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| April - Tidelines
(Spinefarm) Review by Steve Green |
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This is most definitely NOT my choice of
listening pleasure. Metalsnore.. sorry, Metalcore from, of all
places, Finland. I'll be fair to April, despite their crap
name and less than credible preferred genre of existence, they
are bloody good at what they do. The clean vocals and catchy
choruses are the hardest thing for me to get my head around,
but I'm loving the snappy and caustic riffing, which wouldn't
be out of place on a thrash album. I'll even admit that I
didn't hit the skip button once, which means either my
tolerance levels are rising (which is unlikely with 2 kids
constantly testing my patience - love 'em really) or the fact
that, for what it is, this album is wholly acceptable. Which
cannot be said for some of
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the influences used on the biog. A lot of them are big name
American bands, but I see no comparison with their music and
that of Aprils (the name sounds even worse when used in a
sentence, it sounds like a girlie-goth name) I see them being used solely to sell this
album and I'm not prepared to play ball.
Despite this being released on a renowned Metal label, this
has very little in common with the rest of Spinefarm's roster.
This one's for the Kerrang kiddies and not for the Metal
brethren. www.aprilweb.net |
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Bedouin - Extremely Live 2003 (Hawkwind Music)
Review by Crin |
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Hawkwind bassist, Alan Davey [a core member since 1985, as
well as handling the bass duties in The Meads of Asphodel],
has taken his more heavier moments into his other band,
Bedouin. A more Motorhead influenced Hawkwind if you like.
Alan’s bass playing has always been styled on Lemmy’s massive
power chords, the instruments neck having been lengthened to
gain a more fearful sound.
With two studio albums already unleashed, this is the first
live album proper, and it literally thunders along like a
runway train.
This is not the extreme metal I usually evaluate, but a more,
dare I say it purer form, directly rooted to all modern metals
beginnings. |
For a live album, the sound is immaculate, dirty and clear,
heavy and in your face, the bass being the prominent
instrument, thus adding a deafening boom to the sound.
Davey races up and down his bass neck along side the
definitive heavy metal guitar style of Glenn Povey, who can
conjure up solos to die for, and the drum barrage of Danny
Thompson. Again nods towards to the guitar based frenzy of Motorhead are obvious references.
With 11 tracks, [4 being Davey penned Hawkwind tracks, namely,
Sword of the East, Elric the Enchanter, Wings, and LSD], the
album hurtles along at a hard headbanging pace, with that
good old British pub/biker rock vibe hanging over the
grizzled atmosphere.
There is virtually no banter between tracks, as they roll onto
each other with keyboard interludes and seamless off the cuff
jams where the band are just letting the tracks extend into
unknown territory.
Here resides the dreamy, trippy elements that anchor the band
in their natural space rock realms, and yet when the band
kicks into a higher gear, [especially on the thrashy Chasing
the Dragon] the bursting energy is quite astounding.
Highlight of the album has to be Vision Quest, culled from
the album, As above, So Below. This one track epitomises the
full on power Bedouin harness, more so here, than on its
studio origins. Unashamedly Motorhead in conception and point
of being.
The bass instrument is always the leading essence of music,
like the drummer, the bassist is equally assigned to hold the
arrangements together, and when the bass is so prominent, its
hypnotic chords when played so decisively are soothing to the
mind.
Hawkwind fans will delight with the music here, Motorhead fans
will likewise.
www.alandaveymusic.co.uk |
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Blood Tsunami - Thrash Metal (Candlelight Records)
By: Joe Florez |
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First off, goofy name for a band and naming your record Thrash
Metal is pretty lame. So, that’s two strikes right off the
bat. Can these guys be forgiven for their silly errors? These
Norwegians pretty much play music that is a cross between the
Bay Area and German thrash scene and is pure old school. “Evil
Unleashed” just rips away as soon as the gates open. The
guitar work is simple, consistent and has a Slayer feel while
never being a complete carbon copy. I had no idea that
legendary drummer Faust is on here. Yes folks, it’s true. He
is on this thing tearing shit up pounding away with no mercy.
With aggressive screaming thrown into the mix, you get
something that is nothing short of violent and mean |
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and filled with shredding. After creating chaos for the first
three cuts, the boys get a little bit more structured with
“Infernal Final Carnage.” Everything on here is reeled back a
little. The drum work has more of a rhythm and flow and the
axe work isn’t as sloppy. In fact, there are some nice chunks
of melodies in here. The end result is something a bit more
gratifying than you would think. Despite the fact that the
Norsemen change the tempo of their songs from time to time,
for the most part it’s basically cut and dry. They are not
re-inventing the wheel and the punk aesthetic of performing
these tracks raw are in here. I think that this is much more
of a headache inducer than I wanted it to be. You bet that
this is an homage to all that was great 20 years ago from Kreator to Sodom to Exodus and you
get the idea. Put it like this, the title does say it all and
that is all you will get. If you don’t mind the simplicity of
it and like your thrash with zero originality, then this is
for you, but if you are like me and heard a wide spectrum of
artists in this genre that can take this to the next level,
than you will be disappointed. It’s not a bad effort, but I
have heard better and will go elsewhere. Simply put!
www.candlelightrecords.co.uk
| www.bloodtsunami.com
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Catamenia - Bringing The Cold To Poland
(Metal Mind) review by Liz Joseph |
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“Bringing the cold to Poland” is one of (I believe) four DVDs
filmed back-to-back in Warsaw. Poor Catamenia seem to have got
the short end of the stick – it looks as though they were the
first band on, facing a less than full auditorium with a less
than enthusiastic audience. The camera guys and lighting guys
were also just getting into the swing of things, so the
effects start off at a pretty basic level. But the production
is still superb, with great sound and stunning visual clarity
Catamenia don’t really care that much, they play their little
socks off, showing once again that Finland can produce some
incredibly diverse talents. This time around, it’s black metal
that’s being given the Finnish treatment. The DVD showcases
their (extensive) recorded work so far, although it does focus
more on their most recent releases, as you might expect. I’m
not too sure why they felt the need to have two male vocalists
for this recording, this not being a feature of their work to
date, but maybe it’s because they’re both so tiny that |
they’d make Dani Filth feel like a tall guy. The energy and
the passion are all there, but the audience just don’t get in
on the act. Good for Catamenia though, they don’t seem to be
at all put off by their rather lacklustre reception, and carry
on with a more than competent performance. The guitar work in
particular is superb, and there’s an interesting choice of
covers in the set list, one from Satyricon and another from
W.A.S.P. Part way through, the lighting guy really gets into
his groove and pulls out all the stops, bathing the stage in a
variety of vibrant colours.
There’s the usual array of extras: whether you’d really
consider them to be a “bonus” depends on your point of view, I
guess.
www.catamenia.net |
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Catamenia - Eternal Winter’s Prophecy (Locomotive Records)
By: Joe Florez |
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This is pretty odd. Finnish melodic black metalists Catamenia
released this back in 2000 for Europe and everywhere else on
the Massacre label. In 2006 Locomotive Records and
distribution had just acquired this for North America. At this
point in their career this was their third album. Why not
start with their newest offering which is number seven for
them now? Why start in the middle? Who knows? At any rate,
it’s in my hands and I will review it.
“Gates Of Anubis” is a
red hot opener filled with typical growly vocals akin to Alexi
Laiho from C.O.B. The guitars are rapid quick, but doused with
plenty of melodies and the |
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drumming is tight throwing in minimal blastbeats, double bass
action and then some. There is also haunting keyboards that
helps provide a cold atmosphere which is perfect for this band
and sound. The tempo ranges fluctuate back and forth and in
the end it’s a dark and upbeat track. “Soror Mystica” just absolutely kicks ass with
neo-classical violins/keys being thrown into the chaos. The
bass lines are tricky, but rhythmic and entrancing if you
listen closely. Each track presents a sort of beauty
to the evil presented on here. To be honest, there is nothing
original or unique here. However, it’s the way that the
songs are composed and carried out that makes it a pure joy to
listen to. Artists are making CD’s like this by the truck
loads, but Catamenia just has a way of creating something
interesting enough to keep me around. While I may not be as
into the BM movement as much as before, I can appreciate good
jams when I hear it and I am glad to give this one another
spin. Let me put it to you like this. If latter era Cradle Of
Filth fornicated with mid era Dimmu, then this would be the
bastard child that they spawned in a darkened alley under a
full moon. Good stuff.
www.catamenia.net
| www.locomotiverecords.com |
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| Cinders Fall - The Bridge
Between (Hangmans Joke Recordings) Review by Don
Baird |
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Cinders Fall are a Thrash-based band from
Essex that have stuffed this 20 minute mcd with as many
different genres as possible. Elements of both Hardcore and
Metalcore, Swedish Death, and a melodic twin-guitar attack,
vie with a modern, fresh take on Thrash, for your attention.
And the result... damn good.
Let's not pretend that Cinders Fall are doing anything new
here. I could throw names like Machine Head, Iron Maiden, In
Flames, At The Gates and more modern bands like Chimaira at
you all day long. It's just that the noise Cinders Fall make,
is extremely pleasant on the old lugholes. They have a certain
something that makes you pay attention. And for
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what they lack in originality, they more than make up for it
in tightness and passion. You can feel every riff, every growl
and every kick drum that pierces your heart, especially as
there are no clean vocals to quell the storm.
Ones to keep an eye on over the next couple of years as they
develop their own identity.
www.myspace.com/cindersfall |
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Cornerstone - Two Tales Of One Tomorrow
(Massacre Records) Review by Steve Green |
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How do I put
this without being accused of over-reacting? This is probably
the best Classic Rock album I've ever heard. This beats
Rainbows Difficult To Cure/Straight Between The Eyes era, Deep
Purple's 1984 comeback album Perfect Strangers and every other
album of it's kind. Fuck, this album is amazing!
Being the stubborn idiot that I am, despite having it in my
possession for quite a while, I've never listened to the final
Rainbow album Stranger In Us All. Having been a major Rainbow
fan, I had no interest in Ritchie Blackmore tarnishing the
Rainbow name and avoided the album, especially after seeing a
snippet of the "reformed" line-up on German satellite. So
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what my stubbornness caused me to miss out on was the voice of Doogie White. The man has a voice that is a
breathtaking blend of
Glenn Hughes and Joe Lynn Turner and the compositions on Two
Tales Of One Tomorrow, suit his voice perfectly. In all
honesty, if you didn't know any different, this album could
have been the follow up to 1983's Bent Out Of Shape. It has
the early to mid 80s Rock sound off to a tee, but doesn't
sound contrived for a single second.
Back in the 80s, nearly every song on this album would have
had chart potential. Misery and One Mans Hell both stick in
your head immediately. And the slow burner Mother of Mercy has
the old "close your eyes and drift away" type of feeling that
today's music just doesn't offer. The title track is full of
Eastern promise, a sound first introduced by a certain Mr
Blackmore, which is where the main influence for this song in
particular is from, I'm sure. Prey, despite possessing a good
chorus, is probably the weakest song as it just doesn't catch
fire like the rest. I guess pedestrian is a politer way to
describe it.
One of the albums strongest points is that the slower songs
don't weaken the overall feel, something so many bands are
guilty of doing when they introduce a ballad. Blinded is as
strong as any other number and sits comfortably with more
upbeat numbers such as the very Rainbow influenced Starlight
And Mystery. The Dance has more of a Deep Purple vibe due to
Rune Brinks heavy keyboards. Wicked is the one were the
musicianship shines through. The bass, as ever, bounces right
through the middle of the mix and the guitars are flawless.
And I guess I've not raved about the music enough, but take it
from me, everything is note perfect. The epic We Are The Dead
brings proceedings to an end and once again Doogie White puts
in another amazing performance and I'm regretting not
listening to him earlier when I had the chance. I guess I'll
get the chance now as I work my way through his back
catalogue, starting with a certain album from 1995 that has
never been played before.
What was started as a solo project by Royal Hunts bassist
Steen Mogensen, is now riding the crest of a wave as in my
humble opinion, easily the best Classic Rock album of the last
fifteen years and quite possibly, of all time.
www.cornerstonemusic.dk/ |
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Dark Disciple - Kill Everything, Worship Nothing
(Mad Lion
Records) Review by Chris Davison |
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Preconceptions, eh ? I would have put money on me hating this
just minutes into examining the package. Sure, the logo is
suitably obscure and unpleasant, and the cover art pretty
grotesque, but it was when I started having a closer look at
the inlay card that my "oh dear" meter really started to run
into the red. Firstly, I have to tell you that I hate hip-hop
culture. It's fair to say that I look forward to reading in
the thanks list "my brother from another mother" just about as
much as I do to tucking into a nice meaty dogshit sandwich.
Secondly, there seems to be some kind of ongoing beef with
Monstrosity, which smacks of local scene rivalry, which in my
experience has often meant that the band involved think |
locally, often the death knell for ambition and talent.
This is nasty, misogynistic and thoroughly puerile noisy shit.
I love it! I would describe Dark Disciple as the American
Gorerotted in terms of schizophrenic vocal delivery, rabid and
vicious musical assault with more grooves than the Queen
Mothers face and lyrics so absolutely hate filled that you'll
think some obscene cunt with tourettes was handed a pen and a
bottle of cheap vodka. Yes, much of this is bloody stupid, and
there isn't anything that's going to change the face of the
world, but I'm bloody sick and tired of the tedious bastards
who talk about technique and progressive influences on metal
forums, never to recognise what a good metal band does. In
this case, they make you want to do exactly what it says on
the album, that is to kill everything and worship nothing.
Nihilistic doesn't really begin to describe the unbridled
outpouring of hatred and bile coming from this outfit.
There's plenty here to like for those of us into all things
brutal, with nice slamming death metal riffs coming to blows
with almost grindcore sections, some nice mid tempo
gore-grind-esque breaks and some good old fashioned heavy
metal solos thrown in for good measure. The production is
certainly a step up from their debut album, with the drums in
particular given a meatier more aggressive over haul. There
are even some (mildly) amusing skits in between the songs, in
the vein of, say, the first Body Count album. If you compared
death metal albums to methods of assassination, Dark Disciple
wouldn't be the sniper in the sharp suit who gets away clean
as a whistle; they'd be the maniac who breaks into your house
and smashes your head in with a lump hammer. They might not be
particularly clever, but by Jove they know how to give the
listener a bloody good time. Excellent.
www.madlion.eu
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Daryl Stuermer - Go (InsideOut Music)
By: Joe Florez |
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Despite never hearing of the guy before, he has some history
behind him. In addition to having his seventh album pressed on
plastic, he was a touring guitarist for Genesis between
1978-1992 and is about to go back out with them again thanks
to their reunion. He was also in Phil Collins solo projects
from day one. Not bad if you ask me. So, just what is this man
about? I can’t tell you what his past compositions are like,
but with “Go” it’s all about being adult contemporary spiked
with energy.
“Striker” is an easy going tune with some blues riffs action
intertwining with a rather simple and consistent drum beat and
light keyboard action. It’s feel good music that won’t bog you |
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down. The mid section goes for that smooth jazz approach which
is a bit lighter in the riffs and performed with more passion,
but doesn’t make you yawn at all. “Dream In Blue” has a
romantic flair. It’s gentle and passionate, but never gets
cheesy and goes for the typical musical clichés
that some instrumentals go for. It’s contemporary and yet
still vibrant. This disc is nothing short of versatile as he
is a pro in the realm of instrumentals. He knows just when his
compositions call for shredding, being bluesy, throw in some
A/C and then some. Everything is nicely paced and offers a
little something for everyone who is their upper 30s and
beyond. This is not a prog disc or even a rock disc by any
means. It’s something for the more mature individual, but
that’s not to say that Daryl can’t rock out because he can and
shows it in spurts on some of the songs offered here. I think
there is potential for radio airplay on the lighter side of
the stations. Metal heads will be put of by this, but someone
who feels like opening their horizons a bit can check this
out. www.insideoutmusic.com
| www.darylstuermer.com
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