J.J.D.'s Reviews And Interviews Blog

Harpoon - Deception Among Birds

2012-02-27T19:16:00.002+11:00

Harpoon

Deception Among Birds
Seventh Rule Recordings

Chicago (Illinois, U.S.) based outfit Harpoon have been around for a few years now, and while they haven’t really achieved any real commercial success, the trio (Comprising of 7000 Dying Rats vocalist Toney Vast-Binder, guitarist/drum programmer/keyboardist Dean Costello and ex-Lair Of The Minotaur/7000 Dying Rats bassist/guitarist/backing vocalist Donald James ‘D.J.’ Barraca) have earned considerable praise from the underground scene with their various split releases and their debut full-length effort ‘Double Gnarly/Triple Suicide’ (Which was released in 2009 through Interloper Records). Now making a return with their second full-length effort ‘Deception Among Birds’, there’s every possibility that Harpoon may finally get some long overdue recognition, if only because this latest effort from the band is something that is interesting, and definitely hard to pin down.
The trio start off the album with ‘To The Tall Trees’, which originally appeared on the band’s split E.P. with Locrian back in 2009. Direction wise the song is a throwback to aggressive metallic hardcore, with a bite in the guitar tones and the equally scathing vocal presence from Vast-Binder evoking a feel of controlled chaos that’s delivered in a deliberate and forceful manner. But despite its aggressive start, the song does eventually break away towards its tail end to reveal a more atmospheric, darker and slower mood, showcasing the extremities within the band’s overall sound.
The follow-up track ‘Prequel To A Lifetime Of Disappointment’ is an interesting departure from what the band offered on the previous track, with the song bringing out a mix of black metal and straight out melody to the fore. While the description is a little hard to picture, the song does seem to work quite well, and again shows the broad spectrum of sounds the band can present listeners.
‘Dreadnought’ is a surprisingly melodic effort with Vast-Binder’s predominately clean vocals providing a striking contrast against the harsher/fast paced guitar riffing (Which still retains some of the black metal influences of the former track), while ‘Phlegm’ is a full-on scathing attack from the moment it begins, even if the track does get broken up from time to time with huge groove filled slower passages.
The seven and a half minute ‘Troglodyte’s Delight’ is by far the album’s longest and most epic track, and perhaps the one track where the band experiment more in terms of tones and atmospherics to deliver their message, rather than relying solely on pummelling the listener into submission. The song feels a lot more progressive and deliberate in its approach than many of the other songs on the album, even progressive in parts with its softly sung clean vocal lines, repetitive riff structures and subtle intricacies in the densest of instrumental passages. Overall, it earns its place as one of the album’s more interesting and stand out cuts.
Towards the tail end of the album, the band return to the all-out rapid fire approach of song writing with the surprisingly melodic and aggressive ‘The Cut Of His Jib’ and the rockier and more riff driven ‘Shit Wizard’, before finishing up with the title track ‘Deception Among Birds’ (Which debuted on the band’s split E.P. with The Muzzler back in 2010), which is another experimental effort with plenty of feedback, loops and piano that combine to make one chaotic climax to the album.
‘Deception Among Birds’ isn’t the kind of album to make you rethink the way music is made, but it will at least have you taking notice of Harpoon as a band. And that in itself is a successful result.

For more information on Harpoon, check out - http://www.myspace.com/harpoonrockin4u

© Justin Donnelly

The Fucking Wrath - Valley Of The Serpent’s Soul

2012-02-26T20:16:00.001+11:00

The Fucking Wrath

Valley Of The Serpent’s Soul
Tee Pee Records/Impedance Records

After breaking a three year recording drought with their stop-gap E.P. release ‘Terra Fire’ in 2010, Californian (Ventura based) stoner/thrash metal outfit The Fucking Wrath have finally delivered their long awaited follow-up to 2007’s ‘Season Of Evil’ in ‘Valley Of The Serpent’s Soul’. Although the gap between ‘Terra Fire’ and ‘Valley Of The Serpent’s Soul’ has been a relatively short one (Eleven months to be exact), The Fucking Wrath (Who comprise of guitarist/vocalist Craig Kasamis, guitarist Brent Woodward, bassist/vocalist Nick Minasian and drummer John Crerar) have definitely taken their song writing and performances to a whole new level on their latest effort, as well as broadening their song well beyond the formula stoner rock sound documented on their former efforts.
The opening track ‘The Question’ is the first to show off the advancements the band has made in recent times, with the song showcasing a greater southern based rock ‘n’ roll vibe than anything the band has presented before, which brings to mind Every Time I Die toying around with a Motörhead cover, while maintaining the expected trademark aggressiveness. Of course, the stoner rock component of the band’s sound is still very much there (Especially around the slowed down tail end of the track), but overall ‘The Question’ is something different for The Fucking Wrath, and in a good way.
The follow-up track ‘Rebellious Axe’ is an energetic thrashing rocker that features some great lead work and some great sounding twists throughout that bring to mind some of Mastodon’s latter day work, while ‘Swan Song Of A Mad Man’ is a slow and doom-like early era Black Sabbath effort that boasts plenty of Tony Iommi riffs and melodies on the guitar front, but diverse enough in tempo and groove to avoid many of the clichés attached to those who mimic the legendary act’s sound and style.
The mid-paced ‘Altar Of Lies’ is a definite favourite with its thrash-like tail end (Which is essentially a nod to the legendary thrash pioneers Metallica), while ‘Goddess Of Pain’ (Which is preceded by the short instrumental piece ‘Grandelusion’) is an angry hardcore/southern rock thrasher that is devastating in an Alabama Thunderpussy meets Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster kind of way.
Last but not least is the lengthy centrepiece effort ‘The Neurodyssey’, which is an sprawling epic split into three movements (The slow and doom based ‘Valley Of The Serpent’s Soul’, the mid-paced grooving piece ‘Caverns Of Fire’ and the thrashing tail end ‘Endless Black Flags’), and one that emphasises the diversity in sound the band has pushed themselves into within recent times.
Everything on this album is a big step up for the band (Including the production, which was handled by the band and Armand Anthony), and while The Fucking Wrath has always been a solid and enjoyable act in the past, ‘Valley Of The Serpent’s Soul’ is by far their accomplished release to date.

For more information on The Fucking Wrath, check out - http://www.thefuckingwrath.com/

Ghoul - Transmission Zero

2012-02-26T19:51:00.002+11:00

Ghoul

Transmission Zero
Tankcrimes

Ghoul is one of those acts that have earned considerable acclaim within the underground scene, but still remain a relatively unknown cult act to most, due in part to limited coverage, being on a smaller label (All of the band’s three previous full-length releases were released through Razorback Records) and the band’s take on humour and horror over a death/thrash/grindcore musical template.
After five years of virtual inactivity from the band, the four piece Creepsylvania (Romania) based outfit (By way of Oakland, California, U.S.) broke their silence by signing up with underground label Tankcrimes, and announcing their follow-up to 2006’s ‘Splatterthrash’ with ‘Transmission Zero’.
Ghoul (Who comprise of Impaled guitarist/vocalist Sean ‘Digestor’ McGrath, vocalist/guitarist Dan ‘Dissector’ Randall, Impaled vocalist/bassist Ross ‘Cremator’ Sewerage and vocalist/drummer Dino ‘Fermentor’ Sommese) have often been seen as nothing more than a parody act, albeit one that knows how to string together some strong riffs and melodies. In other words, Ghoul has always been a band of substance, rather than image (Although their image has always been a strong part of their horrific/humour shtick). And for the most part, ‘Transmission Zero’ sees the band maintaining that high standard of musical accomplishment before image. But in saying that, while Ghoul have managed to maintain a high standard, ‘Transmission Zero’ does show some cracks in the band’s foundation in places, which makes for a solid, but ultimately inconsistent new release from the band.
The opening instrumental ‘The Lunatic Hour’ is an early highlight on the album with its meaty mid-paced thrash riffs mixed with classic ‘80’s speed induced crossover sounds, while the follow-up track ‘Off With Their Heads’ picks up where the former track trails off in perfection, with the tongue in cheek horror lyrics balanced nicely with a sound that veers more towards a modern death/thrash sound, with just a hint of black metal mixed with crossover thrash on the vocal front.
Although far from amazing, the groovier and melodic ‘Destructor’ is a solid and likeable track that features enough riffing to keep things from sounding too generic and forgettable (Although the occasional use of Cylon (‘Battlestar Gallactica’) effects on the vocals is kind of unnecessary), while the punkish blast of ‘The Mark Of Voodoo’ is a welcome blast of sheer bludgeoning horror thrash.
Both ‘Brain Jerk’ and ‘Blood Feast’ bring to mind latter day Exodus with their mid-paced tempos and gang vocals, which isn’t so much a bad thing, and works in its own way, while the faster paced title track ‘Transmission Zero’, the savage and more grindcore influenced ‘Tooth And Claw’ and the infectious ‘Metallicus Ex Mortis’ are examples of where the band really hit the mark in terms of writing some truly outstanding tunes, without losing any of their trademark humour.
Unfortunately, not everything on the album is quite so inspired. The metallic rockabilly vibe of the rather short ‘Death In The Swamp’ is fairly predictable and lacklustre at best, and the lengthy ‘Morning Of The Mezmetron’ is really a struggle to get through with its dooming musical approach, and the band’s attempts to project a creepier atmosphere with what adds up to nothing more than b-movie atmospherics and clichés.
‘Transmission Zero’ isn’t a terrible album – in fact it’s far from it. But with the inclusion of a couple of less than stellar efforts, Ghoul’s latest doesn’t eclipse the greatness of their former efforts.
Despite that, if you like Horror/humour that does offer something a little more credible on the musical side of things to almost all parody acts; you could do a whole lot worse than this.

For more information on Ghoul, check out - http://www.creepsylvania.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Metallica - Beyond Magnetic

2012-02-26T19:35:00.001+11:00

Metallica

Beyond Magnetic
Vertigo Records/Universal Music Australia

In celebration of the band’s thirtieth anniversary (Which was marked by four intimate shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco in December 2011), Metallica have released a new E.P. entitled ‘Beyond Magnetic’. As the title suggests, ‘Beyond Magnetic’ is somewhat of a companion release to their 2008 full-length release ‘Death Magnetic’, with the four tracks on the E.P. written and recorded from the same sessions that produced the said studio album.
Not surprisingly, ‘Beyond Magnetic’ doesn’t stray too far from the sound and direction heard on ‘Death Magnetic’, with the opening track ‘Hate Train’ sounding very much like it could have slotted easily onto the album without sounding out of place. Given the familiarity of sound and direction, the issues that plagued ‘Death Magnetic’ are still evident within ‘Hate Train’ – most notably Rick Rubin’s soul sucking/dry production sound, Lars Ulrich’s clunky and overbearing drum sound and vocalist/rhythm guitarist James Hetfield’s rather uninspired lyrics. But despite the song’s inherent flaws, ‘Hate Train’ is a solid track, with the band’s recent thrash-like rocking sound working more in their favour than not (Provided of course you can overlook the similarities in riffs between this effort and their 1998 single ‘Fuel’), and Kirk Hammett’s various lead breaks marking a welcome return to form for the guitarist.
In terms of genuine highlights, ‘Just A Bullet Away’ is a clear stand out with Hetfield putting in a commanding (And somewhat different) performance both vocally and lyrically, which expertly disguises the song’s striking simplicity. If there is a flaw in the song, it would have to be the pointless breakdown around the four minute mark. The abrupt end allows for an atmospheric build up that eventually bleeds into a return to the song at full speed. While it’s not the first time Metallica have tried this trick (Their classic ‘Master Of Puppets’ from 1996 is built upon the clever use of musical shades), here it sounds a little too forced and unnecessary, and ultimately leaves the song feeling a little too padded and stretched out for the sake of it.
If you overlook the overly repetitive chorus, ‘Hell And Back’ is an effective track that showcases the band’s ability to mix both rock and aggression within their song writing without sounding like they’re rehashing their past too much, while the closer ‘Rebel Of Babylon’ shows that the band still have plenty of thrash left in them. But despite its strong thrash elements and some great lead work from Hammett, Hetfield’s lyrics and the overall inconsistency of flow in the song writing department (There’s great riffs, but a rather tacked on chorus) hinders the song as a whole.
The prospect of a new E.P. from Metallica that contains leftover material from the ‘Death Magnetic’ sessions isn’t the most enticing of prospects for some fans (Especially for those who were disappointed with ‘Death Magnetic’). But despite this, ‘Beyond Magnetic’ is a solid enough release, and something that can easily be placed alongside ‘Death Magnetic’ in every conceivable way. And provided you’re a fan of that album, you’ll get something out of this release.

For more information on Metallica, check out - http://www.metallica.com/

Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning

2012-02-12T19:34:00.000+11:00

Steven Wilson

Grace For Drowning
Kscope Music

Steven Wilson really is a relentless workaholic. No sooner had he released his debut solo effort ‘Insurgentes’ in 2008, Wilson threw himself into another Porcupine Tree album (2009’s double C.D. ‘The Incident’) and a new Blackfield release (2011’s ‘Welcome To My DNA’), as well as serving as both a producer and a mixer for Opeth (2011’s ‘Heritage’), Anathema (2010’s ‘We’re Here Because We’re Here’) and Orphaned Land (2010’s ‘The Never Ending Way Of ORWarriOR’). Outside of those projects, Wilson also found time to work with Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt in Storm Corrosion (Whose debut album will soon see the light of day), as well as remixing albums for Jethro Tull and King Crimson. But somewhere in amongst his incredibly busy schedule, Wilson has managed to allocate some time out for himself, and complete work on his highly anticipated second solo effort ‘Grace For Drowning’, which he described prior to its release as an album that takes the listener on a journey in sound beyond anything heard previously on ‘Insurgentes’.
Split into two halves (Hence the reason for the two discs); Wilson starts off the audio journey with the first disc ‘Deform To Form A Star’, which is opened up by the short title track ‘Grace For Drowning’. Working more as an introductory piece, this track features a simple piano melody (Played by Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess) and a multi-layered vocal choir from Wilson, which combined eases the listener into the album in a soothing and dream-like manner.
The follow-up instrumental track ‘Sectarian’ is a completely different piece to that of the opener, with the first half sounding a bit like Porcupine Tree at their most progressive in terms of complex time changes and the avant-garde use of heavy keyboards and saxophone, while the second half drifts towards jazz territory with its off beat drums, keyboards and clarinet, but still retaining a progressive edge with its ominous overlapped keyboard sounds.
The title track of the first disc ‘Deform To Form A Star’ is a stunning ballad-like effort from Wilson that really stands out, and will appeal to those who favour Wilson’s lush vocal melodies and beautiful vocal harmonies (Rudess’ understated piano work and Wilson’s incredible guitar work are also noteworthy), while ‘No Part Of Me’ projects a haunting and emotional pained Blackfield/No-Man vibe on its first half, before twisting into a heavier and more technically challenged progressive workout (With the help of King Crimson guitarist/bassist Trey Gunn and drummer Pat Mastelotto).
Much like ‘Deform To Form A Star’, ‘Postcard’ (The first single from the album) is another stunning melancholy effort from Wilson, and another of the first disc’s stand out tracks with its powerful use of strings (London Session Orchestra) and choir (Synergy Vocals) arranged by Dave Stewart.
Things take a turn into darker territory with the short and haunting instrumental piece ‘Raider Prelude’ (Which again features Synergy Vocals), which serves as a precursor to the equally darker and eerie closer ‘Remainder The Black Dog’, which in itself is one of the album’s more challenging and chaotic pieces with its avant-garde use of saxophones, flutes and clarinet (Courtesy of long-time Wilson collaborator Theo Travis) and some fusion guitar work from the unmistakable Steve Hackett.
Disc two (Which is entitled ‘Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye’) is introduced via the short acoustic/strings based instrumental piece ‘Belle De Jour’, which eventually bleeds into ‘Index’. The lyrical content of ‘Index’ brings to mind the isolation and alienation of Porcupine Tree’s ‘Fear Of A Blank Planet’, and musically isn’t that far removed with its slow build and ambient/chilled tones, while ‘Track One’ is a true masterpiece in term of creating what starts out as a melodic and easygoing track into something that contorts into one of pure menace and impending terror with its outstanding use of the Mellotron. This song is without a doubt a work of pure genius.
The twenty-three minute plus ‘Raider II’ is the big epic piece on the album, and the one track on the album that’s hard to pin down due to its continual shifts in moods and instrumentation. What can be said however is that almost every aspect of every track featured elsewhere on the album is featured in this track, with elements of free jazz, avant-garde progressive rock, pop and moody soundscapes. Although interesting, this track is Wilson at his most self-indulgent, and can at times test the patience of any listener if they’re not in the right frame of mind. Having said that, if you’re a fan of the free-form jamming efforts that typified some of Porcupine Tree’s earlier works (In particular their 2001 album ‘Metanoia’), you’ll enjoy every aspect of ‘Raider II’ in its entirety. ‘Raider II’ is not necessarily a bad track, but one that does take patience to digest, and time to fully appreciate.
Finishing up the album is the second disc’s title track ‘Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye’, which is by far one of the album’s simpler constructed and written efforts (The instrumental aspect is at its bare minimum, with Wilson’s vocals and melodies essentially carrying the song), which makes it the perfect closer for the album.
While ‘Insurgentes’ is officially Wilson’s debut solo effort, traces of his various side projects (Porcupine Tree, No-Man and Blackfield) still dominated over any real risk of baring his own path musically. But with ‘Grace For Drowning’, Wilson has abandoned his inhibitions and ventured boldly into true solo territory with an album that is both daring and familiar, and yet artistically something quite unique and different from what we would normally expect from Wilson.
On ‘Grace For Drowning’, Wilson doesn’t play it safe, and has instead risked all his artistic integrity with an album that takes more than a singular listen to understand, comprehend and ultimately appreciate. And quite simply, it’s a risk that’s paid off.
It’s a shame that more albums like this aren’t made more often these days.

For more information on Steven Wilson, check out - http://www.swhq.co.uk/

© Justin Donnelly

Zombi - Escape Velocity

2012-02-11T19:20:00.000+11:00

Zombi

Escape Velocity
Relapse Records

Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, U.S.) duo Zombi really is a genuine oddity within the music scene. The fact that the band is signed to Relapse Records, and that the pair (Keyboardist/bassist Steve Moore and drummer/keyboardist Tony ‘A.E.’ Paterra) rarely relies on guitars to flesh out their space/progressive rock sound has confused many within the metal community, and just as many who reside outside the scene. Despite the general confusion surrounding the band, and the love/hate relationship the band shares with the overall progressive rock/metal scene, Zombi continue to forge a unique and interesting niche for themselves, with their latest (And fourth) full-length album ‘Escape Velocity’ guaranteed to fuel further debate about Zombi’s rather different take on the standard progressive genre.
Those familiar with Zombi’s past works will already know that Zombi never set out to emulate the same sound and direction on an album twice in a row, as evident on their darker and atmospheric 2006 effort ‘Surface To Air’, and its guitar enhanced and overall heavier sounding follow-up ‘Spirit Animal’ from 2009. So with that in mind, I was expecting something quite different with ‘Escape Velocity’. And sure enough, ‘Escape Velocity’ proved to be completely unexpected.
On their latest album, Zombi appear to have taken a huge leap back in style and sound, with the duo taking influences from Krautrock bands such as early Kraftwork and Neu!, and shades of Vangelis, and filtered it through a distinctly ‘80’s musical filter to come out with a completely new take on minimalist progressive/new wave rock.
The best example of the band’s newfound minimalist approach to song writing can be found on the opening title track ‘Escape Velocity’. The basis of the song is really quite simplistic, with the central keyboard theme rarely deviating from its basic sweeping key changes, but it’s underneath where the pair really gives the song its heart. The ever-present rapid synths that run throughout provide a solid footing for the whole track, while the gradual introduction of rhythmic drums give the song some human elements that otherwise wouldn’t exist without them. ‘Escape Velocity’ is essentially a really simple song, but produced in such a way that it’s hard not to get drawn into its hypnotic beat and heavy percussive driven flow.
The short ‘Slow Oscillations’ doesn’t stray too far construction wise from that of the opener with a pulsating keyboard structure underpinning huge sweeping keyboard tones that provide the song’s character (Outside the steady flow of drums of course), while ‘Shrunken Heads’ is a product of Krautrock with its repetitive keyboard motifs, ‘80’s synthesised drum beats and almost ‘Blade Runner’ like washes of keyboard contrasts thrown over the top throughout.
Rather than rely on one central idea, ‘DE3’ seems to branch off in several different directions, with the pair giving more thought to creating greater textures of overlaid rhythms, keyboard riffs and textures. As a result, this song definitely comes across as the album’s strongest, accomplished and memorable efforts.
Finishing up the album is ‘Time Of Troubles’, which closes out the album in a slower and more reflective manner with its John Carpenter-like thick keyboard tones and laid back drums.
Zombi has never been the easiest of band’s to categorise, or to describe. But that’s not my objective here, because if you weren’t a fans of Zombi’s work in the past, this release isn’t about to change your mind.
If however you enjoyed Zombi releases in the past, and have found yourself totally absorbed the subtle shifts in direction from one release to the next, trust me - you’ll thoroughly enjoy ‘Escape Velocity’.

For more information on Zombi, check out - http://www.zombi.us/

© Justin Donnelly

Chickenfoot - III (Deluxe Edition)

2012-02-09T19:00:00.002+11:00

Chickenfoot

III (Deluxe Edition)
earMUSIC/Edel

If there’s a curse that plagues nearly all supergroup’s throughout history, it’s always been their second album. For some, all of their creativity seems to have been used up on the first album, leaving little left for a second effort. For some, it’s sometimes been a pulling in different directions that has brought them down a second time around. For others, it’s merely a case of the group falling apart in their attempts to have another go at making an album. But in the case of Chickenfoot (Who comprise of ex-Montrose/Van Halen vocalist/rhythm guitarist Sammy Hagar, guitarist virtuoso/keyboardist Joe Satriani, ex-Van Halen bassist/backing vocalist Michael Anthony and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith), it would appear that they’ve defied all the odds, with their highly anticipated sophomore effort ‘III’ exceeding the bar set by their self-titled debut from 2009.
It’s evident from the hard rocking opening track ‘Last Temptation’ that the band’s time spent on the road touring in the last couple of years (As documented on 2010’s live D.V.D. ‘Get Your Buzz On Live’) has really brought the four piece act closer together in the musical sense. Satriani’s guitar playing comes across as more relaxed and in sync with the band musically, while Hagar’s vocals and melodies don’t seem as off the cuff and improvised as they did in the past.
‘Alright Alright’ is an easy going rocker that features some great solo work from Satriani and Anthony’s trademark back-up vocals through the song’s infectious choruses, while the heartfelt ballad/rocker ‘Different Devil’ (The second single from the album, and which again features Anthony’s distinctive back-up vocals) is a classic Hagar tune that could have easily slotted on any of his solo efforts or any of the Hagar era Van Halen albums.
Satriani really shines on the thumping ‘Up Next’ with a killer solo that’s delivered more along the lines of his solo work, while the album’s lead single ‘Big Foot’ sees Satriani abashedly borrow from Led Zeppelin’s riff book to create one of the funkiest rock tunes ‘III’ has to offer listeners.
Unlike the band’s debut, ‘III’ also offers up a couple of more subdued and serious efforts, as evident in the soul drenched ‘Come Closer’ and the stunning closer blues based ‘Something Going Wrong’. While the band shines throughout both tracks, and Anthony’s harmonies alongside Hagar’s are noteworthy, it’s Hagar that really stands out as the star here. Hagar can inject a party atmosphere into anything (One only needs to look at his more recent solo efforts for proof of that), but when he turns towards something a little more serious and heartfelt, he really can produce something long lasting and meaningful.
Rounding out the album is the driving rocker ‘Lighten Up’ (Which brings to mind Deep Purple in places with its ever present keyboards) and the blues based ‘Dubai Blues’ (Which not surprisingly written around The Yardbirds’ classic ‘I Ain’t Got You’).
The only song that doesn’t work quite like it should is ‘Three And A Half Letters’. The message might be a sound one (Hagar reading letters sent to him from fans who are out of work and down on their luck), but the chorus sounds weak and underdeveloped. It’s a shame, because there is the making of a good song there.
As an added bonus, ‘III’ also comes with a bonus D.V.D., which features the thirteen minute documentary ‘The Making Of Chickenfoot III’ (Which is both funny and informative), a seven and a half minute ‘Behind The Scenes’ documentary (Some footage of the band goofing around in the studio, and Hagar’s story behind ‘Different Devil’), a two minute chat on the album’s 3D packaging (‘The Packaging’) and a two minute ‘Greeting’ from the band.
Also included are the promotional video clips for ‘Big Foot’ and ‘Sexy Little Thing’, and a live version of ‘Turnin’ Left’ from their ‘Get Your Buzz On Live’ D.V.D.
Looking past ‘Three And A Half Letters’, ‘III’ exceeds all expectations of the band’s debut, and proves beyond all doubt that Chickenfoot is more than just a supergroup, but a real band. And on the strength of this album, I can’t see Chickenfoot winding down anytime soon. The bottom line is that ‘III’ is a great rock album, and will definitely please those who enjoyed Chickenfoot’s past effort.

For more information on Chickenfoot, check out - http://www.chickenfoot.us/

© Justin Donnelly

Lynchmada - To The Earth

2012-02-09T18:57:00.000+11:00

Lynchmada

To The Earth
Truth Inc. Records/M.G.M. Distribution

When Gold Coast based metalcore act Lynchmada released their debut full-length effort ‘The Other Mexico’ back in 2007 (Through RabbitBird Records), it was without a doubt a huge step up from their previous E.P. release (2003’s ‘The Biggest Disappointment Is You’, which was released through Ward 69 Records). Over the last four years, the band have maintained their status as one of the Australian metal scene’s up and coming acts with plenty of support slots alongside national and international acts (Lamb Of God, God Forbid, Death Angel and Armoured Saint), which has helped the band keep their name out there on the scene.
Despite having undergone some changes in personnel in the last couple of years (Vocalist Joel Harris and guitarists Cameron Wallace and Simon Connors are now joined newcomers in ex-Minus Life/Silver Ocean Storm bassist Kent Haines and drummer Daniel Trickett), Lynchmada have finally managed to put together their highly anticipated sophomore effort ‘To The Earth’. In much the same way their debut was a step up in confidence and quality compared to their E.P. effort, ‘To The Earth’ is another step in the right direction for the Queensland crew in every way conceivable.
Serving primarily as an introductory piece, ‘What Fresh Hell Is This?’ is a slow, heavy and atmospheric piece that features a combination of spoken word and screamed vocals. Although sounding a little stretched out, it does help set the tone of the album.
‘Throat Of Stone’ is up next, and its here that you can tell how far the band has come in their song writing over the last four years. The riffs sound a whole lot more distinctive and varied, and Harris’ combined growls and clean singing (Albeit brief at best) sound a lot more balanced and in sync with one another than ever before.
From here, the band goes straight for the throat with a vengeance on the aggressive mid-paced bruiser ‘Broken Bones’, the groovier sounding ‘Earth I Walk’ and the ever changing twists within ‘Blackout’, which moves from some truly crushing passages to some well written and performed melodic passages.
‘Burial Ground’ is definitely a favourite with its diverse riffing and powerful drumming from Trickett, while ‘Twenty Seven Years’ (Which is preceded by the brief guitar based atmospheric instrumental piece ‘Harbinger’) and the lengthy ‘Relic’ are undoubtedly two of the album’s catchiest and more rock based efforts, and help give the album a sound that really provides plenty of variation in sounds and direction over the whole album.
Another track worthy of singling out is the acoustic ‘City Of Lungs’, which not only showcases Harris’ growth as a vocalist, but also his ability to construct vocal lines that play to the song’s strengths.
While a couple of the songs tend to overstay their welcome, and the opening intro doesn’t quite hit its intended target, ‘To The Earth’ has everything you could possibly ask of a new Lynchmada album. It has stronger song writing, a greater mix of sounds and tempos from one track to the next and a sound that brings out the best in the band’s performances (The band co-produced the album with Nik Carpenter, and had it mixed and mastered by Chris ‘Zuess’ Harris). Lynchmada has every reason to be pleased with their new album, and I’m sure fans will agree wholeheartedly that ‘To The Earth’ is Lynchmada’s strongest release yet.

For more information on Lynchmada, check out – http://www.facebook.com/lynchmada

Serpentcult - Raised By Wolves

2012-02-09T18:52:00.001+11:00

Serpentcult

Raised By Wolves
Listenable Records

Within the doom metal scene, Belgium based outfit Serpentcult forged out a unique sound for themselves with the aid of their vocalist Michelle Nocon. Granted, Serpentcult aren’t the only ones to have ever had a female vocalist at the helm (California’s Jex Thoth and Canada’s Blood Ceremony also had female lead vocalists), but none came close to matching the brilliance of Serpentcult’s ‘Weight Of Light’ album from 2008. It’s been three years since then, and things have changed dramatically, with Nocon parting ways with the band. In addition to that, the band parted ways with their label (Rise Above Records), which meant a serious rethink of direction was in order for the remaining members.
Serpentcult have never had the best of luck when it comes to vocalists (The band’s original vocalist Steve MacMillan was arrested back in 2006, which in turn forced the band to change their name from Thee Plague Of Gentlemen to their current moniker), so it comes as no surprise to find that Serpentcult have decided to remain as a trio (Who comprise of guitarist Frederic Caure, bassist Steven ‘LQW’ Van Cauwenbergh and drummer Frederik ‘Cozy’ Cosemans), and provide whatever vocals they required, themselves. Years have rolled by since the release of ‘Weight Of Light’, but after securing a deal with Listenable Records, Serpentcult are back with their new album ‘Raised By Wolves’. And as you would expect, there’s been plenty of change in the meantime.
Comprising of a mere four tracks, the band kick start the album with the title track ‘Raised By Wolves’, which initially begins with the sounds of rain, thunder and crows, eventually making way for the sound of guitars. Song wise, ‘Raised By Wolves’ is based all around a simple groove that’s hammered home endlessly in a heavy doom like fashion over the course of some nine minutes. While the description makes the song sound long and mundane, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The band have managed to create a dark and dense atmosphere throughout that brings to mind Neurosis and Triptykon in part (Without sounding entirely like either), while Caure’s vocals only add to the overall dark and desperate vibe of the dooming epic without interrupting the songs flow one bit.
Without so much as a gap, the instrumental ‘Crippled And Frozen’ bleeds on from the opener and in the process introduces something a little different from the band than what you would normally expect – and that’s stoner rock played in an almost doom metal manner. The up-tempo riffs are pitted against a low rumbling bass, which really does sound different. But regardless of how this sounds on paper, ‘Crippled And Frozen’ is an infectiously groovy number, and definitely one of the album’s more memorable (And accessible) efforts.
‘Longing For Hyperborea’ is by far the album’s most adventurous track, with the bulk of the song taking on more of a jam feel, but in an alternative rock vein rather than the usual doom metal format you’d expect of the band. While the change of sound and direction is something unexpected, it’s certainly not a bad thing, with the droning hum of the instruments and the barely audible vocals (Which was supposedly supplied by some friends of the band) helping maintain a dark atmosphere throughout.
Finishing up the album is ‘Growth Of The Soil’, which is by and large a fairly basic doom/sludge track, and exactly the sort of thing you would expect of the band given their past record. Caure again provides vocals in places, but they’re utilized in a way to create another tapestry of sound, rather than delivering anything from a spoken point of view. A little jamming like in places, atmospheric dips in other places and chaotic and powerful by its eventual conclusion, ‘Growth Of The Soil’ is a hugely dense and aggressive sounding number, and one that closes the album perfectly.
The Serpentcult of today isn’t exactly the same as the one from three years ago, with the band seeming to be open to experimenting more in creating moods, rather than simply knocking out doom metal measured by its riffs and vocal melody lines and choruses.
Serpentcult’s sound has always been based around the doom metal sound, but looking over the band’s body of work, it’s clear that they’ve never been one to do the same thing twice in a row (Even if that’s because of an ever changing vocalist within their ranks). And if you look at things that way, you could view ‘Raised By Wolves’ as not so much a departure, but just another chapter in Serpentcult’s bizarre and ever changing musical offerings.

For more information on Serpentcult, check out - http://www.serpentcult.be/

Funerus - Reduced To Sludge

2012-02-08T17:39:00.000+11:00

Funerus

Reduced To Sludge
Ibex Moon Records

After announcing their return to the scene with a new track (‘Reduced To Sludge’) featuring on the ‘Afterparty Massacre (Death Metal Soundtrack)’ last year, long running Pennsylvania/New York based death act Funerus have finally broken an eight year drought with a new full-length release ‘Reduced To Sludge’. With their debut effort ‘Festering Earth’ released way back in 2003 (Again, through Ibex Moon Records), it’s no surprise to see the band’s line-up get shaken up a little. Of course, bassist/group founder Jill McEntee is still a guiding force within the band, but has since taken over the vocal duties alongside Incantation guitarist/mastermind John McEntee following the departure of Brad Heiple, who bailed soon after the release of their debut. In recent years, Funerus also parted ways with drummer Kyle Severn too, with Sam Inzerra (Ex-Morpheus Descends/Generation Kill) taking over the drum seat. So with eight years between releases, it’s logical to ask just how much Funerus has changed in the musical sense between releases. But if the truth be told, you would be hard pressed to know that years have passed since the release of their debut, because ‘Reduced To Sludge’ virtually picks up exactly where the band last left things.
The opening track ‘Behind The Door’ immediately lets you know what you can expect for the next thirty-four minutes, and that’s early ‘90’s death metal in the vein of Bolt Thrower, Asphyx, Hail Of Bullets, Obituary and of course, Incantation. On ‘Behind The Door’, Funerus don’t resort to any unnecessary extras to deliver their brutal brand of death metal. Instead, the riffs are kept fairly simple and straightforward, the bass is loud and clear in the mix throughout to give the band a full sound (Courtesy of Dan Swanö, who mixed and mastered the album) and a constant undercurrent of drumming that really adds to the band’s overall assaulting sound. Funerus’ song writing is neither complex nor challenging, but it is engaging and solid enough to ensure that the songs remain memorable and diverse enough over the course of the entire album.
In terms of favourites, the continual onslaught of ‘The Comfort In Depression’, the previously released title track ‘Reduced To Sludge’, the doom/death-like undertone of ‘Death Of A God’, the rather short ‘Sound Of Oil’ (Which is perhaps the complex sounding of tracks on the album) and the slow and crushing closer ‘E. Histolytica’ are the definite stand out cuts on the album.
‘Reduced To Sludge’ isn’t the kind of album that reinvents the death metal genre, nor is it an album that will appeal to those who only enjoy modern death metal. Funerus is an old school death metal act, and unashamedly so. And as long you know what you’re in for, you’ll find plenty to enjoy within ‘Reduced To Sludge’.

For more information on Funerus, check out - http://www.funerus.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Morta Skuld - Through The Eyes Of Death - The Early Demos

2012-02-08T17:30:00.000+11:00

Morta Skuld

Through The Eyes Of Death - The Early Demos
Relapse Records

Formed in 1990, releasing four full-length albums in their time, and eventually parting ways in 1997 (After which two of the founding members went on to form MS2 and later 9mm Solution), Milwaukee (Wisconsin) based outfit Morta Skuld never really achieved the same success as fellow death metal acts Death and Obituary, and therefore slipped away into obscurity. But with a growing interest in resurrecting and re-releasing long forgotten gems from the past, it comes as no surprise to see that Relapse Records have dusted off some old Morta Skuld material from the confines of an abandoned vault and re-released them some twenty years later. As the title suggests, ‘Through The Eyes Of Death - The Early Demos’ compiles the band’s two original demos for the very first time on C.D.
Packaging wise, this re-release is quite attractive, with renowned artist Travis Smith providing the cool cover artwork. And on the audio side of things, the remastering of the demos (Courtesy of Chris Wisco at Belle City Sound) has certainly injected some life into the old recordings. On the surface, ‘Through The Eyes Of Death - The Early Demos’ would appear to be a worthy re-release. Unfortunately, it’s the music that ultimately lets this release down.
The opening five tracks are lifted from the band’s ‘Gory Departure’ demo from 1990, and showcases the band’s (Who at the time comprised of vocalist/guitarist Dave Gregor, guitarist Jason Zeitler, bassist Jason Hellman and drummer Jesse Rofritz) primitive and guttural approach to death metal. ‘Intro’ sets up a suitably creepy vibe to start things off, but the rest that follows certainly doesn’t muster up the same demonic tone. Having said that, ‘Sacrificial Rite’ and ‘Preacher Of Lies’ are solid tunes, and are the definite stand outs.
The band’s follow-up demo ‘Prolong The Agony’ (Which was also released in 1990) shows a huge improvement on both the performance and song writing front, with guitarist Jason O’Connell and drummer Jef Jaeger (Replacing Zeitler and drummer Rofritz respectfully) adding a greater technical edge to the group’s overall sound, which is evident in tracks such as ‘Feast From Within’ and ‘...Of Evil’.
Rounding out this compilation are two previously unreleased recordings, namely ‘Eternal Suffering’ and a cover of Metal Church’s ‘Metal Church’. ‘Eternal Suffering’ (Which was supposed to be released through Earache Records in 1991, but never saw the light of day) features Kent Truckenbrod taking over the drums from Jaeger, and sounds like a lost recording from Obituary with its sluggish and hammering sound and direction, while ‘Metal Church’ is from recordings the band made in 1998 with ex-Realm guitarist Takis Kinis providing the lead work, and remains true to the original, albeit with a more aggressive vocal approach.
Overall, Morta Skuld were never the most innovative or ground breaking act, and not surprisingly, they really struggled to find genuine success in their time.
If you’re a fan of Morta Skuld’s first couple of releases (1993’s ‘Dying Remains’ and 1994’s ‘As Humanity Fades’), then you’ll appreciate this re-release. If on the other hand you’re not familiar with the band, then don’t expect to be blown away by ‘Through The Eyes Of Death - The Early Demos’.

For more information on Morta Skuld, check out - http://www.myspace.com/mortaskuld

© Justin Donnelly

Thousand Year War - Tyrants And Men

2012-02-08T17:13:00.001+11:00

Thousand Year War

Tyrants And Men
Abyss Records

Thousand Year War are a relatively new act to join the melodic death metal scene, with the band (Whose sole permanent member is former Old Path vocalist/guitarist Hiram Lohr) only coming together in 2008. Although they have only been together for a few years, they did manage to release their independent E.P. ‘Shadow Of The Colossus’ in 2009, which immediately caught the eye of Abyss Records. A couple of years later and Thousand Year War (Who comprise of Lohr, and session guitarist/bassist Kellen Sharp and session drummer Fredrik Widigs of Angrepp/Desultor/The Ugly) are back with their debut full-length album ‘Tyrants And Men’.
Prior to knowing anything about this Alaskan (Homer based) act, I could have sworn that these guys hailed from Sweden. The opening track on the album ‘Defiance’ has a strong Amon Amarth influence musically, and to some extent in the vocals (Lohr manages to get a bit more of a snarl in his delivery compared to those of Johan Hegg). While the similarities between the two acts are undeniable, ‘Defiance’ is a solid enough track, and a fitting start to the album.
‘The Sea’ (Inspired by Lohr’s passion for sea) is a powerful follow-up effort that features plenty of galloping riffs and aggressive vocals, which is emphasised all the more by the slower passages that allow the riffs to really stand out.
The faster paced pair of ‘No Gods, No Masters’ and ‘Thousand Year War’ have a strong Gothenburg vibe that brings to mind shades of Dark Tranquillity mixed with Amon Amarth with their dense riffing and greater emphasis of melody throughout the choruses, while ‘Open Casket’ reveals a trace of thrash metal with its fast paced and abrasive riffing.
The cover of I’s ‘The Storm I Ride’ (From their 2006 debut ‘Between Two Worlds’) is a strange choice, and while it’s a solid and faithful reinterpretation of the song, it does stand out on the album as a little too different in style (Death ‘n’ roll versus melodic death metal) to really blend in enough with the rest of the album.
The mid-paced ‘Warriors Of Deceit’ and the intense blast of ‘One Final Breath’ are effective, but a little unmemorable around the latter half of the album, while the spirit and influence of Amon Amarth once again infiltrates the mid-paced crushing groove of ‘Spartacus’.
Finishing up the album is the title track ‘Tyrants And Men’, which is by far the most original sounding track on the album, with the bass deviating away from the guitar riffs and the intense drumming from Widigs helping the song writing to distance itself from sounding exactly like its obvious influences.
For a melodic death metal album, ‘Tyrants And Men’ is a solid release. Unfortunately, Amon Amarth have well and truly been there and done that countless times over, which means that as good as Thousand Year War are, they will always be second best at it.
If you’re a fan of melodic death metal in the vein of Amon Amarth, you could do a whole lot worse than Thousand Year War. But if you’re looking for something unique, you may have to wait a while before Thousand Year War finds their own identity and sound.

For more information on Thousand Year War, check out - http://www.thousandyearwar.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Anthrax - Worship Music

2012-02-07T19:17:00.000+11:00

Anthrax

Worship Music
Nuclear Blast Records

No band within the metal scene has been guiltier of shooting themselves in the foot more than New York based outfit Anthrax. And if proof were needed, then one only has to look at the soap opera that has surrounded the band since 2004.
For those unaware, the story generally goes like this. After thirteen years in the lead vocal role, John Bush announced his split from the group mere months after the release of ‘The Greater Of Two Evils’. While some were disheartened by the news (Including myself), the announcement of plans to reunite the classic line-up of the band (Vocalist Joey Belladonna and guitarist Dan Spitz would once again join rhythm guitarist/vocalist Scott Ian, bassist/backing vocalist Frank Bello and drummer Charlie Benante) soon had fans in a frenzy over the possibilities of Anthrax reclaiming their rightful place amongst ‘The Big Four’ (Who also include Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth). Things seemed to be going well, with the band receiving high acclaim for the live album/D.V.D. ‘Alive 2’ in 2005.
But by early 2007, the honeymoon was over. Both Belladonna and Spitz were once again out of the band. By the tail end of the year, ex-Devilsize vocalist Dan Nelson was announced as Belladonna’s replacement and long-time lead guitarist Rob Caggiano was enlisted to fill the void left behind after Spitz’s split with the band. Not surprisingly, work on a new album was started.
Fast forward two years, and by all reports, Anthrax’s new album was near completion, with a release projected around May. But in July, it was confirmed that Nelson had decided to resign from the band, and that the completed album would be shelved indefinitely until the situation was sorted out. Of course, Nelson had a different recollection of events, and a war of words between the two camps ensued – much to the dismay of Anthrax fans who were hoping for a return of the band.
In a surprising turn of events, Bush returned to the band to help fulfil live obligations, and for all intents and purposes, seemed to be back with the band full-time. Needless to say, nothing about a vocalist’s position within Anthrax is set in stone, and by the tail end of 2009, Bush had moved on, and Belladonna was once again back as front man for Anthrax. Here we are, a year and a half since then, and Anthrax has finally released ‘Worship Music’, which is their first album of new material since 2003’s ‘We've Come For You All’.
If you’re a diehard fan of Anthrax (Like me), it's hard not to be sceptical of ‘Worship Music’. After all, this album has already been recorded twice – once with Nelson, and now with Belladonna. And it begs the question - just how much involvement did Belladonna have in the song writing if the album was already finished before he had rejoined the band?
Well, after giving the album plenty of time to sink in, all I can say is that while the details on who wrote what isn’t exactly clear, ‘Worship Music’ is quite simply a killer Anthrax album.
After a slow building instrumental piece (‘Worship’, which brings to mind ‘Contact’ from ‘We've Come For You All’), the band are quick to get down to business with the intense blast of ‘Earth On Hell’. Over the course of three and a half minutes, Anthrax thrash it out like its 1990, but with an edge of maturity that can only come from the perseverance the band have endured being the underdogs for the better part of the last two decades. While the riffs are executed with a viciousness, and Benante belts the hell out of his kit, its Belladonna here that steals the show. His voice has never sounded so in control and self assured, which really gives the song the edge needed to move away from sounding threatening, and actually going in for the kill.
‘The Devil You Know’ (The second single lifted from the album) is something different from the band, with the thrash choruses intertwined with huge catchy and infectious choruses, but works exceeding well, while ‘Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't’ sees the band returning to the thrash territory of ‘Earth On Hell’, but with an added injection of melody that pushes the song well and truly into the classic realm.
The heavy rock/metal sound of ‘I'm Alive’ is something that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the band’s Bush led era albums (In particular ‘We've Come For You All’), but its Belladonna who really gives the song its personality and character with some great melody structures and his masterful performance throughout, while on ‘In The End’ (Which is preceded by the short intro ‘Hymn 1’), the band create a huge epic atmosphere with the song’s darker and melancholy feel, without losing any of their trademark crunch on the guitar front.
In terms of speedier material, the melodic thrash based ‘The Giant’ and ‘The Constant’ are infectious numbers that combine huge crushing grooves with choruses that simply beg to be cranked up, while the moody and darker tinged rocker ‘Crawl’ is without a shadow of a doubt Belladonna’s single stand out performance on the album, with the album’s heavy-handed closer ‘Revolution Screams’ coming close to the top spot at second place.
In fact, the only weak spot I could find came in the form of ‘Judas Priest’ (And its short instrumental intro ‘Hymn 2’). Although solid enough, and featuring some great breakdowns and drumming from Benante, the choruses didn’t grab quite the same way as some of the other tracks, and the lyrics have little to do with its namesake (Which only seems to confuse the issue).
Prior to this release, I doubt many had huge expectations of a genuine return to form from Anthrax on their new album. Sure, it was always going to be a solid effort, but I doubt many would have expected anything to rival the band’s classic releases of Belladonna’s early years.
To put it in simple terms, Anthrax has proven just about everyone wrong. ‘Worship Music’ is right up there with the best work that Belladonna and Bush have produced in the past, and have once again proven their worthiness amongst ‘The Big Four’.
Provided the band don’t shoot themselves in the foot and stay together in the future, Anthrax may once again return to glory, and find a fan base that has a mutual interest in worshipping music.

For more information on Anthrax, check out - http://www.anthrax.com/

Krisiun - The Great Execution

2012-02-07T19:06:00.001+11:00

Krisiun
The Great Execution
Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia

Few within the death metal scene can boast a career that has spanned more than fifteen years, without so much as a step out of place in terms of retaining a strong sense of consistency and energy in the musical sense like Brazilian act Krisiun. Following on from what was undoubtedly their strongest effort to date (2008’s ‘Southern Storm’); the three-piece outfit (Comprising of vocalist/bassist Alex Camargo, guitarist Moyses Kolesne and drummer Max Kolesne) have returned with their eighth full-length release ‘The Great Execution’. And not surprisingly, it’s another unrelenting death metal masterpiece that proves that Krisiun’s inner fire has far from extinguished, but more growing in strength with every passing year.
With some Brazilian flavoured acoustic guitar work leading up to the crash of the first opening riff (Provided by renown Brazilian guitarist Marcello Caminha), the opening track ‘The Will To Potency’ quickly builds into a huge metallic assault that combines some truly crushing riffs, venomous vocals and drumming that pummels the listener into complete submission. But while there’s no shortage of death metal acts that seem content to bludgeon the listener right from the outset, Krisiun prefer to hook the listener in with some truly catchy and memorable riff structures, and leave plenty of space in their overall sound to showcase the band’s remarkable abilities on their chosen instruments. Long-time co-producer/mixer Andy Classen has really given the band a sound that compliments the band’s aggressive approach to death metal (In other words, Krisiun are as brutal as you can get, and yet every member of the band can be heard clearly), while the band’s song writing is without question every bit as strong as their accomplishment on the performance side of things.
In terms of direction, ‘Blood Of Lions’ (Which features some great lead work) and the death/thrash based blast of ‘The Extremist’ are trademark Krisiun anthems where speed and extremities are the primary ingredients to create the perfect killing machine, while ‘Rise And Confront’, ‘Descending Abomination’ and ‘Shadows Of Betrayal’ (Which again features some awesome guitar work from Caminha) are more groove based efforts, but still manage to inflict plenty of damage all the same.
But where this album really shines is when the band broadens their song writing scope a little further afield than purely within the death metal realm. Tracks such as the title track ‘The Great Execution’, ‘The Sword Of Orion’ (Which features some great acoustic flamenco guitar work) and ‘Violentia Gladiatore’ all have some great progressive elements, without losing any of the firepower and aggression the band have built their reputation on.
Finishing up the album is the old-school intense/speed driven blast of ‘Extinção Em Massa’ (Which otherwise translates to ‘Mass Extinction’, and features a guest vocal appearance from Ratos De Porão front man João Gordo) and a re-recorded/revamped version of ‘Black Force Domain’ (Which was the title track from their debut full-length effort from 1995).
‘The Great Execution’ doesn’t quite eclipse the magnificence of ‘Southern Storm’, but only because perfection is near impossible to improve upon. But on its own merits, ‘The Great Execution’ is a stunning album in its own right, and if anything, proves that Krisiun are not only at their creative peak, but without a doubt one of the best extreme metal acts within the scene today.

For more information on Krisiun, check out - http://www.krisiun.com.br/

© Justin Donnelly

Opeth - Heritage (Collector’s Edition)

2012-02-07T18:48:00.000+11:00

Opeth

Heritage (Collector’s Edition)
Roadrunner Records/Warner Music Australia

Each and every album from Opeth has seen the band try something new and push their sound into uncharted territory. In doing so, the Swedish group’s nine full-length releases have shown a gradual transformation from one album to the next, seeing a band that started out as a progressive death metal act grow into something far more unique and individual through incorporating a greater ‘70’s progressive rock influence into their sound. While some of the Opeth’s releases have fared better than others amongst their fan base, there are few that could honestly say that the band had released anything below the impeccable standard they set for themselves, which has meant that while a new Opeth may not be viewed as one of their strongest, you could always count on the album being a strong release nonetheless.
Three years after the release of their critically acclaimed ‘Watershed’ release, Opeth (Who comprise of vocalist/guitarist/pianist Mikael Åkerfeldt, guitarist Fredrik Åkesson, bassist Martín Méndez, keyboardist Per Wiberg and drummer Martin Axenrot) are back with their highly anticipated tenth album ‘Heritage’.
In the lead up to the album, Åkerfeldt went to great lengths to explain to fans that ‘Heritage’ was an album that would see the band fully embrace their progressive rock tendencies, and that the album wouldn’t feature any of his trademark growls. In other words, ‘Heritage’ was always going to be a radical departure from what you would normally expect of an Opeth album.
Many (Not unlike myself) assumed that ‘Heritage’ would see the band produce something that would be a mix of ‘Damnation’ (2003) and ‘Ghost Reveries’ (2005), but with a greater progressive edge. Surprisingly, ‘Heritage’ is nothing of the sort, and instead sounds completely different to any preconceived expectations one may have had.
Unfortunately, ‘Heritage’ isn’t an entirely successful experiment, and sadly disappoints more than not. The album starts off with the piano (Performed by Joakim Svalberg) instrumental title track ‘Heritage’. Although short, and quite downbeat, the track does provide a great introduction to the album. The follow on track ‘The Devil’s Orchard’ (The first single from the album) immediately reveals the direction Opeth are going to take listeners within ‘Heritage’, and it’s well and truly a retro inspired progressive rock direction. The band’s signature complex riffs are still very much used here, and Åkerfeldt’s melodies are as stunning as ever. Wiberg’s greater presence on the keyboards and the thicker tones on the guitars help give the song a strong progressive vibe, and the instrumental passages really showcase the sparseness of sound instrumentally the band were aiming for with the album. But while the song has some really strong points, it also has some serious weaknesses. The song doesn’t really seem to flow all that well (Which means that some of the ideas seem to be thrown in, without making sure they fit into the song), and some of the more atmospheric instrumental moments don’t really add that much to the song as a whole.
Initially, ‘I Feel The Dark’ starts off in promising manner, with the gentle acoustics and Åkerfeldt’s captivating vocals lulling the listener in. But for all its promise, the same problems that plagued the former tracks come into play. This time around, the introduction of the heavy riffs around the half way mark are so out of place it kind of feels like two songs were amalgamated into the one, which again leaves you with the impression that while the song has some great ideas, some should have been set aside and developed into a completely different song.
‘Slither’ (Which is supposedly a tribute to Ronnie James Dio) is for the most part one of the more familiar Opeth styled song on offer throughout ‘Heritage’, and also one of the more thought out and complete sounding tracks. In contrast, ‘Nepenthe’ is one of the album’s more progressive and daring tracks, with some of the instrumental middle sections taking on more of a jazz feel at times. The song also feels a little more structured than others too, which earns its place as one of the album’s stronger efforts.
Unfortunately, while the same said jazz and progressive influences are carried through to ‘Häxprocess’, the strength of song writing doesn’t. The instrumental start seems a little lost and lacking direction, and fails to leave an impression on me. It isn’t until halfway through the song that a genuine song emerges, and sure enough, it’s a great one at that. Why the band decided to pad the song at either end with directionless, meandering and overly long instrumental passages is beyond me. The same problem occurs in the lengthy ‘Famine’, where the first three minutes seems to be made up of two mismatched musical ideas (A percussive heavy instrumental and a piano piece with Åkerfeldt’s gently crooning over the top) before the real meat of the song really gets underway.
‘The Lines In My Hand’ is an interesting twist on the staple Opeth sound, with the keyboards taking the lead and the guitars reduced to simply playing the rhythm. But while the idea is an interesting one, the disjointed patches of song writing here make for a confusing listen, and ultimately disappoints.
Finishing up the album is the lengthy ‘Folklore’ (Which is another track that seems to incorporate two distinctly different songs, with the latter half one of the album’s serious great moments) and the closing acoustic instrumental ‘Marrow Of The Earth’ (Which isn’t quite as engaging as the opener).
On the special edition version of ‘Heritage’, the bonus D.V.D. comes with a 5.1 surround mix of the album, along with two bonus tracks. The acoustic based ‘Pyre’ is a great track, and boasts a bit more of the traditional Opeth sound with some great melodic (Electric) lead work, retro keyboard sounds and intricate acoustic guitar structures, while ‘Face In The Snow’ is a sombre mellow tune that could have easily been lifted from Opeth’s last couple of releases. Both tracks are understandably absent from ‘Heritage’ because of the difference in style, but are stronger in song writing and more thought out than anything heard on the album.
Rounding out the D.V.D. is the fifty-eight minute ‘Making Of Heritage’ documentary, where Åkerfeldt explains how the material took shape prior to entering the studio, before giving the viewer an insider’s view of the band recording the album. The documentary is an interesting look into the inner mechanics behind the making of ‘Heritage’, and worthy of checking out. The only real negative is that most of the dialogue is subtitled, which could at times be a bit draining.
Ultimately, while ‘Heritage’ isn’t a terrible album per say, it is a flawed effort. I can understand what the band was trying to achieve, and in some places, they achieved their objective (Especially in the musical sense). Unfortunately, some of the songs have too many ideas, or too many shifts in moods, which leaves the songs feeling disjointed and pieced together unnecessarily.
Opeth has never been afraid to challenge their audience through experimentation and pushing the boundaries of fans’ predetermined opinions of what makes up the typical Opeth sound. Sadly, ‘Heritage’ is an experiment that doesn’t quite work, and instead only sounds confused and scattered, both for the band and the listener.

For more information on Opeth, check out - http://www.opeth.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Switch Opens - Joint Crash

2012-02-07T18:35:00.001+11:00

Switch Opens

Joint Crash
Transubstans Records

Two years after the release of their self-titled album (Which was their four effort after releasing three under the name of Fingerspitzengefühl), Swedish (Stockholm) based outfit Switch Opens are back with their long awaited fifth effort ‘Joint Crash’ with their new label Transubstans Records.
In terms of direction and sound, Switch Opens (Who comprise of vocalist/bassist Jesper Skarin, guitarists Tomas Bergstrand and Mikael Tuominen and drummer Anders Bartonek) haven’t strayed too far from where they last left things on their previous album, with the bulk of ‘Joint Crash’ still based firmly in the progressive/psychedelic stoner rock realm. But as evident last time around, Switch Opens isn’t the kind of group to stick to the rules that most follow, with plenty of unexpected twists amongst the familiar, helping to give the band a sound that’s not entirely easy to pin down.
The opening track ‘Square’ sees the band starting off proceedings in a slower pace with some huge booming riffs and some heavy presence from the bass that’s constantly underpinning the whole song. But it’s when the vocals kick in that Switch Opens show some real change from their former sound, with the verses showcasing a far cleaner and melodic side to Skarin’s vocals, which is quite a departure from his tougher and bellowing growls. The clean vocals add a hypnotising/mantra-like effect to the song, which is perfectly offset with the heavier riff sections where the band really turns things up.
The follow-up track ‘Mirror Man’ is a little more straightforward sounding for the most part, with the band delivering their trademark stoner rock sound mostly throughout the song. But that’s not to say there isn’t a twist here and there, because there’s a distinctly psychedelic touch added to the guitars to give the song a slightly ‘70’s vibe (Much in the same way that The Atomic Bitchwax have done for years), while the addition of chaotic saxophone sounds around the middle helps inject a bit of unhinged experimentation to the whole equation.
‘Pompous Pumping Heart’ is a definite favourite on the album with Skarin putting in a great vocal performance with his newly unearthed cleaner efforts, while the song’s overall transition from the quieter and more foreboding vibe of the start, towards a heavier and densely guitar driven conclusion sounds like a natural shift of mood over the course of its epic lengthy running time.
Both the riff drenched ‘Freak Sect’ and the primitive drive of ‘Chemistry’ could have easily been mistaken as cuts from the band’s last release, barring the injection of huge melodic choruses that really make the songs stand out, while the spacey and hypnotic ‘Like Fire’ is a bizarre experiment that combines monk-like chants over a guitar soundtrack that brings to mind Soundgarden’s ‘Searching With My Good Eye Closed’ (From 1991’s ‘Badmotorfinger’).
But the real gems on Switch Opens’ latest release are found towards the end. On ‘The Reunion’, the band really stretch out their sound to allow keyboards to add depth to what is otherwise an epic nine minute spaced out jam, while the closing title track ‘Joint Clash’ sounds unlike anything the band have ever attempted before, with song retaining its calm demeanour and vibe throughout, and the harmony vocals taking the lead rather than the guitars.
On ‘Joint Crash’, Switch Opens have remained true to the sound that was heard on their last album, but pushed the experimental elements further afield to give their sound greater space to move around in.
Apart from a shift in greater experimentation, the band’s song writing has also come a long way, with none of the eight compositions overstaying their welcome, despite their lengthy running times.
In the end, ‘Joint Crash’ is far more interesting, thought provoking and memorable than the band’s last release. And as far as I’m concerned, that ticks all the right boxes in my book. ‘Joint Crash’ therefore comes highly recommended.

For more information on Switch Opens, check out - http://www.switchopens.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Stéphan Forté - The Shadows Compendium

2012-02-06T16:12:00.004+11:00

Stéphan Forté

The Shadows Compendium
Listenable Records

Over the last ten years, Stéphan Forté has been forging a reputation as a formidable guitarist in the French progressive/symphonic metal act Adagio. But with Adagio enjoying some downtime since the release of ‘Archangels In Black’ (2009), Forté has seized the opportunity to branch out on his own, with ‘The Shadows Compendium’ Forté’s long awaited solo release.
Those familiar with Forté’s work within Adagio will have some idea of what to expect here, albeit in instrumental form. For those unaware, Forté’s specialty lies within the progressive/neoclassical metal/shred realm, with influential greats such as Joe Satriani, Yngwie J. Malmsteen and Jason Becker evident in the album’s eight tracks.
The opening title track ‘The Shadows Compendium’ (Which features Adagio’s Franck Hermanny on bass) is a perfect example of Forté skills and talents on the guitar, with the mid-paced number boasting plenty of shredding guitar work and intertwining riffs that will have budding guitarists frothing at the mouth. But what really stands out more than anything else is his ability to craft a guitar instrumental that really works as a song in its own right, which is a real testament to Forté’s song writing. Ex-Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis provides some guest guitar work on this track, but given that his style blends seamlessly alongside Forté’s own playing, it’s hard to pinpoint who does what and when. Under normal circumstances, that could well be an issue. But with a song as strong as ‘The Shadows Compendium’, it’s a perfect match of both style and sound.
The clash of styles between Forté and guest guitarist Matthias IA Eklundh (Freak Kitchen) is far more noticeable on the follow-up track ‘De Praestigiis Daemonum’, and works at providing some real fireworks on the faster paced shredding metallic number, while on ‘Duat’, ex-Eidolon/Megadeth guitarist Glen Drover puts in a stunning performance in tandem with Forté to produce one of the album’s real standouts.
Elsewhere, both Forté and Derek Taylor delve into more melodic progressive territory on the memorable ‘Sorrowful Centruroides’, while Daniele Gottardo rip it up in heavier fashion on the darker and complex ‘I Think There’s Someone In The Kitchen’.
But while the album does have several guests, it’s not all about the guests, with Forté proving that he can deliver the goods on his own on tracks such as oriental/neoclassical based ‘Spiritual Bliss’, the lightning paced/shredding ‘Prophecies Of Loki XXI’ (Which features some great classical piano work) and the album’s closing reinterpretation of Beethoven’s ‘Improvisation On Sonata No. 14, C # minor – Op. 27, No 2’.
Despite his growing status within guitarist’s circles, Forté has confined his talents within Adagio over the last decade. But with ‘The Shadows Compendium’, Forté has successfully managed to step out of Adagio’s shadow, and thrust himself into the spotlight with his reputation as a guitar great and a first class songwriter firmly intact.

For more information on Stéphan Forté, check out - http://www.stephanforte.org/

© Justin Donnelly

Iced Earth - Dystopia

2012-02-06T15:51:00.000+11:00

Iced Earth

Dystopia
Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia

When vocalist Matt Barlow rejoined the ranks of Iced Earth in 2007 after a four year absence, I couldn’t help but feel that the reunion wouldn’t be a long one. And not surprisingly, within four years, and after one album (2008’s rather patchy ‘The Crucible Of Man: Something Wicked Part 2’), Barlow decided to step down from the front man role, leaving many fans shaking their heads at what appeared to be a never-ending downhill slide for Iced Earth.But no sooner had Barlow bowed out, guitarist/backing vocalist/group mastermind Jon Schaffer announced his replacement in Into Eternity vocalist Stu Block. Given the progressive/melodic death metal sound of Into Eternity, the departure of Barlow for a second time and the less than impressive previous efforts with vocalist Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens at the helm (2004’s ‘The Glorious Burden’ and 2007’s ‘Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1’), the odds of Iced Earth redeeming themselves with an album that matched their former classic were definitely not in their favour.
But lo and behold, with ‘Dystopia’, Iced Earth (Who now comprise of Block, Schaffer, lead guitarist Troy Seele, bassist/backing vocalist Freddie Vidales and drummer Brent Smedley) has well and truly come back with a vengeance, and produced an album that’s easily the strongest effort since 2001’s ‘Horror Show’.
Despite a lengthy military-like start, the opening title track ‘Dystopia’ sees Iced Earth taking a step back with a sound that echoes the fast paced thrashing power metal sound of their past, but with an added sense of aggression that has been absent from the band’s last three releases. But outside Schaffer’s trademark fast riffing and the tight rhythm Iced Earth section of the present, it’s Block that really steals the show. Incredibly, Block puts in a near perfectly Barlow impersonation on the lower growls, as well as producing the impossibly high screams that Owen was known for. Versatile enough to cover the best of both worlds and still distinctive enough to stand out on his own, Block is nothing short of the perfect front man for Iced Earth.
The slower paced ‘Anthem’ is deceptive with its ballad-like introduction as it turns out to be a fairly heavy slab of progressive power metal with an infectious anthem-like chorus, while the fast and venomous pair of ‘Boiling Point’ and ‘Days Of Rage’ are full on thrashing efforts, full of speed and rage. Despite the later pair coming across as the album’s weakest efforts overall, Block’s vocals and Schaffer’s tight knit riffing does at least stand strong compared to the workman-like weaker sounding efforts heard on the band’s last few albums.
While there’s an overall darker lyrical tone throughout ‘Dystopia’, as evident in the hard hitting ‘V’, the gloriously huge anthem ‘Dark City’ and the equally impressive Iron Maiden-like galloper ‘Equilibrium’. But there’s a sense of optimism in amongst the album’s darker tones, most notably in the semi-acoustic power ballads ‘Anguish Of Youth’ and ‘End Of Innocence’.
Finishing up the album is ‘Tragedy & Triumph’, which is not only the albums longest running track, but also undoubtedly one the albums finest as well. ‘Tragedy & Triumph’ may not be anything ground breaking from what you would otherwise expect from Iced Earth in the song writing sense, but its sharp riffing, strong melodies and huge sing-a-long choruses are just the kind of thing you want from an Iced Earth anthem.
After some less than stellar efforts, and an ever changing line up over the last decade, it’s great to hear some inspiration within Schaffer’s song writing, and with a front man who’s able to really give the band what it needs on the vocal front.
After spending the better part of the last decade merely pretending to be themselves, it’s good to see Iced Earth is finally back.

For more information on Iced Earth, check out - http://www.icedearth.com/

Black Country Communion - Live Over Europe

2012-02-03T14:26:00.000+11:00

Black Country Communion

Live Over Europe
J&R Adventures/Fontana Distribution

From the moment Black Country Communion announced their formation, the supergroup has hit the ground running, releasing two albums (2010’s self-titled effort and 2001’s ‘2’) in less than two years.
But while some all-star groups focus most of their attention on studio work, Black Country Communion have only seen their studio albums as telling half the story, with the band undertaking tours of both the U.S. and Europe, which has proven beyond any doubt that Black Country Communion is more than a studio project made up of classic rock legends. With the band taking a break from playing live, and just prior to hitting the studio in preparation for a third studio release, Black Country Communion have released their first live D.V.D. ‘Live Over Europe’ to tide fans over.
Recorded over three nights in July 2011 while on tour in Germany (The band filmed in Munich, Berlin and Hamburg), ‘Live In Europe’ is a testament to the chemistry that exists within the four piece outfit live (Who comprise of ex-Deep Purple/Black Sabbath vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes, lead/rhythm guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer/backing vocalist Jason Bonham), and that classic hard rock is alive and well in the hand of these seasoned musicians.
After a two minute intro (Which features the musical piece ‘Revolution Of The Machine’, which was written by producer Kevin Shirley and Jeff Bova), the band hits the stage with ‘Black Country’. Captured with fourteen cameras, and dark in tone (The lighting in the club is kept to a minimum), the footage is quite gritty and artistic in its presentation (Some out of focus shots, quick cuts and odd camera angles), and doesn’t really allow the viewer to feel like their part of the concert. Making things worse is the small snippet of interview footage that crops up almost immediately after the opening riff to the first song. After watching ‘Black Country’, my expectations for the remainder of the D.V.D. weren’t as high as they were before.
But thankfully, things really improve with the follow on tracks ‘One Last Soul’, ‘Crossfire’ and the Led Zeppelin-like ‘Save Me’ (All of which were shot in a club in Munich), with the editing taking on a more free-flowing effect, and all the magic of the band’s live show brought out in all its glory.
The move to an outdoor stage (In Berlin) for the following two songs does throw the viewer a little (Especially given that the band are playing in daylight), but in terms of performance, Black Country Communion is flawless. Bonamassa is positively stunning on the classic ‘The Battle For Hadrian’s Wall’, and Hughes proves he’s the ultimate front man on the riff heavy ‘Beggarman’.
The remainder of the D.V.D. comes from the band’s performance in Hamburg (Again, outdoors and in the daytime), and it’s at this show where you get a real feel of the chemistry that flows through the four man act onstage. Again Bonamassa is a stand out with his own track ‘The Ballad Of John Henry’ (Which boasts an amazing Theremin solo!), where he exudes an incredibly cool composure while cranking out some killer riffs (Something he manages to do throughout the whole D.V.D.), while Hughes takes on the role of rock legend, and putting on phenomenal performances on ‘Cold’, the driving funk stomper ‘The Outsider’, ‘Man In The Middle’ and a cover of Deep Purple’s classic ‘Burn’.
Apart from the concert footage (Which runs for close to seventy minutes), ‘Live Over Europe’ comes with a few bonus features, with the first being ‘Forging BCC – The Making Of Live Over Europe’. Over its twenty-five minute duration, all of the members of the band (Including unofficial fifth member Kevin Shirley – Black Country Communion’s producer and mixer) tell the story of the band’s formation, getting to know each other, the writing process, the ideals behind the group and touring/playing live. Although short, the documentary is well put together, and a worthy addition to the D.V.D.
Outside of the documentary, there’s a ‘Live On Tour’ photo gallery (Close to forty shots) and a ‘Behind The Scenes’ photo gallery (A little over thirty pictures).
While some of the live footage is a bit questionable at the start, and the small snippets of interview footage dotted within the live show are annoying and unnecessary (Especially given that they all turn up in the documentary itself), ‘Live Over Europe’ is a great live release from Black Country Communion is a must have for fans of the lads from the black country.

For more information on Black Country Communion, check out - http://www.bccommunion.com/

Vallenfyre - A Fragile King

2012-02-03T14:10:00.000+11:00

Vallenfyre
A Fragile King
Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia

For Paradise Lost guitarist/founder Gregor Mackintosh, 2009 was anything but a good year.
While on tour with Paradise Lost (Who had just started touring off the back of 2009’s ‘Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us’), Mackintosh received the news that his father (John) was diagnosed with terminal cancer with only weeks to live, and decided to take a leave of absence from the band to spend time with his father.
As expected, Mackintosh’s father passed away soon after, leaving Mackintosh mourning the loss. In a way to help with the grieving process, Mackintosh turned to music, and starting writing and recording some of his ideas purely as a way to express his loss and a way to cope with his emotions.
Over time, Mackintosh started to hear something in the music he had written, and decided to take the project beyond a personal venture.
Assembling some well known friends in My Dying Bride lead/rhythm guitarist Hamish Hamilton Glencross, rhythm guitarist Mully, Doom/Extinction Of Mankind bassist Scoot and ex-At The Gates/Paradise Lost drummer Adrian Erlandsson, and taking on the vocals and lead guitarist himself, Vallenfyre officially came into being midway through 2010.
After releasing a limited edition seven inch single in late 2010 (Through Imperium Productions), the band signed a deal with Century Media Records, with ‘A Fragile King’ the band’s highly anticipated debut full-length release.
So why is there so much excitement for this release? Well apart from the names attached to the line-up, Mackintosh stated that musically Vallenfyre would be a throwback to his early doom/death metal days. And he wasn’t fooling, because ‘A Fragile King’ is as old-school as it gets.
The opening track ‘All Will Suffer’ is an absolutely crushing track that is equal parts doom and death metal, but with a strong groove throughout. Mackintosh’s riffs are suffocating, oppressive and heavy, while his vocals bear a striking resemblance to a deeper Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost) from around the ‘Gothic’ (1991)/‘Icon’ (1993) era.
‘Desecration’ (Which previously appeared on the band’s debut single) is a fast paced effort that boasts some seriously sinister riffs and strong backing from the rhythm section, while tracks such as ‘Ravenous Whore’, ‘Cathedrals Of Dread’ (Which was chosen as the first promotional video clip from the album) and ‘As The World Collapses’ move more into the realm of Dismember and Grave with their fast riffs and Swedish d-beat drumming grooves.
Elsewhere, shades of Paradise Lost mixed with Entombed can be heard in the impressive ‘A Thousand Martyrs’ and ‘The Divine Have Fled’, while the slower and doom based ‘Seeds’ and the dual paced ‘The Grim Irony’ are benefitted by Glencross’ expertise alongside Mackintosh’s own efforts on the guitar.
As mentioned earlier, the story behind the formation of Vallenfyre was anything but under the most pleasant of circumstances. But, despite that, Mackintosh will no doubt be pleased with the band’s debut effort, just as I’m sure fans of old school doom/death metal will be upon listening to ‘A Fragile King’.

For more information on Vallenfyre, check out – http://www.facebook.com/vallenfyre

Pharaoh - Bury The Light

2012-02-02T21:43:00.000+11:00

Pharaoh

Bury The Light
Cruz Del Sur Music

Although having released a split E.P. with Canvas Solaris in tribute to Coroner (2010) and their bits and pieces E.P. ‘Ten Years’ last year, it’s been a long three year wait for something new from Philadelphian (Pennsylvania, U.S.) power metal outfit Pharaoh. But after some unexpected delays, Pharaoh (Who comprise of vocalist Tim Aymar, guitarist Matt Johnsen, bassist Chris Kerns and drummer Chris Black) has finally returned with their highly anticipated fourth full-length effort ‘Bury The Light’.
Given the bands firmly established sound (Think Iron Maiden worship mixed with traditional ‘80’s heavy metal influences), most fans will already have an idea what to expect from the band on their new album. But in the lead up to the album’s release, there was talk of the band pushing their sound beyond the tried and true formula heard on their past efforts. It sounded intriguing to say the least, and I was keen to see just where the band was heading direction wise with ‘Bury The Light’.
Having given the album plenty of spins, it’s clear that Pharaoh have made a concerted effort not to retread old ground. But having said that, the band hasn’t entirely forsaken the fundamental elements that made them so appealing in the first place. Instead, the band has created an album that’s a whole lot more varied song writing wise than anything they’ve produced in the past.
Although starting off in a cracking pace, the opening track ‘Leave Me Here To Dream’ is a powerful mid-paced opener that features plenty of the band’s Iron Maiden-like gallop on the rhythm guitar front, while Kerns’ bass serves as the song’s true driving force, with the instrument sounding heavier and louder in the mix than usual, which is only a good thing. As expected, Aymar’s powerful and passionate vocal delivery is nothing short of amazing, while Johnsen’s solos are as impressive as ever.
The fast paced ‘The Wolves’ is surprisingly aggressive for Pharaoh, and yet still melodic and progressive enough to slot on the album without sounding out of place one bit, while in terms of traditional Pharaoh fare, the band offers up ‘Castles In The Sky’ (Which features a guest solo from Mercyful Fate/King Diamond guitarist Mike Wead) and ‘Graveyard Of Empires’.
‘The Year Of The Blizzard’ is an interesting track which showcases the band’s progressive edge, with the transition between acoustic passages and ‘70’s sounding guitar riffs (Not to mention guest Jim Dofka’s inspired solo) bringing to mind early Rush in places, while ‘The Spider’s Thread’ (And it’s reprise at the end of the album, both of which are based lyrically on Ryünosuke Akutagawa’s short story), the melodic and hard rocking ‘Cry’ and the infectious ‘Burn With Me’ are definite favourites.
Despite releasing three previous albums to high acclaim, Pharaoh is still largely overlooked in the power metal scene in the U.S. But with any luck, ‘Bury The Light’ will draw Pharaoh some well earned attention, and earn its place as one of this year’s truly impressive releases.

For more information on Pharaoh, check out - http://www.solarflight.net/

© Justin Donnelly

Smohalla - Résilience

2012-02-02T21:17:00.000+11:00

Smohalla

Résilience
Arx Productions

It’s not very often that I find myself completely lost for words when it comes to reviewing an album. More often than not, the said reviews tend to write themselves. But every now and then you do come across something that is so far removed from anything else that’s being released that it really does make you sit up and pay attention.
One such act that’s taken me completely by surprise it French outfit Smohalla, who after a sole E.P. (2007’s ‘Nova Persei’), a split effort (2009’s ‘Noyade Céleste’ split with fellow French act Immermorial) and a handful of compilation appearances (Mostly tribute albums), have unveiled their debut full-length effort ‘Résilience’.
Any efforts to truly categorise Smohalla in genre terms is a pointless exercise. Some have bandied around the avant-garde/post-black metal tag when attempting to label the band’s music, and while the description is apt in some ways, I can’t help but feel that the whole black metal label isn’t entirely accurate in describing the kind of music the band produce as a whole. What I can agree on however is that the band certainly have avant-garde tendencies, and their music really is heavy in parts.
Smohalla (Who comprise of vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist/drummer Slo and bassist Camille Giraudeau) open up ‘Résilience’ with ‘Quasar’, which provides the album with a subdued starting point of piano, spaced out keyboards, drums and echoed snippets of vocals, before building toward a climatic high point of choral vocals.
The follow up track ‘Au Sol Les Toges Vides’ is one of the few tracks to have some elements of black metal in its riffs and vocals, but all of which is masked behind a curtain of choir vocals, sound effects, a heavy bass presence and keyboards that add a distinctly progressive edge to the whole thing. At certain points, I can hear a bit of Asgaroth (2002’s ‘Red Shift’ in particular) in terms of song writing and delivery, but given the constant shifts within the song, the similarities are fleeting at best.
The downbeat and hypnotic ‘Le Repos Du Lézard’ and ‘Oracle Rouge’ are two of the album’s strangest and experimental numbers with a greater progressive edge coming through the song writing (An assortment of vocals and musical patches clash endlessly), and yet strangely enough still flow (There’s a real mantra-like vibe emerging from the vocals and melodic guitar notes throughout).
The industrialised and aggressive ‘L’homme Et La Brume’ is every bit as chaotic and harsh as you would expect from a black metal band, but still boasts plenty of experimental sounds thrown in throughout the song to give the band an overall distinctly avant-garde type sound, while ‘Aux Mille Dieux’ is noteworthy for its huge epic sound and its discreet orchestrated framework, and is by far the most accessible number on the album with its clean vocals and genuine sense of familiar song structure.
Finishing up the album is ‘Nos Sages Divisent’, which features haunting choir vocalist, sweeping guitar work, huge thundering drums in the background and a swirling keyboard sound that underpins the song with a constant wash of notes. Dramatic, jagged, hypnotic and haunting, ‘Nos Sages Divisent’ sounds like a mash-up of some of Devin Townsend’s darker and more chaotic instrumentals with some of Blut Aus Nord’s more recent works.
Smohalla isn’t an easy act to describe or pigeonhole in the genre sense, but if your taste of avant-garde leans more towards the works of Ulver, Arcturus, Solefald, Asgaroth and Blut Aus Nord, then you really need to hear this album.
For more information on Smohalla, check out - http://www.smohalla.free.fr/

© Justin Donnelly

Dead - Hardnaked... But Dead!

2012-01-31T20:45:00.000+11:00

Dead

Hardnaked... But Dead!
F.D.A. Rekotz

German death metal/grindcore act Dead has been around for more than twenty years, and within that time have released a colossal amount of split E.P. releases, E.P.’s and no less than five full-length albums, all of which have earned the band a cult underground following within the extreme scene.
Not surprisingly, with many of the band’s releases distributed through obscure labels, and the perverted mindset that permeates the entire band’s work (Most of the band’s material is lyrically based on something of a sexual or perverted nature), Dead aren’t exactly the sort of band that appeals to all death metal/grindcore followers. And reinforcing that notion is the band’s latest full-length release ‘Hardnaked... But Dead!’, which is the follow-up to 2009’s ‘For Lovers Of The New Bizarre’.
The trio (Who comprise of vocalist/guitarist Dany ‘Dead’ Straßenköter, Vocalist/bassist Uwe ‘Volker Dead’ Walker and vocalist/drummer Christoph ‘Ali Dead’ Allert) start the album off with a rather short and somewhat confusing sample that goes under the title of ‘Cock A Hoop’, before getting down to the serious stuff with ‘The Fineribber’. Although a little rusty on the production side of things, ‘The Fineribber’ is a solid slab of straightforward old school death metal with its pummelling riffs and guttural growls, and bolstered by some great solo work and huge gang vocals (Which are needless to say, just as guttural as the lead vocals).
The follow-up track ‘Liquor Store Goddess’ might be a little slower in its pacing, and a little rough around the edges in terms of the band’s performance (It sounds like it was given a couple of run throughs in the rehearsal room before being recorded live), but is otherwise a solid slab of death metal without the unnecessary extras.
Dead throw a curveball with the thrash-like riffing in the less than serious ‘Tits’ and the thrash/death metal hybrid heard in ‘Wall Of Flush’, but they soon come unstuck by trying a little too hard to come up with some laughs on the annoying voiceover/sample heavy and downright repetitive ‘A Beer’.
‘Short But Slim’ does fare a little stronger, with the samples used far more sparingly, and the band actually providing some worthy riffs to the extreme number, but unfortunately, as good as some of the ideas are in ‘Possessed Soldiers Of Luv’ and the slower and doom-like ‘Perfumes Of Doom’ (A song which I believe is based lyrically on farts), both are just a little too long, and overstay their welcome.
Finishing up the album is the title track ‘Hardnaked... But Dead!’, which combines some elements of doom metal with some death metal, but with enough space to allow some great shred work to really stand out (Or least give the impression that there’s no need to rush the solos). It’s hardly the album’s highlight, but it’s one of the better forward thinking efforts outside the whole porngrind style the band provides here.
Dead aren’t the greatest of song writers, and it shows more often than not throughout ‘Hardnaked... But Dead!’. And as long as you’re aware of that beforehand, you may get something out of this album. Otherwise, this is a fairly average album, and one that will seriously only please their cult fan base.

For more information on Dead, check out – http://www.myspace.com/deadofficial

© Justin Donnelly

The Tangent - COMM

2012-01-30T17:48:00.000+11:00

The Tangent

COMM
Inside Out Music/Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia

Despite the high acclaim The Tangent receive with every new release from within the progressive rock scene and the fact that the band have throughout the years boasted some big names within their line-up (Most notably various members of The Flower Kings and Beardfish), I’ve never been their biggest fan. The band’s former releases have had their moments, but I’ve yet to find an album from the band that has retained a consistency from start to finish. So when it was announced that vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Andy Tillison had assembled a new line-up of The Tangent and recorded a new album, I can’t so that I was expecting anything radically new. But to my complete surprise, it appears that with their seventh release ‘COMM’, Tillison and The Tangent (Who at the time comprised of Concrete Lake guitarist/vocalist Luke Machin, bassist/vocalist Jonathan Barrett, saxophonist/flutist Theo Travis and drummer Nick Rickwood) have actually put together a rather enjoyable release this time around.
As expected, The Tangent begins the album with a lengthy number - the twenty minute epic ‘The Wiki Man’. Broken into six suites, ‘The Wiki Man’ boasts several shifts in musical soundscapes and tempos, with some of the band’s jazz influences taking centre stage in place of their predominantly ‘70’s influenced progressive rock staple sound. Song wise, ‘The Wiki Man’ is well constructed, and surprisingly enough doesn’t seem anywhere near as long as it’s running time suggests (Which is something of a rarity for past epics from The Tangent), while the guitar work from Machin adds another dimension to The Tangent’s rather keyboard dominated sound. Lyrically, Tillison has always been interesting, and ‘The Wiki Man’ is no exception, with the song laying down a theme (Communication and technology of the modern world) which is carried on throughout the whole album in one form or another. But in terms of vocals, Tillison’s voice has always been the sticking point in the past. But in part with a stronger emphasis on quality song structure, on ‘The Wiki Man’, his vocals here don’t seem to irritate as much as they have done in the past - which is a pleasant surprise to say the least.
After an epic opener, the next three songs are relatively short in comparison, with ‘The Mind’s Eye’ sounding a little more guitar orientated and rock like in its delivery, and decidedly more complex and progressive based than the original version that appeared on the band’s live C.D./D.V.D. set ‘Going Off On Two’ from earlier in the year.
Elsewhere, Barrett takes on the lead vocals for the slower paced/latter day Pink Floyd-like ballad ‘Shoot Them Down’ (Which features some great guitar work from Machin), while the Jethro Tull meets E.L.P. ‘Tech Support Guy’ is a great light-hearted shorter song that one of the album’s real gems.
Finishing up the album is ‘Titanic Calls Carpathia’, which not unlike the opener, is a sixteen minute epic that is as every bit as strong as the opener both musically and lyrically, and just as eclectic with touches of rock, jazz and the orchestral drifting in and out throughout.
As I mentioned earlier, The Tangent haven’t really grabbed me in the past quite like other progressive groups. But with ‘COMM’, the band have really outdone themselves on every level, and have crafted what is easily the strongest album they’ve produced to date, and their first to actually sound like an album from The Tangent, rather than a carbon copy of their peers.

For more information on The Tangent, check out - http://www.thetangent.org/

Cockfight Shootout - Asleep In Exile

2012-01-26T14:31:00.000+11:00

Cockfight Shootout
Asleep In Exile
Impedance Records

If there were any justice in the music world, Melbourne (Warrnambool based) rock outfit Cockfight Shootout would be a whole lot bigger than what they are at this point in their career. But nothing is ever certain or assured when it comes to music, and despite having been around for more than a decade, line-up changes, unfortunate luck with labels and periods of forced hiatus has generally stalled Cockfight Shootout’s opportunity to be bigger than they should rightfully be.
But after a couple of E.P. releases (2002’s ‘Something You Don’t Need’ and 2004’s ‘Breed Until Broken’) and an endless list of gigs under their belts over their ten years together (Supporting the likes of Veruca Salt, Mondo Generator, Nashville Pussy, Monster Magnet, MC5, The Hellacopters, The Icarus Line and The Bronx), the four piece act (Who comprise of vocalist/guitarist Keelan Gallogly, guitarist Paul Clifford, bassist Wayne ‘Slattz’ Slattery and drummer Al Barber) have finally delivered their long awaited full-length debut effort ‘Asleep In Exile’.
If you needed a short few words to describe what Cockfight Shootout’s sound is, it would be a mix of Foo Fighters, Nirvana and grunge rock in general, with shades of stoner rock to shake things up. The description itself doesn’t sound all that enticing, but don’t let my mere words turn you off. Because while Cockfight Shootout is far from anything original, the songs the band have penned for ‘Asleep In Exile’ are worthy of cranking out at high volume and enjoyed purely for what they are.
The album gets off to a flying start with the band turning everything up to eleven for the opening track ‘Grey’. Big on guitar riffs, and just a hint of feedback fuzz to give the song a little rawness, ‘Grey’ is an urgent rocker that demonstrates the band’s ability to rock out, and maintain a sense of melody in harmony that is every bit as infectious as the bands that inspired them in the first place (Being Nirvana and early Foo Fighters).
‘Don’t Stray’ shows a slowing down on the speed, but showcases a greater use of dynamics in song structure with its quiet verses and big catchy noisy choruses, while ‘Named And Shamed’ and ‘Keep You Waiting’ are quite possibly the greatest songs that Nirvana never wrote or recorded around their ‘In Utero’ (1993) phase.
The quirky guitar riffs and shifts in tempo within ‘Alright Parasite’ is a cool deviation, and keeps things interesting around the middle of the album, while the slight pop edge that creeps into ‘You’re Dead Let’s Disco’, the title track ‘Asleep In Exile’ and ‘Paper Tiger’ is definitely a welcome one, and adds another dimension to the band’s sound.
Rounding out the remainder of the album are full on rock efforts, with ‘Not Your Enemy’ and ‘Milk And Vinegar’ the real stand outs.
Cockfight Shootout clearly wear their influences on their sleeves, which means that while the band’s music is solid and likeable, it’s hardly what you’d call overly original. But despite sounding similar to their influences, what the band have produced on ‘Asleep In Exile’ is so damn good, and so infectious, that you can’t help overlook the obvious and just rock out to their album purely for the fun of it.
For more information on Cockfight Shootout, check out – http://www.facebook.com/cockfightshootout

© Justin Donnelly

Maax - Unholy Rock & Roll

2012-01-26T14:28:00.000+11:00

Maax
Unholy Rock & Roll
Abyss Records

Twelve months after releasing their stop-gap E.P. ‘Six Pack Witchcraft’, Indianapolis (U.S.) based black metal rock ‘n’ rollers Maax are back with their long awaited sophomore effort ‘Unholy Rock & Roll’. Much like the progression shown between their debut full-length effort (2009’s ‘Dawnbringer’) and their follow-up E.P., ‘Unholy Rock & Roll’ showcases another step up for the band, with their latest effort filled to the brim with ungodly rock ‘n’ roll anthems, presented in a suitable blackened manner.
The five piece outfit (Who have maintained the line-up of vocalist Tim Green, guitarist Brett Schlagel and Kyle Kreider, bassist Jeremy Starkey and drummer James Brown) get straight down to business in a menacing and speedy manner with ‘Coldest Steel’. It’s immediately clear that production values have improved greatly this time around, with the layers of suffocation heard on their last E.P. being lifted to make way for a more cutting and clearer sound. But despite the better production, there’s still plenty of rawness heard in the guitars and Green’s vocals to please fans of death ‘n’ roll. Song wise, there’s a nice array of riffs within ‘Coldest Steel’ to keep things interesting throughout, and the level of aggression on offer at the start is sure to please listeners to no end.
Shades of Venom with a little more musical ability can be heard in the straight forward attack of the follow-up track ‘Fight With Fire’, while on the title track ‘Unholy Rock & Roll’, the band tone down their satanic edge enough (Even if it’s just a little bit) to allow a bit more of their rock ‘n’ roll tendencies (Which is obvious given the song starts with the sound of a revving motorbike).
Whether it’s deliberate or not is hard to tell, but the riff structure within ‘Do What Thou Wilt’ does remind me of Mötley Crüe’s ‘Too Young To Fall In Love’ in places, while ‘Maax’ brings to mind Motörhead in both construction and lyrical content.
‘Rot ‘N’ Roll’ boasts a lot of lead work which is well done, and is by far one of the album’s catchier efforts, and for that very reason stands out as a favourite, while the blackened thrash-like ‘Overthrone’, ‘Black Thrash Em’ All’ and the mid-paced closer ‘One More Time’ are the best the remainder of the album has to offer.
There are a lot of bands on the death ‘n’ roll scene these days, and while many of them claim to offer up highly energetic death metal with a genuine rock ‘n’ roll drive, few actually deliver. Maax is the exception to the case, with their ‘Unholy Rock & Roll’ album more than living up to its name.

For more information on Maax, check out – http://www.myspace.com/maaxmetal

© Justin Donnelly

Pain Of Salvation - Road Salt Two

2012-01-26T14:25:00.000+11:00

Pain Of Salvation
Road Salt Two
Inside Out Music/Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia

Eighteen months after the release of ‘Road Salt One’ (2010), Swedish progressive rock/metal outfit Pain Of Salvation have finally unveiled the highly anticipated second half of their double album project - ‘Road Salt Two’.
As expected, ‘Road Salt Two’ is thematically and musically reminiscent of the style and direction the band presented fans on ‘Road Salt One’, which is a mix of ‘70’s inspired classic rock as performed by a band that primarily plays progressive rock. But like all Pain Of Salvation releases, ‘Road Salt Two’ is an often strange and difficult listen, and one that does take time to fully appreciate.
The four piece act (Comprising of vocalist/guitarist/bassist Daniel Gildenlöw, guitarist/backing vocalist Johan Hallgren, keyboardist Fredrik Hermansson and drummer/backing vocalist Léo Margarit) open up the album with the short orchestrated piece ‘Road Salt Theme’, which fades out to make way for a gritty and heavy guitar riff that introduces the follow-up track ‘Softly She Cries’. Sound wise, this track could have easily slotted onto the band last album without sounding out of place, which immediately makes it one of the album’s strongest and more immediate tracks. Also worthy of a mention is how the short ‘Road Salt Theme’ is incorporated into the latter half of the song. It’s an interesting twist in song writing, and just the kind of thing you would expect from Gildenlöw.
‘Conditioned’ is an up-tempo rocker that is another first favourite with its funky edge, driving riffs and great vocal performance from Gildenlöw, while ‘Healing Now’ takes on a completely different direction with its distinctly acoustic folk foundation. The songs darker edge is emphasised on the vocal/lyrical front, and combined with the intense musicianship (Especially when things speed up towards the end), it’s clear that Pain Of Salvation can turn their hand at any sound and make it their own.
The sweeping orchestral and melancholy ‘To The Shoreline’ is quite dramatic and showcases Gildenlöw’s stunning vocal range, while tracks such as ‘Eleven’, the intense drive of ‘Mortar Grind’ (Which originally appeared on the band’s ‘Linoleum’ E.P. from 2009) and ‘The Deeper Cut’ (By far one of the album’s more progressive efforts) are more centred around big guitar riffs and Gildenlöw’s unpredictable melodies and vocals.
No Pain Of Salvation album is without its quirky moments, and this time listeners are offered the short ‘Break Darling Break’ (Which reminds me of ‘Sleeping Under The Stars’ from ‘Road Salt One’ with its carnival sounding musical backdrop) and ‘Of Salt’ (Which is essentially a continuation of ‘Of Dust’ from their last album). Counter balancing these tracks is the stunningly simplistic pop genius of ‘1979’, and the gentle and emotion laden ‘Through The Distance’.
Towards the end, the band delves once again into straight-forward ‘70’s progressive rock terrain with the epic ‘The Physics Of Gridlock’, before capping the album off with the orchestrated ‘End Credits’.
Pain Of Salvation has never been the kind of band that’s easily pigeonholed into any one particular sound, with every one of their album’s presenting something completely new and unexpected for the most part. But having said that, if you enjoyed ‘Road Salt One’, you’ll definitely understand where the band takes listeners on ‘Road Salt Two’, and enjoy the journey just as much as well.

For more information on Pain Of Salvation, check out – http://www.painofsalvation.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Tony Iommi With T. J. Lammers - Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven & Hell With Black Sabbath

2012-01-23T20:27:00.000+11:00

Tony Iommi With T. J. Lammers
Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven & Hell With Black Sabbath
Da Capo Press/Perseus Books Group

Black Sabbath’s story has been dissected and discussed many times over the years, by numerous writers and historians, both through articles and novels. But despite everything written, the story behind the rise of the Birmingham (U.K.) based act hasn’t yet been penned from the perspective of those who were actually a part of the group itself in memoir form. That was until recently, when vocalist Ozzy Osbourne released his own take on all things Black Sabbath and solo career wise with his autobiography ‘I Am Ozzy’ (Which was released in 2010, and co-penned by Chris Ayres). While the book was a solid read, it was a little thin in places, and came across disappointing in regards to the Black Sabbath history. So when guitarist Tony Iommi announced his own plans to put his story down in literary form, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the book and submerse myself in the true history behind one of the metal scene’s undisputed founding and most influential groups.
Years in the making, and aided by Dutch music journalist/critic T.J. Lammers, Iommi has finally unveiled his book ‘Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven & Hell With Black Sabbath’. And the end result? Well while the book is a worthy effort, it left me wanting more – and not in the way I had hoped for.
Naturally enough, Iommi starts the long story with his childhood and his tough upbringing both at home and at school. Not much has been said about Iommi’s childhood years, and the early chapters of the book are really insightful. Of course, the story behind Iommi’s accident that threatened his dream of being a guitarist is given plenty of pages here in the book. But what’s really interesting is the story that goes beyond the accident, in which Iommi explains how much his technique changes (From modifying his guitar strings down to the way he plays the strings themselves) and how he’s had to experiment with prosthetics over the years.
From here, Iommi runs through the history of his earlier groups, and the eventual formation of Earth (Who would later be known as Black Sabbath). Iommi doesn’t get bogged down with too much detail, so the story generally moves quite quickly. But what it may lack in minor details, it makes up in straight-forwardness and humour. Iommi is a really funny storyteller, and there’s plenty of laugh out loud moments in the early chapters (And throughout the remainder of the book for that matter!).
It’s around the story of the band making their self-titled debut (Not before Iommi attempted to find a real job, and joined Jethro Tull for the briefest of periods) that the story really starts to pick up pace, and loses something with its absence of detail. Sure, Iommi packs the chapters of the original line-up with plenty of funny stories and a guide as to the events that took place in chronological order, but there’s a lot of details behind the actual making of the albums (Not to mention the stories behind the songs themselves) that is sadly absent for the diehard fan that wants to really get the full story.
Outside of the story of Black Sabbath and their music, Iommi goes into great detail behind the fame and fortune the band enjoyed as part of the original line-up, and the difficulties in keeping the band together with the influx of drugs that goes with the said success. The stories behind the making of ‘Technical Ecstasy’ (1976) and ‘Never Say Die!’ (1978), and Ozzy’s eventual parting ways with the band provides the book with some fascinating chapters, and coupled with what Iommi was going through on a personal level, it’s understandable why the albums are so different sounding to the band’s early efforts.
Plenty has been documented about the late Ronnie James Dio’s tenure with the band, but Iommi still manages to keep the chapters amusing and informative (The chapter entitled ‘Ignition’ is absolute gold!), as too is Iommi’s take on what eventually led the end of Dio’s time with the group.
Some of the best stories are unsurprisingly around the time of ‘Born Again’ (1983), when Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan took on the role as front man. Tales of excessive drinking, getting trashed, miniature Stonehenge stage sets and the use of bongos during live performances are just some of the more over the top stories contained within.
It’s around here, a little over the halfway mark that the Black Sabbath story gets a little darker and confusing, and where Iommi’s book gets really interesting. The succession of vocalists that took on the front man role (Glenn Hughes, the late Ray Gillan and Tony Martin) is explained in a forthright manner, and sheds a whole new light on Black Sabbath’s lost years, for those who have always wanted to know the real story behind the continual line-up changes.
Ever present is Iommi’s personal story, where tales of financial troubles (Both personally and band wise), girlfriends, family and drugs flesh out the Black Sabbath story, and help paint a portrait of where Iommi was at in the late ‘80’s, and how he did everything to keep the band afloat against all odds.
Towards the tail end of the book, Iommi touches upon the Tony Martin era of the band without going into too much detail, but does concede that the return of Dio (For 1992’s ‘Dehumanizer’) was a great idea at the time, but counterproductive given that the line-up was short lived, and that the band’s final album ‘Forbidden’ (1995) was nothing short of crap.
As expected, the remainder of the book is filled with Iommi’s more recent happenings, including marriage (To Maria Sjöholm, of DRAIN S.T.H.), surgery on his wrist, collaborations with Glenn Hughes, Gillan and Dio, the untimely death of Dio and the possibility of a Black Sabbath reunion with all four original members (Which has since been confirmed as going ahead).
Iommi has many stories to tell within ‘Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven & Hell With Black Sabbath’, and all of them are a riveting read. My only real concern is that while I really enjoyed the book, it was a little light on in terms of details when it came to talking about the music.
Diehard fans will get something out of this book, but not anywhere as much as casual fans will, which means that while it is an enjoyable (Not to mention easy as well) read, just don’t go expecting this to be the definitive word on all things Black Sabbath.

For more information on Tony Iommi, check out – http://www.iommi.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Rush - Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland

2012-01-23T20:21:00.000+11:00

Rush
Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland
Anthem Film & Television Productions Inc./Eagle Vision/Eagle Rock Entertainment

Few acts have embraced D.V.D. technology quite like Canadian progressive/hard rock trio Rush, with no less than three full-length concert D.V.D.’s (Excluding re-releases) emerging from the band in less than a decade. In celebration of their most recent ‘Time Machine’ tour (Which saw the band out on the road from 2010 and the early part of 2011), Rush (Who comprise of vocalist/bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart) have returned with something new for fans.
Filmed on April 15th 2011 at the Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, ‘Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland’ is conclusive proof that Rush still have what it takes to keep audiences coming back time and time again.
With each and every one of the band’s D.V.D.’s seeming to up the ante in terms of perfectly capturing the essence of a Rush concert, there were a lot of expectations from fans towards this latest release. And not surprisingly, with directors Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen calling the shots (The same team that presented fans with the phenomenal documentary ‘Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage’ back in 2010), ‘Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland’ is another stunning visual feast from the legendary trio.
So what separates the D.V.D. from the countless others Rush have released in their time? Well, not a real lot in truth. I mean there’s only so much you can do onstage different from tour to tour. But what you can do is present it in a different way. And that’s where both Rush and the directors have excelled over 2008’s ‘Snakes & Arrows Live’. Everything from the lavish stage set-up (Which is an absolute feast for the eyes to say the least), right through to the captured footage of the band in action is unlike anything presented on a Rush D.V.D. The directors have beautifully shot all the members of the band at just the right moments, with plenty of up-close shots (Including plenty of Peart) to emphasise the dominant and key part of any given song (Whether it be a particular riff, a drum fill or a bass run). The editing is has been quite tastefully executed, and compliments the performance from the band perfectly. There are also plenty of visuals on the huge backdrop, and not to mention lights all over the place, and when you combine those with great live shots, awesome sound and plenty of interactive shots of the crowd, flaws are near next to none.
In terms of the set list, Rush have wisely chosen to get their selections a bit of a shuffle, with the first half of the show boasting some classics cuts (‘The Spirit Of Radio’, the under-rated ‘Marathon’, ‘Freewill’ and ‘Subdivisions’), some recent favourites (‘Workin’ Them Angels’, ‘Leave That Thing Alone’ and ‘Faithless’) and some revisited gems (‘Presto’ and ‘Stick It Out’). While Lee’s vocals show a bit of wear and tear in places (Especially on ‘Time Stand Still’, which really stands out on the Roadrunner Records soundtrack of the show), the band still has plenty in the tank – which is evident in their newer track ‘BU2B’ (which is otherwise known as ‘Brought Up To Believe’).
Of course, the real highlight of the show is the band’s performance of their classic 1981 album ‘Moving Pictures’ in its entirety. Of course, classics from the album have been performed countless times in the past, and featured on the band’s more recent D.V.D. efforts. But the magic in seeing the album performed in its entirety from start to finish, which is nothing short of stunning. In terms of highlights, ‘The Camera Eye’ and ‘Vital Signs’ are real stand outs.
Finishing up the D.V.D. is the third part of the concert, which sees the band throw in another new effort in ‘Caravan’ (Which, alongside ‘BU2B’, will appear on their next studio effort ‘Clockwork Angels’), as well as highlights such as ‘O’Malley’s Break’ (Lifeson’s acoustic introductory piece to ‘Closer To The Heart’), Peart’s drum solo (‘Moto Perpetuo’/‘Love For Sale’), ‘La Villa Strangiato’ (Which is given a polka intro) and the reggae introduced ‘Working Man’ (With reggae intro).
In terms of extras, ‘Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland’ doesn’t have as much to offer as some of Rush’s more recent offerings, but it does have some great comedy sketches from the trio, which are as hilarious and offbeat as those seen on the ‘Snakes & Arrows Live’ D.V.D. The intro video ‘The ‘Real’ History Of Rush: Episode No. 2 ‘Don’t Be Rash’’) is absolutely hilarious, with Lifeson stealing the show. He’s a great guitarist, but as a comedian, he’s a genius!
Elsewhere, the band reprises their comedy routine on the intermission piece ‘The ‘Real’ History Of Rush: Episode No. 17 ‘...And Rock And Roll Is My Name’’, while Lou Pomanti’s various re-workings ‘The Spirit Of Radio’ and ‘Closer To The Heart’ (Which is featured at the end credits) are a whole lot of fun.
Additionally, there’s eight minutes of outtakes from the band’s comedy sketches (Geddy’s joke about the lead vocalist’s nose is great!), along with a 1974 performance of ‘Need Some Love’ from Laura Second Secondary School (Featuring original drummer John Rutsey) and ‘Anthem’ from Passaic, New Jersey in 1976. Both seem a little out of place here as extras, but are great nonetheless.
Overall, whether you’re a diehard fan or a newcomer, Rush’s ‘Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland’ is a worthy addition to anyone’s collection.

For more information on Rush, check out – http://www.rush.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Astrofaes - Dying Emotions Domain

2012-01-21T15:30:00.000+11:00

Astrofaes
Dying Emotions Domain
Negative Existence

The Ukraine doesn’t exactly boast the biggest metal scene, but they have one nonetheless. And while their scene hasn’t produced any acts that have gone on to become household names, there’s plenty that have made an impression within the underground scene. One band that’s enjoyed considerable critical acclaim from the cult underground scene is Kharkiv based act black metal Astrofaes, who have over their thirteen years in existence, produced no less than seven full-length albums, an E.P. and a live D.V.D.
While the band busy themselves with a new Astrofaes release (Alongside immersing themselves in their various side projects), U.S. label Negative Existence have managed to fill the void of inactivity with the long overdue re-release of the band’s second full-length effort ‘Dying Emotions Domain’.
Originally released on cassette through Oriana Productions way back in 1998, and later released on C.D. through the French label Chanteloup Creations in 2001 (Which was just prior to the label closing their doors), ‘Dying Emotions Domain’ has long been out of print, and highly sought after by black metal collectors the world over. But with this re-release from Negative Existence, Astrofaes’ hard to find second album has been resurrected for all to rediscover.
Sound wise, Astrofaes (Who at the time comprised of vocalist Dalver, guitarist Thurios, bassist Khorus, guest keyboardist Saturious and drummer Khaoth) are primarily labelled as a black metal band. But the truth is that while there’s no mistaking the band’s lo-fi, bleak black metal stance, there’s no mistaking the progressive elements within the band’s song writing as well, with the band showcasing on several levels their willingness to experiment and push their take on the black metal sound.
After a brief keyboard/sound effects based introductory piece (‘The Black Woods Theory’), the band get the album underway in a fast and aggressive manner with ‘Fiery Mysticism’. Despite running for a little over nine minutes, the song itself keeps the listener engaged throughout, with the band incorporating plenty of diverse riffs and tempo changes to keep things varied, while the use of keyboards and eerie soundscapes in the quitter moments allow the band to utilise atmospherics to emphasise their progressive sides to great effect.
Following in a similar direction to that of ‘Fiery Mysticism’ are tracks such as ‘At Nightfall’ and the title track ‘Dying Emotions Domain’, while the band’s cover of Celtic Frost’s ‘Necromantical Screams’ (From 1985’s ‘To Mega Therion’) is a little more straight forward black metal, but fits well with the other material.
Two tracks that definitely stand apart from the pack are ‘Path To Burning Space’ and ‘Ad Infinitum (Dark II)’. On the former, the band head along an unconventional path with the saxophone (Provided by V. Stavropolskiy) giving the song a bit of a Viking feel, while the latter features a very upfront keyboard mix on the introduction - something altogether different and unusual sounding.
Despite claims made about the album’s recent remaster, the sound on this C.D. re-release sounds like it was lifted straight from a cassette that was in excellent condition. But despite this, the lavish packaging and the quality of the songs throughout really do make ‘Dying Emotions Domain’ worthy of hunting down.

For more information on Astrofaes, check out - http://www.astrofaes.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Sort By Title - Independent Process

2012-01-21T15:06:00.000+11:00

Sort By Title
Independent Process
Independent Release

‘Independent Process’ is the debut E.P. effort from new outfit Sort By Title, who have been coined as ‘Sweden’s answer to Suicide Silence’. Given my general dislike for Suicide Silence, and the whole metalcore genre in general, I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by Sort By Title’s first offering. But having said that, I was willing to give the young four piece act a chance, and let their music do the talking before passing judgement.
All I can say is that even after giving the E.P. several listens, I’m not entirely amazed by Sort By Title’s offering, but I’m not completely disappointed either. Instead, ‘Independent Process’ is the kind of effort that is O.K., but not the sort of release you’d consider an essential purchase.
The opening track ‘Into The Depths’ is one of the E.P.’s stronger tracks, with the band (Comprising of vocalist Adam Hennings, guitarist Christoffer ‘Ciffe’ Tönnäng, bassist Robin ‘Rimbo’ Lindberg and drummer Marcus ‘Mackan’ Gustafsson) delivering a thumping and groove based mid-paced metallic number that seems to be rooted in the tried and true metalcore mould, but with a touch of European melodic death metal thrown in to make things just that more interesting. It works for the most part, and the occasional vocal line from Martina Sandström (Of pop punk/rock outfit Timeless) certainly helps to break up the monotony of the track’s fairly straight forward aggression. Overall, this song isn’t all that bad.
The follow-up track ‘Betrayed By The Sun’ is a solid song, with the use of atmospheric breaks within the songs aggressive metalcore sound allowing the song to breathe (Not to mention keep the listener a little more interested), while ‘Revelation Sign’ (The first song to be given the promotional video treatment) is one of the songs that best illustrated the band’s ability to take the metalcore sound and add a distinctly melodic death metal feel over the top to create something different.
On ‘Insanity’, the keyboards are given a bit more of a push, and when combined with the level of aggression the band put into the song, comes across as something like a mix of Mnemic or Chimaira in places. It’s another solid effort, but seems to lack a little something to really make it jump out at you in the way it should. And while it may have seemed like a good idea at the time, the brief breakdown in the middle (Which sounds like industrialised keyboards and some brief spoken words from Sandström) just isn’t anywhere near as effective as I had hoped.
Finishing up the E.P. is ‘Stuck On A Curb’, which is by far the most straight-forward sounding metalcore number, and as such is quite different from the rest of the E.P. Featuring guest vocal contributions from Fred Hunger (Who is the front man of hardcore outfit I Am Hunger), ‘Stuck On A Curb’ is a good tune, but just seems out of place on the E.P. in some ways, and provides a confused close to the E.P.
‘Independent Process’ isn’t the most mind-blowing effort I’ve ever come across, but it’s far from the worst. In the end, Sort By Title are an interesting outfit, but one that haven’t quite found their true calling in terms of sound and song writing.
It’ll be interesting to see where the band go from here, but in the meantime, the band do have a bit of work to do before they can look forward to a real future in the music scene.

For more information on Sort By Title, check out – http://www.myspace.com/sortbytitle

© Justin Donnelly

We Are Killing Ourselves - The Road Of Awareness

2012-01-21T14:49:00.000+11:00

We Are Killing Ourselves
The Road Of Awareness
Rastilho Records

Four years after the release of their debut full-length effort ‘Deconstructive Essence’ (Which was released through Recital Records), Portuguese based outfit We Are Killing Ourselves (A.K.A. W.A.K.O.) are back with their long awaited sophomore effort ‘The Road Of Awareness’. And it doesn’t fail to deliver one bit.
Although the five piece act (Who currently comprise of vocalist Nuno Rodrigues, guitarists João Pedro and André Sobral, bassist André Landeck and drummer Bruno Guilherme) showed a lot of promise on their debut, it was always going to be their follow-up that determined whether or not the band were truly capable of taking on challenges of stepping up their game. And sure enough, the band has done just that, as evident in the opening track from their latest effort ‘The Shape Of Perfection’.
Opting for a somewhat slower paced opener, after a lengthy intro ‘The Shape Of Perfection’ proves itself to be a huge sounding track that showcases the band’s ability to produce huge grooves in the vein of Lamb Of God, but with a progressive edge in the guitar riffing that brings to mind a cross between Meshuggah and Gojira. It’s an interesting mix of sounds and influences, but one that works in giving off a menacing and aggressive feel throughout, all the while retaining a strong sense of groove that’s both catchy and infectious.
The follow-up track ‘Ship Of Fools’ is on a little more familiar ground for the band with its added metallic edge on the guitar front and the odd interjection of Djent effects dotted throughout, while ‘Dissonant Dark Dance’ sees the band experimenting more on moody atmospherics within the song, which gives the overall effect of broadening their sound well beyond their former groove/melodic death metal foundation.
From here, the album rarely falls below the standard established with the first three tracks, with songs such as ‘Drifting Beyond Reality’ (One of my personal favourites on the album with its powerful choruses and crushing and intricate riffing), the speedy and technically inclined ‘The Shadows Collapse Within’, ‘Intersected To A Closer Premonition’ (Which brings to mind early Machine Head) and the lengthy closer ‘Coronation Of Existence’ (Where Rodrigues actually provides some clean vocals that really work well, and the guitars shine with some great melodic leads) highlighted as the album’s stand out cuts.
While some of the songs are a little on the longer side (Which inevitably means the album is a little too long as a whole), overall ‘The Road Of Awareness’ is a really impressive second effort from We Are Killing Ourselves, and one that fans of the groove metal genre should check out.

For more information on We Are Killing Ourselves, check out - http://www.myspace.com/wakoplanet

© Justin Donnelly

Single Bullet Theory - IV

2012-01-17T18:43:00.000+11:00

Single Bullet Theory
IV
Goomba Music

Long running Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, U.S.) act Single Bullet Theory has weathered everything imaginable in their eleven year existence, including numerous line-up changes, changes in musical paths, different labels and even a stint of inactivity (The band disbanded in 2008, only to be reactivated later the same year). But despite this, vocalist/guitarist Matt Difablo (Ex-Pissing Razors) has kept the band afloat, and managed to release no less than three albums with his group over their decade long existence.
Four years after the release of their last full-length effort ‘On Broken Wings’ (Released through Crash Music), Difablo has assembled an entirely new line-up of Single Bullet Theory (Who aside from Difablo, also comprise of ex-Insatanity/Polterchrist guitarist/vocalist Dan Loughry, guitarist John Ruszin III, bassist Jeff Kalber and ex-Dark Avenger/Vougan drummer Acácio Carvalho), and released a new full-length effort under the simple moniker of ‘IV’.
Both fans and press alike have always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Single Bullet Theory, which hasn’t always worked in the band’s favour. But after a lengthy four years, I was keen to see if the time away had allowed the band to solidify their song writing to a point where they might be able to convince those who hadn’t otherwise seen eye to eye with the band’s musical path. But as the old saying goes, a leopard can’t change its spots. And as expected, ‘IV’ is another scattered effort that seems to encompass a lot of ground, and yet doesn’t seem really conquer much overall in the end.
The opening track ‘Echoes Of The Past’ is something a little unexpected from the band, with the heavier thrash-like direction of the song itself something you wouldn’t have expected from the band’s past in a million years. But while the heavier direction is a welcome one, the mix of the melodic, the growled and higher end vocals simply don’t sound in perfect harmony, which only leaves the listener cringing at the end result. Production wise, there are also problems, with some of the timing sounding a little out, and the overall mix sounding poor at best. In the end, while there are some good ideas within the track, yet the execution and sound really let the song down.
Sound problems of the former still persist through the follow-up track ‘What Have I’ (And the rest of the album for that matter), but the vocals from Difablo seem to cater more towards what the track actually needs rather than doing something different for the sake of doing something different, while ‘The Wake Of Betrayal’ manages to capitalise on the strengths of the former, but ultimately comes undone by overstaying its welcome by at least three minutes.
Talking of overstaying your welcome, the lengthy ten minute ‘Auctioneer Of Souls’ is another case of some really great ideas pushed to the point of excess, and suffering because of it. Boasting some twenty guitar solos (Including contributions from ex-Nevermore/Sanctuary guitarist Jeff Loomis, King Diamond axeman Pete Blakk, producer/ex-Obituary/Testament/Death shredder James Murphy, Tim Roth of Into Eternity, Rob Zombie/Scum Of The Earth guitarist Mike Riggs, Seven Witches’ Jack Frost and Strapping Young Lad/Zimmers Hole/Tenet legend Jed Simon), the song will certainly appeal to those who love endless guitar solos, but will bore those quickly who want a little more variation from a six string shred-fest from start to finish.
Unfortunately, the remainder of the album doesn’t fare much better, with only the power metal based ‘Leviathan Smiles’, the gothic rock vibe of ‘Letting Go’, and the two bus tracks at the tail end (The cover of Death’s ‘Spirit Crusher’ and the groovier thrash like ‘The Hurt That Never Ends’) standing out as worthy tracks.
I can appreciate, and even applaud any band that’s willing to think outside the box in terms of style, direction and song writing to create an album that’s anything but predictable. But only wholeheartedly if they can pull it off. Single Bullet Theory just doesn’t manage to pull it off.
‘IV’ does have its moments, but for me, it just doesn’t have enough consistent themes and ideas, or enough flow to make the album enjoyable as a whole.
With a real producer and mixer, and a solidified line-up to really formulate a sound that sounds cohesive, Single Bullet Theory could really produce something worthy with their next full-length release. But until then, the love/hate relationship amongst most will not only persist, but reinforce the reason why it exists in the first place.

For more information on Single Bullet Theory, check out - http://www.myspace.com/singlebullettheory

© Justin Donnelly

Voyager - The Meaning Of I

2012-01-17T18:26:00.000+11:00

Voyager
The Meaning Of I
Riot! Entertainment/Warner Music Distribution

Over the course of three full-length efforts, long running Perth (Western Australia) based outfit Voyager have forged a unique sound for themselves, which in term has earned considerable praise and success both nationally and internationally. Two years after the release of ‘I Am The ReVolution’, the five piece act (Comprising of vocalist/keyboardist/founder Daniel ‘Nephil’ Estrin, guitarists Simone Dow and Scott Kay, bassist/vocalist Alex Canion and drummer Mark Boeijen) has returned with their fourth and latest effort ‘The Meaning Of I’. And as expected, it’s another magnificent melodic metal album that sounds unlike anyone else within the Australian metal scene.
Having firmly established their sound over their last couple of releases, I really didn’t expect Voyager to present any real monumental shifts in sound and style with ‘The Meaning Of I’. And sure enough, there are no surprises here that give you the impression that this album is something completely different from what you would otherwise expect from Voyager. But having said that, the song writing here is so strong that you could forgive the band for finding it hard to improve upon perfection.
The opening track ‘Momentary Relapse Of Pain’ sees the band getting the album off to a heavier start, with the guitar riffing taking on higher prominence within the mix, while the underpinning progressive sounding keyboards provide plenty of constant support. But Voyager’s music has always been about strong song writing above anything else, and in that respect, the biggest factor on ‘Momentary Relapse Of Pain’ is the strong use of melodic chorus hooks and Estrin’s soaring vocals. All up, this song is a perfect introduction to Voyager’s latest effort.
Veering a little more towards the catchier side of their song writing, ‘Stare Into The Night’ and ‘Broken’ are infectious tunes that are near impossible to forget after a couple of spins, while tracks such as ‘Seize The Day’, the title track ‘The Meaning Of I’ and the heavier and driving closer ‘Are You Shaded?’ lean more towards the metallic and aggressive side of things (Especially with the occasional death growl to liven things up here and there), without losing any of the melodic charm of the band’s core song writing and overall sound.
But while most of ‘The Meaning Of I’ is fairly typical of what we’ve come to expect from Voyager these days, the album does have a couple of interesting new twists to offer listeners.
Former Tesseract vocalist Daniel Tompkins helps out briefly on the progressively edged ‘The Pensive Disarray’ (Which features some outstanding and emotive guitar work), while Royal Hunt front man D.C. Cooper adds his distinctive pipes to the powerful ‘Fire Of The Times’.
Elsewhere, the band pays tribute to the late Type O Negative/Carnivore vocalist Pete Steele on the truly awesome ‘Iron Dream (In Memoriam: Peter Steele)’ and the short ‘It’s Time To Know’, where the band manage to pull off the Type O Negative sound to perfection.
Over the band’s lengthy career, Voyager have notably improved and strengthened with each and every new album. And as expected, ‘The Meaning Of I’ is no different. While the steps forward in terms of song writing and shifts in sound aren’t quite as noticeable as they were between their other albums, it’s really an issue, because as I mentioned earlier, it’s damn near impossible to improve upon perfection. ‘The Meaning Of I’ is the exception to that rule. Simply put, this is Voyager’s best effort yet.

For more information on Voyager, check out - http://www.voyager-australia.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Duff McKagan - It’s So Easy (And Other Lies): The Autobiography

2012-01-16T22:58:00.000+11:00

Duff McKagan
It’s So Easy (And Other Lies): The Autobiography
Orion Books/Hachette Media

When it comes to the Guns N’ Roses story, there isn’t that much to be said that hasn’t already been said. After all, tell-all biographies telling the rise and fall (And rise once again) of the legendary L.A. based act has already been covered in all its vivid and gory detail by authors such as Stephen Davis (2008’s ‘Watch You Bleed: The Saga Of Guns N’ Roses’) and Mick Wall (2007’s ‘W. Axl Rose: The Unauthorised Biography’), and not to mention from countless other writers throughout the years.
That’s not taking into account the fact that both former guitarist Slash and former drummer Steve Adler have themselves penned autobiographies telling their side of the story for readers in recent years (2007’s ‘Slash’ and 2010’s ‘My Appetite For Destruction: Sex, And Drugs, And Guns N’ Roses’ respectively). So when former bassist Duff McKagan announced his plans to lay down his side of the story in autobiographical form, I can’t say that I was desperate to rush out to the stores and buy it on its day of release. But as it so happens, having just finished my current read at the time, I found myself purchasing a copy of McKagan’s self-penned ‘It’s So Easy (And Other Lies): The Autobiography’, purely because there simply wasn’t anything else that really grabbed my attention. And despite my initial scepticism, I’m pleased to report that I’m damned glad I did.
Autobiographies seem to be all the rage these days, and more often than not, they’re simply an extended biography that fleshes out the human side of the subject, rather than keep the story balanced with the musical side of things of those involved. McKagan’s story is definitely one of the more balanced tomes I’ve read in years.
McKagan strangely enough begins his story in August 2010, where him and his wife are holding a backyard birthday party for his daughter Grace, who’s turning thirteen. It’s a short prologue into the autobiography, but it’s an entertaining one that shows that despite overcoming the many addictions that plagued a large part of his life, and being a member of one of the biggest (And notoriously dangerous) bands from the late ‘90’s, one of his biggest challenges today is not only being a father, but one that doesn’t in any way, shape or form, want to embarrass his daughter by being seen in the backyard, and who instead is happy to retreat inside the house to enjoy the party from a distance. It’s a funny story, but more importantly a genuinely touching one as well, and one that most parents with children of the same age can definitely relate to. McKagan might be a rock legend, but he’s also a loving parent who will sacrifice himself rather than embarrass his kids in front of their friends.
The prologue obviously serves as a precursor to the real story, and gives the book its premise where McKagan gets to thinking about his past, but only as far as the day when his demons (Not to mention his mortal frame) finally caught up with him, and he recounts the story behind his near-fatal pancreatic explosion in 1994. There’s nothing glamorous here within the first chapter, and McKagan tells it as it was, without pulling any punches.
From here, McKagan takes the reader back to the start of the story (Making a minor detour to the time when he almost died as a small kid, and leaving Seattle for the big time of L.A.), detailing his time growing up, his first musical influences, his family and the bands that helped shape and pave his way into musical stardom.
While the story is a fairly standard one of a musician fighting to make ends meet, all the while awaiting the opportunity to really make it in a real band destined for glory, McKagan’s recount of his life story really does have something to say more than most, and that’s a human story. Throughout every page, you can’t help but feel that while McKagan did go on to find fame and fortune in Guns N’ Roses, it’s only secondary to the real story of how he actually got there in the first place.
The book, while an easy read, is far too lengthy to detail here in all its magnificent glory. But the story McKagan’s takes the reader on details the rise and eventual fall of Guns N’ Roses (Where he himself takes on same of the blame due to a lack of open communication alongside his fellow band members), his failed first marriage (Where again he looks at himself, and not with kind regard) and the toll that drugs and alcohol took on him both mentally and physically (There’s an incredible picture in the middle of the book entitled ‘Bloated And Hopeless’ that really proves how bad things were at the time), and the denial that that he lived in for years (Especially throughout the early ‘90’s touring behind ‘Use Your Illusion I’ and ‘II’) before things finally came to a head in 1994.
For the most part, ‘It’s So Easy (And Other Lies): The Autobiography’ is pretty much everything what you would expect from a McKagan autobiography. But around the last third of the book, McKagan does something a lot of people don’t do in circumstances like these (Meaning rock stars writing autobiographies), and that’s detail what happened after hitting rock bottom. It’s here that McKagan really tells his story, and about his slow and gradual process of coming back into the real world through sobriety, and how he once again found the balls to again play music – and more importantly tour without fear of falling into the depths of addiction.
Although it isn’t generally my kind of thing, I couldn’t help but get swept up in the latter half of the book, and McKagan’s growing optimistic outlook on life after reconnecting with the simple things in life, and dedicating himself totally towards martial arts and cycling.
McKagan’s book is filled with a story that has all the essential ingredients to make it an addictive and easy read, and that’s tragedy, sorrow, remorse and an uplifting end where the protagonist (Being McKagan himself) finally defies the odds stacked against him to rise once again, stronger, wiser than ever before, and sober for the first time ever.
In the end, I don’t really feel like I’ve done justice to ‘It’s So Easy (And Other Lies): The Autobiography’. But if you’re after a great read on Guns N’ Roses from an insider’s perspective, and one that has a whole lot of human heart, some funny stories and leaves you feeling satisfied after completion, then look no further than this book.

For more information on Duff McKagan, check out - http://www.duff-loaded.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Mhorgl - Heresiarch

2012-01-16T22:44:00.000+11:00

Mhorgl
Heresiarch
Sovereign Records/Green Media Distribution

Perth (Western Australia) based blackened death metal act Mhorgl aren’t the most well-known extreme metal act on the scene, despite having already released two previous full-length efforts to their name (Namely 2007’s ‘The Sacrificial Flame’ and 2010’s ‘Antinomian’, both of which were independently released). But if their third and latest release ‘Heresiarch’ is anything to go by, Mhorgl is surely destined to make a name for themselves in no time as one of the country’s best kept secrets within the underground extreme metal scene.
Having impressed me with the growth and progression the band made between their first and second full-length efforts (Their debut sounding very raw, akin to Darkthrone and Aura Noir, and their sophomore effort sounding far more polished, modern and focussed), I was keen to see where Mhorgl would take their next step musically. And after giving the album several spins, it’s clear to see (And hear) that the four piece act (Comprising of vocalist Sam Moretta, ex-Tyrant/Infected guitarist Robert Thorpe, ex-Tyrant/Infected/The Furor guitarist/bassist James Campbell and ex-Pathogen/The Furor/Impiety drummer Louis Rando) have once again broadened their blasphemous sound further into the melodic side of black metal, without losing any of the intensity and extremity of their former releases.
The opening track ‘Inheriting The Mantle Of Power’ immediately grabs the listener by the throat from the moment it starts, and doesn’t let go of its powerful grip for a single moment throughout its near five minute duration. The band serves up an uncompromising blast of modern influenced black metal, with speed and technical proficiency that showcases the depth of experience from all those involved. While the track is a long one, there are enough twists and changes in riff structures and tempos to keep things interesting, even if the vocals can be a little one-dimensional after a while.
While the opening track is undoubtedly a highlight in its own right, it’s tracks like the progressive tinged ‘Ophidian Legacy’, the blackened thrash ‘n’ roll of ‘Black Wolf Militia’ and ‘Ravenous Wargod’ (Which is a personal favourite of this writers), and the slower and calculated groove within ‘Fallen’ where the band show some push towards the more uncharted territory in the song writing sense, which really allows ‘Heresiarch’ to stand out from the band’s former releases.
Of course, that’s not to say that the band has completely forsaken the sound they produced on ‘Antinomian’, with the epic ‘Impiety Storm’, ‘Terror Manifesto’ and ‘Purity’ pulverising the listener into completely submission – much in the same way of the opening track.
In terms of negatives, ‘Heresiarch’ has few, but some nonetheless. The four acoustic instrumental pieces (‘The Seed Of Rebellion’, ‘Hostis Humani Generis’, ‘Soliloquy’ and ‘The Hubris Of The Departed’) don’t mesh well with some of the more extreme material, and in fact make the album seem much longer that what it actually is. The only other point is that over the course of the entire album, Moretta’s vocals can become a little monotonous.
Minor quibbles aside, Mhorgl has really put together a strong album with ‘Heresiarch’, and one that builds upon the strength shown on ‘Antinomian’, and taken those steps further into the unknown with great results.
If you’re looking for something a little more on the obscure side of things within the Australian metal scene, then look no further than Mhorgl’s latest effort.

For more information on Mhorgl, check out - http://www.mhorgl.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Anathema - Falling Deeper

2012-01-13T13:53:00.000+11:00

Anathema
Falling Deeper
Kscope Music

When Liverpool (U.K.) act Anathema announced plans to record acoustic reinterpretations of older tracks back in 2008, I can’t say that I was all that enthused. After all, the whole unplugged concept had been done so many times before, and I really couldn’t see the point of Anathema heading down a path that had well and truly been travelled down so many times before. But to my complete surprise, not only the resulting album ‘Hindsight’ completely amazed me, but it showed that the band could actually do something new with the whole unplugged format, and in the process present fans with something entirely new and different.
It’s been three years since then, and after releasing their absolutely stunning 2010 effort ‘We’re Here Because We’re Here’ (Which took the honour of best album of the year from yours truly), the five piece act (Comprising of vocalist/guitarist Vincent Cavanagh, guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Danny Cavanagh, vocalist Lee Douglas, bassist Jamie Cavanagh and drummer John Douglas) have returned with a rather quick follow-up release in ‘Falling Deeper’. And as expected, it’s something a little unexpected, and every bit as brilliant as you would expect it to be. In a lot of ways, ‘Falling Deeper’ is a sequel to ‘Hindsight’, but completely different. What I mean is that while ‘Hindsight’ was filled with acoustic reinterpretations of older songs, this latest effort sees the band revising some of their past efforts, and reinterpreting them in orchestral form with The London Session Orchestra.
Again, I was sceptical of whether the band could not only do justice to their older material, but also whether they could do something that hadn’t been done before. But after listening to the album, I can only say that I should never have doubted the band for one moment.
‘Crestfallen’ (The title track from the band’s debut E.P. in 1992) provides an interesting start to the album, with this version cut down quite significantly from the original by some seven minutes. Having said that, the piano intro is still present, and the instrumentation that follows still retains the same melodies of the original, only heavily orchestrated to tie in with the band’s more recent sound heard on ‘We’re Here Because We’re Here’ (Including the vocals, which weave in and out in an almost dream-like manner), as opposed to the doom/death metal sound of old. Some may find this reworked effort a little too different, but newcomers will enjoy this track to no end.
‘Sleep In Sanity’ (From the band’s debut full-length effort ‘Serenades’ from 1993), much like the opener, is radically reworked to tie in with their current musical direction, all the while retaining the core elements of the original. But despite this, the song sounds entirely fresh and different, and could otherwise be mistaken for something entirely new if you weren’t paying close attention.
‘Kingdom’ (From their 1995 E.P. ‘Pentecost III’) is quite stirring, with the strings generally rising to prominence around the middle fading gently away around the tail end, while the instrumentals ‘They Die’ (From ‘Crestfallen’), ‘J’ai Fait Une Promesse’ (Which translates to ‘I Made A Promise’, and comes from ‘Serenades’) and ‘We, The Gods’ (From ‘Pentecost III’) take on more atmospheric and ambient tones, which ties in perfectly with the band’s last album.
One of the real highlights on the album is ‘Everwake’ (From ‘Crestfallen’), which features a beautiful guest vocal performance from Anneke Van Giersbergen (Ex-The Gathering), while ‘Alone’ (Lifted from 1995’s ‘The Silent Enigma’) is stretched well beyond its original running length to really emphasise the band’s use of acoustic guitars. Finishing up the album is ‘Sunset Of Age’ (Again, from ‘The Silent Enigma’), which is where the band have undoubtedly saved the best for last. Quite simply, this song is an absolute masterpiece here in its revised form, and showcases just how the band and the orchestra can really work together to make something quite special.
It would seem that at this point in their career, Anathema simply can’t set a foot wrong. Each and every one of the band’s releases has seen the band take chances and push the sound towards completely new directions, which has meant that the band have always had something new to offer every time (Which is not something that can be said for a lot of bands).
After the magnificence of ‘We’re Here Because We’re Here’, I was curious to see where the band would go next, and whether they could actually do anything that rivalled the album. ‘Falling Deeper’ puts paid to any doubt, because while it’s certainly different and unexpected, it’s also another magnificent masterpiece.

For more information on Anathema, check out - http://www.anathema.ws/

© Justin Donnelly

Nile - Worship The Animal - 1994: The Lost Recordings

2012-01-13T13:36:00.000+11:00

Nile
Worship The Animal - 1994: The Lost Recordings
Goomba Music

Within the death metal scene, Greenville (South Carolina, U.S.) based outfit Nile have earned their place as one of the scene’s leaders, with all of their six full-length albums to date all garnishing critical acclaim from both fans and critics alike through the ability to combine technicality and brutality that pushes the extremity of the death metal mould, and their innovative use of Egyptian/middle-eastern sounds and influences throughout their song writing.
For most, Nile’s history begins with the release of their debut full-length album ‘Amongst The Catacombs Of Nephren-Ka’, which emerged in 1998 through Relapse Records. But for diehard fans, the real beginnings of Nile started some four years prior, when the three piece act (Comprising at the time of guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Karl Sanders, vocalist/bassist Chief Spires and drummer/vocalist Pete Hammoura) had been honing their sound and style for the better part of a year together, and finally decided the time was right to release their self-titled cassette demo in 1994.
Fast forward some twenty-seven years later, and Goomba Music has decided to re-release Nile’s demo on C.D. for the very first time for diehard fans – this time under the name ‘Worship The Animal - 1994: The Lost Recordings’.
The keyword when describing this five track E.P. is diehard, because unless you’re an absolute diehard fan of the band, there’s really not likely going to be much on offer here that makes you want to come back time and time again. The real problem with ‘Worship The Animal - 1994: The Lost Recordings’ isn’t so much that it’s a bad batch of songs, or that it has a poor production (On the contrary, it actually sounds better than some bands official releases!), or that the band can’t play their instruments (That’s certainly not the case here). The problem is that the Nile sound presented here on their demo back in 1994 has very little with what the band presented some four years later. In other words, this is Nile, but certainly not as the Nile you’ve come accustomed to over the years.
The opening track ‘Le Chant Du Cygre’ gives you a clear indication of where the band’s sound was at in 1994, and surprisingly enough, it has more in common with thrash than it does with death metal. That’s not to say that it doesn’t have its death metal elements, but for the most part, it’s brutal thrash. Another striking characteristic of difference is Spires’ vocals. Unlike his deep death growl of later releases, his singing here is predominantly of the clean/growled kind, which only emphasis the thrash-like direction.
The title track ‘Worship The Animal’ shows the band incorporating some clean vocalised chanting in the background, and bit more aggression and death-like growls from Spires, but this groove metal based track still has more in common with Pantera or Meshuggah than Nile circa 1998.
‘Nepenthe’ is probably as close song writing wise as the band get to the direction they would take in their future (Especially in terms of the sluggish riffing and the blast of the drums), but the song itself is far from one of the demos strongest or memorable efforts.
Much like the opener, ‘Surrounded By Fright’ is more thrash than death metal, and is really only notable for the emphasis of melody from Spires on the vocal front, while the closer ‘Mecca’, while cut from the same cloth as the former track, it does feature some effects on the vocals to give the song a bit more of a demonic sound, and some solo work from Sanders that hints at the middle-eastern influences that would later become a huge part of the band’s sound.
Overall, ‘Worship The Animal - 1994: The Lost Recordings’ is primarily for diehard fans who want everything Nile has ever recorded in order to complete the collection. Outside of those fans, this E.P. doesn’t have much replay value past a couple of spins purely for curiosity’s sake.

For more information on Nile, check out - http://www.nile-catacombs.net/

© Justin Donnelly

Saligia - Sic Transit Glöria Mundi

2012-01-13T13:29:00.000+11:00

Saligia
Sic Transit Glöria Mundi
Barghest

Anyone who’s familiar with the northern U.K. based label Barghest will no doubt be familiar with what Norwegian (Trondheim based) act Saligia offers up on their debut full-length effort ‘Sic Transit Glöria Mundi’. But for those who aren’t aware, Barghest (Who have only been operating since 2010) specialise in releasing uncompromising black metal art to music listeners. And while their list of releases have been limited and selective, you can always be assured of some quality black metal, and the kind that’s generally rooted in the cult lo-fi aesthetics and approaches to sound. Not surprisingly, Saligia’s debut is exactly the kind of album that Barghest prides themselves in specialising in.
Sound wise, Saligia (Who comprise of ex-Fordervet vocalist/guitarist/bassist Ghastly (A.K.A. Ahzari) and Dødsengel/Nephilim drummer Malach Adonai) produce a sound that’s not too dissimilar to a mix of Darkthrone, Attila Csihar (Especially in terms of Ghastly’s vocals) and Mayhem, which means that musically, ‘Sic Transit Glöria Mundi’ (Which is Latin for ‘Thus Passes The Glory Of The World’) is a fairly brutal and simplistic affair for the most part.
The opening track ‘Casus Gloria’ sets the scene for the album, with Ghastly providing plenty of buzzsaw sounding riffs on the guitar front, while Adonai blusters throughout with a relentless barrage on the kit alongside the guitars. Structure wise, there are some well-timed tempo changes to keep the lengthy track interesting, and Ghastly produces an equal amount of harrowing clean sung howls alongside some growling efforts. There’s nothing remotely innovative about the band’s song writing, and even less exploration in their delivery of primitive black metal. But overall, ‘Casus Gloria’ is a strong song, and does give the album a solid start.
‘Sar Ha-Olam’ builds upon the opener with many of the same strong characteristics, but with a little more extremity in the tempo changes (The slower bits are a little slower, and the faster bits a little more hammering and heavier) and the riffs soundimg a little more memorable, while the raw and unforgiving ‘Womb Caverns’ is nothing short of a full scale attack on the sense from start to finish.
As good as ‘Orb Of Flesh’ and ‘Shed Old Skin’ are, the general lack of variation on the riff structures tend to give the songs a bit of a repetitive feel at times, which is only made all too evident on the tracks lengthy running times.
Things do improve with the aggressive urgency of ‘Blood Staineth’ (Which boasts some of Ghastly’s most tortured vocals on the album), while the closing effort ‘Upon The Altar’ finishes the album on a high note with its midpaced and somewhat catchy melancholy melodic mood.
‘Sic Transit Glöria Mundi’ isn’t anything you haven’t heard a million times before from the Norwegian death metal scene, but it’s done exceedingly well. And that will no doubt be more than enough to earn the pair high praise from within the extreme underground black metal scene.

For more information on Saligia, check out - http://www.saligia.info/

© Justin Donnelly

Doogie White - As Yet Untitled

2012-01-13T13:13:00.000+11:00

Doogie White
As Yet Untitled
Metal Mind Productions

Over his twenty-five year career, Scottish born Doogie White has earned a reputation as one of the classic hard rock/metal scene’s finest vocalists, with a resume boasting works alongside big names such as Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow (1995’s ‘Stranger In Us All’), Praying Mantis (2003’s ‘The Journey Goes On’), Tank (2010’s ‘War Machine’), Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force (2002’s ‘Attack!!’ and 2005’s ‘Unleash The Fury’), Empire (2007’s ‘Chasing Shadows’), Cornerstone, Michael Schenker, and countless other acts. But surprisingly enough, it’s taken the Scotsman a long time to turn his attention solely on his own project. But while White’s debut solo effort ‘As Yet Untitled’ has been a long time coming, it’s been worth waiting for.
As you would expect, White has assembled an impressive list of friends as his backing band for his debut effort, with guitars handled by Pontus Norgren (Hammerfall, and who doubles on production duties), Marcus Jidell (Royal Hunt/Evergrey), Phil Hilborne and Mick Tucker (Tank), bass from the legendary Neil Murray (Whitesnake), Greg Smith (Ted Nugent) and Paul Logue (Eden’s Curse), keyboards courtesy of Derek Sherinian (Black Country Communion) and Tony Carey (Ex-Rainbow) and drums from Patrick Johansson (Yngwie J. Malmsteen) and Thomas Broman (Glenn Hughes).
If the title wasn’t a dead giveaway, the opening track ‘Come Taste The Band’ has a strong Deep Purple feel and sound with its extended keyboard introduction, and White putting in a convincing David Coverdale impersonation throughout the hard rocking classic. The guest vocals from Patti Russo (Of Meat Loaf/Cher fame) is an absolute stroke of genius, as her vocals add some real contrast to White’s efforts, while the band’s performance is nothing short of storming.
On ‘Time Machine’, White channels Saxon’s Bif Byford out front, while the band provide a soundtrack that sounds like a cross between AC/DC and Rainbow, while the strong and groove based ‘Dreams Lie Down And Die’ is easily the album’s heaviest track, and sounds reminiscent of Jørn Lande’s solo efforts.
Both ‘Lonely’ and ‘Land Of The Deceiver’ liven things up the middle of the album with their faster paces and metallic slant (Especially within the heavy guitar riffs and thundering drums), while tracks such as the bluesier ‘Secret Jesus’, the slower Led Zeppelin tinged ‘Sea Of Emotion’ and the classy ‘Times Like These’ show the many sides to White’s approach to the classic rock sound.
While the album does have a couple of tracks that don’t quite live up to the high standard of the bulk of the album (Namely the AC/DC based cock rocker ‘Catz Got Yer Tongue’ and the basic riff rocker ‘Living On The Cheap’), White has managed to surrounded himself with an elite team of musicians, written some truly great songs and released a long overdue solo album that’s every bit as impressive as expected.

For more information on Doogie White, check out - http://www.doogiewhite.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events (Limited Edition)

2012-01-08T18:15:00.001+11:00

Dream Theater
A Dramatic Turn Of Events (Limited Edition)
Roadrunner Records/Warner Music Australia

For twenty years, Long Island (New York, U.S.) based outfit Dream Theater not only stood as one of the scenes biggest progressive metal acts, but also one of the scenes strongest. But in September 2010, all that changed when it was revealed that co-founder/drummer Mike Portnoy had decided to leave the band. The news sent many fans into a spin, questioning what had transpired behind the scenes to prompt Portnoy’s dramatic decision, and whether or not Dream Theater could possibly continue in the same capacity without Portnoy in their ranks.
Without taking so much as moment to reflect on what had transpired, the remaining members of the band (Vocalist James LaBrie, guitarist/backing vocalist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung and keyboardist Jordan Rudess) announced plans to hold auditions for the vacated drum stool. Soon enough, Dream Theater had welcomed Mike Mangini (Ex-Extreme/Steve Vai/Mullmuzzler/Annihilator/James LaBrie) into the fold, and announced their plans to enter the studio. Within a year of Portnoy’s resignation, Dream Theater has returned with their eleventh studio effort, appropriately enough entitled ‘A Dramatic Turn Of Events’.
Given how instrumental Portnoy was in every aspect of Dream Theater’s past (As a song writer, a performer and a decision maker in general), it was always going to be interesting to see how the remainder of the band would fare on their own, and how Mangini would stand against the incredibly big shoes Portnoy had left. It’s not so much a question of whether Dream Theater could still make a great album or not, but just how different it would sound without Portnoy’s involvement.
For the most part, ‘A Dramatic Turn Of Events’ is still very much a product of the Dream Theater fans have come to know and respect. The album still boasts a mixture of short punchy numbers and long epic numbers, and the band still find the right balance of melody and technical showmanship. In fact, you could be mistaken that this is still the same line-up that recorded 2009’s ‘Black Clouds & Silver Linings’. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that if anything, ‘A Dramatic Turn Of Events’ is perhaps a little more cohesive sounding overall (In terms of the album’s overall flow and the general feel of the tracks from one to the next), and the songs are really strong individually. But most important of all, is that ‘A Dramatic Turn Of Events’ actually sounds like a band effort (Which hasn’t always been the case in Dream Theater’s albums from the recent past).
The opening track and first single ‘On The Backs Of Angels’ is introduced via a long slow build up, but eventually emerges as a hard hitting progressive number with plenty of twisted riffs and keyboard riffs. Myung’s bass is a little more present than it has been in the past (Which is a good thing), while Mangini proves himself to be more than up to the challenge with some impressive percussion work throughout the epic track. In a lot of ways, this track structurally reminds me of the band’s classic ‘Pull Me Under’ (From 1992’s ‘Images And Words’), with the balance of melody and heaviness working in perfect unison. And in my eyes, that’s a great thing.
‘Build Me Up, Break Me Down’ is something a little different sounding from what you would normally expect from the band with its use of programmed drums, the effects used on LaBrie’s vocals in places and the fairly straightforward approach of simple riffs and minimal amount of progressive elements. But while I can appreciate the band’s push towards something a little different, its LaBrie’s weakened attempts at screams during the choruses that really let the song down. Thankfully, it’s one of the only real weak moments on the album.
The lengthy ‘Lost Not Forgotten’ is introduced by a lengthy progressive intro, before settling in for a heavy and strong groove like pacing. The guitars and keyboards certainly set the tone of the song throughout, and alongside LaBrie’s powerful vocal presence and melodies, the song stands out as not only one of the heaviest, but certainly as one of the album’s more memorable efforts.
‘This Is The Life’ is one of the album’s first ballad efforts, and what an effort it is with LaBrie providing some stunning and memorable vocal lines. Elsewhere, LaBrie shines in the piano/strings driven ‘Far From Heaven’ and the acoustic based closer ‘Beneath The Surface’ are further examples of where the band have somewhat returned to their past by entrusting LaBrie to convey the emotion and tenderness within the song, rather than relegating him to the sidelines. Sure, three ballads on a nine track album might sound like an overkill, but here, equation actually works because all three songs sound very different, add contrast to the heavier and faster songs elsewhere, and LaBrie hasn’t sounded this inspired in years (At least in terms of working within Dream Theater. His solo stuff is something different altogether).
The three remaining tracks on the album (‘Bridges In The Sky’, the technical and diversified ‘Outcry’ and the classic ‘Breaking All Illusions’) are the three big epics on the album, and prove beyond any doubt that Dream Theater still have enough song writers within the band (Including Myung, who’s contributions to this album really stand out more so than everything he’s contributed in the last ten years) to pull off something exceptional.
In the end, while I always knew Dream Theater would be able to continue without Portnoy, I didn’t expect that their first release without his presence to be as strong as ‘A Dramatic Turn Of Events’. Everybody involved sounds like they’ve contributed to this album, and that hasn’t always been the case on some of the band’s last few efforts.
As mentioned earlier, the special edition of ‘A Dramatic Turn Of Events’ also comes with a bonus D.V.D. entitled ‘The Spirit Carries On’, which is an hour long documentary showcasing the band’s extensive search for a new drummer following the departure of Portnoy. Presented much like a reality T.V. show, the D.V.D. allows the viewer to see those selected for the audition process (Virgil Donati, Thomas Lang, Marco Minnemann, Aquiles Priester, Derek Roddy, Pete Wildoer and Mangini) jam with the band on classic Dream Theater songs and try out some new ideas through jamming. But what really separates this D.V.D. from other reality T.V. efforts is the human quality to the whole proceedings, both from the band (Who throughout have nothing but the highest respect for Portnoy and his contribution to the band) and those involved trying out from the position (All of whom are so humble, and are grateful just for the privilege to simply jam with the band). Filmed jam footage spliced with candid interviews from the band and the various drummers make the D.V.D. a compelling watch from start to finish, and show that while Dream Theater might be the biggest progressive band in the world, finding a new drummer wasn’t something they took lightly or without some idea of what they were looking for, and that they weren’t looking for just another Portnoy clone. Simply put, this D.V.D. is something all Dream Theater fans have to see (Or own) to truly appreciate what the band had to go through in order to find the right drummer for the job.
Overall, Dream Theater suffered a monumental loss with the Portnoy from their ranks. But as expected, they’ve managed to find the inner strength to move on, rediscover themselves, take control and record one of the best albums in years.

For more information on Dream Theater, check out - http://www.dreamtheater.net/

© Justin Donnelly

Entrench - Inevitable Decay

2012-01-08T18:11:00.002+11:00

Entrench
Inevitable Decay
Abyss Records

Entrench has been around in one form or another for the better part of the last six years, and have in that time released no less than five demos. But after numerous line-up changes and constant refinement of their sound, the four piece act (Comprising of vocalist/guitarist Fredrik Pellbrink, guitarist Hannes Lindkvist, bassist Joel E. Sundin and drummer Joel Gustafsson) have finally unleashed their debut full-length effort ‘Inevitable Decay’.
Given the rather amateur cover artwork that adorns ‘Inevitable Decay’, I really had no idea what to expect from Entrench. But within the opening couple of minutes of the opening track ‘As Dawn Breaks’, there was absolutely no question what sound Entrench were aiming for – and that’s old school thrash. The sound of ‘As Dawn Breaks’ is best described as a cross between old school Kreator and Sodom, and perhaps even a touch of early Destruction and Metallica in places. This song is as every bit as authentic as stuff you would expect from a thrash band who recorded their debut around the mid ‘80’s, except that Entrench are a relatively new and young act on the scene, and they hail from Sweden (Västerås), rather than Germany.
The band maintain the high standard set down by the opener throughout the duration of the album, with the mid-paced groove/flat out aggressive drive of ‘Debt Of Sorrow’, the riffing extravaganza of ‘Portrait Of A Phobia’, the rather short, but memorable instrumental piece ‘Crossing The River’ and the length epic-like closer ‘Where Only Ruins Remain’ the definitive stand out cuts from the remainder of the album.
I guess there’s not a real lot to say about ‘Inevitable Decay’. Entrench don’t really add much to the old school thrash sound in the way of progressive elements or structuring their songs in a way that presents the thrash sound in a completely new frame. But what the band lack in change and innovation, they more than make up for in terms of writing catchy riff structures, and including vocals that have just the amount of rasp and bite to complement their old school approach to the classic thrash sound.
If there’s one small negative about ‘Inevitable Decay’, it’s probably the production. Much like early thrash classics, the production here is a little on the tinny side of things, and the bass is virtually unnoticeable for the most part.
But when you weigh it all up, Entrench manage to get a whole lot more right than wrong on ‘Inevitable Decay’, and that’s enough to get a positive review from this scribe.
There’s a whole host of acts attempting to jump on the thrash revival bandwagon these days, but when you sort out the acts into those who do it well, and cast aside the rest as mere imitators, Entrench easily slot into the former group.

For more information on Entrench, check out - http://www.myspace.com/entrench

© Justin Donnelly

Krampus - Kronos’ Heritage

2012-01-06T17:24:00.001+11:00

Krampus
Kronos’ Heritage
Independent Release

Mixing folk and death metal is hardly as ground breaking (The fusing of unlikely sounds) as it was a decade ago, but it certainly hasn’t stopped new acts emerging from out of the woodwork vying for their place in the scene. The latest newcomer is eight piece act Krampus, who hail from Italy of all places. The band (Who comprise of vocalist Filippo Gianotti, lead guitarist Leonardo Rizzi, rhythm guitarist Alessandro Galliera, bassist Davide Zamparo, keyboardist Tommaso Adriano, piper/whistle player Matteo Sisti, violinist Marika Geremia and drummer Carlo Andrian) may have only been together for two years, but it’s been a productive two years, with the band releasing a three track demo in 2010, and a seven track debut E.P. effort ‘Shadows Of Our Time’ in early 2011. Now with the release of their second E.P. (‘Kronos’ Heritage’) in the space of a single year, it’s clear that Krampus are keen to make their mark on the scene.
Comprising of three tracks, ‘Kronos’ Heritage’ isn’t the sort of E.P. that fully showcases what the band are truly capable of in terms of broadening their sound over the course of a full album, and whether or not they can really keep a listener interested throughout. But for what it is (And that’s merely an E.P.), Krampas’ latest release is a solid enough release, and should appeal to those who are partial to the whole folk/metal movement.
The title track ‘Kronos’ Heritage’ gets the E.P. underway, and it’s with this track that you get a clear understanding of the type of folk metal Krampus play – and that’s melodic Swedish inspired death metal, with plenty folk whistles and strings helping bolster the guitars in unison. Riff wise, the guitarists keep things melodic and distinctive enough to keep the song interesting, while the use of the strings and whistles keep the folk vibe flowing throughout, rather than simply pop in and out at various intervals. The use of three different styles of vocals (A deep growl, a higher end scream and a clean and melodic voice) adds a little flavour to the song, and helps earn the song a place as one of the E.P.’s strongest.
‘Aftermath’ is next, and it’s here that the folk and death metal elements are separated a little more, allowing Gianotti and the guitarists to lay down some real aggression, with the percussion kept to a minimum.
Finishing up the E.P. is ‘My Siege’, which is a little more varied in terms of tempo from the former track, but still quite aggressive for the most part compared to the opener.
Overall, Krampus have put together an interesting E.P., but one that does have its flaws. Gianotti is a great vocalist, and can growl with the best, but his presence does have a tendency to sound the same after a while. Another problem is the genuine lack of variation from one song to the next. What the band have produced here over the three tracks is O.K., but I think a whole album of songs like these might not work as effectively, and have an adverse effect overall.
The final issue is the production. ‘Kronos’ Heritage’ sounds a little too clean and crisp, and therefore lacks the warmth necessary to make it sound like a band playing as a whole.
In the end, Krampus have what it takes to really come up with something great. But as of right now, their latest E.P. shows they still have some way to go, despite the strengths the E.P. clearly has to offer.

For more information on Krampus, check out - http://www.krampusfolk.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Ritual Necromancy - Oath Of The Abyss

2012-01-06T17:08:00.001+11:00

Ritual Necromancy
Oath Of The Abyss
Dark Descent Records

There’s isn’t a label around today that’s able to unearth the grimmest, soulless and crushing old school death metal like Colorado based label Dark Descent Records.
And if any proof were needed, then you only have to check out their latest signing in Ritual Necromancy, who have just unleashed their debut full-length effort ‘Oath Of The Abyss’ (The follow-up to their demo from a couple of years ago), all the way from the pits of hell.
Despite have only formed in 2009, the four members that make up the Portland, Oregon based outfit (Whose members include bassist/vocalist J.F., guitarists Adam ‘A.W.’ Wheeler AW and Lloyd ‘L.F.’ and drummer Kevin ‘K.S.’ Schreutelkamp) have all been involved within the local scene for a number of years – many of which have recorded albums in the past.
But it’s not the past we’re concerned with here, it’s ‘Oath Of The Abyss’. And what an album it is!
There’s plenty of old school death metal albums on the market these days, but there’s few that can rival Ritual Necromancy for creating a sound that’s so dense, suffocating and menacing, apart from Incantation, who the band are undoubtedly influenced by to some extent.
After the brief introductory piece ‘Accretion’ (Which is suitably eerie sounding with its spoken word incantation and slow building guitar effects), the band quickly launch into the first musical track ‘Cacophonic Dementia’ – which more than lives up its name. Between buzzing rapid fire guitar riffs, lightning paced drumming and smothering guttural growls, Ritual Necromancy certainly pack a hell of punch with their huge wall of death metal sound, which is primarily geared towards crushing the listener into submission throughout its entire duration.
The follow-up track ‘Descent’ doesn’t stray too far from the formula laid down by the previous track, apart from its tapering down of aggression towards the end, while passages with ‘The Chasm’ reveal a touch of doom/drone influence within the band’s song writing, without sounding a bit out of place.
Elsewhere, the quickened blast of the rather short ‘Penitence’ and the epic title track ‘Oath Of The Abyss’ (Which is perhaps one of the albums more straight forward and more thought out songs in terms of memorable riff structures) stand out as the stronger effects on the second half of the album.
‘Oath Of The Abyss’ is as old school death metal as you can get in terms of sound, atmosphere and attitude, and for that, it’s hard not to praise Ritual Necromancy for those points alone.
But if there is a negative, it would have to be the band’s song writing. Sure, there nothing terrible the band offer up with the eight songs on the album, but some of the songs on the album do have a tendency to brush past the listener with their bludgeoning, rather than hook the listener in.
Despite this, Ritual Necromancy is a worthy newcomer to the scene, and ‘Oath Of The Abyss’ does come recommended to those whole prefer the grim, depraved and dark.

For more information on Ritual Necromancy, check out - http://www.ritualnecromancy.blogspot.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Sincera - Cursed And Proud

2012-01-06T16:48:00.001+11:00

Sincera
Cursed And Proud
Abyss Records

While this album from Norwegian act Sincera is considered a relatively new release, in truth ‘Cursed And Proud’ is actually a re-release of sorts, with the album comprising of tracks recorded some six years ago. Initiated as far back as 2002 by vocalist/bassist Thomas Andresen and guitarist Bjørn ‘Tiger’ Mathisen following the demise of cult black/death metal outfit Fester (Who have only just reunited), the pair soon teamed up with guitarist/keyboardist Thomas Aamodt and drummer Lars Erik Duserud, and the band went under the name of Evening. A couple of years later, and a few line-up changes along the way, and Sincera officially came into being.
Sincera was never intended to be a fulltime project for those involved, which has meant that in the nine years the band have loosely been playing together, they’ve only managed to record a single demo in 2005 under the title of ‘Tall And Proud’.
Fast forward several years, and Abyss Records have decided to remaster the band’s demo, along with the addition of some live tracks in order to make up ‘Cursed And Proud’ – the band’s official debut full-length effort.
As mentioned earlier, the first four tracks on ‘Cursed And Proud’ are the four tracks lifted from the band’s demo in remastered form, with the opening track ‘Tall And Proud’ leading the charge. ‘Tall And Proud’ is by far one of the album’s strongest and most interesting efforts, and one of the more misleading efforts. Atmospheric, groove based and somewhat melancholy, the track still retains a blackened death metal vibe for the most part (Especially in terms of the vocals), and brings to mind Satyricon crossed with touches of early Marduk.
The fast paced ‘A Grievers Soul’ is something completely different from the opener, with its suitably grim and traditional black metal sound dominating proceedings, while ‘Blinded’ slots alongside the opener with its strong atmospheric grooves and fairly straightforward riffs structures. But while the song does feature some great lead work throughout, the use of clean vocals in the background are nearly as successful as they could have been had they sounded less amateurish.
Finishing up the studio tracks is ‘Cursed (Could Have Been Such A Beautiful Word If Not Thrown Upon By Others)’, which can only be described as an experiment that doesn’t work. Musically, the song does have some strength (The greater use of keyboards and the slow tempos definitely work at giving the song a different sound), but the quirky clean vocals at the start just makes it hard to enjoy the song as a whole.
The second half of the album presents four live tracks from the band recorded back in 2006. It’s here that the band really show what they’re capable of, with the blasphemous ‘Die Like Jesus Christ’, the moody melodic groove of ‘Smell Of Fear’ and the intense blast of ‘Where Am I!?!’ showing just how far the band had evolved in their short time together. But regardless of how good the songs are, the sound is of bootleg quality, which is not all that surprising given it was lifted directly from a 9mm hand held video camera at the gig. It’s a shame they couldn’t have lifted something from the sound desk.
Finishing up the album is ‘Byron Lawless’, which was written specifically as the entrance song for Norwegian wrestler Byron Lawless. The song is credited as a bonus track, and for very good reason – it’s a fairly simple, repetitive and short song, and one that doesn’t really fit into the rest of the album’s overall sound. In other words, it’s a bit of a throw away track.
Given the history behind ‘Cursed And Proud’, it would be harsh of me to say that the album is a bit of a mess and patchy in places – even if it really is. What I can say however is that it’s an interesting release, and well worth checking out for those who are looking for something a little different sounding from within the blackened death genre, or fans of the cult act Fester.

For more information on Sincera, check out – http://www.reverbnation.com/sincera

© Justin Donnelly

Misfits - Devil's Rain

2012-01-04T20:06:00.001+11:00

Misfits
Devil’s Rain
Cyclopian Music Holdings/Misfits Records

There’s no question that the Glenn Danzig led era of the Misfits is without a doubt my favourite era of the band, with almost everything the band produced in their short six years together considered an absolute classic.
Although I was wary about the return of the Misfits in 1997 with only Jerry Only (Gerald Caiafa – bass and backing vocals) and Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (Paul Caiafa – guitar) remaining from the classic line-up, I was quite impressed with what Michale Graves delivered in the front man role, and satisfied that although it was a completely different sounding group, both ‘American Psycho’ (1997) and ‘Famous Monsters’ (1999) were worthy of standing alongside the band’s former efforts.
But if there’s one release that didn’t sit well with me, it was 2003’s ‘Project 1950’. With Only the sole remaining original member, ‘Project 1950’ allowed him to finally indulge in an album that featured a collection of classic rock ‘n’ roll covers, albeit done in a distinctly Misfits style. While the idea was an intriguing one, the results were anything but interesting. Only’s new band of Misfits lacked that quintessential Misfits horror/punk sound, and Only’s vocals certainly didn’t help one bit.
It’s been a long eight years since the release of that album, but lo and behold, Only and the Misfits are back with a new album in ‘Devil’s Rain’.
Given how disappointed I was with ‘Project 1950’, I wasn’t holding out for a huge return to form from the band, especially given that Only was still holding down the front man role (As well as playing bass). Perhaps it’s for that reason that I was pleasantly surprised with ‘Devil’s Rain’. Sure, the latest incarnation of the Misfits (Who aside from Only, consist of Current members, ex-Black Flag guitarist/backing vocalist Dez Cadena and Murphy’s Law drummer Eric ‘Chupacabra’ Arce) will never produce anything that rivals the former incarnations of the band, but ‘Devil’s Rain’ is at least a far more enjoyable album than their last effort.
The title track ‘The Devil’s Rain’ is a surprisingly less punk/more rock sounding effort than you would otherwise expect from the Misfits. But despite this, the slower pace coupled with a decidedly more tuneful vocal delivery from Only (Not to mention some cool grooves laid down by the band as a whole!) work great.
The faster paced follow up track ‘Vivid Red’ and the Cadena sung ‘Jack The Ripper’ are punchy and more metallic sounding numbers that come across as great fun (Especially the latter), while on ‘Dark Shadows’, ‘Father’ and ‘Monkey’s Paw’, Only finally manages to incorporate his love of the classic 50’s/60’s rock ‘n’ roll into the Misfits sound, without having it sound like a poor imitation.
Both the singles ‘Land Of The Dead’ and ‘Twilight Of The Dead’ make reappearances here in re-recorded form, but you’d be hard pressed to know the difference.
Despite some really strong tracks, ‘Devil’s Rain’ does have some fairly average moments, which include ‘Curse Of The Mummy’s Hand’, the rather bland ‘Unexplained’, ‘Ghost Of Frankenstein’ and the truly misplaced (And painfully awful sounding) ‘Where Do They Go?’.
But while the album has a patchy middle, it does at least end explosively, with Cadena giving the album a huge sounding final blast with the excellent ‘Death Ray’.
‘Devil’s Rain’ isn’t a Misfit’s classic, not by a long shot. But if certainly has some great moments. Only’s singing has come a long way, and the album has some really strong tunes. But most of all, ‘Devil’s Rain’ is a fun listen. And that’s not something I can honestly say about ‘Project 1950’.
Sure, it’s more the Jerry Only All-Stars rather than the Misfits we’ve grown up on, but at least I can enjoy this for what it is.

For more information on Misfits, check out – http://www.misfits.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Michael Schenker - Temple Of Rock

2012-01-04T20:05:00.002+11:00

Michael Schenker
Temple Of Rock
Inakustik Records/MVD Entertainment Group

There was a time when anything featuring the name Michael Schenker meant an instantaneous purchase from yours truly. Such was the talent from the mad German axeman. But somewhere around the late ‘90’s, it was becoming more apparent that whatever was producing the magic in the past wasn’t quite working like it should, and Schenker officially became a shadow of his former self.
That’s not to say that everything Schenker has released in the last fifteen years has been a complete disaster, because almost every album he’s released in that time has had their fair share of moments where the early brilliance of Schenker’s past appears. The big problem is that it’s never produced on a consistent basis. So here we are with Schenker’s latest effort ‘Temple Of Rock’, which is his first solo effort after years playing under the banner of Michael Schenker Group.
The most immediate thing that stands out about the album is its cover. One should never judge anything by its cover, but just once, I’d love to see Schenker release an album that doesn’t make you cringe.
Bad cover aside; it’s safe to say that the line-up that Schenker has assembled for ‘Temple Of Rock’ is again a truly impressive one, with the core ensemble consisting of bassist Pete Way (UFO), keyboardist Wayne Findlay (Who’s played with Schenker for years now) and drummer Herman ‘The German’ Rarebell (Ex-Scorpions). Outside of the group, Schenker has also enlisted a whole host of guests, including his brother Rudolf Schenker (Scorpions guitarist), Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott, guitar legend Leslie West (Mountain), bassist Neil Murray (MSG/ex-Whitesnake/ex-Gary Moore), keyboardists Don Airey (Deep Purple) and Paul Raymond (UFO) and drummers Simon Phillips (Toto/Derek Sherinian), Carmine Appice (King Kobra/Vanilla Fudge/Rod Stewart/Jeff Beck/Blue Murder), Chris Slade (Ex-AC/DC) and Brian Tichy (Billy Idol/Stevie Salas).
It all looked quite impressive, and sounded every bit as promising. But as history has shown, you can have all the guests under the sun, but unless you have the songs to back it up, the album itself won’t sound any stronger that it actually is.
Casting aside the rather silly ‘Intro’ (Which is primarily orchestral, with a heavy handed war themed spoken word voice over from Star Trek’s Captain Kirk - William Shatner), Schenker gets the album underway with ‘How Long’. Up-tempo, rocking in all the right ways and featuring some great vocals from vocalist Michael Voss (Mad Max/Wolfpakk, and an in-demand producer in his own right), ‘How Long’ is a solid start to the album, and a clear example of when Schenker does put his mind to it, he can produce some great stuff.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t last. ‘Fallen Angel’, the plodding ‘Miss Claustrophobia’ (Which is also the first single from the album), the limp ballad ‘With You’ and the cliché ‘80’s lyrical drive of ‘Saturday Night’ are some of the better examples of where Voss comes across as a little too lifeless to really have an impact, and where the production seems a little too polished to allow Schenker’s skills on the guitar shine.
Making matters even worse for Voss is the guest vocalists Doogie White (ex-Rainbow/Yngwie J. Malmsteen/Cornerstone) and Robin McAuley (Survivor/ex- McAuley Schenker Group), who each shine on ‘Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead’ and ‘Lover’s Sinfony’ respectively.
Of course, it’s not all bad news for Voss, who does redeem himself on tracks such as ‘Hanging On’ (Even if the song is a little repetitive), the fast paced duo of ‘The End Of An Era’ and ‘Storming In’, the heavy groove of ‘Speed’ and the surprisingly modern sounding ‘Scene Of Crime’.
And as for the ‘3 Generations Guitar Battle Version’ of ‘How Long’ with Amott and West trading off with Schenker, don’t hold your breath for fireworks. Had they come up with something new, it may have been different. But playing in an alternate version of a song that’s already on the album comes across as nothing more than trying to include the guitarists rather than catering to their musical strengths.
‘Temple Of Rock’ is a good album, and easily sits alongside Schenker’s more recent effort ‘In The Midst Of Beauty’ with MSG in 2008, and Voss is certainly easier on the ear than Jari Tiura was on 2006’s rather disastrous ‘Tales Of Rock ’N’ Roll’.
The only problem is that I was hoping for something a little stronger and more memorable than good from Schenker this time around.

For more information on Michael Schenker, check out - http://www.michaelschenkerhimself.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Entrails - The Tomb Awaits

2012-01-02T20:55:00.001+11:00

Entrails
The Tomb Awaits
F.D.A. Rekotz

Despite having formed around the time that the Swedish death metal movement was really starting to take shape (In other words, around 1990), and disbanding around 1998, Växjö based act Entrails is notably absent from Swedish death metal history, primarily because the band never officially released anything in their whole existence. Not surprisingly, guitarist/founder Jimmy ‘Bloodspill’ Lundqvist was disappointed with the band’s lack of success in the recording studio, and after a ten year absence from the scene, decided to finally give the band’s music justice by resurrecting an entirely new line-up and unleashed their independently released ‘Reborn’ demo in 2008.
In the years since, Entrails have seemingly been trying to make up for lost time, with their second demo ‘Human Decay’ (Again, independently released) emerging in 2009, and their first official full-length album ‘Tales From The Morgue’ finally seeing the light of day in 2010. With as little as sixteen months since the release of their debut, Entrails (Who comprise of Lundqvist, vocalist/bassist Jocke Svensson, guitarist Mathias Nilsson and new drummer/backing vocalist Adde Mitroulis) are back with their latest effort ‘The Tomb Awaits’.
As expected, Entrails haven’t strayed too far from where they last left listeners on their debut, with ‘The Tomb Awaits’ sounding very much like a long lost classic from Sweden’s early death metal era – meaning that essentially this is another album that worships the sound pioneered by Entombed and Grave, and later revisited by Bloodbath. With a sound and direction that’s entrenched in death metal’s glorious past, you could hardly describe Entrails as anything remotely original. But despite this, Entrails do manage to entertain listeners with ‘The Tomb Awaits’ more often than not.
Unlike a lot of instrumental opening tracks, the title track ‘The Tomb Awaits’ is quite well done and a little different from the same old themes done by most, and compliments the Hell the band unleash with their follow up effort ‘Unleashed Wrath’.
The band utilize some slower tempos and melodic riffing within ‘Crawling Death’ to great effect, while a guest vocal appearance from death metal legend Dan Swanö and the different sounding guitar solos on ‘Eaten By The Dead’ is other high moment on the album.
Elsewhere, tracks such as ‘Undead’ (Another fine example of the guitarists providing solos that are a more thought out and melodic than expected), ‘End Of All Existence’ (Which features a guest guitar solo contribution from Ola Amoeba Death), the re-recording of ‘Total Death’ (From their ‘Human Decay’ demo) and the crushing closer ‘Unspeakable Obscenities’ are the pick of the remainder.
Entrails are a far cry from what you would seriously consider original in terms of their song writing, and their sound is a throwback to a bygone era. But despite their obvious flaws, Entrails are good at what they do, and at the very least, ‘The Tomb Awaits’ is a good old-fashioned death-like blast from the past – Swedish style.

For more information on Entrails, check out – http://www.myspace.com/entrailsreborn

© Justin Donnelly

The Best Of 2011

2011-12-30T18:35:00.000+11:00

2011 has certainly been a busy year in terms of releases. And just like every year, the music released throughout the year brought on its mix of unexpected surprises, stunning gems, sad misfires and absolute barkers. As per usual, I’d like to point out that this is by no means a definitive list of what the best albums/songs of 2011 were. Instead, it’s a list of releases that got me excited, and reaffirmed my belief that even though the music industry is only a former shadow of its once glorious self, there’s no shortage of great music on offer.

Top 10 Albums Of 2011

1. Black Country Communion – 2 (J&R Adventures/Fontana Distribution)

Supergroups are a strange beast, with some living up to their hype, and some completely failing to match listener’s expectations with their efforts. And Black Country Communion is no exception. While their debut was a solid release, it hardly blew me away. But with ‘2’, the band pulled out all the stops, cast aside their reservations and delivered an absolute killer album. If this album is a true indication of what the band can do, I hope there’s more to come in the future.

2. Floating Me - Floating Me (Independent Release/Cross Section/Inertia Pty. Ltd.)

A group of well-known musicians that promised great things given those involved, and duly delivered well and truly beyond my initial expectations. Forward thinking, diverse and at times completely different from what you would expect, Floating Me’s debut is not for those who are looking for an easily digestible metal album, but more for those who aren’t afraid to embrace the strange and the experimental beyond the finite metal genre.

3. Anthrax – Worship Music (Nuclear Blast Records)

I’ve always been a big fan of Anthrax, but even I’d had enough of the soap opera that was continually dogging the band ever since Bush left in 2005. So with Anthrax returning with a new album and Belladonna back on board after having tried completing the same release with former front man Dan Nelson – I was less than enthusiastic about the prospects of a return to glory for the New Yorkers. Needless to say, I was wrong in a big way. Not what I would call an all-out Anthrax classic, but definitely a worthy release from a band that most fans had almost given up on.

4. Anathema – Falling Deeper (Kscope Music/Snapper Music)

New orchestral arrangements of past classics? It’s hardly a new twist, and far from an entirely captivating way to keep fans coming back for more – Right? Under normal circumstances – yes. But this is Anathema, and given the band’s more recent track record, this is something worthy. Serene, haunting and absolutely captivating, ‘Falling Deeper’ may be a selection of old songs given a makeover, but the end results sound completely new in a familiar kind of way. Fans of the band’s last couple of releases (2008’s ‘Hindsight’ and 2010’s ‘We’re Here Because We’re Here’) have to check this out.

5. In Flames - Sounds Of A Playground Fading (Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia)

For some, In Flames were never really the same once they released ‘Clayman’ in 2000. In a lot of ways I agree with that, because their sound did change a lot with their follow-up to ‘Reroute To Remain’ (2002). As the years progressed, In Flames’ releases have been greeted with a mixed response, with those preferring the band’s old sound, and those who enjoyed In Flames’ latter day sound. But after years of trial and error, In Flames finally found the perfect mix of both eras. Guitarist Jesper Strömblad may have been absent, but you certainly wouldn’t know it.

6. Truth Corroded - Worship The Bled (Truth Inc. Records/M.G.M. Distribution)

Adelaide (South Australia) based thrash/metalcore outfit Truth Corroded have always impressed with their ability to go from strength to strength with every new release, and their fourth album ‘Worship The Bled’ is no exception. Brutal, catchy and absolutely kicking from start to finish. This is one hell of a release, and Truth Corroded deserves all the success they get from such an album.

7. Leprous – Bilateral (Inside Out Music/Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia)

Exploratory, adventurous and really hard to pin down, ‘Bilateral’ is one of those albums that you either love or loathe. And I definitely loved it. I love all facets of progressive rock, but if there’s one album within the genre worthy of singling out as something really special, it’s the Norwegian’s latest effort.

8. Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn Of Events (Roadrunner Records/Warner Music Australia)

Somewhere deep down inside, I knew that Dream Theater would always be able to produce what was needed following drummer Mike Portnoy’s less than amicable split with the band. After all, everyone within the band is a song writer in their own right, and Dream Theater has a well and truly established sound. But there’s something about the consistency and well-rounded nature of the band’s latest effort that has been missing on some of their more recent releases. It’s still far from a perfect release, but if the band continues to move forward in this direction, I’m definitely looking forward to the band’s future outfit.

9. The Haunted – Unseen (Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia)

I’m definitely in the minority here, but I actually like the albums The Haunted have made beyond the self-titled debut back in 1998. Unlike some of the band’s former efforts, ‘Unseen’ really does show what Peter Dolving is capable of as a vocalist, from both the extreme parameters right through to the more melodic stuff. Most old-school fans of The Haunted were disappointed with this album, but personally, I don’t think the band would be half as interesting as they are now if they simply dished out their self-titled album time and time again.

10. Steven Wilson – Grace For Drowning (Kscope Music/Snapper Music)

Broader in scope, more progressive and definitely more experimental that anything Wilson produced on his first solo release (2009’s ‘Insurgentes’), ‘Grace For Drowning’ is far from a casual or easy listen, but worth the time and patience it demands of the listener. Sonically the album is an absolute feast for audiophiles, all the while an absolute masterpiece for those who relish Wilson’s penchant for the most unexpected hook in an otherwise impenetrable wall of sound.

Top 10 Favourite Songs Of 2011

I’ve never written a list of top ten tracks before, so I’m not sure if this list really qualified as the best of what I’ve heard this year in terms of single tracks. So with that in mind, I’ve chosen songs from albums that didn’t quite make it into my top ten albums of the year so that I could cover a little more (And different) ground.

1. Tesla – 2nd Street (From ‘Twisted Wires & The Acoustic Sessions…’)

Tesla with acoustic guitars is a match made in classic rock heaven, and this brand new track from their latest recording is an absolute stunner. Tesla has rarely failed to deliver in their twenty-five years, and this is clear proof of that.

2. Symphony X – Children Of A Faceless God (From ‘Iconoclast’)

I’ve always been a captivated by Russel Allen’s ability to create an incredibly stirring hook in Symphony X’s work, and this is without a doubt one of my favourites from this album. This is pure genius as far as I’m concerned.

3. Devin Townsend – Blackberry (From ‘Ghost’)

Devin Townsend can pretty much cover any sort of genre he wants, and still makes it sound different. So to hear him delving a little more into the country side of things really doesn’t come as any surprise. The fact that the song is so good can really only be seen as a bonus.

4. Evile – The Cult (From ‘Five Serpent’s Teeth’)

The only reason Evile’s album didn’t make my top ten list of 2011 is because I’m still waiting for my copy to arrive by mail through Amazon. But if the album is anything to go by this absolutely thrashing scorcher, I just know I’ll be spinning the disc for some years to come.

5. Sepultura – Mask (From ‘Kairos’)

Sepultura have certainly endured some hard times over the years since the departure of Max Cavalera. But unlike most, I actually like the albums with Derrick Green out front – especially their latest effort ‘Kairos’. The album is full of great tunes, but it’s ‘Mask’ that really stands out. The mix of spoken words and growls, and the clever use of textures on the musical front is well done, and shows that the band aren’t afraid to keep pushing the boundaries beyond the tried and true formula of the old Sepultura sound.

6. Decapitated – 404 (From ‘Carnival Is Forever’)

Decapitated remerged with a new take on their technical death metal sound on ‘Carnival Is Forever’, and it wasn’t embraced by all. Personally, I loved the album, and in particular tracks like ‘404’ where the band really push their sound into previously unexplored areas. Technically proficient, but experimental and abstract in terms of background atmospherics and use of effects. In other words it’s progressive, but still brutal.

7. The Eternal – Departure (From ‘Under A New Sun’)

Befitting its name, ‘Departure’ shows a different side to The Eternal, with the band bringing to the fore their Pink Floyd influences – particularly within the guitar solo. It’s not likely to be played live all that often, or remembered by fans as one of the album’s more stand out tracks. But to these ears, it’s a definite favourite.

8. Dredg – The Ornament (From ‘Chuckles And Mr. Squeezy’)

O.K., I’ll admit this is far from metal, but a good song will always be a good song. And although Dredg’s latest effort sees the band straying too far from their core sound in the musical sense for most, they still know how to write some great songs. This is by far one of the album’s more chilled out and emotive efforts, and one of the album’s stronger tracks. The fact that it’s my five year old’s favourite song for 2011 also works in its favour.

9. Alice Cooper – I Am Made Of You (From ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’)

Alice Cooper has never been afraid to try something new on his albums, and his latest release is well and truly one of the most diversified efforts to date. But unfortunately, not all of it worked. One track that did was the opener ‘I Am Made Of You’. Musically tied in with the classic ‘Steven’ with its haunting atmospherics, and featuring some truly classic rock inspired lead guitar work, this song is a strange way to start off the album, but perfect in a lot of ways.

10. Blackfield – Far Away (From ‘Welcome To My DNA’)

Depressing pop with real emotional depth - that pretty much sums up this track. It’s a bitter and sad song that could only come from the combined efforts of Porcupine Tree/No-Man mastermind Steven Wilson and Israeli artist Aviv Geffen, but with a distinctly pop feel underpinning it all. Beautifully tragic, and yet oh so catchy.

Biggest Surprise Of 2011

Nick D’Virgilio vacating the vocal/drum position in Spock’s Beard, and then discovering that Ted Leonard (Enchant/Thought Chamber) was taking his place. I’m sad to see D’Virgilio go, but Leonard is certainly an interesting choice. Time will tell if SB MKIII’s recording plans will match the brilliance of last’s year’s ‘X’.

Biggest Disappointment Of 2011

Most will no doubt take a stab at Metallica’s misguided match up with Lou Reed on the woeful ‘Lulu’. But I think that’s a little too obvious. Personally, I can’t help but shake my head at Megadeth, who I think really put the bare minimum into their latest release ‘Th1rt3en’. Megadeth have rarely let me down in the past (I say rarely – not never), but this album is simply by the numbers to my ears.

Best Newcomer Of 2011

I would have said Floating Me, but I didn’t want to repeat myself. So I’ll go with Tasmanian act Deligma, who made their debut on the scene with ‘Forever Faded’. I’m keen hear where the band will take their progressive/nu-metal/modern metal sound next.

Most Anticipated Album For 2012

The upcoming Black Sabbath album. I’m not getting my hopes up (Especially given the lacklustre studio efforts on 1998’s ‘Reunion’ live album), but I’m looking forward to seeing what they can come up with alongside producer Rick Rubin.

Brand New Sin - United State

2011-12-30T17:41:00.000+11:00

Brand New Sin
United State
Goomba Music

New York (Syracuse) based outfit Brand New Sin should be, by rights a lot bigger than what they actually are. After all, they’ve released some fairly solid and likeable albums, and toured relentlessly for the better part of the last nine years with practically every big named band under the sun.
But given the band’s history with record labels, and their constant line-up changes, it’s not all that hard to understand why Brand New Sin just can’t seem to build on any small amount of success they’ve earned without having to start all over again after another issue arises. But despite the struggles the band have endured over the years, they still persist at what they do best – and that’s making honest hard rocking Southern-tinged rock.
Following on from the success of their independently released ‘Distilled’ album from 2009, Brand New Sin underwent another line-up change after long-time guitarist Kenny Dunham decided to part ways following the album’s release. Not wanting to rush into making a mistake, the band (Comprising of vocalist/guitarist Kris Wiechmann, bassist Chuck Kahl and drummer Kevin Dean) eventually settled on ex-Born Again Rebels guitarist Tommy Matkowski to fill in the vacated position.
Having spent the last year getting themselves familiar with each other, Brand New Sin finally returned to the studio to start recording a new album. The results of their latest venture has brought forth their fifth full-length effort ‘United State’ – which is also their first for their new label Goomba Music.
Although they have revamped their line-up, and found a new label for their new album, ‘United State’ is very much business as usual for Brand New Sin. And while that may sound like a negative, for Brand New Sin, it’s an absolute positive!
The band gets things off to a rocking start with the all guns blazing opener ‘The Lord Came Down’, which is a raw and huge sounding track that boasts some great lead work from the guitarists, and an impressive rocking performance from Wiechmann – who sounds more confident in the front man role. Although strong, the opener is shown up with the follow up track ‘Know Yourself’, which is definitely one of the many stand out tracks on the album, while the infectious ‘All My Wheels’ and the southern boogie rock of ‘Bed Of Nails’ are tracks that prove that the band can write catchy songs, without losing any of their trademark riff rock sound.
Elsewhere, the band delve into acoustic territory on the blues-tinged ‘Rotten As Hell’, the straight-forward blue collar sounding ‘Elbow Grease’ and ‘Travel Well (The Les Daniels Song)’, while on the all-out rocking front, the The Cult-like ‘Infamous’ reminds me of ‘Wildflower’. ‘Goddess Of War’ and the band’s cover of AC/DC’s ‘What Do You Do For Money Honey’ well and truly rock.
As an added bonus, the C.D. version of the album also comes with the acoustic rocker ‘Glory Days’ (Why is such a great track not a part of the official album?), and acoustic version of ‘Sad Wings’ (Which originally appeared on their self-titled debut from 2002) and a rather rough and ready cover of Black Sabbath’s classic ‘The Wizard’.
Although ‘United State’ is far from a classic album, it is a huge step up from the band’s last full-length release. Wiechmann sounds stronger and more confident out front, and the band sounds as strong as ever, despite the change of members.
Overall, ‘United State’ is a rocking and fun album, and one that Brand New Sin fans will no doubt see as another hard rocking and great effort from the band.

For more information on Brand New Sin, check out - http://www.brandnewsin.org/

© Justin Donnelly

Tesla - Twisted Wires & The Acoustic Sessions...

2011-12-10T17:14:00.000+11:00

Tesla

Twisted Wires & The Acoustic Sessions...

Tesla Electric Company Recordings

This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of ‘Mechanical Resonance’, the critically acclaimed debut full-length effort from Sacramento (California) based hard rock outfit act Tesla. And in celebration of this monumental milestone, the five piece act has put together something special for fans in the form of ‘Twisted Wires & The Acoustic Sessions...’.

As the title suggests, ‘Twisted Wires & The Acoustic Sessions...’ is primarily an acoustic based affair, and unlike their classic live effort from ‘Five Man Acoustical Jam’ from 1990 (The album that’s regarded as the catalyst for the huge unplugged movement throughout the ‘90’s), the track listing is a mixture of past classics and more recent favourites, along with a couple of new tracks for diehard fans.

What will really interest fans is the fact that half of the album’s dozen tracks are taken from recording sessions dating back as far as 2005 - which is otherwise the last known recording from the original line-up of the band (Who at the time comprised of vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist/vocalist/pianist Frank Hannon, guitarist Tommy Skeoch, bassist/pianist Brian Wheat and drummer Troy Luccketta). Fans have been well aware of these recordings, and have anxiously been waiting for the band to release them for some time. And sure enough, they’ve been well worth the wait.

What’s really interesting about the recordings with Skeoch is the band’s choice of songs to cover. Obviously keen to avoid the obvious, the band decided to re-record songs that weren’t originally covered on ‘Five Man Acoustical Jam’, with lesser known cuts ‘Hang Tough’ and ‘Edison’s Medicine’ representing the past reworked classics. Despite my familiarity with the pair of songs, these re-recordings sound great, and have in turn given the songs an entirely new lease of life.

The final three from the Skeoch sessions include a surprising take on the under-rated gem ‘Shine Away’ (From 1994’s ‘Bust A Nut’), which in a lot of ways works better than the original, as well as a solid run through of the at-the-time newer track ‘Into The Now’ and a damn near perfect acoustic cover of Climax Blues Band’s ‘I Love You’ (Which the band later covered on their ‘A Peace Of Time’ E.P. from 2007), which could have easily be mistaken for a Tesla original.

In terms of new recordings, Tesla (With Dave Rude replacing Skeoch), revisit a selection of past classics (‘What You Give’, ‘A Lot To Lose’ and ‘Song And Emotion’), as well as throw in a couple of fan favourites (The band’s choice of reworking ‘Changes’ is positively inspired, and a definite stand out, as too is the laid back vibe on ‘Caught In A Dream’).

Of course, ‘Twisted Wires & The Acoustic Sessions...’ isn’t a complete trip down memory lane, with the band offering up two new tracks in the form of ‘2nd Street’ and ‘Better Off Without You’. As you would expect, both tracks are fairly stripped back efforts (The latter does feature some electric guitars), and fit seamlessly with the band’s older classics. Despite both having that vintage Tesla charm, I’d have to favour ‘2nd Street’ with its huge sing along chorus and Beatles influenced melodic lead guitar work.

‘Twisted Wires & The Acoustic Sessions...’ certainly isn’t an official follow-up to 2008’s ‘Forever More’, but more a studio companion piece to ‘Five Man Acoustical Jam’. Some fans may find this release somewhat redundant, but if the new songs on this album are any indication of what to expect from the band on their next release, then it’s clear that when the band’s new album does arrive, it’ll be more than worth the wait.

‘Twisted Wires & The Acoustic Sessions...’ is definitely a worthy addition to any self-respecting Tesla fans collection.

For more information on Tesla, check out - http://www.teslatheband.com/

Dark Forest - Dawn Of Infinity

2011-11-10T18:30:00.000+11:00

Dark Forest
Dawn Of Infinity
Cruz Del Sur Music

Dudley (U.K.) based outfit Dark Forest have been around for some years, with no less than three E.P.’s and one full-length (2009’s self-titled effort through Eyes Like Snow Records) emerging from the band over the nine years they’ve been together to date. You can be forgiven if you’ve never heard of the band until now, given that almost everything they have released has been on fairly small independent labels. But after several years building up a name for themselves, Dark Forest (Who since 2009, have consisted of vocalist Will Lowry-Scott, guitarists Jim Lees and Christian Horton (Who was briefly a guitarist in N.W.O.B.H.M. act Cloven Hoof, and also dabbles in the acoustic folk outfit Grene Knyght), ex-Excalibur bassist Paul Thompson and drummer Adam Sidaway) have secured the services of the well and truly established Cruz Del Sur Music, who have duly released the band’s sophomore effort ‘Dawn Of Infinity’.
In a lot of ways, the pairing up of Dark Forest and Cruz Del Sur Music makes perfect sense. After all, Cruz Del Sur Music specialises in classic heavy/power metal music (Acts such as Argus, Slough Feg, Twisted Tower Dire, Pharaoh and Atlantean Kodex are just some of the label’s more recent acquisitions), and then there’s Dark Forest – who excel at reviving the classic N.W.O.B.H.M. (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal), without sounding like they’re trying too hard to sound retro, or cloning early Iron Maiden and Angel Witch to the point of sheer plagiarism.
The opening track ‘Hourglass’ is an energetic anthem that immediately showcases the great voice Lowry-Scott brings to the band since joining a couple of years ago (He was introduced to listeners via 2009’s three track ‘Defender’ E.P. through Iron Kodex Records), and his ability to craft some memorable melodies around the band’s classic traditional heavy metal/guitar driven song structures.
Elsewhere, ‘The Green Knight’ and ‘Under The Greenwood Tree’ are further firm favourites with their infectious melodies and subtle folk influences from the guitarists, while ‘Seize The Day’, ‘Through A Glass Darkly’ and ‘Black Delta’ are absolute thumping anthems that boast the classic metal riffing that you would expect from a N.W.O.B.H.M. act, but with just a touch of power metal to add a little more power to their sound – without making the band’s sound too generic or too modernised.
Although ‘Dawn Of Infinity’ does have a couple of songs that don’t quite work as well, Dark Forest have managed to produce a very impressive album overall.
If you enjoy classic N.W.O.B.H.M. that doesn’t bow to modern day influences, then don’t look past Dark Forest’s latest effort. This album really does rock, and is a thoroughly enjoyable trip down memory lane into metal’s golden era.

For more information on Dark Forest, check out - http://www.myspace.com/darkforestrealm

© Justin Donnelly

Hemoptysis - Misanthropic Slaughter

2011-11-10T18:19:00.000+11:00

Hemoptysis
Misanthropic Slaughter
Independent Release

With thrash metal having well and truly made a comeback over the last ten years, it really hasn’t come as any surprise to see a whole new generation of metal fans trying their hand at taking the classic thrash metal sound of old and giving it a new twist and calling it their own. While some have managed to recreate the classic sounds of the past quite well (Evile, Bonded By Blood and Warbringer are just three names that spring to mind), there are some that just simply don’t come close to measuring up, or make the mistake of modernising their sound so much that it’s hard to recognise it as thrash. In other words, finding a thrash metal act that actually lives up to the thrash standard laid down by the acts of thrash’s heyday is a real challenge.
But one name that should definitely be included in the short list of acts that have managed to capture the essence and fell of classic thrash is Hemoptysis. Founded back in 2007, Hemoptysis have to date managed to release an E.P. (2008’s ‘Who Needs A Shepherd?’), which earned the Tempe (Arizona, U.S.) based act some considerable praise at the time. But after a lengthy three years away, the four piece act (Comprising of vocalist/lead/rhythm guitarist Masaki Murashita, ex-Excessive Bleeding lead guitarist Ryan Miller, bassist Sunao ‘Ren’ Arai and drummer Travis Thune) are back with their debut full-length effort ‘Misanthropic Slaughter’. And it’s a killer!
The album opens up with the title track ‘Misanthropic Slaughter’, and within its first minute, there’s no denying the band is here to thrash. Unlike a lot of so-called thrash acts, Hemoptysis’ sound is far from one dimensional, with the diversity of riffs from Murashita and Miller both varied and catchy, and the song itself memorable and classic in style. Vocally, Murashita adds plenty of aggression to the mix with a style that brings to mind Kreator front man Mille Petrozza, while the songs solos are well thought out and executed.
As good as the opener is, it’s the follow-up tracks ‘Hopeless’ and ‘M.O.D.’ that really showcase the band’s strength in their song writing, with the former a mid-paced monster that features some glean clean lead work, and the latter that features a darker/melodic death metal tone in places, and virtually annihilates everything in its path.
From here, the band maintains the bar set by the album’s opening three tracks, with the groove based ‘And The World Dies’ (A track that’s been re-recorded from their first E.P.), the savage battering of ‘The Cycle’, the classic sounding ‘Shadow Of Death’ (Which is another re-recorded effort from their debut E.P., and the first song to be given the promotional video clip treatment) and the superb dual-tempo epic closer ‘End Of Sorrow’ just some of the many highlights dotted throughout the album.
Although the band haven’t quite mastered their overall sound on ‘Misanthropic Slaughter’ (Some of the songs seem to veer off the traditional thrash path to take on a more groove orientated direction, or include some death metal influences at times), it’s hard to ignore the high quality of songs and performance that are present on Hemoptysis’ debut effort.
There’s a whole host of newcomers on today’s thrash scene, but few rarely qualify as the real deal. Hemoptysis is definitely the exception, and by far one of the most promising unsigned acts in the as thrash scene today. To sum all this up - ‘Misanthropic Slaughter’ is one hell of an album.

For more information on Hemoptysis, check out - http://www.hemoptysismetal.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Allele - Next To Parallel

2011-11-03T19:56:00.000+11:00

Allele
Next To Parallel
Goomba Music

Despite taking a few years to get off the ground, when Jacksonville (Florida, U.S.) based act Allele finally secured a solid line-up, they soon hit the road and started building up quite a following after supporting the likes of Saliva, Nonpoint, Staind, Sevendust, Earshot, Trapt and Godhead. Not surprisingly, the band were soon offered a record deal, and within ten months, their debut effort ‘Point Of Origin’ was released (In late 2005) through independent label Corporate Punishment Records. Bolstered by an overwhelmingly positive response from both the press and fans alike, and sales figures to match, it would have appeared that Allele’s future looked bright.
But within a year, things started falling apart, with lead guitarist Kelly Hayes (Ex-Cold) leaving the group in early 2006. Despite the group’s determination to forge ahead as a four piece, vocalist Wally Wood (Ex-Troubled Mind) soon made the decision to part ways. Although the band recruited a new vocalist (Andy Toole), and embarked on a month long tour with 10 Years and Evans Blue, by 2009, Allele was over with.
But in a strange twist, Allele would once again reform when Wood got in touch with the rest of the band. One thing led to another, and after a lengthy six year break, Allele (Comprising of Wood, Hayes, new rhythm guitarist Mason Romaine (Replacing Lane Maverick), bassist Tim Tobin and drummer Giancarlo Autenzio) have finally returned with their long awaited sophomore effort ‘Next To Parallel’ - which is also their first for their new label home Goomba Music.
Although I hardly categorised ‘Point Of Origin’ as the kind of album that changed the face of modern music, I could honestly say that I really enjoyed their debut, and appreciated it for what it really was (Hard rock/alternative/nu-metal with a strong melodic structural underpinning). So after a six year wait, I was really looking forward to see where Allele was heading musically with ‘Next To Parallel’.
The opening track ‘Let It Go’ (Which is also the first single/promotional video clip) is quick to announce the subtle changes within the band’s sound since their last release, and it’s really quite subtle. There’s a maturity in their sound, and a greater element of thought gone into the guitar structures evident. Whereas the band’s debut was heavier, simplistic and catchy, ‘Let It Go’ sounds a little more subdued, a little dark and delivered from a band that seems a little more sure of what they’re doing this time around.
‘Closure’, much like the opener is a solid number that doesn’t rely on aggression, but more makes its presence felt with guitar riffs that are measured and calculated, and a chorus that really gets you hooked after a few listens. That’s not to say that Allele rely solely on the keeping things mellow and measured, as tracks such as ‘Drone’, ‘Something Cured’, ‘Answers’, ‘Feed The Wolves’ and the closer ‘To Arms’ (Which is definitely a personal favourite, and one of the truly different sounding songs from Allele) boasting a little more aggression from Wood in the vocal department, as well as a little more attack from the remainder of the band.
But the album does have some fundamental flaws in its design. One is the overall tone of the album. With a general vibe of maturity and comfort that can be gathered from listening to the album, you can’t help but feel that at times, it’s also hard to differentiate each song as an individual song unto itself. The other real problem is that at thirteen tracks long, it does overstay its welcome over its fifty minutes.
Although having some issues, ‘Next To Parallel’ is a solid follow up to ‘Point Of Origin’, even if it was a little long in the making, and a little safe in terms of sound and direction.
Hopefully the album is a success and allows Allele to branch out a little more on their next effort. Not to mention I hope that if there is another album, it won’t be a long six year wait.

For more information on Allele, check out - http://www.alleleonline.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Funeral For A Friend - Welcome Home Armageddon

2011-11-03T19:44:00.000+11:00

Funeral For A Friend
Welcome Home Armageddon
Roadrunner Records/Warner Music Australia

Welsh (Bridgend based) post-hardcore act Funeral For A Friend’s first couple of E.P. releases (2002’s ‘Between Order And Model’ and 2003’s ‘Four Ways To Scream Your Name’) earned the band a huge amount of buzz in the underground, and helped build the hype surrounding the band and ‘The Next Big Thing’ tag that was often attached to their name. So it was no big surprise to see their debut full-length effort ‘Casually Dressed & Deep In Conversation’ (2003) soon turning out to be a huge success from the moment it was released. Predictably enough, the band’s follow-up release ‘Hours’ (2005) was another critically acclaimed effort from the group. But by 2007, Funeral For A Friend decided a change of musical direction was called for, with their third album ‘Tales Don’t Tell Themselves’ showcasing a far more melodic side to the band’s song writing, and most of the hardcore elements of the band’s past laid to rest. While the album was still considered a success, many of the band’s early fans were disappointed with the band’s shift in sound towards the more accessible and radio friendly.
While the band did manage to regain some of the ground (And fans) they lost with their follow-up effort ‘Memory And Humanity’ (2008), their label Atlantic Records’ decision to release the compilation ‘Your History Is Mine: 2002 – 2009’ a year later left many wondering if the band’s time was coming to an end. The truth of the matter is that despite the countless line-up changes, the split from Atlantic Records and drifting off the beaten musical path for the better part of the last couple of album’s has not spelt the end for Funeral For A Friend. And the proof lies solely within their latest album ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’.
With a new line-up in place (Lead vocalist Matthew Davies-Kreye, guitarist/backing vocalist Kris Coombs-Roberts and drummer/aggressive vocalist Ryan Richards have welcomed guitarist/backing vocalist Gavin Burrough (Who previously played bass, and who was once a member of Hondo Maclean, Ghostlines and The Future) and ex-Hondo Maclean/Hurricane-Joe/Ghostlines bassist Richard Boucher into the fold), Funeral For A Friend have once again reinvented themselves and their sound, and delivered an album that’s as much rooted in the past and it in heading towards the future.
After a very short (And somewhat unnecessary) instrumental introductory piece (‘This Side Of Brightness’), Funeral For A Friend gets straight down to business with ‘Old Hymns’. It’s on this track that the band really fine tune their sound to incorporate the hardcore sound of their past (Metallic riffs and relentless double kick drumming throughout) with the melodic feel of their more recent past. The band sound re-energised and inspired, and the fusion of sounds gives the song a strength that hasn’t been heard in the band’s song writing in some time.
The mix of old and new isn’t isolated to one track either, with songs such as ‘Aftertaste’, the heavy and lengthy ‘Spinning Over The Island’, ‘Man Alive’ and ‘Damned If You Do, Dead If You Don’t’ all combining the best elements of both eras of the band’s past in truly inspiring form.
Richards takes on the lead role on the aggressive ‘Front Row Seats To The End Of The World’ (The album’s first single/promotional video clip) and the brutal ‘Broken Foundation’ (Which features some fantastic solo work), while ‘Owls (Are Watching)’ and the title track ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’ are the favourites amongst the album’s more melodic and rocking efforts.
As little as four years ago, Funeral For A Friend was losing fans in their droves, and many were claiming the band was all but washed up. But with ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’, Funeral For A friend have managed to produce one of their finest efforts in years, and proven everyone wrong.
The band’s earlier releases may have been hailed as their best, but I’ll be damned if ‘Welcome Home Armageddon’ isn’t up there with their early classic efforts.

For more information on Funeral For A Friend, check out - http://www.funeralforafriend.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Human Sculpture - Our World / Torn Down

2011-11-03T19:29:00.000+11:00

Human Sculpture
Our World / Torn Down
Independent Release

The mixing of melodic death metal with thrash metal is nothing new these days. One only needs to look at the number of bands within today’s extreme metal scene and see that there is countless numbers of acts out there vying for the same crowd as the rest. Another new contender to throw amongst the large number of acts that already exist within the genre is Finnish (Järvenpää based) act Human Sculpture.
Formed less than a year ago, the five piece act (Comprising of vocalist Ville Mansikkaviita, guitarists Mikko Pylkkö and Jussi Salolainen, bassist Samu Pasanen and drummer Jaakko Jaakkola) have wasted no time in putting together their debut E.P. release ‘Our World / Torn Down’.
While the thought of reviewing another melodic death/thrash metal act didn’t exactly have me chomping at the bit with anticipation, I must admit that after giving ‘Our World / Torn Down’ a few spins, it’s clear that Human Sculpture are anything but the same old band punching out the same old sound, like many in the same realm.
The most immediate thing about Human Sculpture’s debut effort is the sheer power and brutality when the band delivers their brand of melodic death/thrash metal. The opening track ‘Deconstruction’ reminds me of the tight knit/technical precision musicianship of Decapitated and Meshuggah, with the sharpness of the riffing and fluency of the drumming sounding as tight as the bands mentioned, but with enough rawness in the sound to give the songs an organic edge over the overly processed vibe that can sometimes work against the most technical and brutal of acts these days.
Vocalist Mansikkaviita doesn’t have the broadest of range, with much of his delivery sticking primarily to guttural growls and some higher growls. But what he lacks in range, he does make up for in terms of keeping his vocals varied.
On the song writing front, the band keep things interesting by varying the tempo enough to ensure the songs don’t become repetitive, with the mid-paced and groove based second song ‘The Wait’ one of the more obvious examples of where the band shift gears throughout with considerable success.
Finishing up the E.P. is ‘A Heart’, which is by far the E.P.’s heaviest effort, as well as its most progressive and technically challenged in terms of arrangement, with the band fluidly transitioning between huge grooving passages and blast beat moments via huge breakdowns.
Production wise, it’s hard to find a fault on ‘Our World/Torn Down’, with Jarno Hänninen (Who recorded, mixed and mastered the three tracks at D-Studio) giving the band a sound that’s every bit as huge and dynamic sounding as you would expect of a signed act.
The only minor issue is that as good as Human Sculpture’s three song offerings are - there is a sense of familiarity in sound and direction on all three, which means that over the course of a full-length effort, the band could run the risk of having an album that sounds like it’s running a whole lot longer than it is.
Apart from my minor quibble over the song writing, I thoroughly enjoyed Human Sculpture’s brutal take on the melodic death/thrash metal sound, and I'm keen to see what the band will produce in the near future.

For more information on Human Sculpture, check out - http://www.myspace.com/humansculptureband

© Justin Donnelly

Alice Cooper - Welcome 2 My Nightmare

2011-11-01T21:50:00.000+11:00

Alice Cooper
Welcome 2 My Nightmare
Nightmare Inc./Sony Music Entertainment

When Alice Cooper first mentioned the idea of putting to together an official sequel to his classic ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ album from 1975, I wasn’t exactly over enthused with the move. The idea of a producing a follow up to such an iconic classic after so many years was always going to be a challenge, with the worst case scenario being that his new album would diminish and tarnish the reputation and status of the original.
But as further news filtered out about ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’, things did seem a little more promising. Bob Ezrin, who produced many of Cooper’s classic releases in the past (Including ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ original sequel ‘Goes To Hell’ in 1976, and who last worked with Cooper on 1983’s rather confused and fascinating ‘DaDa’) was brought in to oversee the project, and the vast array of guest artists scheduled to appear on the album was admittedly looking rather impressive. But despite the big names and the promise of a return to the nightmarish conceptual storyline that Cooper began some thirty-six years earlier, I didn’t really hold my hopes up for anything that would rival the original in terms of classic status. In fact, if I were honest, I was expecting a real disappointment.
Perhaps it had a lot to do with my lowered expectations, but I must admit that ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ is actually a much stronger and more inspired release than I thought it would ever be.
‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ opens up in an unexpected manner, with the slower paced ‘I Am Made Of You’ initially starting out with a piano part lifted from ‘Steven’ and Cooper manipulating his voice to give it an effect similar to auto-tune via vocoder. The song itself has a definite classic Cooper/‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ feel, and the guitar contributions from Tommy Henriksen really stand out.
The follow-up track ‘Caffeine’ (The album’s second single) is a hard rocker that mines similar ground Cooper presented listeners on his last few albums (The classic 70’s hard rock sound that was evident on 2003’s ‘The Eyes Of Alice Cooper’ and 2005’s ‘Dirty Diamonds’), but is somewhat of a letdown as it essentially sounds a little too reminiscent of ‘Can’t Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me’ (The bonus track from 2000’s ‘Brutal Planet’).
The brief segue ‘The Nightmare Returns’, while a nice tribute to the original ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’, seems a little lost at this point of the album (As an opener, it would have worked), but Cooper does get things back on track with the totally rocking ‘A Runaway Train’, which depicts Cooper travelling to Hell on a train. Musically, the song is given a classic workout with the original Alice Cooper group (Guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway and drummer Neal Smith) helping to deliver the rocking soundtrack, while country star Vince Gill tops it all off with a killer solo.
Cooper continues to produce some real magic with his Tom Waits inspired ‘Last Man On Earth’ (This new album’s take on ‘Some Folks’), which flows through to the classic rock ‘The Congregation’. It’s these two tracks where Cooper’s humour and wit really shines, and the conceptual aspect of the storyline really flows well.
Unfortunately, ‘I’ll Bite Your Face Off’ (A nod to The Rolling Stones, and featuring the original Cooper group and backing vocals from Rob Zombie) and ‘Ghouls Gone Wild’ are throwaway numbers with their uninspired choruses, while the pseudo disco effort ‘Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever’ (Featuring a solo from John 5) just sounds annoying and out of place, and perhaps would have been better served up as a bonus track/b-side.
Cooper has rarely let down with his ballads, and ‘Something To Remember Me By’ is a classic Cooper/Wagner tune that could have easily found a place on either ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ or ‘Goes To Hell’. In stark contrast, the dark, humourless and menacing ‘When Hell Comes Home’ is another album highlight, with Ezrin providing the sinister piano work and the original Cooper band the haunting/classic backdrop.
The much talked about collaboration between singer/songwriter Kesha (A.K.A. Ke$ha) and Cooper on ‘What Baby Wants’ is actually not as bad as it sounds on paper, even if it is a little too pop based for the most part (I say that because while Steve Hunter is playing guitar, it’s not too over the top).
Finishing up the album is the fantastic ‘I Gotta Get Outta Here’, which not unlike most Cooper albums, is a bombastic and overblown finale with a cool twist.
The official closer is ‘The Underture’ which is an orchestral overture that runs through instrumental takes on tracks from both ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ and ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’, while interesting, is hardly an essential piece to the album’s overall musical concept.
Although preparing myself for a huge letdown, I actually found a lot more to enjoy on ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ than I thought I originally would.
The album does have some filler efforts, and the story doesn’t flow quite in the same way as some other concept efforts from Cooper (‘Goes To Hell’, 1978’s ‘From The Inside’ and 1994’s ‘The Last Temptation’ are better examples of Cooper’s more accomplished conceptual efforts), but as an album, ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ is a strong effort, and proof that Cooper still has what it takes to entertain.

For more information on Alice Cooper, check out - http://www.alicecooper.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Dead Horse - Boil(ing)

2011-11-01T21:33:00.000+11:00

Dead Horse
Boil(ing)
Abyss Records

Houston (Texas, U.S.) based death/thrash/crossover act Dead Horse weren’t exactly a huge success while they were active, but in the fifteen years since the band parted ways, the group’s legacy has endured throughout the years to the point where the band is now more popular and revered than they ever were when they were active.
Over the last few years, three members of Dead Horse (Guitarists Greg Martin and Scott Sevall and drummer/backing vocalist Ronnie Guyote) teamed up with D.R.I. vocalist Kurt Brecht in Pasadena Napalm Division, who duly released their debut self-titled E.P. (Not surprisingly, through Abyss Records) last year to fairly positive reviews.
Perhaps in part to playing together once again, or simply because enough water had passed under the bridge over the years – either way, Dead Horse have once again been reactivated, with plans to release something new to diehard fans sometime in the not too distant future.
In celebration of reformation, Dead Horse (Who now comprise of ex-Force Fed vocalist/bassist Allen ‘Alpo’ Price, Martin, Sevall and Guyote) have decided to re-release their long out of print and final release ‘Boil(ing)’ (Originally released in 1996 through Beermoment Music/Sound Virus Records), which is also the only release to ever emerge from the line-up of the band that exists today.
In terms of its place within the Dead Horse discography, ‘Boil(ing)’ still stands as one of the band’s more experimental and more obscure releases, with Price’s approach on the vocal front (Price replaced Mike Haaga in 1994) and the more thought out song writing style sounding vastly different from the sound many would be familiar with on their first two full-length releases (1989’s ‘Horsecore: An Unrelated Story That’s Time Consuming’ and 1991’s ‘Peaceful Death And Pretty Flowers’).
But despite the change in direction and sound, ‘Boil(ing)’ does have its moments, most notably on the thrash-like opener ‘One Nation’, the slower and more technically inclined ‘Reach Around’, the menacing and serious ‘My Apology’ and the short and brutal blast of ‘My Dog The Prophet’ (One of two tracks the band re-recorded from their independently released ‘Feed Me’ demo/E.P. from 1994).
Those who only have a passing interest in the Houston act, or want to hear what the fuss is all about are advised to probably seek out the band’s full-length efforts before seeking out ‘Boil(ing)’. But for diehard Dead Horse fans, this re-release is well and truly overdue, even if it’s only limited to one thousand copies exclusively on vinyl. Personally, I hope that Dead Horse’s resurrection doesn’t begin and end on this decidedly less than stellar release.

For more information on Dead Horse, check out - http://www.horsecore.net/

© Justin Donnelly

Enormicon - Storm Of Swords

2011-11-01T21:22:00.000+11:00

Enormicon
Storm Of Swords
Independent Release

Formed a mere few years ago, Dallas/Denton (Texas, U.S.) based outfit Enormicon don’t have a lot of history behind them, nor a lot of recorded material to their name, with ‘Storm Of Swords’ their first offering to the music buying public.
Although unwilling to clearly define any one particular genre they’re comfortable enough to be associated with (Especially on their bio, which reads more like a fantasy novel), it doesn’t take a whole lot of thinking to know exactly where the band slot into the grand scheme of things when the opening track of their debut E.P. ‘Slaghammer’ comes blasting out of the speakers. In a nutshell, the trio (Comprising of vocalist/guitarist Clayton ‘The Abomination’ Davis, bassist Joe ‘Humongor’ Rosenthal and drummer Dave ‘Merciless Overlord Of Rhythm’ Slaughter) sound like a hybrid mix of latter day High On Fire, Clutch and Mastodon, which means that the sound is a heavy concoction of stoner/doom metal and psychedelic stoner rock. Although far from anything new or original (The title and the chorus itself reminds me a bit of High On Fire’s ‘Frost Hammer’ from 2010’s ‘Snakes For The Divine’), ‘Slaghammer’ is a thoroughly enjoyable track of heavy proportions, and a great start to the band’s E.P.
Unlike the bludgeoning direction of the opener, the follow-up track ‘Pray For Death’ sees the band further broadening the atmospheric and dynamics within the musical soundscape to give the song a touch of the epic, while the lengthy centrepiece of the album ‘The Gargantuan’ showcases a bit more technical finesse within the band in terms of constant time changes and precision riffing (Without making their sound too clean or clinical) in amongst the strong grooving influence that is ever-present within the band’s overall song structures.
The fast paced ‘Dark Forces’ and the mid-paced ‘Fury Shall Know The Warmth Of Your Blood’ are welcome changes of pace and style after the slow and brooding vibe of the former, and serves to give the E.P. a much needed shake up in diversity, while the closer ‘Brotherhood Of The Plague’ is a definite stand out with Davis putting in a vocal performance that appears to be a little more thought out and different sounding than anything else on offer throughout the E.P.
As a debut, ‘Storm Of Swords’ is definitely a great introduction to the masses of what Enormicon have to offer. And while the music is often a little too reminiscent of the band’s collective influences, it does at least show some real promise of things to come for the band if they continue to make some more music in the future.

For more information on Enormicon, check out - http://www.enormiconmetal.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Hatchet Dawn - Rebirth

2011-11-01T21:06:00.000+11:00

Hatchet Dawn

Rebirth

Independent Release/Green Media/M.G.M. Distribution

When Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) based act Hatchet Dawn released their debut E.P. ‘Faith In Chaos’ in 2009, it represented the band’s sound well and truly before the band underwent a huge revamp in terms of line-up, and prior to undergoing a transformation in direction and sound. Having spent the last couple of years touring (2009 saw the band supporting Marilyn Manson on his Australian tour) and recording, Hatchet Dawn (Who now comprise of The Symbiosist/Dialysis vocalist Bert Cuzens, The Symbiosist guitarist Das Schmidt, group founder/guitarist Dave ‘Howsie Noise’ Howells, bassist Billie-Jade and drummer D Man) have finally returned with their debut full-length effort ‘Rebirth’.

‘Rebirth’ is a very appropriate title for Hatchet Dawn’s latest release, and it’s not all that hard for anyone familiar with their debut E.P. to understand. ‘Rebirth’ is very much a brand new start, both visually and sonically. To put it into simpler terms, this is nothing like the Hatchet Dawn of two years ago.

After a brief instrumental/sound-effects filled introductory piece (‘Toxic Oracle’), Hatchet Dawn quickly gets things underway with the slow building and moody ‘Planet Of Terror’. Some of the aggression found in Hatchet Dawn’s sound of old still remains in terms of harsh guitar sounds and at certain moments where Cuzens puts in a guttural death growl, but for the most part, Hatchet Dawn have expanded their sound by adding a lot more space on the musical scale (The guitars now share the space with the bass), and allowed the melodies within the choruses to really take the song to a completely different direction. This new sound will no doubt take some fans by surprise, but after giving the song a few listens, it’s near impossible to deny the progression the band has made over their past efforts.

The faster paced ‘Dark Symmetry’ (The first single/promotional video clip from the album) is perhaps as close to the band’s old sound as the album gets (Barring the melodic chorus), and perhaps for that very reason is why it stands as one of the album’s weaker tracks.

Faring much better is the huge and powerful sounding ‘Juggernaut’, the driving and more groove orientated ‘Red Osiris’ and ‘Untold’ (Which is preceded by the short ‘Necromatra’). All three tracks are real standout cuts, and perfectly showcase just how much the band’s song writing has come over the last few years.

The extra emphasis on melody from Cuzens on ‘Mother Destruction’ and ‘River Snake’ brings to mind Maynard James Keenan (Tool/A Perfect Circle/Puscifer) in places, while the title track ‘Rebirth’ is without a doubt the album’s darkest, heaviest and epic sounding track, earning itself another distinction as a genuine highlight on the album.

Despite some really strong efforts, ‘Rebirth’ is a little letdown by some tracks that simply don’t live up to the bar set by the stronger cuts. Sometimes it’s the shortcomings of the choruses, while other times the fault lies with a lack of a solid riff. But either way you look at it, it’s fair to say that over the thirteen tracks on the album, there are some notable filler efforts alongside the sure-fire winners.

But regardless of its flaws, ‘Rebirth’ is a huge step up from where Hatchet Dawn last left listeners on ‘Faith In Chaos’, and that says something about the band’s current line-up, and their newfound musical direction.

For more information on Hatchet Dawn, check out - http://www.hatchetdawn.com/

Excommunicated - Skeleton Key

2011-10-24T22:39:00.000+11:00

Excommunicated
Skeleton Key
Underworld Records

After fifteen years in existence, and four full-length releases to their name, Baton Rouge (Louisiana, U.S.) based black/death metal outfit Catholicon decided to call it a day in 2009. Rather than simply fade into obscurity, vocalist Chad Kelly quickly put together a new line-up together, and with ex-Despondency guitarist/bassist Jonathan Joubert and ex-Suture guitarist/bassist Jason McIntyre, Excommunicated came into existence in 2010 (Kelly also foundered Underworld Records).
Twelve months after first coming together, Excommunicated, along with the help of session drummer David Kinkade (Borknagar), finally wrapped up their recording sessions, and have duly released their debut full-length effort ‘Skeleton Key’.
Not unlike Kelly’s work with Catholicon, Excommunicated is a conceptual project, with the lyrical content of ‘Skeleton Key’ based on the corruption and dark history of the Catholic Church in medieval times. Musically, the band doesn’t stray too far from where Catholicon left off either. But while Catholicon and Excommunicated are firmly rooted in the black/death metal genre, it’s clear that Kelly has definitely pushed his latest musical endeavour to incorporate a greater measure of diversity from song to song than anything he’s presented within his former group.
Excommunicated begin the album in a rather subtle manner, with the two minute instrumental piece ‘The Abandonment Of Hope’ featuring some great melodic lead work over a gentle backdrop. While the track itself is impressive, it does fade out a little too quick, which does take away from the impact it really should have had.
Next up is ‘The Incorruptibles’, which is more along the lines of what you would expect from the group. Bordering on black metal in the riff department, Kelly’s dual vocal approach (Guttural growls and high end rasping shrieks) adds a distinct death metal influence to the song, while Kinkade’s relentless and varied drumming work throughout adds a bit of a grindcore feel in places. Overall, ‘The Incorruptibles’ is definitely one of the album’s true highlights, and definitely one of the more eclectic offerings from the band.
‘Cry To Heaven’ is another strange hybrid track that’s clearly influenced in part by a strong folk metal vibe in its construction, but given a twist with Kelly’s vocals that gives the song a melodic death metal vibe within the choruses (Bringing to mind Amon Amarth), while tracks such as ‘Minutes Of The Corpse Trials’, ‘When Death Claims Its Most Righteous Dead’ and the technically executed ‘The Vatican Orgies’ are straight out blasts of sheer death metal brutality.
On the guest appearance side of things, ex-Wolfen Society/Nocturnus/Acheron guitarist Vincent Crowley adds a special vocal performance on the slower and menacing ‘The Birth Of Tragedy’, while King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque adds a distinctive guitar solo to the otherwise sinister and thrash like ‘Keys To The Kingdom Of God’.
Finishing up the album is ‘The Sum Of All Life’s Pain’, which like ‘The Abandonment Of Hope’ is a haunting and darker doom-like atmospheric piece, and one that sums the album up on a high note.
While the album does have some serious flaws (The fade out on some of the songs does seem a little hasty, and the song writing on the more straight forward death metal numbers seems a little unremarkable), ‘Skeleton Key’ is a solid and diverse sounding debut effort from Excommunicated, and the kind of album that will appeal to those who don’t mind their black/death metal a little more on the unconventional side of things.

For more information on Excommunicated, check out - http://www.myspace.com/excommunication

© Justin Donnelly

The Horde - Thy Blackened Reign

2011-10-24T22:37:00.000+11:00

The Horde
Thy Blackened Reign
StormSpell Records

Hailing from Iowa City (Iowa, U.S.), The Horde are a speed/thrash act that emerged onto the scene with a vengeance with the release of their debut E.P. ‘From Empire To Ashes’ in 2008 (Through Scenester Credentials Records). Now two years on, and after a revamp of line-up, The Horde (Comprising of vocalist/bassist Duncan, guitarists Derek Joseph Ahrens (5th Dawn/Ageless) and Tim Matthews and ex-Lividity/Cygnus Loop drummer James Whitehurst) are back with their debut full-length effort ‘Thy Blackened Reign’ on the retro metal specialist label StormSpell Records.
Picking up exactly where their E.P. last left things, ‘Thy Blackened Reign’ sees The Horde maintaining their mix of N.W.O.B.H.M. (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal), speed/thrash metal and primitive black/death metal (In the vein of Venom and Bathory) in the sound sense, while retaining a distinctly Viking/ Norse mythology/war theme on the lyrical front.
The description mentioned above does lend its weight to a fair amount of expectation, especially given the rise of speed/thrash metal over the last five years. And while ‘Thy Blackened Reign’ is far from an absolute classic, The Horde has managed to produce one mighty fine album indeed.
The opening riff of ‘Death Foretold’ gives you the impression that The Horde is primarily a thrash act first and foremost. But it isn’t until you’ve really given the remainder of the track a good listen that you fully understand the many levels of influences that make up the band’s sound. Traces of melodic death metal, old-school metal (Which is more than evident in the raw and unpolished production values, and the Iron Maiden like dual guitar work and gallop) and thrash (Especially within the shredding lead work) all have their places within the song, and all come together to give The Horde a sound that’s hard to pin down, yet so appealing.
The title track ‘Thy Blackened Reign’ reveals a bit of a thrash/punk vibe with its faster passages and rather simplistic choruses yelled out in primitive form, while the darker feel of ‘Hell Beast Of The Pale Frost’, the hammering ‘Supertusk’ and the slower paced/doom like ‘War God’ are monumental slabs of old-school metal.
Elsewhere, tracks such as ‘Vengeance For A King’ (Which is preceded by the short instrumental piece ‘A Kingdom Cries’) and the closer ‘With Death (Comes The Horde)’ (One of the rare exceptions where the band explore atmospherics, moods and tempos within a single track to create something of an epic) are some of the stronger highlights to be found on the album.
Pinning down any one particular sound or genre to a band’s album can sometimes be a real drawback, especially if the songs on the album seem to drift from one genre to the next. But in The Horde’s case, it works in their favour. Their collective influences work in a way that doesn’t make much sense, but sounds great nonetheless.
In terms of the production, ‘Thy Blackened Reign’ could have benefitted from a bit more time, and Duncan’s vocals could do with a little more help or back-up (The choruses do lack in some places). But despite these few problems, ‘Thy Blackened Reign’ is a great album for what it is, and should be sought out by any self-respecting old school thrash metal-head.

For more information on The Horde, check out - http://www.myspace.com/hordemetal

© Justin Donnelly

Atriarch - Forever The End

2011-10-23T15:36:00.002+11:00

Atriarch
Forever The End
Seventh Rule Recordings

The groundswell of praise for Portland (Oregon, U.S.) outfit Atriarch has been slow and steady over the last couple of years, with many hailing the band as one of the best up and coming acts within the blackened/doom metal scene in some years. And with the four piece act (Comprising of ex-El Cerdo/Tree vocalist Lenny Smith, guitarist Brooks Blackhawk, ex-Graves At Sea bassist Nick Phit and ex-Get Hustle drummer Maxamillion Avalon) having signed to Seventh Rule Recordings for their debut full-length offering ‘Forever The End’, we can finally determine whether Atriarch can live up to the hype.
Comprising of four tracks, and running for a little over thirty-six minutes, it’s clear that ‘Forever The End’ is not the kind of album for those with short attention spans. Atriarch isn’t in any rush to get their point across, and it’s well and truly clear from the running length of the four songs presented here.
Musically, the blackened/doom metal tag given to the group’s sound gives the listener some idea of what to expect from the band’s compositions. But if you dig a little deeper, you can also find traces of some old school gothic influences dotted throughout the album as well (We’re talking Bauhaus and Christian Death rather than anything new here) through some of the atmospheric touches on guitar tones and the album’s overall dour and morbid vibe.
In terms of the songs themselves, ‘Plague’ opens up proceedings and sets the tone of the album with its slow tempo, smothering and suffocating mix of rumbling bass and drums, haunting guitar work and a rasping vocal performance from Smith that is part screaming and part agonised mourning moan. Although it’s hardly the most complimentary description of Atriarch’s sound, there’s a dark and foreboding feel to the band’s song writing and sound that definitely works here in a way that ensures that despite the simplistic nature of the song’s construction, it never overstays its welcome, or loses its cold and distant mood for a single moment.
From here, the formula doesn’t stray too far from what Atriarch laid down on the opener, with ‘Shadows’ sounding every bit as bleak and devoid of any real light, but stands apart with some cleaner vocals, a little extra rawness on the instrumental side of things and the hint of melody and gothic edge to the guitar riffs (And vocals too to some extent), while the epic fourteen minute ‘Fracture’ is the album’s obvious centrepiece, with the slow building introduction and its eventual move into a crushing doom metal direction proving to be one of the album’s definite highlights.
Finishing up the album is ‘Downfall’, which is not only the shortest track on the album, but also one of the more traditional doom/black metal based efforts as well. Although a little faster than what the rest of the album has to offer, the change of direction and vibe doesn’t take away from what was offered up previously, and instead showcases another side to the band’s overall sound.
‘Forever The End’ is not an easy listen, and one that will most likely appeal to those who enjoy doom metal in its purest form. But if you happen to be a doom metal fan, and prefer the darker and ‘devoid of light’ side of the genre, then you’ll find that Atriarch certainly delivers that in spades.

For more information on Atriarch, check out - http://www.myspace.com/atriarchmetal

© Justin Donnelly

Deadfall - New Light

2011-10-23T15:35:00.000+11:00

Deadfall
New Light
Independent Release

Worcester (Massachusetts, U.S.) based outfit Deadfall is a newly formed musical project from recent Berklee Collage Of Music graduate Eddie Kim (Guitars and drum programming) and Sean Dusoe (Bass), who have released their debut E.P. in the form of ‘New Light’. Deadfall’s sound and direction is very much within the ‘djent’ mould, which means that stylistically, the band’s music is in the same musical vein as Periphery, Tesseract and Meshuggah.
Comprising of five tracks, Deadfall open up proceedings with ‘Shades Of Inception’, which starts off gently, before the pair settle into a grinding groove of bending riffs coupled with warm rich bass tones. Unlike some of the other ‘djent’ acts mentioned above, Deadfall manages to keep things quite melodic and progressive in places, giving the instrumental duo a sound that’s different enough to be quite interesting. The only real negative that can be drawn from ‘Shades Of Inception’ is that the programmed drums do sound artificial at times, and that the production (Courtesy of Kim and Dusoe) is a little thin in places. But despite these small niggling points, the song itself is strong and original enough to stand out for all the right reasons.
From here, Deadfall don’t alter the formula too much, with the follow up track ‘The Divergence’ sticking closely to the direction the opener took (A slow build up, followed by some brutal riffing over an atmospheric backdrop), while ‘In Death’s Path’ does signal a slight departure in tone, with the overall vibe exuding a slightly heavier and menacing feel with its jagged riffing and complex Meshuggah-like odd time signature notes adding the songs darker vibe.
The title track ‘New Light’ is definitely a favourite with its strong melodic slant and progressive overtones, while the closer ‘Utopia’ is another stand out cut with the song sounding like a culmination of all the different ideas and sounds that Deadfall have in their repertoire. Aside from that, the song is also graced with some tasteful melodic lead work around the latter half of the track.
Forging a new sound in the growing ‘djent’ movement is not an easy task, especially given that acts such as Meshuggah and Tesseract pretty much cover everything the genre has to offer. But despite this, Deadfall have managed to put their own individual stamp on things, with ‘New Light’ injecting a little more melody into the sound, and all without the aid of a vocalist.
Fans of the ‘djent’ movement will definitely find plenty to enjoy here. My only hope that is that by the time Deadfall are ready to put together a new album, they fill out their sound with a drummer, and that their music will still retain its instrumental prowess without resorting to a vocalist to provide the necessary melodic edge.

For more information on Deadfall, check out - http://www.deadfall.bandcamp.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Trivium - In Waves

2011-10-23T10:59:00.000+11:00

Trivium
In Waves
Roadrunner Records/Warner Music Australia

Orlando (Orange County, Florida, U.S.) based outfit Trivium have always had the drive and enthusiasm to be the biggest band in the metal scene, but if there’s one thing that’s always held them back, it would have to be their music. Trivium is hardly a terrible band, having produced their fair share of stellar moments throughout their near decade long career. But that’s where the crux of the problem lies. Despite writing some great material here and there, Trivium has yet to translate that consistency over the course of a whole full-length effort.
Three years after the release of their rather confused sounding ‘Shotgun’ in 2008, Trivium has returned with fifth full-length effort ‘In Waves’. And while the band have always laid claim that each and every one of their new albums is their strongest to date, this time around Trivium seem to actually have a point. Although far from perfect, ‘In Waves’ is no doubt Trivium’s most daring and diverse release ever, and one where the band’s song writing seems to have finally found that comfortable balance between the melodic and the aggressive, without drifting too far into either extreme.
The album is opened up in an intriguing fashion with the slow building piano/militaristic mark instrumental piece ‘Capsizing The Sea’. As the track comes to its conclusion, the band (Comprising of vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy, guitarist/backing vocalist Corey Beaulieu, bassist/backing vocalist Paolo Gregoletto and new/ex-Maruta drummer Nick Augusto) get the album off to a crushing start with the title track ‘In Waves’ (Which is also the first single released from the album). It’s immediately clear that they’ve experimented a little more on the song writing front, with the forsaking of complexity in the guitar riffs for something a more straight forward and crushing, which the mix of melodic verses and guttural choruses sound far more thought out and playing to their strengths. In a sense, the band seem to have tried hard not to make the song sound like an epic classic, and have instead gone with their natural instincts. And the result speaks for itself.
Augusto’s performance on the relentless ‘Inception Of The End’ is a real stand out, and as a consequence adds a sense of urgency to the brutal/melodic track, while on ‘Dusk Dismantled’, ‘Chaos Reigns’ and ‘A Skyline’s Severance’, the band rely heavily on strong simplistic grooves alongside straight forward chorus structures, which in turn provides the album with just three of the album’s more memorable efforts.
But ‘In Waves’, it’s not all about brutality and aggression, with tracks such as ‘Watch The World Burn’, ‘Black’, the latest single ‘Built To Fall’, ‘Forsake Not The Dream’ and ‘Of All These Yesterdays’ showcasing a greater melodic influence. Unlike Trivium’s melodically inclined efforts in the past, all these songs work, with Heafy’s mix of clean vocals and growls working perfectly together to give the songs enough bite when required, and enough hooks to give the listener something to latch onto.
As mentioned earlier, ‘In Waves’ is far from perfect - there are weaknesses (The lyrics are a little cliché in places, and there’s a couple of songs that don’t stand out as memorable as the others), but there’s a whole lot more in terms of strengths. Given the patchiness of the previous albums, it’s not hard to see that Trivium have definitely raised the bar with ‘In Waves’, and created one of their best efforts to date.

For more information on Trivium, check out - http://www.trivium.org/

© Justin Donnelly

Black Country Communion - 2

2011-10-17T17:36:00.000+11:00

Black Country Communion
2
J&R Adventures/Fontana Distribution

Nine months after the release of their overwhelmingly well received self-titled debut effort, Black Country Communion has returned with their highly anticipated second full-length effort ‘2’.
Given the chemistry between those involved within the group (Ex-Deep Purple/Black Sabbath vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes, lead/rhythm guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Jason Bonham – along with unofficial fifth member Kevin Shirley as producer/mixer) on their debut effort, it’s not all that surprising to find that the group’s follow up album is every bit as strong as their debut. But while the short gap between recordings will have many assuming that ‘2’ is nothing more than a continuation of ‘Black Country Communion’, the truth is that the albums really do have completely different personalities and vibes.
The opening track ‘The Outsider’ (Which is the album’s first single) sees the band shifting up a gear from where they last left listeners, with Sherinian’s playing alongside Bonham around the latter half of the energetic hard rock tune taking on a greater prominence than anything heard on their first album, while Bonamassa showcases a slightly harder edge within his playing, which gels perfectly with the heavier sound the band were clearly aiming for this time around.
The follow up track ‘Man In The Middle’ (Which is the first song to be given the promotional video clip treatment) maintains the heavy feel of the opener, with the grit and deep tones from the bass and guitars balanced perfectly against Hughes’ aggressive vocals.
It isn’t until ‘The Battle For Hadrian’s Wall’ that Black Country Communion taper their heavier stance for something a little laid back and traditional sounding (In the classic rock stance), with Bonamassa taking over the vocal duties, and the acoustic guitars guiding the bulk of the song. While Hughes is no doubt a big driving force within the band, Bonamassa’s contributions don’t fade into the background one bit. Boasting some subtle Led Zeppelin influences, and featuring some stellar keyboard work from Sherinian, ‘The Battle For Hadrian’s Wall’ is easily one of the album’s strongest cuts, and one of the clear examples of just how much the band have come together as musicians since the release of their debut.
The lengthy ‘Save Me’ is another track where the band channel their Led Zeppelin influences on the musical front, with the song bringing to mind ‘Kashmir’ with its touches of orchestration and middle eastern chord progressions within its classic hard rock casing.
‘Smokestack Woman’, the funk driven ‘Crossfire’ and ‘I Can See Your Spirit’ are full-on rocking efforts that demonstrate the spark and energy within the band’s line-up, while on the Hughes led blues based ‘Little Secret’, Bonamassa really gets his opportunity to step up to the plate and play up a storm.
The Bonamassa sung ‘An Ordinary Son’ is another personal favourite where the gentle ebb and flow from gentle atmospheric passages and total rock out passages and seamlessly interwoven throughout flawlessly, while Hughes saves his best performance until the end, with the slower and haunting blues atmosphere within ‘Cold’ evoking the mood that was last heard from the legend on his overlooked classic ‘Addition’ from 1996.
The gap between Black Country Communion’s first and second release wasn’t a huge length of time, but the differences between the two are more than evident. Their debut certainly had its fair share of great tracks, but I can’t help but feel that on ‘2’, there’s more of a collaborative, band-feel to the songs and playing.
Often, supergroups have a lifespan of one or two albums at best. On the strength of ‘2’, I can’t help but feel that Black Country Communion is only just starting to get warmed up. Let’s hope that’s the case.

For more information on Black Country Communion, check out - http://www.bccommunion.com/

© Justin Donnelly