Machinergy – Sounds Evolution. (Self released) [Review By Nick]
Hailing from Portugal the gents from the quite frankly awesomely named Machinergy bring us their new album Sounds Evolution. Filled with deep dark grungy thrash this album really is one to take your anger out on. Opening with title track Sounds Evolution we are thrown into a fast paced flurry of rhythmic guitars and drum destroying that really spikes your interest from the off. As the drums slam away relentlessly behind the guitars and vocals of Rui Vieira, you can hear how blatantly dark, evil the vocals are as they are delivered with an almost pained edge that really does add a touch of agony of emotion to the track, however this does not end here. Moving into Furia and Machine Gun Anger the beat down upon the band instruments continues, loud heavy and pain filled these tracks ooze both meaning and skill. Rui’s guitars although not outlandish become mesmerizing which is only further compounded by the whipping that Helder Rodrigues’s drums receive. Its only at this point it hit me… these guys are a three piece! But hell do they sound like one? …not in any way! The sound and brutality Machinergy manage to beat out of their instruments is truly brilliant. The album drops in pace but not in sound for Venomith, stuffed full of hard edged riffs the context on which he album is based continues. Antagonsita possibly the song of the album it is a beauty of track rammed full of everything a metal song should have; brutality, vocal and instrumental emotion and heavy dark undertones. Cada Falso steps up the game further, adding more lashings of hard sharp riffs with quick tone changes and direction of speed. As the album comes to a close Machinergy continue as they have throughout the album, but it is hard not to notice the slightly more melodic riffs that enter the game from as well as some sublime operatic female backing vocal Waterwar through the instrumental track Hammer which is crammed with wonderfully placed mini breakdowns that send your head shaking side to side and your fist hammering down on you knees with great assertion. Final track Paraphernalia is somewhat disappointingly placed in my opinion. Probably the weakest track on the album, that is stretched out and feels very bare compared to the rest of the album until the riff kicks in on the very simplistic chorus. It a shame really as an album of this quality deserves a much better ending! So, hard day at the office? Come home finding you want to break shit? Why not try this gem of an album first and save a bit of money. Let Machinergy forcefully insert their brand of dark emotion filled grungy thrash into your ears and see how that feels, let me tell you… it feels damn good! 8/10
Disforia: The Age Of Ether (Self Released)
Disforia come from the the home of the Mormons; Salt Lake City, Utah but don't expect any cheesy pop Osmonds style. No Disforia are a progressive/power metal band, The Age Of The Ether is their debut album and things start off slowly with intro Essence which explodes into the fast and furious opener Chaos which has some speedy intro before breaking into some off time riffage backed by some lush orchestrations, the band so much into this four minute track it leaves you breathless and baying for more. With dual guitars coming thick and fast as well as keyboard the melodic side of this band are well catered for with the six stringers and the ivory tinkler both catered for on the solo front. This is somewhat of a concept album with little snippets of storyline spliced throughout the album, it beats me what the concept is about but it seems like it is heavily reliant on Sci-Fi imagery, as every good prog metal album should be! The band sound a lot like early Pagan's Mind with their intensely progressive approach but with lots of power metal melody and gusto. Dream Eater has a tasty 8-bit keyboard intro to it as the drums furiously beat out the rhythm, the vocals too are great reaching the massive highs as well as some guttural roaring on Dream Eater particularly which much like its predecessor has so much going on it's hard to keep up with, from the technical guitars and the little synth flourishes over the top of the big metallic guitars, the track sounds like it should be on a 1980's racing game! The gutteral roars continue on Creator's Creator and put me in mind of a power metal Opeth (especially with the lavish use of organ and mellotron throughout) or indeed little known proggers Mutiny Within (a band I like a lot!). Creator's Creator marks the beginning of the long songs that every prog band needs, in fact the next four tracks, barring instrumental Infection are over 7 minutes long!! Vocally singer John Yelland sounds a lot like Blind Guardian's Hansi Kursch, a band Disforia sound a huge amount like and I thought I was going mad when I heard him apparently duelling with himself until I found out the other voice was Hansi himself appearing on The Dying Firmament. As you can appreciate I nearly injured myself when I found this out as I am a dyed in the wool Blind Guardian fan. After the second instrumental things kick off yet again with the gloriously cinematic Beyond The Walls Of Misery which leads into Lunar Sunrise which is the final 7 minute plus track and features the vocals of Miss Brittany Hayes from Canadian Power/Death metallers Unleash The Archers. As the final notes of The Ethereal ring out Disforia have taken you on a musical journey full of twists and turns. The performances on this record are amazing and they are only bolstered by the amazing production job. If you like progressive/power/speed metal that is intelligent, amazingly played and all encompassing then find this album!! It is immense!! 10/10
Cobra: To Hell (Austral Holocaust Records)
Leather, chains, bullet belts and heavy metal; things that go together wherever you are in the world and with the retro metal revival still going strong its time for the metal loving South Americans to have a shot at the crown co-held by the Swedes, the Canadians and the Brits. Peru based Cobra are here to play old school NWOBHM and from their album cover (a denim clad hero being sucked into the fiery depths) onwards you know what to expect. This is dual guitars, four-four drum patterns, low slung bass and helium vocals that echo Priest, Maiden etc that came before them. The inaugural track Beyond The Curse builds from it's guitar solo intro in way reminiscent to Diamond Head's classic Am I Evil? before the bass gallop kicks off the track proper and the guitars ring out like Dave and Adrian. To Hell is Cobra's sophomore album and it is played with real grit and determination, yes it has been done before but you have to have balls to open with an eight minute plus track, which admittedly is really good blending together all of the hallmarks of this kind of leather clad retro metal. Augusto Morales' bass leads everything with his Harris-like runs that pave the way for Nito Mejía and Andrés Rhor's twin guitar attack and Harry "El Sucio" (Dirty Harry in English language fans!) shrieked vocals that may be this bands Marmite, you will either love them or hate them. Personally I think they fit the music perfectly and he is doing very well to tell the stories of War on Fallen Soldier, bikers on Rough Riders, which has a hell of a solo outro and also sex on When I Walk The Streets. Oh yes these Peruvians have what it takes to challenge the big boys of Europe and North American, they have the riffs, the solos and indeed the ear piercing vocals to be featured on the next Enforcer tour for sure. It shows that when you have a passion for something you inevitably do it as well as your idols, good stuff indeed. 8/10
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