Tag Archives: thrash metal

Album Review – Terratomorf / Я – легенда EP (2014)

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This independent Russian Power Metal band goes straight to the point with 20 minutes of professional, honest and traditional heavy music, just the way we like it.

Rating5

Ya LegendaI must admit “Mother Russia” has been positively surprising me in terms of heavy music in the past few years. It seems that those dark days when Heavy Metal or even the most simple form of Rock N’ Roll were non-existent in the biggest country in the world are long gone and now day after day many high-quality metal bands are born there, which is the case with Russian Power Metal band Terratomorf.

Founded in 2013 in Moscow, and after a few lineup changes, this promising band has recently released their first EP entitled Я – легенда (Ya – Legenda), or “I am Legend” in English, which can be easily summarized as 20 minutes of pure “straight to the point” Power Metal. And by that I mean Terratomorf play a nice and vigorous Power Metal without exaggerating on vocals, guitar solos or on anything else, sounding so professional (especially for an independent band) and honest that it makes the listener eager for a full-length album.

The opening track of the EP, the title-track Я – легенда (Ya – Legenda), begins with a excellent Megadeth-ish intro that flows smoothly into strong and melodic vocals, which by the way remind me sometimes  of the powerful voice of J. Ahola (Teräsbetoni, Ahola), complemented by clean heavy riffs and a catchy chorus even for non-Russian speakers. Not only that, this song already showcases an above-average quality in the production of the EP. The following song, Судьба (Sudba), or “Fate” in English, follows more traditional Power Metal lines the likes of Teräsbetoni and Manowar and keeps the overall quality of the EP really high, with highlights to its galloping drums, a pleasant guitar solo, and Artur Berkut, who was the lead singer for traditional Russian Heavy Metal band Aria from 2002 to 2011, as a guest vocalist.

TerratomorfThe nice rhythm in Призрачный мир (Prizrachniy Mir), or “Haunted World” in English, gains an extra dose of energy with a more modern American riff and its melodic drumming, while the headbanging tune В небеса (V Nebesa), or “In Heaven” in English, is perfect for some air guitar due to its very traditional riffs, and the Thrash Metal elements the band added to the song to give it a special “kick” especially during the second half of it. Last but not least, we have Город души (Gorod Dushi), or “Soul City” in English, where you can notice a huge influence of German Power Metal in their musicality, and once again it’s very enjoyable to follow the vocal lines by Nikita Salischev (mainly during the chorus) and the excellent job done by drummer Alexandr Dmitriev.

One might ask where Terratomorf will go with their music. Well, that’s something only time will tell, but based on the quality of their first EP and the talent of the musicians involved, I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing those Russian guys touring around different countries and reaching even some markets overseas where the Russian language is not present at all. For now, we can at least rest assured Heavy Metal is getting stronger and stronger thanks to many independent bands all over the world, with Terratomorf being a very welcome addition to the increasing list of excellent bands representing the Russian Federation.

Best moments of the album: Я – легенда (Ya – Legenda) and В небеса (V Nebesa).

Worst moments of the album: As I’ve mentioned a couple of times in this website, it’s not fair to select a bad moment from a relatively short EP like this one (the same reason why it didn’t get more than a 3.0). Let’s wait for a full-length Terratomorf album to do that.

Released in 2014 Independent

Track listing
1. Я – легенда (Ya – Legenda) 3:21
2. Судьба (Sudba) 4:22
3. Призрачный мир (Prizrachniy Mir) 4:15
4. В небеса (V Nebesa) 4:18
5. Город души (Gorod Dushi) 4:56

Band members
Nikita Salischev – vocals
Sergey Gviniashvili – guitar
Vladislav Balashov – guitar
Alexandr Dmitriev – drums

Guest musician
Artur Berkut – additional vocals on Судьба (Sudba)

Metal Chick of the Month – Trish Doan

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Trish, A Flower Of Flesh And Blood…

The Headbanging Moose is proud to announce that our Heavy Metal babe this month does not only kick some ass as the bass player of the all-female Canadian Alternative Metal band Kittie, from London, Ontario, but she also has a beautiful and motivational story of recovery in her life.

Although she was born in Gwangju, South Korea (about 270km from the capital Seoul), we can say that the beautiful Trisha Jai-Mee Doan, better known as Trish Doan, is a proud “Canuck” that built her life and career here in Canada. Trish joined Kittie back in August 2005 along with guitarist Tara McLeod. In addition to bass, she has also played guitar since the age of 13, and in 2006 she graduated from Sheridan College, earning a diploma in Media Arts: Film and Television Production.

However, after recording the digital EP Never Again, in 2006, and the full-length album Funeral for Yesterday, in 2007, with Kittie, she announced in mid-2007 she was leaving the band for personal reasons, being replaced by Jeff Phillips (Thine Eyes Bleed) during Kittie’s Sweet Revenge tour. It was only in the beginning of March 2008 that it was officially announced she had left the band due to the eating disorder anorexia-athletica-nervosa, which she had been struggling with for almost two years. After leaving Kittie, Trish spent some time at home with her parents recovering, before moving to Toronto to live on her own and work for CTV. She mentioned in an interview that one of the funniest moments in Toronto happened when she was walking down Queen Street and saw a girl with a Kittie T-shirt on, and then suddenly both stopped and stared at each other in shock.

Then back in 2009 she decided to move to Australia for a year to get a degree and try to surf, before moving back home in 2011 and start working for Corus Entertainment, doing some interactive stuff for radio. Our Korean/Canadian beauty sadly mentioned she barely touched a bass or guitar for the first two years after leaving Kittie, as some kind of post-breakup traumatic experience or like an emotional pain from having felt like she abandoned the other girls in the band.

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Fortunately, Trish fully recovered from her condition and was called back to be the bassist for Kittie in the beginning of 2012, when former bassist Ivy Vujic parted ways with the band. In order to get back to the band with full force, Trish had to start learning the songs from the two albums Kittie recorded during her absence: In the Black and I’ve Failed You. She mentioned that despite loving both albums, her favorite one ended up being I’ve Failed You.

In her free time, Trish loves going out for sushi with her bandmate Morgan Lander, the lead singer and guitarist of the band, and also catch up with the other members of the band as much as possible. She also enjoys doing some photography and web design for fun, and as she has never been that much into Heavy Metal, she has also been working with one of her friends on an electropop music project (maybe due to her Korean blood, as Koreans absolutely love this type of music).

And finally, Trish seems to be a body modification lover: she has several body piercings and tattoos, including a very special tattoo on her left wrist symbolizing Gwangju, the city in which she was born. However, it seems she’s not that brave when having her tattoos done, as you can see HERE. But don’t worry about that, Trish: we all know how painful a piercing or a tattoo can be, and we surely admire and respect you a lot for all you’ve gone through in your life.

Trish Doan’s Official Facebook page
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“I still play guitar in my spare time and since re-joining the band I’ve played a lot of bass. I missed it for sure and when I got back into jamming with the girls I realized how much I love it!” – Trish Doan

Concert Review – Nova Rock Festival 2014 (Pannonia Fields II, Nickelsdorf, Austria, 06/14/2014)

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A flawless festival at one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

novarock2014

INTRODUCTION: The City of Nickelsdorf and 10 Years of Nova Rock

The town of Nickelsdorf is located in the district of Neusiedl am See in the Austrian state of Burgenland, it belonged to Hungary until 1920 (like the whole province of Burgenland) and it has a population of less than 2,000 people. Those details alone wouldn’t encourage anyone to visit this little town in the middle of nowhere in Austria, don’t you agree? However, over the past 10 years there are three very special days between the second and third weeks of June when its population increases almost 100 times and Nickelsdorf becomes the world capital of heavy music: that’s what happens when the awesome Nova Rock Festival hits the town.

It was from June 9 to June 12, 2005 when the first edition of Nova Rock brought to town names such as System of a Down, Marylin Manson, Nightwish, Audioslave and Green Day, with over 30,000 fans per day. The following year, with huge bands like Metallica, Motörhead and Guns N’ Roses, the festival received over 150,000 visitors, becoming the largest ever rock festival in Austria. Since then, names like Volbeat, The Prodigy, Rage Against the Machine, Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Rammstein, Kreator, Testament, In Flames and many other heavy music icons have helped put Nickelsdorf in the route (and in the hearts) of metalheads from all over the world during the always incredible European summer.

This year the lineup was once again more than amazing, starting on Friday, June 13 with the power of Volbeat, Slayer, Steel Panther and Sepultura; kicking fuckin’ ass on Saturday, June 14 with Epica, Trivium, Anthrax, Amon Amarth and Iron Maiden (and believe me, American actor David Hasselhoff); and topping it off with Rob Zombie, The Offspring, Bad Religion, Arch Enemy and Black Sabbath. You can take a look at the full lineup per day by clicking HERE.

As I was travelling around Austria and Eastern Europe I couldn’t attend all three days of the festival due to time and money restrictions, so this review is solely in regards to Day 2, with focus on the performances by Trivium, Anthrax, Amon Amarth and Iron Maiden. Unfortunately (or not), I couldn’t stay later to see “The Hoff” singing the hit song Du or doing whatever he was going to do there.

NOVA ROCK FESTIVAL: Where to Stay, How to Get There and Overall Organization

If you’re planning on attending Nova Rock next year for only one or two of the three days of the festival, or if you’re not a huge fan of camping sites, the two best options available are staying in the capital Vienna (about 70km from Nickelsdorf) and driving for about one hour or taking the train to the festival, or staying in the very pleasant city of Bratislava, in Slovakia, which is only 40km from Nickelsdorf (or a quick 40-minute drive). We chose to stay in Bratislava, mainly because it was our first time in Slovakia and our chance to know that amazing city, and we do not regret that at all: it’s a lot cheaper than Vienna, the food and drinks are amazing, and it is full of breathtaking views like the one of the entire city from the top of the Bratislava Castle during the sunset.

The festival itself was very well-organized, with a huge free parking lot, good camping space, lots of different options to eat, good toilets, decent prices for the merchandise available, and more important than all that, both the blue and the red stages were set up in a way you could see and listen to everything no matter where you were. There were also lots of different activities going on, keeping the fans entertained before their favorite bands hit the stages, including a huge party zone. The only issue this year was the unbearable dust that impregnated the entire festival due to the dry and sunny weather in Nickelsdorf, which was responsible for lots of people wearing bandanas to cover their faces like if they were some kind of outlaws. Anyway, it was better than a heavy storm, especially because driving back to Bratislava all covered in mud wouldn’t have been a nice experience.

TRIVIUM

IMG_1976Because I had some sightseeing to do in the morning and part of the afternoon, I was able to get to Nova Rock only at 4pm, which means I unfortunately missed Epica (and fortunately missed Ghost). However, I was there just in time for one of the best bands of the past 10 years: American Heavy Metal band Trivium started their powerful and fun concert at around 4:30pm setting the crowd on fire, especially the ones in the front row/section. The band’s sonority was better than the last time I saw them, partially thanks to drummer Mat Madiro: he seems to be an excellent replacement for Nick Augusto, helping the band sound more cohesive with him on drums.

A constant presence in previous editions of Nova Rock, the band seemed pretty happy to be back in Austria and, with heavy and technical songs such as Strife, Black, Through Blood and Dirt and Bone and Down from the Sky, Matt Heafy and his crew delivered what in my opinion was the second best show of the day, only behind Iron Maiden. Matt said numerous times the fans were kickin’ ass at Nova Rock, which is an absolute truth, leaving the doors open for more Trivium at future editions of the festivals, maybe one day as the main attraction (and they indeed deserve that opportunity).

Trivium Setlist Nova Rock 2014 2014, Vengeance Falls

Band members
Matt Heafy – lead vocals, guitars
Corey Beaulieu – guitars, backing vocals
Paolo Gregoletto – bass guitar, backing vocals
Mat Madiro – drums

ANTHRAX

IMG_1996After a short break, American Thrash Metal icons Anthrax started their energetic show at around 6pm, showing why they have their spot in the famous “Big Four”. What an amazing performance! Mixing some old mighty classics like Caught in a Mosh, Got the Time, Indians and Antisocial with songs from their latest album from 2011, Worship Music (with highlights to the fun zombie-anthem Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t), Anthrax kept a very positive energy flowing among the fans and got the recognition they deserved from everyone in the end.

Two things should be said about their performance: first of all, in regards to the band members, Joey Belladonna proved one more time why, just like Ozzy, he’s a horrible singer but an incredible frontman. The man doesn’t stop running around the stage, cheering up the fans and making the whole experience of watching Anthrax live really awesome! And Scott Ian might not be the best guitar player in the world, but he is a true Heavy Metal hero, banging his head and delivering lots of awesome heavy riffs during all songs.

And last but not least, the tribute the whole band payed to Dio (R.I.P.) and Dimebag Darrell (R.I.P.) with the banners and the song In the End, and the other tribute to Australian masters AC/DC in the form of a beautiful cover version of T.N.T., just proved how humble all members of Anthrax are and how much they love heavy music. Anthrax were not only an excellent warm-up for Iron Maiden, but a superb lesson in Thrash Metal for everybody at Nova Rock.

Anthrax Setlist Nova Rock 2014 2014

Band members
Joey Belladonna – lead vocals
Scott Ian – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Charlie Benante – drums, percussion
Frank Bello – bass guitar, backing vocals
Jonathan Donais – lead guitar 

AMON AMARTH

IMG_1997Then came one of the most anticipated attractions of the day for me, as I love most of their albums and it was the first time I was able to see them live, but sadly it was not as powerful as I was expecting: Swedish Melodic Death Metal warriors Amon Amarth had a very competent performance, playing some great tunes such as Father of the Wolf, Guardians of Asgaard and The Pursuit of Vikings, and Johan Hegg is becoming one of the top frontman in heavy music. However, probably due to the fatigue everyone was feeling after so many electrifying attractions that day, their concert sounded a bit tiring after a while.

I don’t know if most of the fans there were not that much into their Viking theme, but I saw lots of people simply static and some even yawning during the entire show. I would say that huge festivals are not the best place for a band like Amon Amarth, because let’s face it: singing about Vikings is not considered cool by a huge part of the society, so I’ll wait until they come to Toronto this fall during their own tour to better analyze them live. I’m pretty sure it will be a lot better than their performance at Nova Rock.

Amon Amarth Setlist Nova Rock 2014 2014, Deceiver of the Gods

Band members
Johan Hegg – lead vocals
Olavi Mikkonen – guitar
Johan Söderberg – guitar
Ted Lundström – bass
Fredrik Andersson – drums 

IRON MAIDEN

IMG_2010And at around 9pm, guess what happened? My sixth “Maiden England” concert, which was also my second one in less than a week (and of course the second of this Maiden England Tour 2014), was once again totally awesome. Because it was a festival, which means you’ll find all types of people there and not only true Maidenmaniacs, I just felt the audience wasn’t as great as in Brno, but that doesn’t mean people didn’t go crazy with classics like Aces High, Run to the Hills, The Prisoner and The Trooper. Revelations was again one of the top moments in my opinion, and the energy people put into singing Fear of the Dark always reminds us why they keep it in the setlist even if lots of diehard fans want them to change it for something else.

I’m not sure if the band was running out of time or if they just wanted to end the show earlier to watch the World Cup match between England and Italy, but without any further explanation they simply removed Wrathchild from that night’s setlist. I bet it was because of the match, as Bruce was wearing a weird English white jumpsuit during Aces High and said a couple of times that we all had to get back to our tents to see England beat Italy 10-0. Well, I guess Mick Jagger is not the only jinx around.

Apart from that minor upset (I’m talking about Wrathchild, not about England losing to Italy, of course), all fans were able to witness another memorable performance from the most influential Heavy Metal band of all time, which was corroborated by everybody happily singing Monty Python’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life when the concert was over. Now I really hope “Maiden England” is over (after three years) and they come back with a new album, because although I’m 100% passionate about all those classics, I also love when Bruce, Steve & Co. provide us some fresh compositions. Let’s hope they deliver us something as good as The Final Frontier, and that they keep on rockin’ all over the world with their unique and marvelous tours.

Iron Maiden Setlist Nova Rock 2014, Maiden England - European Tour 2014

Band members
Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
Dave Murray – guitars
Adrian Smith – guitars, backing vocals
Janick Gers – guitars
Nicko McBrain – drums

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Album Review – Iron Knights / Iron Knights (2014)

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Behold the Iron Knights, as they’re ready to rock.

Rating4

coverFinally after almost two years since their debut album, and especially after some huge lineup changes (only bassist Paul “Beam” Robbie and drummer Lawrence “Larry” Paterson remain from the original lineup), British Heavy Metal warriors Iron Knights are back with a new release, the excellent self-titled album Iron Knights, which will surely please all fans of that raw “old school” heavy music from the 80’s.

If someone asks me to summarize the music from the new and invigorated Iron Knights, who by the way ditched their pseudonyms a while ago and have been using their actual names since then, I would say it’s pure Heavy Metal created by the fusion of hot metal blood from New Zealand with an absolute passion for heavy music from the UK. All band members sound totally fired up and excited, which translates into great music full of stamina, and in my opinion the addition of British singer and guitarist Jamie Gibson (ex-Possession) was crucial for their new “formula” to actually work. As Mr. Larry Paterson stated in his interview to this webzine a couple of months ago, “The new stuff coming out is sounding really strong to my ears and I can’t wait to get it on the road.”

We can say Larry was absolutely right in his statement as soon as we hit “play” and the amazing opening track, Transparent, fills our ears with pure Heavy Metal:  a very traditional intro, extremely heavy riffs, pounding drums, some Thrash Metal elements from bands such as Anthrax, and an awesome chorus that will work perfectly live with the fans screaming “I SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU!” with the band, are the perfect mix for inflaming the listener and making him start headbanging like hell. And the band keeps on rockin’ with Falling from Grace, with its Southern Metal riff, lots of groove and a very pleasant melody, and the 80’s Thrash Metal sonority from Vicious Circle, with highlights to the great vocals by Jamie Gibson on top of all the shredding and fast beats.

The next track, a ballad named A Chapter’s Lesion, might not be bad but it sounds a little generic, maybe showing the band should stick to the heavier and faster music from the first three songs, which is proven in Genocide, with its very traditional heavy sonority full of interesting riffs, guitar solos and especially the breaks halfway through the song. Then we have the good Cry for Help, with its intro and riffs a little similar to Iron Maiden’s classic “Flight of Icarus”, where it’s clear how much the band members put their hearts and souls into this album. Moreover, I could see this song being played a lot at most Rock N’ Roll radios in North America if the band had signed with a major record label.

IronKnightsAlthough the last two original tracks in Iron Knights might be completely different in terms of speed and violence, they are truly awesome and achieve their purpose almost flawlessly: I’m pretty sure Mr. Larry Paterson loves to play what is the best song of the album for me, Blind, a fast, heavy and furious mix of Heavy and Thrash Metal with a magnificent chorus; while Jacob’s Ladder, the second ballad of the album, is a lot better than the first one due to all the emotion in it, and besides, it gets a lot heavier after 3 minutes, ending the album in a very energetic way.

Last but not least, in regards to the bonus tracks (all re-recordings of some songs from their 2012 album New Sound of War), they’re all very powerful and perfect for hitting the road, especially the amazing Jericho. The only thing I didn’t understand in the album is the absence of the awesome single “Destroyer”. What the hell happened to it? I thought it was going to be part of the album for sure. Anyway, I downloaded it a while ago and will simply add it to my album folder as an “additional” bonus track.

And after Iron Knights (which can be purchased at the band’s official online shop) is over, you’ll probably grab another beer, hit “play” again and enjoy this great traditional Heavy Metal album one more time, because that’s how things should be when the music in question is not only good, but also potent and rightful. So behold the Iron Knights, as those guys are ready to rock and keep the fire of Heavy Metal alive, hopefully for many years to come.

Best moments of the album: Transparent, Vicious Circle, Blind and Jacob’s Ladder.

Worst moments of the album: A Chapter’s Lesion.

Released in 2014 Metalbox Recordings

Track listing
1. Transparent 5:05
2. Falling from Grace 3:41
3. Vicious Circle 3:47
4. A Chapter’s Lesion 4:20
5. Genocide 4:00
6. Cry for Help 4:42
7. Blind 3:21
8. Jacob’s Ladder 4:39

Bonus tracks (re-recorded from New Sound of War)
9. Bloodstorm 3:54
10. The Messenger 4:33
11. Jericho 4:21

Band members
Jamie Gibson – vocals, guitars
Wayne Mann – guitars
Paul “Beam” Robbie – bass
Lawrence “Larry” Paterson – drums

Album Review – Voice of Ruin / Morning Wood (2014)

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Time to have fun, bang your heads and get into circle pits with some crazy motherfuckin’ Death Metal “farmers” from Switzerland.

Rating4

VOR-MorningWoodAccording to the most reliable source of information in the world, the always detailed and precise Wikipedia, morning wood is “an informal term referring to the phenomenon of nocturnal penile tumescence (erection) during and immediately following sleep.” However, the “morning wood” I’m about to discuss here won’t probably have that effect on you, but instead some headbanging, beer drinking and an urge to get into violent circle pits. I’m talking about the new album by Swiss Death Metal band Voice of Ruin, affectionately called Morning Wood, the second in their career.

This crazy Nyon-based band was born in 2008 and since then have spread their explicit heavy music all over the world, releasing an EP named The Crash in 2009 and their self-titled debut album Voice of Ruin in 2011, leading them to share the stage which big names such as Entombed, Tankard, Fleshgod Apocalypse and The Black Dahlia Murder. Let’s say the whole idea behind Voice of Ruin is quite similar to what American Hard Rock band Steel Panther do, but taking it to the next level of heavy music, which is speeding up things a little more and using guttural vocals instead of high-pitched screams. In other words, they replaced that sexist Hair Metal for a more brutal Death Metal/Metalcore, or as Voice of Run say about themselves, “Horny Farmer Metal”.

But it’s when the intro Welcome To The Stud Farm starts that you realize the band is far from being a joke:  Voice of Ruin play a very professional and melodic Death Metal, with a sonority similar to bands like Arch Enemy and Carcass, which can also be verified with the first actual song of the album, Party Hard. Let the party begin with this fuckin’ heavy song and its smashing drums and melodic riffs in the background, while singer Randy Bull screams lots of “beautiful” words! However, things get even better (and heavier) with their tribute to the greatest anti-hero of all time, Machete Cortez. The excellent song Through The Eyes Of Machete is a fuckin’ furious track with more fast drumming and even some Black Metal moments, with highlights to the totally funny lyrics full of poetic moments such as “Even Steven Seagal can’t beat him at this game / Don’t hire a hitman: no one will ever hurt this name”. Check their official lyric video for it below and you’ll be able to see what I’m talking about.

The farm party goes on with Day Of Rage, a nice mix of modern American Thrash and Death Metal (with the lyrics this time having a regular message); The Rise Of Nothing, with its Melodic Death Metal riffs and totally “meaningful” lyrics; the title-track Morning Wood, a very Metalcore track, especially due to the clean vocals, with excellent instrumental; and another top moment of the entire album, the awesome Viols Désinvoltes:  not only the entire song is sung in French, which adds an extra touch of energy to it, but the excellent job done with the guitars by Nils Bag and Tony Cock is way above average.

VOR_picture_webThe following track, Cock’n Bulls, has a pretty heavy sonority with good riffs and guitar solos, and a very “romantic” music video tailored for the whole family, while the excellent instrumental Today Will End sounds very similar to what Arch Enemy enjoys doing and really pumps the listener up to the fuckin’ heavy and amazing Sex For Free, with its French and English lyrics and great chorus. This is a song that surely proves those farmers were born for playing Heavy Metal instead of just milking some cows in Switzerland.

Finally, we have what can be considered the band’s “circle pit anthem”, Big Dick, with riffs similar to some stuff from Austrian Death Machine, together with nice music breaks and guitar solos throughout the song; and the song Dirty closing the album, which despite its interesting lyrics (“Sadism and masochism / Perverse and obsessed / Lovers and romantics / Sodom and Gomorrah”) sounds a bit generic compared to the rest of the album. The album art showing a bull and some girls, created by Chromatorium, complements the message the band wants to send to the listener, with the bull representing their heavy music while the girls are portraying the lyrics.

In short, Morning Wood is a very fun album that will please most fans of heavy riffs, explicit lyrics and brutal vocals for sure, and also an excellent option for headbangers who are looking for new bands full of energy to get into some wild mosh pits with their friends. Furthermore, you can stream the entire album and check the album art and lyrics at Voice of Ruin’s bandcamp page, and of course purchase it if you enjoy what you listen to. And to be fair, those guys deserve a shot, especially because high-quality Death Metal from Swiss farmers is not something we can find everywhere we go.

Best moments of the album: Through The Eyes Of Machete, Viols Désinvoltes and Sex For Free.

Worst moments of the album: The Rise Of Nothing and Dirty.

Released in 2014 Tenacity Music

Track listing
1. Welcome To The Stud Farm 1:27
2. Party Hard 3:58
3. Through The Eyes Of Machete 3:55
4. Day Of Rage 4:30
5. The Rise Of Nothing 4:30
6. Morning Wood 4:20
7. Viols Désinvoltes 4:17
8. Cock’n Bulls 3:27
9. Today Will End 2:41
10. Sex For Free 4:06
11. Big Dick 4:27
12. Dirty 4:09

Band members
Randy Bull – vocals
Nils Bag – guitar
Tony Cock – guitar
Erwin Van Fox – bass, clean vocals
Oli Dick – drums

Metal Chick of the Month – Dani Nolden

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You know what I am… An angel with horns!

Brazil has a lot more to offer than just samba, caipirinha and half-naked mulatas dancing during Carnival. Especially in regards to women there, that stereotype really makes me sick: I guess not even 1% of the Brazilian girls are like that, and a very good example is the stunning Daniela Nolden, or simply Dani Nolden, lead singer of Brazilian Heavy Metal band Shadowside.

Dani Nolden was born on December 26, 1982 in the coastal city of Santos, Brazil, located about 70 km from the city of São Paulo and 500 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro. She started her life in music at the age of 8, taking piano lessons, but after she was introduced to bands such as Guns N’ Roses, Judas Priest and Skid Row, she took a completely different path of what their parents were expecting from her. She then became a Metal/Rock singer and songwriter, being with many independent bands until founding Shadowside back in 2001. The band then reached some success and status in the world of heavy music in its first year of existence, being one of the opening bands for the South American/Brazilian tours of Nightwish and Primal Fear.

In the following years, Dani Nolden and her band Shadowside literally “went places”: in 2006, Shadowside supported German Heavy Metal icons Helloween during their tour in Brazil; in 2007, the band won the AirPlay Direct‘s  “All Things Digital Hard Rock/Heavy Metal” among over 1,000 bands worldwide; and due to that exposure they signed a major worldwide deal and began touring the United States, Europe and South America, performing with bands such as Iron Maiden, W.A.S.P., Kittie, Sepultura and Temple of Brutality (feat. David Ellefson of Megadeth). One of Dani’s career highlights happened during Shadowside’s first US tour in 2008, at the Flight of the Valkyries festival in St. Paul, Minnesota, when she shared the stage with American heavy metal band Benedictum for a few Dio cover songs as part of an exclusive performance.

To date, Dani has recorded one EP and three full-length albums with Shadowside, being responsible for the vocals and keyboards in all recordings: Shadowside – Demo EP (2001), Theatre of Shadows (2005), Dare to Dream (2009), and Inner Monster Out (2011). By the way, the album Theatre of Shadows brings an awesome cover version for Dio’s unique classic Rainbow in the Dark, where Dani beautifully shows all her vocal range and potency. Besides Shadowside, Dani has also played with the symphonic band Sphaera Rock Orchestra, a project created by musician Alexey Kurkdjian that mixes Classical and Rock music, and appeared as a guest vocalist with the Brazilian Power Metal band Soulspell during their 2011 tour. She also works as a music consultant for the company The Ultimate Music when she’s not recording or on tour with her band.

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Her biggest influences in music include Heavy Metal legends Iron Maiden, Helloween, Nightwish and Sepultura, Hard Rock giants W.A.S.P., Skid Row and Guns N’ Roses, and more modern or contemporary bands like Disturbed, Soilwork and Rammstein. Moreover, she mentioned in an interview that if she had to choose only one band or artist for the “tour of her dreams”, that band would certainly be Iron Maiden. Up the Irons, Dani!

Last but not least, when this gorgeous metalhead is not doing anything related to her career with Shadowside, she enjoys playing videogames, reading books, watching movies, surfing, and practicing Kung Fu. She also loves soccer, which might be her biggest Brazilian characteristic, even being a teenage soccer player before having to abandon that potential career due to her increasing amount of work and tours with Shadowside. I know the world of heavy music is a lot better with Dani Nolden as a Heavy Metal singer rather than as a soccer player, but I guess no one would mind watching a simply stunning epic duel between our “Metal Chick of the Month” for Brazil and Hope Solo for the United States, don’t you agree? At least visually speaking, that would be a lot more pleasant to watch than any of the matches between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Dani Nolden’s Official Facebook page
Dani Nolden’s Official Twitter

“Dare to dream, it just might come true!” – Dani Nolden

Album Review – One Machine / The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth (2014)

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Five excellent musicians join forces to create a true Heavy Metal machine.

Rating5

CoverLet’s keep talking about supergroups with the debut album The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth from Thrash/Heavy Metal band One Machine, featuring Steve Smyth (Testament, Nevermore, Forbidden, Dragonlord, Vicious Rumors) and Jamie Hunt (Biomechanical) on the guitars, Mikkel Sandager (Mercenary) on vocals, Tomas “O’Beast” Koefoed (Mnemic) on bass, and Raphael Saini (Chaoswave) on drums (later replaced by Michele Sanna, but he was the one that recorded the drums on the album). All band members were carefully selected by Smyth, who wanted to create a unique sound with classic and modern influences, and I must admit he was able to do it.

Although it’s far from being the most creative Heavy Metal album in the world, The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth offers us a very good mix of traditional Heavy Metal and more modern American Thrash and Nu Metal, which becomes totally clear with the opening track, the excellent The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth, with its imposing intro and riffs, fast rhythm and an amazing job done by vocalist Mikkel Sandager. Fans of Testament and Forbidden will surely enjoy the next track, Crossed Over, especially the riffs and chorus, while Kill The Hope Inside has a modern Thrash Metal approach commonly found in many North American bands nowadays.

BandThe following tracks of the album are Armchair Warriors, which reminds me a little of the latest Arch Enemy albums mainly due to its riffs and drumming; Defiance, a regular song not as good as its predecessors; and One Machine, with highlights to the amazing bass lines by Tomas “O’Beast” Koefoed and beautiful guitar solos by Smyth.

The last part of the album starts with Into Nothing, a heavy semi-ballad that despite having almost 7 minutes is not boring at all, and Evict The Enemy, which has lots of elements of Nu Metal, especially the vocals and riffs. Then come the beautiful and dark ballad Last Star Alights, again with a superb done by Sandager on vocals and an amazing solo by Smyth at the end of the song, and Freedom And Pain, a pure Thrash Metal sonic massacre that if played live will surely generate huge mosh pits for the total delight of everyone attending the event. The last part of this song is absolutely amazing, where the guitar solos, fast drums and intense bass sound exactly how Thrash Metal music should.

Moreover, the professionalism with which each musician treats the music in the album helps improve its overall quality, as well as the beautiful album art symbolizing the “one machine” as each human being struggling to survive in a decaying industrialized world. Another interesting fact about it is that the album was mixed by world-renowned musician Roy Z, who has also been involved in the mixing and production of some classic albums from Judas Priest, Bruce Dickinson and Halford.

To sum up, this album is definitely worth a try, mainly because the “supergroup” label is ignored by the band, which is much more interested in producing some high-quality heavy music for all types of metalheads instead of relying only on their names to sell the album.

Best moments of the album: The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth, Armchair Warriors and Freedom And Pain.

Worst moments of the album: Defiance and Evict The Enemy.

Released in 2014 Scarlet Records

Track listing
1. The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth 3:56
2. Crossed Over 3:46
3. Kill The Hope Inside 4:55
4. Armchair Warriors 5:23
5. Defiance 5:04
6. One Machine 6:26
7. Into Nothing 6:47
8. Evict The Enemy 4:55
9. Last Star Alights 5:30
10. Freedom And Pain 5:07

Band members
Steve Smyth – guitar
Mikkel Sandager – vocals
Jamie Hunt – rhythm guitar
Tomas “O’Beast” Koefoed (Mnemic) – bass
Raphael Saini – drums

Album Review – Ektomorf / Retribution (2014)

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A very good “primitive” album from a relatively new Eastern European Groove/Thrash Metal band.

Rating5

ektomorf_retributionAlthough Retribution is already Ektomorf’s 9th studio album, it’s the first one from this Groove/Thrash Metal Hungarian band founded in 1993 I’ve ever listened to, and to be honest with you I felt really happy to know there are still some new bands in the world doing this more primitive and aggressive type of music, even though it’s not totally original.

I read somewhere that due to the gypsy background from lead singer/founder Zoltán “Zoli” Farkas (he’s from Mezőkovácsháza, a small Hungarian city near the border of Romania), he faced a lot of racism and prejudice that held back Ektomorf from an international career. Fortunately, it seems all this bullshit is being expunged from our society and replaced by wise people willing to listen to good heavy music, no matter where it comes from.

Retribution starts in a very brutal way with the excellent song You Can’t Control Me, whose intro, heavy riffs and constant pounding already remind me of the musicality from Sepultura, Soulfly and even Slipknot. One characteristic found not only in this track, but in the whole album, is Zoli’s pronounced Eastern European accent: it’s not bad though, just different, and ends up adding something more rudimentary or “primeval” to the overall quality of the album.

When I listened to the next track, the groovier Ten Plagues, I immediately thought about Max Cavalera being probably one of Zoli’s biggest idols, as well as Anders Fridén, from Swedish Melodic Death Metal icons In Flames. The following track, Face Your Fear, sounds like a heavy sequence to the previous track, while Escape has a more modern sonority and it’s the closest one to the American Nu Metal. Then comes Who The Fuck Are You, the most Thrash Metal track of Retribution, and probably the one with the angriest lyrics of all too.

The album goes on with Numb And Sick, with its great riffs and the clean vocals from Cris Machado (Ill Niño) complementing Zoli’s guttural, making it one of the best of the album. In my humble opinion, this type of partnership with some established North American bands like Ill Niño is extremely important, as it’s usually what opens the doors in the United States and Canada to bands from different parts of the world, like Ektomorf, something that North America is in desperate need due to the amount of prefabricated junk we have to swallow down every single day while watching TV or listening to the radio here.

ektomorfGetting back to Retribution, Lost And Destroyed is for me the weakest track of the album, mainly due to the lack of violence, while Souls Of Fire is totally based on the music from Sepultura, especially from Against or Sepulnation, with its awesome rampant rythym. Then Ektomorf offer us an excellent and damn heavy version for Verbal Abuse’s I Hate You: although I still prefer the version from my Thrash Metal heroes Slayer, I must admit Zoli and his crew did an astounding job here too. Another very good track is Watch Me, which is even more inspired by Sepultura, more specifically in the song Dusted from the classic album Roots.

The last part of the album has Mass Ignorance, another violent track with great riffs and vocals; Save Me, which is a lot slower than the rest of the album, but as heavy as hell anyway; and  Whisper, a song with a very interesting riff and many music elements from bands such as In Flames and Soilwork. The CD version also contains a bonus track called Collapsed Bridge, a nice semi-acoustic ballad where it’s possible to notice the band’s gypsy influences.

The very inspired album art is also another highlight of Retribution, and again it might be just me but I can see a high influence from Sepultura’s Roots and Against there too. In summary, a very good album from a band not many people know about, and a great step for a band that should gain more respect and grow musically and creatively speaking in their path to success.

Best moments of the album: You Can’t Control Me, Numb And Sick, Souls Of Fire and I Hate You.

Worst moments of the album: Lost And Destroyed and Save Me.

Released in 2014 AFM Records

Track listing
1. You Can’t Control Me 2:15
2. Ten Plagues 3:20
3. Face Your Fear 2:23
4. Escape 3:24
5. Who The Fuck Are You 2:32
6. Numb And Sick (feat. Cris Machado) 2:42
7. Lost And Destroyed 4:09
8. Souls Of Fire 4:26
9. I Hate You (Verbal Abuse cover) 2:08
10. Watch Me 3:23
11. Mass Ignorance 2:42
12. Save Me 2:50
13. Whisper 5:56

CD bonus track
14. Collapsed Bridge 3:07

Band members
Zoltán “Zoli” Farkas – vocals, guitar
Tamás “Tomi” Schrottner – guitar
Szabolcs “Szabi” Murvai – bass
Róbert Jaksa – drums

Guest musicians
Cris Machado – clean vocals on “Numb And Sick”

Album Review – Skeletonwitch / Serpents Unleashed (2013)

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The ‘Witch returns with 31 minutes of pure destruction.

Rating4

Serpents_UnleashedThe first time I saw or listened to Skeletonwitch was back in 2011 when they were one of the opening acts for Arch Enemy here in Toronto (the other opening acts were DevilDriver and Chthonic, just so you can imagine how awesome that night was), and since then I’ve become really interested in their brutal music. Now this band from Ohio is back with another extremely heavy album, Serpents Unleashed, which is already being considered by many the best Thrash/Death Metal album of 2013 (you can listen to the entire album here) . And after listening to it, I kind of agree with that.

The opening track (and also the title-track) Serpents Unleashed is Hell on Earth! What a ferocious and intense massacre! Moreover, I like the fact they usually add many Black Metal elements to their music without sounding like a Black Metal band, which is already clear from the very beginning of the song. Beneath Dead Leaves keeps up with the devastation with its insane drums, pretty good riffs and crazy solos, while I Am of Death (Hell Has Arrived) is heavy, fast and has all the elements the fans of the band love in it. I saw the video for it a while ago and I have to say that it wouldn’t have been so great with a different song; it’s the best song of the album in my opinion.

The next tracks are From a Cloudless Sky, which has a nice intro and captivating riffs, and I can imagine how crazy the circle pits are going to be when it’s played live;  Burned from Bone, another fast tempo song with some more Black Metal elements (especially the riffs); and Unending, Everliving, a song that starts slowly if compared to the previous tracks, but then resumes the accelerated speed of the album.

SkeletonwitchThe second half of the album begins with Blade on the Flesh, Blood on My Hands, an intense song full of non-stop drums and riffs and a good chorus. It’s definitely another recommended track for some good mosh pits if played live. Then comes This Evil Embrace, which reminds me a little of some old Slayer songs, with a chorus that is pure Black Metal and the best guitar solo of the whole album. The worst song of Serpents Unleashed is Unwept: despite not actually being a bad song, it sounds too generic for me and lacks some creativity. The following track has the coolest name of all, Born of the Light That Does Not Shine, and delivers some more musical brutality for the delight of all Skeletonwitch fans. The album ends with its longest song More Cruel Than Weak (the only one with over 4 minutes), which provides us some high quality riffs and drums, and of course, a lot of violence.

The lyrics are gruesome as usual, but I guess you’re not expecting them to start singing about butterflies and unicorns, right? And finally, the album has an astonishing front cover: it looks like they hired a very talented Gothic artist from the 15th century to paint it! I love when the album art is not some generic computer-based image and adds a lot to the whole concept of the album, like what happens with Serpents Unleashed.

In summary, the ‘Witch proves again why they’re considered one of the best bands of the Thrash/Death Metal scene, with Chance Garnette doing an exceptional job with his unique guttural vocals. That guy sings like the most evil and hideous witch in the history of mankind, something that became a trademark in Skeletonwitch’s music. One might say the songs are too short, but remember that’s how Slayer has always released their albums, and all songs in Serpents Unleashed are as heavy as they can be. It’s just a matter of quality over quantity.

One final interesting fact about Serpents Unleash is that the band is even selling a pretty cool cassette tape version of it, just when we thought those types of media were long gone. Well, a lot of people thought heavy music was dead and gone years ago, but as you can see with bands like Skeletonwitch pulverizing everything, they were fuckin’ wrong.

Best moments of the album: Serpents Unleashed, I Am of Death (Hell Has Arrived) and This Evil Embrace.

Worst moments of the album: Unending, Everliving and Unwept.

Released in 2013 Prosthetic Records

Track listing
1. Serpents Unleashed 2:11
2. Beneath Dead Leaves 3:07
3. I Am of Death (Hell Has Arrived) 2:47
4. From a Cloudless Sky 2:48
5. Burned from Bone 2:39
6. Unending, Everliving 3:03
7. Blade on the Flesh, Blood on My Hands 2:26
8. This Evil Embrace 3:39
9. Unwept 2:25
10. Born of the Light That Does Not Shine 2:18
11. More Cruel Than Weak 4:18

Band members
Chance Garnette – lead vocals
Nate “N8 Feet Under” Garnette – guitars
Scott “Scunty D.” Hedrick – guitars
Evan “Loosh” Linger – bass
Dustin Boltjes – drums

Concert Review – Slayer (Kool Haus,Toronto, ON, 11/21/2013)

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Is it a tornado? Is it a tsunami? No, it’s motherfuckin’ OLD SCHOOL SLAYER NIGHT in Toronto!

OPENING ACTS: 4ARM and Gojira

Yesterday night was one of those things that will be forever in our minds, hearts, aching necks and torn muscles. I must admit I was really tired after a full day at work, and driving from Oakville to Toronto when it’s raining it’s not fun at all, but what happened at the Kool Haus last night was worth every minute spent in traffic downtown.

Before I start, I have to say something amazing I saw lat night, which was the huge number of parents with their small kids at the concert. There was this father with his son, who was pretty excited for the concert, so I asked him how old his boy was and he said “he’s 11 now”. That’s about when I started listening to Slayer! That made me sleep better this night (even with my neck killing me), knowing the future of mankind doesn’t look so bad while we still have headbanging kids like that.

The first band of the night was 4ARM, from Melbourne, which means we have another good Metal band from Australia now. It was a decent concert that I liked a lot, even though I knew nothing about their career. Quick question: why do over 50% of the metalheads today, including band members, look so much like Jesus Christ even when singing about Jesus being a lie is their favorite topic? Anyway, that was a good warm-up for the rest of the night and a good chance to enjoy some beers while listening to some fuckin’ heavy tunes.

Then came Gojira, or Godzilla in Japanese, which by the way was the original name of the band. If you like to bang your head non-stop like a mutherfucker, you must listen to this neck-breaking French band: they are far from being the fastest band in the world, but they’re as heavy as an obese elephant and perfect for having a beer and smashing your neck. I don’t know a lot about the band; however, songs like L’Enfant Sauvage and The Heaviest Matter of the Universe sounded excellent for live concerts. Merci beaucoup, Gojira, for such a nice performance!

And it was so funny between Gojira and Slayer, when the DJ was playing some AC/DC songs and some guys (including myself) started singing “Aaaaaaaa… SLAYER! Aaaaaaaa… SLAYER!”, instead of “thunder” in Thunderstruck. There are things that only Slayer fans can do.

SLAYER

IMG_1445Whoever is responsible for the management of the venue can definitely change its name to “Kool Hell” or “Slaughter Haus” from now on. I think any Slayer concert should be used for human population control, especially if it’s an OLD SCHOOL SLAYER NIGHT like last night in Toronto. The mosh pits were insane; it was like Hell on Earth! In fact, the entire venue was a mosh pit.

Talking about the concert itself and the band, and I know it doesn’t matter what or how I say it here, I’ll never be able to describe in words the perfection of the show. I’ve seen Slayer live a lot of times (how the hell am I still alive?), and they’ve never disappointed me. Slayer always delivers a brutally awesome performance on stage, no matter where they are. When the intro to the classic Hell Awaits started and the white sheet that was covering the stage went down, there they were: Tom, Kerry, Gary and Paul, all ready for some fuckin’ Thrash Metal, and the fans answered the best way possible with a crazy mosh pit.

After that it was a sequence of old classics to make all diehard fans go crazy: the fast Antichrist and Necrophiliac, the cool Mandatory Suicide and Captor of Sin, and then we had the havoc anthem War Ensemble. There’s nothing I can say about this song except HOLY FUCKIN’ SHIT! And when I thought I could have a break and breathe for a few seconds, they come with an avalanche of classics including some of my all-time favorite Slayer songs such as At Dawn They Sleep, Die by the Sword and Spirit in Black. Do you want to rest now? No, you don’t, because the next song is Seasons in the Abyss, which was sung out loud by all fans at the venue in a celebration of Thrash Metal.

IMG_1456

R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman!

Although we all love Jeff Hanneman (RIP) and respect that amazing punk attitude he brought to Slayer, we have to admit Gary Holt is a beast and a perfect fit for Slayer. I don’t want him to leave/end Exodus, no way, but the Thrash Metal riff master adds so much value to Slayer that it’s impossible to think of anyone else that could replace him now. And as a tribute to one of the most underrated guitar masters of all time, Kerry and Tom decided to add the magnificent Strike of the Beast to their entire tour. Holy shit, that was brutal and unforgettable! And just when things didn’t seem they could get more awesome, Slayer provides us another annihilating sequence with Dead Skin Mask (also sung by everybody there), one of the most violent songs in the world and one of my favorites Raining Blood, and the fuckin’ old school Black Magic. Was it the end (of the world)? No, there was still time for the encore, the famous one with the Heineken/Jeff Hanneman flag on the back with the obscure South of Heaven and my top Thrash Metal track of all, the slashing anthem Angel of Death. Although in my opinion Dave Lombardo shouldn’t have left Slayer, I feel really good with the monster Paul Bostaph on drums, and what he did in Angel of Death just confirmed my feelings.

Finally, it’s always a pleasure to see Tom Araya and Kerry King playing live. The first is always so serene and enjoys so much having a good time with the fans (he even  demanded the security guys to bring back one fan that was supposedly doing something wrong and was about to be expelled), while the other is an unstoppable shredding machine with his pretty evil guitar.

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I swear I tried hard to find a Metallica T-shirt, but there was none. The Kool Haus in Toronto was a huge SLAYER NATION (the T-shirt I got yesterday!) last night, with no room for pussies. Well, there were many girls there, but they were not pussies at all (although they do have one): they were slamming in the pit with no mercy of the poor (or lucky?) guys close to them. Next time someone tells me Metallica is heavier than Slayer, I’m going to slap that stupid idiot in the face.

I didn’t see a single person that was just “OK” when that Armageddon came to an end. Quite the contrary, everybody was exhausted, sweating like a pig, but with an immense smile on their faces. I unfortunately hit a guy’s nose with the back of my head, and it might have hurt a lot on him (I feel so sorry for that guy). I also got a kind of a bruised eye, but nothing compared to a guy with a full black eye I saw when the show was over. My neck and the rest of the body hurt like if I was smashed by a steamroller, but hey, that’s FUCKIN’ SLAYER! No ballads, no acoustic shit, just pure fuckin’ Heavy Metal. Was it raining in Toronto when the show was over? Yes, but who cares? Inside the venue it was RAINING BLOOD, and I can’t wait to see my Thrash Metal heroes live again.

Slayer Setlist Kool Haus, Toronto, ON, Canada, North American Tour 2013

Band members

Tom Araya – lead vocals, bass guitar
Kerry King – guitars
Gary Holt – guitars
Paul Bostaph – drums