo, the roughness of it lending to the violent, evil sounding songs. If you want some serious brain rattling from a new metal band then look no further than Tides Of Sulfur. 8/10
Reviews: Hatriot, Freedom Call, Vanden Plas (Reviewed By Paul)
The latest project of long standing thrash veteran Steve Souza basically grabs you in the nuts, kicks seven shades of shit out of you and leaves through the back door whilst you regain your breath. This is a full-on 80s thrash fest from start to finish. This is the second full album from Hatriot, following quickly on the heels of 2013’s Heroes of Origin debut. Clearly, subtle isn't a word that exists in the Souza vocabulary as opener My Cold Dead Hands comes straight at you, with multiple shredding and Souza’s trademark vocals which left a huge influence on Exodus after Paul Baloff between 1986 and 1993 immediately grabbing the attention. Indeed, the comparisons with his former band are impossible to exclude. Driving drums and bass with the dual guitars of Kosta Vavatakis and Miguel Esparza ripping back and fore dominate the opener and the massive Testament sounding Your Own Worst Enemy before a slight easing of tempo during The Fear Within. Souza’s vocals were always a bit marmite-like. Personally, I like the guttural growl he uses; not only does he possess one of the most recognisable vocal styles in thrash, but you can usually get the gist of what he is singing too. This is quality musicianship with the drumming of Cody Souza particularly notable throughout the album and outstanding on Honour In The Rise and Fall which powers through like an express train. Ridiculous title award goes to Superkillafragsadisticactsaresoatrocious which could comfortably slot in to the Exodus back catalogue; massive hooks, soaring solos and chanting chorus combine to really give this the old school feel and even comes with the chanting of “Free Pussy Riot” in the fade which gives you an idea of the track’s lyrical meaning. The title track is the album’s stand out song, with Souza opening up with a trademark scream before a slow build up, full of groove and hook, with the track layering sweetly and increasing in strength and speed as it moves to the crescendo with increased tempo and some powerful fretwork from Vavatakis and Esparza. This track briefly allows you to catch your breath before the full throttle onslaught takes hold. Fans of Testament, Exodus, Violence, Kreator and even Onslaught should really get on the outside of this album. Yes, it has been done before; no, it’s not groundbreaking but if you love a bit of old school thrash in the Bay Area tradition then this is for you. 8/10
Freedom Call: Beyond (SPV/Steamhammer)
A bit like Hatriot, the eighth album from the German Power Metal outfit Freedom Call contains few surprises. Opener Union of the Strong absolutely stinks of Helloween circa 1986 but is delivered in exactly the way you want your German power metal to be. Harmonies galore, rapid fire drumming, squeaky vocals and solos coming at you from every angle. Knights of Taragon follows the same pattern, sword and sorcery lyrical content and some interesting use of trumpet style synths adds to the mix. Chris Bay’s vocals are exactly what you would expect, following the Michael Kiske blueprint of high pitched almost falsetto delivery at times alongside an almost narrative delivery at times. Heart of a Warrior continues in the same vein, rampaging along with the powerful drumming of new man Ramy Ali combining with Ilker Ersin on bass. The guitars of Bay and Lars Rettkowitz deliver some intricate and detailed fretboard action throughout. The Maidenesque Come on Home contains the brilliantly delivered line “Bang Your Head or Die” before drifting into a sing-along ala United by Judas Priest. The title track opens with piano and a string section with Bay doing his best Dickinson impression before off we gallop again. This is quite simply great fun and for those who have seen these guys on stage, you'll know that they are an absolute scream live. Beyond contains 14 tracks and the edition I have also has a second disc of live and unplugged tracks which unfortunately don't always portray Bay’s vocals in the best light but even so you certainly get your money’s worth. This album has more cheese in it than Madame Fromage's specialty Cheese Shop, and by the time you get to Follow Your Heart with its saccharine sweet harmonic choruses you'll have either broken out in a big grin and a massive hope that these guys will appear at BOA again or you’ll have put Hatriot on repeat to cleanse your system. I’m somewhere in the middle with power metal. However, this album is well constructed and sticks very close to a formula that works. 7/10
Germanic progressive metallers Vanden Plas latest release is a marmite album with no middle ground. You'll either love this or absolutely hate it. The band’s former works have developed themes from the world of fantasy with lashings of progressive overtones and this one moves even more into that realm being a collaboration with multi-million selling fantasy author Wolfgang Holhbein and based on his Chronicles of the Immortals books. Opener Vision One sets the scene with a narrative from Dave Esser and heartfelt vocals from the unfortunately named Andy Kuntz (yes, cousin of German Footballer Stefan) before the band launch into the real opener Vision Two – The Black Knight; an eight minute plus epic that has drawn massively from Dream Theater in both composition and structure. Several changes of tempo and excellent musicianship with intricate interplay between Gunter Werno’s keyboards and Stephan Lill’s guitar work surge through this piece which reaches a crescendo with a choir adding backing vocals. You get the picture. The remainder of the album is broken down into a further eight ‘Visions’ with the story developing around a boy who is different and feels no-one understands him. Kuntz’s vocals are solid and impressive with a decent range on display. Vision Three – Godmaker continues in a similar vein albeit slightly shorter, and again it is the Dream Theater comparison that instantly comes to mind. Vision Four – Misery Affection Prelude introduces female vocals and segues neatly into Vision Five – A Ghost’s Requiem where the pace is much slower with piano and strings delivering a sombre atmosphere. The theatrical element of this album is unsurprising given the background that the band have in theatre, and this contributes massively to the way the album flows with huge classical elements complementing the regular changes in tempo and direction. Most of the tracks on the album rock in at six minutes plus but throughout the constant change in styles and delivery mean that you are rarely distracted and attention is maintained. This is an album crafted with delicacy and no little beauty. Highlights for me were Vision Seven – The King and the Children of the Lost World which is again crafted elegantly and combines heavy passages with much lighter elements. The album closes with Vision Ten – Inside, a six minute conclusion to the story which maintains the intricate and delicious balance of light and dark interplay that runs throughout the album. Definitely one of the albums of the year if you like progressive metal with huge classical overtones and a big production. If you don't, steer well clear. I’m in the former camp. It’s a damn fine release. 9/10