UMUR "Wrath Of The Reaper" is the 4th full-length studio album by US, San Francisco, California based metal act Hexx. The album was released through High Roller Records in September 2017. Hexx originally formed in 1983 and released three full-length studio albums before disbanding in 1995. They developed their sound greatly over the years, starting out playing US power/heavy metal and ending in technical death/thrash metal territory on "Morbid Reality" from 1991. So what does Hexx sound like 26 years down the line...

...well they sure didn´t continue the technical death/thrash metal sound of the predecessor, and "Wrath Of The Reaper" definitely have more in common with the first two US power/heavy metal releases by the band ("No Escape" from 1984 and "Under the Spell " from 1985), although "Wrath Of The Reaper" is generally a bit harder edged (even touching thrash metal territory once or twice). Stylistically this is more or less the epitome of the US power/heavy metal style and if I have to make a comparison that as many people as possible can relate to, it would be an act like Metal Church. At times this actually sounds so much like Metal Church that I´m doubt if it´s that band in disguise playing on "Wrath Of The Reaper" (it´s almost eeire at times how much lead vocalist Eddy Vega sounds like a slightly more pissed Mike Howe). So in that respect "Wrath Of The Reaper" isn´t the most original sounding album out there, but it has other qualities which still make it a high quality US power/heavy metal release.

Despite not being the most unique sounding material, the tracks are very well written. Powerful and memorable heavy metal tunes with heavy raw riffs, well played guitar solos, an energetic and solid playing rhythm section, and the above mentioned raw snarling vocals on top. Hexx are a skilled and well playing unit and they have crafted a potent release with "Wrath Of The Reaper". Fans of the style (and Metal Church in particular) are recommended to give this one a listen. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Kev Rowland Even though Armored Saint have now been in existence for more than 40 years, and I have of course been aware of the name (primarily due to John Bush, who took time off to sing in Anthrax), I do not think I have previously come across any of their material. With their 40th anniversary in 2022, and Metal Blade reissuing their first three albums on coloured vinyl to celebrate, now is the time to correct that. Formed in 1982 by John Bush (vocals), Dave Prichard (lead guitar), Phil Sandoval (rhythm guitar), Joey Vera (bass) and Gonzo Sandoval (drums), they self-released a demo that year and were soon signed to Metal Blade who put out their first EP in 1983, following that with a deal with Chrysalis for this album in 1984.

One of the advantages of being old in 2023 is that I was 16 in 1979, so was very much involved in the NWOBHM scene, listening to as many new bands as possible and being blown away not only by the variety of metal which was exploding but also the quality. Part of the reason is that some of the bands heading the charge had actually been playing for a few years before the scene caught up with them notably Iron Maiden, Saxon and Raven, while others were playing anywhere and everywhere to build up their songs and stagecraft such as Def Leppard, Samson and so many others. At the time it seemed like the UK was the centre of the world in terms of metal, with the likes of Venom and Angel Witch pushing music into new directions as well. But America? To us in the UK if felt like the States had yet to get with the programme, and to me this album is a fine example.

Released in 1984, it is solid NWOBHM in style, yet is already years out of date and cannot be compared with what was happening in the UK at the time. The scene had moved on, and even back then this must have sounded quite dated and listening to it nearly 40 years on it just does not contain the quality of material one would expect. John Bush is widely known as a great singer, which is why he was asked to join Anthrax, but the songs are quite basic and there is not enough going on in the arrangements to make them consistently interesting. I cannot believe just how disappointed I was in this as I was really looking forward to it as their debut is highly rated, especially for “Can U Deliver” which had quite some success at the time, but for me there is just not enough excitement, and there are times when it reminds me of Tygers of Pan Tang, who were exciting at the time but have not aged well.

UMUR "Well of Souls" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US power metal act Ashes of Ares. The album was released through Rock of Angels Records in November 2018. It´s the successor to the eponymously titled debut album from 2013. Ashes Of Ares was formed in 2012 and is a three-piece consisting of Matt Barlow (ex-Iced Earth, ex-Pyramaze) on vocals, Freddie Vidales (ex-Iced Earth) on guitars and bass, and Van Williams (ex-Nevermore) on drums.

Stylistically the material on "Well of Souls" continue the US power/heavy metal style of the debut album. With Barlow on lead vocals, it´s hard not to make comparisons to Iced Earth, and it is indeed that act Ashes Of Ares have a similar sound to. It´s no surprise that the musicianship are on a high level on all posts considering the musicians involved in the project. Loads of well played riffs, melodic guitar work and solos, a hard pounding powerful rhythm section, and Barlow´s strong voice and considerable vocal skills in front.

"Well of Souls" is well produced too, although the drums could have prospered from a more organic tone and the rhythm guitars could have packed a bit more punch, but upon conclusion it´s another strong US power/heavy metal release by Ashes Of Ares. It´s not an album which holds many surprises, and not all tracks are equally succesful to my ears (the power ballad type track "Soul Searcher" is an example of that), but it´s overall a solid release within the genre. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Science of Annihilation" is the 5th full-length studio album by US, California based power/heavy metal act Cage. The album was released through Music Buy Mail in May 2009. It´s the successor to "Hell Destroyer" from 2007 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Mikey Niel has been replaced by Norm Leggio (Psychotic Waltz, Teabag).

Stylistically the material on "Science of Annihilation" continue the hard edged US power/heavy metal style of the preceding releases and maintain the high quality level of the two direct predecessors. Imagine how a full album featuring tracks in a similar vein to "Painkiller" by Judas Priest would sound like, and you´re halfway there describing the sound on "Science of Annihilation". So this is US power/heavy metal in the more fast-paced, dark, and aggressive end of the scale (tracks like "Planet Crusher" and "Speed Kills" are absolutely crushing). That does not exclude epic moments and loads of anthemic melodies, and the occasional slower and heavy moment, but "Science of Annihilation" is predominantly a fast-paced, hard pounding US power/heavy metal release, featuring uptempo pounding rhythms, blistering guitar work (including solos and harmonies), and a commanding and occasionally screaming vocal performance by Sean Peck in front. This is pretty much heavy metal heaven for those of us who prefer our heavy metal fast, dark, and aggressive.

"Science of Annihilation" features a powerful sounding production, high level musicianship all over the line, and the tracks are well composed and effective too, so upon conclusion it´s yet another high quality release by Cage. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Hell Destroyer" is the 4th full-length studio album by US, California based power/heavy metal act Cage. The album was released through Destroy All Records in May 2007. It´s the successor to "Darker Than Black" from 2003 and features the same five-piece lineup who recorded the predecessor.

And it´s a confident and very well playing band performing on "Hell Destroyer". High level musicianship on all posts. Sharp traditional heavy metal/US power metal riffs and rhythms, blistering solos, and lead vocalist Sean Peck´s strong and passionate vocals in front. Peck is an incredibly intense and convincing singer with a commanding delivery and while all involved play a great role in the high level delivery of the music, Peck stands out as something special. The music is generally pretty hard-edged and aggressive for the genre, and a comparison to the most raw and fast-paced tracks by Judas Priest (think "Painkiller") is valid. As such it´s just a natural succession of the music style on "Darker Than Black (2003)".

"Hell Destroyer" is a concept album and the main theme of the story is the fight between Christ and the Devil. It´s put into a fantasy story with epic battles and other classic fantasy elements, but there is a Christian message here that Cage obviously want to deliver. It´s one of the most badass Christian themed heavy metal albums I´ve yet encountered though, so if you have an aversion to Christian lyrics, it´s maybe time to either broaden your horizon or just look past the lyrics and enjoy the many other high quality features "Hell Destroyer" has to offer.

You can add to that list a powerful, sharp, and very well sounding production, and "Hell Destroyer" is simply a high quality heavy metal release through and through. The only minor issue I have with the album is the fact that it´s over 70 minutes long. While every track on the album individually is strong and memorable, 70 minutes still feels a little long for an album featuring this type of music. As you can hear complaining about quantity really is a minor issue, and I overall find "Hell Destroyer" highly recommendable to fans of US power/heavy metal. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

Kingcrimsonprog Live In Ancient Kourion is a live concert Blu-Ray from the American Power Metal band Iced Earth. It was filmed at the ancient Kourion Theater in Limasol, Cyprus (a site with a 6,000-year history according to the liner notes) in 2012, in support of the Dystopia album. The line up features Jon Schaffer, Brent Smedley, Troy Steele, Luke Appleton and then-new singer Stu Block.

The career-spanning set contains 27 songs from all eras of the band’s history, in a concert that lasts around 2 hours and 35 minutes. Its pretty great value for money in that regard.

The performance is very strong indeed, with all band members putting down solid performances with no weak links. Stu capably handles the material of previous singers Matt Barlow and Tim Ripper Owens in a suitable but distinctive way. He fits the band perfectly and is immensely talented. Elsewhere; the dual guitar lines and solos are sublime and the drumming is powerful and rock-solid. If you like Iced Earth then this is a really strong and representative example of what they are all about.

Highlights include strong performances of ‘Burning Times,’ ‘Wolf,’ ‘Declaration Day,’ ‘Days Of Rage’ and ‘Dantes Inferno.’ ‘Boiling Point’ and ‘Damien’ are also especially energetic and exciting here – if you were wondering if you’d enjoy this release, then I suggest trying those two tracks out.

The stage design and the simple, tasteful lightshow in conjunction with the well-integrated use of smoke and pyro perfectly complements the band’s meaty, honest approach to Metal music. The crowd get into it and both clap and sing along on many occasions. Sometimes not only singing the words but also the guitar melodies. The concert really shows a confident band delivering their best to an appreciative crowd.

The camerawork and editing are absolutely solid, the audio recording quality and live mix are spot-on and overall this is a very strong release on both the audio and visual fronts. Sometimes you’ll get a DVD with way too many flashy transitions and cheesy editing choices, or the bass guitar missing from the mix, but a lot of care has obviously gone into making this a tasteful and musician-friendly affair. Admittedly I have seen concert Blu-Rays with better picture quality (Sabaton, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius and Hammerfall spring to mind) and here it can be a tiny bit grainy, soft-focus or washed out at times depending on the lighting conditions in the venue at the time however just because better examples exist, it doesn’t mean the picture here is anything to complain about.

In terms of bonus features there are photo galleries (4 minutes of very high resolution photos of the band and the beautiful Cypriot landscape), a 9-minute world tour story (breaking down the logistics involved such as how many guitar picks and flights the band went through) which mixes photos and graphics with interview footage, as well as the 31-minute Documentary feature “The Making Of Live At Ancient Kourion.”

The version I got comes with a slipcase in a digibook-style box which contains booklet featuring photos, credits and liner notes from bandleader Jon Shaffer. It houses the Blu-Ray version, DVD version and CD version of the concert for maximum flexibility.

The Blu-Ray specs are as follows: Region 0, Format 16:9, Audio comes in a choice of Dolby Digital 2.0 or DTS HD Surround 5.1.

Overall; Live In Ancient Kourion, especially this edition, is a very worthwhile release and I whole-heartedly recommend it to fans of the band, or fans of Traditional Heavy Metal and Power Metal in general.

666sharon666 There's a lot of value for your money in this DVD package. Three full festival appearances are included, two with singer Matt Barlow and one with singer Tim "Ripper" Owens. There's also the seemingly customary documentary and all the band's music videos with the exception of the older Desert Rain back from the Night of the Stormrider era, as well as the advert for the Ten Thousand Strong video and photo slideshows. For the price this seems to retail at (I bought it for just £9.99), this is a very worthwhile package for any Iced Earth fan. The one catch is that it in reality looks more than it is, as both the Barlow fronted shows feature a completely identical setlist. It's still a very good value package to get despite this, but 4 stars is all I feel inclined to award it because of the amount of repetition. Still for the very reasonable price, if you like this band, buy it anyway.

(I originally posted this hastily written review here: http://bit.ly/pafvQh )