"If I could survive to live one more time
I wouldn't be changing a thing at all
Done more in my life than some do in ten
I'd go back and do it all over again..."
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 Austrian Melodic Death Metal band Mandatory and Finnish Doom/Stoner Metal band Dö (just click on the links below to read the reviews). And for the first time ever, a new segment on the show called “Moose Masters” presents one of the songs from the new kick-ass album by Swedish Black Metal icons Marduk, also reviewed here! Support your local bands… AND FOLLOW THE MOOSE!
On The Metal Moose Show this week (not necessarily in this order):
1. Snakeskin Prison – Smokin Whiskey
2. Bleeding Eyes – Demon Haze
3. Seven Circle Sunrise – Dead Love Letters
4. Gotland – Gloria Et Morte
5. Eye Of The Enemy – Burn The World
6. Adorn The Wicked – Spirit
7. Crawling Manifest – From Afar
8. Crows Cage – Skin
9. Four Skulls – Holding On
10. Heaven Dust – World Goes Grey
11. Lord Marshall – Event Horizon
12. Mandatory – End Of Watch
13. Downfall 2012 – Divinity
14. Downfall 2012 – Face 2 Face
15. Mobday – Jester
16. Urn – Cast In Amber
17. Sleepwalking Home – Skin Army
18. Sanguine Galaialis – Into The Heart Of Chaos
19. Dö – For The Worms
20. Marduk – Frontschwein
Click HERE to listen to this week’s episode on Spreaker or HERE to listen to it on Mixcloud.
“Decadent” is a word that definitely doesn’t fit for the German Tank Udo Dirkschneider when it comes down to Heavy Metal.
After over 40 years on the road, either with his former band Accept, his solo career with U.D.O. or lending his one-of-a-kind voice as a special guest to bands like Lordi and Raven, one thing must be said about the iconic Udo Dirkschneider: the German Tank is indeed an unstoppable Heavy Metal machine. And now with Decadent, the fifteenth studio album by his solo band, despite the endless feeling of “been there, done that” found in the entire album, he proves once again that he’s far from being a decadent artist.
And how has this Teutonic metaller managed to stay relevant in the world of heavy music until today? Well, you might not be a fan of his raspy and screechy voice or the way he looks, but you have to admit he surely knows how to craft good metal music no matter what, just like other veterans such as Motörhead and AC/DC, always loyal to his roots and beliefs. Decadent might not be a masterpiece or something that will be an essential part of your playlist in a not so distant future, but it’s a decent display of old school Heavy Metal and, especially if you’re a diehard fan of his solo career, an album that will keep your faith in the German Tank.
However, it’s when Udo and his crew get down to business that everything makes a lot more sense, starting with the opening track, Speeder, a more-than-pure traditional Heavy Metal tune with no shenanigans, nothing new, just good old straightforward heavy music. Udo’s voice might not be as potent as before and the lyrics are as “generic metal” as possible (“It’s faster than the light / You better step aside / The speeder of the night”), but the song is very enjoyable anyway and one of the top moments of the album. The title-track, Decadent, talks about old issues that are still among us like greed, politics and violence (which by the way are themes many bands sadly forgot they existed, or simply ignored them in their most recent albums), and its extremely catchy riff and rhythm will please all fans of both U.D.O. and Accept.
The following track, House Of Fake, has a very promising start with fast and thrilling riffs, and its chorus is a lot fun. Unfortunately, the rest of the song doesn’t vary much from that, which hampers it from being a lot more interesting. Then we have what’s probably going to be the worst metal song of 2015 in my opinion, a horrible attempt of sounding “different” entitled Mystery: despite being a heavy track, it’s annoying as hell, with its bridge, chorus and everything else being such a joke it makes me wonder what Udo and the rest of the band really wanted to do in this song. They failed miserably, unless of course they purposely wanted it to sound so bad, and I dare you can listen to this song more than once like I had to. At least the excellent Pain erases that nasty impression left in the air with a journey back to the 80’s, where inspired by old school metal music each element found in this song works extremely well. Besides, Udo smoothly declaiming the beautiful words “Try eating some of your own shit – for once / Cos’ I’m not taking it – anymore” is one of the top moments of the song for sure, deserving to become one of those memes with famous quotes from celebrities. Well, why not doing that myself as a tribute to Mr. Dirkschneider?
A ballad with Udo on vocals is always a mystery, with the final result being either amazing or a more-than-epic disaster. Luckily, Secrets In Paradise doesn’t fail to deliver, mainly due to its decent solos and a chorus that suits Udo’s raspy vocals pretty well. The band speeds up things again in Meaning Of Life, which is nothing more than an average metal song that is far from being memorable, but that doesn’t do any harm to the album either; and in Breathless, which despite not being very creative, it’s a very good metal song, with highlights to the nice work on drums by Francesco Jovino, the adequate blend of Udo’s voice and the guitar riffs in the background, and its sing-along chorus (“We are so breathless all the time / So breathless / Cos’ we are restless in the mind”). The digipak version of the album has two bonus tracks inserted randomly amidst the other tracks, with the first one being Let Me Out, and let me tell you this song is a lot better than almost everything in the entire album. It’s a song for hitting the road with your bike, with those basic drumming, lyrics and riffs that together sound powerful and exciting.
Another great moment in Decadent is Under Your Skin, where the music flows nicely and enhances the overall quality of the album. It should be one of the chosen songs for live performances, especially due to its “Fast as a Shark” accelerated rhythm. Regrettably, the rest of the album is a collection of uninspired songs, starting with the tasteless Untouchable, which is so generic it could have had any other name and lyrics and it would have sounded exactly the same still, and the other bonus track, Shadow Eyes, completely opposite to “Let Me Out” so boring it is. Rebels Of The Night, despite its fast rhythm, is another average song where even Udo doesn’t have a good performance, and lastly we have Words In Flame, a huge “orchestral” failure that will make you beg for it to be over just a few seconds after it actually starts. Why such a tiring and shallow song had to go over 7 minutes is beyond my comprehension.
Anyway, as previously mentioned, do not expect the birth of a new metal classic with Decadent, but do not expect to be disappointed with it either. U.D.O. are still good in what they do, of course led by the one and only Udo Dirkschneider, and while they release decent and honest material like in Decadent, we can rest assured old school Heavy Metal will keep pleasantly piercing through our ears for many years to come.
Best moments of the album:Speeder, Under Your Skin and Let Me Out.
Worst moments of the album:Mystery, Shadow Eyes and Words In Flame.
Released in 2015 AFM Records
Track listing 1. Speeder 3:45
2. Decadent 4:49
3. House Of Fake 4:26
4. Mystery 4:36
5. Pain 5:10
6. Secrets In Paradise 5:00
7. Meaning Of Life 4:34
8. Breathless 5:21
10. Under Your Skin 4:22
11. Untouchable 5:09
13. Rebels Of The Night 4:41
14. Words In Flame 7:36
Limited edition digipak bonus tracks 9. Let Me Out 3:56
12. Shadow Eyes 4:21
Band members Udo Dirkschneider – vocals
Andrey Smirnov – guitar
Kasperi Heikkinen – guitar
Fitty Wienhold – bass
Francesco Jovino – drums
The first chapter in the career of this British Stoner Metal band is more than promising: it’s a lesson in heavy and gripping music.
After listening to Chapter 1 : A Long Time Coming, the debut studio album by British Stoner Rock/Metal band Profane And The Sacred, there was only one question that came across my mind: how not to bang my head while enjoying a cold beer to the music triggered by those guys? Seriously, they’re not kidding when they describe their sound as “hard heavy gigantic grooves”, and they will certainly make you feel all that energy flowing through your ears directly into your body and soul with this album.
Formed in 2010 and based in London, UK, Profane And The Sacred were capable of combining the best you can find in bands such as Down, Crowbar, Black Sabbath, Karma to Burn and many other distinguished Rock N’ Roll groups in a compelling and robust way. As you will notice, all songs surpass the 5-minute barrier, but that doesn’t mean they’re too progressive, tedious or anything like that. Quite the contrary, each and every song has tons of interesting elements to offer the listener, strengthened by huge doses of professionalism and feeling, and therefore keeping you hooked on Chapter 1 : A Long Time Coming from start to finish.
In the opening track, Bench, we are already able to experience a puissant Stoner Rock atmosphere brought forth by the dark riffs by lead singer/guitarist Luke Alleeson and guitarist Rick Spooner, with highlights to the beautiful guitar solos at the end of the song. However, do not go too crazy with this excellent tune and save some of your energy for what’s about to come: Bleed That Stone is not only a lot more metallic than its predecessor (thanks in part to the intense beats by drummer Kieran Smith), with its last minute or so sounding like a “tribute” to Down and Crowbar so good it is, but also Luke’s voice fits the musicality flawlessly while bassist Rob Taylor smashes his four-string weapon, making the song even tougher and more enjoyable.
Moreover, if there’s one thing this band knows how to do is filling every single second of their music with solidity and depth. For instance, You Know adventures into even more Crowbar-ish lines, with Luke declaiming the song’s “cute” lyrics while the other band members keep kickin’ ass with their more-than-ruthless Sludge Metal; whereas Weather The Storm focuses on 100% old school Stoner Rock, with kudos to Rob for his melodic and soulful bass solo. An even higher level of dynamism is found in the amazing From The Top, the first single of the album, which is basically what all of us want to hear in Stoner Metal: badass drumming and low-tuned riffs accompanied by realistic and introspective lyrics.
Then we have All For None, which showcases another great performance by Rob and Kieran and some interesting shifts from faster beats to a much slower and sludgier rhythm (and vice-versa) without sounding mechanic or disconnected at all, followed by another good tune entitled Just A Little, where Luke complements the song’s vile riffs, breaks and variations with his unique vocal lines. Finally, one of the best tracks of the entire album, Words, which flirts with more traditional Heavy Metal, is so extraordinary I bet you’ll start air mimicking either the riffs, drums or at least start singing the lyrics with them. It’s a spectacular Rock N’ Roll/Stoner Metal anthem, with the fine tuning of both guitars being beyond splendid. There’s also a smooth instrumental track to close the album, A New Leaf, which invites you to close your eyes and relax to the sound of its acoustic guitars, as simple as that.
You can find more information about Profane And The Sacred on their official Facebook page, YouTube and Instagram, as well as purchase their music on Amazon, iTunes and Cargo Records. Chapter 1 : A Long Time Coming is an invaluable lesson in Stoner Metal, so to speak, and I cannot wait for more of their gripping music in a near future (maybe a “chapter 2” album) to make my beer even more delightful.
Best moments of the album:Bleed That Stone, From The Top and Words.
Worst moments of the album:A New Leaf.
Released in 2015 Cargo Records
Track listing 1. Bench 8:13
2. Bleed That Stone 5:42
3. You Know 7:24
4. Weather The Storm 7:25
5. From The Top 5:01
6. All For None 5:39
7. Just A Little 6:57
8. Words 7:24
9. A New Leaf 5:31
Band members Luke Alleeson – vocals, guitars
Rick Spooner – guitars
Rob Taylor – bass guitar
Kieran Smith – drums
Enjoy the darkest side of heavy music forged in the deep and ghoulish den of “Hellsinki”.
“Through the gates left open. From the paths unknown. Came three unholy bastards…”
How about that? Those are the beautiful words used by Finnish Doom/Stoner Metal band Dö to present themselves to the rest of the world, and let me tell you they couldn’t be more accurate than that. Furthermore, you might be asking yourself what “Dö” means and how to pronounce it, right? If I’m not mistaken, “Dö” means to die or kick the bucket, with its correct pronunciation being available HERE. This is all very interesting, but what about their music? Well, that’s where the band truly excels, firing deeply disturbing and exciting tunes for our deviant delectation.
Forged in the frozen flames of “Hellsinki”, Finland (or just Helsinki for the mere mortals) and fueled by epic amounts of bitterness, alcohol and dark humor, those talented Finns embrace darkness once again after the release of their unnamed debut EP in the beginning of 2014 to offer us metalheads a brand new EP entitled Den, which goes on for over 28 minutes despite having only four tracks and, believe me, there’s absolutely no sign of hope or tranquility throughout its entirety. After all, we’re talking about the darkest form of Doom Metal, which means happiness is just a distant memory and nothing we would expect to hear from a band like this.
That characteristic Doom Metal rhythm is already there in the excellent For the Worms, with its low-tuned riffs by Big Dog and slow and steady drumming by Peat Rex, enhanced by hints of the most obscure songs by Black Sabbath. The song, which begins with an acoustic intro followed by the harsh growls by Deaf Hank (by the way, one of the highlights of the entire EP), showcases lyrics that couldn’t be more morbid and desperate, especially its funereal chorus. Not only that, its guitar solo by Big Dog, totally inspired by heavy classics from the 70’s, adds an extra layer of mysticism to the final result.
Following that marvel we have the even more gruesome Frostbites, which if you live in a warm country or have never heard of it means the medical condition in which localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to freezing. Just as “lovely” as that sounds, the band provides us some amazing instrumental passages, with highlights to the excellent job done by Peat Rex in maintaining the rhythm as nefarious as possible without becoming stale, while Deaf Hank vociferates the lyrics with an extra dose of negativity during the chorus (“Red skies / Dark eyes / Last rites / Frostbites”). Another awesome part of the lyrics is “You live in fear / Winter is here”, probably as a tribute to the country where they come from (although it’s not dangerous there at all, it’s just damn cold), and once again Big Dog masters the art of old school guitar solos.
Just when you think it couldn’t get more freakish the band comes with the mesmerizing tune Hex, thanks mainly to the cryptic and polished riffs by Big Dog, with the second half of the song being a perfect Stoner Metal exhibit. And last but not least, The Moon Follows Us, a track highly recommended for metalheads that love dark and extremely well-crafted music, brings forth a comprehensive mix of Doom and Stoner Metal, with its cleaner guitar riffs providing it a slightly lighter atmosphere while the raspy screams by Deaf Hank and drums by Peat Rex are the “doomed” side of it.
Please, I’m kindly asking you to visit their Facebook page, BandCamp and YouTube channel to know more about this outstanding Finnish band, listen to the entire EP, purchase their music and support them in their path to stardom. Moreover, if you do not do what I’m saying, those three unholy bastards will drag you anyway to their grisly den, so why resist and suffer their wrath when you can easily join the dark side of music and, of course, enjoy it?
Best moments of the album:For the Worms.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2015 Independent
Track listing 1.For the Worms 7:08
2.Frostbites 8:19
3.Hex 6:05
4.The Moon Follows Us 7:01
Band members
Deaf Hank – Executive Vice President of Low-end and Oral Messaging
Big Dog – General Development Officer of Riffs and 6 Strings
Peat Rex – Chief Executive Officer of Rhythm and Tempo
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 (not necessarily in this order):
1. Eye Of The Enemy – The March
2. The Conjuration – Fragile
3. Everfall – Above The World
4. Bow Prometheus – Althena’s Plague
5. Hellbent – The Demise Of John Sykes
6. Psycho Sister – Skeleton
7. Return To Zero – Wicked World
8. Le Poisson – Haunting Me
9. Force Of Rage – Battle
10. Alex Cole – Burning Down In Flames
11. Barbedwire Reverend – Russel Blackson Goes To Hell
12. Bloodshed Valhalla – Warrior Of The Northern
13. Vegas Rhythm Kings – Maggot Pinata
14. Specules – Smudge
15. Revel 9 – All I’ve Become
16. Revel 9 – The Good Fight
17. Fall Saves Grace – Her Psycho Circus
18. Crimson Storm – Midnight Rider
19. Klondine – D’etre
20. Billion Dollar Man – Abandoned
21. Bleedeing Eyes – Keep Calm And Fail
22. Black Swamp Water – Drink Em Way Down
Click HERE to listen to this week’s episode on Spreaker or HERE to listen to it on Mixcloud.
Fall for the love of me… Crawl for the love of me.
If you’re a fan of Cradle Of Filth, Abigail Williams or Orbs, you must have already heard of the red-haired diva Ashley “Ellyllon” Jurgemeyer, Ashley Ellyllonor Ashley Jurgemeyer, a very talented pianist, keyboardist and songwriter involved in so many different projects and bands, including scoring for film and television, that it’s quite hard to list all of them here without missing anything.
Born on July 30, 1984 in Scottsdale, Arizona, but currently residing in Los Angeles, California, Ashley started her music career at the age of six by taking classical piano lessons, finally earning some years later her Bachelor’s degree in Music Theory and Composition from Arizona State University in 2006. During her years at the Arizona State University, she studied with John Metz, Jody Rockmaker, and James DeMars, and was granted the Louis Kerr Grant in composition. After her graduation, she began her career in Rock N’ Roll and Heavy Metal in New York, where she was able to combine her background in classical music with the more modern musicality of genres such as Experimental Rock, Symphonic Black Metal and Extreme Metal.
Our redhead pianist was one of the founding members of American Symphonic Black Metal band Abigail Williams in 2005, with whom she recorded one EP called Legend, in 2006, and two full-length albums: In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns, in 2008, and more recently Becoming, in 2012, this time just as a guest musician. During her years with the band, where she was always responsible for all piano, synths, and orchestration parts, and sometimes also for some background vocals, she was able to go on tour and share the stage with Extreme Metal icons Emperor, Dark Funeral, Enslaved, among many others. If you want to know more about her contribution to the music of Abigail Williams, my suggestions as a start are the awesome songs Floods, Into the Ashes and Acolytes, all three from the album In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns.
Between her departure from Abigail Williams in 2009 and her return in 2012, Ashley became the new keyboardist for English Extreme Metal band Cradle Of Filth, replacing English keyboardist Rosie Smith. She toured with the band for a while, even taking part of the music video for The Death Of Love (watch it at the end of this text), from the album Godspeed On The Devil’s Thunder (which she didn’t record), and then recorded her only album with the band, the excellent Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa, in 2010. Her beautiful keyboard and piano lines can be enjoyed in powerful and heavy songs such as The Cult of Venus Aversa, Retreat of the Sacred Heart, and especially Lilith Immaculate (although she’s not in the official music video for this song). However, she mentioned her favorite Cradle Of Filth song to play live was not from her album with the band, but the sonic massacre Cthulhu Dawn, from the masterpiece Midian (2000).
She’s also part of American Experimental Rock supergroup Orbs, together with Dan Briggs (Between the Buried and Me) and Adam Fisher (Fear Before), with whom she recorded the album Asleep Next to Science, in 2010, the single These People Are Animals, in 2014, and now in 2015 the band will be releasing a new full-length album entitled Past Life Regression. The music here is completely different from Abigail Williams and Cradle Of Filth, as you’ll notice in the songs Sayer of the Law, Megaloblastic Madness, Something Beautiful, and The Northwestern Bearitories B – Kid Cancer, which is something mentioned by Ashley in one of her rare interviews like this one for PunkWorldViews.com.
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Besides those bands and projects, Ashley was also responsible for the programming and string arrangement in the album Until I Feel Nothing (2011) by American Deathcore band Carnifex, and helped American Shock Rock singer Ryann Donnelly with the songwriting for her Girl EP (2012), which can be seen for example in the song Bang.. But hold your breath, because there’s still a lot more to go: our gorgeous “ginger” musician is also working on a solo classical piano album; composed the song Sunday Sundress for the Handmade Hostess Official Book Trailer; played keyboards and composed Casting The Circle, a very interesting song by a project called The Dreadful Hours; and was named “Best Keyboardist of 2010” by Alternative Press.
Are you tired already? Well, Ashley is definitely not, and it looks like she’s always ready for more when it’s about music, as she’s also featured on a video called Antiquity Music Sessions – Ep. 1 – The Baldwin Solid Body Harpsichord, where she beautifully plays the Baldwin Solid Body Harpsichord and, although we cannot see her pretty face, we can enjoy some of her abilities as a musician (and her perfect red hair, of course). And don’t forget to check all her other contributions, compositions and projects on her official website. In addition, one can imagine how much time Ashley has to spend on the road with all her bands and projects, and what she likes to do to spend free time on tour. She mentioned she loves exploring any city she’s in, reading, writing new music, connecting to her family through the internet, and of course playing her keyboards.
Ashley’s list of idols in the world of music is very eclectic, including many classical masters such as Russian pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff, Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, French composer Claude Debussy and Russian classical pianist Vladimir Horowitz, as well as more contemporary artists like English musician Matt Bellamy (Muse) and American keyboardist Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater). Moreover, her top 5 albums simply corroborate her broad music taste, as the list is composed by Muse’s Origin of Symmetry, Darkest Hour’s Undoing Ruin, Dimmu Borgir’s Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, Radiohead’s OK Computer, and Sigur Rós’ Agaetis Byrjun, which means she’s a fan of Alternative/Experimental Rock, Melodic Death Metal, Symphonic Black Metal, Post-Rock, and remember we’re only talking about her favorite albums, not everything that she listens to while performing her day-to-day activities!
In regards to her personal life, Ashley loves yoga, running, cooking, traveling, and curiously one of her favorite hobbies is making comic books. I tried to find anything she’s already produced in terms of comics on the web, but nothing came up. Maybe it’s just a personal thing for her, in other words, something she’s not willing to share with anybody else? Anyway, talking about her likes and dislikes, among her top places are Greece and New Zealand, her favorite movie is the unparalleled classic Silence of the Lambs, her favorite books are “Mozart in the Jungle” by Blair Tindall and “Still Life With Woodpecker” by Tom Robbins, and finally her favorite food and drink are, respectively, Thai food and Blood Mary. Why am I not surprised our redhead rocker loves a drink that has BLOOD in its name and is completely RED?
Equipment
Roland Fantom G8
Yamaha S90 ES
Roland Juno
Nord Stage 2 88
Are you ready to explore what’s beyond “The Red Mirror” with one of the most influential Power Metal bands of all time?
Beyond The Red Mirror, the tenth studio album by German Power Metal pioneers Blind Guardian, their first since 2010’s At the Edge of Time (the longest gap between two studio albums in their career) and the first without bassist Oliver Holzwarth since their finest work to date, 1995’s Imaginations from the Other Side, might not be a true masterpiece, but it’s good enough to keep those Teutonic veterans going and also a perfect example of how to effectively combine metal music with a great concept, creating what some people like to call a “Metal Opera”.
Blind Guardian’s iconic lead singer Hansi Kürsch has already explained himself this album is a sequel to Imaginations from the Other Side: the two worlds have changed dramatically for the worse since then with only one gate left now between them, The Red Mirror, with the storyline revolving around the young protagonist we first met in the 1995’s classics “Bright Eyes” and “And the Story Ends”. Add to that the fact that three different classical choirs (from Czech Republic, Hungary and the United States) and two grand orchestras, each featuring 90 musicians, are part of the album, and you can imagine how grandiose the musicality contained in Beyond The Red Mirror is.
The almost 10-minute epic track The Ninth Wave, with its choir intro, kicks off the album proving once again Hansi’s voice is not only unique but also so powerful it’s impossible not to follow his vocal lines in their entirety. Although I loved its harmony and storyline, it lacks a little heaviness, making it more Metal Opera than Power Metal per se. Twilight Of The Gods sounds a lot more traditional than the opening track, especially its fast drums and guitar riffs and solos. Moreover, Hansi guides the rhythm here thanks in part to the song’s awesome straightforward lyrics (“Witness the twilight of the gods / Will they ever return / A storm will take us / And then wipe us out / There’s no retreat”).
The most interesting aspect in Prophecies, which despite not being outstanding at least maintains the album at a decent level, is how well we can understand each and every word Hansi pronounces, even when he does his stronger/harsher vocals; while At The Edge Of Time, with its eerie intro and a more melancholic atmosphere, doesn’t really decide if it’s a metallic or a symphonic song, hurting the final result. On the other hand, Ashes Of Eternity is the true Blind Guardian we all have learned to love, with its exciting vocal lines and beautiful guitar solos by André Olbrich making it one of the top moments of the album. Keeping up with this awesomeness we have The Holy Grail, the perfect soundtrack in the quest for the Holy Grail itself where not even a single second is boring or out of place. Moreover, the top-notch Power Metal drumming by Frederik Ehmke will definitely sound amazing live.
Beyond The Red Mirror Limited Edition Digipak/Earbook Deluxe
The Throne is another symphonic-centered tune with lots of elements from traditional Blind Guardian, with highlights to the great job done by André Olbrich with his inspired solos once again. The following track, the dark Sacred Mind, showcases solid instrumental lines despite not being very creative, albeit it gets a little tiring after a while; and the piano ballad Miracle Machine focuses on a superb vocal performance by Hansi. Closing the regular version of the album we have another imposing progressive 9-minute song, Grand Parade, which in my opinion gets too symphonic sometimes, even knowing it was meant to be this way. In other words, it’s not a bad song, but it won’t probably work really well live nor become a classic or anything like that. Furthermore, the special versions of Beyond The Red Mirror come with an amazing bonus track, Distant Memories, a melodic and symphonic old school semi-ballad curiously inserted in the middle of the album (as track number 6) instead of at the end; and if you purchase the earbook there’s another Power Metal bonus track for you entitled Doom.
In summary, although some moments in Beyond The Red Mirror lack more intensity and power, there are lots of excellent songs, with a couple of them deserving a 5 out of 5 so amazing they are, augmented by all the majestic orchestral passages perfectly inserted amidst the band’s unmatched Power Metal. Some fans will end up comparing it to Imaginations from the Other Side due to the existing connection between the two albums, but I prefer to keep them separate and enjoy their own elements and musicality one at a time. Although we all know there’s never going to be another Imaginations from the Other Side, we can rest assured Blind Guardian is still capable of delivering Power Metal at its finest like in Beyond The Red Mirror, and that’s the bottom line. With that said, are you ready to explore what’s beyond “The Red Mirror”?
Best moments of the album:Twilight Of The Gods, Ashes Of Eternity, The Holy Grail and the bonus track Distant Memories.
Worst moments of the album:At The Edge Of Time, Sacred Mind and Grand Parade.
Released in 2015 Nuclear Blast
Track listing 1. The Ninth Wave 9:27
2. Twilight of the Gods 4:49
3. Prophecies 5:24
4. At the Edge of Time 6:53
5. Ashes of Eternity 5:38
7. The Holy Grail 6:02
8. The Throne 7:53
9. Sacred Mind 6:21
10. Miracle Machine 3:02
11. Grand Parade 9:27
Band members Hansi Kürsch – lead and backing vocals
André Olbrich – lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars
Marcus Siepen – rhythm guitar
Frederik Ehmke – drums, percussion
Progressive, aggressive and intricate metal music created to flow directly into your body and mind.
Inspired by Sigmund Freud’s theory on the levels of the human psyche (id, ego and super-ego), comes Canadian Progressive Metal band id. and their brand new EP, entitled Sagittarius A, which will take you on a relatively short but very interesting expedition through several music genres, from World Music to Death Metal. Longtime fans of Opeth, Gojira and Mastodon will quickly fall in love with id., while others might be positively surprised with the depth offered in the music by this Vancouver-based group.
The story behind the EP title is very entertaining and shows how much attention the band members paid to every detail while composing it. Sagittarius A, which touches on topics such as inner struggle and self-awareness, is the name of the black hole in the center of our galaxy (as represented by the album art). The central idea comes from a fundamental belief in a scientific world view, free of religious influence and tyranny, outlining how people are susceptible to believe things without evidence if it appeals to their vanity, as opposed to being presented with evidence and being able to accept something that is inherently contradictory to their intuition. But don’t worry if you didn’t really get it: just sit down, relax and enjoy the heavy music spectacle presented in this four-track EP.
And the psychedelic heavy music journey begins with The Greatest Secret Never Told, where huge influences from French Groove/Progressive Metal band Gojira can be easily noticed in all instruments, especially in its drums and riffs. Not only that, the high-end sounding is above average for any indie band like id., something that must be acknowledged for sure. Very technical and progressive instrumental passages are also found in Humanity’s Cry, an introspective and melancholic track (not only the music itself, but also the lyrics), with highlights to the theatrical clean vocals by lead singer Jason Pennington and the amazing beats by drummer Kris DeBoer.
id.entity is a lot angrier and more complex than the previous songs, sounding almost like Progressive Black Metal before turning into rawer Death Metal, which just confirms how creative this band can be. It’s a progressive feast where all band members have a very professional and solid performance, especially guitarists Alex Dubreuil and Tyson Araszewski, all guided by the excellent desperate vocals by Jason. Lastly, we have the title-track, Sagittarius A, which despite beginning in a very smooth way, suddenly becomes a violent but harmonic flow of blast beats and harsh screams. It’s in my opinion the best of all four tracks, mainly due to its high-energy rhythm and intricacy.
You can visit the band’s official Facebook page and/or BandCamp to obtain more details and stream the music by this band that’s helping put the awesome province of British Columbia, Canada in the map of Progressive Metal. In the end, it doesn’t really matter if you’re a profound connoisseur of the life and work of the father of psychoanalysis or not: if you’re a metalhead with a strong inclination to progressiveness, your body and mind will demand more of the elaborate musicality generated by these Canadian metallers.
Best moments of the album: As already mentioned, Sagittarius A.
Worst moments of the album: None, of course.
Released in 2015 Independent
Track listing 1. The Greatest Secret Never Told 3:58
2. Humanity’s Cry 5:36
3. id.entity 6:01
4. Sagittarius A 5:57
Band members Jason Pennington – lead vocals
Alex Dubreuil – lead guitars, bass, backing vocals
Tyson Araszewski – rhythm guitar
Kris DeBoer – drums
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 (not necessarily in this order):
1.Machine In The Mountain – Wake
2.Curse The Fall – Halfway
3.Aurin – November
4.System Of Hate – Infected
5.Foes Of The Fallen – Addiction
6.Era – Revelation
7.Era – Transcending The Physical State
8.Crawl – No Lies
9.Up Against It – Eye For An Eye
10.Vision Red – Blood Feast
11.War Rages Within – Track 2
12.Evolution Now – Let It Go
13.Me Three – Believe
14.T-55’s – Send Your Poor
15.Ravenheart – Better Off Dead
16.Stone Cadaver – Straight Wheeler
17.Doom Dogs – D Ogs Of Doom
18.Winds Of War – Quantic Impact
19.Cadacus – Safe Word
20.Perpetual Dawn – Moment Of Apprehension
21.Half A Tusk – Abandoned Theory
Click HERE to listen to this week’s episode on Spreaker or HERE to listen to it on Mixcloud.
A “lecture” in Occultism crafted by a very competent band from Russia that will satisfy your craving for freakish heavy music.
Aethyr, a reference for the fifth element (or spirit) in various forms of Metaphysics and Occultism, is already a magnificent name for any heavy music band simply due to its meaning and pronunciation. However, it gets even more suitable when the band is capable of transferring all those mystical principles to their music, which is the case with Russian Doom Metal band Aethyr and their brand new album, the dense and ominous Corpus.
On their first full-length since their 2010 album Messio, this talented quartet from Moscow goes beyond the boundaries of darkness, with exceptional doses of heaviness loaded with a spine-chilling ambience not recommended for the faint-hearted. Just take a look at the album art, designed by Rotten Fantom, and you can have a very good idea of the level of despair Aethyr offer us all in this excellent release.
The obscure sonority found in the opening track, Nihil Grail, with its slow and somber riffs and drums, epitomizes the dark side of Doom Metal. In addition, the demonic vocals by Mr. D give this “polished wickedness” a touch of Black Metal, with its last part being at the same time mesmerizing and disturbing. I’m pretty sure Tom G. Warrior, the mastermind behind Triptykon, would love this song. Following this amazing tune, it’s impossible not to bang your head to the heavy riffs found in Sanctus Satanicus: whatever Mr. D is singing he sounds possessed by an evil entity, and when the band speeds up the music it becomes almost pure raw Black Metal so harsh it sounds.
The epic 10-minute eerie track ATU showcases deeper guttural vocals maximized by cryptic riffs in the background, with a melancholic break at around four minutes. There’s a lot of progressiveness, tempo changes and mysterious passages skillfully played by all band members which are definitely worth our attention. Then we have the awesome CVLT, a song that’s Doom Metal at its finest, with sludgy riffs, strong beats and, more important than that, a depressive feeling that’s essential for good dark music.
But the maleficent aura created by Aethyr gets even stronger in The Gnostic Mass, which is not exactly a song but just weird sounds from what seems to be a black mass; and then in the title-track CORPUS, another 10-minute badass song that kind of continues with the weirdness from the previous track for over a minute, before the low-tuned guitars by Mr. D and Mr. W evoke all the hopelessness and sorrow of Funeral Doom while drummer Mr. S and bassist Mr. Y dictate the song’s wonderfully wretched rhythm. You can get a sense of how lugubrious this track is just by the fact that there are very few vocals lines in it, only after six minutes of music and not for too long. Finally, in order to darken your mind and your heart even more, Aethyr offer us lots of traditional Doom Metal elements in Templum, where the band gets “infuriated” halfway through it, generating chaos and havoc to close the album on a high note.
Take a shot at the album trailer HERE and at the band’s official BandCamp page for a taste of Aethyr’s music, and of course visit their Facebook page for more details about the release of Corpus and the band’s upcoming concerts. More than just a Doom Metal album, Corpus is a “lecture” in Occultism that will satisfy your thirst for creepy and deranged heavy music, and you will get addicted to it without a shadow of a doubt.
Best moments of the album:Nihil Grail, CVLT and CORPUS.
Worst moments of the album:The Gnostic Mass, but only because it’s not an actual song.
Released in 2015 Cimmerian Shade Recordings
Track listing 1. Nihil Grail 7:03
2. Sanctus Satanicus 4:28
3. ATU 10:21
4. CVLT 5:23
5. The Gnostic Mass 6:11
6. CORPUS 10:05
7. Templum 6:29
Band members Mr. D (Denis Dubovik) – vocals, lead guitar
Mr. W (Vladimir Snegotsky) – rhythm guitar
Mr. Y (George Meshkov) – bass
Mr. S (Anton Sidorov) – drums
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 Austrian Melodic Death Metal band Mandatory and Finnish Doom/Stoner Metal band Dö (just click on the links below to read the reviews). And for the first time ever, a new segment on the show called “Moose Masters” presents one of the songs from the new kick-ass album by Swedish Black Metal icons Marduk, also reviewed here! Support your local bands… AND FOLLOW THE MOOSE!
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 