Category Archives: Album Reviews

Album Review – Avulsion Rupture / Àglæccræft (2015)

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If you believe in God, start begging Him to have mercy on your spinal cord when you listen to this very talented Black Metal act from the UK.

Rating5

CD400_outThere’s a technical term in medicine named “avulsion”, from the Latin “avellere” (meaning “to tear off”), which describes an injury or fracture where a body structure is forcibly detached from its normal point of insertion by either trauma or surgery, in other words, it’s a type of amputation where the extremity is pulled off rather than cut off. That, my friends, is what will happen to your cervical spine after listening to Àglæccræft, the brand new wicked album by British Black/Death Metal band Avulsion Rupture.

If you love the extremity of bands such as Marduk, Morbid Angel and Dissection you’ll undoubtedly have fun with the aggressive music by this Nottinghamshire-based band, but I must warn you it’s not an easy listening for the average person. Originally formed back in 2000 and having released the demo 1000 Weeping Souls in 2001 and, after a long hiatus, the EP Blasphemous Resurrection in 2014, what Avulsion Rupture offer us in Àglæccræft (an Old English word for “evil art”) is the crudest form of Black Metal you can think of, supplemented by elaborate subject matters that help spread the obscurity intended by the band.

It takes less than 10 seconds for Avulsion Rupture to start blasting their evil music in the opening track, Apocalyptic Resonance, a song that might be too dark and sinister for the faint-hearted where old school Black Metal riffs and blast beats come striking your ears the rawest way possible. And there’s no sign of Avulsion Rupture decelerating at all when you listen to Fortress of Desolation, another brutal Black Metal tune with even darker vocals by the band’s “one man army” Paul Bobrucki, or to the best track of all in my opinion, Massacre at Fin Cop, a song based on a hill and an associated Iron Age hill fort in Monsal Dale, close to Ashford in the Water in Derbyshire, England, where a mass burial containing only women and children was found in 2011 during escavations. Of course the music couldn’t be soft or easy to digest, with lots of Death Metal elements elevating the song’s fury, and if you enjoy nonstop heavy riffs piercing your mind it will surely satisfy your cravings.

004A gibbet is an upright post with a crosspiece, forming a T-shaped structure from which executed criminals were formerly hung for public viewing, which is perfectly represented in the next song, Gibbet on the Moor, where you can feel its heavier atmosphere due to its somber riffs and vocals dictating the carnage. The following track, Coils of Pain, is an excellent Black Metal tune where rawness and complexity are put together to make it even more bestial, with highlights to its very unique rhythm thanks to the job done on guitars, while Concocting Hallucinations is wicked old school Black Metal that will disturb your poor mind. Besides, what Avulsion Rupture do on drums in this song is beyond violent.

Are you tired already? Because there’s a lot more extreme music to go, starting with Monument, where the inclusion of more headbanging riffs halfway through the song is very interesting, followed by the awesome The Scucca, a word that comes from Old English meaning “evil spirit” or also the Black Shuck, a ghostly black dog which is said to roam the coastline and countryside of East Anglia, in the UK, which is indeed another great display of how Black and Death Metal can sound even more malevolent when properly combined. Finally, if you have a strong stomach and enjoy crude and dark sounds you’ll love Universal Vortices, where the ghastly growls by Paul match perfectly with the musicality, and closing the album we have The Carnificum, the genitive plural of carnifex (which by the way means butcher or executioner). Well, that’s exactly what the song represents: sheer violence with riffs transpiring cruelty.

In summary, do not be a coward and face Avulsion Rupture and Àglæccræft, which will soon be available at the band’s official BandCamp page, and you can also take a listen at some of the songs from the album and their previous releases at their SoundCloud page. Well, do I really need to ask God to have mercy on your spinal cord while you listen to this very talented Black Metal act?

Best moments of the album: Massacre at Fin Cop, Coils of Pain and The Scucca.

Worst moments of the album: Fortress of Desolation.

Released in 2015 Independent

Track listing
1. Apocalyptic Resonance 3:20
2. Fortress of Desolation 3:06
3. Massacre at Fin Cop 3:07
4. Gibbet on the Moor 3:14
5. Coils of Pain 3:02
6. Concocting Hallucinations 2:56
7. Monument 3:18
8. The Scucca 3:21
9. Universal Vortices 3:01
10. The Carnificum 2:55

Band members
Paul Bobrucki – vocals, all instruments and programming

Album Review – Velvet Six / Demons Los Divas (2015)

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Are you ready to find out how many demons and divas surround your life? This Finnish band is willing to show you they are everywhere.

Rating4

velvet_six_album_coverHailing from the city of Kokkola, in Finland – the Holy Land of all-kinds-of-metal – Velvet Six were formed in 2010. Although still young, this band has been through a lot and have a lot more to show yet. They released their debut album Dark City Nightlife in 2011, saw two of their original band members leaving the group, found competent musicians to fill the gaps and had the opportunity to open a concert for The 69 Eyes, the vampires of Helsinki – all of this in two years.

Now, with a strong line-up and batteries recharged, Velvet Six are ready to release their second album, Demons Los Divas, via Inverse Records. Instead of trying to define their music, it is better to let the band define their own style: “Velvet Six’s music can be described as Gothic Rock that combines the atmosphere of HIM, the arrogance of Billy Idol and the multi-dimension of Muse”, and along the 10 tracks of Demons Los Divas you can find those pieces that make Velvet Six sound so familiar and yet so new.

Demons Los Divas is a story about demons and divas that affect our everyday life. They crawl deep into our feelings leaving scars. The damaged feelings have to be confronted and processed, so that life can go on. But how is it done? Answers can be found in the nightlife, love and death, as those come out in each song of the album. Twist opens the album and puts everybody to dance since the beginning. As a good Gothic band, the keyboard plays a very important role in this album. Combined with heavy guitars and melodies, the result is no different than awesome, dancing and deep songs. The title-track Demons Los Divas comes next and sounds like a great Hard Rock song, with an outstanding riff, an awesome guitar solo and guess what? A chorus that will stick to your mind all day long (”Demons los divas they all taste the same, cold and so heartless, they want the world, and they want it now”).

Velvet_Six_promopic1Something Evil keeps the feeling of the beginning of the album, although it is possible to see things are getting heavier and darker and they prove it with the next song, Back to Black. It starts with a beautiful keyboard solo then the drums and bass join to make it more complex. In this song, particularly, Olle Wallenius’ voice sounds a lot like HIM’s Ville Valo – and it contributes to bring the mysterious feeling in this track. Lightkeeper brings the DNA of Depeche Mode, being really atmospheric with Olle showing how versatile he can be, singing from smooth to aggressive tones.

After a deserved rest with calmer songs, the Hard Rock is back with Loves Like. It’s quite easy to imagine some of these songs being played at a Hard Rock/Gothic party and to see all people enjoying what is going on. Underneath is the next song and, once again, the keyboards are the strongest feature of the melody, just like as in The Family, which sounds a little bit heavier and it would be unfair not to mention the amazing work of base and solo guitars throughout the song. Blood Rain also has that dancing feeling and sounds more like a Love Metal song that reminds me of HIM. This song also has some mysterious female backing vocals that make all the difference, resulting in a pure Goth feeling. The last track, I Saw, is the deepest song of all and, following the timeline of the facts, it closes the album with loneliness and death.

In summary, if you are a Gothic Rock, Hard Rock and Love Metal fan, this is definitely a must-have album. Additionally, but unfortunately not present in the album, Velvet Six recorded a cover to Call Me Anything, by Swedish band Weeping Willows. It is completely different than the original version released in 2004 in the album Presence, and the band found a whole new groove to this amazing song – watch the video below. If you like what you see, do not forget to check their music and show your support on the band’s official Facebook page, as well as purchase Demons Los Divas at the Inverse Records official webstore. They cannot wait to show the world that Gothic music is still alive and kicking.

Best moments of the album: Twist, Demons Los Divas and Back to Black.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2015 Inverse Records

Track listing
1. Twist 3:26
2. Demons Los Divas 3:54
3. Something Evil 3:36
4. Back to Black 5:16
5. Lightkeeper 3:47
6. Loves Like 3:54
7. Underneath 3:52
8. The Family 5:32
9. Blood Rain 4:43
10. I Saw 4:15

Band members
Olle Wallenius – vocals
Richard Vikman – guitar
Christoffer Solborg – guitar
Matias Muotio – bass
Miro Kronqvist – keyboards
Henrik Björkgård – drums

Album Review – Moonspell / Extinct (2015)

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While this distinguished Portuguese Dark Metal band is among us, we can rest assured good and meaningful music is far from being extinct.

Rating1

moonspell_extinctIt’s definitely not an overstatement to say Portuguese Dark Metal pioneers Moonspell are the best music group in the history of Portugal, and of course, the best Dark/Gothic Metal band of all times. They’re not just a Heavy Metal band exploring the darkest and deepest emotions with their matchless music, but over the course of their more than 20 years of career they reshaped and redefined Gothic Rock/Metal worldwide, taking it to a whole new level. And even after so many years on the road they still have a lot of creativity and electricity flowing through their veins, culminating in the Goth masterpiece Extinct, their eleventh full-length album and undoubtedly one of their best to date.

With beautifully disturbing cover artworks designed by Greek artist Seth Siro Anton (also known as Spiros Antoniou, leader of Greek Symphonic Death Metal band Septicflesh), a different one per album version by the way, Extinct has an impeccable overall production that only increases its magnitude. Furthermore, the album feels like it’s purposely split in two distinct parts, the first leaning to a more Heavy Metal sounding whilst the second pays homage to pure Gothic Rock. And it doesn’t matter which “part” you prefer, it’s impossible not to enjoy Extinct in its entirety.

moonspellWhen Breathe (Until We Are No More) starts, you can already feel Extinct is going to be a great album. With the keyboard notes by Pedro Paixão providing that ominous atmosphere we love in Gothic music and its progressive riffs blended with a very ferocious chorus due to the harsh vocals by lead singer Fernando Ribeiro, you’ll feel embraced by the band’s unique musicality for sure. The title-track, Extinct, is a work of art of darkness and passion, offering the listener powerful headbanging riffs, beautiful guitar solos and keyboard passages, an incredible job done by Fernando on vocals, as well as a chorus that is beyond phenomenal  (“Before the lights go out / Before our time is gone / A taste of your lips / Before we go extinct”). In addition, the official video to the song, which you can see below, perfectly depicts its musicality, and if it doesn’t give you a thrill maybe you should go listen to Justin Bieber or One Direction, because you’re not worthy.

Medusalem is not only the fastest and the most metallic of all songs, but the addition of Middle-Eastern elements electrified it even more. I would love to listen to this more-than-perfect epitome of Gothic Metal live, with highlights to Fernando kicking ass on vocals once again. Following that amazing dark attack we have the touching rock/metal ballad Domina, with its thoughtful lyrics enhanced by a mesmerizing atmosphere and more soulful guitar solos, and a brilliant song entitled The Last of Us: with lyrics tailored to drive any girl crazy (“Let me touch you where’s forbidden / And test the limits of your sanctity”), this song kind of kicks of the Gothic Rock extravaganza in the album, focusing on the same musicality that elevated bands like H.I.M. to stardom.

moonspell_extinct02

Extinct Limited Mediabook Edition

The next track, the beautiful Malignia, is even darker than all previous songs, with its name, keyboards, background effects, the depth of the vocal lines and everything else in this Goth anthem being as somber as possible, while Funeral Bloom is a song that could easily be played on any radio station so catchy it is. Besides, the way drummer Miguel Gaspar, bassist Aires Pereira and keyboardist Pedro Paixão are in sync is remarkable. A Dying Breed is another exciting Gothic Rock song where Fernando varies between his clean vocals and deep growls perfectly, with the rhythm flawlessly following his vocal lines from smoother passages to heavier moments thanks to the excellent job done by Ricardo Amorim and Pedro Paixão on guitars.

moonspell_extinct03

Extinct 2-LP Gatefold

There’s so much beauty found in The Future Is Dark it’s hard to explain it in just a few words: it has another very passionate and melancholic chorus that will get stuck in your head for days (“Gotta breathe in, gotta breathe out / Up on your feet, gotta think twice / The future is dark, the future is vile / Without you there’s no tomorrow”), and what can I say about the blackened ambience the band brings forth in this song, mainly due to its guitar lines and solos? That’s simply amazing. And lastly we have the weird French song La Baphomette, which despite not being a disaster it doesn’t keep up with the awesomeness of the rest of the album. It’s important to say the deluxe edition of Extinct also brings four high-quality bonus tracks, and unless you’ve just waken up from a coma you might not have noticed yet they’re alternate versions for four of the songs of the regular album. In my opinion, the best of those tracks is the passionate semi-acoustic Doomina, which is a word play of “Doom” and the original song “Domina”, got it?

To sum up, calling Extinct the best album of 2015 even if we’re still in March, with many months to go until the year is over, is not an overstatement either. An awe-inspiring album like this one truly deserves to be appreciated by all music lovers, it doesn’t matter if you’re a metalhead or not. In other words, go listen to Extinct with the person you love the most, or simply close your eyes and savor it by yourself, resting assured that while Moonspell are among us dark and meaningful music will never be extinct.

Best moments of the album: Extinct, Medusalem, Malignia, The Future Is Dark and the bonus track Doomina.

Worst moments of the album: La Baphomette.

Released in 2015 Napalm Records

Track listing
1.Breathe (Until We Are No More) 5:33
2.Extinct 4:42
3.Medusalem 5:06
4.Domina 5:09
5.The Last of Us 3:26
6.Malignia 5:06
7.Funeral Bloom 4:10
8.A Dying Breed 4:29
9.The Future Is Dark 5:09
10.La Baphomette 2:48

Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
11.Until We Are No Less 7:02
12.Doomina 4:49
13.Last of Them 5:24
14.The Past Is Darker 5:43

Band members
Fernando Ribeiro – vocals
Ricardo Amorim – guitars
Pedro Paixão – keyboards, guitars
Aires Pereira – bass
Miguel Gaspar – drums

Album Review – Meridius / Meridius EP (2015)

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Get ready for war with this rising and upfront Canadian Thrash Metal army.

Rating5

meridius-cover-small2Named after Russell Crowe`s iconic character Maximus Decimus Meridius from the Academy Award-winning epic movie Gladiator, Canadian Thrash/Groove Metal band Meridius is here to provide us headbangers a short and extremely energetic Thrash Metal assault with their debut self-titled EP, Meridius, which will please all fans of veterans the likes of Slayer, Exodus and Pantera. And just like General Maximus, this five-piece army won’t stop until the last body drops to the sound of their cutthroat music.

Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia and singing about inevitable (but always fresh) topics such as death, torture, war and violence, Meridius are not aiming at revolutionizing Thrash Metal. What those guys really want is pretty simple and straightforward: to entertain all thrash metallers in the world with huge doses of dark humor and high-quality music, and let me tell you that based on what is available in Meridius they have more than what it takes to succeed. Who doesn’t enjoy some honest and violent Thrash Metal, eh!?

The first track in Meridius is also my favorite one, Speed Kills, where the 100% Slayer-ish riffs by guitarists Kieran Marquis and Sam Buchanan support the song’s dense and heavy musicality. It’s ruthless music with lots of groove, sounding like a “tribute” to contemporary North American Thrash Metal, especially the vocals by frontman Eric Willmott which are more aggressive and modern than usual just like what Randy Blythe (Lamb of God) and Rob Dukes (Exodus, Generation Kill) usually do. Moreover, when the song reaches its guitar solo, it gets closer to the music by Pantera, which is always a good thing.

meridius-press-photo-hailey-statlerConquer The Throne, with its riffs and drums inspired by Swedish Melodic Death Metal and Speed Metal, is another aggressive metal attack with more melodic vocals, showcasing lyrics as violent as the music and a very catchy chorus, followed by the third and last track of the EP, Walk The Plank, which goes back to the musicality of Bay Area Thrash. The song is not at the speed of light, but it’s very groovy and truly heavy with the addition of even some clean vocals. The neck-breaking riff in the middle of the song is perfect for lovers of slow but gigantic headbanging, and the second half of it is an exhibit of the Heavy Metal skills of all band members, with a melancholic acoustic ending that was probably put there on purpose for the listener to slow down after so much violence.

It’s particularly important to acknowledge the high-end production of the entire EP, and if the band’s first full-length album, which is already being crafted and should be available in the next few months, sounds as professional as any of the three tracks from the EP, diehard thrash metallers from any nationality will soon turn their eyes and ears to Canada without a shadow of a doubt. While Meridius are writing new material and getting ready to tour Canada, go check their music at their official BandCamp page and also on SoundCloud, and get ready for war with this 101 proof Canadian Thrash Metal band.

Best moments of the album: Speed Kills.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2015 Independent

Track listing
1. Speed Kills 3:42
2. Conquer The Throne 4:17
3. Walk The Plank 5:27

Band members
Eric Willmott – vocals
Kieran Marquis – lead guitar
Sam Buchanan – rhythm guitar
Peter Reimann – bass guitar
Nolan Olson – drums

Album Review – Goatchrist / The Epic Tragedy Of The Cult Of Enlil EP (2015)

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One of the most promising Black Metal bands in the world steps their game up with a unique concept and more of their thought-provoking music.

Rating3

Goatchrist-EpicTragedyWhen the demo She Who Holds the Scrying Mirror by British Blackened Death Metal band Goatchrist was reviewed here at The Headbanging Moose last year, I said the band was surely going to leave their mark in the world of extreme music in the years to come so electrifying the album was. In less than one year, this Wakefield/Halifax-based group has substantially improved in terms of songwriting and quality of their music, leading up to their superb new EP entitled The Epic Tragedy Of The Cult Of Enlil and solidifying their place atop the list of most promising Black Metal bands in the world. And if you don’t believe me when I say they’re the future of Extreme Metal, please read this review and listen to their thunderous music, and you’ll promptly understand why.

To begin with, remember we’re talking about a 17-year old musician, Dominator Xul’Ahabra, who still has a long way to go in his life but who at the same time is already capable of crafting extremely complex and meaningful music at such a young stage of his career. For instance, he even plays some very unusual instruments in this EP such as the mellotron, the theremin, the glockenspiel and the ice bells. In addition to that, there’s an incredible concept behind the whole EP, increasing its depth and level of intricacy compared to the majority of all other recent metal releases. The Epic Tragedy Of The Cult Of Enlil is based upon a story from traditional Sumerian folklore: a brief outline of the story is that it follows a trio of sorcerers in ancient Sumer (where modern-day Iraq exists) who are summoned to the temple of the god Enlil, who informs them that his Tablet of Destinies (the relic that enables him to be universally recognized as the Supreme deity) has been stolen by the Anzû bird. You can read more details about this awesome concept HERE, but either way you have to admit this is not your regular subject matter from such a young musician, right?

However, it’s the music itself in The Epic Tragedy Of The Cult Of Enlil that trespasses all boundaries of darkness and the unknown, providing us headbangers a unique experience in extreme music. The eerie organ and background voices in Intoduction properly set the tone for the tempest that’s about to come in The Triumvirate’s Flight to Nippur, which is almost the same powerful and intense song from their 2014 demo, this time with Dominator’s dark vocals to make it even more diabolical and therefore a billion times better. A Message Blows East on Sumerian Winds is top-notch Black Metal with hints of Middle-Eastern elements, especially in regards to the rhythm, also presenting solid guitar lines and an interesting theremin solo that end up taking the listener through an intense music journey.

goatchrist-logoThe following song, Plaguewood, showcases more atmospheric passages and symphonic elements, without abandoning of course the obscurity of the blackest form of metal music through Dominator’s vocals and riffs. It’s so captivating it doesn’t feel like it goes over six minutes, and I assure you that your head won’t hurt with such brutal musicality either. Then we have the masterpiece The Great Battle at the Ruins of Ninurta’s Temple, a song that perfectly represents its name: a battle amidst ancient ruins to the sound of old school Black Metal with a strong harmonic vein. I’m sure Behemoth’s one and only Nergal would love such darkly engaging composition, just as you will.

In the excellent Enki (The Ascendance of the Three to the Immortal Seats), including: a) Anu and b) Eternal Revitalisation,  Goatchrist get closer to the sonority of their 2014 demo, bitterly devilish and with its last part being a savage denouement to the story told in The Epic Tragedy Of The Cult Of Enlil. Actually, after all that devastation there’s still an outro entitled Epilogue, where the church organ is back to close this incredible concept EP in the most climatic way possible.

As aforementioned, Goatchrist have truly stepped their game up in The Epic Tragedy Of The Cult Of Enlil. What an amazing and original concept put forth by Dominator and his crew enhanced by their unique extreme music, and honestly I can’t see another EP (as well as lots of full-length albums) being better than this one in 2015. Moreover, the next release by Dominator and his horde is already in the planning stage, with a shift in history to traditional 17th century French occultism and Luciferianism, which makes me eager already for more of their dark music. Anyway, The Epic Tragedy Of The Cult Of Enlil is available through the band’s official BandCamp page and through SixSixSix Music’s Big Cartel page, and if I were you I would grab a copy of it without thinking twice. Goatchrist are not only the future of Extreme Metal, but with releases like The Epic Tragedy Of The Cult Of Enlil they’re proving they’re also the present.

Best moments of the album: The Triumvirate’s Flight to Nippur and The Great Battle at the Ruins of Ninurta’s Temple. As a matter of fact, the whole EP is amazing.

Worst moments of the album: None, of course.

Released in 2015 SixSixSix Music

Track listing
1. Introduction 2:50
2. The Triumvirate’s Flight to Nippur 5:18
3. A Message Blows East on Sumerian Winds 2:40
4. Plaguewood 6:27
5. The Great Battle at the Ruins of Ninurta’s Temple 4:05
6. Enki (The Ascendance of the Three to the Immortal Seats), including: a) Anu and b) Eternal Revitalisation 5:10
7. Epilogue 1:57

Band members
Dominator Xul’Ahabra – vocals, electric lead guitar, electric rhythm guitar, electric bass guitar, drums, percussion (including glockenspiel and ice bells), a variety of keyboards, church organ, mellotron, theremin, lyrical sorceries
Conqueror Va’sh – electric rhythm guitar
Blood-Count Aamon Vetis – electric bass guitar, backing vocals

Album Review – Scorpions / Return to Forever (2015)

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This rock may be rolling home after so many years of good service, but it still has A LOT to teach the world on how to make true Hard Rock.

Rating2

scorpions_return to forever50 years ago, in Germany, Rudolf Schenker, only 16 years old, decided to follow any school boy’s dream and formed a Rock N’ Roll band, the Scorpions. Schenker, alongside his band mates, put together awesome melodies and great lyrics, added a bunch of exciting backing vocals, touching powerful ballads, crazy guitar solos that made everyone want to be a rock star, and the formula for perfect Hard Rock was created. It turns out that half a century later, this magic formula still works and Scorpions are still one of the most important names of all times in Rock N’ Roll history.

Since Scorpions were formed, countless musicians have joined and left the band, but for the past 11 years the group has a strong line-up with Rudolf on lead guitar; Klaus Meine – who joined the band in 1969 and recorded every Scorpions’ album – on lead vocals; Matthias Jabs on rhythm guitar; James Kottak on drums; and Paweł Mąciwoda on bass guitar. In 2010, the band released Sting in the Tail, which was announced supposedly as the last album of their career. And we are glad they have changed their minds. In 2011 they were back to the studio to work on new material, and although 2014 was not an easy year for the band, with the arrest and period of rehab of Kottak, they rejoined forces to finish the album and the result is Return to Forever, a masterclass on how Hard Rock is supposed to be, released this year to mark the band’s 50th anniversary.

The album is available as a standard album, limited deluxe CD which contains four bonus songs, iTunes version with the same songs as the limited deluxe edition plus the song “Delirious”, double heavyweight vinyl and a limited edition collector’s box set. According to the band, the songs were written between the early 1980’s and 2014 and we can notice the changes and evolution of the musicality through the tracks. The album starts in a very thrilling way: the first song, Going On With A Bang, has a lot of influences of Blues but with a lot of Rock N’ Roll, and is one of the newest songs written for this album; then comes We Built This House, the first single for this album (check the video below). This song is very meaningful and tells the story of Scorpions, the ups and downs and everything they have learned along the way. This song is really touching and beautiful and has those classical backing vocals known on Scorpions work that make all of us, in the audience of their concerts, to sing it out loud together. Rock My Car is a very exciting song: written many years ago, it talks about driving fast on the famous German Autobahn highways. And this song carries all that high-speed feeling, with a breathtaking solo.

House Of Cards, the first ballad of the album, is very deep, exploring different levels of love, until it turns into hate and fades away. All For One is all about friendship and complicity the musicians find in each other to keep the band going on. The beginning of the next song, Rock ‘N’ Roll Band, sounds just like “I Can”, an old song by their German fellows of Helloween, but then the song gets its own shape and turns into a real Rock N’ Roll anthem. Klaus Meine wrote this song in the 1980’s and found the inspiration after visiting some clubs on Sunset Boulevard, in Los Angeles, so you can imagine the environment of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll he found back then.

Catch Your Luck And Play was originally written for the 1988 album Savage Amusement. Rudolf Schenker wrote a new chorus to this nice song, the kind all fans enjoy singing together with the band while clapping their hands tirelessly. Then we have Rollin’ Home, one of the best songs of the album, with great performances by all musicians – it is amazing to notice, for example, that after so many years Klaus’ voice has not changed a tone. But what is intriguing in this song is the message contained in it. It sounds like a good-bye, especially on the chorus (“Here we go! / This rock in rollin’ home”) that, again, has an amazing work on backing vocals. Hard Rockin’ The Place is another good example of Hard Rock, with an amazing riff.

scorpionsLight up your lighters, or your cell phones, because Eye Of The Storm is the perfect song for that and to calm down a little bit before more of their fast Rock N’ Roll. It was supposed to be released in Humanity: Hour I (2007), but did not fit to the album. It has a beautiful solo, maybe the strongest of this album. The Scracth sounds like those old Rock N’ Roll songs from the 1950’s – the highlights here are definitely the drums and the bass that bring a very unique groove to the song. Gypsy Life is a ballad like no other band can do, only Scorpions. It closes the standard version of the album in a very nice way and, again, reflects Scorpions’ life style, living year after year on the road.

For those who got the deluxe or iTunes versions, there are still some bonus tracks. The first is The World We Used To Know, which somehow does not fit well to the rest of the album, although it has good lyrics and backing vocals, but, not such a strong work on guitars. Dancing With The Moonlight, on the other hand, puts everybody to dance. When The Truth Is A Lie has great acoustic guitars alongside the electric guitars, and this combination gives a calm element but still keeps the song quite heavy. Who We Are basically puts together acoustic guitars, Klaus’ amazing voice and stunning backing vocals, and the result is another very deep ballad with the band’s trademark. Delirious closes the iTunes version in a great manner: another song wtih those riffs only a band like Scorpions can do.

It is quite easy to imagine most of those songs being played live and driving the crowd crazy. Is this the very last Scorpions album? We cannot tell. If so, we know we have in our hands a very intimate album, that take us closer to the lives of those iconic musicians. If not, and we hope it is not, we know we still have a lot to learn with those veterans of Rock N’ Roll. One thing we know for sure: they did their job very well throughout the years, leaving their names carved forever in the world of music.

Best moments of the album: Going Out With A Bang, We Built This House, Rock N’ Roll Band, Rollin’ Home and Gypsy Life.

Worst moments of the album: The World We Used to Know.

Released in 2015 Sony Music

Track listing
1. Going Out With A Bang 3:47
2. We Built This House 3:53
3. Rock My Car 3:20
4. House Of Cards 5:05
5. All For One 2:58
6. Rock ‘N’ Roll Band 3:54
7. Catch Your Luck And Play 3:33
8. Rollin’ Home 4:03
9. Hard Rockin’ The Place 4:06
10. Eye Of The Storm 4:27
11. The Scratch 3:41
12. Gypsy Life 4:51

Limited Edition/iTunes bonus tracks
13. The World We Used To Know 3:51
14. Dancing With The Moonlight 3:42
15. When The Truth Is A Lie 4:27
16. Who We Are 2:33

iTunes exclusive bonus track
17. Delirious 2:58

Band members
Klaus Meine – lead vocals
Matthias Jabs – lead guitars, rhythm guitars, acoustic guitars
Rudolf Schenker – rhythm guitars,lead guitars, backing vocals
Paweł Mąciwoda – bass guitar
James Kottak – drums, backing vocals

Album Review – Heaven Abhorred / Opening The Gates EP (2015)

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This promising American Black Metal band wants to open the gates of hell with their solid and raw feast of extreme music.

Rating5

heaven-abhorredIf you’re a fan of bands such as Behemoth, Darkthrone, Gorgoroth and Dissection, and if you’re one of those people that think Black Metal should sound as raw and evil as possible, you’ll have a great time listening to Opening The Gates, the new EP by American Black Metal band Heaven Abhorred. Formed in the winter of 2012 in Sayre, Pennsylvania in the United States by multi-instrumentalist Chris Marshall, the band is for the most part a solo project, occasionally joined by Josh Chacona on vocals and Jeremy Marshall on bass, but more important than that it’s an amazing fountain of dark and extreme music.

Although Heaven Abhorred sing about Satanism, misanthropy and other controversial topics, it’s their music that truly stands out. Their raw Black Metal, mixed with other sinister and violent genres like Doom Metal and Death Metal, keeps the band loyal to the foundations of extreme music and to their own beliefs. As stated by Chris Marshall about the overall progress of their music, “The quality of the work is still very much raw and original. We don’t mix any of our tracks yet and we like to keep that raw black metal feel.” When you read something like this coming directly from the leader of the band, you know the music is going to be at the same time very honest and bestial, right?

The obscure Full Moon Ritual kicks off the EP offering the listener some of those low-tuned mesmerizing riffs that are an intrinsic trademark of Doom Metal, with the visceral growling by Chris Marshall enhancing the song’s dark and diabolical atmosphere even more. Although it is far from being traditional Black Metal, no one can say it’s not as blasphemous and disturbing, which I’m pretty sure was the main objective of Heaven Abhorred with this song. After this nocturnal tune we have a wicked display of raw Black Metal entitled Opening The Gates, where the vocal lines transpire suffering and evil. Moreover, it fires those crude blast beats the exact way fans of old school Black Metal love, almost as if Heaven Abhorred were saying they really want to open the gates of hell with their sick music.

heaven abhorredFocusing on Blackened Death Metal vocals and guitar lines similar to what Behemoth do nowadays, Father Of Lies keeps up with the obscurity crafted by the band in their previous songs. Not even the programmed drums are capable of reducing the song’s rawness, and there’s even time for a pretty decent guitar solo to add an extra layer of complexity to it. And then we have Children of The Night, a 9-minute spectacle of pure extreme music, showcasing harsh vocals and blast beats in a wicked sync, dark riffs keeping up with the speed of the song, and lyrics that are obviously not about beautiful or positive topics. It’s an apocalyptical ending to a diabolical EP, leaving the listener completely disoriented when it’s over.

It’s noteworthy how Heaven Abhorred were capable of traveling through so many different types of extreme music in such a short amount of time in this EP. If you think about it, none of the songs sound the same, each having their own uniqueness and electricity, and we’re talking about only around 20 minutes of music. The band has already started working on their debut full-length album, and if this EP is any indication of how creative and skillful this band is we will soon have another awesome Black Metal album available in the market. For now, go to SixSixSix Music’s official BandCamp page to listen to and purchase Heaven Abhorred’s music and, who knows, witness the gates of hell opening right before your eyes.

Best moments of the album: Opening The Gates.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2015 SixSixSix Music

Track listing
1. Full Moon Ritual 5:53
2. Opening The Gates 3:04
3. Father Of Lies 3:41
4. Children of The Night 9:12

Band members
Chris Marshall (Q) – vocals, guitars, drums
Jeremy Marshall (J) – bass
Josh Chacona – vocals

Album Review – Ensiferum / One Man Army (2015)

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Another good heavy music album by one of the most influential Folk Metal armies from Finland.

Rating5

ensiferum_one man armyWhen Folk Metal came into prominence in the early 2000’s, more specifically due to several promising bands from Finland such as Finntroll, Korpiklaani and Turisas, we all knew that was a subgenre of heavy music that was definitely here to stay. However, despite each band having their own characteristics, the nature and limitations of Folk Metal made it clear it was going to be really tough for all bands to reinvent themselves over the years and to avoid becoming stale or ostracized, a terrible curse upon any type of artist in the world. Even with this dark shadow over every band who decided to follow the path of folk and heavy music, Finnish Epic Folk Metal band Ensiferum have managed somehow to remain relevant and kept delivering decent albums like One Man Army, the sixth full-length album in their career.

Fans of the band will agree with me when I say that Ensiferum (the Latin word for “Sword Bearer” in case you don’t know it) have as their main attribute their ability to always craft melodic and epic songs, it doesn’t matter the album nor the speed or length of the song. One Man Army, featuring a great album art by renowned illustrator Gyula Havancsák, is no exception to that and will surely please most admirers of epic metal music. Far from being a masterpiece, perhaps the biggest problem with One Man Army is that some of its songs sound too repetitive and in some cases too epic (even knowing this feature is deeply rooted in their music), but that doesn’t mean you cannot grab you sword and shield or maybe enjoy a huge pint of barley wine while listening to it.

Although the intro March Of War sounds more like “Western Folk” than pure folk music, that doesn’t make it less fun nor harms the next track, the faster and more violent than usual Axe Of Judgment. Can it be called Blackened Epic Folk Metal? Anyway, the harsh screams by Petri Lindroos are quite effective, with the keyboards by Emmi Silvennoinen and its backing vocals adding more “epicness” to this battle tune. Then we have a truly awesome Epic Metal song entitled Heaten Horde, where the 100% Manowar chorus sung by Ensiferum’s “horde” is its highlight for sure and will thrill all fans during their live concerts (“All heathen hearts, / Answer the call, / God of thunder bless our swords, / Our heathen horde, / Will never fall, / We are hungry for blood, steel and war”), not to mention they even used an Old Norse poem in the lyrics as an amazing “bonus”.

One Man Army, the first single of the album, showcases riffs and double bass that couldn’t sound more Scandinavian metal, and again they abuse of the backing vocals in a good way. In addition, it’s kind of impressive how bands like Ensiferum can sing about battles and war in each and every song they record and still sound fresh in many cases. But getting back to the album, after the nice folk intro Burden Of The Fallen, perfect for enjoying around the fire pit while roasting a leg of goose and having a cold beer, Ensiferum offer us Warrior Without A War, which despite its epic start and all the band’s efforts to make it even more epic, especially the “Oh-oh-oh!” in the background, is just an average song with not much to offer to the listener.

ensiferumAnd the boring Cry For The Earth Bounds follows a similar formula: another epic battle intro done by some kind of choir, lyrics talking about war, keyboards giving it an extra touch of magic and so on, but nothing that makes the song outstanding. Quite the contrary, it gets really tiring and falls totally flat after a while. In the excellent Two Of Spades, they finally sing about something that’s not a medieval battle, but a more contemporary type of war: gambling! Its truly exciting riffs and vocals are good indicators they should invest more on this type of raw and direct metal, with its disco beats and Finnish lines being interesting elements added to the song.

The following two tracks, My Ancestor’s Blood and Descendants, Defiance, Domination , form one song name “Heathen Throne Part III”. The first song is pretty boring, with its riffs sounding too generic and its rhythm being as monotone as possible, while the second part is even worse: there was no doubt an 11-minute tune would sound epic, sorrowful and imposing, but the overall result is extremely disappointing due to the lack of energy and entrenchment. In other words, the song just goes on and on forever, with its instrumental parts being very basic, and you even forget to follow the storyline at a given point. Fortunately, Neito Pohjolan closes the regular version of the album beautifully with its awesome lyrics (“Eessä myrskytuulien / Eessä elon taistojen / Aina sydämessäin oon / Neito pohjolan”, or in English “In front of storm clouds / In front of battles of life / In my heart I’ll always be / Lady of the North”). It is as folk as it can be, with Emmi leading the singing and more important than that, in Finnish, making it a very enjoyable tune.

And if you’re in doubt about purchasing One Man Army or not, or which version of the album is the most suitable for your collection, I suggest you go for the limited edition with its four witty bonus tracks. I would say the best ones are the fun Rawhide and the violent Warmetal, which by the way are better than 90% of the songs from the regular version of the album. In summary, Ensiferum might not exactly be a “one man army” as the name of the album says nor the most creative band in the world, but they’re indeed a solid and interesting Folk Metal army that will keep you entertained and ready for battle with their epic and melodic heavy music.

Best moments of the album: Heaten Horde, One Man Army and Two Of Spades.

Worst moments of the album: Cry For The Earth Bounds, My Ancestor’s Blood and Descendants, Defiance, Domination.

Released in 2015 Metal Blade Records

Track listing
1. March Of War 1:32
2. Axe Of Judgment 4:33
3. Heathen Horde 4:12
4. One Man Army 4:25
5. Burden Of The Fallen 1:49
6. Warrior Without A War 5:24
7. Cry For The Earth Bounds 7:31
8. Two Of Spades 3:39
9. My Ancestors’ Blood (Heathen Throne Рart III) 4:30
10. Descendants, Defiance, Domination (Heathen Throne Рart III) 11:20
11. Neito Pohjolan 4:10

Limited Edition bonus tracks
12. Candour And Lies 4:11
13. Rawhide 2:35
14. Warmetal 2:54
15. Bonus Song 4:29

Band members
Petri Lindroos – harsh vocals, guitars
Markus Toivonen – guitars, backing vocals, clean vocals
Sami Hinkka – bass, clean vocals
Emmi Silvennoinen – keyboards, backing vocals
Janne Parviainen – drums

Album Review – Alienchrist / Exolution EP (2015)

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Get ready to have your body and soul abducted by an alien onslaught of Extreme Metal.

Rating5

Front CoverIt doesn’t matter if you believe in extraterrestrial life or not: as long as you believe in Spanish/Portuguese Exocore band Alienchrist and their brand new EP entitled Exolution, your life will be spared. Well, at least in terms of an alien abduction, because if there’s one thing you will suffer for sure are the effects of this Seville-based project’s brutal sonic storm full of deep growls, unorthodox tempos and bizarre riffs. Or as metalheads would say in Portuguese about the music by Alienchirst, “É PESADO PRA CARALHO!”

Formed in 2014 by Portuguese musician Mario Rocha and inspired by names like Carnifex, Whitechapel and Meshuggah, Alienchirst have already played at various events such as the Alburock Open Air in Murcia, Spain, sharing the stage with Even When Dead, Bloodyard, Resurrection, The Fall Of Atlantis, among many others. It’s important to mention that except for Alienchrist’s architect Mario Rocha, all other members are handpicked to tour or to play live gigs, which means this cannot be considered a band per se. Nothing that will stop Alienchrist from invading and conquering your city with their unearthly extreme sounding, though.

In case you have no idea what Exocore is, think of it as the coalition of Death Metal and Metalcore, also known as Deathcore, but with a kind of primeval exoskeleton (or “external shell”) to make it even more rigid and resistant. With that said, you can get a sense of how heavy and organic it sounds, which is exactly what you’ll find in the opening track, Zimabu Eter, featuring Bryan Long from American Deathcore band Dealey Plaza. Inspired by the movie The Fourth Kind, the whole song is a brutal assault of Death Metal riffs and blast beats, led by the deepest guttural growls you can think of. In summary, if an alien invasion or abduction has by any chance this song as the soundtrack, we’re totally doomed.

alienchristSignals continues delivering savagery, with its eerie intro suddenly turning into modern and violent metal. It will break your fuckin’ neck with its badass riff, plus some special keyboard effects in the background that end up establishing an interesting and ominous atmosphere. The next track of the EP, All Seeing Eye, is Death Metal to the second power: it’s like an “alien” version of Deicide with a monster on vocals, and obviously you have to master the art of guttural singing to understand whatever Mario Rocha is screaming.

The Mind Of The Psychopath showcases low-end bass lines and hardcore riffs, adding a lot of brutality to it, as well as ghoulish long-lasting growls by Mario Rocha. What a massacre! Finally, as a bonus to the listener, Exolution has a Dubstep remix for Zimabu Eter, and even if you hate electronic music you must admit this remix is pretty cool, capturing all the main elements from the original version.

You can take a listen at Exolution in its entirety on YouTube and also listen to it and purchase it at Alienchrist’s BandCamp page. As previously mentioned, if one day the human race faces an extraterrestrial invasion (as many people are eagerly expecting), let’s hope for it to be orchestrated by Alienchrist and their ruthless onslaught of extreme music.

Best moments of the album: Zimabu Eter.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2015 Independent

Track listing
1. Zimabu Eter (feat. Bryan Long) 3:39
2. Signals 3:48
3. All Seeing Eye 3:52
4. The Mind Of The Psychopath 3:34
5. Zimabu Eter (Dubsteb Remix) 2:58

Band members
Mister V (Mario Rocha) – vocals
Mister W – guitar
Mister X – guitar
Mister Y – bass
Mister Z – drums

Guest musician
Bryan Long – additional vocals on “Zimabu Eter”

Album Review – Chugger / Human Plague (2015)

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A fearless band from Gothenburg bringing forth a technical and organic fusion of Melodic Death Metal and Southern Rock.

Rating4

CHUGGER - Human Plague cover artWhenever you think of the Gothenburg Sound (also known as Melodic Death Metal), forged in the 90’s amidst the harsh climate and technological progress in Sweden, names like At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity and In Flames will instantly come to your mind. Those bands were capable of creating something completely new in the world of heavy music, blending melody and violence in a unique way augmented by tons of catchy riffs and contemplative lyrics. Hailing from the same fruitful area comes the five-piece Groove Death Metal band Chugger, who after the 2013 EP entitled Scars are releasing now in 2015 their first full-length album, the heavy and modern Human Plague.

The initial idea behind the band came up in 2006 by guitarist Robert Bjärmyr, but it wasn’t until the end of 2012 that Chugger actually came to life with their progressive and aggressive musicality. Although they can be seen at first glance as just another Swedish Melodic Death Metal group, perhaps what differentiates them the most from all other Gothenburg bands is their ability to accurately add many interesting elements from American Southern Rock and Metal to their music, enhancing the level of belligerence found in every song in Human Plague. In addition, the album art designed by independent artist Sam Hayles at DOSEprod also effectively expresses the high-tech but organic fusion offered by Chugger in the album.

And all the modern music proposed by Chugger becomes clear as soon as The Grid starts, a song built of traditional Gothenburg sound pinched by Industrial Metal, Death Metal and even Metalcore, something In Flames have already done (but unfortunately got lost somewhere), as melodic as expected from a Swedish metal band and a great choice for jumping up and down with the band. The harsh growls by frontman David Dahl definitely help define the violence in their music, which is also the case in the first single of the album, Virus, where the band truly spreads their “virus” of metal. Furthermore, its short and effective apocalyptic chorus is more than perfect for screaming along with them (“One shot at glory / Ascending through the sky – Virus”).

CHUGGER band photo 2Rust is probably their most Americanized song, especially its heavy guitar riffs and vocals and its awesome headbanging rhythm (providing the listener once again another good opportunity to scream the lyrics with the band), while Never Alone showcases a melancholic slow intro followed by a dense atmosphere, an amazing “devilish” duet between David and Swedish singer Maria Strandén (ex- Therion), and inspiring lyrics about unity and never being alone in our society.

Feed The Fire follows similar lines as “Rust”: it’s another excellent raw and direct metal track with its main riff made for breaking your neck. Not only that, it’s important to say those guys know how to craft addictive choruses (“Burn! You feed the fire / Burn! With everything you do / Burn! You’re feeding the flames / Burn! Time to pay the price”). The following tune, Ignorance Divine, has a strong Gothenburg vibe with lots of rhythmic breaks, from a faster metallic sounding to Southern Metal/Rock riffs and Melodic Death Metal guitar solos, thanks to the great job done by guitarists Robert Bjärmyr and Fredrik Carlstedt; whereas Five Feet Down reminds me of some of the best songs by In Flames and Soilwork. The heaviness of the chorus is at the same level as the most violent Southern Metal, with kudos to drummer David Pergament for smashing his drums during the whole song.

CHUGGER - Spreading the Disease Tour FlyerIn Cut Out From Hell, which despite all its violence is a very harmonious 6-minute song, David offers some deeper guttural while the rest of the band keeps kicking ass at a high level, and after a short display of some nice riffs in The Pendulum Swing the band presents us Endgame, with its Arch Enemy-ish sonority and uprising vocals. Besides, maybe if this song was a little shorter it would have been a lot more effective. And finally closing the album with razin’ guitars and piercing vocal lines we have the title-track, Human Plague, a song that was born ready for Chugger’s live performances where the bass lines by Henrik Östlund are more solid and ferocious than ever.

There are many places on the web where you can find more information about Chugger and listen to their excellent music, such as their Facebook page, YouTube channel and ReverbNation, as well as enjoy an interesting reading about how Human Plague was brought forth with their online studio diary. And of course, don’t forget to purchase their music and witness their furious metal live, as their Spreading The Disease Tour 2015 is just about to take off with many dates around Europe. As the band states, “We are the voice of the voiceless. We do not fear what lies beneath. We are Chugger.”

Best moments of the album: Virus, Feed The Fire and Five Feet Down.

Worst moments of the album: Endgame.

Released in 2015 Rambo Music/Gain Music Entertainment/Sony Music

Track listing
1. The Grid 4:32
2. Virus 4:14
3. Rust 4:20
4. Never Alone 5:51
5. Feed The Fire 4:35
6. Ignorance Divine 5:21
7. Five Feet Down 3:37
8. Cut Out From Hell 5:56
9. The Pendulum Swing 1:24
10. Endgame 5:46
11. Human Plague 6:17

Band members
David Dahl – vocals
Robert Bjärmyr – guitar
Fredrik Carlstedt – guitar
Henrik Östlund -bass
David Pergament – drums

Guest musician
Maria Strandén – female vocals on “Never Alone”