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 a detailed review of Hungarian Extreme Groove Metal band Omega Diatribe (just click on the link below to read the review). Support your local bands… AND FOLLOW THE MOOSE!
On The Metal Moose Show this week:
1. Black Swamp Water – Drink Em Way Down
2. Bury The Memory – Viewpoint
3. Carnivorous Voracity – Epiphanies Of Perverse Egotism
4. Crisaldia – Kaweqar
5. Odium – The Cell
6. Ruin – The Final Bloodbath
7. Onelegman – Obey
8. Specules – Smudge
9. Romantic Rebel – Believe
10. Mindwork – Traum
11. Edge Of Paradise – Break Away
12. Omega Diatribe – Abstract Ritual
13. Concrete Age – Dumb Show
14. Convictors – Epitome Of Decay
15. New Day Dawn – Life Impossible
16. Twelve Years Driven – Fed Up
17. A Night In The Abyss – Deicide
18. Fisthammer – Automation Of Flesh
19. Olathia – Feel The Earth
20. Raftree – Over And Over
21. Church – Lack Of God
22. Whorion – When The Moon Bled
Click HERE to listen to this week’s episode on Spreaker.
And here comes God doing his awesome magic once again.
British Rock N’ Roll veterans Motörhead can be compared to an unstoppable monster truck. While drummer Mikkey Dee provides all the necessary horsepower, guitarist Philip “Phil” Campbell makes sure there’s a smooth and effective transition between gears, and the unparalleled commander Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister, of course, keeps breathing smoke and fire through his vocals and bass guitar, smashing every living creature that dares to stand in their way. And it looks like Motörhead’s sonic machine doesn’t really care about its total mileage so far, as it keeps rolling perfecetly in the excellent Bad Magic, the 22nd studio album (impressive, isn’t it?) in their extensive career.
As “they’re Motörhead and they play Rock N’ Roll”, this time I decided to review the album on the road and not sitting in front of a computer, because this is how true and honest Rock N’ Roll is supposed to be enjoyed. Well, that was indeed the best decision I could have possibly made, because not only it kept me awake and watchful while driving due to its high intensity, but it also helped me absorb the music in a more organic way. Anyway, Bad Magic might not be a masterpiece, and do not expect to find anything different from their latest releases (for instance, it’s very similar to their previous album, the also good Aftershock), but it surely lives up to the band’s reputation and will definitely add a few extra razing tunes to your rock collection.
Enough said, it’s time to let the Rock N’ Roll party begin with Victory or Die, featuring those classic riffs by Phil while Mikkey keeps pounding his drums like there’s no tomorrow, and it’s amazing how even after 40 years on the road they’re still capable of crafting such kick-ass music. The same can be said about the thunderous newborn classic anthem Thunder & Lightning, where there isn’t a single second that’s boring or out of place, and besides, its official video is a beautiful tribute to all “motörheads” in the world and complements the music flawlessly. Every single fan that appeared on the video is 100% sure Lemmy is God, period. And you know what? They’re damn right about that.
The slower but flammable Fire Storm Hotel is another amazing composition by Lemmy and his crew that reminds why we all love them so much. In addition, the story told in its lyrics is really cool and adds a lot of value to this already excellent tune (“So wait and I will tell you what happened here / The hotel burned, no lessons learned, only ghosts got clear / They say the rooms are empty but I know they’re not / The way things are in the hotel bar, the devil buys the shots”). In Shoot Out All of Your Lights, Mikkey gives an outstanding lesson in groove and rhythm, supported by Phil’s raspy guitar lines and by the inebriate voice by Lemmy, keeping the ball rolling at an amazing level of quality; whereas The Devil, which sounds like an ode to Lemmy’s arch nemesis (or maybe his best friend, who knows?), is a well-paced and melodic tune guided by Lemmy’s vocals, with highlights to its badass chorus (“The Devil knows you now / The Devil will break your neck / Nobody will hear your call / Go, stare into the face of death”).
Electricity is (guess what?) an electric display of Rock N’ Roll played at full speed, showing that Lemmy still got it despite all his health issues and that his electric soul will never stop firing awesome rock songs like this one, followed by another traditional tune entitled Evil Eye, which will please most fans of the band mainly due to the great job done by Phil with his dirty and soulful riffs, and the superb rock hymn Teach Them How to Bleed, which I would love to see them playing live. When Motörhead speed things up they always deliver the best Rock N’ Roll you can think of, in special with Mikkey playing on his “ beast mode”. Till the End is a melancholic ballad that albeit good it sounds a little out of place amidst so many fast tunes. It’s still very enjoyable and might be a good break for fans who cannot bang their heads for a long period of time, but it’s below average in Bad Magic. Fortunately, Tell Me Who to Kill puts the album back on track with its traditional punch, lots of feeling and Lemmy excelling once again with both his rough vocals and his vicious bass lines. This was born to be a classic, obviously enhanced by its fun lyrics (“Stand up right keep your fingers still / Pretty sure I think I know you now / I just got to know, so whisper sweet and low / Speak the name, tell me who to kill”).
I’m not sure what happened to Lemmy’s voice in Choking on Your Screams, maybe he was trying to sound as if he was actually being choked, but anyway it didn’t work as expected. However, although it’s by far the weakest of all songs, it doesn’t make any harm to the overall result of the album (you just need to skip it if you agree with my opinion). When the Sky Comes Looking for You offers a magnificent blend of Blues Rock, Hard Rock and Rock N’ Roll all backed up by Motörhead’s trademark. While listening to it in my car I realized this is one of the best songs to hit the road I can think of, with kudos to Phil for his amazing guitar solos and to Lemmy just for being who he is. But that’s not the end of Bad Magic, as the band still delivers an interesting tribute to a band that’s probably the only active one in the world older than Motörhead, The Rolling Stones’ all-time classic Sympathy for the Devil. And what’s even more interesting is the fact that Phil was the one responsible for the piano parts, which in my opinion is beyond awesome.
In short, another solid album by Motörhead (you can listen to it in its entirety on their YouTube channel), and another beautiful proof of how much Lemmy, Phil and Mikkey love Rock N’ Roll and will never give up, not even when it seems they’re getting “too old for this shit” and people start saying they need to retire. Always keep in mind that Lemmy is God, so we shouldn’t be too worried about the fact his health hasn’t been the best lately. Actually, he’s probably just “sick” of people who, instead of sharing some cold beers with their friends and listening to rock music, are destroying the world he created. Let’s just hope he’s strong enough to keep crafting his Rock N’ Roll magic for many years to come, otherwise, the world we live in becomes meaningless.
Best moments of the album:Thunder & Lightning, Fire Storm Hotel, Teach Them How to Bleed and Tell Me Who to Kill.
Worst moments of the album:Till the End and Choking on Your Screams.
Released in 2015 UDR
Track listing 1. Victory or Die 3:09
2. Thunder & Lightning 3:06
3. Fire Storm Hotel 3:35
4. Shoot Out All of Your Lights 3:15
5. The Devil 2:54
6. Electricity 2:17
7. Evil Eye 2:20
8. Teach Them How to Bleed 3:13
9. Till the End 4:05
10. Tell Me Who to Kill 2:57
11. Choking on Your Screams 3:33
12. When the Sky Comes Looking for You 2:58
13. Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones cover) 5:35
Band members Lemmy Kilmister – vocals, bass
Philip Campbell – guitar, piano on “Sympathy for the Devil”
Mikkey Dee – drums
Can you imagine what would happen if Motörhead decided one day to stop playing their badass Rock N’ Roll to start focusing exclusively on electronic music, or if Cannibal Corpse suddenly started playing only acoustic songs, singing about butterflies and unicorns, without a single drop of blood in their lyrics? That’s something almost impossible to visualize, right? And the reason for that is because if those bands actually decided to do that, to completely change their music direction, they would simply lose their core essence, the main element that defines who they are. Once in a while we see our beloved bands following that horrible path, like Megadeth with their awful “Risk” and obviously Metallica with the worst “metal” album of all time, the annoying “St. Anger”. Now it’s time for American Heavy Metal band Trivium to leave an unfortunate scar in their solid career with the tiresome Silence In The Snow, their seventh studio album and by far their worst work to date.
And I’m not complaining exclusively about the fact that there aren’t any unclean/harsh vocals at all from neither Matt Heafy nor Corey Beaulieu for the first time ever in a Trivium album, which is already a huge bummer, but also about the fact that the music itself is too generic, tasteless and pedestrian, despite being still technical and harmonious. In other words, it lacks so much energy to the point no one is saying anything about this being their first album with Mat Madiro on drums, and we all know how much fans of the band like to chat about which Trivium drummer is or was the best. Besides, where are the rumbling and complex bass lines by Paolo Gregoletto? Some people will try to defend the band saying they already changed their musicality in their latest albums In Waves (too weird?) and Vengeance Falls (too Disturbed-ish?), that they are evolving, but we cannot compare those electrifying releases with this ode to monotony. I listen to In Waves almost as much as to Shogun, without skipping a single song, because after all is said and done it’s a fuckin’ awesome Heavy Metal album. But Silence In The Snow, oh boy, I’m pretty sure I’ll never listen to it again of my own free will. It’s not Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal or even Metalcore.
The Star Wars-ish intro Snøfall is relatively good, but the problem is that after listening to the entire album it made me think a lot about Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which we all know is strongly abhorred by everyone that truly loves Darth Vader & Co. At least the title-track, Silence in the Snow, has its good moments, and albeit not brilliant it has an epic vibe mainly due to Matt’s potent clean vocals. In addition, as I mentioned on the review to their concert here in Toronto last week, it gains a lot of vitality when played live. The same can be said about Blind Leading the Blind, which is Trivium without harsh growls (maybe some screams would have turned it into a classic), providing the listener their catchy and metallic riffs thanks to a great performance by all members, especially Matt and Corey. From this point on it’s just downhill, starting with Dead and Gone, which is almost enjoyable if it wasn’t for one minor detail: this totally feels like a SCREAMING tune, something we should be busting our throats off together with the band, where instead of a clean “Dead and goooooone!” it should have been “DEAAAAD ANNHH GAAAAAAHHHNNN!”, you know what I’m saying? There’s no punch!
The first few seconds of The Ghost That’s Haunting You are promising, before it becomes a feast of generic noises including boring drums, even more boring riffs and a huge amount of “nothing” in its lyrics. This song desperately needed some screams to become decent, with its guitar solos saving it from a total disaster. Pull Me from the Void is yet another song with a favorable start, as fast as it should be, with its instrumental parts living up to Trivium’s legacy. However, I can’t explain why but it never really takes off, maybe it’s because of its horrible chorus, but the overall result is no better than just average. Then we have the ballad Until the World Goes Cold, which I learned to enjoy, but the problem in this case is that if it was something like “Of All These Yesterdays” from In Waves it would have been a lot more efficient. I mean, if it was a COMPLEMENT to a powerful Trivium album I’m sure even the most diehard fan of the band wouldn’t complain about it, but when an average ballad is one of the highlights of the album you know there’s something wrong.
I don’t know where to start so bad Rise Above the Tides is. This mediocre tune sounds pretty much like the biggest hit from a generic band that plays at a pop/rock radio station for a few weeks or months and then disappears forever. I hope Matt & Co. never EVER play this garbage live, because that would mean they wouldn’t be playing something a billion times better instead, therefore wasting some precious time of the concert. And for a band that has crafted such bestial tunes like “Insurrection”, “Through Blood and Dirt and Bone” and “Becoming the Dragon”, the following track entitled The Thing That’s Killing Me is 100% unacceptable. It’s one more tricky song that begins in an exciting way but quickly turns into nothing remarkable again. Well, they can have this song played on any pop/rock radio station in the world, but is that what they really want for their career?
Anyway, Beneath the Sun feels like a double-edged sword: add screams and we would have a more than awesome tune; keep it the way it is and you might listen to it once or twice, but will surely never want to make that same mistake again. Not even the instrumental pieces remind me of the real Trivium, it’s just a lazy version of some generic Alternative Metal band added to the album for a reason beyond my comprehension. Fortunately, in the excellent Breathe in the Flames it seems the “generic” virus hasn’t killed all their essence yet, sounding (almost) like pure Trivium, just with the screams (unfortunately) missing, of course, and together with “Blind Leading the Blind” it’s the only song worth listening in the future when the album is no longer a new release and the initial excitement of it is gone. In fact, it’s the only one that sounds truly metal and that I want to see them playing live in their future concerts.
And that’s the end of Silence In The Snow. Well, the special edition contains two other non-exciting tunes that don’t add anything worth mentioning to the album (albeit Cease All Your Fire has its decent moments), so let’s not worry about those. When the album is over, there’s a strong feeling of void, you don’t feel energized or anything positive, and all you want to do is any other activity, no matter what, as long as that doesn’t include listening to it again. This is definitely NOT a good Trivium album, far from that, which makes me wonder if it wasn’t a better idea for Matt to have released it as a solo project instead. Leastwise, if Matt had let Corey scream in most of the songs, we might not have been complaining so much about it, but that’s just a distant dream now that the album is already released. I understand Matt’s goal to evolve as a singer, not screaming anymore, and I respect that, but that doesn’t mean we are forced to enjoy this below-average pop/rock album just because it is Trivium. In the end, I will always love their music, their previous albums and their ass-kicking live performances. But Silence In The Snow? Thanks, but no thanks.
Best moments of the album:Blind Leading the Blind and Breathe in the Flames.
Worst moments of the album:The Ghost That’s Haunting You, Rise Above the Tides, The Thing That’s Killing Me and Beneath the Sun.
Released in 2015 Roadrunner Records
Track listing 1. Snøfall 1:28
2. Silence in the Snow 3:40
3. Blind Leading the Blind 4:25
4. Dead and Gone 3:41
5. The Ghost That’s Haunting You 4:03
6. Pull Me from the Void 3:50
7. Until the World Goes Cold 5:21
8. Rise Above the Tides 3:50
9. The Thing That’s Killing Me 3:25
10. Beneath the Sun 3:52
11. Breathe in the Flames 4:59
Special edition bonus tracks
12. Cease All Your Fire 5:00
13. The Darkness of My Mind 4:44
Band members Matt Heafy – guitar, lead vocals
Corey Beaulieu – guitar, vocals
Paolo Gregoletto – bass, vocals
Mat Madiro – drums
It is a well-known fact that all Finnish women are pretty and charming, absolutely no doubt about that. But it’s when a girl from the land of ice and snow releases her inner beast that things get even more exciting, which is exactly the case with our Metal Chick of the Month, the ravishing Noora Louhimo, lead singer of Finnish Heavy Metal band Battle Beast. And if you don’t like the voice and the looks of this blonde “warrior princess”, honestly, I don’t know what to say.
Noora was born on November 6, 1988 in Tampere, Finland, around 180km north of the capital Helsinki, and she has been singing since she was only 4 years old. She had many hobbies before she started focusing on singing, such as dancing, acting, drawing, painting and anything else she could do to express herself. When she was around 13 years old, she had her first band at school, singing Finnish pop songs as well as love ballads from artists like Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.
Despite being a huge fan of Heavy Metal from the 80’s when she was a teenager, when she was 16 years old she had some classical singing lessons, before starting to study music in a more Pop/Jazz-line and doing some jam sessions at bars at the age of 19. That was also when she found her first band, called Admiral Octopus, at a place called BluesBar. The band used to play Rock N’ Roll and Blues from the 60’s, 70’s, and also songs from Janis Joplin, which according to Noora herself is the reason why she got the rasp in her voice. After Admiral Octopus, Noora took part in a singing competition called “Wanna Be A Rock N’ Roll Star” at a place called Henry’s Pub, also in Tampere, and guess what? She won the competition singing Janis Joplin’s classic Piece of My Heart. That’s how her single Relax was born, and that’s pretty much her history before joining Battle Beast.
It was during autumn in 2012, right after Battle Beast finished touring some summer rock festivals in Finland, that singer Nitte Valo, who was with the band since its inception in 2008, announced to be leaving the band due to family issues. In September 2012, guitarist Anton Kabanen found Noora by accident on YouTube when he was searching for a new vocalist for Battle Beast, and after a couple of calls Noora accepted the challenge to be the new frontwoman of the band. In 2013 our blonde diva recorded her first full-length release with the band, the powerful self-titled album Battle Beast, and more recently the also amazing Unholy Saviour, in January 2015.
The Finnish lioness mentioned in one of her interviews that she does many different exercises with her voice, rest it when needed and then a lot more, and also that working out is a very important part of keeping her vocals in a good shape. Whatever she’s actually doing with her voice, it’s working more than perfectly, as we can notice in her excellent performance on a Finnish television program in 2014 singing the song Into the Heart of Danger, her contributions to the good song Satans of Swing by Finnish band Somehow Jo! and to the inspiring Eye to Eye by Swiss Melodic Power Metal band Crystal Ball, and also singing one of her favorite songs from Battle Beast, the electrifying tune Let It Roar. One interesting fact about her singing style is that, as much as she wants to sound like a female singer with “balls”, she wants to sound feminine and sexy at the same time.
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In regards to her main influences in life, our warrior princess doesn’t only sing Heavy Metal, but a huge variety of music genres such as Soul, Rock, Blues, among others, and those different styles are what keep her in balance and inspired as a singer. As aforementioned, she started listening to metal music when she was 16 years old, and that “fire” started actually with Guns N’ Roses. When she heard Welcome to the Jungle for the first time, she knew there was no coming back. Then there came Dio, Judas Priest, W.A.S.P. and of course Iron Maiden. Although her list of influences is endless, including names such as Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury, Ronnie James Dio, Whitney Houston, Blackie Lawless, Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, Michael Jackson, Axl Rose and many more, her biggest idols in music are first Janis Joplin and second Ann Wilson.
And last but not least, when asked if she’s addicted to any bad habit or guilty pleasure, her answer couldn’t be more feminine than that: chocolate. Well, our “blonde ninja” is an extremely talented and beautiful woman, and Finnish chocolate is by far one of the best in the world. I guess there couldn’t be a better combination than that to celebrate two years of The Headbanging Moose, right?
If you want to get more information about any of the bands featured at The Metal Moose Show, simply Google the band and/or the song name to find their official website and Facebook page and, more important than that, attend their live concerts and buy their music. Here at The Headbanging Moose you can also find detailed reviews of many other excellent underground bands. Support your local bands… AND FOLLOW THE MOOSE!
On The Metal Moose Show this week:
1. Black Eve – Iron And Blood
2. Ephyra – Flaming Tears
3. As Autumn Calls – Darkness Everlasting
4. Atten Ash – See You… Never
5. Sunlight – Back To Life
6. Weesp – Solar Empire
7. Colisions – We Know The Enemy
8. Cosmic Trigger – Voltaire
9. Foes Of The Fallen – Addiction
10. Grace Solero – Riptide
11. Hammer Persuasion – The Hidden Constant
12. Martyr – Different Kind Of Rain
13. Monumentomb – Ritual Exhumation
14. Fall Saves Grace – Her Psycho Circus
15. Blind Fire Rebels – Drowned In Flames
16. Mine Enemies Fall – Bow To The Pressure
17. Stormbringer – Unto Me
18. Vantablack Warship – From Silent Hauntings To Possessions
19. Blackthorne Elite – Reach For The Sky
Click HERE to listen to this week’s episode on Spreaker.
Do you love elaborate music, but at the same time do you feel an urge to bang your head nonstop? This skillful German act might have exactly what you’re looking for.
If you’re one of those demanding metalheads who’s always looking for fresh and complex music, which at the same time still offers a raw vibe or an evil aura that keeps the music as underground as possible the likes of Moonsorrow, Enslaved, Opeth and Amorphis, you’ll have a great time banging your head to Nocturnal Escape, the self-titled debut album by German Progressive Death/Black Metal band Nocturnal Escape. It might not be an easy listen for people who are used to more straightforward rock and metal at first, but the quality of the music found in this album is so good you’ll end up succumbing to the band’s intricate darkness after a short while.
As a matter of fact, this Augsburg-based group is more like a project created by multi-instrumentalist Leo Bergmann in January 2014, a few months after his previous band, Bleak, disbanded in 2013. Leo was joined by his brother, bassist Klaus Bergmann (who also plays for the excellent German Death Metal band Disgusting Perversion), in late 2014, and also by vocalist Thomas Zimmermann, who added clean vocals to the album in 2015. I don’t know if they can be called a “power trio”, but they surely know how to make a lot of noise and how to fill every empty space with their notes, riffs and beats.
A demonic voice introduces us to the music by Nocturnal Escape in War Of Beliefs, a blend of Death and Black Metal so technical and obscure it’s not recommended for the faint-hearted. However, amidst all turbulence there’s room for tons of progressiveness and melody, with kudos to Leo for crafting such solid and entertaining musicality. What starts as an epic battle hymn evolves to boisterous Black Metal in Age Of Atrocity, with highlights to the nonstop riffs by Leo, the good balance between harsh and clean vocals thanks to a great job done by Thomas, and its meaningful lyrics (“Don’t follow leaders for whom you are lifestock / Pull out now to prevent the shellshock / Cluelessness is bliss of the mindless herd / Set yourself aside and feast on your hate”). Besides, although it’s less progressive than the opening track, it still presents intricate passages and lots of tempo changes.
A Lucid Mind, which leans towards cleaner Progressive Metal despite the growling vocals by Leo, offers us calm and relaxing passages focusing on Thomas’ clean voice and an embracing atmosphere to soothe our souls, while the other pieces of the song are an ode to madness and freedom; followed by Disillusion Strikes, where the band gets back to a more direct sounding, a modern Death Metal tune with hints of the craziness generated by bands such as Devin Townsend, turning it into one of the top moments of the album. The title-track, Nocturnal Escape, starts in some kind of “cosmic” way due to its synths, before switching to Progressive Metal enhanced by Leo’s devilish growls while Thomas declaims his vocal lines, developing then an interesting storyline to be followed attentively throughout the entire song as you can see in its lyrics (“The pain feels good the pain feels right / This cleansing torture drives me through the night / I follow this path and come to me / With this aquired taste in human tragedy”). A similar situation is found in Screaming Heart, with yet another melancholic intro that grows in sorrow and darkness until it becomes a Progressive Dark/Doom Metal exhibit. Not only it feels like two or three songs in one, but the strong focus on riffs and solos were clearly done on purpose by Leo to enhance the song’s punch.
What initially seems to flirt with Alternative Rock and modern Hard Rock turns into a Black Metal feast with a desperate ambience that will invade your mind in Gaia’s Demise, with its funereal riff and the well-balanced duo of harsh and clean vocals leading this progressive tune through its acoustic passages and mesmerizing rhythm. And what if Deep Purple, Devin Townsend and Arch Enemy got together for a jam session? The result would probably resemble the thrilling tune entitled Call To Humanity, which keeps rolling at full speed fueled by its awe-inspiring guitar riffs and solos. It’s indeed an amazing mix of Speed and Death Metal with huge dosages of progressiveness and feeling to close the album on a high note, and in my humble opinion it’s the best tune of the album by far. In addition, pay close attention to the song’s special guests Paul Perlberg, Joscha Radaj (Zerfetzer, Musikalischer Gesundheitsdienst), Tobias Ruf (Disgusting Perversion), Julian Gruber (Running Death) and Simon Bihlmayer (Running Death), as they add some crazy amount of wickedness to the final result.
You can get more details on Nocturnal Escape at their official Facebook page, as well as purchase their debut album through BandCamp. This is a great opportunity for fans of progressive and aggressive music to witness the inception and rise of a talented metal act from Germany who are not afraid of experimenting and adding different layers of complexity to their compositions, creating a unique sounding that, as aforementioned, will beautifully reach to your heart and definitely make you bang your metal head.
Best moments of the album:Age Of Atrocity, Disillusion Strikes and Call To Humanity.
Worst moments of the album:Nocturnal Escape.
Released in 2015 Independent
Track listing 1. War Of Beliefs 7:37
2. Age Of Atrocity 5:23
3. A Lucid Mind 6:52
4. Disillusion Strikes 4:34
5. Nocturnal Escape 7:01
6. Screaming Heart 4:19
7. Gaia’s Demise 6:36
8. Call To Humanity 6:31
Band members Leo Bergmann – harsh vocals, guitars, keyboards, drum programming
Thomas Zimmermann – clean vocals
Klaus Bergmann – bass
Guest musicians
Paul Perlberg – vocals on “Call To Humanity”
Joscha Radaj – keyboards on “Call To Humanity”
Tobias Ruf – second guitar solo on “Call To Humanity”
Julian Gruber – fourth guitar solo on “Call To Humanity”
Simon Bihlmayer – sixth guitar solo on “Call To Humanity”
A chaotic and thrilling Death Metal album in perfect harmony with human ambition, representing in an apocalyptical way what lies ahead for our unbalanced world.
“The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.” – Carl Sagan
Those thoughtful words by American astronomer Carl Sagan are not only bang on to describe all the ravaging chaos and disorder caused by mankind that’s leading our world to a dreadful end, but also extremely accurate in depicting the insane music found in Apotheosynthesis, the debut full-length album by Canadian Atmospheric Death Metal act Fractal Generator.
According to this Sudbury-based band, who by the way are located at the specific coordinates 46.471716, -81.186792, the word “apotheosynthesis” means “to distill something to the essence of perfection”, and that’s what this power trio proposes during the entire album with their solid blend of extreme music, science, space, the chaos theory, a sci-fi ambience, technology and synthetic feelings. Moreover, it’s interesting to notice the evolution in their compositions from their 2008 demo The Cannibalism of Objects to Apotheosynthesis, as if the band progressed at the same roaring pace as our society, which ends up adding an extra layer of veracity to the new album.
The sonic devastation Cycle kicks off this intricate album offering a mix of the most brutal Death Metal with progressiveness and harmonious passages, without stopping or slowing down for a single second, and with the growls by lead singer/bassist 040118180514 (whose real name is Darren Favot) sounding like an ominous cosmic creature behind all the chaotic havoc generated by all instruments; followed by the magnificent Face Of The Apocalypse, where its futuristic intro, blast beats and harsh vocal lines generate a dense and dark atmosphere. While drummer 040114090512 (aka Dan Favot) sounds like a hammering machine, the bass lines by 040118180514 keep punching you in the head mercilessly, leaving you completely disoriented after this amazing display of extreme music ends. In addition, its lyrics couldn’t be more realistic in regards to what mankind is doing to the entire planet (“Endless replication / A cancerous mutation / Of the mother earth / Merciless consumption / An unprecedented emergency”).
Abandon Earth has a very suggestive (and true) name perfectly represented in the music (which contains elements from the best Death Metal bands in history such as Deicide, Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel) as the hopeless state we’re living in, with highlights to the sinister riffs by guitarist 102119200914 (aka Justin Rienguette) and the furious experimentation crafted by the band. Then we have a fuckin’ massacre entitled Into The Unknown, a very solid tune from start to finish where drummer 040114090512 sounds like a heartless beast while its riffs give a sense of despair and madness; and Paragon, more inclined to traditional Death Metal with hints of Blackened Death Metal (which is always a good thing) and even Black Metal. It’s one of the best of all tracks, very technical and organic (representing the band’s essence), especially due to the sound of its bass guitar which kind of makes us bang our heads like crazy to this evil chant.
The following tune, Human, should have its name changed to “inhuman” due to its infernal rhythm, because no regular human being is capable of crafting such brutish musicality. Its bass and riffs are highly influenced by the unique sounding of Death Metal giants Cannibal Corpse, and I’m certain no one can survive the live performances by Fractal Generator with wicked songs like this one being played. And if you think the band will slow down anytime you’re absolutely wrong, as they keep firing insane riffs, beats and fills in The Singularity, showcasing an outstanding performance by 040114090512 behind his drum kit and an old school vibe with the welcome addition of elements from modern extreme music, while in Synthetic Symbiosis they somehow managed to deliver an even darker sounding where violence is taken to the highest possible level. Besides, the synchronicity between riffs and drumming is what makes this song so enjoyable and full-bodied, and just in case you survive this wonderful onslaught get ready for the aftermath in the creepy tune Reflections, the perfect soundtrack for the end of the world, focusing on its dense instrumental rather than on vocals or lyrics (which are barely existent in this case) before the music fades away, being replaced by a melancholic ambience. I might be wrong, but it seems there’s a trend for Death Metal bands who rely on specific themes on their albums to always craft a climatic ending to their releases, which ends up augmenting the value and dynamism of the overall result.
In order to get a hold of this cosmic battle developed by Fractal Generator, go check the band’s Facebook page, YouTube channel and ReverbNation page. And after all is said and done, we all must agree with Carl Sagan that the universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition, but also that this talented Canadian act makes sure their chaotic and thrilling music is, representing in an apocalyptical way what lies ahead for our unbalanced world.
Best moments of the album:Face Of The Apocalypse, Paragon and Synthetic Symbiosis.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2015 Independent
Track listing 1. Cycle 4:09
2. Face Of The Apocalypse 4:18
3. Abandon Earth 5:43
4. Into The Unknown 4:47
5. Paragon 4:25
6. Human 4:54
7. The Singularity 4:19
8. Synthetic Symbiosis 4:08
9. Reflections 8:54
Band members 040118180514 – vocals, bass
102119200914 – guitar, backing vocals
040114090512 – drums
There might be silence in the snow during this coming winter, but there was surely a lot of good noise and blazing hearts on the last night of the summer in Toronto.
Unfortunately, due to traffic and working issues, I cannot say anything about the performance by American Hard Rock/Rock N’ Roll band WILSON, who were in charge of warming up the crowd for the main attractions of the night at the Phoenix Concert Theatre as part of the 2015 HardDrive Live Tour. All I can say is that if you’re curious to know how their music sounds, two very good songs are Give ‘Em Hell and College Gangbang, both part of their setlist. And, in addition, in case your first or last name is “Wilson” I suggest you go after their merchandise right away. Who wouldn’t love to have your own name on a cool T-shirt like this one? Maybe next time they’re around I’ll go check their live performances, but this time the Gardiner didn’t allow me to do so.
Setlist Before I Burn
Give ‘Em Hell
College Gangbang
Waiting on the World to Cave In
Windows Down
All My Friends
Right to Rise
Susan Jane
Band members Chad Nicefield – vocals
Jason Spencer – guitar
Kyle Landry – guitar
James Lascu – bass
Puhy – drums
For those of you who don’t know this excellent guitarist, award-winning American musician MARK TREMONTI is the lead guitarist and founding member of the famous rock groups Creed and Alter Bridge, and since 2012 he’s been on the road with his solo project that takes his last name, being also responsible for the band’s lead vocals. And that’s probably the main reason why there were so many people eager to see Tremonti, I would say almost the same amount that were at the venue to see Trivium, because not only his music is clean and cohesive, but also fun.
Playing a mix of Hard Rock, Rock N’ Roll, Speed Metal and Alternative Metal, this Detroit-based band did a pretty good job during their relatively lengthy setlist, which ended up extending their concert to past 10pm and therefore “forcing” some people to go home before Trivium started due to different reasons, such as work or classes the next morning. I’ll be 100% honest and say that their music is not really my cup of tea, but I enjoyed their performance as much as I could while having a cold Rolling Rock. Perhaps the biggest issue with the concert was the huge amount of ballads, because when they played heavier stuff you could feel a much stronger reaction from everyone at the venue.
I’m not familiar with the names of the songs either, but if there were two that caught my attention were curiously the very first, Cauterize, and the very last, Decay, due to their strength and speed. In other words, if you’re more into old school metal music (including really heavy stuff like Death and Black Metal) like I am you might consider Tremonti a bit too light for your taste, but as a straightforward rock band they more than deliver it on stage.
Setlist Cauterize
You Waste Your Time
All I Was
So You’re Afraid
Another Heart
Flying Monkeys
The Things I’ve Seen
Radical Change
Tie the Noose
Dark Trip
Arm Yourself
Brains
Wish You Well
Decay
Band members Mark Tremonti – lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar
Eric Friedman – lead and rhythm, backing vocals
Tanner Keegan – bass guitar, backing vocals
Garrett Whitlock – drums
After a short pause to the sound of the entire Ace Of Spades album, by Motörhead, lights went down and like many bands do, the speakers played a classic song TRIVIUM truly love to ignite the hearts of the fans waiting for their performance. Well, they chose the all-time battle hymn “Run to the Hills” by Iron Maiden for that. Do I need to say more? After that brilliant demonstration of passion for metal music and after their own intro Snøfall, our already iconic and influential Orlando-based metallers hit the stage between two giant skulls from their new album with one of their brand new songs, the good Silence in the Snow. Matt was electrified as usual, wearing a Dio T-shirt and an Emperor vest, again showing his respect and admiration for his idols in music and his loyalty to his roots, while Corey Beaulieu, Paolo Gregoletto and Mat Madiro interacted with the fans as much as possible during and between songs to make things even better.
I know some people are complaining Matt doesn’t want to scream anymore, but all three new songs (Silence in the Snow, Until the World Goes Cold and especially Blind Leading the Blind, which Matt dedicated to the unparalleled Ronnie James Dio while telling a story about food and friendship when they opened for Heaven & Hell in Japan in 2007) sounded truly powerful live, proving the harsh screams are not really necessary for them to work. However, as an old school metalhead I have to say it was when they played their classic assaults Throes of Perdition, Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr and A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation that things got really serious inside the mosh pits. Moreover, although Corey was incredible with his guitar, I think he seemed a little “lost” during the songs without the harsh screams. Let the guy scream, please!
And I was impressed (actually, the whole band was too) with the insane reaction of the crowd for each and every song of their setlist, in special their “newer” classics Strife (including a loud and awesome “Oh-oh-oh… Oooooh!” to its Iron Maiden-ish riffs, as demanded by Matt), Built to Fall (what a “built-to-fall” image seeing everybody singing the whole song at full force with Trivium!) and Black, showcasing how thrilling In Waves and Vengeance Falls are despite some diehard fans not digging those albums. Not to mention the amazing turmoil caused by the fans during the superb duo Capsizing the Sea/In Waves, which started with a decent wall of death just for you to have an idea of how crazy fans were. The band noticed that, enjoyed that and acknowledged that on their social media, saying Toronto was the best crowd of the entire tour. I have to agree with them, it was indeed a fantastic night, much better than their last concert back in 2013 at the same venue.
And in order to keep us all craving for more Trivium and more metallic tunes, the sound system played the masterpiece “Heaven & Hell” by Black Sabbath, which was sung by most fans so excited everybody got after Trivium finished their flawless performance. Now let’s wait and see how their entire new album sounds like, if there won’t be any screams at all or if they’ll still offer us some harsher moments like the ones we learned to love from their music. It might have been the last night of summer in Toronto, but it was more than enough to keep our hearts on fire through the fall and the winter, even if there’s total silence in the snow that’s about to come soon.
Setlist Snøfall
Silence in the Snow
Down from the Sky
Becoming the Dragon
Strife
Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr
Built to Fall
Until the World Goes Cold
Throes of Perdition
Anthem (We Are the Fire)
Black
A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation
Blind Leading the Blind
Dying in Your Arms
Encore:
Capsizing The Sea
In Waves
Band members Matt Heafy – guitar, lead vocals
Corey Beaulieu – guitar, vocals
Paolo Gregoletto – bass, vocals
Mat Madiro – 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:
1. Blackstar Republic – Sick Smile
2. Arrival Of Autumn – Like Fire
3. Adversarial – Death, Endless Nothing And The Black Knife Of Nihilism
4. Accursed Spawn – Burn Into Sterility
5. Ash Wednesday – Over Under
6. Ashcloud – Abandon All Light
7. Aeon Of Hours – Release
8. Astrakhan – Cupids Fost
9. Aurin – November
10. Cortez – Bright Light
11. Kissing In Graveyards – Step Into My World
12. Missiles Of October – Dont Panic
13. Swirl – Time To Fly
14. Viggenblot – Journeys Prey
15. Xerosun – Anatomy Of A Lie
16. Zync – Wasted Time
17. Zero Minus One – Brilliant Disguise
18. Grave Shadow – Blood And Fire
19. Devilspeak – Violently Leading The Blind
20. Maritale – Corbeau
21. Without Reason – Control
22. Progressive Chemistry – Out For Blood
23. Mikayla – Rock N Roll
24. Heaven Below – Renagade Protest Movement
Click HERE to listen to this week’s episode on Spreaker.
Once again, it’s time to enter the machine and surrender to the mechanized reign ruled by the undisputed masters of Industrial Metal.
I honestly don’t understand why the music by American Industrial Metal masters Fear Factory has never been part of any of the Terminator movies. I mean, ANY of their songs are powerful, metallic and atmospheric enough to provide the perfect background for all the destruction and chaos caused by the one and only Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger, which is also the case with the music found in their brand new automaton entitled Genexus, the ninth studio album in their exceptional career and the first to feature drummer Mike Heller (Malignancy, System Divide).
However, it’s not only the density and strength of the music by this Los Angeles-based nonstop machine that amazes me every single time they release a new album, but also the whole futuristic concept surrounding their work. For instance, the new artwork, designed by American artist Anthony Clarkson, reminds me a lot of three iconic movie characters that have everything to do with what the music proposes: the unstoppable killing machine known as the Terminator; the brainy and rebel hero Iron Man; and the mesmerizing but extremely dangerous Ava (from the cult flick Ex Machina). Put differently, Fear Factory marvelously know how to give life and emotion to cold metal.
The opening track, Autonomous Combat System, is Industrial Metal at its finest from the very first second, a violent and harmonious tune just like we always expect from this amazing band, and when the sick riffs by the unparalleled Dino Cazares and the band’s famous industrial drums begin the energy level goes through the roof. And their futuristic awesomeness goes on in Anodized, another masterful lesson in shredding (who doesn’t love riffs like these?) supporting its meaningful lyrics from a not-so-impossible future for all of us (“A transhuman state / Will liberate man’s evolution / A singularity / Maintains the peace / Machined solution / Lacerate, eviscerate / My body to redefine / My design”). The performance by Mr. Burton C. Bell with both his harsh screams and clean vocals is superb, and if you’re a fan of Alternative Metal or Nu Metal let me tell you this is an awesome example of how everything started. In Dielectric, you can feel the electricity flowing nonstop, especially through its drums that sound like a machine gun, with its background effects being so important I cannot imagine this amazing tune without them.
Then it’s time to bang your fuckin’ head to the low-tuned bass lines by Tony Campos and the vicious riffs by Mr. Cazares in Soul Hacker, where its great chorus will stick inside your mind for sure, followed by the dynamic and thrilling rhythm of ProtoMech, enhanced by its excellent lyrics (“Take everything away from me / Replace my skin with circuitry / All that I have bleeding from me / To feed the machine”) and an amazing feeling provided by its mechanized atmosphere. In my humble opinion, this is the best song of the whole album, proving once again how skillfully Fear Factory are capable of feeding the Heavy Metal machine we all love so much.
The superb title-track, Genexus, is like a journey to a desolated world ruled by machines, exactly like what the future shows in the Terminator franchise, showcasing all the elements that took Fear Factory to stardom, with Burton sounding enraged and ready to confront the machine for his freedom. Church of Execution also provides that mechanic and industrialized sounding and an eerie ambience with lots of groove, despite not being as kick-ass as the others due to the lack of a more violent chorus; while Regenerate, with its weird robotic effects in the background, is perhaps one of the best examples of traditional Thrash Metal modernized by Industrial and Groove Metal. Moreover, I love the energy of its chorus, and how can we not bang our heads to it?
Battle for Utopia is intended to represent the march of the machines with its furious and imposing sonority, including lots of special effects to create the atmosphere desired by the band, before Expiration Date closes the album in a very traditional way, which in the case of Fear Factory means in the form of a melancholic music voyage. Pay good attention to the beauty of its lyrics, gently declaimed by Burton (“Under the surface we’re not machines / Under the surface we’re living dreams / Death lives just one breath away / Somewhere my heart beats in silence / I made my way through the violence / Nobody lives forever”), close your eyes and let yourself be absorbed by the music and its message, the final result is outstanding.
And finally, on a side note, the bonus tracks that come with the limited edition of Genexus keep up with the rest of the album in terms of complexity, violence and electricity, with highlights to the ominous atmosphere in the smooth Enhanced Reality. In summary, if you’re ready to enter the machine engendered by Fear Factory for the first time, or if you already surrendered to their mechanized reign a long time ago, Genexus is definitely a must-have album to your collection of extreme and melodic music.
Best moments of the album:Autonomous Combat System, ProtoMech and Genexus.
Worst moments of the album:Church of Execution and Battle for Utopia.
Released in 2015 Nuclear Blast
Track listing 1. Autonomous Combat System 5:28
2. Anodized 4:47
3. Dielectric 4:19
4. Soul Hacker 3:12
5. ProtoMech 4:56
6. Genexus 4:48
7. Church of Execution 3:21
8. Regenerate 4:02
9. Battle for Utopia 4:14
10. Expiration Date 8:48
Band members Burton C. Bell – vocals
Dino Cazares – guitar
Tony Campos – bass guitar
Mike Heller – drums
Guest musicians Deen Castronovo – drums on “Soul Hacker”
Laurent Tardy – piano on “Autonomous Combat System” and “Protomech”
Mister Sam – spoken words on “Autonomous Combat System” and “Expiration Date”
Damien Rainuad – programming, keyboards
Giuseppe Bassi – samples, keyboards
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 a detailed review of Hungarian Extreme Groove Metal band Omega Diatribe (just click on the link below to read the review). Support your local bands… AND FOLLOW THE MOOSE!
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