Time Signature Third wish...

Genre: US power metal

I know, I often gripe about the power metal genre and its tendency to be cheesy and kitschy. This does not mean that I dislike power metal as such, and whenever a really cool and interesting power metal band comes along (and, there ARE many of those), my day is pretty much saved.

So, thanks to Order of Nine for saving my day with their latest release "Seventh Year of the Broken Mirror".

Drawing on the more hard-edged aesthetics of US power metal, the tunes on this album are dark and heavy, often entering into power-thrash territory with its aggressive riffage and chucking guitars. There are both epic and melodic elements pulling the music in the other direction (and some of the tracks feature keyboards and other melodic element). The result is a stylistically broad type of power metal that captures the best of both power-thrash and epic power metal. On top of this, Order of Nine have sprinkled a couple of progressive elements. The brilliant "Changing of the Guard" pretty much captures everything that makes this album as interesting as it is.

In a power metal context, perhaps the most unique feature of "Seventh Year of the Broken Mirror" is Michael Degrena's baritone vocals which may take some time getting used to simply because this type of singing is unusual in power metal. But, once his voice clicks with you, hopefully, you should be able to appreciate the important contribution Degrena makes to the unique sound on this album. The musicianship is top notch across the board, and fans of blazing guitar solos especially have something to look forward to.

If you like dark power metal with and unusual vocals, then "Seventh Year of the Broken Mirror" is an album that you simply must not miss out on.

Time Signature What men call metal...

Genre: power-thrash

I've always thought that there should be "power" in power metal, and one of the reasons that I am very critical of the genre (which I otherwise love very much) is that a lot of power metal tends to be cheesy and even goofy in a sort of happy puppy way. The American power metallers in Dark Empire's music is free of power metal cheese, and full of "power" all the way through.

Stylistically, I would say that we are dealing with power-thrash than pure power metal, which is underlined already in the opening track 'A Plague in the Throne Room', which might even be described as more thrash than power metal. Dark Empire not only make use of elements from thrash metal; like Cage and Iron Fire, Dark Empire also incorporate elements from extreme metal into their style, and this is one feature that I welcome. Thus, Dark Empire make use of additional growled vocals, provided by guitarist Matt Moliti, which go well together with main vocalist Brian Larkin's more traditional US power metal vocals. Larkin has a powerful and a kind of raw voice which suits the style of "From Ruin to Refuge" very well.

Dark Empire call their own style 'dark power metal' and that is a quite fitting label, because, although there are thrash, melodeath, and other extreme-metal elements aplenty, the core sound is undeniably power metal, and the genre-defining features are there, such as the grandiose and epic catchy choruses, and an overall epic atmosphere that actually goes well with the album's more aggressive sides. As with Symphony X's brand of power metal, there is progressive twist on "From Refuge to Ruin" in the form of some odd time signatures, the use of some alternative song structures, and some neoclassicisms. However, Dark Empire's style is much more aggressive and less progressive than Symphony X, so do not expect a "Paradise Lost" or an "Iconoclast".

"From Refuge to Ruin" is definitely a great power-thrash album that is rich in dark atmosphere and aggression, yet contains all the elements that make good power metal.

Time Signature The American metallers A Sound of Thunder are back with their sophomore effort, and, all I can say is HOLY FUCK it's awesome!

But since reviews on the Metal Music Archives have to be more than 100 words, I guess I have to say more than just "HOLY FUCK it's awesome."

Fortunately, this gives me the opportunity to praise the band even more. Combining elements from traditional heavy metal (especially Iron Maiden and Judas Priest seem to be sources of inspiration here) with a few of the non-cheesy elements from mainly US power metal, A Sound of Thunder have put together a collection of very strong and compelling songs, sprinkled with a bit of southern groove, a bit of hard rock swagger, a bit of power-thrash aggression, and a bit of doom metal darkness every now and then. Some tracks are even epic in natures, such as the ballad 'This Too Shall Pass' and the Spanish-flavored 'Calat Alhambra' as well as the quasi-symphonic 'Discovery'.

I must say that, while I enjoy every aspect of the album and the musicianship is top notch all round, the main attraction to me on this album is Nina Osegueda's vocals. She is simply awesome. Her voice is super versatile, ranging from soft silky sentimental singing over raw metal screams to ballbusting rock roars. She is definitely one of the best metal vocalist I have heard in a long time.

Fans of classic metal should definitely check out this album because... HOLY FUCK it's awesome!

Time Signature A sense of urgency...

Genre: progressive metal

The seasoned vocalist Lance King has fronted many bands throughout his career, and last year the time came for him to release a solo album - namely "A Moment in Chiros", which is released on his own Nightmare Records.

Stylistically, "A Moment in Chiros" falls under the rubric of progressive power metal which might be described as a blend of Anubis Gate and Queensrÿche (back when Rÿche were more interesting). Artistically, I think that the type of melodic progressive power metal that Lance King delivers is actually quite successful. The performance is tight and there is a certain groove to the compositions, which also strike me as multi-layered and dynamic, but never so whimsical or quirky, that the casual listener can't keep up. King's flirtation with keyboards and electronic elements every now and then could be a recipe for potential disaster to some, but he more than gets away with it, as it actually fits very well into the very melodic sound.

We are definitely dealing with sophisticated and progressive music. However, a central element is a good dose of catchy melodies - especially in the choruses - which is why "A Moment in Chiros" is not prone to alienating people who are not into progressive or avant-garde music. Lance King's voice reminiscent of that of Geoff Tate at times - but also quite unique, and the way he delivers his vocals (with plenty of clarity and power) is destined to make the tunes on the album even more compelling than they already are instrumentally.

Additionally, the drumming (provided by Morten Gade Sørensen og Wuthering Heights and Pyramaze fame) is as precise as a clock, and guitar solos from Anubis Gate's Kim Olesen are nothing less than virtuous. Unfortunately, the bass is not as prominent in the overall mix as it should be, but it serves its purpose.

Fans of progressive metal and progressive power metal along the lines of Queensrÿche, Artizan, Anubis Gate and Pyramaze should check this album out and enjoy the streamlined and sophisticated melodic music it has to offer.

Time Signature Through the madness...

Genre: melodic thrash / power-thrash

Teramaze are branded as a progressive thrash band, and this description has also been applied to their latest effort "Anhedonia". Well, to be honest, I am not sure how progressive I think this album is. It definitely has a a lot of sophistication to it, and there are a couple of odd time signatures and other elements of finesse every now and then, but is that enough to make it progressive?

In any case, we are dealing with melodic thrash metal here - at times even describable as power-thrash. And melodic thrash which, in my opinion, is not only original, but also pretty damn good. The combination of melodic vocals, riffage which is at times melodic and at times aggressive but always sophisticated, and rock solid drums works incredibly well, which we hear already in the opening title track.

While grounded in melodic thrash metal, there are also elements from modern rock in general to be found on this album, and this influence is especially prevalent in Brett Rerekura's at times AIC-like vocals. In the big picture all of these elements fit neatly into the overall sound, as does the crisp and well defined production.

So, this is a very good work of melodic thrash metal, which I find inspiring and invigorating. There is a sad note attached here, though, as Julian Percy, who plays the drums on this album, died from heart problems in 2009 and thus never lived to see the release of "Anhedonia". But, given the sheer quality of the music and the artistic success that this album is, what better way to honor and commemorate Percy than through "Anhedonia"?

Fans of melodic thrash metal should definitely check out this release. It is aggressive but melodic and sophisticated. It is already an artistic success, but you can help make it a well-deserved commercial success, too.

Time Signature Digging up our dead...

Genre: groove metal/rock

Enter Wizards of Kaos (or WOK), a Canadian rock band who will be unleashing their eponymous debut album upon the rock-loving segments of the world population later this month. The band is categorized as a stoner rock band, but I think there is much more to the music on this album than just stoner rock.

Granted, there is a considerable influence from southern rock, and the spirit of the tracks on Wizards of Kaos can definitely be traced back to the hard rock of the 70s. However, there are plenty of metal elements on this album, some of which are so aggressive that I strongly recommend that you do not get stoned while listening to the album, as heard in 'Digging Up Our Dead', which even features some thrashy elements. While the southern groove is a central element on this album, neatly unifying all the tracks on Wizards of Kaos, you will find that the album is actually also quite varies, drawing on different genres within the hard rock and metal universe. For instance, the instrumental 'Ear Hole' combines heavy metal grooves and chucking riffage with post punk dissonance and alternative rock guitar melodies, and 'New World Mistress' features both heavy grooves and a boogie drive not unlike that of Cathedral's 'Ride', and 'The Great Shadow' draws on a very metallic main riff and a groovy bridge, while 'White Face' has an almost sludgy and punky edge to it.

There are virtually no weak track on this album, and I really like the raw and organic production Wizards of Kaos have opted for. The guitars are extremely distorted, and the bass has a fat bottom to it, while the drums have an authentic round sound to them – I also love the organic hippy-behind-the-kit drumming style, and the guitarists' use of grooves and guitar harmonies both score a lot of points in my book.

Fans of southern rock, sludge rock and stoner metal will definitely like Wizards of Kaos' debut album, and anyone who likes the groove should not hesitate to go out and buy it as soon as it is released.

(review originally posted at seoftranquility.org)

Time Signature Close to dawn...

Genre: melodic metal/hard rock

"Second Sun" is the second album from Bosnian melo-metallers Heaven Rain, and this is a massively romantic and epic melodic metal album if there ever was one.

Drawing on melodic guitar riffs and quasi-symphonic keyboards, the tunes on "Second Sun" are certainly very melodic and quite epic without, I think, being power metal as such. Miona Graorac's quite unusual voice is features quite prominently, and her unique voice (which is very unusual for other female vocalists within the same genre) definitely adds an extra dimension of interestingness to the vocal melodies.

Amidst all the more rock and metal oriented music, there are some very epic and symphonic intermezzos such as "Close to Dawn" and the closer "At the End of Time" and intros and outros of various other songs. In a bold move, Heaven Rain insert some electronica elements every now and then into these intermezzos, and I think that works quite well. Even the piano ballad "Nowehere" has an epic feel to it.

I think that fans of symphonic metal and epic power metal as well as fans of romantic gothic metal will love this bombastic and melodic album. I also think that those who prefer more aggressive types of metal will dislike the album for the same reason. Although I probably belong to this latter group of metalheads, I do enjoy this album. It does not quite rock my world, but I like the progressive edge that tracks like "Raven In Heart" have, and, while the most bombastic parts strike me as being outright cheesy, it is also clear to me that Heaven Rain, being the skilled musicians they are, are good at what they do.

In all, "Second Sun" is a solid melodic metal effort which should appeal to fans of romantic gothic metal. It' bombastic and melodic, and if you like that in your metal, then do not hesitate to invest in this album.

Time Signature Let them fall...

Genre: doom metal

The lords of doom are back! And it sounds like they were never gone. In fact, it sounds like it's still 1969, and with fuzzy guitars and heavy blues-influences Saint Vitus pretty much take us back to doom metal in its infancy.

With minimalistic and crushingly heavy guitar riffs as the main ingredient, Saint Vitus draws on a bass-rich and fuzz-ladden quite dirty guitar sound, which suits the overall tortured and desolate feel of this album perfectly (and which is very reminiscent of the sound on "Born Too Late", too). And, needless to say, Scott Weinrech's characteristic vocals, the heavy drum beats and the driving bass contribute equally importantly to the retention of the typical Saint Vitus sound no this album.

A track like "Let Them Fall" is simple and heavy and compellingly expressive, while the massive "The Bleeding Ground" has the same sort of darkly psychedelic groove associated with Black Sabbath, although the tempo is increased towards the end and a chaotic and at times noisy guitar solo kicks in. "Vertigo" is a melodic instrumental and allows one to rest the ears after the brilliant noise of "The Bleeding Ground". Drawing on a heavy (but actually quite uptempo) and minimalistic riff, "Blessed Night" has an almost hypnotic quality to it, and that big fat bass sound is just brilliant. "The Waste of Time" is a heavy and doom-laden track evolving around a set of classic doom metal-style riffs. This also applies to "Dependence", which is the magnum opus of the album (which does have a slightly more epic feel to it than anything else on the album), while "Withdrawal" is a sort of soundscape-thing evolving around experimentation with guitar noises.

Fans of doom metal should definitely check out this release. In true Saint Vitus style, it is retro beyond belief and goes all the way back to doom metal in its earliest form. It is slow, heavy, minimalistic, darkly psychedelic, tortured, dirty and bleak. It is true doom metal in every sense. If you love your Pentagram and your Black Sabbath, then you will also love Saint Vitus' "Lillie: F-65".

Time Signature Dance with the devil...

Genre: progressive metal

Fans of Lars Eric Mattsson must really be having the year of a lifetime. Not only are they treated to a rerelease of "Obsession"; there is also a new album from Mattson-led prog power metal project Book of Reflections. "Relentless Fighter" features Mattsson on guitars and Carsten Schulz from Evidence One and Marjju Kuikka of Status Minor on vocals and as co-writers.

Musically, "Relentless Fighter" is slightly heavier than Mattsson's other projects but the neoclassical guitar acrobatics for which Mattsson is famous are retained. Overall, the tracks on this album are quite progressive, featuring odd time signatures and spacey keyboards, which are put to quite good use in creating progressive quirks that go well together with Mattsson's neoclassicisms and the epic power metal-oriented choruses. I do think that the keys are perhaps a bit too dominant in some parts of 'Rise Up!', but that is probably just me.

The songs are very well put together, and I think that tracks like 'Until the Day', 'Dance With the Devil' and 'Crashing Through' are excellent, and I especially like how the synths combined with the neoclassicist approach remind me a bit of Rainbow. Other noteworthy tracks the heavy and groovy 'Somewhere Else to Be' and 'Gates to Oblivion', the latter being an instrumental with an eastern flavor to it.

While I really like the vocals and the guitar work, I think that the production is a bit too fuzzy, and the drums sounds very mechanical. This detracts a bit from the overall listening experience, but - fortunately - the music itself is still strong enough to hold its own (a more defined production and a more organic drumming style would have warranted a 4 or even 4.5 score, though).

"Relentless Fighter" is a fine guitar-driven progressive metal album with power metal elements and plenty of neoclassicisms to satisfy any fan of guitar shredding.

Time Signature Win...

Genre: power metal

To be honest, I think that X Factor contestants are best off forgotten - and, well, most of them do fade from the limelight drift into oblivion faster than the double bassdrums in an old Helloween song.

However, every now and then a truly remarkable contestant pops up and deserves all the attention they can get. Denmark's X Factor had Oliver Weers, who was famously kicked out for being too good, only to be offered a contract with a hard rock label and now has a career as a musician that most other X Factor contestants - even winners - can only envy. Norway's X Factor had Per Fredrik Åsly (aka. PelleK) performing power metal songs on X Factor (yes, as you can imagine this is pretty much unheard of), making it to the top 12, and now he has a career as an album releasing musician.

His latest album "Bag of Tricks" is his first release on the metal-oriented label Liljegren Records and, true to who PelleK is, it is a tour de force in European power metal. The songs are big and epic, the way Euro power metal should be, and features chucking guitars and pounding double bass drums. The vocal melodies are catchy and the choruses memorable, allowing PelleK to showcase his clear and powerful singing voice.

The epic aspect of this album cannot be underestimated, and many of the songs are boosted by symphonic synth effects - at times taking on an almost cinematic character. While this works for me most of the time, I do think that the synths become too dominant, and some of the ballads do strike me as being a bit too cheesy for my taste, such as 'Born in Babylon', 'Don't Belong' and 'Send My Message Home'.

PelleK is obviously a very talented singer, and, with Tommy ReinXeed taking care of virtually everything else, You can expect the musicianship to be no less than super professional, and especially the guitar solos are blazing and shreddy, yet often melodic and always biiig.

While a tad too cheesy for my taste in several places, I recognize that "Bag of Tricks" is a quality Euro power metal-album that has all the things that fans of the genre love. And, as mentioned, it does contain several elements that appeal to me as well. Fans of ReinXeed and Sonata Arctica should definitely give this album a listen.

Time Signature Death comes to all...

Genre: power metal

One out of no less than three ReinXeed-related releases to see the light of day this summer, Charlie Shred's eponymous debut-album is a true power-metal-fest which, although rooted in the European variety of power metal is pleasantly low on cheese but still full of melody.

While there are indeed keyboards and other effects associated with the cheesy end of power metal, Charlie Shred nonetheless retain the "power" in power metal, as they include a considerable influence from traditional heavy metal in form of old school razor sharp riffs which accompany the chucking power metal figures and the big and catchy choruses. Just check a track like 'Panic', the slightly heavy 'The Rose', or the aggressive hard rocker 'Tainted Inside'. Other tracks, like 'Death comes to All', 'Game Over', and 'Time To Die' are on the verge of being speed metal tracks with the two latter featuring riot-friendly shout-along choruses.

With people like Calle Sundberg, Mattias Johansson, and Tommy Reinxeed in the line-up, the musicianship is of course impeccable. And you can expect dazzlingly blazing guitar solos, well written tunes and a crisp and pristine production.

Charlie Shred's debut album contains the kind of power metal I like. It is big and catchy with epic elements, yet it has a lot of edge to it and the only cheese served is low fat diet cheese. Fans of both power metal and traditional metal should definitely give this album a listen.

Time Signature Save us...

Genre: Euro power metal

Well aware that Reinxeed's music belongs to that branch of über cheesy Euro power metal that just does not sit well with me, I decided to give the latest album a change. After all, I was kind of positively surprised by "1912". However, this one is so cheesy that it definitely cannot be good for my cholesterol count. Still, there is something about it that I kind of like.

The main theme of the album is the cinema, and thus the songs are inspired by Hollywood box office breakers and blockbusters. For instance, 'Life Will Find a Way' seems to be about the dinosaurs of the Jurassic Park series, while follow me is full of references to The Force and other things Star Wars. 'Save Us' is about the X-Men, and - not surprisingly - 'Stranger Tides' is inspired by 'Pirates of the Caribbean', and 'Somewhere in Time' is not an Iron Maiden cover song, but a song about Marty McFly and Doc Brown's adventures in their time-traveling DeLorean. 'Freedom', I presume, is inspired by the Braveheart movie, and 'No Fate' deals with the age-old theme of man versus machine (I am not sure exactly which movies it refers to, but references to Judgment Day would seem to indicate that it might be the Terminator series). 'Temple of the Crystal Skulls'... well, Indiana Jones fans will figure this one out. 'Welcome to the Theare' offers a potpourri of references to various Hollywood classics.

With such a main theme, the music can only be epic and cinematic. Rather than using a real orchestra, this effect is achieved through midi- and synth effects. Unfortunately, this ends up sounding artificial and, along with Tommy Reinxeed's voice and vocal melodies, a major generator of cheese. Musically, we are dealing with almost stereotypical Euro power metal with pounding bass drums, big epic choruses, and an overall larger-than-life air. Overall, this is kind of a turn-off for me.

Or it should be, because there are a couple of songs that really blew me away on this release. I really like the over-the-top epic swashbuckler 'Stranger Tides', which, in my book, counts as a proper pirate metal song. 'Somewhere in Time' - mega epic as it is - also features a lot of good stuff and manages to actually evoke the atmosphere of the movies. I also like the heavier 'No Fate' which is based on a chucking and galloping riff, and, despite a level of cheesiness that rivals the infamous Five Cheese Pizza, I actually like 'Temple of the Crystal Skulls'. Also, there are plenty of good things in most of the songs on the album, such as the uplifting Euro power metal energy - which really works, when it works, and here it works - and Tommy Reinxeed's sublime guitar solos.

So, even for me who does not normally like cheesy power metal, this album has something to offer. It's too much cheese and too little pepperoni for me in one go, but I can definitely enjoy this album a slice at the time.

In all "Welcome to the Theatre" is an extremely cheesy power metal release (and deliberately so, I think), whose epic air almost matches that of the movies which it is inspired by. If you do not like Euro power power metal, you will absolutely hate this release, but fans of Euro power metal and symphonic metal should absolutely adore this release.

Time Signature Across the ocean...

Genre: black metal

Well well well, the first releases on the newly formed label Demonhood Productions certainly are interesting. Vetter's "Vetterkult" is the second release on the label ever.

"Vetterkult" features some truly weird and innovative black metal, which still draws on the very black heart at the core of all things black metal. The production is raw and fuzzy with the drums quite low in the mix, and the vocals full of reverb, so as to generate an atmospheric feel.

Musically, while anchored in black metal, "Vetterkult" is all over the place and should appeal to those who do not mind their black metal avant-garde and search for new frontiers within the genre.

After an almost cinematic intro in the form of 'Over Havet', the listener is taken on a baffling musical journey in 'Folk af Karrig Jord' which features both elements of black metal, noise rock and even some 70s doom rock, and this journey is continued in the heavy and sludgy 'Brennoffer', while 'Slåtten' is an atmospheric instrumental synth-based piece. Drawing on dissonant tremolo-picking and repetition, combined with sludgy riffs and 70s rock-like semi-funky beats the almost ten minutes long 'Brattefoss' may challenge even seasoned black metal listeners and is in an interesting contrast with the Nordic psych-folk rock opus that is 'Gamal Reinlender'/'Peters Vise'. 'Stenklang' is a soundscape piece which starts out drawing on guitar noise, but gradually morphs into a more pleasant light-toned affair, while 'Vetterkult' is another avant-garde black metal tune that combines black metal repetition with darkly psychedelic elements.

If you think that black metal is stagnant and lacks innovation, then one listen to "Vetterkult" should be enough to prove you wrong. Fans of experimental and avant-garde black metal should definitely check out this album.

Time Signature Pagan customs and beliefs...

Genre: black metal

This release by Norwegian black metallers Vithr is no less than historical. Yes, it is their debut-album (although a demo with the same title was released in 2010), and that is, of course a milestone in the history of the band, but it is also the first release on the newly formed Norwegian label Demonhood Productions.

Anyway, Vithr is an old school traditional black metal band, whose songs are about Scandinavian forests, pagan magic, anti-Christianity and topics from Norse mythology. In that sense, they are refreshingly old-fashioned, I think, but in terms of their musical direction, they are more innovative. While featuring many of the genre-defining features of black metal, the band have their own take on the genre. Perhaps inspired by Celtic Frost, they feature clean female vocals (to make things even more creepy) as well as more punky elements as well as some more folk-oriented ones. While there are some blastbeats, the band generally draw on heavy to midpaced tempos, and there are even a couple of melodic lead guitars every now and then.

Retrospective, yet forwardlooking, this is a pretty interesting black metal album, which - I think - will appeal both to fans of the genre (especially those who are into Scandinavian black metal) and occasional listeners.

Time Signature Bring the hammer down...

Genre: power metal / traditional metal

Evolving around guitarist Stu Marshall, Empires of Eden is one of those multi-vocalist project that populate the power metal universe these days, and thus "Channelling the Infinite" features several legendary metal vocalists, including Sean Peck, Rob Rock, and the legendary Udo Dirkschneider.

Musically, we are dealing with a blend of more US-oriented power metal and more traditional metal, incorporating elements from different subgenres of power metal, such as symphonic power metal ('Born a King'), power-thrash ('Channelling the Infinite'), and melodic power metal ('Lions for Lambs') as well as Euro power metal albeit the non-cheesy kind ('World on Fire'). Other tracks are pretty much straight up old school heavy metal tracks, such as 'Cry Out', 'Hammer Down', 'This Time', and 'Your Eyes' - but all with the big epic and catchy choruses of power metal.

The musicianship is impeccable, and Stu Marshall's guitar playing is breathtakingly impressive, and all the vocalists do phenomenal jobs. The most notable singing performance is Udo Dirkschneider, who graces 'Hammer Down' with his unique voice, which is as shrill and powerful as ever. There is also an all-star version of the song with all vocalists singing, but I prefer the Udo-only version.

"Channelling the Infinite" is a massive power metal effort - it is epic and catchy and impressive in any way and should appeal to fans of traditional metal and power metal alike.

Time Signature No way out...

Genre: melodeath

Burning Bridges to Nowhere is the sophomore album by Canadian metallers Odium. Solidly placed in the melodeath genre, the album is a fairly typical melodeath release and then again, it isn't.

It observes the features of the genre quite consistently, and thus the listener is treated to heavy and aggressive verses with thrashy riffage and growled vocals, combined with melodic choruses, sung in Thomas Emmans' quite expressive clean vocals. In addition, there are plenty of melodic guitar leads and some atmospheric and melodic synths to "melodize" things even further. Following the trail blazed by Dark Tranquility, Odium also insert a couple of blastbeats and other elements from more extreme metal every now and then.

So, yes Burning Bridges to Nowhere has everything a fan of melodeath will appreciate – and that is without deviating into the territory of sugary pop, which some formerly respectable melodeath bands have done recently (granted, some purists might find the melodic choruses and the closing ballad 'The Descent' to be poppy, but I will leave that up to them to rant about). Still, to some extent, Odium has more in comment with North American melodic metalcore acts than with Scandinavian melodeath bands. For instance, Odium do not embrace the Gothenburg-sound but make use more of a modern American metal sound on this album, and – although there are no metalcore breakdowns to speak of on this album – there album is pervaded by number of melodic metalcore aesthetics.

The musicianship is advanced and very solid with advanced guitar leads, and clockwork precise drumming, and – like mentioned above – the clean vocals are very expressive. Fans of melodeath and melodic metalcore alike should definitely give this album a listen, and they are likely to appreciate how Odium have managed to strike a balance between the melodic and the aggressive.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature Tomb desecrator...

Genre: death metal

Of Carrion and Pestilence is the debut album from Spanish deathsters Mass Burial. The band name, the logo, and the cover artwork all spell old school death metal.

And old school death metal is exactly what Mass Burial deliver on this album. Making use of primitive, but compelling, riffage – some of which has a thrashy quality to it, the Spaniards really takes the listener on a journey back in time to the early 90s when primitive and raw death metal was in its heyday. Even the performance is just as organic and dynamic as in the good old days with chaotic guitar solos and not-too-guttural growls and all that business.

Production-wise, the album has a very dark quality to it, and the guitars are brutally distorted. The almost crust-like guitar sound is not unlike the raw and dirty Stockholm-sound that characterized early Swedish death metal . This should appeal to fans of old school authentic extreme metal, but a consequence can also be that, even for seasoned fans of the genre, it will take a couple of spins to atune one's ear from the pristine productions of today to the raw production of this album.

Of Carrion and Pestilence is old school in every sense of the word, and any fan of early extreme metal should definitely give this slab of primitive brutality a listen.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature Artificial regime...

Genre: grindcore

Get ready for an onslaught of blistering anger in the form of the latest release from Italian grinders Cripple Bastards' Senza Impronte. This 7'' EP is released through Relapse Records and is characterized by aggression and ultra-fast blasting.

The opening track 'Regime Artificiale' combines simple hardcore/crust riffage and d-beating-derived drums with high velocity blast-beats and simple, razor-sharp and fast grinding riffs. 'Agony of a Reformed Band' similarly draws on hardcore/crust and grindcore, but there are a number of heavier and more metallic elements. This approach is inherited by the following track 'Senza Impronte' (this track features a pretty cool militaristic chorus) and on 'Mondo Plastico', while 'Soggetto Leucemico / 10 Passi Falsi' is a lesson in controlled chaos.

Not unlike Lee Dorian in his Napalm Death days, the vocals interchange between guttural growls, death grunts, and angry screams. In fact, I would say that Napalm Death is probably the closest musical reference point for this release, as there seems to be a considerable influence from Napalm Death on Senza Impronto. I wouldn't say that it is a rip-off though, as Cripple bastards have taken the intensity of From Enslavement to Obliteration-era Napalm Death combined with the more recent style of Napalm Death, removing the death metal-element, upping the intensity and adding a sense of anger and extreme frustration. Thus the Italian grinders definitely taking the music in their own direction.

In any case, Cripple Bastard's Senza Impronte is a lesson in chaotic, but precise and well-performed grindcore and should appeal to anyone who is looking for a musical explosion of intensity.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature Parsonz' voice...

Genre: doom/sludge rock

A lot of hard rock is admittedly uplifting and all about fun and good times – and nothing wrong with that – but every now and then a hard rock band comes by and reminds us that this genre can indeed be a vehicle of expression of darker emotions. Royal Thunder is one of those bands, and in CVI they have created an authentic piece of heavy and dark southern hard rock.

On this album, Royal Thunder play dark hard rock with a certain retrospective feel to it, looking back to the psychedelia of the '70s, but without all the flower power. It is more like doom power. The tracks on the album are, you see, generally quite heavy, at times nearing doom metal tempos, and consistently having a sludgy touch to them, drawing primarily on crushing old school heavy rock riff. I guess that doom rock or sludge rock would be a suitable description for the dark and heavy hard rock on the album. Tracks like 'Parsonz Curse', 'South of Somewhere', 'Drown', and 'Blackwater Vision' are oozing with doom-laden darkness, and 'Sleeping Witch' is a wonderfully heavy and dark blues song with references to the mighty Black Sabbath, while 'No Good' is a groovy hard rocker full of whiskey-induced swagger and trippy aggression. This is not to say that CVI is completely void of melody, but just that heaviness is in focus. Check for instance 'Shake and Shift' or 'Blue' for a sample of Royal Thunder's approach to melody.

With a touch of psychedelia and songs often clocking in at seven, eight, and nine minutes, CVI definitely also has a progressive touch to it, and there are also sections that remind me of the introvert alternative rock and alternative metal of the 1990s. On top of that, the album is full of hard rocking swagger and southern grooves. The musicianship is impeccable, and the heavy drumbeats and bluesy guitar figures go hand in hand with Miny Parsonz' powerful and raw vocals.

Simply a near-masterpiece of southern darkness, CVI should appeal to fans of doom metal, sludge metal, southern rock, psychedelic rock, alternative rock/metal and dark and heavy blues-rock along the lines of Dickie Peterson's Child of Darkness. Do not hesitate to buy this album and immerse yourself in the darkness of its heavy grooves and long songs.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature A necessary evil...

Genre: hard rock

The Aftermyth is the debut album from London hard rockers Zodiac N Black. The band was formed in 2010 and have stormed onto the hard rock scene with their groovy and slightly retro brand of hard rock right into the arms of reviewers who have showered the band with praise. And, you know what, I'll join the ranks of those reviewers, because I think that The Aftermyth is a brilliant debut from a band with lots of potential.

A basic feature of pretty much all the tunes on the album is a compelling groove that has to power to make you tap your feet and bang your head. At times, the grooves are so heavy that the music takes on an almost sludgy character, while at other times, it has a sort of darkened Aerosmith-meets-Living Colour funkiness to is, as is the case of, for instance "Only the Lonely". Another feature is the heavy bottom-rich bass which has almost the same quality to it as Geezer Butler's bass from the very early days of Sabbath. To this, add the slight introspective attitude of 90s alternative rock (as heard in the dark "The Joke Is On Us" and the heavy "A Necessary Evil") and generally catchy vocal melodies in the choruses, as well as blues-informed guitar solos. Some tracks, like 'Seems Lie Better Times', even have a sort of quasi-punky garage rock feel to them. One of the interesting things is the variation on this album. Each song is very focused and coherent, yet incredibly varied, and listening to one song is pretty much like listening to an entire album.

The production is kind of fuzzy, but I am sure that its intended, and it also adds an edge of real rock 'n' roll attitude. In any case, the production goes well together with the hard rocking music on the album, and it is indeed refreshing with a rough edged album in this day and age of pristine album productions.

The Aftermyth has everything that's good about rock music. It has the groove of Led Zeppelin. It has the darkness of Black Sabbath. It has the swagger of The Rolling Stones. It has the funk of Aerosmith. It has the aggression of Grand Funk Railroad. And it's all Zodiac N Black.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature Good hunting...

Genre: sludge-core

When it comes to the more extreme end of rock music, New York – and especially Brooklyn – is probably primarily associated with the hardcore and crossover scenes and perhaps not so much with the more sludgy side of rock music. Nonetheless, there are bands that hail from Brooklyn, such as Primitive Weapons, whose music is just so incredibly sludgy that you'd expect them to have originated from the desert or swamps of the deep south.

Their 2012-album The Shadow Gallery definitely is heavy and sludgy without, admittedly, being as slow and tortured as with many other sludge acts. But the seven tracks on the album are no less oppressive than the slower sludge acts' average song is. The harsh yelled vocals, for instance, emanate a sense of both frustration and angst which, together with the band's use of repeated heavy riffs generate the same feel of introvert desperation that characterizes a lot of sludge metal. Just check tracks like the heavy 'Quitters Anthem', the aggressive 'The Death of Boredom', or the oddly melodic 'Big Chief'.

Repetition and crushingly heavy guitar riffage are central ingredients in the Primitive Weapons sound, and they are used to great effect in generating the above-mentioned sense of frustration. Another central element is the use of elements from noise rock, which – needless to say – fits perfectly into the overall picture of the album. Interestingly, the drums – while heavy – often take on a more organic feel becaue of the many fills that are used on some of the songs.

Overall, Primitive Weapons' The Shadow Gallery, with its 30 minutes of crunching sludge, is a lesson in the power of repetition and crushing heaviness, and any fan of shoegazing, but angry, sludge metal should definitely give it a listen.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature Sailing fire...

Genre: heavy metal

"Shadowmaker", the come-back album of German pirate metal legends Running Wild, really seems to have gotten a raw deal with the reviewers many of who have described it as a disappointment and compared it to Morbid Angel's controversial "Illud Divinum Insanus" in terms of the degree of outrage and disappointment it will generate among the fans, and some have even gone as far as claiming that "Shadowmaker" sucks.

You know what, I honestly think that it doesn't suck, and listening to it does not really make me disappointed in any way. It is, of course, no "Port Royal", "Pile of Skulls" or "Death or Glory", but I would say that it is lightyears better than "Rogues en Vogue", which was a big disappointment to me. I would go as far as stating that, although the power/speed metal aspect that characterized many of Running Wild's previous releases is pretty much absent on this one, "Shadowmaker" does capture and highlight the hard rock and traditional metal aspect that has always been part of Running Wild's sound.

Virtually every Running Wild album contains a couple of old school heavy metal songs about motocycles, rebels, rock 'n' roll and so on, so that's not a new thing in the universe of Running Wild. The new thing, I guess, is that such songs are dominant on one Running Wild album. Fortunately (for me at least), we are dealing with pretty solid heavy metal and hard rock tracks built on pretty solid classic metal-styled riffs and lead guitar melodies. I do miss the speed/power metal aspect, I must admit, but I definitely do not think that we are dealing with a weak album in any way.

Most of the tracks are good old school heavy metal tracks with more of a hard rock edge, with "Piece of the Action" and "Me & the Boys" being the weakest tracks. The former definitely has its moments, but perhaps it is not the best choice for an opener. The latter is more of a hard rock track bordering on melodic rock, and probably the least Running Wild-like track ever recorded by Running Wild. Fortunately, the amount of decent and good songs outweighs the amount of sub par songs, and a track like 'Dracula', for instance' does have inklings of the semi-epic sound that characterized Running Wild in the past, while "I Am Who I Am" is a strong heavy metal track with a powerful main riff and a catchy chorus (and a bridge featuring another very Running Wild-like melodic metal riff). Likewise, the heavy and groovy 'Black Shadow' and the straight up and pumping heavy metal tracks 'Locomotive', 'Shadowmaker' and 'Into the Fire' are actually pretty good classic metal tracks. While pretty much a Thin Lizzy-inspired hard rocker, a track like "Riding on the Tide" still features a very typical Running Wild-style chorus, featuring a catchy vocal melody and maritime lyrics.

I think that the problem that many reviewer in reality have with this album is, as mentioned above, the absence of the typical Running Wild speed/power metal sound, and, hell, I miss it, too. But that does not make this album a miserable failure per se. As a straight up heavy metal album, I think it is pretty good, and it does feature many of the elements found on previous Running Wild efforts. And, fans of good old heavy metal (if they can shed expectations of this being another "Port Royal") should be able to enjoy it for what it is: a solid heavy metal album of the old school.

So, yes, I like this one, but I still hope that Rock 'n' Rolf will reintroduce some of the more speed/power metal elements that I love about Running Wild on the next album.

Time Signature Night bell...

Genre: symphonic black metal

Never having heard the music of the Australian one-man band before, I have seen Aquilus' music described as neoclassical folk music, and I honestly expected "Griseus" to be a really cheesy blend of Opus Atlantica and Yngwie Malmsten.

You can imagine my shock upon actually listening to the album, learning that it has absolutely nothing to do with neoclassicalism in the sense of Malmsten, Blackmore, Mattsson and all those other guitarists, and that there was very little folk music as well (actually, the only place where there is a real folk feel is towards the end of 'Latent Thistle'. Instead, the listener is treated to what is perhaps best described as symphonic black metal.

Making use of black metal style riffage, combined with occasional blastbeats and indecipherable harsh screamed and growled, Aquilus' sole member, Waldorf, definitely captures the spirit of black metal. Furthermore, the occasional thrash and death metal passages pop up every now and then alongside more doomy and gothic sections (the vocals are rich in reverb and not unlike what you hear in funeral doom metal and atmospheric black metal).

But metal is only half of the music on this release, as the tunes on this album also feature lush orchestral arrangements (performed on synths, I suspect), some of which accompany the metal instrumentation, and some of which are fully symphonic passages. At times, there is even a cinematic quality to the symphonic arrangements, and at all times, the music on "Griseus" is epic and atmospheric, and - I would say - an artistic success.

I think that the weak spot is the production, as there is a slight lack of equilibrium between the metallic and the symphonic. The symphonic elements are simply louder in the mix than the metallic ones. Now, this might be intentional, but I find it a bit of a shame.

Still, if you are looking for some quality symphonic black metal with lots of atmosphere and a truly epic and dark feel, then it is a good bet that you will find what you seek in Aquilus' "Griseus".

Time Signature Slay the prophet...

Genre: black metal

Belonging to the more brutal end of the black metal genre, French metallers Moonreich's latest EP "Curse Them" is a lesson in pure black metal evil.

There are blastbeats galore on this album accompanied by plenty of tremolo picking and tense harmonies - so the black metal genre conventions are definitely observed on this release. But, in terms of production, the sound, while displaying the coldness that characterizes black metal in general, there is more of a brutal edge to it, and Moonreich have also opted for a sound that is not characterized by underproduction. In addition to the production, and a lot of the riffage itself, the vocals constitute an important generator of brutality, as they are closer to growling than your typical black metal screaming.

While brutal and aggressive, Moonreich do incorporate a considerable amount of melodic into their music, and the title track also also features some sludge-like elements not unlike Glorior Belli's recent releases. It should be mentioned that the most melodic tune of the EP is a cover track in which Moonreich offer their own spin on deathrockers Chirstian Death's 'Deathwish'.

Fans of more brutal black metal acts like Tsjuder and Svarttjern as well as Glorior Belli should definitely check out this EP.

Time Signature The gods weep...

Genre: epic black/(melo)death metal

Chthonic pretty much swept the feet away under the world with "Takasago Army" last year, but the band actually released a good handful of releases prior to the brilliant "Takasago Army". One of these is "Seediq Bale" from 2005 which was re-released on Spinefarm last year, too.

And, this one is no less spectacular than "Takasago Army". Stylistically, the music on the album is epic and symphonic black metal akin to Dimmu Borgir's more recent releases, but with a ubiquitous oriental character derived from the band's Taiwanese cultural hinterland. Thus, amidst the black metal evil and the symphonic synths, we find the er-hu and traditional (I assume) female vocal lines. And this results in an overall sound which is truly unique and compelling.

Also, while there are elements from more traditional black metal - such as blastbeats and tremlo-picking as well as growled and screamed vocals - which makes for a dark and chaotic atmosphere, Chthonic also include elements from other metal genres. For example, melodic death metal is a genre that the draw on consistently throughout the album, which suits the epic and symphonic black metal sound extremely well.

Any fan of melodic black metal with an epic atmosphere and a symphonic touch should give this album a listen. It's brilliant and one of the most original black releases you will probably ever hear.

Time Signature And the road goes on...

Genre: progressive metal/hard rock

Having released "Aurora Aborealis" in 2011, which I thought was a bit too minimaslitic in terms of everything but the lead guitar, Lars Eric Mattsson is now rereleasing 1998's "Obsession", which is a release that appeals much more to me - actually, its a very good album which definitely deserves some more exposure, so it's great that it gets rereleased.

Stylistically "Obsession" is perhaps best described as mildly progressive melodic metal with hard rock tendencies. Rather than just being a lead guitar and then something in the background, this album has much more of an actual band feel. The rhythm guitar is prominent and offers a lot of interesting riffs - some of which are more in the vein of hard rock and others are almost kind of power metallish, and - which is something I have a weakness for - there are even some galloping riffs every now and then. Featuring Björn Lodin's rough-edged voice, "Obsession" has a very 80s-90s hard rock edge to it, which I really like. It all comes together very well. Just check a track like 'Messenger' (which also features some Eastern elements) or the galloping prog power metal tracks 'Caught in Your Web' and 'Alive' or the highway-friendly 'Long Way Home'. 'Time and Again' has a nice funk rock feel to it, while a track like 'Sense and Obsession' is a heavy and melancholic ballad with a bluesy feel to it.

Now, Lars Eric Mattsson is of course quite the guitar guru, and, needless to say, this album is full of blazing, shredding and sweeping guitar solos with a neoclassical touch, many of which will leave many a guitar enthusiast drooling for more. But, and this is what I really like about it, his lead guitars never seem forced, and they fit neatly into the overall synergy of the album. In many ways, "Obsessions" reminds me of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, but with more of an edge to it (especially with the inclusion of keyboards and neoclassicisms). Coming from me, a fan of Rainbow and an admirer of Blackmore as a guitarist, this is meant as a huge compliment.

Remixed and remastered, the production is quite good. It still has that 80s-90s hard rock feel to it, but there is no noise and no fuzziness, and, overall, the sound is crisp and crystal clear.

Fans of melodic metal and hard rock with a progressive touch should hurry out and acquire "Obsessions", which is a massively melodic release documenting Mattsson's unique abilities as a guitarist and his solid songwriting skills. Guitar lovers everywhere, do yourselves a favor and check out this album.

Time Signature Her little accident...

Genre: sludge-metal

16 is one of the more veteran sludge-metal bands out there, and that may well be the reason why they do not sound like the many bands that inhabit the scene nowadays. Their latest album Deep Cuts from Dark Clouds certainly, while displaying many of the traits that define the genre, indicates that this is a sludge band who have authority enough to go their own way.

As mentioned, many of the features that define the sludge-metal genre are present on the album, such as groovy riffs and heavy beats – although not as tortured and slow as with many other sludge bands – and 16 also draw a bit on noise rock and psychedelia, which is not unheard of in sludge-land. However, compared to many other sludge acts, 16 have opted for a very clear and clean productions on this album, which makes many of the riffs sound quite aggressive, and the sense of aggression, even in some of the southern style groovy riffs is further bolstered by the distorted bass and the yelled and raw-sounding vocals. While the music itself is groovy and sludgy, the production thus strikes me more as the production of a modern thrash metal album.

There is, in attitude at least, a touch of hardcore punk present on Deep Cuts from Dark Clouds, which I think is a positive asset, as it sets the album apart from the average sludge release these days, and it allows for people who are into groove thrash and the like to also relate to the album and, possibly, appreciate it. In any case, the production and the riffs put together result in a very crushing album.

Fans of groovy music with an edge should definitely check out this album.

(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)

Time Signature Raise the throne of hate...

Genre: black metal

The Finnish black metal scene appears to be bustling with creativity and bursting with productivity, churning out one kvlt release after another. Vuohivasara's Perdition Reigns Supreme is one such release, and right from the start, they make no buts about it, as 'Tears of Firmament' basically starts straight in the middle of a super fast blast-beating section.

However, Vuohivasara soon reveal that there is more to their music than just blast-beating and tremolo-picking – although these elements are featured prominently. There are plenty of riffy sections, and Vuohivasara also draw on thrash metal now and then, and there is also a sense of melody to their music, reflected in harmonies and certain tremolo-leads as well as a couple of melodic bursts inherent in some of the riffs. Rather than focusing on repetition, like many other black metal bands do, Vuohivasara opt for variation in their music, including shifts and changes, breakdowns and build-ups in their compositions.

Unlike many other black metal releases from the Finnish kvlt scene, Perdition Reigns Supreme is not underproduced. On the contrary, the band have aimed for a, not polished, but well-defined production that allows you to even hear the bass. Still, I would say that the production does have the cold feel that characterizes black metal.

Also, Vuohivasara do, it should be mentioned, observe the majority of the genre-defining aesthetics, such as blast-beating and tremolo-picking, and the vocals are also pretty much delivered in the typical screechy black metal manner. Also, dissonant and tense harmonies are not completely absent from the album.

And, thus, Perdition Reigns Supreme should appeal to hardcore fans of the genre as well as to occasional listeners.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature After...

Genre: sludge doom

Dutch Nachtvorst may well originate from the black metal scene, but on Silence black metal only features as an ingredient in the overall sound, which is much more directed towards the bleakness and oppression of doom and sludge metal than towards the chaos and evil of black metal.

The first track 'The Serpent's Tongue' opens with a crushingly heavy doom-laden riff, and for the next six and a half minutes, the listener is treated to heavy, chucking, doomy riffs accompanied by growled and screechy vocals. This is followed by a nice atmospheric section with piano effects and clean guitars, before the chucking doom riffs kick in again. The song is concluded with another atmospheric section which transitions into the dark and melancholic quasi-symphonic instrumental 'After...'. 'Nightwinds' adds a sludgy touch with its aggressive opening riff and slightly hardcore-ish edge, but after three minutes the tempo is lowered and things slowly build up towards a heavy black-doom section. The atmospheric and 'Gentle Notice of a Final Breath' has an almost post-metal feel to it. '...Before' is another atmospheric instrumental piece, and 'A Way of Silence' concludes the album majestically in a shroud of introvert darkness and shoegazing doom.

Apart from screechy vocals and dissonant harmonies every now and then, the most prevalent black metal feature on Silence is Nacthvorst's use of repetition, and, while repetition can end up generating boredom-inspiring monotony, Nachtvorst have mastered the power of repetition. They use it very efficiently, generating a sense of bleakness and oppression, but at no point do the tunes on this album get boring (which is quite a feat since the songs are actually quite long).

The production is actually quite good, and there really is a lot of bottom on the bass and guitars, giving the album an extra punch towards heaviness, while the drums have a well-defined sound allowing you to hear every single beat.

Fans of doom metal and depressive black metal are likely to find this work of darkness and oppression to be a very enjoyable album, and perhaps fans of atmospheric black metal, sludge metal and post-metal will take a liking to Silence as well because of the many elements deriving from those genres.

(review originally posted on seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature Like snow before the sun...

Genre: Murw metal

Taking their starting point in atmospheric black metal, Murw teach us a lesson with Kanker, and that lesson is that there is room for eclecticism even in this genre. Their approach to black metal has simply generated a very original and genre-defining brand of black metal.

There are only four tracks on the album, but with song lengths ranging from seven to eleven minutes, you know that each song will take you on a journey. The question is just, what kind of journey? Are that band going to simply repeat the same tremolo-picked figures for ten minutes, which is not unusual in this genre, or are they going to to something completely different? Actually, the four tracks are very varied, and each one features several different elements and parts, and I, for one, find this extremely interesting. The main sound is black metal, as mentioned, but Murw also draw on doom metal, noise rock, and alternative rock and even a touch of jazz fusion now and then, plus the vocals are mor ein the vein of death metal growling than black metal screeching. Each song is dynamically structured featuring atmospheric doom and black metal parts along with clean-guitared instrumental breakdowns. With songs that long, Murw allow themselves to repeat figures extensively, while still ensuring a lot of variation, exposing the listener to many nuances of darkness.

At times, the band go into some pretty weird and experimental territory with a quasi-psychedelic feel to it, and a central component in this sound is actually the fretless-sounding bass (I don't know if it actually is fretless, but it sometimes sounds like that). The way that the bass is actually audible and the ostinatos and fills that Robert Duijnjam performs on his bass add a sort of spacey feel to the music and a sort of warm and soft sound that complements the sharp guitars very well. Peter Civikov's drumming is also much more dynamic and varied than what one might be used to in a black metal context (he basically stays clear of any black metal cliches, do do not expect sloppy blastbeats and things like that), and he definitely is also a central factor in the band's unique sound on this album.

While I think Murw sounds different and, frankly, more interesting than a lot of other atmospheric black metal artists, they do observe many of the conventions of the genre, such as a unpolished production, a focus on atmosphere over technicality, and the use of dissonance. But even in their deployment of these genre-typical features, they do it differently. Just check out the first parts of 'Als Sneeuw Voor De Zon' which sounds almost jazzy in its own twisted way and, despite the use of dissonance, has a strange sense of melody to it, which also applies to the indie-rock opening of 'Artificiality'.

Definitely one of the most interesting black metal albums to be released in the last couple of years, Murw's Kanker is definitely a piece of art. It is expressive. It is challenging. It is unique. If you like avant-garde and progressive black metal, you will have to check this one out.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature It's nothing but a waste of time...

Genre: bubblegumcore

Make Me Famous is a Ukrainian modern metalcore band and It's Now or Never is their debut. Heralded as an amazing album, It's Now Or Never features a musical style that takes deathcore and metalcore as its starting point, utilizing the grooves and breakdowns typical of that stylistic universe. But metalcore is essentially only 50% of the style. The other half is basically imported from the universe of Euro-dance electro-pop.

While I can live with the metalcore and deathcore elements (hell, a lot of the riffs, breakdowns and technical runs up and down the fretboard every now and then actually sound pretty cool), the electro-pop elements just do not appeal to me at all. My problem is that the pop-aspect of this album is imported from a branch of pop music that I and, I reckon, most metalheads and rock fans of my generation absolutely despise. The album is simply, to my ears, melodic metalcore smeared with a smattering of plastic pop effects and synths along with the pop choruses and overcooked vocal harmonies.

As mentioned, I do like some of the metallic elements and metalcore elements on the album. However, I must also say that I think that Make Me Famous overuse these, and thus also the metalcore side the album strikes me as being a bit of a mess with a bucketful of different extreme metal vocal types popping up side by side with the clean pop melodies. Also many of the breakdowns and riffs are so metalcore it hurts, plus the band take all the other cliches of metalcore and basically whip them to death through overuse.

Let it be known that, as musicians, Make Me Famous are obviously very skilled and they know their ways around their instruments, and they know how to write music which is melodic and catchy. The music they make simply does not appeal at all to me. I can imagine how it would appeal to fans of Sonic Syndicate, Dead By April, The Browning, Anime Fire and the like. If you are into that type of music, I recommend that you check out Make Me Famous' It's Now or Never and judge for yourself and you will probably find that you like it, but if you're an old grumpy asshole like me, you're better off listening to an old Slayer album or something like that.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature Against them all...

Genre: metal(hard)core

I hope I will be forgiven for, having glanced the the cover art before listening to the music itself, mistakenly expecting this album to be an all out dirty hardcore crust punk onslaught and not the polished-but-aggressive metalcore songs that Diamond actually contains.

In all fairness, Stick To Your Guns strike me as being among the more potent metalcore-bands, and their style definitely belongs to the more hardcore-oriented end of the metalcore, featuring riot-vocals and a lot of steret attitude, which is especially prevalent in 'Empty Heads' and 'Life in a Box' as well as 'Bringing You Down'. However, Stick To Your Guns also feature several elements from the more melodic type of metalcore, such as clean vocals and even some almost poppy ooh-ooh-whoah-aahs in a tracks like 'Against Them All' , 'We Still Believe', and 'Bringing You Down'. Stick To Your Guns do not overdo this, however, and I think it works pretty well most of the time. The obligatory metalcore breakdowns are also there, and, again, unlike many other metalcore artists – especially deathcore ones – Stick To Your Guns do not overdo things, and many of the breakdowns are groovy have a very moshing-friendly quality to them. In addition to the many hardcore elements, Stick To You Gun also make use of thrash metal aesthetics every now and then, giving some of the tracks an almost crossover feel to them.

The production is, as mentioned, quite polished, but it does not hinder the aggression and heaviness in the music itself, and, actually, the album has an overall quite metallic ring to it. Also, this of course allows one to hear what is actually going on and to enjoy the rhythmic details that the band use to make their breakdowns sound interesting.

Diamond is a quite good metalcore album, and I especially like how Stick To Your Guns remind us, by retaining a lot of hardcore elements, that metalcore did, after all, develop from hardcore. My personal preferences are the more hardcore-oriented tracks like 'Empty Heads' and 'Life in a Box' as well as 'Bringing You Down' and 'Build Upon the Sand', but this is definitely an album I can easily listen to in its entirety. Fans of modern hardcore and more edgy metalcore should definitely check it out.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature To the end of the world...

Genre: hard rock

Wild Frontier is a German hard rock band who have been rocking their nation for 22 years. Still, this is my first acquaintance with the band, and, I must say, they have definitely left me with a positive first impression.

After an epic, and perhaps cheesy, intro, 'To the End of the World' kicks in, which is an uplifting hard rocker featuring a lot of nice and lighthearted guitar harmonies, and this feel-good mood is carried on by the following track 'It's All Over Now' (interestingly, the song deals with the breaking of a relationship, which is not exactly a feel-good experience). However, some of the melancholy resulting from such an experience is still captured by the bridge and guitar solo of this track. 'Another Lonely Day' is more of a melancholic affair, featuring a simple pumping bass, AC/DC-style plucking and a massive AOR-styled chorus. Staying in Melancholia-land 'Why Don't You Save Me?' is more of a ballad, even featuring some electronica elements (such elements also appear in 'Another Lonely Day Without You' and 'Stay Tough') and another AOR-styled chorus. One the more uplifting side we also find tracks like 'Favorite', 'Tonight Tonight Tonight', 'Can't You Hear Me Calling', 'Long Gone' and, of course, Wild Frontier's cover version of 'Gimme Gimme Gimme', while 'It's All Up To You' and 'Why Are the Good Things Gone' are more on the ballady side.

There is nothing wrong with the musicianship, and the production is well-defined and crisp. Also, Wild Frontier definitely are good song-smiths who know how to write catchy and memorable hard rock songs. Jens Walkenhorst's vocals may probably take some getting used to. I, for one, had a bit of a WTF-moment upon his first lines in 'To the End of the World'. After some spins, however, I started appreciating his voice for its unique and quirky quality.

A solid upbeat and catchy hard rock album "2012" by Wild Frontier is definitely worth checking out if you like melodic hard rock and AOR.

Time Signature Rising danger...

Genre: melodic metal

Treading the waters that separate hard rock from traditional metal, the style of music that Polution treats you to on this album is probably best described as melodic metal. While musically quite different, "Beyond Control" has thus struck the same golden balance that characterizes D-A-D's "No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims" and "Riskin' it All".

Some of the tunes on the album, like 'Live Until You Die' and 'Forever and a Day' teem with hard rock aesthetics, the former being an all out motorcycle-on-the-highway sort of tune while the latter is an AOR-tinged ballad. Another hardrocker is the uplifting "All-In". Other tracks draw more on the aesthetics of traditional heavy metal, but with a focus on melody and accessibility. In this category, we find quite strong tracks such as the melodic and quite catchy 'Follow Me' with its use of inherently melodic and harmonic metal riffage, the bass-centric and Iron Maiden-inspired 'The Band' with its sing-along-friendly chorus, and the self-empowering 'Bite Me' with its pervading fuck-you attitude. More often than not, you will find that the more metallic tracks on the album will feature hard rock elements, and especially the choruses are often kept simple with a couple of chords allowing for really melodic vocal lines.

I quite like this album. The music is heavy and rocks hard, but, at the same time, it is extremely melodic and catchy. The tracks are straight ahead and uncomplicated, and Polution have definitely unlocked the secret of the power of simplicity. It works. It rocks. It's great.

"Beyond Control" is a very good melodic metal release which is both catchy and accessible, yet hard rocking. It should have a very broad appeal is is recommended to metal and general rock fans alike.

Time Signature Left this world...

Genre: gothic metal

End of September is a Swedish female-fronted gothic metal band whose style also has a touch of nu metal. ow, if you like bands like Evanescence, then this probably sound very promising. Unfortunately for me, I am not the biggest fan of the style of metal that Evanescence and similar bands represent.

Let it be known that I definitely have no problems at all with female-fronted bands, and I think that End of September's vocalist Elin Redin is a very gifted singer who does a very good job on this album. Riff-wise, End of September make use of heavy and often groovy riffs with synths and piano overlaid on top, while the drum beats are solid and straightforward. Occasionally, Redin's clean vocals are accompanied by male growls. On the whole, there is nothing a such wrong with the music or the production, and even to my ears "End of September" is a fine listen with a couple of outstanding tracks, 'Silence' being well nigh sensational.

But at the end of the day, the album just does not rock my world. It is good, but not my thing. So, my advices is that you go and check it out for yourself. If you like Evanescence and similar acts, you should definitely acquire "End of Semptember", too.

Time Signature Inner monster out...

Genre: heavy/power/groove metal

Apparently having changed their musical direction from a more traditional power metal sound to heavier and groovier sound, Brazilian metallers Shadowside deliver something in between groove metal, modern metal and power metal on their third album "Inner Monster Out".

Most tracks draw on heavy and groovy riffage, combining them with compelling vocal melodies and, at times, elements from modern pop music, Shadowside have certainly created music which should have broad appeal inside and outside of the metal community. Granted, personally, I find the more poppy elements a bit of a turn-off, but the heavy grooves and Dani Nolden's powerful voice more than make up for that (just check out a track like 'In the Name of Love' or a track like 'Inner Monster Out' or 'I'm Your Mind'). While the overall sound is more akin to modern melodic metal, the band retain the epic choruses associated with power metal.

The musicianship is top notch, and the production is clean and crisp with a very modern edge. As mentioned, Singer Dani Nolden has a very powerful voice, and I should also mention that the guitar solos are pretty impressive and technically advanced.

Shadowside have been accused of sounding like something that would come out of the stereo of a teenage wannabe metalhead. Well, I'm in my thirties, I don't have a stereo (iPod's my choice), and I am definitely not wannabe, and still I think this album is pretty damn good.

Time Signature Glass wall...

Genre: progressive (power) metal

Finnish prog-metallers Status Minor are ready with their sophomore full-length in the form of "Ouroboros", following up on 2009's "Dialog".

Stylistically, the Status Minor stay within the world of progressive power metal, like they did on their debut, thus delivering epic and melodic metal music with powerful and memorable sing-along choruses and lush textures. Observing the conventions of progressive metal, Status Minor include keyboards into their instrumentation, which of course helps generate the above-mentioned lushness, but also delivering some spacey keyboard solos to complement the blazing and sweeping technically advanced guitar solos featured on this album.

Progressive but not inaccessible, elements such as odd time signatures do appear, but are pretty well masked by drum figures that are not too quirky, and, of course the many vocal melodies also help make the music accessible (check for instance a track like 'Stain' and the mighty 'Sail Away' which feature a number of clever odd time signatures). While a melodic album, "Ouroboros" does feature a lot of quite heavy riffage, which I applaud (check, for instance, 'Stain' and 'Smile').

In all, I think this is a pretty good album, but I must say that the choice of placing the epic power ballad 'Like a Dream' and the piano ballad 'Confidence and Trust' smack in the middle of the album and right after each other does, although they're both beautiful pieces of music, deflate the energy level somewhat, and it takes a couple of tracks for the album to reach the same intensity after that. Fortunately, the epic closing track 'Sail Away' makes up for any lack of intensity before that - it is simply a massive progressive metal masterpiece and not one of its ten minutes of length is wasted.

I think this is a very good progressive metal album, although it did take me more than just a couple of listens to get into it. Maybe it will click right away with you. In any case, if you like epic power metal and progressive metal, you should definitely give it a listen.

Time Signature Colossus...

Genre: progressive gothic metal

Branded a progressive melodic death metal band, In Mourning obviously have certain liberties and can get away with things that other more traditional genre-bound death metal artists might not be forgiven for.

Their latest release "The Weight of Oceans", for instance, does not at all strike me as being a death metal release. Well, that is, the vocal style consists of growls and screams, but other than that we are dealing with music which is much more in the direction of gothic metal blended with alternative rock and progressive metal. And, you know what, it is pretty good actually. I think that the melancholic bass-driven opening of the very first track 'Colossus' pretty much makes that clear.

Drawing on dark atmospheres, melodic harmonies and spicing things up with odd time signatures every now and then, In Mourning have really struck gold artistically speaking. Not unlike with gothic metal legends Paradise Lost, melancholic and melodic guitar leads are a central feature in the sound of In Mourning's music - even in more aggressive tunes like the thrashy 'A Vow to Conquer the Ocean' and the black metal informed 'Isle of Solace' do we hear melodic guitar leads. And it is exactly this sense of melody, and the lushness it generates, along with the little details and twists and turns found throughout this album, that makes "The Weight of Oceans" the very interesting and compelling listen that it is.

In many ways, In Mourning could be described as a more sophisticated Paradise Lost (of course, In Mourning have their own sound - this is just to draw a line of comparison), combining melancholy and musical lushness. I think that "The Weight of Oceans" should appeal to fans of the likes of Barren Earth, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost and perhaps also Crematory and Ecnephias.

Time Signature Two in one...

Genre: prog/tech death-thrash

Granted, CB Murdoc sounds more like the name of a late 80s second rate glam metal band, but, make no mistake, this Swedish sixtet play fierce death-thrash which teems with evil and brutality.

And they make this very clear right from the explosive opening of the very first track which features a brutal death metal-style riff and blastbeating drums. Adding to the overall intensity that characterizes the album, a track like 'Patch' feature both dissonance and more post-hardcore styled riffage, while "Two In One" is an all out raging thrasher.

But, CB Murdoc is not all about brutality. In fact their brand of death-thrash is quite technical and even progressive, as they often go off into rhythmically complex passages and mind-boggling breakdowns. Their style is slightly djent-informed and also includes some elements that you might recognize from metalcore. However, before the djentophobes and metalcorophobes go running back to mamma, I should point out that these elements are far from dominant, and that they are included into CB Murdoc's overall quite eclectic style, which also includes post-metal, sludge-metal, death metal and even a slight jazzy feel.

The overall eclectic approach often results in what appears as a chaotic sound, but in this case, it is a positive feature, because it does not sound forced and there still is a sort of natural dynamics to the song structures. Just check out tracks like 'Changeling', 'Adore', and 'D.I.D.'.

Needless to say, the musicianship is top notch, and the screamed vocals suit the overall order-from-chaos character of the music on the album. Production-wise, the sound is dark and brutal and has a certain organic feel to it, and it does not sound like it has been overly processed.

Overall, "The Green" is a pretty well put together album which is both aggressive and brutal but also experimental and challenging to the listener in many ways. Fans of prog/tech thrash and death metal should definitely check it out.

Time Signature Ode to the bluetiful people...

Genre: Maximum the Metal

At the present moment, the most recent release by Japanese nu metallers Maximum the Hormone, "Greatest the Hits 2011-2011" is a three-track single. The band is known for their complete disregard of genre restrictions, a disregard that serves as the foundations of Maximum the Hormone's very own brand of nu metal. Thus, the album takes the listener on a journey through a landscape of heavy grooves, hardcore punk aggression, alternative metal funkiness, metallic brutality and then some.

The opening track "鬱くしき人々のうた" (officially translated by the band into "Ode to the Bluetiful People") is apparently a song about depression, which is interesting, because it starts out an uplifting happy hardcore tune, but quickly morphs into an aggressive groovy crossover/thrash affair, featuring vocal styles ranging from growls and screams over male and female rap to male and female clean vocals. After a couple of the different riffs of this more uplifting and aggressive series of riffs, a very melodic bridge kicks in which combines very soft female background vocals and ballady music with aggressive rapping. It might seem strange that a song about feeling blue combines uplifting and aggressive aesthetics, but - hey - what cures the blues better than some uplifting melodies and empowering aggressive grooves?

"Maximum the Hormone" starts out heavy and groovy, but takes on a more atmospheric character when the verse kicks in, which has the form of multi-harmonic chanting (which really utilizes the fact that all four members of the band can sing). After changing back and forth between this more atmospheric verse and more aggressive sections, things get brilliantly funked up for a while, building towards a burst of aggressive hardcore punk. And then the tempo drops again, as the band go back into the groovy opening. The entire sequence is repeated, but - true to the Maximum the Hormone ethos - with a number of variations.

The third track "My Girl" is an uplifting hard rocker which features a funky verse complete with raggamuffin style toasting and an extremely melodic almost poppy chorus as well as a more groovy and aggressive passage. Again, the band make use of their full range of vocal styles, including clean female and male vocals, rap, growls, and screams. Showing that they are the masters of making genre transgression seem like the most natural thing, Maximum the Hormone even include an pop/AOR-style section towards the end without it seeming forced at all.

Like the "Tsume Tsume Tsume" single from 2008, this single only contains three tracks but has enough variation in this three tracks to keep things interesting all the way through. The music ranges from being aggressive over uplifting to being almost introspective, and - not just for nu metal but for metal in general - it strikes me as being quite innovative. The songs are kind of complex because they feature a lot of different riffs, but the song structures - like the chorus melodies - are actually considerably simple and accessible.

Time Signature Nail nail nail...

Genre: Maximum the metal

With their avant-garde approach to genre transgression, Maximum the Hormone might well be the elusive progressive nu metal band that some people are looking for. In any case, I think they are one of the most innovative bands on the nu metal scene, which, I think, is quite well documented by this single release.

The opening track "爪爪爪" (or "Tsume tsume tsume" in Romaji) was the first song from Maximum the Hormone that I heard, and it remains one of my favorite metal songs ever. After a brieft drum explosion, it starts out with an uptempo aggressive dissonant riff accompanied by extreme metal growls and screams and a fast drums, changing to a more off-beat figure and then again to a more samba-like riff and drum beat, while a more rapping style of vocals (accompanied by riot background vocals). Then the tempo drops and a crushingly heavy groovy riff kicks in, as the vocals go back to a more extreme metal style, before an extremely melodic chorus that just compels you to sing along even if you don't speak Japanese. The entire sequence of riffs is repeated, and then a groovy percussive bridge kicks in, evolving around a Latin-type of groove. Giving you another chance to sing along, the chorus is repeated, and the dissonant riff serves as a coda.

The following track "「F」" is no less sensational It starts out with a simple aggressive figure, featuring some thrashy drums, a slapping and popping bass, and aggressive riot singing, and then morphs into a melodic section featuring both vocal harmonies and rapping in extreme metal screams and growls. This is followed by a nu metal groovy riff accompanied by the same type of aggressive rapping. A brief interlude is given in form of an of beat funky section which also combines the melodic vocal harmonies and aggressive rapping. This is followed by an extremely melodic sing-along chorus and complete with underlying guitar harmonies. The entire sequence is repeated but with a couple of variations in the vocal styles to keep things interesting. Then a guitar solo kicks in, and the chorus is repeated in different variations.

The third track "Kill All the 394" starts out a fierce hardcore punk song, complete with old school blastbeats, simple aggressive guitar riffs, riot vocals and extreme metal vocal styles. After a frenzied barrage hardcore passages, a coda kicks in which has the form of an uplifting sing-along-part (this time in English).

What I like about the songs on this album is the way that a lot of different genre elements are included without it seeming forced or artificial. In fact there is a quite fluid dynamic feel throughout the album, and it actually seems natural whenever Maximum the Hormone jump from one genre into another. I would say that this genre transgression is an, if not avant-garde, then at least a quite innovative trait. Still, the listener will notice that, despite the many elements that each song contains, the overall song structures are not too complex, but rather easy to follow. This ensures that the music is accessible at the end of the day.

I also like the many different vocal styles included - ranging from rap over clean vocals to growls and screams. Moreover, all members of the band contribute to the vocals-aspect of the album which definitely ensures variation. In addition, the drummer, Nao Kawakita, is a woman; apart from being a kick-ass drummer, she can naturally contribute to the overall sense of variation with the quality of her voice (just check her brief lead vocals section in "爪爪爪").

This is only a three-song single, but listening to it is almost like listening to a full-length album in terms of variation. And, well, to put it very briefly, it's fucking awesome!

Time Signature Bastard self...

Genre: crusty death metal

Originating as a metallic crust punk band, French aggressors Acephalix gradually took their style in a more death metal oriented direction which, on Deathless Master - their sophomore full-length release – has resulted in a sound that is not unlike the mighty Stockholm-sound of the 1990s Swedish death metal scene.

Acephalix primarily make use of primitive, but brutal, death metal riffage combined with crust punk and hardcore riffage, accompanied by a drumming style that features both d-beating and slightly more advanced death metal drumming techniques, which generates an aggressive energy which I think will appeal to many a metalhead. The uptempo parts on the album compel you to bang your head, while the heavier breakdowns are very moshing-friendly. The guitar leads are aggressive and slightly chaotic, which is another feature that fans of old school death metal should like.

The vocals consist of guttural growls – at times accompanied by screams and other vocal noises. Appearing to have been processed through some sort of distortion effect, the growls definitely sound very raw, and the amount of reverb imposed upon them also give them a slight atmospheric touch. Unfortunately, the vocals are at times quite low in the mix, but this might well be a matter of Acephalix being inspired by early Amebix.

In terms of the instrumentation, Acephalix have opted for a very heavy, very distorted, and quite brutal sound which bears similarity to the above-mentioned Stockholm-sound, and this, I think, will also be something that appeals to fans of old school death metal. In any case, it contributes with a compelling brutality to Acephalix' energized crusty death metal.

Deathless Master is a lesson in old school death metal brutality with a touch of crust energy, and it should appeal to fans of old school death metal as well as to fans of crust-metal acts like Extreme Noise Terror, Nuclear Death Terror and Wolfbrigade.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature Legacy of savagery...

Genre: blackened death-grind

Singaporean blackened death metallers Impiety continue their onslaught of destruction in the form of their 8th album, aptly titled Ravage & Conquer, on which the band delivers an endless Satanic barrage of blackened death-grind chaos.

True to their style, Impiety based their songs on this album on hyper fast blastbeats, and aggressive riffage, drawing mainly on the aesthetics of death metal and grindcore as well as early Teutonic thrash. While most of the riffage is not super technical, the song structures themselves are actually quite complex, consisting of numerous riffs. Reminding us that they definitely know their way around their instruments, Impiety insert little bursts of technical guitar playing into their tracks every now and then, which definitely adds some texture to the tracks on the album.

The overall impression of the album is one of chaos and evil, and this is obviously something the band deliberately aimed at. One factor in the generation of chaos is the structural quality of the compositions themselves. Coming across as a frenzy of riffs and blastbeats, every tune is extremely intense and, I bet, the result of an underlying control that follows from advanced musicianship. The guitar solos likewise are very chaotic and might seem messy, but they actually include shredding, sweeping and other advanced techniques. The solos also have a certain old school death metal feel to them, which I think that many older fans of the death metal genre will appreciate.

Operating with considerably long song lengths for such an extreme album (the average song length is about five minutes), Impiety allow themselves to cram a lot of impressions into their songs, which does result in some quite interesting elements amidst the blastbeating chaos – just check a track like "War Crowned" with its slightly oriental feel. I generally think that albums with a lot of blastbeating tend to become boring, but drummer Dizazter actually manages to generate variation by using more different types of blastbeating than I ever knew existed.

Production-wise, the album might come across as sounding a bit thin to some listeners who are more used to the lavish and polished productions of modern extreme metal. However, the production of Ravage & Conquer does not detract from the music, and I bet that a lot of listeners will actually like the slightly raw sound.

Fans of death-grind should definitely check this release out. I think that the many blastbeats and the onslaught of riffs in each song might be testing to a lot of listeners, but fans of old school death-grind and brutal black metal are bound to love the chaos and evil that Ravage & Conquer expresses.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature All the way...

Genre: hard rock 'n' roll

Enter The Spittin' Cobras, an American hard rock band whose music is as dangerous as their name is. Year of the Cobra is the debut full-length from this Seattle-based band, and, if you like rock 'n' roll, then don't even waste anymore time reading this review – just go and buy the album!

Year of the Cobra is a massive slab of ferocious, in-your-face high octane rock 'n' roll with an OD injection of heavy metal and a touch of punk rock. And it's damn good. From the opener "All the Way" to the closer "Long Live Rock n' Roll" (a cover version of the legendary track by Dio-fronted Rainbow), the listener is pumped up beyond recognition. Don't be surprised if you find yourself in detention, having trashed up your town after listening to this album. What The Spittin' Corbras have done is they have basically taken the aesthetics and energy of bands like AC/DC and rammed steroids down its throat in the form of maxed up tempos, punked up aggression, and metalled up brutality.

Needless to say, this combination works extremely well.

If you don't believe me, then just check tracks like "10,000 Broken Bodies", "Criminal Mastermind", "Throw Your Horns", "Built for Speed" and the groovy "Hooker With A Heart of Gold".

One of the factors that really help make the already energized music kick ass even harder is the production, which is quite well-defined, but which is also characterized by a more heavy metal-like aggressive and heavy distorted sound. I must say that I also really like the vocals which sound like the outcome of a cloning experiment involving Bon Scott, King Ad-Rock, a bottle of Jack, and a dose of steroids. In case you're in doubt, this is meant as a complement, as the aggressive singing style fits perfectly into the hardboiled rock 'n' roll style.

2012 may well be the year of the cobra if this album catches on. I hope it will, because it totally rocks. If you like your rock 'n' roll hard 'n' heavy, then you owe it to yourself to check out Year of the Cobra.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature Ride the steel...

Genre: crust metal / metal crust

Originally known as Wolfpack, Wolfbrigade has been unleashing their fierce crust music upon the world since the mid-90s. Now, they are back with another barrage of d-beating angry madness in the form of Damned.

Opening the album fiercely with the in-your-face d-beater "Feed the Flames", Wolfbrigade relentlessly keeps pounding the listeners eardrums through that track and "Slaves of Induction" and "Road to Dreams", and it is only in "The Curse of Cain" that the tempo is lowered to mid-pace. And just as you thought things would quieten down a bit, Wolfbrigade throw the super-fast "On Your Knees... in Misery" at you, exposing you to more crust madness in "Ride the Steel", "Hurricane Veins", "From Beyond", "Catch 22", "Damned to Madness", "Where No One Sleeps".

As with most other crust releases, Damned is a molotov cocktail of empowering energy generated through the simple but compelling riffage and the powerful drumbeats. While I personally love that sort of energy that is encapsulated in crust punk, hardcore punk, crossover thrash and related genres, I am well aware that a lot of d-beating crust has a tendency to become monotonous in the long run. I think that Wolfbrigade steer clear of this risk by inserting guitar leads and melodic elements into their sound as is the case of, for instance, "Ride the Steel" and "From Beyond" as well as "Peace of Mind", which feature some melodic guitar leads and more heavily paced bridges, on top of the d-beating madness (I especially like the heavy second part of "Ride the Steel").

In addition to the melodic tendencies, there is a certain metallic feel inherent in the music on this album, as several heavy metal elements pop up now and then, as in "The Curse of Cain" and "Ride the Steel". The overall production sound also has the brutality associated with death metal, which also contributes to giving Wolfbrigade a metallic edge on this album. Sounding like Motörhead on steroids, Wolfbrigade's brand of crust punk (or crust metal, or metal crust) should appeal to both metalheads and crust punk fans alike.

If you are into the energy of crust punk and do not mind melodic elements and a couple of intrusions of the universe of metal music, then you should definitely check out Wolfbrigade's high octane, hardboiled, hardcore energy bomb Damned.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature Praedator...

Genre: alternative metalcore

Eths' third album is one of those releases that are difficult to place in one single genre-box, as the French band use elements from a lot of different subgenres within the world of metal. Thus, there is a bit of thrash metal, a bit of melodic death metal, a bit of sludge metal, a bit of gothic metal, and even some symphonic elements every now and then (as in the outro of 'Anatemnein').

However, I think it is safe to say that the cores style is a blend of metalcore and alternative metal, as Eths make extensive use of metalcore styled grooves and the introspective shoegazing feel of much alternative metal. Some tracks, like 'Voragine', lean more towards metalcore, while others, like 'Gravis Venter', lean more towards alternative metal. I am well aware that metalcore and alternative metal are much hated among metal purists, but they can just fuck off, because Eths have really struck a nice balanced between the two genres, and it works brilliantly.

The vocals combine clean soft, almost inward-looking, female singing, delivered by Candice, with harsh growls, primarily also delivered by Candice, although some male backing growls appear every now and then. In addition to singing and growling, Candice also makes use of whispers and spoken word, most of which is delivered in French. The vocals are thus pretty interesting, and the overall musicianship is also quite impressive, and all tracks are performed with precision and tightness.

"III" is definitely an interesting release, combining metalcore and alternative metal very efficiently, and including elements from many other genres, and fans of modern metal should definitely check it out. I was going to give this 3.5 stars, but the fact that Eths include so many French-language lyrics earns them an extra 0.5 star.

Time Signature Agnostic demon...

Genre: sludge metal

I have read a couple of reviews of this album, and it really seems that US sludge-metallers Black Sheep Wall's "No Matter Where It Ends" has had a raw deal with the reviewers. The reviewers criticize the album for being monotonous, repetitive, slow, and lumbering.

And in a way, they are right. The songs on this album are very minimalistic, drawing on slow and heavy riffage almost sloppily performed on very downtuned and distorted instruments, accompanied by slow, dragging drum beats. The riffs are usually quite simple and incredibly sludgy, and, rather than making use of many riffs per track, Black Sheep Wall have opted for the method of repetition. Thus the average song on this album is slow and heavy, evolving around the repetition of a few sludgy riffs.

This minimalist approach definitely does make the music sound monotonous, and the use of harsh hardcore-ish vocals along with the absence of any leads or other melodic devices does not exactly help generate variation.

Now, the question is, is this a good or a bad thing? The reviewers seem to think it is a bad thing - that it is a symptom of artistic failure. However, what Black Sheep Wall deliberately set out to do is exactly to create some minimalistic slow and sludgy music. So, I'd say, they succeeded. I'd say all of these features are a positive thing and an indicator of artistic success.

True, "No Matter Where It Ends" really tests the listener (not just musically, but also through the use of noise-based soundscapes that pop up between the songs), and I must admit that it is incongruous with my own personal taste in music - I do love heavy and slow music, but I am more into doom metal than sludge metal. But that does not mean that "No Matter Where It Ends" sucks - not at all, Black Sheep Wall have met all the criteria that they set up for themselves, and they definitely deserve credit for that.

If you dig slow, dragging, droning, sloppy and sludgy music with an injection of noise and minimalism as the main artistic ethos, then you definitely should check out Black Sheep Wall's "No Matter Where It Ends".

Time Signature Something to say...

Genre: hard rock / melodic metal

This has been an interesting experience. To be honest, the first thing I felt towards this band, before I heard the music, was antipathy because of their utilization of the physical attractiveness of a sexed up Julie Westlake in most of their visual material. Now, it is my impression that - at least in the world of pop - when an artist is promoted through the sexing up of his or her physical appearance, this is normally to compensate for a lack, or at least a very low degree, of musical talent or for the lack of anything interesting or attractive in the music itself.

Now, this is really not the case with Hydrogyn, because, once you listen to their music, you will realize that they have talent and they are skilled musicians who know how to write good and interesting rock music. So, their sex-driven imagery is not really necessary. The tracks on "Private Sessions" fall somewhere between melodic hard rock and melodic metal, with emphasis on incredibly catchy chorus lines, masterfully delivered by Julie Westlake's clear voice. Moreover, the guitar solos featured on this album are performed with finesse and, for a hard rock album, they are often quite technically advanced.

The songs are, as mentioned, well written and cleverly draw on both heavy, hardrocking elements and on mellow, melodic and, at times, poppy, elements. "Something to say", for instance, evolves around a metallic riff while the verse is of the classic "Holy Diver"-style pumping bass, and the chorus is extremely sing-along-friendly. A track like "Forbidden Kind" combines alternative metal with a Def Leppard sensibility, and also features a 90s era Depeche Mode feel. "I Don't Know How" balances between a mellow verse and a hard rocking chorus and features som classic metal riffage, while "Heated Nights" is more of an all out hardrocker, and "Creeper" features some groovy nu metal-like riffage and an old school metal chorus. "Roseline's Song" and "Alone" are more ballady tracks - and examples of how ballads can definitely be good ("Alone" also features an almost epic chorus with symphonic tendencies).

Classy hard rock, the tracks on "Private Sessions" should appeal broadly to anyone who loves hard rock and melodic metal. The choruses are memorable, the musicianship is impeccable, and the melodies are massive.

Time Signature Remember death...

Genre: death-black

While the Norwegian black metal scene is probably the most influential black metal scene in the world, I would say that the French one is among the most interesting ones, spawning a number of different black metal acts operating within a number of different black metal subgenres, each offering their own take on the genre.

One of these French black metal bands is Vorkreist. Their style is normally described as blackened death metal, but I think that, at least on "Sigil Whore Christ", the scales tilt more towards the black metal side. Granted, there are a couple of death metal elements in the form of certain riffage styles (such as palm-muted brutal picking), guitar solos and breakdowns, and, production-wise, the album also leans more towards death metal. However, the attitude, the vocals, the atmosphere are, to my untrained ear, straight up full of black metal evil, and there are enough repeated tremolo-picked dissonant chords accompanied by blastbeating to qualify as black metal. If anything, I'd consider this "deathened black metal".

The whole death or black metal debate aside, "Sigil Whore Christ" is a very well made album, I think, and I quite like the brutality that the death metal riffage and production adds to the black metal attitude. Just check out a track like "Dominus Illuminatio Mea" to hear how the death and black elements are well balanced and well integrated into each other.

Spicing black metal up with death metal elements, Vorkreist have managed to combine black metal chaos with death metal brutality into a very convincing evil and aggressive brand of black metal, which should appeal to fans of the likes of Svarttjern, Behemoth and Temple of Baal.

Time Signature The eye of needle...

Genre: atmospheric sludge metal

French metal act Klone is perhaps among the internationally more obscure acts from the French scene despite the fact that they have several releases under their belt. Hopefully this EP will help them gain more status internationally and give them the spot in the limelight that they definitely deserve.

Described as an alternative metal band, Klone strike me as being more than that on this EP. The two tracks do admittedly sound inspired by the likes of Alice In Chains and, to some extent also Soundgarden, but there is a much more prevalent feel of both post-metal and sludge metal on this release, which is also much more progressive and even avant-garde than most other alternative metal acts.

"The Eye of Needle, Part 1" is a fairly mellow 10 minutes plus affair which emphasizes heavy beats and a dark atmosphere with plenty of emphasis on vocal melodies. Granted, there are distorted guitars on this track, but these mostly take the backseat serving primarily to help generate the dark and oppressive atmosphere that characterizes this track by providing slightly dissonant textures and heavy doomy riffage. Slowly working its way through its 10 minutes of song length, "The Eye of Needle, Part 1" may test the patience of some listeners, but if you like dark and atmospheric music to lose yourself in, then chances are that you will love this tune. "The Eye of Needle, Part 2" is, while stile atmospheric and dark, slightly more aggressive with its basic groovy drive and inclusion of more thrashy riffage in the second half – neatly countered by ambient synth effects.

Definitely an interesting listen across the board, perhaps the most attractive aspect of this EP is the use of a rather avant-garde saxophone courtesy of Matthieu Metzger, who also provides the keyboards and electronic effects.

The production is very professional, but there is a lot of reverb across the board. Now, while this might be annoying to some listeners, I am sure that the massive amount of reverb is the result of a conscious choice, because it does definitely serve the purpose of making the already atmospheric EP seem even more atmospheric and ambient.

Fans of post-metal and more atmospheric sludge metal along the lines of, say, Ghost Brigade should definitely not hesitate to acquire this fine piece of dark, heavy and expressive music.

(review originally posted as seaoftranquility.org)