If you want to get more information about any of the bands featured at The Metal Moose Show, simply Google the band and/or the song name to find their official website and Facebook page and, more important than that, attend their live concerts and buy their music. Here at The Headbanging Moose you can also find detailed reviews of many other excellent underground bands. Support your local bands… AND FOLLOW THE MOOSE!
On The Metal Moose Show this week (not necessarily in this order):
1. Razorwire Halo – A Defining Moment
2. Fused By Defiance – Hollywood Holdup
3. Fear Control – Until The Suffering
4. Bareknuckle Bullsye – Shut Up And Smile
5. The Apparition – What We Live For
6. Return To Zero – Venom
7. Overdose – Sexual Rush
8. Octave Jaw – Never Free
9. Octave Jaw – She Said
10. Site Unknown – Stand
11. Nothing Sacred – No Tomorrow
12. The Dead Sexy – Nobody Loves Me
13. My Last Solace – New Dawn
14. Oceans Of Time – Roar Of Organs
15. Happy Tuesday – Track 4
16. Gatecreeper – Void Below
17. Spirits In The Flesh – Watch You Fade
18. Scarlet Gypsy – Without Your Love
19. Forever Still – Save Me
20. Red Eye Flight – New Start
Click HERE to listen to this week’s episode on Spreaker.
This distinguished Italian mafia is here to stay with only one objective in mind: spreading their rousing Rock N’ Roll music all over the world.
Inspired by the rock music his family played him while he was in a coma after falling from a cliff years ago, which by the way he believes helped bring him back, drummer Max Klein formed Rock N’ Roll/Hard Rock band Rockastar Frame in 2012 in Milan, Italy. Now, after many live performances and after winning several contests such as the national Rock on the Road in 2014, the band is ready to spread their electrifying music all across the world with their debut album, the excellent Rock ‘N’ Roll Mafia.
Obviously, that wouldn’t have been possible without all the talent, hard work and passion for music that have accompanied each band member for years. For instance, frontwoman Faith Blurry recorded vocals for her first commercial on Italian TV when she was only 6; keyboardist Ace Wave holds a summa cum laude degree in classical piano from the Academy of Music, where bassist Andy Di Bella is also finishing up his electric bass studies; and band founder Max and guitarist Morris Steel have been professional session musicians for the past ten years. In other words, all that energy and willpower translates into pure top-notch Rock N’ Roll.
Do you want to know why Rock N’ Roll with piano and keyboards sounds so cool? The opening track, entitled Guilt, has the answer to that question. This is radio material, as catchy as it can be, with the rocking vocals by the red-haired diva Faith matching perfectly with the band’s music. She’s Hot also has all the ingredients to become another instant radio hit, sounding even more powerful than the opening track. Moreover, Ace and Max keep delivering some exciting notes and solos while Faith is totally on fire, and what to say about the song’s chorus? It’s undisputed sexy rock music.
After that kick-ass old school Rock N’ Roll start, the band shows their Alternative Rock side in Addictions, full of background effects and a more atmospheric rhythm thanks to the job done by Ace on keyboards, but quickly returning to their roots in the title-track Rock ‘N’ Roll Mafia. Of course it’s not Deep Purple per se, and it’s not the band’s intention to be so, but this song has a strong Purple-ish vein that makes it truly gripping. It’s not only fast and groovy, but there’s also so much adrenaline in it I believe there might even be some mosh pits when this song is played live. In Song for You, it’s time to slow down and enjoy a nice Rock N’ Roll and Hard Rock ballad where Faith has another beautiful performance while Ace oce again nails it with his piano notes, followed by the heaviest of all songs, This Burning Song, a Hard Rock tune with stronger riffs. It’s a good example of how their “catchy-chorus machine” doesn’t seem to stop for a single second, being highly recommended for fans of straightforward rock music.
With hints of Blues and its provocative lyrics, the awesome tune Poison has the perfect name and rhythm to qualify it as a hot strip-tease theme, while Cherry Boobs might not be a bad song, but it’s below average, getting a little repetitive after a while. It’s still enjoyable and a good option for a TV ad that needs some rock music, though. The next track, Lie, which is also closer to Alternative Rock than old school Hard Rock, has a very cohesive and creative instrumental with the final guitar solo by Morris being really good, but unfortunately the same can’t be said about Years Gone, a generic rock semi-ballad that’s too commercial (even if that’s what the band wanted with this song). It doesn’t really harm the overall quality of the album, but it’s just unnecessary filler in my opinion.
That minor “incident” is followed by a sequence of outstanding songs that put the album back on track, starting with RSF (the acronym for Rockstar Frame), a heavy tune with a nice melody and a crucial punch to make it stand out among so many good rock songs in the album. Then we have second song with elements found in the music by Deep Purple (especially in regards to the keyboards), I Don’t Give a Fuck, a very soulful song which old school lyrics fit Faith’s voice nicely; Twisted Double Nature, a modern rock music song that focuses on the passionate vocals by Faith, which ends up enhancing its final result; and finally the last regular track of the album, a fantastic piano ballad entitled Fairytale, where Faith steals the show with her strong but smooth voice. Besides, its lyrics go really well with the music, with kudos to Ace for another amazing performance on keyboards. And if you think 14 hymns of pure rock music are not enough, there’s also an excellent bonus track called Limitless for Life, strongly influenced by 80’s and 90’s Hard Rock.
I personally prefer the first half of the album as I’m more of a metalhead than a rocker, but it’s undeniable that the music by this one-of-a-kind Italian mafia is way above your average rock music (well, the album art says it all). You can check more of their music at their SoundCloud page, give a shout to them on their official Twitter, and of course purchase Rock ‘N’ Roll Mafia at the Musicarchy Media webstore. If you feel you’re ready to join the Rockstar Frame mafia, don’t think twice and succumb to their action-packed rock music. You’re going to love it.
Best moments of the album:Guilt, She’s Hot, Rock ‘N’ Roll Mafia, Poison and Fairytale.
Worst moments of the album:Cherry Boobs and Years Gone.
Released in 2015 Musicarchy Media
Track listing 1. Guilt 3:20
2. She’s Hot 3:24
3. Addictions 3:46
4. Rock ‘N’ Roll Mafia 3:52
5. Song for You 4:22
6. This Burning Song 3:22
7. Poison 3:26
8. Cherry Boobs 3:42
9. Lie 3:49
10. Years Gone 4:08
11. RSF 3:54
12. I Don’t Give a Fuck 3:34
13. Twisted Double Nature 4:03
14. Fairytale 3:22
Bonus track 15. Limitless for Life 4:16
Band members Faith Blurry – vocals
Morris Steel – guitars
Andy Di Bella – bass
Ace Wave – keyboards
Max Klein – drums
Let the mighty God of Thunder bang his head to the sound of old school Death Metal while he mercilessly smashes his foes with his hammer.
Formed in the “distant” year of 1989 in the beautiful city of Stockholm, Sweden, and still alive and kicking after almost three decades, the iconic Death Metal band Unleashed can credit their longevity and glory to their unique music concept, being the pioneers in implementing completely different themes from most Death Metal bands, such as Viking culture, Norse folklore and even references to the work by the renowned English writer and poet J. R. R. Tolkien, to their furious and coarse sounding.
In order to keep the almighty God of Thunder grinning and banging his head to the brutal sound of Death Metal while he smashes hordes of infidels with Mjölnir, Unleashed are releasing in 2015 their twelfth studio album, the good Dawn Of The Nine. Although the album does not flirt with Black Metal as much as its predecessor, the excellent Odalheim (2012), which means it lacks a little more darkness, it’s still a celebration of extreme music, war, vengeance and sacrilege that will satisfy the hunger of death metallers all over the world for more of the band’s Viking Death Metal.
Shifting between Viking Metal and more traditional Death Metal, the opening track A New Day Will Rise relies upon a strong atmospheric background and the aggressive vocals by Johnny Hedlund, while the other band members make sure the music stays visceral. It’s not the most creative songwriting in the world, but it’s still very cohesive, which is also valid for They Came to Die and its elements of Thrash Metal and Symphonic Black Metal, offering a more exciting headbanging tune. The guitar lines by Fredrik Folkare and Tomas Måsgard enrich the melody found in the music, and of course drummer Anders Schultz doesn’t seem “happy” and crushes whoever is in his path. The ominous intro already summarizes the darkness in Defenders of Midgard, a song about the will to keep fighting for our beliefs and our beloved ones (“But we will rise again / And fight, fight to defend / Our Midgard ’til the very end / Fight to defend / Our Midgard ’til the very end”). However, the music itself is boring, getting really repetitive after a while and consequently falling flat, despite the good guitar solo by Fredrik.
Fortunately, they finally unleash their infamous Death Metal in Where Is Your God Now?: its direct lyrics about being a true godless warrior (“Here we are alive again / In a battle without end / So we rise from the caves / And march until sol descends”) are very effective and the growls by Johnny are a lot more cutting. In other words, get ready for some sick circle pits to the sound of this evil mix of Death and Black Metal. And although Johnny sounds a little tired in The Bolt Thrower, it’s another good old school Death Metal tune, where the most curious detail is that I don’t know if they’re talking about the ancient missile weapon named “ballista” or if it’s a tribute to British Death Metal band Bolt Thrower. Well, Johnny sings “a master of war that feels no pain”, which makes me think it’s about the band. Or maybe it’s the weapon? What a tricky question.
Let the Hammer Fly is a straightforward fast tune that might not be innovative but works pretty well, where its instrumental appropriately sticks to the basics of extreme music and its second half feels a lot darker, with highlights to another good guitar solo by Fredrik Folkare; while Where Churches Once Burned, with a stronger atmospheric background and Black Metal-ish riffs, sounds a lot more extreme and blasphemous thanks to the melodic guitar lines by Fredrik and the blast beats fired by Anders until the song evolves to a mournful ending. In Land of the Thousand Lakes, Johnny begins with some low-tuned bass lines before the song becomes barbaric, which translates into a fast and brutal assault of riffs and beats that will break your fuckin’ neck.
The pure Doom Metal title-track Dawn of the Nine doesn’t live up to its goal, proving Unleashed sound a lot more powerful when they play at high speed and more violently. The song gets slightly more interesting in some parts, sounding like old school Black Sabbath, but that’s not enough to salvage it. And last but not least, Welcome the Son of Thor! is another decent Viking Death Metal tune despite its uninspired lyrics, where the primeval bass lines by Johnny are really potent and therefore add more balance to the drumming by Anders.
Long story short, if this is your type of music and you are interested in Scandinavian culture and floklore, there are different versions of the album available at the Nuclear Blast webstore, Amazon, iTunes and other retailers. As aforementioned, Dawn Of The Nine will surely keep the Norse gods and demons well pleased and ready for more Unleashed in a near future.
Best moments of the album:They Came to Die, Where Is Your God Now? and Where Churches Once Burned.
Worst moments of the album:Defenders of Midgard and Dawn of the Nine.
Released in 2015 Nuclear Blast
Track listing 1. A New Day Will Rise 3:51
2. They Came to Die 3:13
3. Defenders of Midgard 4:37
4. Where Is Your God Now? 4:24
5. The Bolt Thrower 3:49
6. Let the Hammer Fly 4:10
7. Where Churches Once Burned 5:18
8. Land of the Thousand Lakes 4:15
9. Dawn of the Nine 6:41
10. Welcome the Son of Thor! 4:34
Band members Johnny Hedlund – vocals, bass
Fredrik Folkare – lead guitar
Tomas Måsgard – rhythm guitar
Anders Schultz – drums
Everyone knows that most heavy music drummers simply hate studio sessions: they feel a billion times better when they’re able to pound their drums in front of a live audience. However, when the drummer is not just a regular guy but an unstoppable woman who has absolutely no mercy for her drum kit, things get even more exciting, which is exactly the case with our Metal Chick of the Month, the always fired up American Hard Rock drummer Samantha Maloney.
This blonde bombshell, who was born on December 11, 1975 in New York City, New York, but currently living in Valley Village, California, got her first drum set when she was only five years old, and I guess I don’t need to say how important that milestone was for the rest of her life and career. During part of her teenage years, Samantha studied percussion at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City right before joining her first band, American Post-Hardcore Shift, with whom she recorded the EP Pathos (1994) and the full-length albums Spacesuit (1995) and Get In (1997). You can check her work with Shift on YouTube, as for example the good song Trudge.
It was after Shift that she became truly famous in the world of heavy and alternative music, when in 1998 she joined American Alternative Rock band Hole, from the always controversial Courtney Love, and started touring the whole world, including countries such as Japan and the UK, and appearing on TV, magazines, music videos and interviews. However, things got even more exciting for our hardcore lady in 2000, when she became the official drummer for American Hard Rock legends Motley Crüe and recorded with them their 2002 Lewd, Crüed & Tattooed DVD from the New Tattoo tour. This is where you can see Samantha Malone at her best in total synchronicity with Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx playing classics like Kickstart My Heart, Girls, Girls, Girls, Home Sweet Home, Live Wire and Shout At The Devil, proving why the band chose her to join them at that time.
After leaving Motley Crüe in 2004, she formed a supergroup called The Chelsea with Melissa Auf der Maur (The Smashing Pumpkins, Hole), Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle), and Radio Sloan (The Need), but they mysteriously played only one concert together before splitting the band, and also recorded the drums for Courtney Love’s debut solo album America’s Sweetheart, which I personally consider pretty decent musically speaking if you take into account all the complex and sometimes unbelievable issues Courtney has always had in her life and career.
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Although America’s Sweetheart was the last full-length album with Samantha on drums, she recorded lots of other songs and singles with a huge variety of artists. For instance, in 2006 she was a guest musician in the album Impeach My Bush, by Electroclash punk artist Peaches, with whom she ended up touring in support of the album; in 2007, she released the single Happy For You with a project called The Ingenues; and in 2010, together with Billy Ray Cyrus, they formed a band named Brother Clyde, recording the single Lately. Besides that, she was also involved in numerous projects with artists such as Daryl Hannah, Eagles of Death Metal and Scott Ian (Anthrax), and managed for a period of time a Los Angeles-based all-girl teenage rock group called Cherri Bomb.
In addition to all that, Maloney has also a career as an actress: in 2008, she guest starred as “Sam”, Lou Ashby’s chauffeur on three episodes of the Showtime series “Californication”, and in 2006 she played the part of Maureen Tucker in the movie “Factory Girl”, not to mention she also added live drums to the score for the film Black Hawk Down in 2003 and is currently involved with a TV series called Next Great Family Band.
Among her biggest influences in music, we can find huge names such as John Bonham, Phil Collins, Neil Peart and Tommy Lee, and probably due to all the talent and energy those guys emanate while behind their drum kits Samantha decided to continue drumming instead of pursuing a serious basketball career with her college back in 1993. Fortunately, for the fans of good music, her biggest idols in life were not guys like Magic Johnson or Larry Bird, right?
Lastly, Samantha is a huge advocate of drummers, especially when a girl wants to follow this path. However, she said once that only being a good drummer is not enough: you must also have good business perspicacity to draw the attention of those who are looking for a drummer for their bands or projects. In order to do so, Samantha created a “list” of tips to help any drummer that’s starting his or her career, including creating a press kit so the others can actually see how the drummer sounds like; establishing a decent network with everyone that’s somehow related to the world of music, like employees from music stores, pubs and, of course, other musicians; and making it public that you’re available and what type of music you want to play, if you want to tour, among other details. These might seem very simple or basic tips for most of us, but if a successful drummer like Samantha is saying so, don’t waste your time and go invest in your career!
“Times are changing. There are more girls that are playing. I just think it’s ridiculous. Either you’re talented or you’re not. Either you’ve got it or you don’t. Either you’re a great drummer or you’re a good drummer. Whether you’re a guy or a girl….you’re good or you’re not. What gender you are? Who cares?” – Samantha Maloney
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 Belarusian Progressive Death Metal band Irreversible Mechanism (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 (not necessarily in this order):
1. A Light Divided – No Time For Love Dr.Jones
2. Seventrain – Carry The Cross
3. Until Dawn – Horizon
4. Enkelination – Tears Of Lust
5. Crasdollz – Novicane
6. Irreversible Mechanism – Outburst
7. Ashbringer – Bitter
8. Name That Band – Demon Blood
9. Drunk On Monday – Out Of My Pocket
10. Name That Band – The Clarion Light
11. Seed – Lie To Me
12. Adorn The Wicked – I Cant Believe In You
13. Awake At Last – King Of The World
14. Collissions – We Know The Enemy
15. Fallen Kings – Silent Scream
16. Kuazar – Puppets Of The Devils Will
17. Nevermind The Riot – Sacrifice
18. Steel Gypsy – Insanity
19. Virage – Get A Grip
20. Zero Minus One – Tonight
21. Crowning Alice – Cries In The Night
Click HERE to listen to this week’s episode on Spreaker.
Make yourself ready for the heavy and melodic serenades of love and hatred put forward by this thriving six-piece Metalcore act.
“From the deepest cave you hear the grim serenade.”
These cryptic words, together with the bloodstained piano in the artwork of Grim Serenades, are a spot-on depiction of the music by Finnish Metalcore band My Grimace. In other words, it is dramatic, melodic and ruthless, three of the most intrinsic characteristics of this modern-day subgenre of heavy music, and I’m sure you’ll have a good time and connect to the message the band is sending through each song while listening to the album. Their essence might be grim, but that doesn’t mean they’re not good in what they do.
Formed in 2007 in the city of Jyväskylä, Finland, and after releasing the demo Fear Gives Hope and the EP Paint the Sky in 2010, and another EP entitled Behind the Scene in 2011, My Grimace are ready to take the high ground with Grim Serenades, the first full-length album in their promising career. Combining the heavy elements found in Melodic Death Metal with the hardcore approach of Metalcore, this six-piece act aims at generating a unique atmosphere in Grim Serenade, keeping them away from the sameness that haunts several bands whose musicality is also strongly rooted in similar types of heavy music.
And when I say “unique atmosphere” I’m referring to exactly what they do in the opening track, the obscure Candidates, where its horror movie-ish vibe quickly turns into awesome Melodic Death Metal with a good balance between guttural screams and melodic guitars. This song showcases a solid songwriting with lots of riveting elements to keep the listener more than entertained, with some of its riffs reminding me of old school Sepultura, especially from the classic Chaos A.D. album. The same can be said about the title-track, Grim Serenade, a song that is at the same time threatening and rousing. Not only the vocals by frontman Jere Hämäläinen are a lot more Death Metal than Metalcore in this track, but the keyboards by Lasse Pirnes also add to the music nuances of delicacy that take the band out of the comfort zone of heavy music. In short, it’s a great tune that keeps up with the best you can find in Scandinavian modern metal.
If you’re a fan of Arch Enemy you’ll love the riffs found in Dire Need, a song that proves My Grimace are all talented musicians that know how to put heaviness and progressiveness together in a compelling way. Lasse, bassist Sami Puukko and drummer Roope Salminen do a superb job together keeping the musicality fresh and consistent in the background, with kudos to guitarist Aleksi Salojärvi for an awesome performance with his harsh screams. Following that amazing song, you can feel a dismal shadow growing in the sky in Abandon All, Leave The Mourning Behind, the darkest track of all with not a single drop of happiness or joy, and where once again the keyboard notes are the guiding light (or maybe darkness) to its rhythm.
Turning up their anger a little, Reveal Nothing is the first song to showcase the clean vocals by guitarist Juha Kumpulainen, resulting in a more traditional Metalcore approach. Moreover, its main riff will surely make you feel that great pain in your neck the next day if they play this track during their live concerts, and even when My Grimace slow down and get more introspective they also deliver interesting passages like the ones found here. Then we have Drink Of Death, which offers the listener another excellent riff in a very progressive and violent tune, perhaps the one with the most elaborate instrumental passages and lots of groove and feeling with highlights to its beautiful guitar solo, followed by the furious and well-balanced Red Glow, which represents the Melodic Death Metal many good bands forgot how to generate. I might be wrong, but for me it feels like the last part of Grim Serenades focuses a lot more on riffs than keyboards compared to the first batch of songs from the album, which is also the case in the last track, Twilight Zone, where we have an adrenalized Roope on drums while Juha and Aleksi make sure you bang your fuckin’ head like a maniac. In my opinion, it’s the heaviest and most extreme of all songs, obviously maintaining the melodic vein ingrown in the band.
These heavy and melodic serenades of love and hatred are what My Grimace have to offer us metalheads, which you’ll find together with their previous releases at their YouTube channel and ReverbNation page for a more detailed listen, and if you’re more than convinced this is a good addition to your metal collection you can purchase Grim Serenades at the Record Shop X webstore or at the Inverse Records webstore. Who knows, maybe these are the types of serenades you truly needed to make your life and the life of your significant other more fun and electrifying.
Best moments of the album:Grim Serenade, Dire Need and Drink Of Death.
Worst moments of the album:Abandon All, Leave The Mourning Behind.
Released in 2015 Inverse Records
Track listing 1. Candidates 4:38
2. Grim Serenade 5:17
3. Dire Need 4:48
4. Abandon All, Leave The Mourning Behind 4:43
5. Reveal Nothing 5:50
6. Drink Of Death 3:37
7. Red Glow 3:58
8. Twilight Zone 4:05
Band members Jere Hämäläinen – vocals
Juha Kumpulainen – guitars, clean vocals
Aleksi Salojärvi – guitars, backing vocals
Sami Puukko – bass
Lasse Pirnes – keyboards
Roope Salminen – drums
It might have taken 18 long years for Mr. Mike Patton and his demented squad to release a new album, but the result is so good it was definitely worth the wait.
At long last, after 18 fuckin’ excruciating years, the demented squad composed by the gentlemen Mike Patton, Jon Hudson, Billy Gould, Roddy Bottum and Mike Bordin, “usually” known as American Alternative Metal/Rock band Faith No More, is back with another freakish experiment entitled Sol Invictus (Latin for “Unconquered Sun”), the seventh studio album in their revolutionary career. Without Faith No More there wouldn’t be Alternative Metal, Funk Metal, Nu Metal, Grunge, contemporary Hard Rock, and so on. And if you think what I’m saying is bullshit, how about what Corey Taylor, frontman of the biggest Alternative Metal group in the world, Slipknot, said after seeing Mike Patton and his crew performing the all-time classic “Epic” at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards? “I was mesmerized by that. I never felt a moment like that until that moment. It completely turned me around.”, stated the iconic #8.
Perhaps the greatest question in everyone’s minds, after knowing the band was officially getting out of their state of “creative hibernation”, was that if they were going to be capable of releasing something as amazing as their previous albums, especially the masterpieces The Real Thing (1989), Angel Dust (1992) and King for a Day… Fool for a Lifetime (1995). Well, although Sol Invictus doesn’t have any “A Small Victory”, “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies” or “Digging the Grave” among its songs, it’s still a well-set album with lots of thrilling moments, showcasing a band that doesn’t seem to have been on hiatus (not including their sporadic live performances and tours along all those 18 years) since their previous release, the also spectacular Album of the Year, from 1997.
The title-track, Sol Invictus, is just as weird as the album artwork, which means it’s perfect for opening their live performances. It’s short and melancholic, just like they’ve mastered doing through the years, and we all have to agree that with that piano intro and those whispering vocals you know somehow it’s Faith No More even if you’ve never heard anything about the band in your entire life. The same can be said about the awesome Superhero, a very melodic and alternative tune with interesting keyboard notes by Roddy Bottum, where after only two seconds you know it’s pure Faith No More. I guess there’s no need to mention how incredible Mr. Patton’s crazy screams and vocals are, but it’s valid to mention that the lyrics beautifully follow that vocal craziness (“Like an American drug / Makes a mean cock grow / …kill a priest / Makes a superman of glass”).
The next track, Sunny Side Up, sounds a lot like many songs from Album of the Year, with a stylish blend of Jazz, Blues, Rock N’ Roll and everything else. In other words, fans of the band will enjoy it for sure, while others will probably ask themselves “what the fuck is this?” Even if you don’t understand that song really well, you’ll relish Separation Anxiety and its stronger Rock N’ Roll vein. Mike Patton once again steals the show with his wicked voice and proves why he’s among the best and most versatile singers in the world. The only setback in this exciting tune is the drumming: I was expecting more from Mike Bordin, despite him doing a relatively decent job throughout the whole song.
The dark intro in Cone of Shame corroborates they really enjoy sounding bizarre, with its last part getting a lot more vibrant and intense, while Rise of the Fall offers the listener some elements from Reggae music and more audible guitar lines, as well as more rhythmic beats. Moreover, the crazy screams by Mike Patton end up adding a lot of electricity to a song that’s below average for a band like Faith No More. Following the lowest point of the album we have Black Friday, a song purely inspired by 80’s classic rock music which despite its lack of creativity has a good blend of semi-acoustic parts and heavier riffs and screams.
And just when you think Faith No More cannot get weirder, they come up with the stupendous Motherfucker, another perfect choice for opening their live concerts, where the focus is obviously on Mike Patton’s vocal lines and the song’s eerie lyrics (“Get the motherfucker on the phone, the phone…”), also including the best guitar solo of the entire album. Not only that, I doubt you won’t be singing this song everywhere, even at work with your boss by your side. Unless you don’t know shit about the band, you probably know how much they love songs with Portuguese or Spanish names (and sometimes lyrics), but unfortunately the boring Matador doesn’t get close at all to the marvelous classic “Caralho Voador”, for example. It’s just an average song with nothing new or outstanding, except for the strong bass lines by Billy Gould. And sounding like a B-side from King for a Day… Fool for a Lifetime, From the Dead gives a melancholic ending to Sol Invictus with the band’s trademark. It’s a good listen if you’re at home or in your car, but definitely not recommended for their live performances.
I wish there were a few more guitar solos by Jon Hudson and some faster beats by Mike Bordin in this or that song, as Sol Invictus sounds too calm for me in many of its moments, but at least we can loosen up knowing Faith No More are not “dinosaurs”. They are a more-than-alive group that still got it in them, and from now on (well, they’ve been doing this already) there are even more outstanding tunes in their lunatic arsenal to be masterfully played during their live concerts all around the world. And we’re all very thankful to the unparalleled Mr. Patton and his fellow mates for that, even if it took so many years for them to return.
Best moments of the album:Superhero, Separation Anxiety and Motherfucker.
Worst moments of the album:Rise of the Fall and Matador.
Released in 2015 Reclamation Records
Track listing 1. Sol Invictus 2:37
2. Superhero 5:15
3. Sunny Side Up 2:59
4. Separation Anxiety 3:44
5. Cone of Shame 4:40
6. Rise of the Fall 4:09
7. Black Friday 3:19
8. Motherfucker 3:33
9. Matador 6:08
10. From the Dead 3:06
Band members Mike Patton – vocals
Jon Hudson – guitar
Billy Gould – bass guitar
Roddy Bottum – keyboards, vocals
Mike Bordin – drums
A melodic and psychedelic journey through the realms of Death, Doom and Post-Metal by a weird and extremely competent band from Finland.
There’s no specific meaning for the word “ovenizer” if you look it up in any dictionary, not even the informal ones, and trying to find an explanation to the music by Finnish band Ovenizer is also a tall order. If you don’t believe it can be that hard to label the music by a band, simply take a listen to SWM, the brand new album by this power trio from Tampere, Finland, and you’ll see why there are so many things in our world that are better off unknown or at least non-stereotyped.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s not fun to listen to the music by Ovenizer and perceive all the nuances from all types of rock and heavy music found in the album. According to the band members themselves, their style is “somewhat Doom-ish Post-Metal, with some Death Metal vibes on to it”. Whatever that’s supposed to mean, Ovenizer indeed deliver a very cohesive and creative Melodic Post-Metal music with huge doses of Doom Metal and psychedelia, making the final result very difficult to understand but at the same time very pleasant.
That musical fusion becomes already evident in the opening track, kindly entitled Standing On the Shoulders of Giant, where the listener is invited to a world full of Doom Metal riffs and beats with a strong 70’s Rock N’ Roll influence, with its rhythm being perfect for live performances. In addition to that, lead singer and guitarist Kvist does an excellent job on vocals, ranging from deep guttural to harsh rock music lines. And things get even more unusual in Satan’s Washing Machine, with its interesting psychedelic start before the heavy stuff comes bashing. You’ll find lots of elements from Folk Metal in this song, which is kind of expected from a Scandinavian band, and despite its “evil” name there’s so much melancholy in it I’m pretty sure it will sadden your heart a bit. Naturally, in order to properly complement this great tune there’s a simple but excellent chorus, and pay attention to the official video for this song where drummer Feather seems to be having a great time while smashing his drums on fire.
S&M does not only sound like pungent North American Stoner Metal, but Ovenizer truly show us how to create the darkest imaginable atmosphere with acoustic passages and desperate screams, with the last part of the song offering the listener more of the band’s Doom side with highlights to the low-tuned riffs by Kvist. In the following tune, Paddling In the Sky, the band invites us to join them in a somber tribal journey, as if they want us all to go dance in the sky with them. Its rumbling riffs and pounding drums will rise some good evil inside you, right before it turns into some sort of Death/Black Metal feast, including some crazy blast beats to make things even better. With a strong Melodic Death Metal vibe, S.I.B. (Standard Issue Breathing) is a lot more instrumental than atmospheric, making it a good choice for their setlists, while Incubatory is exactly what you get when Ovenizer unite their doom-ish side with the melody and harmony found in classic rock. Furthermore, the bass lines by Phinx get richer and more vibrant, and pay attention to the fact that Kvist’s vocals are closer to Death Metal than to what the music itself proposes, creating an interesting paradox.
The last two ditties in SWM are Watch, with a sorrowful intro that grows until it becomes a great mix of Doom and Progressive Rock, with its lyrics translating the sadness of the song into words, and finally Don’t Trust Me, I Know What I’m Doing, which albeit having a curious name it’s somehow true. It’s yet another interesting Doom Metal track about how regretful our lives can be, with its second part representing a man’s mental breakdown or maybe his downfall into madness.
In case you enjoyed the challenge of trying to label the weird music by Ovenizer, please go check their official YouTube channel and also go buy their music at their BandCamp page or at the Record Shop X webstore. As mentioned before, it’s an interesting melodic and psychedelic Death Doom Stoner Post-Metal extravaganza directly from the land of ice and snow, or anything else you want it to be.
Best moments of the album:Satan’s Washing Machine, Paddling In the Sky and Don’t Trust Me, I Know What I’m Doing.
Worst moments of the album:Watch.
Released in 2015 Norwegian Pope Records
Track listing 1. Standing On the Shoulders of Giant 3:04
2. Satan’s Washing Machine 4:18
3. S&M 4:34
4. Paddling In the Sky 5:16
5. S.I.B. (Standard Issue Breathing) 3:22
6. Incubatory 3:28
7. Watch 3:38
8. Don’t Trust Me, I Know What I’m Doing 4:05
Band members Kvist – guitar, vocals
Phinx – bass, backing vocals
Feather – drums, backing vocals
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 American Black Metal band Heaven Abhorred (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 (not necessarily in this order):
1. Scarlet Canary – Death Of Rock N Roll
2. Prezzance – Shooting Star
3. Vinyl Din – Gravity’S Equator
4. Veilside – Along The Way
5. Universal Theory – Turn Me On
6. Triumph Under Fire – No More
7. Crows Cage – American Monster
8. Crows Cage – Skin
9. Enslaved By Fear – Here I Lay
10. Kirra – Should’Ve Been Gone
11. Hanging Haylee – Tell Me
12. Tether – Shattered
13. Lord Marshall – Oxygen
14. Fallen Beyond Pharaoh – Untitled
15. Demented Truth – Rage
16. Grace Solero – Riptide
17. Skeletal Horseman – Night Calls
18. Heaven Abhorred – Opening The Gates
19. Burning Icarus – Rise
20. Whorion – Blood Of The Weak
21. Eternal Oath – Ghostlands
Click HERE to listen to this week’s episode on Spreaker.
These Polish devils will infest your soul with their technical and brutal Death Metal.
People who know me also know how much I love dark and demonic music. And if the band playing that type of music comes from Poland it’s when things get even better, because to be fair, I’ve never seen a low-quality Polish band in my life. If you take a few seconds to think about it, superb bands such as Behemoth, Vader and Darzamat will quickly come to your mind, and we can all include Polish old school Death Metal band Embrional on that list based on the deranging assault of extreme music from their brand new album, The Devil Inside. Well, I guess the name of the album, together with the artwork designed by Mariusz Krajewski and MENTALPORN, can already provide you a sense of how much the word “deranging” matches with their music.
Fans of Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth and all other Death and Black Metal bands who turn their instruments into an infernal pyre of heavy music will feel aflame while listening to the work by this Gliwice-based band. Vociferating topics such as possession, annihilation and death, all impregnated by the acrid smell of sulfur and tar, Embrional are extremely competent in what they do, which translates into high-end Extreme Metal perfect for enjoying with your friends at a live concert or by yourself in your car, at home or anywhere else that some extra doses of stamina and anger are more than required.
And suddenly, after Embrional open the rusty gates to their realm of Death Metal (maybe hell?) in the intro The Devil Inside, it’s time for some excellent blast beats at the “speed of darkness” in Evil’s Mucus, a great tune for slamming into the fuckin’ pit. Not only lead singer and guitarist Marcin Sienkiel has those devilish and disturbing vocals that can only be found in brutal Death Metal, but all musicians sound quite progressive for such a raw old school band, offering the listener lots of interesting breaks and tempo changes. Funeral March, although slightly slower, is truly diabolical and gives a whole new meaning to a funeral march itself, with Marcin and Rychu “Vermin” Sosnowski making sure their guitar lines are in line with all that darkness while drummer Kamil Bracichowicz displays an arsenal of evil beats. And guess what? Bassist Michał “Soulbleed” Połetek also joins that dark side with his deep bass lines.
Embrional keep firing their wicked sounding in The Abyss, which sounds almost like Progressive Death Metal but still violent and raw as expected, and get ready because after around two minutes it’s time to get into the pit of evil created by the band. Then after a quick instrumental intro entitled Sadness, we have sheer brutality in the form of music in the superb track In Darkness, which makes me wonder if those guys are mad or furious at something so violent it is. What Kamil does behind his drum kit in this song is amazingly bestial and will make you headbang like crazy, while Michał once again gains the spotlight with his awesome job on the bass guitar. And Marcin guides the Embrional horde yet again with another Stygian tune, Behind The Mask Of Sanity, which leans towards Blackened Death Metal or even Black Metal, offering the listener some interesting guitar solos amidst all the savagery and fury presented.
Their violent complexity continues to be outstanding in the following track, curiously named 910, which can be simply described as a fuckin’ massacre. It sounds like if the band decided to “blacken” their music to a greater extent, with riffs and drums faster than before while vocals get even more gruesome. Right after that furious onfall it’s time to reach the deepest nightmares of mankind with Madman’s Curse, with lots of Doom Metal elements added to enhance the desired insanity of the song, followed by Callousness, a short and straightforward Death Metal song where riffs and vocal lines sound really strong, while drums keep a constant heavy rhythm leading to a violent ending. And the duo that closes the album doesn’t disappoint in terms of cruelty: Venom presents us a creepy intro with flies buzzing before turning into another feast of evil, with Kamil once again relentlessly showcasing his drumming skills, and if your head doesn’t hurt after this song you’re not human; and how about a woman crying in despair and sorrow to start the last track, Whores, Drugs and Brain Dead? With hardcore harsh vocals and a Slayer-ish vibe, it’s an awesome way to make even the most cautious person slam into the circle pit.
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!
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 