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
Monday, 29 August 2011
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
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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
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