Monthly Archives: September 2015

Album Review – Slayer / Repentless (2015)

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Live fast, on high, repentless, and always listen to Slayer.

Rating3

Slayer_RepentlessGet the most blasphemous Black Metal band in the world, mix it with the goriest Death Metal act you can think of, and even after that you won’t get close to the wickedness that American Thrash Metal masters Slayer have been providing us all since their inception in 1981. They’re the meanest, the most badass and, above all, the most unrepentant band in the history of mankind. And it’s due to their obstinacy and devotion to their roots that this undisputed band has dauntlessly braved the darkest period of their lives, marked by the terrible loss of the one and only Jeff Hanneman (R.I.P.) in 2013, to finally release the eleventh studio album in their distinct career, the raging Repentless.

However, as the guys from Monty Python would say, “always look on the bright side of life”, which in the case of Slayer translates into Tom Araya and Kerry King recruiting Mr. Gary Holt to the band (the guitar behemoth and mastermind behind another of my favorite bands, American Thrash Metal warriors Exodus), and also the return of the beast Paul Bostaph behind the drums for the first time since their 2001 onslaught God Hates Us All. You can get a good sense of the entire process until Repentless was finalized by watching some amazing videos from their official YouTube channel, including the “enlistment” of Gary and the recording of drums, always noticing how Slayer never lost their core essence amidst such turbulence and grief in their recent past.

Delusions of Saviour, a profane intro the likes of the spine-chilling “Darkness of Christ” (by the way, Repentless has tons of similarities to what Slayer did in God Hates Us All), opens the gates of hell for the piercing riffs by Kerry and Gary in the title-track Repentless, where a deeply infuriated Paul proves why he deserved to be back to the place where he thrived the most in his career. This awesome tune mixes the musicality of their latest albums, with its Hardcore/Punk Rock vibe being perfect for its main objective which, according to the band, is working like a tribute to the deceased Jeff through its simple but effective lyrics (“My songs relive the atrocities of war / Can’t take society any fuckin’ more / Intensity, anarchy, hatred amplified / Playing this shit is all that keeps me alive / I leave it all on the road living on the stage / This is my life where I kill it everyday / So take your shot, bottom’s up, this is no lie / I’ll be beating this guitar ’til the day I die / Live fast, on high / Repentless, let it ride”). And the devastation goes on in Take Control, a high-speed tune where it’s interesting to notice that, although Tom Araya cannot bang his head like before due to his back issues he’s still a devil on vocals, leaving a message to all songsters in the world: no matter how deep your guttural is nor how hard you try, you’ll never reach the incredible level of violence, despair and hatred of Mr. Araya.

Then we have the excellent Vices, which truly sounds like a track from God Hates Us All, and by that I mean it has the same vibe, rhythm, beats, riffs and vocal lines. I love the fact that even when Slayer slow down a little they still sound brutal. In other words, let’s bang our fuckin’ heads and get high with Tom, Kerry & Co. before the next track, Cast the First Stone, offers us such raw and strong beats it feels like Paul wants to intimidate us all, also adding more obscurity to the music and therefore getting closer again to the sounding in God Hates Us All. Besides, I don’t need to say how thrilling the solos by the two demented guitar heroes of Slayer are, right? Anyway, When the Stillness Comes, one of the songs released a while ago in an early version, might push some people to say “this is not Slayer” as it’s not really fast or thrashy, but diehard fans will instantly link it to the sonority found in Divine Intervention, Diabolus In Musica and, again, God Hates Us All. It should sound a lot better when played live (which doesn’t mean it’s a bad studio song), with highlights to the outstanding drumming by Paul, to the desperate vocals and primeval bass lines by Tom, and obviously to its deranged lyrics (“This violence finally sets me free / Brings demons back to torture me / There’s no god pulling at my strings / I’m above all sorrow that fate can bring / Disengaged, I see your face / I turn and rush, I can’t replace”). I just wish the ending could have gone on for a little longer, but it’s still very entertaining the way it is.

Chasing Death is a good example of how the music by Slayer has evolved in the past 20 years, getting modernized but still vicious, with the aggressive vocals by Tom leading this somber tune while the other band members develop a solid ambience in the background; followed by Implode, which sounds a billion times better than the first version released. To be honest, that early version made me really skeptical about how the entire album would sound, but as we’re talking about Slayer, I somehow knew they wouldn’t let their fans down. And Piano Wire, the only song from the album written by Jeff, keeps the level of destruction really high in Repentless, showcasing Tom’s amazing harsh vocal lines blended with many top-notch rhythmic variations.

While listening to Atrocity Vendor, I couldn’t think of anything else but just how amazing the sound of the guitars is, and also that this electric tune has to be part of their live performances for the mosh pits to get seriously physical. Kerry and Gary are like metallic brothers, not to mention that Paul keeps nailing it with his sick beats and fills and that it’s yet another perfect example of how violent lyrics are always supposed to be (“You’re staring at the atrocity vendor / A mother fucking equal opportunity offender / I’ll introduce you to my own morbid charm / And fist fuck you with your own severed arms”). You Against You, another classic Thrash Metal tune where the guitar riffs and solos will please all fans of the genre, could have easily been a song from Christ Illusion or World Painted Blood, sounding as cohesive and precise as almost all Slayer songs, while Pride in Prejudice is not only the most different of all songs but also the worst by far. I’m not sure if the final result was exactly what the band wanted, but it’s in my opinion too slow and not as heavy or dark as it should have been. Of course, if Metallica had a song like this in one of their latest albums that would have been a blessing for their fans, but we know Slayer are capable of creating something infinitely better than that.

I was going to give it “only” a 3.5 after the first listen, but after a few more listens, all the issues faced by the band in the past couple of years (especially the passing of Jeff), the stunning artwork by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco (the fuckin’ booklet becomes a fuckin’ inverted cross!), the bonus DVD from the special edition with their killer performance at Wacken Open Air in 2014 and the making of Repentless, and particularly after watching one of the best and most sanguinary videos I’ve seen in my life shot for the title-track (watch it yourself at the end of this review) with some very special guests such as Danny Trejo (aka our beloved anti-hero “Machete”), it deserves a 4.0 or even more than that. In the end, they’re still FUCKIN’ SLAYER no matter what, a band that’s 100% repentless of everything they’ve accomplished through their undisputed career. With that said, always remember to live fast, on high and repentless, listening to Slayer until the inevitable end finally comes.

Best moments of the album: Repentless, Vices, Chasing Death and Atrocity Vendor.

Worst moments of the album: Pride in Prejudice.

Released in 2015 Nuclear Blast

Track listing
1. Delusions of Saviour 1:55
2. Repentless 3:19
3. Take Control 3:14
4. Vices 3:32
5. Cast the First Stone 3:43
6. When the Stillness Comes 4:21
7. Chasing Death 3:45
8. Implode 3:49
9. Piano Wire 2:49
10. Atrocity Vendor 2:55
11. You Against You 4:21
12. Pride in Prejudice 4:14

Band members
Tom Araya – vocals, bass guitar
Kerry King – guitar
Gary Holt – guitar
Paul Bostaph – drums

Album Review – Display of Decay / Dust of Existence (2015)

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After being infected by this deadly Death Metal virus from Canada, you’ll pleasantly suffer from brutal headbanging, deep growling and an impetuous urge to slam into the pit.

Rating5

display of decay artworkThere’s a deadly virus spreading from Edmonton, Canada to the rest of our rotting world since 2007, which major symptoms include brutal headbanging, deep growling and especially an urge to slam into some sick circle pits, similar to what happens when we listen to Death Metal icons such as Deicide, Cannibal Corpse and Cryptopsy, commonly known as Display of Decay. This five-piece infection truly knows how to bring forth pungent and coarse Death Metal tunes intensified by the addition of elements from Thrash and Doom Metal, making sure all songs from their brand new release, entitled  Dust of Existence, have something unique to offer to the listener.

In addition, Dust of Existence is not just a new album, but a direct epilogue to their 2014 EP named Outbreak of Infection, telling what happened to mankind after the horrifying events caused by the devastating virus presented in the EP. That’s also portrayed in the artwork of the new album, showing how focused the band was during its writing and composing period, and therefore adding an extra layer of complexity to the final result. However, don’t expect to find any gentle passages or progressiveness in the music by Display of Decay as you would in most “concept” albums, but pure malevolence with a raw attitude that will get inside your brain and relentlessly crush it.

The opening track, Created to Kill, needs less than ten seconds to show how visceral the band’s musicality is, presenting crude riffs enhanced by rumbling and intricate bass lines. Not only that, the demonic vocals by Jessy Leduc, supported by the harsh backing vocals by Sean Watson, create a truly evil atmosphere that perseveres until the end of Dust of Existence, which in my opinion provides a good consistency to the entire album. Relentless Reprisal also offers an intense sounding where its belligerent lyrics (“Shadows in the night, New plight of terror / Seeking revenge, Silent abduction / Eye for an eye, I take your life / Revenge prolonged, calculated”) and the blustering bass guitar by Jacob Maisonneuve turn it into a delight for all types of death metallers, followed by the pulverizing High Voltage Castration and its “cute” lyrics, so morbid I’m not going to add them to this review. Regarding the music itself, it is catchy and intense, and I’m sure you’ll start banging your fuckin’ head to its kick-ass riffs while Jacob continues his “ode to Alex Webster” through his sick bass lines. Besides, the special sound effects halfway through the song are truly “electrifying”, giving life to its lyrics.

The next song, Maruta, has a very interesting name which I’m not quite sure if that was the inspiration for the band to compose it. Maruta is the name of a special program of experimentation on human beings at the Imperial Japanese Army’s Unit 731 (a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit), and it makes total sense taking into account the concepts and ideas of the album. Maybe the band can confirm that? Anyway, it showcases such a brutish rhythm as if giant trolls were playing the instruments instead of humans, presenting one of the sickest versions of Death Metal you can think of (but, of course, with the talent of the musicians involved elevating its overall quality). Cellar Goreatory is yet another solid display of traditional Death Metal, with highlights to its vile vociferations, headbanging riffs and nonstop violence, but it’s in Messiah Complex that the band takes bestiality to the next level. It’s that always interesting variation of Death Metal where speed gives place to gore and heaviness, with kudos to rhythm guitarist Jeremy Puffer for his amazing performance delivering tons of melody and violence through his unrelenting riffs. Moreover, Jessy sounds so inhuman with his growls it makes me wonder how his actual voice is, and how hard it’s for him to switch it to this extremely rough mode.

Display-of-Decay---2015---PNyctophilia means a love or preference for night or darkness, which is perfectly depicted in its lyrics (“Blinded by light, Darkness arise, / From the tomb, I revive! / Last of my kind, Ancient sacrifice, / Empty carcass , Cloak of darkness!”). It’s more of the band’s old school Death Metal for us, with its instrumental being as dark and heavy as the name of the song demands. And although one might say there’s no creativity in tunes like this, who said good Death Metal needs that? Closing this poisonous album, the title-track Dust of Existence, also the longest of all songs, showcases some interesting melancholic moments that end up supporting this excellent Death/Doom Metal chant of desolation and despair. The whole band proves they can also craft metallic compositions from other subgenres of Extreme Metal, with the rawer than usual production becoming essential for the music to work in this demonic tune.

What are you waiting for to get infected by this talented Death Metal act? Follow them on Facebook, check their YouTube channel and SoundCloud page for more of their music, and also purchase Dust of Existence at their BandCamp page. I’m sure you’ll pleasantly suffer from all the aforementioned symptoms after listening to this solid album.

Best moments of the album: Created to Kill, High Voltage Castration and Messiah Complex.

Worst moments of the album: Cellar Goreatory.

Released in 2015 Independent

Track listing
1.Created to Kill 3:41
2.Relentless Reprisal 2:53
3.High Voltage Castration 5:16
4.Maruta 4:21
5.Cellar Goreatory 3:26
6.Messiah Complex 4:30
7.Nyctophilia 3:23
8.Dust of Existence 7:10

Band members
Jessy Leduc – vocals
Sean Watson – lead guitars, vocals
Jeremy Puffer – rhythm guitars
Jacob Maisonneuve – bass
Avery Desmarais – drums

Concert Review – Mötley Crüe & Alice Cooper (Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON, 08/22/2015)

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Toronto witnessed, for the last time (or so they promised), a true masterclass on how Hard Rock from the 1980’s should be played and done in the 2000’s.

OPENING ACT: The Cringe

Motley Crue_The Final TourFirst things first: I want to apologize for the delay of this review. For those who doesn’t know me, I’m Renata, Gustavo’s friend, and I’m Brazilian. In August, I spent the month in Canada with him and his wife – my BFF for more than 15 years – and now, back to Brazil, I had the proper time to put down in words my experience in this concert. Secondly, I had no idea that there would be an opening act for that night and The Cringe turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. This band from NYC has been following Mötley Crüe on the second leg of their North American tour and it wasn’t different in Toronto, where they were responsible for warming up the fans as the Air Canada Centre was getting filled.

Although sounding very different from the main attractions of the night, The Cringe had a very good performance with their Alternative Rock and got a great response from the fans of Crüe and Mr. Cooper. In nearly 30 minutes, they showed songs from their 10-year career and had time to celebrate good old Rock N’ Roll with a medley of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, and a cover of Thin Lizzy’s classic Jailbreak to close their setlist. Formed by very talented and experienced musicians, they know how to captivate the audience, especially John Cusimano, a very charismatic frontman.

The Cringe will soon release their fifth album, Blind Spot, so if the new trends of Rock N’ Roll please you, keep your eyes on the band’s updates on their official website.

Setlist
1. Anything You Say
2. Don’t Know Where I Belong
3. On and On
4. Big Trouble
5. In God We Trust / Paranoid (Black Sabbath cover)
6. Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy cover)

Band members
John Cusimano – vocals
James Rotondi – guitar
Jonny Blaze – bass
Shawn Pelton – drums

ALICE COOPER

Alice Cooper 07When Mötley Crüe announced their final tour, in 2014, they added the legend Alice Cooper as their very special guest and this duo makes every dollar paid in the ticket worthwhile. And I can’t believe I spent all those years of my life without seeing an Alice Cooper’s concert! I can’t even describe it as just a “concert”, it’s so much more than that: it’s theatrical, it’s epic, it has feelings, it has drama, it’s a full spectacle! Mr. Cooper has been around for more than 45 years and he definitely knows how to master the stage. Every move, every outfit, every detail has a reason to be there and every song still sounds very captivating and his voice and stage performance are very unique.

It might be hard to summarize more than four decades on the road in a 13-song setlist, so Alice Cooper kept the focus on his classics, especially in songs from his releases from the 70’s, like No More Mr. Nice Guy, Billion Dollar Babies, Go to Hell and School’s Out (this one played with a very appropriate medley of Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall). Feed My Frankenstein and Poison were the chosen ones to represent the 1990’s. The “newest” song of the night’s setlist was Dirty Diamonds, the title-track of his 2005 album, also dedicated to the drum, bass and guitar solos.

Alice Cooper 05The band following Mr. Cooper, by the way, is not there only to support him, they also have a very important role in the show. A fast-and-fierce drummer – Glen Sobel -, a very rhythmic bassist – Chuck Garric -, and three extremely competent guitarists – Tommy Henriksen, Ryan Roxie and Nita Strauss (replacing Orianthi since 2014) -, are there to make all Cooper’s magic happen and make his theatre even more intense. There’s also time and space for snake, bubbles, a giant Frankenstein and a very good performance by Calico Cooper, Cooper’s daughter, as the crazy nurse tying her own father in a straitjacket and decapitating him in I Love the Dead.

In summary, Alice Cooper delivered an amazing setlist, although some great songs were left out, and showed why he is still here after so many years, keeping the classics, the acting and the horror more alive than ever. Alice Cooper is more than a very special guest: he is a teacher of Rock N’ Roll and we all should appreciate the opportunity to see artists like him, who still kick ass onstage.

Setlist
1. The Black Widow
2. No More Mr. Nice Guy
3. Under My Wheels
4. I’m Eighteen
5. Billion Dollar Babies
6. Poison
7. Dirty Diamonds (bass, drum and guitar solos)
8. Go to Hell
9. Feed My Frankenstein
10. Ballad of Dwight Fry
11. Killer
12. I Love the Dead
13. School’s Out (including “Another Brick in the Wall”)

Band members
Alice Cooper – vocals
Tommy Henriksen – guitar
Nita Strauss – guitar
Ryan Roxie – guitar
Chuck Garric – bass
Glen Sobel – drums

MÖTLEY CRÜE

Motley Crue 05Mötley Crüe are the only band that made me travel abroad (twice) to see their concerts. The first time was in 2011, in Buenos Aires, Argentina (and I think every rock ‘n’ roll fan should see a concert in Argentina at least once in life – if you ever saw any Argentine soccer game, you have an idea of how passionate their local crowd can be) and now I had the chance to see them in Canada. Yes, they played in Brazil in 2011 and they are going to play at Rock in Rio on September 19, on the main stage with Metallica, Royal Blood and Gojira. But two things make me sad about this upcoming concert in Rio: 1- this is the ONLY AND EXCLUSIVE CONCERT IN SOUTH AMERICA, which means people from all over the continent have to come to Rio if they want to see Crüe live for the last time – and obviously not everybody can afford a trip to Brazil or got the tickets before they were sold out after 3 hours of sales; 2- the concert at the festival and its structure will be reduced: a shorter setlist and less pyros and stuffs on the show. I’m not even sure if they’ll have Tommy Lee’s roller coaster Crüecifly. And that being their final tour and the only concert in the continent, I think all fans deserved the fullest the band can do.

But in Toronto the fans got everything Mötley Crüe promised in a night full of classics, pyros (and I mean lots of pyros!), energy, with a nostalgic feeling of goodbye and I’m glad I could see all of this. I’m not sure if the tickets were sold out, since this wasn’t the first time they were playing in the country with this tour, but Air Canada Centre was definitely packed.

Motley Crue 09The setlist was the same as executed in the previous concerts, and a Harley Davidson’s engines announced the opening with Girls, Girls, Girls. What we saw after this start was a sequence of great hits that set Mötley Crüe in the position of one of the greatest Hard Rock bands of their era: Wild Side, Primal Scream and Same Ol’ Situation made everyone there sing, dance and feel a piece of the 1980’s with a touch of modernity with all the technology at the stage.

The performance of the band was amazing. Mick Mars is a master of the guitars, sounding so heavy and yet so clear. It is amazing to see after all these years and despite of all his health issues, he is still a great and very technical guitarist, respected by his band members and every fan. As for Vince Neil, I was pretty concerned as I saw some videos from previous concerts, especially one at Sweden Rock Festival, where he couldn’t sing well and follow Dr. Feelgood from the beginning to the end. His voice and his acting on stage is not the same as the early days, this is not a secret, but he was singing very well that night in Toronto. Also, there were two backup singers, that helped to put more energy and action in the songs. But let’s be honest: Mötley Crüe is all about Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee performances! And they didn’t disappoint the crowd at all.

There were few times of interaction with the public but the Crüe boys took time to remember that it was in Canada where they started their very first tour, back in 1982, and how happy and grateful they were to play for the Canadian crowd for the last time. There was also a very inspiring speech of Sixx. If you read one of his books – “The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star” (2007) and “This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx” (2013) – you have an idea of how he messed up in the past and how he changed his attitude to a very positive tune. He told a story about his youth, when he used to steal a pocket knife that his grandfather used to leave on the counter everyday, and one day his old man gave him a knife for his own. The lesson learned was “if you want something bad enough, you keep doing it over and over until you get it” and that was his commitment with Mötley Crüe and their fans, that they are the most important part of the band. Right after that, they played a cover of Anarchy in the U.K., from Sex Pistols.

The most awaited moment was, undoubtedly, Tommy Lee’s drums roller coaster, the Crüecifly. There was a huge steel structure hailing from the stage to the middle of the ACC floor and when the lights turned out and the O Fortuna of German composer Carl Off’s cantata Carmina Burana started to play, we all knew the time had come. Suddenly Tommy started his journey above the fans from Toronto, playing songs from other artists, such as The Beastie Boys, while he and his drum kit were spinning and moving in the trail full of lights and cool effects. Tommy does such amazing things while drumming since the first Crüe’s concerts but he put the concept to a higher level on this tour. He also took a minute to thank the fans and say how he loves them all before going back to his place at the back of the stage. Right after that, it was Mick Mars’ time to make his raw, fierce and heavy solo before the band continued to the final acts of the night with Saints of Los Angeles, Live Wire, Dr. Feelgood and Kickstart My Heart. On this last song, there were two steel structures that took Vince and Nikki for a ride through the venue making it a moment of great celebration for both band and fans.

Motley Crue 13They gathered on the stage and thanked the fans for being there, but that wasn’t the wrap up yet. At the end of the Crüecifly there was a tiny stage, the CrüeNest, and the band walked through the fans to hit it for one last song. There were also 12 lucky fans (that paid a little lot of extra money to be there, obviously) seated on chairs on the back of this stage. A white piano was waiting for Tommy Lee and as he played the first tunes of Home Sweet Home, the ACC got full of light spots of the fans’ cell phones, and that was a really beautiful thing to see. Did I mention that the CrüeNest stage also went up and down? You can’t expect a normal thing when it comes to a Mötley Crüe’s concert. On the screens of the empty main stage, pictures from the early years to the recent days showed the path of this band, considered one of the most important of the Hard Rock Era.

With the sound of My Way, by the legend Frank Sinatra, we knew that the bad things had finally come to an end. If this is really, I mean, REALLY the final tour (some bands along the history showed us that there isn’t really an end unless all involved want to – and sometimes they change their minds), that was the perfect way to say good bye. Again, it’s a shame that many of my Brazilian compatriots won’t have the chance to see a full concert, but let’s hope Mötley Crüe can bring to this part of the planet all the amazing energy they showed to the Torontonians.

Setlist
1. Girls, Girls, Girls
2. Wild Side
3. Primal Scream
4. Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)
5. Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
6. Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room (Brownsville Station cover)
7. Looks That Kill
8. Mutherfucker of the Year
9. Anarchy in the U.K. (Sex Pistols cover)
10. Shout at the Devil
11. Louder Than Hell
12. Drum Solo
13. Guitar Solo
14. Saints of Los Angeles
15. Live Wire
16. Dr. Feelgood
17. Kickstart My Heart

Encore:
18. Home Sweet Home

Band members
Vince Neil – vocals
Mick Mars – guitar
Nikki Sixx – bass
Tommy Lee – drums

The Metal Moose Show – Episode 2015-09-08

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If you want to get more information about any of the bands featured at The Metal Moose Show, simply Google the band and/or the song name to find their official website and Facebook page and, more important than that, attend their live concerts and buy their music. Here at The Headbanging Moose you can also find detailed reviews of many other excellent underground bands. Support your local bands… AND FOLLOW THE MOOSE!

On The Metal Moose Show this week:

1. Black Acid Souls – Bitter Taste Sweet
2. Voodoo Sex Cult – Black Jesus
3. Bearstorm – Glacial Relic
4. Dead Awake – Left To Drown
5. Incised – Bloody Mary
6. Kali Ma – Chasing The Tail Of Dogma
7. LAM – Devil Secrets
8. Seeking Seven – Fall In Line
9. Torrid Complex – Nothing Pretty Done
10. Whipping Princess – Birth Of Rage
11. I, The Oracle – Clockwork Tragedy
12. Divide The Empire – Habitual
13. Housebreaking – This Is Hell
14. Exhortation – For Every Goliath There Is A Stone
15. Machine In The Mountain – Silence
16. Lost Atlanta – Alive
17. Almost Human – Normosis
18. Tusk – The Peregrination Of The Nomad
19. MHX – Moon And Sea
20. Ghost Horizon – Writhing
21. Witchbound – Keep The Pyre Burning

Click HERE to listen to this week’s episode on Spreaker.

Metal Moose Radio YouTube | Spreaker | Mixcloud

Album Review – Battalion / Tyrant of Evil EP (2015)

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The battlefield of true Heavy Metal is calling our names through the tunes of war by this talented old school Brazilian squad.

Rating5

Tyrant of evilIf you’re a diehard fan of the impactful Heavy/Speed Metal from the 80’s, when bands like Running Wild, Exciter, Grave Digger and Iron Angel redefined the underworld of metal with their blend of aggressiveness and harmony, I suggest you turn your attention to the city of Itajaí, located in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, around 100km from the state capital Florianópolis, because what Heavy Metal power trio Battalion are capable of doing with their musical weapons will fulfill your deepest needs for fast and furious battle chants.

Formed in the year of 2005, Battalion released as their official debut a highly-acclaimed self-titled demo in 2007, which opened many doors for the band not only in Brazil but everywhere in the world where good old school metal music still lives, followed by an EP in 2012 and a full-length album in 2013 both named Empire of Dead. Now in 2015, in order to keep kicking the asses of the unfaithful at full force, those Brazilian warriors launched a special EP entitled Tyrant of Evil, containing two new steadfast compositions as well as the five original combat songs from their 2007 demo.

As if they wanted to send their loyal metal soldiers to war, Battalion offer the listener the overpowering title-track Tyrant of Evil, with its exciting old school riffs making it feel like Grave Digger decided to play Metallica’s classic “Whiplash”.  In other words, it’s a straightforward tune tailored for connoisseurs of Speed and Thrash Metal from the 80’s, with highlights to guitarist Álvaro Santana Junior for not only knowing how to craft gripping riffs, but for also being pretty solid with his guitar solos. The second fresh song from the EP, Hell Razor, showcases a strong European influence boosted by hints of American Thrash Metal, with lead singer/bassist Marcelo Fagundes revving up the band’s engine with his awesome bass lines while the song’s riffs excoriate your skin mercilessly. In addition, based on his killer performance, it looks like drummer Fabiano Barbosa loves to play at the speed of light from the bottom of his heart.

1500After that amazing start, Battalion take us back in time to the year of 2007, starting with their “tribute” to German legends Grave Digger entitled Battalion of Metal. Raise your swords and let’s go to battle with Battalion, as I’m pretty sure their fans go crazy when they play this tune live. The next tune, Valley of the Dead, presents riffs a la Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, and it’s important to mention it doesn’t sound like a demo so cohesive it is. Another interesting detail in their music is that most of the time the vocals in the old songs are a lot more inclined to Thrash Metal than to traditional Heavy Metal, which also happens in Fighting for the Glory, another battle anthem with an epic vibe. Fabiano doesn’t let the energy level go down with his rhythmic beats, letting Marcelo lead the band in their fight for glory with his warrior vocals and old school attitude.

You’ll be headbanging nonstop to the excellent Final Battle in less than five seconds so rapturous it is. This is by far my favorite from the old demo songs mainly due to its great riffs and chorus, the type the world learned to scream together with tons of bands while raising their fists in the 80’s, an era when we can say Heavy Metal became “mainstream”. And the last tune, Soldiers from the Shadows, takes you to the battlefield for one last fight. This great display of their passion for old school metal music is perfect for some air guitar and obviously for headbanging, closing the EP at the same speed it started.

You can get your copy of Tyrant of Evil (and of the band’s previous releases, as well as albums from many other amazing metal bands) at the Kill Again Records website, sign up for the band’s metallic army at their official Facebook page, and get more information on the band and their upcoming concerts at the Sangue Frio Produções website. The battlefield of true Heavy Metal is calling our names, and it’s through the tunes of war by this talented old school Brazilian squad.

Best moments of the album: Tyrant of Evil.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2015 Kill Again Records

Track listing
1. Tyrant of Evil 2:59
2. Hell Razor 3:42
3. Battalion of Metal 4:43
4. Valley of the Dead 4:06
5. Fighting for the Glory 4:29
6. Final Battle 3:48
7. Soldiers from the Shadows 3:27

Band members
Marcelo Fagundes – vocals, bass
Álvaro Santana Junior – guitars
Fabiano Barbosa – drums

Album Review – Iron Maiden / The Book Of Souls (2015)

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As you read through the pages of The Book Of Souls you’ll inevitably realize that Iron Maiden’s gonna get us all, no matter how far.

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Iron Maiden_The Book of Souls“Here is the soul of a man…”

Unless you were one of the luckiest bastards in the world who joined Mr. Bruce Dickinson on a special 737 flight from Cardiff, UK to Paris, France on August 26 to hear in its entirety the brand new album by Heavy Metal titans Iron Maiden, the 92-minute Mayan-inspired masterpiece The Book Of Souls, I’m pretty sure you have been suffering lately from several “withdrawal symptoms” such as anxiety, palpitations, restlessness and poor concentration, counting every second left until today to close that excruciating five-year gap since their 2010 album The Final Frontier. However, you can definitely relax now, because the band’s first ever double studio album is not only ass-kicking, but so dense and multi-layered we have enough Iron Maiden at their finest to soothe our souls for the next five decades or so.

Furthermore, there are so many noteworthy details surrounding The Book Of Souls it’s hard to summarize everything in just a few lines. For instance, the album was recorded at Studios Guillaume Tell in Paris, the same studio used for their 2000 release Brave New World, with several songs being written and recorded immediately after to give them a live and fresh taste. Also, the album cover features the original version of the Iron Maiden logo, not used on a studio album since their 1995 release The X Factor. And finally, although The Book Of Souls is not a concept album, many songs have references to the human soul, mortality and death, depicted in the artwork as the idiosyncratic “Eddie Sapiens” by English illustrator Mark Wilkinson, who by the way has already worked with other music icons such as Marillion, Fish and Judas Priest, as well as with Iron Maiden themselves in previous works like Best of the ‘B’ Sides and the single The Wicker Man. In addition, the band hired Mayanist scholar Simon Martin, who also translated the song titles into hieroglyphs, to validate the accuracy of the artwork. If there’s a band that pays attention to every single detail in their albums, that’s undoubtedly Iron Maiden.

Nevertheless, it’s when the music starts that we’re all reminded why we love these British veterans so much, and in the case of The Book Of Souls there’s A LOT of music for us Maidenmaniacs to relish. Starting with the first disc, the intro in the excellent If Eternity Should Fail already gave me goosebumps, and besides, it’s really comforting to see that Mr. Bruce Dickinson’s voice continues to be stunning after his battle against cancer (even knowing the album was recorded before his treatment started). After that it’s pure Iron Maiden, which means powerful riffs, galloping bass and drums, and a gripping storyline, with the creepy narration at the end (“the harvester of souls”) reminding me of what Bruce did in some of the songs from his excellent solo album The Chemical Wedding. And if you think this is a lengthy song with its imposing eight minutes, let me remind you it’s only the fourth one in terms of duration. Moving on to the next track, it’s not Iron Maiden if you cannot enjoy some extra freebies such as a behind-the-scenes exclusive footage of an official video or playing a special game inspired by a song, which is the case in the high-octane Speed of Light, where Hard Rock is taken to the next level with the help of some dashing cowbell, Bruce’s vibrant screams and a fuckin’ awesome rhythm led by Iron Maiden’s guitar triumvirate formed by Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers, taking us fans back in time to a Piece of Mind-ish musicality with a touch of Brave New World. Moreover, this electric tune has that type of chorus you’ll be singing nonstop in the shower, in your car, at work, school and anywhere else in the world with your fists in the air and a huge smile on your face (“Shadows in the stars / We will not return / Humanity won’t save us / At the speed of light / Shadows in the stars / We will not return / Humanity won’t save us / We’re slippin’ through the night”).

Iron MaidenThe Great Unknown, which reminds me of some of the songs from The X-Factor but with the addition of the high-end progressiveness found in their latest albums (especially The Final Frontier), showcases the always superb Nicko McBrain firing his unique beats and fills, as well as another eerie story told by Bruce, keeping The Book Of Souls at an incredible level of quality. But it’s from The Red and the Black on that the album becomes a brilliant tribute to Heavy Metal. No words can describe the verve of its intro, and it doesn’t matter if you consider it old school or more contemporary Iron Maiden, as long as you acknowledge its awesomeness. It’s obviously another masterful and epic creation by the one and only Mr. Steve Harris, with highlights to the combination of Steve’s flawless bass lines and Dave’s, Janick’s and Adrian’s riffs and solos. I can’t wait to scream its electrifying “Ooh-Oooh! Ooh-Oooh!” together with the band when I see them live next year (if they play it, of course), and while some people might complain this song is too long, I prefer complaining it has “only” 13 minutes. Too short for its greatness, don’t you agree?

With hints of Seventh Son of a Seventh Son and their Punk Rock attitude from Iron Maiden and Killers, the fast-paced tune When the River Runs Deep, written by Adrian and Steve, truly makes my blood run wild, and I’m certain that if this song was part of any of their old albums it would have become an all-time classic without a shadow of a doubt. Bruce and Nicko are absolutely on fire, making me wonder if they’re really over 50 years old as they sound like they’re in their 20’s, so fiery their performances are. Then closing the first album we have the title-track, The Book of Souls, exhaling beauty from its melancholic intro to the poetry in its lyrics. Everything was meticulously put together by the whole band in this song, which has actually two distinct parts if you pay good attention, the first composed by a grandiose and marching rhythm enhanced by the keyboards in the background, while the second is a lot faster and heavier, showcasing Maiden’s traditional guitar riffs and solos until the songs fades to a somber and calm ending.

In order to properly kick off the second disc and tear the house down, Adrian and Bruce got together to craft another fighting anthem the likes of The Duellists entitled Death or Glory, the perfect soundtrack to an epic battle movie where nothing sounds out of place, with highlights to its exciting backing vocals, blazin’ guitar solos and a potent battlefield sonority. Truth be told, I can’t stop banging my head and playing air bass guitar to this straightforward tune, which is also the case in Shadows of the Valley and its “Wasted Years 2.0” intro, another strong candidate for their live performances. Despite beginning in a very similar way as one of their biggest classics of all time, it ends up following a pattern closer to songs such as “The Fallen Angel” and “Montségur”, mainly due to its characteristic galloping bass guitar and Nicko’s solid drumming. One thing I love doing while listening to Iron Maiden is closing my eyes and absorbing the story Bruce is telling me while the other band members generate a thrilling ambience, and let me tell you this song is perfect for that.

Iron Maiden’s Boeing 747-400 Jumbo Jet, also known as Queen of the Skies

Iron Maiden’s Boeing 747-400 Jumbo Jet, also known as Queen of the Skies

Tears of a Clown, a reverent Heavy Rock tribute to one of the most important actors in the world, Mr. Robin Williams (R.I.P.), is a lot more inclined to Bruce’s solo career, and albeit its instrumental parts sound very cohesive what really stands out in this song is the story told through its lyrics. And The Man of Sorrows, which also sounds closer to something Bruce would do on his own rather than with Iron Maiden (it was written by Steve and Dave, by the way), is completely different from Accident of Birth’s “Man of Sorrows” regardless of their almost identical names. It starts as a heavy ballad, evolving to a darker, more progressive and more melodic musicality than usual, increasing its complexity and impact on the listener.

And last but not least, Empire of the Clouds, featuring Bruce on piano for the first time ever and based on the historic crash of the titanic airship R101 in 1930, replaces “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” as the band’s longest song ever at 18 minutes in duration. It is perhaps the most melancholic and sorrowful song ever composed by the band, and as we all know they have the guts to play something like this live I bet it will be part of their upcoming setlist next year for our purest delectation. Bruce gives a History lesson about the R101 during the whole song, taking its epicness to the second power, with the music perfectly representing the audacity, dreams and failure involved in that important historical fact. Additionally, after nine minutes it becomes a music voyage full of changes in rhythm, progressive passages and symphonic elements, culminating in a gentle and passionate climax that closes The Book Of Souls with a flourish.

In summary, Iron Maiden triumphed once again (as if anyone is really surprised with that), delivering a bold, venturous and elaborate album that will keep them atop the highest mountains of heavy music, consequently attracting more and more fans to their extensive family and keeping Heavy Metal strong and relevant for many years to come. Now all we have to do is wait patiently for their gigantic world tour next year on board of their Boeing 747-400 Jumbo Jet (aka Queen of the Skies), listening to The Book Of Souls over and over again until then. And as you read through the pages of the new epic album by Heavy Metal’s greatest band of all time, you’ll inevitably realize that Iron Maiden’s gonna get you, and you, and you, and you, and all of you… no matter how far.

Best moments of the album: The Red and the Black, When the River Runs Deep, Death or Glory, Shadows of the Valley and Empire of the Clouds.

Worst moments of the album: WHAT!?

Released in 2015 Parlophone/Sanctuary Copyrights/BMG

Track listing
Disc one
1. If Eternity Should Fail 8:28
2. Speed of Light 5:01
3. The Great Unknown 6:37
4. The Red and the Black 13:33
5. When the River Runs Deep 5:52
6. The Book of Souls 10:27

Disc two
1. Death or Glory 5:13
2. Shadows of the Valley 7:32
3. Tears of a Clown 4:59
4. The Man of Sorrows 6:28
5. Empire of the Clouds 18:01

Band members
Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals, piano on “Empire of the Clouds”
Steve Harris – bass, keyboards
Dave Murray – guitar
Adrian Smith – guitar
Janick Gers – guitar
Nicko McBrain – drums

The Metal Moose Show – Episode 2015-09-01

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If you want to get more information about any of the bands featured at The Metal Moose Show, simply Google the band and/or the song name to find their official website and Facebook page and, more important than that, attend their live concerts and buy their music. Here at The Headbanging Moose you can find detailed reviews of Ukrainian Metal N’ Roll band Gasoline Guns and Czech Melodic Power Metal band Sebastien (just click on the links below to read the reviews). Support your local bands… AND FOLLOW THE MOOSE!

On The Metal Moose Show this week:

1. The Overmind – Blueprint Bioforms
2. Killset – My Whole Life
3. 3 Weeks Later – Dementia
4. Wings In Motion – Our Bleeding
5. Astral Void – BFF
6. Barbarian Fist – The Whorelord Cometh
7. Cactus Hag – In Search Of Plagues
8. Chaos Engine Research – Passions Burning Flame
9. Fallen Angels – The Hammers Blow
10. Gasoline Guns – Panzer Rock ‘N’ Roll
11. Hot Dang – Lifter
12. Sebastien – Frozen Nightingales
13. Shut In – Exit Wounds
14. Tell The Wolves I’m Home – Ghost
15. War Asylum – Alpha
16. No Light No Life – Former Self, Present Worth
17. Killing Gandi – The Cannibal Course
18. Mooncry – Angel Of Darkness
19. Korotory – Unity
20. Game Zero – The City With No Ends
21. Agakok – Dead Birds
22. Inner Sense – Safe In The Shadows
23. Broken Flesh – Unworthy

Click HERE to listen to this week’s episode on Spreaker.

Metal Moose Radio YouTube | Spreaker | Mixcloud

Metal Chick of the Month – Daísa Munhoz

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daisa01

How dare you look at me in the eye?

Time to fly back to South America, more specifically to the municipality of Bariri, São Paulo, Brazil, located about 300km from the city of São Paulo (and about 700km from the city of Rio de Janeiro), to talk about another Brazilian Heavy Metal diva, Daísa Munhoz, the beautiful and talented frontwoman of Brazilian Progressive Metal band Vandroya. If you’re simply fanatic for traditional Heavy Metal, I would say she might be the girl of your dreams.

Owner of a very powerful and melodic voice, Daísa started singing when she was only 9 years old, and at the age of fourteen she was already part of a “travelling band”. Our diva said that although she never actually took any singing lessons, she grew up surrounded by every kind of musicians, rehearsals and jam sessions every single day, as her parents are musicians too. That helped her a lot in terms of getting used to how the world of music works, and she learned a lot from every musician that was close to her, especially her mother. She also plays the piano, but “in a mediocre way” in her own words, mainly because she ends up using it more like a guide during her writing and composing process, or sometimes just as a distraction or to relax a little.  Daísa said she never really had any interest in specializing herself in the piano, nor the patience or discipline to do so.

It was when our Heavy Metal bombshell was around 18 or 19 years old that she founded Vandroya, having recorded so far with the band a 2-track demo entitled Within Shadows, in 2005, and more recently their first full-length album, One, in 2012 via Spiritual Beast Records and in 2013 via Inner Wound Recordings. And stay tuned, because the compositions for the next Vandroya album are 100% finished and the recording process will start really soon. By the way, Daísa explained the word “Vandroya” means nothing specifically: it was just a suggestion from a friend back in their early years, based on a character in Avantasia who is called Vandroy. The band just loved the way it sounded.

In addition, you can also see our diva in action in many other different bands and projects. She has been performing for years, including her one time all female band called Inlakesh, as well as a Led Zeppelin tribute band named Black Dog. Not only that, she recorded the vocals on track Song of Deliverance, from the 2013 album Exodus by Slovakian Progressive Power Metal band Signum Regis, as well as the vocals as “Judith” or “Judith, The Princess” in three different albums by Brazilian Melodic Power Metal band Soulspell (a Metal Opera project created by Brazilian drummer Heleno Vale): A Legacy of Honor (2008), The Labyrinth of Truths (2010) and Hollow’s Gathering (2012), winning the Best Female Vocalist award from Whiplash.net in 2010 for her work with Soulspell.

There are so many awesome songs with Daísa on vocals on YouTube you can spend hours and hours just listening and watching to our diva kicking ass, so in order for you to get a delicious taste of her unique voice and the mighty metal music played by Vandroya, my recommendations are the beautiful ballad Why Should We Say Goodbye, the Helloween-ish Power Metal tune The Last Free Land (which I’m pretty sure will inspire you so much you’ll buy Vandroya’s debut album after the first listen), the smooth acoustic version of No Oblivion For Eternity, a live performance of one of their first songs, Within Shadows, as well as their recent cover version for the song Heaven, by Canadian icon Bryan Adams.

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In regards to her main music influences, it’s important to say that Robert Plant is her biggest idol of all time, with the way he sings and moves having a huge impact on her onstage performance, which by the way is beyond superb. However, there are so many awesome artists and bands that it’s hard to name just a few. Sacred names such as Dio, Freddy Mercury, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Russel Allen, Robert Plant, Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, Doro and Ann Wilson are among her biggest idols, being also highly influenced by Iron Maiden, of course, and many German metal bands, especially Helloween, with the unique voice of Michael Kiske leading her into the world of heavy music. Vandroya playing one of my top Helloween songs of all time, the classic March Of Time, is truly outstanding and an amazing tribute from Daísa and her band to the best Teutonic metal band of all time.

In one of her interviews, Daísa stated she has so many idols it’s very hard to choose just a few for a “dream tour”, but that she would truly love to be part of a festival only formed by female-fronted metal bands. It’s about time someone from the Metal Female Voices Fest invites her and the other members of Vandroya to be part of any future editions of the festival, don’t you think?

Lastly, although Daísa grew up listening to a lot of classic rock and hard rock bands, always being completely fanatic for Led Zeppelin, when asked about the top 5 Heavy Metal albums that changed her life, she listed the following ones: Pink Bubbles Go Ape (Helloween), Cowboys from Hell (Pantera), …And Justice for All (Metallica), The Number of the Beast (Iron Maiden) and Black Sabbath (Black Sabbath), I guess not necessarily in this order. Take a good look at this list and answer me if this is not enough awesomeness to consider Daísa a true badass metalhead!

Daísa Munhoz’s Official Facebook page
Vandroya’s Official Facebook page

“…I actually started to search for more female singers and I discovered a lot of amazing and brave warriors that faced this male-dominated market and won it. You know what? I just realized I know so many female singers I could write a book about their careers!” – Daísa Munhoz