Wizard Tattoo - Fables Of The Damned (Self Released) [Rich Piva]
Well, this is fun, part 2! I have become the Musipedia Of Metal Wizard Tattoo reviewer of choice and I am here for it, given I provided some kind word to Bram the Bard on the one-man band’s self-titled debut EP and am really enjoying the follow up, the first full length, Fabled Tales Of The Damned. To catch you all up, the EP tells the story of a man who gets a wizard tattoo and is then pretty much turned into a wizard, or who is not turning into a wizard but is instead losing his shit. One or the other. I mean what better way to spend your time than to see what happened to our hero but also get smacked by some riffs, some doomy goodness, all while be catchy and never too much along the path to his and your enlightenment.
There is a lot going on as we pick up our story, including our hero’s trip in the Wizard Van, which starts off with a cool riff and an 80s metal feel to it accompanied by some spoken word and almost whisper sung vocals to catch us up. I love the guitar work by Bram on this track and the echoed vocal effect with there is some singing. Great song, maybe Bram’s best so far. The Black Mountain pass is up next, and I love how Bram weaves the story with spoken word, singing, and his great guitar work. You can follow the story easily, there is no subtly here which can be enjoyable for a concept album. Sometimes I want a story, not to interpret a story. There are plenty of over bloated prog bands for me to try to figure out what they are talking about. Anyway, this song is some really fun doomy trad metal that fits perfectly.
The Vengeful Thulsa Dan leans towards some under produced NWOBHM doom leaning stuff (complement) where once again Bram’s axe work stands out. Any Which Way But Turned sounds like a song right out of a western, but instead of cowboys you have, of course, wizards. Seriously. Of course, there is no doubt that it works well with the journey because Bram is a master storyteller. The Ghost Of Doctor Beast feels like the climax of the story has arrived, the final battle, with its heavy riffs and plodding pace, but never boring as you are waiting to find out where this is all going. I love call backs, and God Damn This Wizard Tattoo brings us back to the original EP, again making this a real chapter in the Wizard Tattoo canon.
Abendrote is a six-minute acoustic ending to this part of the journey which works but could have been half as long and still been effective, but somehow just reminded me of Tommy at the end. Maybe I am losing my shit. Did I get a wizard tattoo somehow in an Ambien induced haze? A real step forward for Bram and his Wizard Tattoo storyline. Never sounding too much like a one-man band but never losing the charm of one either, I am looking forward to what’s next in this adventure. Keep bringing the riffs and the fun Sir Bram. 7/10
Abendrote is a six-minute acoustic ending to this part of the journey which works but could have been half as long and still been effective, but somehow just reminded me of Tommy at the end. Maybe I am losing my shit. Did I get a wizard tattoo somehow in an Ambien induced haze? A real step forward for Bram and his Wizard Tattoo storyline. Never sounding too much like a one-man band but never losing the charm of one either, I am looking forward to what’s next in this adventure. Keep bringing the riffs and the fun Sir Bram. 7/10
Sidus - Seismus EP (Argonauta Records) [Quinn Mattfeld @AV4Apod]
It’s always a matter of time when listening to an instrumental album that I think, “I feel like something is missing…” and the answer is always “Oh yeah, vocals.” However, when you go to art school (if you have managed to avoid those institutions that prey on trust fund brats, selling them a justification for their own pretention) someone should tell you that, as a thoughtful, critical, observer of art, your job is not to judge the work based on what you want to see and hear but rather based on what the artist wants to show you and how well they achieved that goal.
The new EP Siesmus from Athenian instrumental quartet Sidus is so good, it almost allows me to overcome my sub-par arts education and just give over completely to the swells of their nearly flawless eighteen-minute post-metal masterpiece… almost. Sidus opens with an ominous whispering of melody on Stage I: Rupture (is it even a post-metal record if the song titles don't contain a number followed immediately by a colon and subtitle? No. The answer is no. It's not.)
The opening track heralds the coming of a seismic wave that arrives in the form of Stage II: Seismic Wave because, again… post metal. Sidus manages to avoid the pitfalls of many instrumental acts by never lingering for too long on any one sound, though they do threaten towards the end of this track. Fortunately, the tension and pay-off are expert here and before long Stage III: Seismus delivers a pummeling climax that echoes the works of Elder and The Ocean at the peak of their powers. Still, I couldn't help but listen to my heart, wondering what a Lore-era Nick De Salvo or an any-era Loic Rosetti vocal track might sound like layered into the mix.
The predominant feeling of the EP is satisfaction though, as wave upon wave of alternately mournful and crushing emotion rolls over the listener. Seismus is so well paced and executed that Sidus has made it easy work to sing their praises while the absence of any actual singing still allows for disappointment to linger around the edges of what is an undeniable achievement.
So, I'm a poor art student for wanting to hear something the band wasn't intending but having graduated from 2 different art schools means that I don't feel too guilty for wanting something more. Perhaps my distance from institutes of artistic learning allows me to indulge my worser impulses as a critic in saying that Siesmus is exceptional instrumental post metal, despite the hopes of my heart that someone might give voice to music intended to be voiceless. 8/10
Membrance - Undead Island (Extreme Metal Music) [Zak Skane]
From the 8 bit crushed gun blast the band kick in with face ripping blast beats demonic tremolo picked guitars which sends us into the whelm of their world. With deep barked vocals and quaking metalzoned guitars the band take us to a land full of nostalgia which ooze of 1980/90 death metal from the brutality of Chris Barns era Cannibal Corse to the ballyness of Entombed.
The predominant feeling of the EP is satisfaction though, as wave upon wave of alternately mournful and crushing emotion rolls over the listener. Seismus is so well paced and executed that Sidus has made it easy work to sing their praises while the absence of any actual singing still allows for disappointment to linger around the edges of what is an undeniable achievement.
So, I'm a poor art student for wanting to hear something the band wasn't intending but having graduated from 2 different art schools means that I don't feel too guilty for wanting something more. Perhaps my distance from institutes of artistic learning allows me to indulge my worser impulses as a critic in saying that Siesmus is exceptional instrumental post metal, despite the hopes of my heart that someone might give voice to music intended to be voiceless. 8/10
Membrance - Undead Island (Extreme Metal Music) [Zak Skane]
From the 8 bit crushed gun blast the band kick in with face ripping blast beats demonic tremolo picked guitars which sends us into the whelm of their world. With deep barked vocals and quaking metalzoned guitars the band take us to a land full of nostalgia which ooze of 1980/90 death metal from the brutality of Chris Barns era Cannibal Corse to the ballyness of Entombed.
The intensity still carries on with Spirar nel Caigo from cyclone driving blast beats and black metal influenced screeched vocals. Spettro Malcontenta keeps it short and swift with its thrashy skank beats which will get the masses generating circular pits, whist 1348 keeps the momentum up with it’s snaring griding riffs, sludgy sections whilst also incorporating interesting hi hat patterns in the mix. Marubio comes in as the most intense song on the track list, with its demonic guitar harmonies that cut through this track with chainsaw consistency, whist blast blast beats cut into the listener like a drill to the cranium. On this song we also get to hear the singer going from Glen Benton (Deicide) gutturals to Will Ramos (Lorna Shore) styled blacked fries.
On this album band also know how strip back the technicality and let the power of groove compel us with songs like Armour Of Hate, Riva de Biaso and Stench Of Rot which shows us these metalzone soaked riff in all of its glory making some of the best material that could hold up to their peers Entombed and Obituary. This album takes the listener through a time warp to the late 80s and 90s whilst also reminding us of how good we still got it today. This album is brutal as it is well produced. From Cannibal Corps to Thy Art is Murder, this album will please the old and the new school. 8/10.
In The Kingdom Of Nightmares - Decay/Rebirth (Alien Swarm Records) [GC]
So, after a brief break form reviewing heavy stuff, I am back on the case and have the newest EP from New England metalcore outfit In The Kingdom Of Nightmares, the list of bands they have apparently been compared to is the usual metalcore suspect, Killswitch Engage, Unearth, The Ghost Inside and unfortunately As I Lay Dying, there was a time when this might not have been an issue but you know he went a bit murdery and kind or tarnished their reputation and name! anyway, that’s a small detail they included so cant get hung up on that! Time to see what we have here.
Beginning with Deadlights its apparent that they are VERY inspired by the wave of mid 00’s metalcore but they seem to want to do it slower and with an average death metal vocal added over the top, it speeds up slightly after about a minute but never really grabs hold of you and then slows back to a ponderous pace again and overall it just isn’t very convincing if I am honest, it’s just to slow and boring for my liking! Death Of Love sounds so much like Killswitch Engage its almost embarrassing and the reason that it’s so embarrassing because its not even a good rip off, again the music is at an almost snail’s pace and inspires nothing but a shrug and the vocals while not awful just don’t take you away like Howard Jones or Jessie Leach do with ease, here it sounds forced and painfully un-emotional and the whole song should just have been binned off!
River Road finally injects some energy into this so far dull EP, and it is a fair attempt at sounding like Unearth with the death metal vocals but again here’s the issue, they sound SO like everything they are inspired by its just like they are a cover band and the end of this song where they slooooooooow it right down to try and dial up the heaviness, they of course fail, miserably! The Quest is then actually one of the worst things I have heard this year, with its whoa oh oh oh beginning leading into a plodding maiden-esqe riff and littered with more whoa ohs ohs it just makes me want to curl up into a ball and die of cringe related sickness and then thankfully its on to final track When The Dead Speak and at this point I just want to turn this off because there is nothing original here and it inspires absolutely nothing in me but pity as you can guess this is just another second rate Unearth sounding track that just happens and then finishes.
Short and sweet review here because by the end I just wanted it to stop! I wanted to like this; I really did because most of the bands that inspire them are bands I like a lot but, unfortunately for In The Kingdom Of Nightmares, I REALLY didn’t like this at all. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but here its not, its just sounds like band who have absolutely no ideas and don’t know what to do to move that next step forward? 2/10
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