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Kamelot – One Cold Winter's Night DVD
(SPV/Steamhammer) Review
by Richard Tomsett |
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Kamelot is quite possibly the best power metal act around at
the moment. Hang on a second, I've written that before
somewhere... oh yes, I reviewed the CD version of this a
little while ago. The CD whetted my appetite rather nicely,
but little did I know what visual treat was in store on this
fine Digital Versatile Disc. If you want to know about the
music, read the review of the CD then skip back here to find
out what the thing actually looks like. Journalistic laziness?
Moi? Okay okay I shall provide a summary, because I'm that
nice. Kamelot play power metal, and I use the word 'power'
quite correctly – there is no pansying around to be found
here. Well, perhaps a little, but then we always did like a
good ballad. The music is a little cheesy but not
overpowering, with great riffs, rousing choruses, and a
brilliant singer ensuring that Kamelot can sit easily amongst
the power metal elite despite their pooh name. The main
attraction of the DVD is the video of a gig at the |
Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo. A decent sized venue, but
perhaps not quite sizable enough to allow Kamelot's performance to shine
as much as it should. A band like this really deserves a
stadium sized arena to aid the epic atmosphere, especially
with their three backing singers and frequent guest
appearances, but the band and stage crew do a grand job of
enrapturing the audience given the space afforded. The camera
work is top-notch and, if you turn the lights down and crank
the volume, you can just about imagine yourself standing in
the audience, legs astride, fist raised... if you're into that
kind of thing. The band play tracks almost exclusively from
their last three albums, except the rousing "Nights of
Arabia", during which we are treated to a birds-eye zoom
around some desert canyons mixed in with the concert footage.
The sound quality is excellent and I'm always surprised how
good Kamelot live recordings are given the single guitar, but
the sound is still rich and powerful, even during solos.
The
guest appearances really add to the theatre of the occasion,
even if I find Simone Simmons from Epica's stage presence
slightly annoying for no apparent reason, and the performance
as a whole is pretty much flawless, with a couple of slightly
sloppy guitar moments not spoiling the overall experience. So
what about the extras? Well, there's a little video of Casey
Grillo selecting and buying his tour drum-kit, which is nice.
Interviews with the band members are informative and
interesting, including an in-depth interview with vocalist
Khan about the making of "The Black Halo" album, and the
videos for "March of Mephisto", "The Haunting" and "Serenade"
are included – not the finest examples of metal visuals, but
nice to have nonetheless. A live video of "March of Mephisto"
from Sweden Rock 2006 is also included in case you just
haven’t got enough of that song yet. There’s even an interview
with Epica’s Simone Simmons about her relationship with
Kamelot (she sings on “The Haunting”). Finally, there’s a
photo gallery, band member biographies and top fives and a
discography chucked in just for extra-completeness. I find no
need for such trinkets, but others seem to gain pleasure from
them. If you like Kamelot already you will no doubt have
acquired this, and with good reason. Those new to the band
will find an excellent introduction here (or on the CD
version, in fact) and the substantial extras section ensures
that the whole package is worthwhile. Top marks.
www.spv.de |
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Koldborn - The Uncanny Valley (Listenable Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Given that I’ve reviewed a bunch of melodic/pagan/Viking/Finnish bands lately, I eagerly dove into Danish band Koldborn’s 2005 second full-length, “The Uncanny Valley”, from
the ever-reliable French death metal label Listenable Records.
I was expecting straight up death metal, and that’s exactly
what I got.
No frills, Florida style death metal is Koldborn’s bread and
butter, if you will, and they serve it up with ferocity and
gusto. No surprises here, folks, you get the frenetic bursts
of speed, violently fast, at times chunky, riffing with a few
breaks and no distracting melody to speak of, powerful
production, and vocals seemingly lifted off of any of
Malevolent |
Creation’s opuses. In addition, while the drumming generally
consists of all out blasts, there are a few variations in
tempo, as well, with a couple of slower tracks and some pacing
reminiscent of thrash metal. All of this is just fine with me,
as Koldborn, while not breaking down any
barriers of originality, hits all of the signature elements of
the style very well, indeed.
Ultimately, the twelve tracks of “The Uncanny Valley” blow by
very quickly and pretty much pummel the listener into
submission. Koldborn is able to sustain my interest with this
album and, when I’m looking for a dose of straight up death
metal (often), I’ll throw “The Uncanny Valley” into the
stereo. Highly recommended for those with a fondness for the
Florida sun.
www.listenable.net
| www.koldborn.dk |
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Lord Belial - Revelation (Regain Records)
Review by Crin |
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Formed in 1992, here we have one of the well established
middle level Black Metal bands as I like to call ‘em, bands
that have plugged away since the very start of the scenes
re-ignition, in the early nineties, and never quite reaching
the critical acclaim as their peers.
You could also cite, Ancient Rites, Ragnarok, Behemoth,
Ancient, and the list is pretty vast, who also follow this path of
recording reliable albums every two years, and disappearing
again.
This is the bands 7th studio album. The sound is crisp, full
bodied and very Swedish in the same way the likes of Dark
Funeral and Marduk also blast out their sharp riffs and |
percussion battery through a cleaner production than the icy
hollow atmospheres created by the more orthodox bands of the
genre. Lord Belial are a class act, creating a far more
accessible sound than the aforementioned acts, thus making
this album a more digestible Black Metal experience for a
wider audience.
The songs are endowed with great guitar leads, and at times
reminded me of the way Amorphis formulated their songs during
the Karelian Ishthmus album. The very fluent, melodic
framework that encapsulates the songs allows for a diverse,
and at times beautiful display of how extreme metal can sound.
This is a good album, make no bones about that.
www.regainrecords.com |
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| Maylene and the Sons of
Disaster - II (Ferret) Review by Steve Green |
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Absence makes the heart grow fonder. A
pretty accurate description when it comes to this album. When
it first arrived, I gave it a couple of spins and thought it
was ok, nothing more. A few weeks later and I started playing
it again... and it blew me away.
I've always enjoyed a bit of Southern Rock and this one comes
in from a completely different angle. Maylene and the Sons of
Disaster are inspired by the infamous Ma Baker and her gang, a
story that haunted vocalist Dallas Taylor during his
childhood. This is whiskey soaked, bar room Southern fried
rock that has more in common with the smoke infused sludge of
Down and the biker attitude of the the UK's Almighty, than
Suvern
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stalwarts such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet,
despite a three pronged guitar attack. It's also pretty
commercial, with Dry The River and Plenty Strong And Plenty
Wrong, both being reminiscent of the Almighty's Free N Easy
heyday, albeit soaked in liquor. When the biker anthem style
chorus raises it's horns again with Raised By The Tide and I'm
completely hooked.
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster create raw, anthemic slabs of
Southern Rock, which steers clear of clichés and trends and
it's a style that hits hard, soaked in good old fashioned
blood, sweat and tears.
www.ferretstyle.com |
www.mayleneandthesonsofdisaster.us/ |
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| Maze of Torment - Hidden
Cruelty (Black Lodge) Review by Steve Green |
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Having had a particularly shitty week,
listening to Maze Of Torment's latest opus Hidden Cruelty over
the weekend was a perfect way to blast away the crap the World
threw at me over seven very long and tortuous days. This is
Slayer inspired Thrash that takes no prisoners and propels you
back to a time when life was carefree and less polluted, (in
every aspect). This, ladies and gentlemen, is old school
Metal.
Hailing from Sweden, Maze Of Torment make no attempt to hide
the fact they are a 80s/90s Metal band. Well, considering this
is prime-era Slayer to a tee, they couldn't really deny it.
Listening to the riffing on This Vision, I thought I was back
in 1988 again having just
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witnessed Slayer live for the 1st time on their South of
Heaven tour. And even though I'm making all these Slayer
comparisons, this album still has it's own identity and
there's enough here to keep the calls of plagiarism away,
especially with the ripping guitar solos and the frantic as
fuck drumming, which crushes at every available opportunity.
Man, this shit makes me feel young again.
There's no need to dissect this beast. If you love old school
thrash, and of course the mighty Slayer, then you'll love this
album. Especially as it encompasses all that is good in the
World of Metal and above all, is a joy to listen to.
www.mazeoftorment.com/index2.html |
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Milan Polak - Straight (Lion Music)
By: Joe Florez |
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Milan Polak is not a well known guitarist in the U.S yet, but
I had the pleasure of reviewing his last offering “Guitar
Odyssey” which was an instrumental, but offered a wide range
of styles showing you just exactly what his influences
were/are. For those not in the know, he’s an Austrian axe
slinger who served up two instrumental disc on the Lion Music
label and is now marching forward and taking a giant leap by
releasing his first record with vocals. This time out, Milan
will sing as well as play and has hired a few known musicians.
Bassist Randy Coven joins the fold here and drummer John
Macaluso needs no introduction either because he has proven
his weight in gold by being on albums such as |
Yngwie and Ark
to name just a couple. So, with all of this wealth of talent
and a slight change of direction do we get another gem or a
clunker?
“Difference” kicks things off with a rather mild
opener. Milan’s voice is something that I am not used to. You
can tell that he’s trying his best to deliver the goods. The
guitar work is a bit tough, but it’s melodic. The drum work
and bass lines are pretty simple. When we get to the chorus,
things seem to shift to a more AOR style if that makes any
sense. They start out rough and then come in smooth before
going back again. “Psychobitch” has some pretty predictable
lyrics and you can tell that Mr. Polak tries to strengthen his
lungs a bit. It’s ok, but for some reason it feels more like
something that an inexperienced band would play live at a
local bar rather than a seasoned pro. “Crosses” is interesting
because Randy put his bass talents to work by showcasing his
funky side here. Finally, I begin to feel slightly comfortable
with this disc as we get to “Hero.” This is a ballad and Milan
plays an acoustic guitar here which is gentle and subtle. For
some reason he seems more comfortable singing a ballad than
some hard ass. He comes off as sincere and more confident and
I like it even if it doesn’t rock out. Furthermore, Randy and
John sound like they are understanding each other better
because the music overall sounds more cohesive and strong than
the first batch of opening tunes. “Some Kind Of Jesus” finally
sees the Austrian settling in with the harder edge music as
opposed to earlier. I don’t blame Milan for wanting to branch
out because it’s true you can only go so far with an
instrumental. I give him credit for being daring and exploring
new territory without a safety net. While most of the songs
sound a bit uncomfortable, I think it’s mainly due to the fact
that this new to him and this is pretty much an experiment.
Whether or not he will continue down this avenue waits to be
seen. There is plenty of varying styles and tempo changes on
here, but it’s the slower stuff that gets the thumbs up from
me. This is an ok effort and perhaps I will have to warm up to
it more with more listens, but it’s his previous works that I
enjoy most for now. It’s ok and only suggested for those who
dare to tread unknown territories.
www.lionmusic.com
| www.milanpolak.com
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Misericordiam – A Thin Line Between Man And Machine
(Thirty
Days of Night Records)
review by Sam Thomas |
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Miosericordiam are a five piece outfit hailing from Nevada. “A
Thin Line Between Man and Machine” is, as far as I can
establish, their debut album for Leeds-based label Thirty Days
of Night, who have provided a stepping stone to greater things
for, amongst others, Bring Me the Horizon and Send more
Paramedics.
Misericordiam is an interesting choice of name for this band,
translating from Latin to mean pity, compassion, or pathos. I
have to say that I see no signs of any compassion or any
related softer side whatsoever within this offering
“A Thin Line…” is not the longest CD I’ve ever received (22
minutes, 8 tracks) but at |
times it seems much longer. It’s quite definitely brutal,
death metal overlapping with grind, but with blastbeats and even the squeals of what seems to be a
demented pig suffering the most appalling torture. Since no
pigs are credited on the album, I am forced to assume that
this is therefore Nick Pitaro demonstrating his true
versatility as a vocalist. To be fair, he can also grunt and
growl in a more traditional death metal style, and even treats
us to the occasional spoken phrase (generally including the
word “fuck”).
The track titles are pretty much the kind of thing you might
expect from a goregrind outfit (“Social Jihad and Genocide”,
Obsessive Compulsive the act of fornication repulsive”). The
lyrics however are rather more interesting, including in “Cum
Sucking Whore” a rant that would be worthy of Pain of
Salvation. And I have to say that it’s a brave band indeed
that will pen the lines :
“It is sad to see how music is turning, but no-one cares -
There is (sic) no excuses because we live in a day and age
where MTV doesn’t even play music”
Either that or they’re a bunch of hormonally overactive guys
with a major league overdose of teenage angst.
Misericordiam certainly have an interesting slant on life, and
they aren’t afraid to take their music in whatever direction
they think fits in with their (admittedly twisted) worldview.
And they do it very well. If you like your metal on the brutal
side, if you don’t mind thought-provoking lyrics and
especially if you like the squealing of maddened pigs, go out
and buy this CD.
www.myspace.com/thirtydaysofnightrecords |
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One Man Army And The Undead Quartet - Error In Evolution
(Nuclear Blast)
By: Joe Florez |
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Damn, that was quick. I remember just getting this disc last
year and already they have another one ready to go. The man
behind the mic for The Crown, Johan Lindstrand comes at your
with full force once again complete with his shades and Danzig
like chops.
“Mine For The Taking” is a full throttle thrash
assault, but there are some changes that are noticeable.
Johan’s lung work for example is not only growly and gritty,
but he manages to clear his throat as well especially during
the choruses. It’s good to switch things up a bit, but I am
not sure how the faithful old schoolers will feel about that.
Also, the guitars have more melody thrown in. Don’t get me
wrong, there is plenty of muscle behind the axes and they |
do shred with no mercy, but it seems like they want to have
these songs stick into your head. Fine with me. The drums plow thru
as well. This is a well balanced song that gives you
everything in moderation. “Knights In Satan’s Service” (you
knew someone had to have this title sooner or later) will have
you doing windmills till your head snaps clean off as you
violently throw the devil horns mightily into the air. This
one will hit you like a freight train and refuse to let up.
Even though “The Supreme Butcher” isn’t directly related to
Destruction’s “The Mad Butcher”, OMAATUQ continues the
onslaught in old school fashion bringing you back to the mid
80’s except with a modern production. No speed loss here
whatsoever. One track I wasn’t expecting from the Swedes is
a cover of Alice Cooper’s 80’s pop metal cut “He’s Back (The
Man Behind The Mask)” which was from the Friday The 13th Part
VI series. Many would consider it too saccharine, including
myself, but it was a fun tune. This time though, some
rearranging was made and the result is interesting. The bass
lines used here are thick and heavy. The vocals are more
sinister while the guitars add a bit of toughness. It’s still
sound like the original only a bit more devastating. The
kicker is when we get to the chorus Johan’s voice is cleaned
up and it has that poppy feel like the original. I love this
version. Hey, let’s be honest here. While this is a simple
disc and not all that original, it’s still a fun ride to be
on. I think that if you stick around long enough with this
that you will find a lot on here to care about. There are
plenty of time changes and the compositions seemed to have
been composed a lot better this time around. Their debut
wasn’t a slacker either, but that one seemed like a paint by
numbers offering as opposed to here. There’s enough fury,
anger and even melody to get you hooked. If you get the
limited edition digi version, there’s three live cuts,
even though they aren’t necessary and you won’t miss out on
anything if you get it.
www.nuclearblast.de
| www.onemanarmy.tv
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| Poison The Well - Versions
(Ferret) Review by Steve Green |
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I'm not going to even attempt to wing
this one, whatever genre Poison The Well belong in, I have no
knowledge of it at all. I'm sure less experienced writers
would have been shitting their pants when receiving this album
as I've seen a couple of write ups where the review has just
contained snippets from the biog with the writer completely
lost at sea. Me, well I'll just drown in the utter madness of
Poison The Well and enjoy every second of the journey.
Poison The Well mix crushing hardcore/punk with moody dirges,
stacks of atmosphere and a multitude of tangents which they
fire off from in every possible direction. And whatever
direction they take, from the in your face opener of Letter
Thing to the lilting emotions of
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Breathing's For The Birds which crashes headlong with the
Jekyll and Hyde performance vocalist of Jeffrey Moreira, the all out assault of The
Notches That Create Your Headboard, to the happy bouncing beat
of Nagaina, they sound fucking brilliant. When the energy
levels peak, it's such a natural high that you get swept away
in the revelry and you don't have a care in the world. And the
when the pace drops for more trippier moments, such as Slow
Good Morning, then you just go with the flow and enjoy the
melancholy because you know the fuckers are going to being
firing on all cylinders on the next track
For a dyed in the wool Metalhead like myself, Poison The Well
are this mad experimental band that have thrown away every
rule book and stuck two fingers up at everyone and have done
it their own way. And quite simply, I love it.
www.ferretstyle.com |
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