2011 has been a great year for me, as I feel that I have accomplished a lot personally, Newcastle have been playing well, and I have had some generally great experiences. In terms of what the metal world has offered however, there has certainly been a mixed bag cast forward by bands the world over, something most spectacularly seen in Morbid Angel's latest album "Illud Divinum Insanus", that should have seen them sectioned at best and executed at worst. Nevertheless, there have been some quality offerings this year, and my top 5 list is home to just a small number of them.
5. Burzum - Fallen
With this album, which sees the infamous Varg Vikernes adopt clean vocals alongside his usual screeching, the listener is tormented by an unusual mix and a concoction of ferocious, discordant melody, all part of the appeal of Burzum. "Fallen" sees Burzum offer up some much needed freshness into the world of atmospheric black metal, and Varg's capacity to constantly push his own boundaries in certainly to be admired.
4. Dark Forest - Dawn of Infinity
An intense whirlwind of traditional heavy metal and folk awaits those who choose to dance the waltz of Dark Forest's latest offering "Dawn of Infinity". Melodic harmonies provide catchy hook lines, and perhaps the best example of this is found in the truly anthemic "Under the Greenwood Tree", which features a rousing chorus and the kind of riffing that would easily have Manowar and Ensiferum fans jigging in unison.
3. Anaal Nathrakh - Passion
Ridiculously hysterical to some, and crushingly brutal to others, Anaal Nathrakh are a band that make no concessions in their approach to extreme metal. "Passion" draws influence from grind and blackened metal styles to leave the listener feeling violated in a pool of savage extremity and vile rage.
2. Autopsy - Macabre Eternal
Back with their first full length since reforming, Autopsy are doing what they do best with this gallery of diverse, yet always reassuring old school, death metal. The vocals and lyrics are positively repulsive, and the general sound of the band is crushing at times and ripping at others. Autopsy is a death metal beast that continues to embarrass those that have let themselves and their fans down in the most hilarious way (Morbid Angel). Kings of death metal? Autopsy, step right up!
1. Warbringer - Worlds Torn Asunder
Topping my list is the third album from American thrashers Warbringer, who have certainly cemented their place in the modern scene as a vitally important band with this release. Combining their ferocious blend of thrash with old school black metal and death metal styles has proved to be a very successful avenue for Warbringer to pursue. This album has, for me, been unmatched this year, with the addition of Carlos (drums) to the band clearly providing them with some spectacular versatility.
A special mention must also go to Metallica and Lou Reed, who have created the finest work of comedy ever to have graced these ears with "Lulu", well done lads!
It wasn't a joke!?
/L
Sunday, 18 December 2011
Pit Yakker Chuck's Top 10 of the year!
2011 was a good year for Metal, in terms of releases. Some great albums where put out by bands. However we had a few very bad disappointments. ( Morbid Angel, Queensryche etc) However the good really did outweigh the bad. Also I was very privileged to see Judas Preist on their final "Epitath" world tour. Bloodstock 2011 with its amazing line up. Seeing Coroner reunion show and Immortal first show in the uk for nine years. Looking back their was actually some really fucking cool experiences. I also saw many a local show and got involved with my local scene. Formed my own band after months of searching for members.
Right moving on from ranting on about nostalgia here is my top 10 list, I will also include personal disappointments and horrible mentions at the end.
Number 10 - Destruction Day Of Reckoning
A solid thrash album from genre legends destruction. Great technical riffs, catchy and overall just a solid album. Great production also.
Number 9 - Autopsy Macabre Eternal
Autopsy return after 15 years since their last album. Some will be thinking this is low on the list. Personally I really enjoyed this release. It sounds like the album they could have done in-between Severed Survival and Mental Funeral. Good production, great Autopsy riffs etc. However I just consider this to go on for way to long.
Number 8 - Symphony X Iconoclast
Prog power masters deliver the goods yet again. Taking the ideas and style displayed on Paradise Lost to an even further level. Much more progressive and Michael Romeo continues to show he may be the best guitar player in metal. Inspiring stuff.
Number 7 - Pagan's Mind Heavenly Exctascy
Another great prog power album this year. Pagan's Mind are one of my favourite bands and after the disappointing Gods Equation. I was sceptical of this release. Pagan's Mind proved me wrong, progressing with a much more melodic and slightly more accessible release. Riffs catchier than a common cold and the guitar leads are some of the most impressive melodic lead lines I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. Pagan's Mind are back.
Number 6 - Thulcandra Under a Frozen Sun
Paying tribute to the Swedish black metal scene of the mid - late 90's. Thulcandra come more into their own on this release. But still can't help paying tribute to their obvious hero's Dissection. That's fine by me as this is my favourite style of black metal. Backed by an icy modern production and some really pulsating blackened death metal riffs. Thulcandra show great diversity with this one. Combining great riffs with epic structure. The song "Aeons of Darkness" has one of the most heavy riffs of 2011 in there. Epic.
Number 5 - Vektor Outer Isolation
Vektor blew me away with this. I was anticipating this greatly for months. I have a lot of respect for this band. One of the few progressive thrash bands around at the moment. Every thing is so unique here. The riffs, structures the solo's. Everything is mind numbing and the vocals are just some of the most insane and unique I have ever heard.
Number 4 - Havok Time Is Up
Man. I can remember first getting this, waking up on a fine morning. Sticking on the opener and getting blown away. It brought a lot of good times. Drinking beer in my garden listening to this, great memories and great times. As far as the actual music goes this is my favourite new thrash album. A one that can stand up to the classics of yesteryear and that's saying something. You can read my full review of this on here and metal archives. So I won't dive into specifics about the music with this. But this album really brought back the feeling of thrash for a while. Made me go back and listen to some classics, drink a lot of beer and shoot the shit to this album on the I-pod dock in the garden. Good times thrash.
Number 3 -Vader Welcome To The Morbid Reich
This album full on smokes. Any metal head into death and thrash should be able to realize that this is the best death metal album of 2011. A vast improvement on their last album Necropolis. Which I thought was good but some of the songs where too short and didn't have the room enough to be epic riff fests, which the songs had the potential to be. The production is as strong as ever, a pulsating guitar tone. Intense high speed blasts. Fast thrash breaks, brutal mid paced riffs. The addition of the new guitar player "Spider" brought a fresh feeling to the band, with his brilliant riffs and leads. This is the one of the best modern day death metal albums.
Number 2 - Power Quest Blood Alliance
Wow. This is what I have been listening to whilst doing this list. Possibly the only British power metal album that can stand up to euro power metal. I did a full review of this so if you want you can check that out on here and metal archives. This really quiet special and one that brings a good feeling when I listen to it. I watched these play Bloodstock 2011, they played 5 songs of it and it was amazing. One of the most professional bands I have ever watched. This album has accompanied me on a lot of good times this year. I listened to it mostly in the summer which is the best time to listen to power metal in my opinion (happy times) Just pure magic.
Number 1 - Obscura Omnivium
This was the album I anticipated the most this year and did this band deliver the goods. From the opening notes of the first track you know your in for an intense experience. This is how modern Technical/Progressive Death Metal albums should be done. Every time you go back and listen you hear something new. Just fucking amazing.
Honourable Mentions.
Stratovarius, Jag Panzer, Warbringer, Hate Eternal, Pestilence, Blut Aus Nord (777 Sects), Fleshgod Apocalypse, Dream Theater, Wolves in the Throne Room,
Disappointments
Anubis gate, Megadeth, Decapitated, Morbid Angel, Revocation.
/C
Right moving on from ranting on about nostalgia here is my top 10 list, I will also include personal disappointments and horrible mentions at the end.
Number 10 - Destruction Day Of Reckoning
A solid thrash album from genre legends destruction. Great technical riffs, catchy and overall just a solid album. Great production also.
Number 9 - Autopsy Macabre Eternal
Autopsy return after 15 years since their last album. Some will be thinking this is low on the list. Personally I really enjoyed this release. It sounds like the album they could have done in-between Severed Survival and Mental Funeral. Good production, great Autopsy riffs etc. However I just consider this to go on for way to long.
Number 8 - Symphony X Iconoclast
Prog power masters deliver the goods yet again. Taking the ideas and style displayed on Paradise Lost to an even further level. Much more progressive and Michael Romeo continues to show he may be the best guitar player in metal. Inspiring stuff.
Number 7 - Pagan's Mind Heavenly Exctascy
Another great prog power album this year. Pagan's Mind are one of my favourite bands and after the disappointing Gods Equation. I was sceptical of this release. Pagan's Mind proved me wrong, progressing with a much more melodic and slightly more accessible release. Riffs catchier than a common cold and the guitar leads are some of the most impressive melodic lead lines I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. Pagan's Mind are back.
Number 6 - Thulcandra Under a Frozen Sun
Paying tribute to the Swedish black metal scene of the mid - late 90's. Thulcandra come more into their own on this release. But still can't help paying tribute to their obvious hero's Dissection. That's fine by me as this is my favourite style of black metal. Backed by an icy modern production and some really pulsating blackened death metal riffs. Thulcandra show great diversity with this one. Combining great riffs with epic structure. The song "Aeons of Darkness" has one of the most heavy riffs of 2011 in there. Epic.
Number 5 - Vektor Outer Isolation
Vektor blew me away with this. I was anticipating this greatly for months. I have a lot of respect for this band. One of the few progressive thrash bands around at the moment. Every thing is so unique here. The riffs, structures the solo's. Everything is mind numbing and the vocals are just some of the most insane and unique I have ever heard.
Number 4 - Havok Time Is Up
Man. I can remember first getting this, waking up on a fine morning. Sticking on the opener and getting blown away. It brought a lot of good times. Drinking beer in my garden listening to this, great memories and great times. As far as the actual music goes this is my favourite new thrash album. A one that can stand up to the classics of yesteryear and that's saying something. You can read my full review of this on here and metal archives. So I won't dive into specifics about the music with this. But this album really brought back the feeling of thrash for a while. Made me go back and listen to some classics, drink a lot of beer and shoot the shit to this album on the I-pod dock in the garden. Good times thrash.
Number 3 -Vader Welcome To The Morbid Reich
This album full on smokes. Any metal head into death and thrash should be able to realize that this is the best death metal album of 2011. A vast improvement on their last album Necropolis. Which I thought was good but some of the songs where too short and didn't have the room enough to be epic riff fests, which the songs had the potential to be. The production is as strong as ever, a pulsating guitar tone. Intense high speed blasts. Fast thrash breaks, brutal mid paced riffs. The addition of the new guitar player "Spider" brought a fresh feeling to the band, with his brilliant riffs and leads. This is the one of the best modern day death metal albums.
Number 2 - Power Quest Blood Alliance
Wow. This is what I have been listening to whilst doing this list. Possibly the only British power metal album that can stand up to euro power metal. I did a full review of this so if you want you can check that out on here and metal archives. This really quiet special and one that brings a good feeling when I listen to it. I watched these play Bloodstock 2011, they played 5 songs of it and it was amazing. One of the most professional bands I have ever watched. This album has accompanied me on a lot of good times this year. I listened to it mostly in the summer which is the best time to listen to power metal in my opinion (happy times) Just pure magic.
Number 1 - Obscura Omnivium
This was the album I anticipated the most this year and did this band deliver the goods. From the opening notes of the first track you know your in for an intense experience. This is how modern Technical/Progressive Death Metal albums should be done. Every time you go back and listen you hear something new. Just fucking amazing.
Honourable Mentions.
Stratovarius, Jag Panzer, Warbringer, Hate Eternal, Pestilence, Blut Aus Nord (777 Sects), Fleshgod Apocalypse, Dream Theater, Wolves in the Throne Room,
Disappointments
Anubis gate, Megadeth, Decapitated, Morbid Angel, Revocation.
/C
Saturday, 3 December 2011
REANIMATED CORPSES - DEATH METAL IN THE 21st CENTURY
DEATH METAL, a genre characterised by raw aggression, filth-ridden production and savage vocals that spit forth tales of murder and the occult, is one that has arguably shaped extreme music more than any other. Are we to be deceived that this dark form of art died as ear expanders came into fashion and bands started producing merchandise on lo-cut tops, the kind of which would be welcomed spectacularly in most spicy nightclubs? I for one refuse to believe that death metal collapsed with the demise of Morbid Angel after Covenant or as Deicide became absolutely ridiculous. The truth is that the underground will never die, nor does it rest, it simply waits to be found...
MISTRESS - IN DISGUST WE TRUST (2005)
/In%20Disgust%20We%20Trust/In%20Disgust%20We%20Trust.jpg)
The first of my deadly modern trio hail from Birmingham in England and are definitely a band that have escaped the radar of most death-heads the world over. The now defunct Mistress play a primitive style of death metal, a term which I use with the greatest of respect to describe their crushing variation between mid paced groove, grinding speed and sludgy doom passages. With lyrics more blue than a dead blue-tit ("Fucking Fuck" anyone?), Dave Cunt (Dave Hunt also of Benediction and Anaal Nathrakh) ferociously splutters forth venomous bile about his hatred for mankind, with equal amounts of intellect and vulgarity being present in his now iconic vocal tones. This album provides a modern take on the genre yet remains firmly rooted in the grindcore crossover style of old school bands like Repulsion, and never feels sterile as each track is diverse enough to always maintain interest. No more so is this evident than in the song "Static", which incorporates an eerily melodic and catchy chorus amongst the chaos of sickening sludge. The rumbling of the bass guitar is positively filthy and this aids the pounding groove superbly. Mistress are surely one of the forgotten gems of not only the UKDM scene, but within DM in general - Highly recommended for fans of Benediction, Repulsion, Fukpig, Iron Monkey, Entombed and Autopsy.
It is often argued that one should not judge a book by it's cover, and it seems as though this logic should also be naturally applied to albums also, but for "Stinking Up The Night" by Sweden's Death Breath (ex Entombed) an exception should surely be made. This album contains 10 perfect slices of raw, punked up and almost rocky death metal that isn't afraid to include some enticing melodies, with the opener "Death Breath" conjuring a sense of the most deathly foreboding imaginable, before a rocking riff enters the audible fray. Death Breath take no prisoners when it comes to their vicious onslaught upon the ear and journey between thrashy death metal riffage and all out crushing doom raids with ease and great success. Lyrical subjects are light hearted and a welcome relief from all of the mindless porn/gore subjects associated with the genre nowadays- who can fail to crack open a sly smile when Pehrsson screams chilling warnings to those with horrific dental hygiene, or gives a dark prophecy of the "flabby little things from beyond"? With this album's relentless musical intensity, Death Breath have created one of the most stunning releases of the 00's so far, so if bands like Possessed, Celtic Frost, Repulsion and Autopsy are your kind of thing, prepare to fully immerse yourself in this foul creation of emphatic decay and rot.
The final members of this unholy union also haunt the cold air of Sweden, but take a far more serious approach to the art of music extreme than their compatriots Death Breath. Vanhelgd have emerged from the blackened mist of ambiguity as genuine contenders in the modern scene, with their latest album "Church of Death". The vocals are hysterical, the rhythms versatile and powerful, the production is thick, and the guitar tone possesses a violent buzz in this destructive whirlwind of death, doom and blackened styles. Melancholic harmonies bind themselves to the heaviness of the thunderously held chords, and their ominous presence throughout this release marks this album out as a kind of sinister brother to more conservative death metal bands. Blistering pace gives way to crushingly slow sections, and it is precisely this depth to the release that makes it so successful. It would be easy for a band to continue to rehash the same old tried and tested formula, however well it may work (some bands have built their career on it and power to them), but this is not the way of Vanhelgd, who even go as far as to incorporate folk style influences into their work on this album - A raw attack of increasingly rare originality. Recommended for fans of Entombed, Watain, Autopsy and Unleashed, as well as anyone who likes their death metal like they like their coffee. BLACK.
MISTRESS - IN DISGUST WE TRUST (2005)
The first of my deadly modern trio hail from Birmingham in England and are definitely a band that have escaped the radar of most death-heads the world over. The now defunct Mistress play a primitive style of death metal, a term which I use with the greatest of respect to describe their crushing variation between mid paced groove, grinding speed and sludgy doom passages. With lyrics more blue than a dead blue-tit ("Fucking Fuck" anyone?), Dave Cunt (Dave Hunt also of Benediction and Anaal Nathrakh) ferociously splutters forth venomous bile about his hatred for mankind, with equal amounts of intellect and vulgarity being present in his now iconic vocal tones. This album provides a modern take on the genre yet remains firmly rooted in the grindcore crossover style of old school bands like Repulsion, and never feels sterile as each track is diverse enough to always maintain interest. No more so is this evident than in the song "Static", which incorporates an eerily melodic and catchy chorus amongst the chaos of sickening sludge. The rumbling of the bass guitar is positively filthy and this aids the pounding groove superbly. Mistress are surely one of the forgotten gems of not only the UKDM scene, but within DM in general - Highly recommended for fans of Benediction, Repulsion, Fukpig, Iron Monkey, Entombed and Autopsy.DEATH BREATH - STINKING UP THE NIGHT (2006)
It is often argued that one should not judge a book by it's cover, and it seems as though this logic should also be naturally applied to albums also, but for "Stinking Up The Night" by Sweden's Death Breath (ex Entombed) an exception should surely be made. This album contains 10 perfect slices of raw, punked up and almost rocky death metal that isn't afraid to include some enticing melodies, with the opener "Death Breath" conjuring a sense of the most deathly foreboding imaginable, before a rocking riff enters the audible fray. Death Breath take no prisoners when it comes to their vicious onslaught upon the ear and journey between thrashy death metal riffage and all out crushing doom raids with ease and great success. Lyrical subjects are light hearted and a welcome relief from all of the mindless porn/gore subjects associated with the genre nowadays- who can fail to crack open a sly smile when Pehrsson screams chilling warnings to those with horrific dental hygiene, or gives a dark prophecy of the "flabby little things from beyond"? With this album's relentless musical intensity, Death Breath have created one of the most stunning releases of the 00's so far, so if bands like Possessed, Celtic Frost, Repulsion and Autopsy are your kind of thing, prepare to fully immerse yourself in this foul creation of emphatic decay and rot.VANHELGD - CHURCH OF DEATH (2011)
The final members of this unholy union also haunt the cold air of Sweden, but take a far more serious approach to the art of music extreme than their compatriots Death Breath. Vanhelgd have emerged from the blackened mist of ambiguity as genuine contenders in the modern scene, with their latest album "Church of Death". The vocals are hysterical, the rhythms versatile and powerful, the production is thick, and the guitar tone possesses a violent buzz in this destructive whirlwind of death, doom and blackened styles. Melancholic harmonies bind themselves to the heaviness of the thunderously held chords, and their ominous presence throughout this release marks this album out as a kind of sinister brother to more conservative death metal bands. Blistering pace gives way to crushingly slow sections, and it is precisely this depth to the release that makes it so successful. It would be easy for a band to continue to rehash the same old tried and tested formula, however well it may work (some bands have built their career on it and power to them), but this is not the way of Vanhelgd, who even go as far as to incorporate folk style influences into their work on this album - A raw attack of increasingly rare originality. Recommended for fans of Entombed, Watain, Autopsy and Unleashed, as well as anyone who likes their death metal like they like their coffee. BLACK./L
Friday, 21 October 2011
REVIEW: DECEPTOR - SOOTHSAYER EP
The sound of this band is tricky to pin down, but can best be described as a blend of technical thrash, traditional heavy metal and early death metal. Throughout the recording, which is mixed exceptionally well by Mutant's Sam Klempner, the band transition between enticing melody and savage, razor-sharp rhythms to great effect, whipping up a storming aural assault that keeps the listener engaged at all times, such is the variety offered up by the trio.
Paul Fulda (who also lends his incredible bass capabilities to London thrashers Mutant) introduces the EP with an atmospheric, Maiden-esque solo opening upon the beginning of "Pilgrims of the Void", which creates a sense of futuristic dread, something that is eviscerated with the intense groove of the main riff that comes pounding out of the starting gate soon after. Oozing with technical prowess, this song impresses throughout with catchy hooks and memorable vocal lines courtesy of both Fulda and guitarist Sam Mackertich. The soaring highs present in the vocals provide a real sense of ferocity, something that is complimented by the inventive drumming of skin basher James Ashbey, who sees the journey between time signatures travelled with ease and smooth originality.
The influence of bands like Iron Maiden, Coroner and Death is evident throughout all of the tracks, and this crushing blend helps to give this EP a wide appeal, creating an electrical thunderstorm of styles. Musical dynamics are clearly a very important aspect to Deceptor's sound, as songs frantically change pace and feel in a merciless attack upon the listener, but in a way that is always coherent and never feels muddled or ambiguous.
Musically, this EP has seriously raised the bar for emerging thrash bands, due to the tight technicality offered up by this tasty trio, and they stand head and shoulders above most modern bands I have heard because of their unwillingness to conform to stale and regressive stereotypes about what thrash, or indeed heavy metal, should sound like.
With lyrical themes ranging from the navigation of nothingness in outer space to the horrors of nuclear submarine accidents in sub aquatic realms, there should be something in this diverse release to appeal to everyone. If you don't like outer space, you don't like the best of modern thrash, it is basically as simple as that!
I truly cannot recommend this EP highly enough- this band really deserve your attention as they easily decimate the majority of high flying thrash bands in today's scene, and are right up there with Mutant, for me in any case, as the best in British thrash since Sabbat; A bold statement perhaps considering that Deceptor are still unsigned, but I defy any fan of thrash metal to not be held captive under the infectious grooves that this band propel outwards of their mighty metal machine.
Support this class band, the EP is available for a fiver from the following link:
http://deceptor.bigcartel.com/product/soothsayer-e-p
For fans of- Mutant, Iron Maiden, Coroner, Death, Atheist Forbidden, Vektor and Obliveon.
5/5
/L
Sunday, 11 September 2011
REVIEW: HAVOK - TIME IS UP
Firstly I have to say thrash metal used to be my favorite genre of metal. But when I get into other styles of metal i.e power,death,prog etc. I started listening to it less and less. I still love the genre a lot and when this "thrash revival" started I was happy to see a style of metal become popular. Now things have gotten out of hand. You have too many bands and it is turning into a trend. Bands like SSS, Violator etc been prime examples.
However Havok do not fall into this category. Following up on their decent debut "Burn" Havok have proceeded to show the wannabes how it is done. Helped by a very modern and impressively produced album, Havok have kicked all forms of ass on "Time Is Up"
Havok obviously play old school thrash. The specific style is hard to pin down, as they mix things up a bit. You have the early bay area type sound in there. Even with some punk influenced thrash riffs in one or two places and extremely heavy brutal thrash inspired by slayer etc.
From the opening salvo of "Prepare to Attack" you know you're in for a killer album. David Sanchez has the perfect thrash voice on this album. The two highs he displays in this song are incredible, very aggressive and with a perfect thrash edge to it. I just wish he used it in the other songs because he does not which is a shame, but not a make or break thing.
The album benefits from the variation shown you have ass kicking, high tempo, furious thrash metal neck breakers such as the opener, "D.O.A" and "Covering Fire" and mid tempo head banger's like "Scumbag In Disguise" and "Killing Tendencies". The band even display a melodic edge in the previously mentioned song "Killing Tendencies" with an almost power metal style section containing fast palm muted note progression with a melodic lead line over it. This is the highlight of the song and shows Havok are more than a one trick pony.
Overall every song delivers, a highly enjoyable album. I can't see this being beat thrash wise this year unless the new Megadeth album is as good as "Endgame" or better. We shall see, but that is for another review. If you like thrash you are going to love this simple as that. Possibly the one Thrash album from a new wave band that can stand up to the old classics of yesteryear.
4/5
/C
However Havok do not fall into this category. Following up on their decent debut "Burn" Havok have proceeded to show the wannabes how it is done. Helped by a very modern and impressively produced album, Havok have kicked all forms of ass on "Time Is Up"
Havok obviously play old school thrash. The specific style is hard to pin down, as they mix things up a bit. You have the early bay area type sound in there. Even with some punk influenced thrash riffs in one or two places and extremely heavy brutal thrash inspired by slayer etc.
From the opening salvo of "Prepare to Attack" you know you're in for a killer album. David Sanchez has the perfect thrash voice on this album. The two highs he displays in this song are incredible, very aggressive and with a perfect thrash edge to it. I just wish he used it in the other songs because he does not which is a shame, but not a make or break thing.
The album benefits from the variation shown you have ass kicking, high tempo, furious thrash metal neck breakers such as the opener, "D.O.A" and "Covering Fire" and mid tempo head banger's like "Scumbag In Disguise" and "Killing Tendencies". The band even display a melodic edge in the previously mentioned song "Killing Tendencies" with an almost power metal style section containing fast palm muted note progression with a melodic lead line over it. This is the highlight of the song and shows Havok are more than a one trick pony.
Overall every song delivers, a highly enjoyable album. I can't see this being beat thrash wise this year unless the new Megadeth album is as good as "Endgame" or better. We shall see, but that is for another review. If you like thrash you are going to love this simple as that. Possibly the one Thrash album from a new wave band that can stand up to the old classics of yesteryear.
4/5
/C
Friday, 2 September 2011
REVIEW: SHRAPNEL - THE DEVASTATION TO COME
The EP opens with a ferociously fast riff which is accompanied by vicious chord stabs, and when vocalist Jae venomously spits out "I am eternal war!", you can be certain that this band mean business. Opening track "Eternal War" is arguably the most impressive on the disk, with catchy vocal lines and gripping changes in pace acting as the perfect counterpart to a destructive rhythm section. The delivery of the vocals throughout the record is one of the factors that really makes it stand out, as intelligent lyrics are bellowed in an almost percussive manner, making for some very catchy chorus and verse sections. This track also plays host to the finest example of another very impressive aspect to the EP: the backing vocals which are a staple for nearly all successful thrash bands.
Track number 3, entitled "Comatose" brings a different side to Shrapnel to the forefront of the onslaught, as heavy mid-paced riffing is engulfed by haunting cleans before the final audible attack strikes. This creates an atmospheric sense of dread and showcases this band's more "evil" side. The thundering chorus screams of "catatonic comatose" certainly stick in the mind well after the record has finished and this is testament to the great song writing that is offered up by Shrapnel on this release.
The musicianship on display throughout this EP is very impressive, as the band tightly pound through song after song with razor sharp precision. The duelling guitars give more than a nod to the likes of Forbidden, as Nathan and Adam whip up a cataclysmic whirlwind of great lead work, something which complements the riffing and song structures very well. The drums and bass allow the riffs to breathe and headbang throughout, which means that the songs remain catchy at all times.
Produced by the legendary Russ Russell, this record sounds fantastic, with a production that is suitably heavy, tight and raw in appropriate measures. Modern day Exodus and Onslaught take note - this is how thrash is supposed to sound!
I have also had the pleasure of watching this band live, and they certainly don't disappoint, with their infectious grooves and pounding break-neck rhythms translating very well to the stage setting. If they come to a town near you - go and see them, you won't regret it!
To conclude, Shrapnel are a band that deserve to be firmly planted on your radar if you consider yourself a fan of thrash metal, particularly if you take an interest in the current British scene. This band are right up there with Mutant, SSS, Deceptor and Evile for me, and I for one cannot wait to hear some more material.
4.5/5
For fans of - Warbringer, Exodus, Slayer, Destruction, Kreator and Violator
/L
Monday, 29 August 2011
Whetstone - Hunted EP Review
Whetstone - Hunted EP Review
Whetstone are a four piece unsigned band from London, who have managed to self release their debut EP entitled "Hunted". Whetstone play the "woodsy", progressive and epic black metal similar to early Opeth, early Ulver and Primordial etc but with a unique and orginal twist on things. The EP is avilable for free download, so who wouldn't want some thought provoking epic black metal for free?
Anyway moving on to the review itself. The EP opens up with a very spacey keyboard intro. Which sets the mood for the true opener "Life Relinqueshed" which opens up with some soaring double kicking over mornfull epic guitar harmonies. The overall feel of the album is very sad and thought provoking. In my times listening to it I have dwelt on my darkest and deepest of thoughts. Very bleak and haunting. The harmony at 2:46 of the song is one of the best moments on the album abousltely soul wrenching. The song sets the standard for the compostions on the EP. With massive instrumental mid sections which keep your attention throughout.
The production is very good for a self release, the whole "rough around the edges" feel gives it that raw feel in order for the gut wrenching emotion too emerge full from the music. It is mixed well and you can hear everything well. The drum sound is decent also. The vocals are quiet sick, a very distrubing black metal wretch, which is filled off spite and hate. The lyrics are sometimes dechperible but for the most part you can't tell, which is typical of the genre. I guess the lyrics deal with bad thoughts, inner emotions underneath a possible story.
Moving on with "Silvan Death" which differs slightly stylisticly. It reminds me of Metallica at their most progressive. Orion mostly, coupled with that whetstone feel. It opens up with some nice Metallica inspired clean parts. Which launches into a quialty riff with vocals, sporting a nice pinch in the riff which rolls the riff around very well. The song goes on with mostly sad harmonies, after the lead a harmony plays which is very mornful. Perhabs goes this goes on for to long but I think it allows for the listener to dwell on a quiet beutifal passage of music and it sinks in more.
Struggle for Sanctuary.... Struggle for fucking Sanctuary. What can i say really. This is one of the most epic songs I have heard from an unsigned band... Fuck that im music in general. The riffs remind me of Edge of Sanity at their best. Truly this band are the future for this style of music continuing the legacy Edge of Sanity left behind and which Opeth decided to ditch on us.
The EP ends on Hunted which is the band's longest epic filled with everything you excpect from the EP. I have ranted on a bit and done a really in depth track by track. Which I don't normally do, but I have never reviewed an EP before and decided to include an in depth track by track.
No song is a let down, every compostion is fantastic and flows togother superbly. Whetstone have a bright future been a very young band (Around about the 17 year old mark) Give this band a couple of grand to record a full length and we could be talking having another epic metal masterpiece in the vein of the band's influences on hand.
If the review hasn't convinced you, get it if you like. Early Opeth, early Ulver, Edge of Sanity, Dissection,Dawn etc.
4.75/5
/C
Whetstone are a four piece unsigned band from London, who have managed to self release their debut EP entitled "Hunted". Whetstone play the "woodsy", progressive and epic black metal similar to early Opeth, early Ulver and Primordial etc but with a unique and orginal twist on things. The EP is avilable for free download, so who wouldn't want some thought provoking epic black metal for free?
Anyway moving on to the review itself. The EP opens up with a very spacey keyboard intro. Which sets the mood for the true opener "Life Relinqueshed" which opens up with some soaring double kicking over mornfull epic guitar harmonies. The overall feel of the album is very sad and thought provoking. In my times listening to it I have dwelt on my darkest and deepest of thoughts. Very bleak and haunting. The harmony at 2:46 of the song is one of the best moments on the album abousltely soul wrenching. The song sets the standard for the compostions on the EP. With massive instrumental mid sections which keep your attention throughout.
The production is very good for a self release, the whole "rough around the edges" feel gives it that raw feel in order for the gut wrenching emotion too emerge full from the music. It is mixed well and you can hear everything well. The drum sound is decent also. The vocals are quiet sick, a very distrubing black metal wretch, which is filled off spite and hate. The lyrics are sometimes dechperible but for the most part you can't tell, which is typical of the genre. I guess the lyrics deal with bad thoughts, inner emotions underneath a possible story.
Moving on with "Silvan Death" which differs slightly stylisticly. It reminds me of Metallica at their most progressive. Orion mostly, coupled with that whetstone feel. It opens up with some nice Metallica inspired clean parts. Which launches into a quialty riff with vocals, sporting a nice pinch in the riff which rolls the riff around very well. The song goes on with mostly sad harmonies, after the lead a harmony plays which is very mornful. Perhabs goes this goes on for to long but I think it allows for the listener to dwell on a quiet beutifal passage of music and it sinks in more.
Struggle for Sanctuary.... Struggle for fucking Sanctuary. What can i say really. This is one of the most epic songs I have heard from an unsigned band... Fuck that im music in general. The riffs remind me of Edge of Sanity at their best. Truly this band are the future for this style of music continuing the legacy Edge of Sanity left behind and which Opeth decided to ditch on us.
The EP ends on Hunted which is the band's longest epic filled with everything you excpect from the EP. I have ranted on a bit and done a really in depth track by track. Which I don't normally do, but I have never reviewed an EP before and decided to include an in depth track by track.
No song is a let down, every compostion is fantastic and flows togother superbly. Whetstone have a bright future been a very young band (Around about the 17 year old mark) Give this band a couple of grand to record a full length and we could be talking having another epic metal masterpiece in the vein of the band's influences on hand.
If the review hasn't convinced you, get it if you like. Early Opeth, early Ulver, Edge of Sanity, Dissection,Dawn etc.
4.75/5
/C
Sunday, 21 August 2011
REVIEW: POWER QUEST - BLOOD ALLIANCE
First of all I have to admit. I have had a passing interest with this band at best. Before listening to this album I had listened to the band's second album "Neverworld" a few times that's about it. So I can not really compare to any previous material.
That may be fitting for this review as the band have had a major line up change, basically every one has been replaced bar Keyboard player Steve Williams from their previous album "Master of Illusion". Well whatever happened worked. This album full out smokes and it really surprised me. The album opens up with an intro but for once is actually worth listening to. As it is a 2 minute display of heavy power metal riffing and amazing guitar solo's off Andy Midgley and Gavin Owen. The song gets you pumped up for the true opener " Rising Anew" which has everything a power metal fan loves about the genre. Furious double kicking, catchy, fast guitar riffs and one very catchy chorus.
Continuing on the band keep it going with the song "Glorious" which fits with in the same mold as the previous song. Not that is a bad thing at all as the band have showcased that they can kick ass with uplifting fast power metal for a good 11 minutes by this point. The production is very slick and smooth, you can hear everything that is going on. The guitar tone is very modern and fits for the albums mix of fast power metal and more melodic numbers.
However the album is not all about the blazing double kicking power metal. The album is split up with more melodic numbers with a slight injection of AOR. The very mature "Sacrifice" which may be a little bit cheesy for a lot of people. But if you have spent your time listening to a lot of obscure power metal this should not be a problem. The song showcases a very mature sound and I actually believe this band have the potential to be very popular with an older audience if they hear them, even just for the song "Sacrifice" alone.
Vocalist Chity Somapala rises up and kicks a lot of ass on this record. His voice mostly sticking to a mid range but is silky smooth and fits in with the overall sound of the record very well. His voice and lyrics are quiet catchy and will stick in your head.
Moving on with "Survive" which is another up tempo song, but also showcases the band's slight progressive touches with various tempo changes to more melodic riffs. The song showcases some of the most catchy guitar lines and solos. The melody at 4:45 after one of the most smoking solo's on the album been a highlight of the album for me. Which then goes into the rather glorious chorus after. I really can't express how well constructed each arrangement is. This is surely THE only British power metal album that is giving the European's a run for their money.
The keyboards are used to great effect on this album. Not really always shredding in a song like a lot of power metal. But however I have to say the opening of "Better Days" which is one of the more melodic numbers. Is even too cheesy for me. The begging keyboard use at the start of the song sounds like something from a cheesy 80's pop song almost, oh well moving on. The song itself has one of the most triumphant and uplifting guitar melody's I have heard in a while, which comes in at 4:21 of the song.
Crunching The Numbers opens up with a building intro which leads into a superb riff. With tremolo accents on the end of the riff, which as a guitar player I find my jaw open up all the time at the amount of awesome on display. It sounds like a Dragonforce riff done by guitar players that take themselves seriously. The song then carries on into a more faster mid paced song. Sporting some quiet heavy riffs in places and the lyrics are actually quiet relevant to our times in this country and the world itself. (The economy, unemployment etc.) However I will say i think the chorus is not as catchy as previous numbers on the album. The song's midsection is the best part of the song. Kicking into one of the heavier riffs on the album and possibly the highest wail from the singer over it. It then proceeds to carry on into almost progressive territory, carrying on into a great melodic solo trade off between keyboard and guitars.
Only In My Dreams starts off with another cheesy keyboard intro. Ultimately that is what stops this album from getting a 100% the moments of cheese for me are okay but for other listeners it may be to much. However the album is not full on plagued by moments like that. The song is easily the most melodic on the album.
Been expecting the Ballard of the album to come up and spoil the fun?? So was I on first listen thankfully that does not happen! The band go into the epic title track which is 9 minutes long and then City of Lies. Which sports a great melody in the intro section.
I urge any power metal fan to check this album out. It is quiet possibly going to be power metal album of the year. If you where not impressed by any of this bands previous material I urge you to check it out, its in a whole new league.
Ultra catchy fast and melodic power metal. Coupled with that oh so smooth and slick modern production. Extremely well played guitar leads and epic, long arrangements. Like the sound of that?? Then get this you will never look back.
/C
That may be fitting for this review as the band have had a major line up change, basically every one has been replaced bar Keyboard player Steve Williams from their previous album "Master of Illusion". Well whatever happened worked. This album full out smokes and it really surprised me. The album opens up with an intro but for once is actually worth listening to. As it is a 2 minute display of heavy power metal riffing and amazing guitar solo's off Andy Midgley and Gavin Owen. The song gets you pumped up for the true opener " Rising Anew" which has everything a power metal fan loves about the genre. Furious double kicking, catchy, fast guitar riffs and one very catchy chorus.
Continuing on the band keep it going with the song "Glorious" which fits with in the same mold as the previous song. Not that is a bad thing at all as the band have showcased that they can kick ass with uplifting fast power metal for a good 11 minutes by this point. The production is very slick and smooth, you can hear everything that is going on. The guitar tone is very modern and fits for the albums mix of fast power metal and more melodic numbers.
However the album is not all about the blazing double kicking power metal. The album is split up with more melodic numbers with a slight injection of AOR. The very mature "Sacrifice" which may be a little bit cheesy for a lot of people. But if you have spent your time listening to a lot of obscure power metal this should not be a problem. The song showcases a very mature sound and I actually believe this band have the potential to be very popular with an older audience if they hear them, even just for the song "Sacrifice" alone.
Vocalist Chity Somapala rises up and kicks a lot of ass on this record. His voice mostly sticking to a mid range but is silky smooth and fits in with the overall sound of the record very well. His voice and lyrics are quiet catchy and will stick in your head.
Moving on with "Survive" which is another up tempo song, but also showcases the band's slight progressive touches with various tempo changes to more melodic riffs. The song showcases some of the most catchy guitar lines and solos. The melody at 4:45 after one of the most smoking solo's on the album been a highlight of the album for me. Which then goes into the rather glorious chorus after. I really can't express how well constructed each arrangement is. This is surely THE only British power metal album that is giving the European's a run for their money.
The keyboards are used to great effect on this album. Not really always shredding in a song like a lot of power metal. But however I have to say the opening of "Better Days" which is one of the more melodic numbers. Is even too cheesy for me. The begging keyboard use at the start of the song sounds like something from a cheesy 80's pop song almost, oh well moving on. The song itself has one of the most triumphant and uplifting guitar melody's I have heard in a while, which comes in at 4:21 of the song.
Crunching The Numbers opens up with a building intro which leads into a superb riff. With tremolo accents on the end of the riff, which as a guitar player I find my jaw open up all the time at the amount of awesome on display. It sounds like a Dragonforce riff done by guitar players that take themselves seriously. The song then carries on into a more faster mid paced song. Sporting some quiet heavy riffs in places and the lyrics are actually quiet relevant to our times in this country and the world itself. (The economy, unemployment etc.) However I will say i think the chorus is not as catchy as previous numbers on the album. The song's midsection is the best part of the song. Kicking into one of the heavier riffs on the album and possibly the highest wail from the singer over it. It then proceeds to carry on into almost progressive territory, carrying on into a great melodic solo trade off between keyboard and guitars.
Only In My Dreams starts off with another cheesy keyboard intro. Ultimately that is what stops this album from getting a 100% the moments of cheese for me are okay but for other listeners it may be to much. However the album is not full on plagued by moments like that. The song is easily the most melodic on the album.
Been expecting the Ballard of the album to come up and spoil the fun?? So was I on first listen thankfully that does not happen! The band go into the epic title track which is 9 minutes long and then City of Lies. Which sports a great melody in the intro section.
I urge any power metal fan to check this album out. It is quiet possibly going to be power metal album of the year. If you where not impressed by any of this bands previous material I urge you to check it out, its in a whole new league.
Ultra catchy fast and melodic power metal. Coupled with that oh so smooth and slick modern production. Extremely well played guitar leads and epic, long arrangements. Like the sound of that?? Then get this you will never look back.
/C
Saturday, 20 August 2011
MY BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2011 RAMBLINGS
THURSDAY
After travelling from Newcastle on a bus for over 4 hours, our arrival at Catton Hall, Burton Upon Trent, was very welcome, and it wasn't long before we were given the traditional welcome to the mental festivities of the event from a mortal Scottish lad with dreads who ironically shouted "fucking moshers" as the northern hoards proceeded towards the camp-site. After a nonsensical episode surrounding my mate and his inability to find his tent poles I managed to get set up with another few mates, who I stayed with for the rest of the weekend in the Midgard (or Mudgard as it was known at Floodstock 2010) section of the site. A few cans later and we descended upon the main arena, past the very friendly security who were content at this stage to only search those in baggy hoodies or yorkshire rose flag capes. I took this opportunity to have a good look around the main arena, managing to score myself an Autopsy "Mental Funeral" shirt which is more akin to a dress in terms of size, as well as a lovely Sabbat shirt that I have been dying to get hold of for a while now. The music of the Thursday night was introduced by ACHREN, a Scottish black metal band, who played a very impressive set to a packed out SOPHIE tent. Their style was not dissimilar to that of the Saturday night headliner's Immortal, and they went down a treat with the eager crowd. They were one of a few black metal bands that would impress throughout the weekend with their combined onslaught of melody and savage war-like rhythms. I decided to leave the SOPHIE stage alone for a while, reverting to my previous shopping spree, hearing the horrific sound of Lamb of God omitting from the tent on one occasion. Upon my return to the tent I was greeted with a particularly surreal sight even by Bloodstock standards as a scantily clad pole dancer was busy dancing to Manowar - Warriors of the World, which made me chuckle. While Manowar have never played Bloodstock, in a sense, they are there in spirit around every corner, whether it be in the form of nocturnal drunken Manowarrior choirs or just hammering them on huge stereo systems, you can be sure that Manowar is never far away. The comedians Steve Hughes (formerly the drummer of Slaughter Lord and Mortal Sin) and Jason Rouse also graced the stage after the musical frolicking had ended. As a big Steve Hughes fan I was in creases at his set, which was full of excellent material as always, though I did struggle to hear his performance at times due simply to him not being loud enough over the PA. Jason Rouse wasted no time in getting into his most horrific content, which certainly divided the crowd, with a large proportion of men laughing at his sadistic and twisted humour, while women scoured their bags looking for pepper spray. I have heard a lot of people complain about this man, perhaps rightly so by normally acceptable standards, but no-one was forced into watching his set so I think they should shut up personally.
FRIDAY
It would be a safe comment to say that The Defiled stuck out like a sore thumb at Bloodstock, as they opened the Friday morning with a set that combined breakdowns, generic chug-core riffs and horrific vocal harmonies to disastrous effect. Thankfully Wolf were soon on hand to release an explosion of old school, riff driven heavy metal, with the anthem "Voodoo" going down especially well. They battled through sound problems, something which regrettably was to become a big problem throughout the weekend, to produce an enticing set which forced the crowd to take notice of their mighty metal machine. One of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing (and one of my favourite Bay Area thrash bands) was Forbidden and they thoroughly impressed, playing a diverse range of material which whipped up the first pits of the festival. Chalice of Blood was incredible live, as was Twisted Into Form, with the band powering through song after song with razor sharp precision. Two new songs from Omega Wave (Forsaken At The Gates and Omega Wave) served as an interesting accompaniment to the old classics, as Forbidden looked every inch the band that have truly found their greatness once more. The entertainment on the Dio stage resumed for me in the form of Triptykon who produced a crushingly heavy performance. However, whether it says more about the strength of Tom G Warrior's back catalogue or the comparative weakness of Triptykon's material that a rendition of Circle of the Tyrants was the highlight of their set is a point of debate for some. After a crushingly slow set from Tom G Warrior and his crew, it was up to the newly reformed Coroner to pick up the pace once more. Whilst lacking in stage presence, they produced a fantastic set, which paid homage to their later days, with particular highlights being Internal Conflicts and Grin. Masked Jackal also made an appearance, and it was amazing to hear such a fantastic and influential song performed live once more by the master's who wrote it. After Coroner's set I decided, with a couple of mates, to catch what I could of the Black Thrash band Byfrost in the SOPHIE tent, who made an unholy level of noise for a three piece. Their style is entertaining and similar to Immortal's in a certain respect, and I enjoyed their set a fair bit. Massive German thrash outfit Kreator were next up on the Dio stage, and I enjoyed their punishing set stood next to Thursday's comedian Steve Hughes, who was great crack and a genuinely nice lad. It was great to see "Tormentor" and "Betrayer" played alongside the mandatory tunes like "Pleasure to Kill", "Flag of Hate" and "Violent Revolution", and Mille's stage banter kept us all entertained between songs. With nothing else particularly taking my interest, I returned to camp, but reappeared for a large part of W.A.S.P.'s set, which was entertaining and enjoyable, although not usually what I am interested in musically. Lawless' personal decision to refuse to play what was arguably the band's biggest hit (you know the one) led to frustration from some, but their performance of the classic "I Wanna Be Somebody" went down a treat with the hordes of fans.
SATURDAY
The early hours of Saturday saw an interesting development as a totally unknown Irish lass called Cassandra (apparently) drunkenly stumbled into my tent before anyone was even in it and proceeded to "have a party" with us. Mortified. She left not too long after she arrived and we all got some sleep to prepare us for the pure armageddon of what was to ensue when the sun rose from its slumber. The morning was opened by unsigned thrash outfit Bludvera from Liverpool, who tore up the New Blood stage with their killer brand of Teutonic influenced thrash. It was the perfect start to a great day at BOA, and I would encourage anyone to check them out if they are even remotely into thrash. Almost immediately after the final note of Bludvera's set, blackthrashers Skeletonwitch set about demolishing the main stage. This band combines the raging heaviness of evil death thrash with Maiden/Mercyful Fate guitar harmonies and solos to great effect and their set epitomised what they are all about, as they provided a diverse range of enthralling material. For me, the highlight of their set was "Beyond the Permafrost", although they also delivered some promising new material from the upcoming "Forever Abomination" record, which is shaping up to be a good one for certain. Upon the recommendation of some death heads on the bus, I went to see Dripback in the SOPHIE stage, although I am not too sure what to make of them. They provided a set blasting with savage intensity, and their mix of hardcore and death metal (but never deathcore) worked fantastically in places, while other aspects to their sound were far from inspiring. The pseudo hard man persona adopted by certain members of the band wasn't quite my thing either, with samples of cockney gangsters raging being played before some songs. Nevertheless, I did enjoy their set and will retain further judgement until I have heard more of their recorded material. Finntroll were fantastic, and whipped the crowd into a frenzy in no time with their iconic brand of black-folk metal, the anthem Trollhammeren going down a storm. They were followed by Ihsahn, who provided a varied set of progressive blackened metal. A particular highlight of this entertaining set was "Frozen Lakes on Mars", which highlights all of the best aspects to the band's sound in my opinion. One of the most requested bands of the festival took to the stage in the form of Wintersun, who despite suffering from a poor sound mix and only having a very limited catalogue of material, managed to entrance the audience with an incredibly tight and passionate performance which certainly made up for their failure to attend a couple of years back. "Beyond The Dark Sun" was sensational live, as was "Winter Madness", as these songs perfectly demonstrate chief songwriter Jari's remarkable ability to shred effortlessly and still produce a song that is catchy and unique. One of the bands that threatened to steal the show was Italian power-metal outfit Rhapsody of Fire. Long have fans waited for them to grace British shores, and their thirst was quenched in emphatic style with a brilliant set which saw classics like "Emerald Sword" and "Holy Thunderforce" unleashed upon England for the first time. The level of crowd participation was exemplary, and certainly deserved with for the band, who unfortunately suffered from a small amount of sound problems later on in their set. After Rhapsody of Fire had ignited a whirlwind of buzz around the main arena, I soon found myself in the most aggressive crowd I have ever been in as the sons of northern darkness themselves came onto the stage. Despite having a set riddled with yet more sound problems, Norwegian black metal band Immortal proved exactly what they are all about by unleashing a relentless barrage of discordant, unholy noise upon the baying crowd. "Sons of Northern Darkness", "Blashyrkh" and "One by One" were the highlights of a thoroughly fantastic set, which was accompanied by a great stage show with full pyro and other effects. The dedication of Immortal to their fans was blatantly obvious, even down to Abbath's hilarious (yet almost totally silent) stage banter in between songs, which included him jumping around like a loon, cupping his ears, throwing a tab into the crowd and saying "what the fucking hell?" as he struggled with feedback from his lead. Immortal closed what had been a fantastic day at Bloodstock, and a day that the following bill of bands on the Sunday would have a hard job to rival.
SUNDAY
The final day of the festival played host to some of it's finest bands. A surprise for many (although not those who have and love the famous album) came in the form of ancient British heavy metal band Hell, who play in a fantastically old school and British style, as they had the crowd captivated from the moment they burst onto the stage. Vocalist David Bower possesses an unbelievable quality as a frontman and a vocalist, oozing charisma as he adopted several different personae throughout the set and engaged with the crowd in a way that ensured Hell produced one of the most memorable sets of the weekend. Next up on the main stage was black metal brigade 1349 who's set was unfortunately ruined for the most part by severe sound problems, such as the vocalist's mic constantly cutting out. They managed to get things sorted for the back end of their set however and impressed especially with "I Am Abomination" despite being faced with a generally less than enthusiastic crowd. Following in the footsteps of 1349 were Irish black folk metallers Primordial, who's emphatic display of their signature epic sound was cruelly shattered midway through their set as vocalist Alan suffered what is believed to be an allergic reaction which rendered him unable to sing. Still, it is testament to the power of their music, and their clearly strong relationship with their fanbase that they were able to soldier on instrumentally through the rest of their slot, while still providing solid entertainment and continuing to engage the crowd very well. After Primordial I headed over to the unsigned stage to watch my mate's band perform, although this unfortunately meant missing out on catching Napalm Death on the main stage. North Eastern power metallers Sacred Illusion played an inspiring set, with the vocalist showcasing his impressive vocal range and twin guitar harmony attacks present at every opportunity. They finished their set with two excellent covers of "Electric Eye" by Judas Priest and "The Wicker Man" from Iron Maiden's "Brave New World" album, which really got the crowd going and served as a fitting end to a great set. The power metal fun continued on the Dio Stage not long afterwards, with Hammerfall hammering out a range of singalong classics like "Any Means Necessary", "Let The Hammer Fall" and "One More Time". They went down exceptionally well with the crowd, and good news came in the form of them announcing a UK tour later in the year. After some timing issues with their soundcheck, Exodus pounced upon the main stage and sent the crowd absolutely wild with their short and furious set. While opinions over vocalist Rob Dukes are certainly divided, material like "Bonded By Blood" and "A Lesson In Violence" whipped the crowd into a frenzy, although their set was over far too soon, leaving many in a state of disappointment. I decided to skip At The Gates, as I'm not a great fan of what they do, so the next band of interest to me on the Dio Stage was the previously mighty Morbid Angel. Without doubt, their new album is shocking in every sense of the word, and I wouldn't encourage anyone to listen to it, or worse still, waste any kind of money on buying it, but thankfully this disastrous material was kept to a minimum for their set, which saw the return of some great old material like "Maze of Torment" and "Angel of Disease". The awful inclusion of "I Am Morbid" from the new album didn't dampen the mood too much, as they played a tight and very entertaining set. I nearly snapped my neck to "Where The Slime Live". After Morbid Angel, who were simply "too extreme", and in no way forgiven for the tripe they have released as a new album in "Illud...", Sunday night's headline act Motorhead came on stage. I have to confess to being severely disappointed by them, as they struggled through a load of monotonous material, seeming not a shadow on the band they were in their heyday. Motorhead bored me, and I left after about two thirds of their set had passed, and decided to get myself back to camp and say goodbye to the main arena for another year.
OVERALL
GOOD- Crack, mostly fantastic bands (especially Forbidden, Coroner, Kreator and Immortal among many others), Primordial powering on through their set despite the vocalist's problems, the obscure patches available from "Goddess.NL", my mate being dressed as a mummy and being surfed to the front to "Immortal Rites" by Morbid Angel, toilets were mostly very good, a diverse range of genres across the three stages and the excellent value for money that the festival provides.
BAD- Horrific amounts of male nudity, the often poor sound on the Dio Stage, The Defiled and Motorhead providing a disappointing performance in my opinion.
See you next year!
/L
After travelling from Newcastle on a bus for over 4 hours, our arrival at Catton Hall, Burton Upon Trent, was very welcome, and it wasn't long before we were given the traditional welcome to the mental festivities of the event from a mortal Scottish lad with dreads who ironically shouted "fucking moshers" as the northern hoards proceeded towards the camp-site. After a nonsensical episode surrounding my mate and his inability to find his tent poles I managed to get set up with another few mates, who I stayed with for the rest of the weekend in the Midgard (or Mudgard as it was known at Floodstock 2010) section of the site. A few cans later and we descended upon the main arena, past the very friendly security who were content at this stage to only search those in baggy hoodies or yorkshire rose flag capes. I took this opportunity to have a good look around the main arena, managing to score myself an Autopsy "Mental Funeral" shirt which is more akin to a dress in terms of size, as well as a lovely Sabbat shirt that I have been dying to get hold of for a while now. The music of the Thursday night was introduced by ACHREN, a Scottish black metal band, who played a very impressive set to a packed out SOPHIE tent. Their style was not dissimilar to that of the Saturday night headliner's Immortal, and they went down a treat with the eager crowd. They were one of a few black metal bands that would impress throughout the weekend with their combined onslaught of melody and savage war-like rhythms. I decided to leave the SOPHIE stage alone for a while, reverting to my previous shopping spree, hearing the horrific sound of Lamb of God omitting from the tent on one occasion. Upon my return to the tent I was greeted with a particularly surreal sight even by Bloodstock standards as a scantily clad pole dancer was busy dancing to Manowar - Warriors of the World, which made me chuckle. While Manowar have never played Bloodstock, in a sense, they are there in spirit around every corner, whether it be in the form of nocturnal drunken Manowarrior choirs or just hammering them on huge stereo systems, you can be sure that Manowar is never far away. The comedians Steve Hughes (formerly the drummer of Slaughter Lord and Mortal Sin) and Jason Rouse also graced the stage after the musical frolicking had ended. As a big Steve Hughes fan I was in creases at his set, which was full of excellent material as always, though I did struggle to hear his performance at times due simply to him not being loud enough over the PA. Jason Rouse wasted no time in getting into his most horrific content, which certainly divided the crowd, with a large proportion of men laughing at his sadistic and twisted humour, while women scoured their bags looking for pepper spray. I have heard a lot of people complain about this man, perhaps rightly so by normally acceptable standards, but no-one was forced into watching his set so I think they should shut up personally.
FRIDAY
It would be a safe comment to say that The Defiled stuck out like a sore thumb at Bloodstock, as they opened the Friday morning with a set that combined breakdowns, generic chug-core riffs and horrific vocal harmonies to disastrous effect. Thankfully Wolf were soon on hand to release an explosion of old school, riff driven heavy metal, with the anthem "Voodoo" going down especially well. They battled through sound problems, something which regrettably was to become a big problem throughout the weekend, to produce an enticing set which forced the crowd to take notice of their mighty metal machine. One of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing (and one of my favourite Bay Area thrash bands) was Forbidden and they thoroughly impressed, playing a diverse range of material which whipped up the first pits of the festival. Chalice of Blood was incredible live, as was Twisted Into Form, with the band powering through song after song with razor sharp precision. Two new songs from Omega Wave (Forsaken At The Gates and Omega Wave) served as an interesting accompaniment to the old classics, as Forbidden looked every inch the band that have truly found their greatness once more. The entertainment on the Dio stage resumed for me in the form of Triptykon who produced a crushingly heavy performance. However, whether it says more about the strength of Tom G Warrior's back catalogue or the comparative weakness of Triptykon's material that a rendition of Circle of the Tyrants was the highlight of their set is a point of debate for some. After a crushingly slow set from Tom G Warrior and his crew, it was up to the newly reformed Coroner to pick up the pace once more. Whilst lacking in stage presence, they produced a fantastic set, which paid homage to their later days, with particular highlights being Internal Conflicts and Grin. Masked Jackal also made an appearance, and it was amazing to hear such a fantastic and influential song performed live once more by the master's who wrote it. After Coroner's set I decided, with a couple of mates, to catch what I could of the Black Thrash band Byfrost in the SOPHIE tent, who made an unholy level of noise for a three piece. Their style is entertaining and similar to Immortal's in a certain respect, and I enjoyed their set a fair bit. Massive German thrash outfit Kreator were next up on the Dio stage, and I enjoyed their punishing set stood next to Thursday's comedian Steve Hughes, who was great crack and a genuinely nice lad. It was great to see "Tormentor" and "Betrayer" played alongside the mandatory tunes like "Pleasure to Kill", "Flag of Hate" and "Violent Revolution", and Mille's stage banter kept us all entertained between songs. With nothing else particularly taking my interest, I returned to camp, but reappeared for a large part of W.A.S.P.'s set, which was entertaining and enjoyable, although not usually what I am interested in musically. Lawless' personal decision to refuse to play what was arguably the band's biggest hit (you know the one) led to frustration from some, but their performance of the classic "I Wanna Be Somebody" went down a treat with the hordes of fans.
SATURDAY
The early hours of Saturday saw an interesting development as a totally unknown Irish lass called Cassandra (apparently) drunkenly stumbled into my tent before anyone was even in it and proceeded to "have a party" with us. Mortified. She left not too long after she arrived and we all got some sleep to prepare us for the pure armageddon of what was to ensue when the sun rose from its slumber. The morning was opened by unsigned thrash outfit Bludvera from Liverpool, who tore up the New Blood stage with their killer brand of Teutonic influenced thrash. It was the perfect start to a great day at BOA, and I would encourage anyone to check them out if they are even remotely into thrash. Almost immediately after the final note of Bludvera's set, blackthrashers Skeletonwitch set about demolishing the main stage. This band combines the raging heaviness of evil death thrash with Maiden/Mercyful Fate guitar harmonies and solos to great effect and their set epitomised what they are all about, as they provided a diverse range of enthralling material. For me, the highlight of their set was "Beyond the Permafrost", although they also delivered some promising new material from the upcoming "Forever Abomination" record, which is shaping up to be a good one for certain. Upon the recommendation of some death heads on the bus, I went to see Dripback in the SOPHIE stage, although I am not too sure what to make of them. They provided a set blasting with savage intensity, and their mix of hardcore and death metal (but never deathcore) worked fantastically in places, while other aspects to their sound were far from inspiring. The pseudo hard man persona adopted by certain members of the band wasn't quite my thing either, with samples of cockney gangsters raging being played before some songs. Nevertheless, I did enjoy their set and will retain further judgement until I have heard more of their recorded material. Finntroll were fantastic, and whipped the crowd into a frenzy in no time with their iconic brand of black-folk metal, the anthem Trollhammeren going down a storm. They were followed by Ihsahn, who provided a varied set of progressive blackened metal. A particular highlight of this entertaining set was "Frozen Lakes on Mars", which highlights all of the best aspects to the band's sound in my opinion. One of the most requested bands of the festival took to the stage in the form of Wintersun, who despite suffering from a poor sound mix and only having a very limited catalogue of material, managed to entrance the audience with an incredibly tight and passionate performance which certainly made up for their failure to attend a couple of years back. "Beyond The Dark Sun" was sensational live, as was "Winter Madness", as these songs perfectly demonstrate chief songwriter Jari's remarkable ability to shred effortlessly and still produce a song that is catchy and unique. One of the bands that threatened to steal the show was Italian power-metal outfit Rhapsody of Fire. Long have fans waited for them to grace British shores, and their thirst was quenched in emphatic style with a brilliant set which saw classics like "Emerald Sword" and "Holy Thunderforce" unleashed upon England for the first time. The level of crowd participation was exemplary, and certainly deserved with for the band, who unfortunately suffered from a small amount of sound problems later on in their set. After Rhapsody of Fire had ignited a whirlwind of buzz around the main arena, I soon found myself in the most aggressive crowd I have ever been in as the sons of northern darkness themselves came onto the stage. Despite having a set riddled with yet more sound problems, Norwegian black metal band Immortal proved exactly what they are all about by unleashing a relentless barrage of discordant, unholy noise upon the baying crowd. "Sons of Northern Darkness", "Blashyrkh" and "One by One" were the highlights of a thoroughly fantastic set, which was accompanied by a great stage show with full pyro and other effects. The dedication of Immortal to their fans was blatantly obvious, even down to Abbath's hilarious (yet almost totally silent) stage banter in between songs, which included him jumping around like a loon, cupping his ears, throwing a tab into the crowd and saying "what the fucking hell?" as he struggled with feedback from his lead. Immortal closed what had been a fantastic day at Bloodstock, and a day that the following bill of bands on the Sunday would have a hard job to rival.
SUNDAY
The final day of the festival played host to some of it's finest bands. A surprise for many (although not those who have and love the famous album) came in the form of ancient British heavy metal band Hell, who play in a fantastically old school and British style, as they had the crowd captivated from the moment they burst onto the stage. Vocalist David Bower possesses an unbelievable quality as a frontman and a vocalist, oozing charisma as he adopted several different personae throughout the set and engaged with the crowd in a way that ensured Hell produced one of the most memorable sets of the weekend. Next up on the main stage was black metal brigade 1349 who's set was unfortunately ruined for the most part by severe sound problems, such as the vocalist's mic constantly cutting out. They managed to get things sorted for the back end of their set however and impressed especially with "I Am Abomination" despite being faced with a generally less than enthusiastic crowd. Following in the footsteps of 1349 were Irish black folk metallers Primordial, who's emphatic display of their signature epic sound was cruelly shattered midway through their set as vocalist Alan suffered what is believed to be an allergic reaction which rendered him unable to sing. Still, it is testament to the power of their music, and their clearly strong relationship with their fanbase that they were able to soldier on instrumentally through the rest of their slot, while still providing solid entertainment and continuing to engage the crowd very well. After Primordial I headed over to the unsigned stage to watch my mate's band perform, although this unfortunately meant missing out on catching Napalm Death on the main stage. North Eastern power metallers Sacred Illusion played an inspiring set, with the vocalist showcasing his impressive vocal range and twin guitar harmony attacks present at every opportunity. They finished their set with two excellent covers of "Electric Eye" by Judas Priest and "The Wicker Man" from Iron Maiden's "Brave New World" album, which really got the crowd going and served as a fitting end to a great set. The power metal fun continued on the Dio Stage not long afterwards, with Hammerfall hammering out a range of singalong classics like "Any Means Necessary", "Let The Hammer Fall" and "One More Time". They went down exceptionally well with the crowd, and good news came in the form of them announcing a UK tour later in the year. After some timing issues with their soundcheck, Exodus pounced upon the main stage and sent the crowd absolutely wild with their short and furious set. While opinions over vocalist Rob Dukes are certainly divided, material like "Bonded By Blood" and "A Lesson In Violence" whipped the crowd into a frenzy, although their set was over far too soon, leaving many in a state of disappointment. I decided to skip At The Gates, as I'm not a great fan of what they do, so the next band of interest to me on the Dio Stage was the previously mighty Morbid Angel. Without doubt, their new album is shocking in every sense of the word, and I wouldn't encourage anyone to listen to it, or worse still, waste any kind of money on buying it, but thankfully this disastrous material was kept to a minimum for their set, which saw the return of some great old material like "Maze of Torment" and "Angel of Disease". The awful inclusion of "I Am Morbid" from the new album didn't dampen the mood too much, as they played a tight and very entertaining set. I nearly snapped my neck to "Where The Slime Live". After Morbid Angel, who were simply "too extreme", and in no way forgiven for the tripe they have released as a new album in "Illud...", Sunday night's headline act Motorhead came on stage. I have to confess to being severely disappointed by them, as they struggled through a load of monotonous material, seeming not a shadow on the band they were in their heyday. Motorhead bored me, and I left after about two thirds of their set had passed, and decided to get myself back to camp and say goodbye to the main arena for another year.
OVERALL
GOOD- Crack, mostly fantastic bands (especially Forbidden, Coroner, Kreator and Immortal among many others), Primordial powering on through their set despite the vocalist's problems, the obscure patches available from "Goddess.NL", my mate being dressed as a mummy and being surfed to the front to "Immortal Rites" by Morbid Angel, toilets were mostly very good, a diverse range of genres across the three stages and the excellent value for money that the festival provides.
BAD- Horrific amounts of male nudity, the often poor sound on the Dio Stage, The Defiled and Motorhead providing a disappointing performance in my opinion.
See you next year!
/L
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Resurrecting the CARCASS : HEARTWORK
This album in my opinion is the greatest death metal album ever made. Carcass - Heartwork is beyond heavy and also ultra melodic in places. Firstly I will point out that this album is almost nothing like any off Carcass's releases up to this point in their career. This is when Carcass progressed into the band they had been striving to become.
First off the music differs vastly from the previous release Necroticism : Descanting the Insalubrious moving from a more straight up death metal sound with long progressive song structures to more clinically played, straight to the point song's. Focusing more on the quality of the riffs and more memorable song's. For example on the mighty title track that verse riff is possibly one of the heaviest riffs ever wrote in metal, instantly recognisable and memorable.
Handling guitars on Heartwork we have Bill Steer and Micheal Amott (Arch Enemy, Carnage) unleashing forth riffs that will leave you begging for mercy and melodic, extremely well played leads that are totally unique and fresh compared to other death metal, first lead on the song Carnal Forge is totally unique heard that in any death metal before this album? Another personal highlight would have to be Doctrinal Expletives every riff in that song just blasts out of your speakers and demands you head bang.
It also has to be mentioned that Colin Richardson did an superb job producing this album with the band. Making the guitar tone, drum sound and every thing else on the album sound crisp and sharp you can also clearly hear everything on this album rare for bands that play with such low tunings in the time period.
Overall its hard for me to review this album it is something every metal fan should own in their collection if not just for how important it is in the developmental of melodic death metal, I cant truly express in words how amazing Heartwork is I listen to it about a 100 times a year and it never becomes stale or boring in just gets more intense after each play. Easily one of my all time favourite records, now go out and buy it and see if it becomes one of yours.
/C
First off the music differs vastly from the previous release Necroticism : Descanting the Insalubrious moving from a more straight up death metal sound with long progressive song structures to more clinically played, straight to the point song's. Focusing more on the quality of the riffs and more memorable song's. For example on the mighty title track that verse riff is possibly one of the heaviest riffs ever wrote in metal, instantly recognisable and memorable.
Handling guitars on Heartwork we have Bill Steer and Micheal Amott (Arch Enemy, Carnage) unleashing forth riffs that will leave you begging for mercy and melodic, extremely well played leads that are totally unique and fresh compared to other death metal, first lead on the song Carnal Forge is totally unique heard that in any death metal before this album? Another personal highlight would have to be Doctrinal Expletives every riff in that song just blasts out of your speakers and demands you head bang.
It also has to be mentioned that Colin Richardson did an superb job producing this album with the band. Making the guitar tone, drum sound and every thing else on the album sound crisp and sharp you can also clearly hear everything on this album rare for bands that play with such low tunings in the time period.
Overall its hard for me to review this album it is something every metal fan should own in their collection if not just for how important it is in the developmental of melodic death metal, I cant truly express in words how amazing Heartwork is I listen to it about a 100 times a year and it never becomes stale or boring in just gets more intense after each play. Easily one of my all time favourite records, now go out and buy it and see if it becomes one of yours.
/C
Thursday, 4 August 2011
REVIEW: WARHAMMER - NO BEAST SO FIERCE
/No%20Beast%20so%20Fierce.../No%20Beast%20so%20Fierce....jpg)
Possessing a savagely heavy guitar tone, chained to the pounding drums and crushing bass, Warhammer have created here an impenetrable wall of sound, something which works well for both the doomy and thrashy aspects found within this album. The low-end, midrange saturated sound of the guitar complements the riffing excruciatingly well, conjuring up a ritual of noise that could wake the ancient ones from their eternal slumber.
Vocalist Volker gives a solid performance on vocals, powerfully shredding his throat (or Iron Lungs?) and paying homage to the iconic voice of Tom G Warrior in a very honourable fashion, with these raw screams perfectly suited to the ancient feel of the musical assault beneath them.
The diversity within this record should keep fans of doom and proto thrash alike entertained, as the band swiftly moves from fast aggression to crushing doom with ease. Particularly impressive are the tracks "Total Maniac", "Warriors of the Cross" and "Flames of Armageddon", which are memorable and hard hitting, and fans of Celtic Frost and Hellhammer should certainly lap up this total worship.
For some however, this may be where the problem lies, because if you have come looking for a totally "original" band with over 9000 time signature changes and pursuing the kind of style that you see as being the future, you will find yourself wanting. This band seeks purely to reanimate the corpses of the deceased heroes of yesterday and does it in a fresh and inspiring fashion, and in my opinion a good riff and indeed a good band sound is timeless, whether it is from 1982 or 2011.
NO BEAST SO FIERCE is a very strong release and it is particularly recommended for fans of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost, but fans of doom and early extreme metal (think Venom, Bathory and very early Slayer) in general should find considerable enjoyment in this record.
4/5
/L
A trip backwards through time - CANCER - THE SINS OF MANKIND
1993 The glory period of old school death metal is coming to an end but in the United Kingdom this band unleashed one hell of an death metal album. After their much praised and slightly overrated release "Death Shall Rise" which featured James Murphy on guitar and was produced at Morrisound studios. That album contained all the elements of a death metal album you would expect production wise and riff wise.
But this album Cancer went in a different direction. Injecting a large amount of thrash and going a lot more rawer production wise. Cancer unleashed one hell of an album , every song on this disc contains a lot of riffs that flow extremely well and are that perfect middle ground between thrash and death.
Kicking things off we have "Cloak of Darkness" which instantly gets your attention with a quick little riff that then leads into a very heavy death metal tremolo picking riff. This is a prime example of why this album is so good the riffs are very catchy and intricate. Also I believe the growl off John Walker gives the riffs an extra edge when they are used for verses. His lyrics are intelligent and you can tell what he is saying. But he does not compromise any power or heaviness in his voice.
As mentioned before in the review the riffs have a major thrash influence and are quiet unique in places. The riffs in "Meat Train" come to mind with some very clever hooks and varied drum work. Speaking of which the drum work of Cark Stokes is superb. He is not far out and doesn't add to many fills distracting you from the amazing riffs on offer. The beat is usually kept straight with standard death metal drumming adding in the odd little short fill. The drumming follows the riffs and the band are on top form, not one member is trying to take center stage. Which I approve of completely.
The production off the album is perfect for this type of death metal. It may not be as bass heavy for some peoples tastes. But it works for this album. The guitar tone is thin and allows you to hear the articulation of the riffs clearly, but still does not fail to smash the listeners face in.
I am not going to bother naming individual moments that are awesome on this album because the review would turn into an essay. Every single second of this disc full out smokes and there is not a moment wasted. Get this now.
/C
But this album Cancer went in a different direction. Injecting a large amount of thrash and going a lot more rawer production wise. Cancer unleashed one hell of an album , every song on this disc contains a lot of riffs that flow extremely well and are that perfect middle ground between thrash and death.
Kicking things off we have "Cloak of Darkness" which instantly gets your attention with a quick little riff that then leads into a very heavy death metal tremolo picking riff. This is a prime example of why this album is so good the riffs are very catchy and intricate. Also I believe the growl off John Walker gives the riffs an extra edge when they are used for verses. His lyrics are intelligent and you can tell what he is saying. But he does not compromise any power or heaviness in his voice.
As mentioned before in the review the riffs have a major thrash influence and are quiet unique in places. The riffs in "Meat Train" come to mind with some very clever hooks and varied drum work. Speaking of which the drum work of Cark Stokes is superb. He is not far out and doesn't add to many fills distracting you from the amazing riffs on offer. The beat is usually kept straight with standard death metal drumming adding in the odd little short fill. The drumming follows the riffs and the band are on top form, not one member is trying to take center stage. Which I approve of completely.
The production off the album is perfect for this type of death metal. It may not be as bass heavy for some peoples tastes. But it works for this album. The guitar tone is thin and allows you to hear the articulation of the riffs clearly, but still does not fail to smash the listeners face in.
I am not going to bother naming individual moments that are awesome on this album because the review would turn into an essay. Every single second of this disc full out smokes and there is not a moment wasted. Get this now.
/C
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
REVIEW : RISEN PROPHECY - SCREAMING FOR DEATH
Risen Prophecy: Screaming For Death
Risen Prophecy are a fine 4 piece progressive thrash metal band from our own native north east shores. Screaming for Death is the band’s first album which i promptly bought after a live show in Durham. Needless to say as far as debuts go, this is pretty impressive.
Opening track Persecutor is one of the shortest song of the album alongside anti-poser anthem `The Faithful Stand Alone`(march or die you fucking pieces of shit we hate your world and all that’s in it!) and Dan Tyrens vocal range is swiftly on show showing both aggression found in 80s thrash metal and soaring high range ability. The cleverly constructed vocal melodies give Dan a chance to show his vocal range. The album itself is tightly recorded and the storytelling in the songs is very effective especially given the long song times. Protect the Border and Damned Nation are a perfect example of this with a continuing storyline that stretches across both tunes it seems.
The song structures are diverse yet not overly complex in fretwork and there are plenty of interesting and sudden tempo changes within the songs to keep a listener hooked. The main standout for the album for me was title track `Screaming for Death` with its crunching intro before launching into some classic thrash riffing before a memorable soaring chorus section which are perfectly and intricately composed. `Sins of the Fathers` also contains a epic Armageddon sounding memorable chorus section after a very smooth bass intro and concludes with an excellent ancient priest chant sounding outro. Very melodic stuff.
10 minute anthem `Within Their Hands` does a excellent job at closing the album following the similar yet effective song pattern of many straightforward riffs all put in the song together and mixed in with a variety of tempo changes and thrash riffing. Another interesting musical element found in the album are some very nicely done acoustic segments which are fantastic at creating a sudden atmospheric change to the song in question.
For a fiver this album is defiantly worth a purchase for anyone with even a vague interest in metal, the lyrical themes also vary well and the storytelling of various fantasy realities found in the songs are perfect for anyone who likes a daydream on a long journey(such as myself). Also at just over an hour long, this album is defiantly value for money and can be bought from a live show or through a facebook link or message the band themselves I assume. A very fine addition to underground thrash with a dash of NWOBHM influences on the side. Continue support of fine bands such as this and farewell dear reader.
4.8/5
For people who like: Thrash metal and NWOBHM mixed in with each other. Bands such as Judas Priest ,Iron Maiden, Kreator ,Megadeth,Exodus
/J
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
FESTIVAL SEASON
It would appear that festival season has crept up out of nowhere and is now upon us. Expect reports (not good ones) from Bloodstock Open Air and Damnation!
/L
Friday, 3 June 2011
Review : Morbid Angel - Illud Divinum Insanus
I didn't even bother listening to it after i heard 30 seconds of "Radikult". For fans of - BMTH, BFMV, Marylin manson, HIM, Emo electric southern hiphop fans.
Rating -5/5
/F
REVIEW : ANAAL NATHRAKH - PASSION
Anaal Nathrakh, of Birmingham, are not a subtle band. In fact, they are the kind of band who's musical attack is like repeatedly sustaining a heavy boot to the face. The album Passion, released on Candlelight Records, highlights the two band members V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (Dave Hunt, also of death metal acts Benediction and Mistress) and Irrumator's (Mick Kenney also of Fukpig and ex/Mistress) twisted views on the world and humanity in general, with song titles like Drug-Fucking Abomination and Who Thinks of the Executioner serving as a warning to what the listener is getting themselves into.The discordant opening of the album's first track Violenti Non Fit Iniuria creates an incredible sense of dread, foreshadowing the brutality that is soon to emerge. In the case of Anaal Nathrakh, brutality is a word that can be used without embarrassment, as this couldn't be further from the type of statement so often mistakenly attributed to atrocious deathcore/tech-math-fringecore acts, who care more about maintaining their "cool" image than producing good music. The musical prowess on display throughout this album is nothing short of astounding, with powerful riffs bridging the gap between black metal and grind very effectively.
The onslaught of crushing blastbeats and blitzing tremolo picking is matched by the furious vocal delivery of Dave Hunt, who screams out haunting cries of misanthropy and anguish in a way that is perhaps unlike any other vocalist, although his style could be likened to that of a young Varg Vikernes or Vaehron of Pensees Nocturnes. Emotion and pure disgust is spewed forth in the vocals of this record, in which Hunt shows his diversity by combining piercing screams with melodic sections which creates an interesting element to the band's sound to prevent the relentless aggression ever becoming tiring.
Anaal Nathrakh are far from being a one dimensional band, and they have an incredible ability to link together sections of abysmal atmosphere (like the sections of a crying victim's dying screams in Drug-Fucking Abomination) with the more traditional all out tearing sections of black metal (in a style not dissimilar to acts like Gorgoroth and early Emperor).
One slight gripe about this strong release is the production, as the prominent kick drum sound often engulfs the quality music going on underneath, and marks a departure from the traditional "necro" feel often associated with death and black metal. The often incoherence and dangerous distortion of Hunt's vocals may be a point of division for some, but for me, they suit the mood and message of the music in a way that would be very difficult to achieve with another less potent vocal style.
Overall, this album is another great release by Anaal Nathrakh, who are seemingly turning heads everywhere with their striking approach to metal music, and if you can handle it (it is seriously fucking terrifying in parts) then this is a CD that deserves a place in your rack.
For fans of - Gorgoroth, Fukpig, Mistress, 1349, Marduk - or anything else chaotic, noisy and aggressive beyond belief.
Rating - 4/5
/L
Review : Mörk Gryning - Tusen År Har Gått
Mörk Gryning meaning "Dark dawn" in Swedish are a duo black metal group formed in 1993 when both members Goth Goron and Draakh Kimera were only 14 and 16.
Both teens were extremely talented for there age i mean they wrote this fucking master piece within a year of being together, Goth Goron on the recorded all the Guitar,bass and keyboard parts at the age of 15 and Draakh Kimera was only 17 when he recorded the drums at vocals for this album.
The full length Album Tusen År Har Gått (Thousand years have passed) contains 9 intense tracks taking up a total run time of 34 minutes is one of the most underated black albums within my eyes.
The opening track Dagon kicks the album off straight away with a small 59 second epic composition this first track basically makes you want to say 'lather the world up in Perma frost and take me to the tallest mountain in Norway!' following that is the first true song in the album and wow its the definition for me of the perfect mix of great black metal. the track starts out with intense riffing and blistering drums blasted behind it the track also contains the first sample of the fantastic keys recorded by Goth Goron, this track sets the entire standards for this album to come the whole album.
One of the tracks that sticks out the most in the album is Aramagedon has come to pass... This for me has one of the greatest intros to a track ever, it is an acoustic track lasting only 1 minute and 44 seconds, when listening to a track it simply gives you an image of a waste land destroyed by war.
The stand out track on the album for me has to be Min sista färd (en visa om döden) Meaning in English "My Last Journey (A song about death)" i think this is a fantastic ending to an album due to it being the most adrenaline pushing track you can hear so many diffrent genre influences within one track (Death,jazz,classical,blackmetal,thrashmetal) all within an 5 minute epic. i also find it great how the intro song and the final song link up, as the first track is "Journey" and the last one is "My last journey" its a great finale to an amazing black metal master piece.
Sadly Mörk Gryning disbanded in 2005 due to lack of interest into 'Extreme music' which is a shame but they have left behind a gold mine of great material that i highly recommend you check out!
For fans of - Immortal, Death, dissection,Britney spears,Venom,Watain,Wintersun
I would give this album 4.6/5 - I would be giving this album a 5/5 if it was only it contained a bit more content but hey everything they delivered on this album is golden.
All song title translations done by Veronica T.
Links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB2i6O7cAG8
/F
Thursday, 2 June 2011
REVIEW : WINDS OF GENOCIDE - THE ARRIVAL OF APOKALYPTIC ARMAGEDDON
Winds of Genocide are a band that are attacking and destroying on many different fronts, ferociously combining the crushing heaviness of death metal with the raw power and aggression of crust punk, along with the kind of evil lyrical imagery that would not be out of place in a black metal band. With such a broad spectrum of influences, ranging from the all out punk assault of bands like Discharge and Skitsystem to Swedish Death Metal greats like Entombed and Dismember, Winds of Genocide are the kind of band that should appeal to fans of all music extreme.
The EP entitled The Arrival of Apokalyptic Armageddon contains six raging tracks, and is independently released by the band themselves. The tracks are diverse in nature and explore many different avenues in a variety of genres, whilst staying consistent to the savage Apokalyptic Death Crust theme.
The first track, Doomsday Soldiers, features a pounding introduction which creates a suitable atmosphere of dread on which to open the record. This sense of foreboding, a warning of the onslaught to come, is sliced apart by a fierce growl from vocalist Kat, who throughout the record showcases her vocal range and diverse style to great effect, and this signals the start of a fast barrage of instrumental chaos. The catchy chorus riff is accompanied by deadly prophecies of "Pestilence! War! Famine! Death!" spat out by a thick growl in tight unison with the strong rhythm section, and this kind of hook is consistent throughout the record, giving it lasting appeal.
The intensity of the beats provided by drummer Linus, alongside the inventive and powerful basslines of bassist Dan, acts as a perfect partner to the solid and atmospheric riffing of guitarist Glynn, who impresses throughout with catchy riffs and interesting harmonies in a rhythmic attack.
Arguably the standout track of the EP is the title track, which opens with a riff that almost has a voice of its own, such is the extent of its unique atmospheric feel, before a pounding blastbeat kicks in and really sets the pace for the rest of the song, which utilises fantastic guitar and bass work to create a suitably evil mood beneath the vocals which strike with deathly force.
Overall, this EP from Winds of Genocide is a great release which should appeal to a wide range of people from across the dark spectrum of both extreme metal and hardcore punk, and with a split with Japanese Black/Thrash legends Abigail in the pipeline, make sure you keep your eyes on this band!
For fans of- Doom, Amebix, Hellhammer, Discharge, Entombed, Skitsystem, Massacre, Benediction, Extreme Noise Terror, Dishammer... Punk and Metal in general
Rating - 4.5/5
http://www.myspace.com/windsofgenocide
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Winds-of-Genocide/187999007899518
/L
Northern Chaos
There's some seriously good music coming out of the United Kingdom at the minute, and we are going to have a bit crack on about it. Watch this void.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)