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Dominici - O3 A Trilogy Part II (InsideOut
Music) By: Joe Florez |
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Yes, this is Charles
Dominici that was on the debut disc from Dream Theater. What I
didn’t realize was that he has been in the industry for a long
time. Since the late 60’s to be exact. He had a stint with AOR
rockers Frankie And The Knockouts before forming the prog gods
DT. Well, he has kept busy by releasing Trilogy part one
himself and now Insideout has signed him for a bigger distro
deal and this is the result. Apparently, the third and final
instalment will come later and the story will wrap up. The
gang’s opening track “The Monster” is an eight and half minute
instrumental that is epic in every way. The sound is huge as
the drums are technical, yet rhythmic and destructive.
Meanwhile there is plenty of |
keyboard
wizardry and the guitar work is consistent and fancy. This is
a mature composition that is layered nicely for an end result
that is nothing short of impressive. Make no mistake that just
because Chuck was in Theater in the past that the music would
carry over, because it really doesn’t. He has his own path to
pave and does it nicely. “Nowhere To Hide” is where things
really begin to cook. Charlie’s voice has really been able to
stand the test of time as he is in rare form. The band
outshine themselves with performances that are stellar.
Everything is beefed up here for a tougher, more rugged, yet
clean sound that is superbly energetic and huge. Each member
is given a chance to showcase their talents and do so with
tremendous success. The best part is that the song is capable
of being easily accessible especially to those that aren’t
really into the genre. The story really begins to unfold with
“Captured” which is highly detailed and if you want to know
the story, go to the website because it’s long and detailed.
It’s clear that Mr. Dominici has a knack for having the talent
to dish out a story that is easy to understand and manage to
hold your interest much in the vein of “Operation Mindcrime.”
Each song is crafted with great care here and it shows. This
gang does their own thing and while they are clumped in the
prog category they don’t rip off anyone. If you like your
music layered nicely with rich textures of melodic yet
aggressive riffs, precise drumming, soaring vocals and
keyboard work that’ll blow your mind, then this is your ticket
to paradise. Dive in.
www.insideoutmusic.com |
www.dominici.com |
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Echoes Of Eternity - The Forgotten Goddess
(Nuclear Blast) By: Joe Florez |
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This is a new female
fronted band from the L.A. area with Euro influences. After
the intro “Burning With Life” with it’s haunting voices is out
of the way., “Expressions Of Flesh” takes off running with
these Iced Earth like riffs that are lightning quick and drum
work that flies. So, in essence this is a power metal
composition with soft, gentle and sweet singing from Francine.
The only thing here is that this doesn’t mix well. You have
all this aggressiveness meshed with beautiful lungs and it
sounds odd. Now, if this track was more epic and bombastic
like Leaves Eyes, then that would be better suited. This is
not the case here. Also the other thing that gets me is that
Francine comes off like Liv Kristine and while |
| that is
a compliment, Ms. Boucher should focus on finding her own
identity. The song is mixed with moments of progressiveness
and maturity. The song is good, but the vocals should have
been beefed up here. “Voices In A Dream” begins with more
quick moments, but things slowly settle down thanks to the
acoustic guitars being utilized and the bands pacing goes from
highly energetic to a mid-pacing that fit’s the voice better.
You get some killer guitar work during the breakdowns and
solos and in the end, the pieces of the puzzle come together
nicely. The title track offers more lean and mean riffing and
skin bashing with technical musicianship that makes this an
interesting ride to be on. I have to say that while I don’t
enjoy this style of music much anymore, I do like what EOE
have to offer. You can easily hear all of the influences
through each of the tracks. At least the songs aren’t as
delicate as the singing. They took a chance on injecting some
much needed energy to keep things from being boring and it
works. The production is top notch, but the only thing that
needs to shift a little bit is the voice. If she wants to
stand out and quit the constant comparisons that she will be
getting for a long time to come, then she is going to have to
tweak it a bit. Other than that, your Epica, The Gathering,
Liv Kristine, Leaves Eyes, After Forever, and the ilk should
simply melt with this release. It is good and has plenty of
moments that are spiked with vivacious mic work and the songs
have plenty of dynamics to warrant repeat listens.
www.echoesofeternity.net |
www.nuclearblast.de |
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Impious - Holy Murder Masquerade
(Metal Blade) Review by Steve Green |
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The perfect way to
combat illegal downloads, produce a cartoon based inner
booklet that follows the lyrics. Ok, it's not an original idea
(I had a Peter and the Wolf storybook to back up my 7" vinyl
version of the tale when I was a nipper) but it is a nice
touch. And hopefully it'll combat legal downloads too - I like
to see and feel what I buy. I was a fan of vinyl and then of
cds, but I can't see myself enjoying paying for downloads the
same way, even though that's the way the music industry is
heading. Whatever the format of your choice, I'm sure you'll
enjoy this album.
For review purposes only, I'll detail the concept behind Holy
Murder Masquerade, but to |
be honest it's the bludgeoningly marvellous music that has me
hooked. It's like being eighteen again and discovering a whole
new form of music to attach to your very being. It really is
that good and exciting to listen to. Anyway, the story is based on Trent, a member of the god squad and the
story unfolds using the lyrics in speech bubbles in storybook
style to tell the story. Needless to say the story is all
blood and guts and our "friend" Trent does turn out to be a
sick fuck (aren't all religious freaks?) Actors (voices) are
used sporadically throughout to great effect and the whole
package comes off as being very professional and the concept
works on every level.
Since discovering and absolutely falling hook, line and sinker
for Amon Amarth last year (yeah I know I'm slow on the uptake)
I'm enjoying the melodic Swedish Death that has flying my way
recently and this Thrash infused version is also enjoying
heavy rotation on my stereo and I think it'll stay there for
months to come. It falls into the category of "how can you not
like this!" Buy or Die.
www.impious.net |
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Insanity Arises - Insanity Is Your Weapon EP
(Self Release) Review by Steve Green |
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Comparing themselves
to "Swedish orientated Thrash-Death Metal", this young Italian
quintet do indeed make a fearsome Scandinavian inspired noise.
Whilst the thrash and the Swedish death influences, are easy
to see, it's 19 year old vocalist Daniele Rizzetto that has
the twist in the tail. His voice ranges from a high pitched
bark that borders on Norwegian Black Metal, a deep gutteral
deathly growl and a sweet sounding modern edged lilt that
could even encourage your granny into giving you some loving.
Musically, this switches between old and new school with the
thrash element pinning the sound down to a solid slab of
dandruff inducing brilliance and the groove of modern metal
adding a fresh dimension, |
that
will keep Metalheads of all denominations extremely happy.
Don't take my word for it, check out Bloody Painful Life on
their myspace page. Definitely a band to keep an eye on.
www.insanityarise.it |
www.myspace.com/insanityarise |
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Kachana - The Plains of Illyricum
(Self Release) Review by Steve Green |
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It's hard to believe
Kachana have been lurking around the UK's murky underground
for a decade now. With a new(ish) singer in the shape of Tom
Morton and a shiny new sound in tow, I think it's time for
Kachana to finally make some headway. Gone are the bands
death/thrash tendencies and in their place are tight trouser,
bollock grabbing high pitched vocals and a penchant for the
manliness that only Manowar and Journey can offer. True Metal
with a multi-layered, rich vocal tapestry that I think is the
bands key to success. I'm sure guitarists Alex Sarantis and
Dan Beaufort are looking back fondly to their more glamorous
days in Torso (a band that was known to tear up the Swan and
Bottle on gig |
nights
put on by Paul Fozzie-D, now of Thus Defiled, about a decade
ago - ah the memories are flooding back) But on a more serious
note, it's taken ten long years for some members of Kachana to
get this far and this album is stunning and I hope it secures
them the deal they deserve. Forget the fact I know members of
this band, any praise I heap on them is for the quality of
their song-writing and for their performances, which on these
6 songs are absolutely faultless, especially the ebb and flow
of the title track which is a classic in the making.
For those of you that love world-class Power Metal and still
have a love for more traditional values, then I urge you to
check out the new Kachana. With DragonForce leading the
way, there is a chance for UK Metal bands to conquer the World
once again. Buy this for £6 UK, £7 Europe and £8 Rest of the
World at
www.kachana.co.uk |
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Orthodox - Gran Poder (Southern Lord)
By: Dave Schalek |
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A cascading, slow
moving, never ending avalanche of bone crushing doom comprises
“Gran Poder” (translated as “Great Power”), a re-release from
Spain’s Orthodox on American giant Southern Lord. Falling
squarely between the funeral doom style of, say, Catacombs or
Earth, and the more stoner inspired style of Ufomammut along
with some definite moments of drone, Orthodox lumbers through
four, mudslide driven tracks that each seem to build to an
Earth shattering crescendo in a different way.
Case in point is the album’s opener, “Geryon’s Throne”, which
begins with a riff that slowly builds with a drum
accompaniment over the course of ten minutes or so, to the
point where |
the
vocals, very similar to those of Ufommamut, finally arrive.
Sliding into sub-harmonics, dissonant drums, and cymbals that
seem to vibrate endlessly, the song returns to the tortured
vocals and an upbeat tempo before finally tapping out at about
the 27-minute mark.
The other three originals, one of which consists of a piano
driven acoustical interlude, all with Spanish titles, employ
the use of simple riffs that seem to go on forever with
cascading, chaotic drums that, at times, are fairly up tempo,
and elsewhere consist of a single snap every few seconds or
so. Accompanied by a powerful, resonant production that
displays the guitar and bass equally (not to mention some of
the feedback driven harmonics that seem to take on a life all
their own), Orthodox also provides some original vocals that
almost seem to employ a sub-harmonic droning quality of their
own.
Strangely enough, the re-release of “Gran Poder” includes a
bonus cover of “Genocide” by Venom, of all bands, that wasn’t
present on the original release on Alone Records. The cover is
enjoyable enough, but the four original tracks are really the
meat and potatoes of a standout album. Ultimately, all of the
disparate elements present on “Gran Poder” add up to a classic
in the doom genre. Excellent.
www.southernlord.com |
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Rose Hill Drive - Showdown (Megaforce)
Review by Steve Green
Sounding like a nice quiet suburban locale, I put the name of
this rockin' band from Colorado into Streetmap.co.uk and was
surprised to find only 3 roads in the UK with the same name
(Bolton, Barnsley and Sheffield if you are as sad as me and
want to know). Anyway, enough of my meanderings, this is my
first encounter with Rose Hill Drive and I hope it's not my
last as this three tracker has definitely whetted my appetite
for some wholesome rocking.
With 3 different tracks of the same song on offer, a studio
cut, a live track and a demo, you get to see all sides to Rose
Hill Drive and they are all looking pretty from where I'm
sitting. The best way to describe them I guess is electric,
high octane, blues based and with more energy than a coked up
nympho on the set of Pretty Peaches - damn, just got thinking
of that orgy scene at the end where Desiree Cousteau sits on
her Daddys face!!!! Or in layman's terms, imagine a rough
throated version of Chris Cornell, covering Neil Youngs Rockin'
In The Freeworld, who is covering Nirvana's Territorial
Pissings at the same time. Yeah, that good. And to top it all,
this is out on Megaforce Records. How the times are a
changing.
www.rosehilldrive.com |
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