Entrench - Inevitable Decay

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

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

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

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

Misfits
Devil’s Rain
Cyclopian Music Holdings LLC/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

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

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 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.






© Justin Donnelly

Brand New Sin - United State

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...

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/

© Justin Donnelly

Dark Forest - Dawn Of Infinity

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

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

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

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

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

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.