Album Review – WhiteNoise / The Herd EP (2014)

Posted on by
1

Searching for an interesting mix of Rock N’ Roll, Metalcore and Hard Rock? This cool Israeli band might have exactly what you need.

Rating5

whitenoise_the herdTheir official Facebook page states they’re a Hardcore Rock N’ Roll band from Tel-Aviv, Israel, formed in 2004 by four childhood friends, all children to immigrants who moved from Soviet Russia to Israel in the early 90’s. That multicultural mixture alone is already enough to confirm how difficult it is to label the music by Israeli band WhiteNoise, but it’s when you start listening to their new EP entitled The Herd that things will get even more confusing (in the best way possible, of course).

Although it might seem at first glance that there’s nothing new in the music by WhiteNoise, their unique crossover of many different heavy music genres such as Hardcore, Rock N’ Roll, Hard Rock, Death Metal, Metalcore and many others stands out and turns their musicality into something very entertaining for all types of metal fans. It’s almost as if they tried to add all their influences and personal experiences at the same time into their music, a bold move that actually ended up working for them.

whitenoiseThe Herd consists of three professional and honest tracks, with a high level of energy flowing throughout its entirety. The first one, 4 AM, is the best of all with a nice medley of Hard Rock, Glam Rock and Metalcore, with highlights to its melodious guitar lines and fun powerful screams by lead singer Yula. You can even check a live version of it at the D2O festival in Russia in 2013 by clicking HERE. The other two are Between The Lanes, a song that flirts with Thrash Metal (especially its chorus), with an inspired guitar solo full of feeling, and Near Life Experience, a modern American Thrash Metal/Metalcore tune where drummer Vladi fires up the song with his outstanding performance.

Lastly, the album art showing an evil skeleton dressed up as a wolf and his herd of demonic sheep is very artistic and old school, representing in a fun way everything the band wants to tell us with their music and corroborating their professionalism and passion for heavy music. So let’s show our support to WhiteNoise by checking their official SoundCloud, YouTube or BandCamp pages for more details about the band, their previous and new releases, and of course by purchasing their music. When heavy music is full of energy and creativity like this, it truly deserves our appreciation.

Best moments of the album: 4 AM.

Worst moments of the album: Let’s wait for a full-length album to do that, right?

Released in 2014 Independent

Track listing
1. 4 AM 3:20
2. Between The Lanes 3:15
3. Near Life Experience 3:27

Band members
Yura B. – vocals
Max G. – guitar
Greg P. – bass, vocals
Vladi A. – drums

Album Review – Misanthrope Monarch / Misanthrope Monarch MCD (2014)

Posted on by
5

A short but very effective sample of all the brutality this Death Metal band from Germany can offer us.

Rating5

mm_cover_1.inddThe country of Germany has been indeed a nonstop Death Metal machine in 2014, as they keep breeding more and more excellent new bands for all metalheads who love blast beats, deep guttural vocals and frantic guitars. A very good example recently born in that magnificent Teutonic music fountain is German Death Metal band Misanthrope Monarch and their short but rabid self-titled mini CD, Misanthrope Monarch MCD.

Founded in 2014, this band from Oberhausen, in the Ruhr Area, Germany, started as a one-man project by lead guitarist Kristian Göbels, but quickly evolved to a full regular band after a while, especially with the live aspect in mind. The band is still looking for a full-time drummer, but that didn’t stop them from recording the mini CD with none other than the awesome Mike Smith, best known for his kick-ass years behind the drum set with American Brutal/Technical Death Metal band Suffocation. With that said, you can already have an idea of the heaviness and brutality you’ll find in the music by Misanthrope Monarch.

MMbandThe smooth acoustic intro Ash kind of deceives the listener, being something like the famous “calm before the storm”, because when the massacre begins with Crushing the Unbeliever, those guys truly deliver some high-end technical Death Metal: while Mike Smith is simply killing anything that moves on drums, Markus Gornik sounds really awesome with his guttural vocals, showcasing all the aggressiveness (and even some tones) of the old Max Cavalera. In Father Sin and the Hollow Spirit, Kristian Göbels and Chris Salmen do an excellent job on the guitars, including a cool guitar solo inspired by our good old Thrash Metal. Not only that, all rhythmic breaks and variations making the song a lot more enjoyable, with drums once again sounding like a furious jackhammer. The last track, Disintegrate, is just an outro “informing” you that the tornado is over and that you can try to recover from it and rest for now, until the band gets back with a full-length album (which means more destruction), hopefully sooner than later. And finally, another highlight is the album art, emanating violence and darkness just as their music does. Will it be “expanded” for the full-length album?

While we wait for this and some other questions which can only be answered when they release a full-length album, you can take a listen at their mini CD on their SoundCloud page, and also support the band by purchasing their music on iTunes or Amazon. Misanthrope Monarch MCD might be just a sample of what they’re capable of doing, but so effective you’ll surely get eager for more.

Best moments of the album: Father Sin and the Hollow Spirit.

Worst moments of the album: None until they release a full-length album.

Released in 2014 Independent

Track listing
1. Ash 1:17
2. Crushing the Unbeliever 3:10
3. Father Sin and the Hollow Spirit 2:46
4. Disintegrate 1:15

Band members
Markus Gornik – vocals
Kristian Göbels – lead guitar
Chris Salmen – rhythm guitar
Pat Fleischmann – bass

Guest musician
Mike Smith – drums

Album Review – Godsmack / 1000hp (2014)

Posted on by
3

Lots of horsepower, groove, great riffs and strong vocal lines are just some of the things you’ll find in the amazing new album by Sully Erna and his bandmates.

Rating3

godsmack_1000hpAmerican Alternative Metal/Rock icons Godsmack have always split opinions among headbangers all over the world in regards to their music: are they heavy enough to stay away from the abhorrent Pop Music world, or too soft to be included in the select group of Heavy Metal giants such as Iron Maiden, Metallica and Megadeth? Well, although I’ve never been a huge fan of the band, I’ve always enjoyed the musicality produced by Sully Erna and his crew, considering them a band that is able to combine the “best of both worlds” and deliver their fans lots of memorable heavy music anthems.

Maybe the biggest issue with Godsmack is the fact they do not regularly release new albums: since their beginnings in 1998, they have launched only six studio albums (including their brilliant self-titled debut album), which is not a lot taking into account they have almost 20 years of existence. However, when they do release new material, it usually kicks fuckin’ ass, which is the case with their brand new album 1000hp, the sixth in their career. It might have taken them almost four years to launch the follow up to their 2010 gold-selling album The Oracle, but as I said it was worth the wait.

All the energy (or maybe I should say all the “horsepower”) fans have been eagerly expecting for the past four years is already found in the title-track, 1000hp, a song that translates the legacy of Godsmack into modern and thrilling Hard Rock, with powerful riffs, outstanding vocals and a chorus that truly credits it to become a Rock N’ Roll radio hit without any doubt. Add to that the following track, the also excellent FML (an acronym for “Fuck My Life”), and you’ll start getting addicted to this album: this is the type of song you know it’s Godsmack, with all those heavy riffs we learned to love since their early days.

Although Something Different, an alternative track that flirts with more contemporary rock music, doesn’t keep up with the same level of electricity from the previous tracks (especially due to its generic lyrics), everything gets back on track with What’s Next?, an excellent track that will sound amazing on their live performances and that seems to be extracted from their debut album thanks to its raw sonority, with highlights to the drumming dictating its pleasant rhythm.

godsmackGeneration Day showcases a more experimental Godsmack in terms of the sound each band member can take from their respective instruments, with kudos to guitarist Tony Rombola for the excellent groovy guitar solo in the middle, while Locked & Loaded couldn’t be more awesome than that: it’s pure Southern Rock totally inspired by Sully Erna’s never-ending feud with Mötley Crüe’s bassist Nikki Sixx, which is the reason why it’s track number SIX, got it? Honestly, those two should have a match at Wrestlemania or at least at SummerSlam one day, that would be really fun.

Then we have Living in the Gray, a song with hints of Alice In Chains and a very repetitive chorus, which fortunately doesn’t turn it into a bad song, and I Don’t Belong, a very traditional Godsmack tune which kind of continues where the previous song ended, with Sully’s great vocal performance enhancing its overall quality. And closing the album, Godsmack offer us Nothing Comes Easy, which despite having one of the heaviest riffs of the whole album ends up being too experimental and could have been a lot better if a little shorter, and the melancholic, intense and addictive semi-acoustic track Turning to Stone, some kind of “Voodoo 2.0” which will feature on The Walking Dead’s compilation Songs of Survival Volume 2, and by that you can imagine how good this song is, right?

And what about the album art, which perfectly matches its title, featuring of course the band’s traditional sun logo and a classic car emerging from the flames? Albeit quite simple, it’s totally effective, just as the whole album is. 1000hp might not be a masterpiece nor the most creative album in the world, but it’s a superb collection of kick-ass Hard Rock tunes that will surely please all Godsmack fans, from the most diehard to the new ones, and provide some very good moments to everyone attending their live concerts, enjoying a road trip, having a party or simply relaxing headbanging alone at home. I’m pretty sure that’s what everyone in the band wanted when they recorded 1000hp.

Best moments of the album: 1000hp, FML, Locked & Loaded and Turning to Stone.

Worst moments of the album: Something Different and Nothing Comes Easy.

Released in 2014 Universal Music

Track listing
1. 1000hp 3:47
2. FML 3:38
3. Something Different 4:42
4. What’s Next? 4:20
5. Generation Day 6:11
6. Locked & Loaded 4:12
7. Living in the Gray 4:07
8. I Don’t Belong 3:33
9. Nothing Comes Easy 5:38
10. Turning to Stone 5:16

Band members
Sully Erna – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Tony Rombola – lead guitar, backing vocals
Robbie Merrill – bass guitar
Shannon Larkin – drums, percussion

Metal Chick of the Month – Militia Vox

Posted on by
1
militia01

The Black Goddess Rises!

I guess I don’t need to say that any type of prejudice is stupid and should be banned from this planet, no matter if it’s related to sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality or anything else. Unfortunately (and please don’t ask me why), Heavy Metal has always been seen as a racist genre, like if it was music for “white men only”, with no girls, gays or black people allowed. However, the situation nowadays is quite the opposite, as we pretty much embrace any kind of person to our tribe of metalheads, which just makes our experience as headbangers a lot more beautiful and interesting.

It’s still weird though that there are very few black men in Heavy Metal, like Derrick Green (Sepultura), Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy), Lajon Witherspoon (Sevendust) and Howard Jones (ex-Killswitch Engage), even with the roots of heavy music having strong connections to Blues and Jazz. The numbers are even worse for black women in heavy music (it seems they’re almost all doing some generic R&B), but maybe our Heavy Metal babe this month can inspire some ebony beauties to grab a microphone, a guitar, a bass or the drumsticks and start playing some heavy tunes louder than hell. She’s a singer, songwriter, actress, VJ, model, and above all, a true headbanger: the Black Goddess Militia Vox, also known as “The Songslayer”, “The Metal Goddess”, or simply MilitiA.

Based in New York City, NY, United States, Militia has all the attributes we look for in a Heavy Metal frontwoman: she’s not only pretty, but also has a very powerful voice and a unique performance on stage. Most of us know her for being the awesome frontwoman of the band Judas Priestess, the world’s only all-girl tribute to the METAL GODS Judas Priest, but she’s also the lead singer and songwriter of Progressive Hard Rock band Swear On Your Life, the leading lady of Dee Snider’s Heavy Metal horror orchestra Van Helsing’s Curse, and also the “Rock Goddess” of the Brooklyn based Afropunk movement. You can check many of her electrifying performances on YouTube, like these ones where she performs Judas Priest’s unparalleled Heavy Metal anthems Breaking the Law, Desert Plains and Riding On The Wind with the Judas Priestess, or this one with Living Colour playing the classic Cult of Personality.

She has also performed and collaborated in her extensive career with important names in the world of music such as Dee Snider, Cyndi Lauper, Nancy Sinatra, Ana Gasteyer (Saturday Night Live), and many other, as well as appeared in several films, TV shows and other music projects. In 2013, she staged two provocative and sexy cabaret-style concerts called “MilitiA.’s Roadhouse Blues” and “MilitiA’s Heavy Metal House of Voodoo” in New York City and in Los Angeles, and released the song Covet (which can be seen in the video below), from her multimedia project and upcoming album The Villainess.

All of those projects just prove she’s a nonstop hardworking musician who’s absolutely crazy for heavy music, but not only that, she’s also a well-known black model, having appeared in several calendars, promos, ads and spokesmodeled for top hair product companies, makeup brands and various clothing lines such as Manic Panic, Paul Mitchell, Harley Davidson, Shiseido Cosmetics, Hard Candy, and others. If you are a girl and want to see this non-musical side of Militia, check out her Militious Makeup videos on YouTube.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

In regards to our diva being a black girl in a music genre commonly ruled by white guys, Global News’ weekly investigative news magazine program 16×9 has recently broadcasted on TV an awesome segment with Militia and Heavy Metal journalist and photographer  Laina Dawes, author of the book What Are You Doing Here? Black Women in Heavy Metal, talking about the black female experience in the world of heavy music. The segment is called FULL STORY: Black Metal, featuring very interesting interviews with both girls, including also some footage of Judas Priestess kicking fuckin’ ass live. There are also two other parts of it, which can be seen here and here. Both online articles and video are very original and truly inspiring for any black girls that love Heavy Metal from the bottom of their hearts.

The last fact I wanted to share with you about Militia is a funny one that confirms there’s no such thing as each type of music is made for a specific type of person. “Just so you know, I fucking hate reggae so much. I can’t even tell you. I hear it and I want to like dig out my fucking ear drums with ice picks. Fucking. Hate. Reggae.”, says Militia. I believe no one expects to hear that from a black woman, right? Is she wrong for saying that? Absolutely not, she’s just being honest about her taste for music, and at the same time she wants to show us all music has nothing to do with sex, race or religion: it’s something that comes from our hearts and souls, something that unites us no matter who we are. Truth be told, we desperately need more Militias in the world.

Militia’s Official Facebook page
Militia’s Official Twitter

“My mom was like, ‘Please don’t be into that. That’s, like, redneck music. Stop listening to it.’ And I’m like ‘I don’t give a fuck, I love it.’ Like, it’s so exciting to me.” – Militia Vox

Album Review – Phobiatic / Fragments Of Flagrancy (2014)

Posted on by
2

Get ready for a technical and blustering sonic havoc by this terrific Death Metal band from Germany.

Rating4

COVERThere’s only one word that comes to my mind after listening to Fragments Of Flagrancy, the second full-length album by German Technical Death Metal band Phobiatic, and it’s DEVASTATION. That’s what this awesome band from Essen, Germany, offers us with their new album: a violent sonic war full of complex riffs and devastating drums, perfect for fans of the atrocious music by old school icons such as Morbid Angel, Dying Fetus and Suffocation, with an extra dose of modernity that intensifies their musicality even more.

Perhaps the most noticeable difference from their first album, disregarding of course the fact that all band members are a lot more mature and experienced now, is the change in vocals from the deeper guttural by Christian Markwald to the more technical and sharper voice by Sebastian Meisen. This change reminds me a lot of what happened to the music by American Death Metal masters Cannibal Corpse when Chris Barnes was replaced by George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, which in my humble opinion was indeed a very positive change for the band.

It seems that Phobiatic wanted to send a message to all listeners as soon as the opening track starts, the raging Bugging Operation, telling everyone something like “this is what we do, and if you don’t like it just fuck off”. It’s a devilishly technical and violent song, similar to what Brazilian Death Metal monsters Krisiun do and highly recommended for all lovers of extreme brutality, or in other words, not for the faint of heart. In Downward Spiral they were able to accelerate things even more, with an outstanding chorus and drummer Kai Bracht showing no mercy for his drum set, while Ripped To Shreds showcases an impressive synchronicity between guitars and drums, with the demonic and boisterous vocals by Sebastian Meisen perfectly fitting all that music havoc. Furthermore, I’m pretty sure bassist Michael Stifft is a huge fan of Cannibal Corpse’s one and only Alex Webster due to the complexity of the bass lines throughout this song.

Then this nonstop Death Metal machine brings us House In Cleveland, which despite being slower than the previous tracks is as heavy as it can be, with focus on deeper guttural vocals, and the superb A Genius Of Manipulation, where the complexity in its very technical and fast drumming and guitar lines is truly above average. Not only that, the violence found in its chorus is another highlight of this extreme metal composition, contributing to elevating it to the status of best song of the whole album. The following tracks, R.A.T.T. and Suitable Method, sound totally inspired by the music of Deicide and Krisiun and remind you that you need to be in really good shape to keep up with their speed and brutality, especially the latter where we have another awesome performance by drummer Kai Bracht, with all music variations making the song even more complex and disturbing. I’m sure you’ll love the last part of this song, it is an amazing lesson in Death Metal.

phobiatic-photo3But before you can raise your white flag amidst all the rage and violence bred by Phobiatic, the band still has time to deliver us some more awesomeness in form of Death Metal: in Abnormal Dilation, vocalist Sebastian Meisen adds some desperate high-pitched screams to his vocal range, while Like Pigs In The Dirt goes straight to the point with its old school approach (and don’t forget to pay attention to the “beautiful” message in the lyrics). And lastly, we have Metropolis (Of The Dead), a more obscure track with a melancholic intro that suddenly turns into another pure Death Metal tune, with highlights to the excellent job done by guitarist Robert Nowak.

You can find Fragments Of Flagrancy on sale here, and I’m sure it will soon be available in other places such as iTunes and some physical stores. Let’s help this amazing brutal band spread their infernal music all over the world and torment our souls for many years to come. After all, that’s what traditional Death Metal is all about.

Best moments of the album: Downward Spiral, A Genius Of Manipulation and Suitable Method.

Worst moments of the album: House In Cleveland and Metropolis (Of The Dead).

Released in 2014 Unundeux/Cargo Records

Track listing
1. Bugging Operation 2:50
2. Downward Spiral 2:41
3. Ripped To Shreds 2:53
4. House In Cleveland 4:41
5. A Genius Of Manipulation 3:38
6. R.A.T.T. 2:42
7. Suitable Method 4:22
8. Abnormal Dilation 2:20
9. Like Pigs In The Dirt 1:45
10. Metropolis (Of The Dead) 5:40

Band members
Sebastian Meisen – vocals
Robert Nowak – guitars
Michael Stifft – bass
Kai Bracht – drums

Album Review – Derdian / Human Reset (2014)

Posted on by
1

Do you think contemporary Symphonic Power Metal is outdated? Just listen to the excellent new album by this Italian squad and you’ll see how biased you are.

Rating4

Derdian-Human_Reset_front_coverRhapsody Of Fire, Stratovarius, Symphony X and Angra are just a few of many excellent Symphonic Power Metal bands from different parts of the world, and among them there’s another name that also deserves to be recognized as one of the biggest contemporary exponents of this genre of heavy music due to the quality of their work. I’m talking about Italian Symphonic Power Metal band Derdian and their brand new album Human Reset, a highly recommended option for anyone that loves seeing the words “symphonic” and “metal” together.

Born in 1998 in Milan, Italy, Derdian have always offered us lots of heavy and fast riffs from traditional Power Metal and beautiful symphonic orchestrations, without sounding repetitive as even some well-established bands sound nowadays. They somehow managed to keep their sound unique, and add to that the fact that their lyric themes moved from only fantasy, a constant in their “New Era” albums, to more direct (not to mention more important) issues our society has always faced. I’m not saying fantasy is boring, it’s just that being able to write and sing about a wider variety of topics helps any type of band in their creative process, which in the case of Derdian worked really well.

Right after the video game-ish symphonic intro Eclipse, the energetic and vibrant title-track Human Reset makes us think we’re listening to an “Italian Angra” from the Angels Cry-era, with its very traditional drums and keyboards perfect for fans of fast-tempo songs blended with symphonic elements. The symphonic extravaganza goes on with the awesome In Everything, with highlights to its guitar solos, fast drumming and a chorus that should put a smile on the faces of the fans while they sing it together with the band. Moreover, it’s easy to notice all the melody present in most European bands, and the part of the lyrics sung in Italian complements the song in a very pleasant way.

The following track, Mafia, has a totally different approach with a more modern sonority and truly melodic and enjoyable vocals, and its music variations kind of interestingly “break” the traditional metal from previous tracks; while These Rails Will Bleed, the shortest song of the album, has that “Symphonic Power Metal” formula with nothing really new to offer, albeit it’s far from being boring. In Absolute Power, the band focus on stronger Power Metal riffs similar to what Manowar used to do in the past (maybe due to the name of the song), and the band’s talented musicians were able to add some hints of progressive music to it to make the song even better. This is the type of song you’ll start headbanging and beating your feet nonstop without even noticing.

derdian_01Human Reset continues with a song that is mandatory in your playlist if you’re hitting the road soon: Write Your Epitaph is an outstanding symphony full of awesome Hard Rock riffs and another thrilling vocal performance by Ivan Giannini, turning it into the best song of the whole album without a shadow of a doubt. Then we have the good Music is Life (I couldn’t agree more with the name of this song), with its intro that seems to be inspired by Helloween’s all-time classic “Future World” and all its beautiful Power Metal moments, especially the keyboards and piano passages by Marco Garau; Gods Don’t Give A Damn, where the bass guitar, guitars, drums and everything else sound somewhat like Dream Theater, keeping the energy level really high and the song truly interesting; and After The Storm, a symphonic and emotive ballad that is excellent for the listener to breathe for a while after so many powerful tracks.

Finally, it’s time to speed things up again with the powerful Alone, with great synergy among all instruments, the quick and fun instrumental track Delirium, which sounds a lot like many songs by Stratovarius, and My Life Back, a song that starts as a semi-acoustic piano ballad that turns into another very symphonic tune to close the album as traditionally as possible. In addition, the less fanciful and more distressful album art for Human Reset, which in my opinion is by far the most beautiful in their career, also supports this more serious path Derdian decided to take and perfectly summarizes what to expect from the album and, of course, from the band.

And last but not least, remember to support Derdian by purchasing their music at their official website or in other places such as iTunes or Amazon, because this band is here to prove us all once again our good old Symphonic Power Metal is not obsolete at all and can be as exciting as any new genre of heavy music.

Best moments of the album: In Everything, Mafia and Write Your Epitaph.

Worst moments of the album: These Rails Will Bleed and My Life Back.

Released in 2014 Independent

Track listing
1. Eclipse 1:14
2. Human Reset 5:53
3. In Everything 6:16
4. Mafia 6:41
5. These Rails Will Bleed 2:49
6. Absolute Power 5:26
7. Write Your Epitaph 4:08
8. Music is Life 6:25
9. Gods Don’t Give A Damn 5:44
10. After The Storm 4:58
11. Alone 7:24
12. Delirium 1:15
13. My Life Back 6:34

Band members
Ivan Giannini – vocals
Enrico Pistolese – guitars
Dario Radaelli – guitars
Marco Banfi – bass
Marco Garau – keyboards
Salvatore Giordano – drums

Album Review – Octainium / Suffer The Clock (2014)

Posted on by
2

These South African metalheads bring us a vibrant Metalcore album full of heavy riffs, violent lyrics and lots of melody.

Rating4

Album Front CoverIt’s time to travel to the “Mother Continent”, more specifically to Centurion, in South Africa, an area located about 20 minutes from the city of Pretoria, to enjoy the music offered to us all by South African Metalcore band Octainium in their new album, Suffer The Clock, a very interesting mix of violence, harmony and melody tailored for all guys and girls that are fans of a more modern version of heavy music.

Octainium might be highly influenced by bands like Killswitch Engage, Lamb Of God and Hatebreed, but their music is not limited to what those bands do only. Although labeled as a Metalcore band, their music is much broader that than, as those guys incorporate lots of elements from more brutal genres such as Thrash Metal and Melodic Death Metal, and sometimes even traditional Hard Rock from the 80’s.

The excellent mix of Death Metal and Metalcore present in the song that kicks off the album, The Writing’s on the Wall, perfectly exemplifies what I’m trying to say in regards to the range of Octainium’s music, with highlights to the awesome deep guttural vocals blended with melodic clean vocals and riffs as heavy as hell. Moreover, the polished production allows us to clearly listen to all instruments making the overall experience even better, which can also be noticed in Dethrone, a song that gains a lot of strength due to all its elements from Melodic Death Metal bands such as Arch Enemy and In Flames, the excellent job done by drummer Gerhard Booysen (which I’m sure will inspire you for some good headbanging) and its violent lyrics (“I believe the time has come to fight back / So are you man enough? / Are you up for the task?”).

Holier Than Thou is even heavier than the previous two tracks, especially the vocals, which sound truly furious here and lead all the spiteful brutality in the song, while Grist To the Mill, which has Scott Wareham (HOKUM) as a guest musician, is pure Metalcore with a good balance of guttural and clean vocals again. Then we have the title-track, Suffer The Clock, a song that talks about how you must take control of your life before it’s too late (“Free your senses, just for a moment / So light your candle and watch it burn!”), with a rhythm a lot faster than all previous songs and highly recommended for circle pits, followed by another one of the top moments of the album, Skeletons, where the addition of the beautiful female voice by guest vocalist Alicia van Wyk makes the entire song even more melodic and pleasant.

PosterAnd there’s still a lot more to come: in Another Day, Another Death, pay attention to the very technical and melodic guitar lines, which truly elevate the overall quality of the song, while in Ineptocracy the focus is on the strong lyrics about the current political, social and economic state of South Africa. What’s Your Poison? is a good heavy song but less inspired than the others, despite its interesting (but really  short) acoustic part in the middle, and in The Devil Take The Hindmost the band flirts once again with Melodic Death Metal, with guest vocalist Andrew Duggan (Cutting Jade) giving the song an amazing Hard Rock sonority. Would I be exaggerating if I said this song could easily become a radio hit?

The last two songs in Suffer The Clock are If The Shoe Fits, which riffs remind me of some of the recent songs by Trivium, and Vs. The World, another song that focus heavily on strong riffs and melodic vocal lines, closing the album on a high note. Unfortunately there isn’t a link available yet with any of the songs from Suffer The Clock, but you can keep checking the band’s official Facebook page, Twitter, YouTube, ReverbNation and SoundCloud for news and other information about their new album. Well, if you check their profile you’ll see they’re absolutely crazy for Jägermeister, which is a really good sign of how thrilling their music is. Think about it, have you ever seen a band or musician that loves having shots and shots of that awesome German digestif playing lounge or elevator music?

Best moments of the album: The Writing’s on the Wall, Holier Than Thou and Skeletons.

Worst moments of the album: What’s Your Poison? and If The Shoe Fits.

Released in 2014 Independent

Track listing
1. The Writing’s on the Wall 3:30
2. Dethrone 4:58
3. Holier Than Thou 3:55
4. Grist To the Mill (feat. Scott Wareham) 3:17
5. Suffer The Clock 3:48
6. Skeletons (feat. Alicia van Wyk) 3:33
7. Another Day, Another Death 4:04
8. Ineptocracy 5:04
9. What’s Your Poison? 5:02
10. The Devil Take The Hindmost (feat. Andrew Duggan) 3:29
11. If The Shoe Fits 3:43
12. Vs. The World 4:40

Band members
Maritz Booysen – vocals
Kyle “Sikes” van Wyk – guitars
Sven Anderson – guitars
Arno Grundling – bass
Gerhard Booysen – drums

Album Review – Ann My Guard / Innocence Descent (2014)

Posted on by
Reply

A very professional and vigorous album of alternative heavy music enhanced by an amazing feminine touch.

Rating4

AnnMyGuard_IDI’ll be honest with you and admit Alternative Metal has never been on my top picks whenever I want to listen to music. As I’ve said a couple of times here, I usually stick to the foundations of Heavy Metal. However, sometimes it’s interesting (and good for your brain) to listen to bands outside of this traditional world, especially when the band is as technical and pleasant as Hungarian “Doll Metal” band Ann My Guard, who have recently released their debut album, the energetic Innocence Descent.

This 4-piece band from the stunning city of Budapest, Hungary, took around six long years to thoroughly write the whole album, a process that might look too exhausting at first but that was definitely worth every second and penny spent in the end. Produced by the most renowned producer in their native Hungary, Gábor Vári, the album couldn’t sound more professional and ready for the absurdly competitive and demanding music market than that: Innocence Descent is a great mix of Alternative Metal and Rock with a huge focus on melody and harmony (something commonly done by most European bands), which will please fans of Evanescence, Hole, Kittie, H.I.M. and all other bands that are part of that more “delicate” side of heavy music.

As soon as the interesting intro Enchant begins, you can already notice all the band’s aforementioned influences, which becomes even clearer in Grey Witch, with its Alternative Metal riffs and the smooth vocals by Eszter. Moreover, its high-end production and the excellent chorus make it an excellent option for becoming a radio hit. Another important detail in Innocence Descent are the lyric themes, with pretty much every song talking about women, witches, sex and all other taboos present in the feminine world.

Getting back to the music, it seems the band loves deep key notes such as the ones found in Dark Sea Blue, a song that flirts with Pop Rock without losing that heavier approach from Alternative Metal, and the melancholic Ivory Ballad. Then we have the strong bass lines and nice drumming from Crush Honey, which sounds like some old songs from Hole, and the awesome rhythm from the powerful Morgana’s Song, another excellent example of how Ann My Guard took care of all details in their musicality to sound as professional as possible. Once again, I should say this song could easily be played in any Rock N’ Roll radio around the world.

AnnMyGuardThe next part of the album slows things down a little in a very introspective way, starting with the short acoustic ballad Hollow Red (which focus 100% on Eszter’s voice to enhance its atmosphere), followed by another ballad, My Lullaby, with beautiful lyrics and lots of harmony, and Easy, a melancholic tune with highlights to the good work done by guitarists István Tagcherer and Krisztián Varga both in the slow and the fast parts of the song. But it’s when the band accelerates their music that they hit the bull’s-eye in my opinion: H.K.A. Bitch has lots Punk Rock elements blended with Nu Metal, which together with its heavy riffs and acid lyrics turn it into a perfect choice for entertaining a more energetic audience during their live performances; while the vigorous Fallen follows a similar pattern as the previous track, boosted by some rhythmic variations and a delicate but strong chorus.

And lastly, Ann My Guard offer us the semi-acoustic ballad Gone, with highlights to the good guitar solo at the end of the song, and Circles, a unique Pop Rock track that gets heavier halfway through the song before fading into a melancholic rhythm to close the album.

You can take a good listen at the entire album HERE, and also support Ann My Guard by purchasing their official merchandise, or a digital copy of the album on iTunes or Amazon. As I said before, if you’re a fan of alternative heavy music with a feminine touch, Innocence Descent is indubitably one of the best new options in the market. I’m pretty sure all members of the band are proud of their “baby”, and you won’t be disappointed at all with the professionalism and vitality of their music.

Best moments of the album: Morgana’s Song, H.K.A. Bitch and Fallen.

Worst moments of the album: Dark Sea Blue and Gone.

Released in 2014 Smash Fabric Records

Track listing
1. Enchant 1:23
2. Grey Witch 3:11
3. Dark Sea Blue 3:48
4. Ivory Ballad 4:01
5. Crush Honey 4:15
6. Morgana’s Song 3:19
7. Hollow Red 1:19
8. My Lullaby 3:59
9. Easy 2:57
10. H.K.A. Bitch 1:55
11. Fallen 3:42
12. Gone 3:35
13. Circles 7:44

Band members
Eszter Anna Baumann – vocals, bass, flute, keys
István Tagcherer – guitars
Krisztián Varga – guitars
Joci Vadász – drums

Album Review – Tristania / Widow’s Weeds (1998)

Posted on by
1

It’s from Norway the most remarkable Gothic Metal album of all time.

Rating3

WidowsWeedsGothic Metal has always been and will ever be a very tricky subgenre of Heavy Metal, especially in terms of originality, because it can bore you at the blink of an eye. I, for instance, do not consider myself a true Gothic Metal fan, as I prefer a lot more heavier and faster material like traditional Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, and even Hard Rock rather than any Gothic music. However, once in a while there’s a band like Tristania that breaks this barrier and gains my respect in the world of heavy music.

After their self-titled EP Tristania (1997), it was time for this Norwegian Gothic Metal band to release in 1998 their first full-length album called Widow’s Weeds, which in my opinion is the best Gothic Metal album of all time. In fact, Widow’s Weeds cannot be considered only Gothic Metal, as it contains elements of many other subgenres of heavy music such as Symphonic, Death and Doom Metal, which explains why this album is so difficult to understand, and consequently so delightful.

Widow’s Weeds is a tsunami of obscure themes and dark lyrics, all full of the most uncomfortable emotions such as depression, sadness and madness, and of course everything is wrapped up by a very precise and dense musicality. Do not expect to hear crazy riffs and solos, or even fast drums with lots of double bass, but lengthy and slow songs where all instruments together form a complex sonority, in parallel with Vibeke Stene’s angelic voice and Morten Veland’s roars.

Right after the intro Preludium…, the band shows all its powerful musical range with the beautiful Evenfall, by far the most amazing composition of their entire career. Vibeke’s performance in this song is awesome, as well as the drums by Kenneth Olsson, and the final result portrays perfectly how pleasant sadness can be when transformed into music. The following track keeps the bar extremely high: Pale Enchantress can be considered another of the band’s classics, a lot faster than the previous one with great melancholic lyrics (“Enchanting all my dreams / A beauty and her flood of tears / Nightfall embrace my heart / Mesmerized and ravendark”).

December Elegy and Midwintertears are examples of what I previously said about the trickiness of Gothic Metal, as both can easily make you feel bored due to their length and lack of speed or changes in rhythm. However, they’re pretty good songs, it’s just that they’re not tailored for MTV or radio. On the other hand, even the more skeptical heavy music lovers will enjoy the next two tracks: Angellore has many interesting goth elements from the 80’s that match perfectly with the band’s style, with the addition of Østen Bergøy doing the clean vocals, and the final result was so good that it was probably the reason why he joined the band full-time from 2001 until 2010; while My Lost Lenore is considered by many Tristania’s biggest masterpiece. Here we have not only Vibeke and Morten doing a superb job, but above all the talented Einar Moen on his synth and piano giving a huge boost to the song.

tristania7The (almost) last track, Wasteland’s Caress, is for me the weakest of all tracks, and the outro …Postludium ends this amazing album, unless you have the special edition which contains two excellent bonus tracks called Sirene and Cease to Exist. The front cover of the album simply summarizes how dark and mysterious the music by Tristania is, fully complemented by the band’s sinister outfits.

Unfortunately, there have been way too many changes in the band’s lineup and musicality until today, provoking an immense drop in the quality of their material. Maybe if Vibeke Stene and of course Morten Veland, the mastermind behind Tristania’s eerie and mesmerizing music and currently with Sirenia, were still with Tristania, the whole story would have been a lot different. Nevertheless, based on Tristania’s most recent albums, I don’t believe we’ll see anything close to Widow’s Weeds again.

At least there are some good news about Vibeke returning to the world of heavy music after years of privation, and when she actually returns she deserves a special “Metal Chick of the Month” post for her and one or more reviews of the music projects and/or bands she joins in a near future. She’s a truly underrated musician, and I hope she comes back kickin’ ass as she used to do in her years with Tristania.

Best moments of the album: Evenfall, Pale Enchantress, Angellore and My Lost Lenore.

Worst moments of the album: December Elegy and Wasteland’s Caress.

Released in 1998  Napalm Records

Track listing

1. Preludium… 1:09
2. Evenfall 6:51
3. Pale Enchantress 6:31
4. December Elegy 7:31
5. Midwintertears 8:32
6. Angellore 7:16
7. My Lost Lenore 6:23
8. Wasteland’s Caress 7:40
9. …Postludium 1:12

Limited edition bonus tracks
10. Sirene 3:22
11. Cease to Exist 9:17

Band members
Vibeke Stene – vocals, choir
Morten Veland – harsh vocals, guitars, choir
Anders H. Hidle – guitars, choir
Rune Østerhus – bass
Einar Moen – synths, programming
Kenneth Olsson – drums, choir

Guest musicians
Østen Bergøy – clean vocals on “Angellore”, choir
Pete Johansen – violin
Hilde Egeland, Marita Herikstad, Hilde T. Bommen – choir

Album Review – The Order of the Solar Temple / The Order of the Solar Temple (2014)

Posted on by
Reply

A fresh and psychedelic music journey through the realms of heavy music, engendered by a very talented Canuck band.

Rating4

The_Order_Of_The_Solar_Temple_front_coverWhen you put together music genres such as Rock N’ Roll, Hard Rock and Doom Metal, the final result is at least interesting, especially in terms of creativity and feeling. But if you really want to spice things up, simply add to that some nuances of occultism and lots of groove from the dawn of Heavy Metal and you have the excellent self-titled debut album by Canadian Hard Rock/Doom Metal band The Order of the Solar Temple.

Let’s say that if people asked me to describe The Order of the Solar Temple in just a few words, I would call it a psychedelic heavy music journey. This Vancouver-based band was capable of sounding fairly original during the entire album even using only really old music elements in all compositions, mainly due to the above average skills and the passion for music of each musician involved. Not only that, the production of the album, which also seems to be inspired by the music from the 70’s, helps enhance that classic occult sonority regularly found in the music by bands like Blue Öyster Cult and Black Sabbath.

The album opens with the groovy Fallout Woman, a pure Rock N’ Roll song that makes me feel like I’m listening to an album from the 70’s, with highlights to its smooth vocals, soft and melancholic atmosphere and a soulful guitar solo, followed by Aeon Of Horus, a dark tune with lots of Doom Metal elements from bands such as Danzig that curiously starts with an ominous intro but ends in an acoustic way  and, of course, focus heavily on all the obscurity in the lyrics (“Mother Egypt sets the stage for the dawning of an age / Har-par-Khered / Ancient magick is exhumed to free us from our doom / Abrahadabra”) to make the entire song more vibrant and meaningful to the listener. By the way, their classic but unique lyric themes are one of the greatest strengths of the band, staying far away from all the repetitiveness and lack of depth so common in the world of music nowadays.

the_order_of_the_solar_templeGetting back to the album, The Cult (Of Rock’n’Roll) sounds like a “tribute” to the good old KISS, with an awesome work done on riffs and drums, elevating it to the status of best track of the album. Moreover, it’s perfect for becoming a Rock N’ Roll radio hit as it would certainly please not only traditional hard rockers but also any fan of some good quality music. Then we have the psychedelic rhythm and melody of Jervas Dudley, a song that could be summarized as “when Black Sabbath meets Jethro Tull” and also an excellent “journey” for guitar players that enjoy the groove from the 70’s, followed by another fast and classic tune the likes of Deep Purple named Pale Horse, which I’m pretty sure you’ll get addicted to its melodic riffs and keyboards.

The last part of the album consists of the excellent Back Home, a song with lots of elements from good old Blues that sounds like a “pub song” perfect for having a beer with friends; the most Hard Rock track of all, Dominance And Submission, which also reminds me of the good times of Deep Purple, with kudos to Matt “Macabre” Emery for his performance: he might not have the most powerful voice in the world, but it fits perfectly into the musicality of the band. And finally, closing the album we have the obscure track The Order, which is good (especially if you’re a fan of “black magic”), but maybe more variations would make it a more intense song.

Sorry if I kept repeating the expressions “70’s”, “journey” and “psychedelic” every two or three sentences, but there’s no better way to describe the music from The Order of the Solar Temple: it truly is an awesome combination of past and future, carefully brought forth to people like us who live and breathe Rock N’ Roll and Heavy Metal. Even the album art is a tribute to the music that enchanted the world 40 years ago. Not only that, these guys are here to remind us how magic Rock N’ Roll was in its inception and how it can still be exciting even after all those years with the music industry trying to kill everything that sounds real, and we all should thank them for keeping on rockin’ and staying true to the roots of heavy music. And if you don’t want this magic to disappear, you can support the band by listening to their music and purchasing their album at their BandCamp page.

Best moments of the album: The Cult (Of Rock’n’Roll), Pale Horse and Dominance And Submission.

Worst moments of the album: The Order.

Released in 2014 Independent

Track listing
1. Fallout Woman 3:47
2. Aeon Of Horus 8:31
3. The Cult (Of Rock’n’Roll) 3:09
4. Jervas Dudley 6:58
5. Pale Horse 5:31
6. Back Home 5:01
7. Dominance And Submission 5:23
8. The Order 6:37

Band members
Matt “Macabre” Emery – lead vocal, electric guitar, theremin and primordial howls
S. Mulleady – organ, synthesizers, guitar, additional vocals
A. MacGreagor – bass guitar, additional vocals
M. Morrison – drums