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Album Review – Bad Marilyn / Eye of the Snake (2024)

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The debut album by this talented Swiss Heavy Metal outfit will take you on a journey to a magical world to the sound of its eleven incendiary tracks.

Founded in the summer of 2023 in Wangen an der Aare, Bern, a municipality in the Oberaargau administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland, Heavy/Power Metal warriors Bad Marilyn have just unleashed upon us their debut album, titled Eye of the Snake, an album that will transport the listener into a magical metal world. Recorded at Kangaroo Studios, The TrakShak Studio and The Hämst Studio, produced, mixed and mastered by Dennis Ward, co-Produced by Sammy Lasagni and Andri Leonardo, and displaying a classic artwork by Stan-W Decker, Eye of the Snake offers eleven powerful songs thoroughly crafted by the Helvetic formation of Andrea Raffaela on vocals, Sammy Lasagni on guitars, David Craffonara on bass, Andri Leonardo on keyboards, and Armin Schöpfer on drums.

An epic intro quickly evolves into the Power Metal feast I Die Inside, where the whimsical keys by Andri walk hand in hand with the she-wolf roars and soaring vocals by Andrea, whereas Middle-Eastern sounds ignite the also very melodic and headbanging Eye Of The Snake, where Armin pounds his drums nonstop supported by the solid bass lines by David; and leaning towards Melodic Rock and AOR we have Perfect Moment, but of course without forgetting their classic Heavy Metal essence, with the guitars by Sammy sounding striking and harmonious. Retribution is not as exciting as the previous songs and quite confusing at times, albeit the vocals by Andrea are spot-on as usual, but fortunately back to a more direct sonority the band offers our ears the upbeat, melodic Heavy Metal tune Children Of Tomorrow, with Armin dictating the pace with his classic beats and fills. Sammy then takes the lead with his Iron Maiden-inspired riffs in When She’s Gone, a song that blends melody and heaviness in a well-balanced manner.

Their Rock N’ Roll party continues with an overdose of metallic riffs and blast beats titled Revolution, where Andrea delivers a striking vocal performance supported by the fast and thrilling music by her bandmates; and it’s time for a charming power ballad titled Legend Of Salvation, where the power of Armin’s drums is boosted by Andri’s stylish keys. Queen Of Thunder carries an old school name for a song with a strong 80’s Hard Rock and Heavy Metal vibe, keeping the adrenaline flowing in the album while also showcasing more of Andrea’s beautiful vocals, with Andri also kicking some ass with a nice keyboard solo; and they take their heaviness to new heights in Eternal Pain, led by the pounding drums by Armin and the slashing riffage by Sammy, resulting in a thrilling Heavy Metal attack tailored for fans of 80’s heavy music. Last but not least, we’re treated to one final strike of soaring vocals and classic riffs in We Will Rise, putting an incendiary ending to the album.

Eye of the Snake can be appreciated in full on Spotify, but of course you can show your utmost support to Andrea and the boys by purchasing the album from their BandCamp page or webstore, or by cliking HERE, and don’t forget to also give the band a shout on Facebook and on Instagram. This Swiss band definitely knows how to craft fun and vibrant Heavy Metal, taking you as mentioned to a magical world to the sound of their flammable music, and just like a snake I’m sure they’ll strike again soon with another album just as good as their debut offering.

Best moments of the album: I Die Inside, Revolution and Eternal Pain.

Worst moments of the album: Retribution.

Released in 2024 Independent

Track listing
1. I Die Inside 4:42
2. Eye Of The Snake 4:18
3. Perfect Moment 4:55
4. Retribution 4:22
5. Children Of Tomorrow 3:45
6. When She’s Gone 4:15
7. Revolution 4:00
8. Legend Of Salvation 4:30
9. Queen Of Thunder 4:34
10. Eternal Pain 4:16
11. We Will Rise 5:15

Spotify bonus track
12. Stay Awake 4:34

Band members
Andrea Raffaela – vocals
Sammy Lasagni – guitars
David Craffonara – bass
Andri Leonardo – keyboards, backing vocals
Armin Schöpfer – drums

Album Review – E-L-R / Vexier (2022)

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This Swiss Post-Metal/Doomgaze outfit is inviting us all on an adventurous journey through their multi-dimensional musical cosmos to the sound of their sophomore album.

Formed in Bern, Switzerland in 2016 by bassist I.R. and guitarist S.M., and joined by drummer M.K. soon after, Post-Metal/Doomgaze outfit E-L-R lures and seduces the listener with glimpses of deeper meaning and the constant discovery of new layers that reveal further ones once peeled away, which is exactly what will happen to you after listening to their new opus entitled Vexier. Produced by E-L-R and Remo Häberli, recorded, mixed and mastered by Remo Häberli at Hidden Stash Tonstudio, and featuring a charming cover photography by Laura Petresc and portraits by Ramon Lehmann (with layout and design by the band’s own S.M.), Vexier, which title derives from the Latin word “vexare” meaning “to plague” or “to irritate” and in German a “vexierbild” means a flip-flop image while in some dialects a “vexier” is a puzzle game, presents massive, sweeping doomscapes that swallow you whole with epic riffs, allowing the band to take another decisive step forward and invite the listener on an adventurous journey through their fascinating and multi-dimensional musical cosmos.

If you enjoy melancholic, atmospheric passages you’re in for a treat to the opening track Opiate the Sun, growing in intensity to the sluggish, doomed beats by M.K. until the guitars and bass by S.M. and I.R., respectively, add an extra touch of insanity to the overall result (not to mention how mesmerizing the vocalizations by S.M. and I.R. sound and feel), with its soothing ending exploding into the venomous Three Winds, showcasing a fusion of Post-Metal with Atmospheric Black Metal where M.K. shows no mercy for his drums while S.M. slashes her axe in great fashion. Put differently, it’s the perfect alternative for metalheads who want to experiment what “doomgazing” is for the first time. Then we have Seeds, where the vocals by S.M. and I.R. walk hand in hand with their own stringed weapons, therefore resulting in a headbanging, obscure wall of sounds with the trio jamming like there’s no tomorrow until the song’s sharp ending; and their strident riffage keeps permeating the air in the visceral Fleurs of Decay, a stunning Post-Metal feast tailored for admirers of the genre where E-L-R will drag you to their atmospheric lair with their slow, dense and captivating sounds. Lastly, tribal beats ignite the closing tune entitled Forêt, where the trio once again carefully and slowly builds a somber ambience before the sound of the guitars and bass offer guest vocalist BAZE all he needs to shine on vocals, putting a beyond hypnotizing, epic and gentle ending to the album.

As aforementioned, E-L-R want to lure and seduce you to their darkened lair to the sound of their new album Vexier, which is not only the ideal follow-up to their 2019 debut album Mænad, but a lecture in Doomgaze that will certainly open the ears and minds of the unbelievers. Hence, in order to show the girls and guy from E-L-R all your support and admiration, you can start following them on Facebook and on Instagram, stream all of their creations on Spotify, and above all that, purchase a copy of Vexier by clicking HERE. The world of Post-Metal, Doomgaze and other sinister, underground subgenres of heavy music has just been graced with one of the finest albums of the year thanks to the talent, creativity and hard work by S.M., I.R. and M.K., placing them among the most interesting bands of the current scene and, consequently, bringing to us all the undisputed soundtrack to gaze at the stars on a pitch black night.

Best moments of the album: Three Winds and Fleurs of Decay.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2022 Prophecy Productions

Track listing
1. Opiate the Sun 12:07
2. Three Winds 8:08
3. Seeds 6:37
4. Fleurs of Decay 7:15
5. Forêt 12:11

Band members
S.M. – guitar, vocals
I.R. – bass, vocals
M.K. – drums

Guest musicians
Remo Häberli – additional guitars
BAZE – vocals on “Forêt”

Album Review – Chotzä / Tüüfuswärk (2020)

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Succumb to the anti-social fusion of Black Metal and Black N’ Roll blasted by this infernal horde from Switzerland.

Formed as a side-project in 2011 in the city of Bern, on the German-speaking side of Switzerland, with the aim to create anti-social Black Metal and Black N’ Roll, the unstoppable and blasphemous unity known as Chotzä (which means “to vomit” in Swiss-German) is ready to take the world of heavy music by storm once again with their third full-length opus, entitled Tüüfuswärk, the follow-up to their previous installments Plump u Primitiv, released in 2014, and Bärner Bläck Metal Terror, released in 2017. Apart from their frantic and aggressive sonority, perhaps one of the main ingredients in the music by Chotzä is the fact that all of their songs are sung in “Bärndütsch”, which is one of many existing Swiss-German dialects, allowing the wicked music crafted by lead singer Szivilzs, guitarists Gruäbähung and Raven Dust, bassist Näbugring, pianist Leopold and drummer Cpt. Cunt to sound even more organic, visceral and austere than what they would ever sound in English, and as a fan of extreme music I must say their dialect blends extremely well with their vicious Black Metal.

Featuring guest vocalist Herr Morbid (also known as Ferdinando Marchisio) of Italian Black Metal band Forgotten Tomb, the opening track Dräck am Schtäckä (Vatikan Version) presents a wicked intro that quickly explodes into berserk, blasphemous extreme music led by the devilish roars by Szivilzs while Raven Dust and Gruäbähung cut our skin deep with their infernal riffage, followed by Schtächzähni, as fast and demonic as its predecessor, with Cpt. Cunt dictating the rhythm with his Punk Rock/Hardcore-infused beats while the guitars bring a welcome Thrash Metal twist to the overall result, not to mention how Näbugring keeps the atmosphere dense with his wicked bass lines. And blending old school Black Metal with the Rock N’ Roll blasted by bands like Motörhead, Misfits and Danzig we have Horrorotika, where the sound of guitars will pierce your mind mercilessly and the backing vocals provide an amazing support to Szivilzs in this ode to blasphemy, sex and horror.

In Sex, Suff & Satan, what starts in a sinister, introspective way morphs into a mid-tempo Symphonic Black Metal aria led by Leopold and his Stygian piano notes, also presenting slashing guitar solos and bringing some welcome elements from Gothic Rock and Doom Metal, whereas our beloved Swiss horde speeds things up and enhance their already insane level of rage in Fiesä, Fulä Fettsack, where Szivilizs barks the song’s cryptic lyrics manically while Cpt. Cunt keeps smashing his drums like a beast, resulting in another sensational fusion of the band’s core Black Metal with the most vicious form of Rock N’ Roll. And leaning towards a more classic version of Black Metal, especially due to Cpt. Cunt’s blast bats and fills, Süüchägott showcases the band’s dynamic guitar duo firing lancinating, hellish riffs for our total delight while Szivilzs continues with his demonic vociferations.

Abfau brings forward an onrush of darkened sounds, infernal screams and endless wrath, or in other words, it’s ruthless Black Metal infused with Doom Metal nuances, with Gruäbähung and Raven Dust once again crafting pulverizing riffs and solos; and Leopold comes ripping with his phantasmagorical keys in Ds Tanzgebei, a fun (and somewhat dancing) Black Metal extravaganza where all band members sound bestial and electrifying form start to finish, keeping the album at a high level of dementia. Then get ready for battle to the sound of Fotzä, smashing our heads with an avalanche of blackened sounds and sulfurous growls, while Cpt. Cunt gives a lesson in Black Metal drumming. And last but not least, we’re treated to the rebellious and dense title-track Tüüfuswärk with its eight minutes of extreme and vile sounds, where the band’s stringed trio keeps hammering their axes with tons of precision and violence, all spearheaded by Szivilzs and his trademark gnarls.

The gates to the underworld are open in Switzerland thanks to the incendiary music blasted by Chotzä in their newborn spawn Tüüfuswärk, and if you want to show your support to such demented Black Metal horde you can follow them on Facebook to know more about their music, their concerts and other nice-to-know details about the band, and purchase your copy of the album from Northern Fog Records (CD), Sturmglanz (vinyl) or Worship Tapes (cassette). It’s truly impressive how those Swiss metallers are capable of blending the most hellish elements form a myriad of styles like Black Metal, Rock N’ Roll and Hardcore without sounding confusing or disorganized; quite the contrary, the music by Chotzä is absolutely furious, cohesive and thrilling, just like what we can see in Tüüfuswärk, showing us all this six-piece horde of darkness will still haunt our soul for years to come with their dark-as-the-night creations.

Best moments of the album: Dräck am Schtäckä (Vatikan Version), Horrorotika and Fiesä, Fulä Fettsack.

Worst moments of the album: Sex, Suff & Satan.

Released in 2020 Northern Fog Records/Sturmglanz/Worship Tapes

Track listing
1. Dräck am Schtäckä (Vatikan Version) 3:44
2. Schtächzähni 5:59
3. Horrorotika 4:28
4. Sex, Suff & Satan 6:15
5. Fiesä, Fulä Fettsack 4:47
6. Süüchägott 2:48
7. Abfau 7:11
8. Ds Tanzgebei 5:07
9. Fotzä 5:56
10. Tüüfuswärk 8:06

Band members
Szivilizs – vocals
Raven Dust – guitars
Gruäbähung – guitars
Näbugring – bass
Leopold – piano
Cpt. Cunt – drums

Guest musician
Herr Morbid – vocals on “Dräck am Schtäckä (Vatikan Version)”