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Iron Savior - Megatropolis (Dockyard
1) Review by Strawb |
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And today my Metal reviewing tour of Europe lands in Germany,
and brings us into contact with the band Iron Savior.
The make up of the band is two axes, bass and drums. All
except the drummer, Thomas Nack, cover the vocal duties.
This is their sixth album release and Follows the 2004 release
Battering Ram.
Like a slow song? A melody? A ballad? Then look elsewhere,
‘cause there ain’t any here.
And don’t get me wrong, Iron Savior would be capable; they
just choose not to do so.
Like uncompromising, in your face Metal? Enjoy having your
fillings shaken loose? Then read on, because this album is
hard, riff led metal throughout. |
In my opinion, the best numbers are the very strong opening track, Running
Riot, and the excellent title track.
There are no bad track anywhere, my less preferred ones are Flesh and Cybernatic Queen, although the latter may
be so because it follows Megatropolis and therefore seems somewhat weak.
The bass of Yenz Leonhardt is ever present. The guitars of Piet Sielck and Joachim Kustner present riff after riff and a
solo on every track. And Thomas thrashes the skins throughout.
And the varying vocal talents are used exceptionally well.
This musical competence and tightness of the performance
allowed me to pay greater attention to the subject matter,
notably
The Omega Man is an obvious tribute to the 1971 sci-fi film of
the same name, and covers the plot quite well. The film is
dated, the track is not.
Cyber Hero appears to be a tribute to every console player out
there, until the end when the PCs failings are revealed. Just
needs the sound of the damn thing exiting via the nearest
window to be more realistic….
This CD will not go into the drawer of reviewed albums, this
one will remain with the player for some time.
Must go, need to see Evans the dentist about these fillings…
www.iron-savior.com |
www.myspace.com/ironsaviorofficial
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Job for a Cowboy – Genesis (Metal Blade) review by Sam Thomas |
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Just in case you’ve been buried in a bunker and unable to
access any metal media at all, I will explain. Job for a
Cowboy are reportedly going to be the next big thing in the
world of metal. They’ve been relentlessly publicised (I am
deliberately not using the word hype, as it has connotations
of unworthiness) and seem to have been pretty much
relentlessly touring as well. They’ve achieved exposure
through Myspace and YouTube, leading to them being voted the
best underground band by a slew of publications. Genesis is
their debut full-length album (even if it’s only a shade over
30 minutes), and as you may imagine, has been greatly
anticipated. |
Job for a Cowboy are from Arizona, not a state that generally
figures in the metal scheme of things and are all depressingly
young (under twenty). Don’t let that put you off, though,
think of Emperor, Decapitated… They play an alarmingly
competent blend of death/grindcore for the most part, with
some great little industrial touches. Jonny Davy’s vocals
immediately put me in mind of Ollie from Desecration, although
they are overlaid (for the most part) on some outstanding
death backdrops. The level of aggression in this album is
quite extreme, and just adds to my problems in believing that
these guys are all so young and that this is their first full
album. You can’t get away from the sheer toughness of the band
either: there are no wasted opportunities in their music, it’s
all powerful stuff.
To pick out any tracks on this album is hard – not because
they’re all the same, but because they are all extremely good.
“Upheaval” has the most amazing, shades of industrial
beginning, but I think that it’s just overtaken by the sheer
crushing deathgrind of “The Divine Falsehood”. It’s scary to
think that these guys are capable of producing such mature
work so early in their careers – what will their next album be
like?
Come to this album with an open mind, disregard any lingering
distaste that you may have for bands that have been hyped in
the past. Just occasionally, something worthwhile is praised
to the skies simply because it really is that good. Job for a
Cowboy are the perfect example of why you shouldn’t always
disregard the media.
www.jfacmetal.com
| www.metalblade.de |
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Manes - How The World Came To An End
(Candlelight) Review by Steve Green |
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Manes used to be a Black
Metal band. Kind of ironic as How The World Came To An End is about as
far removed from Black Metal as it gets. Although Manes could be
compared to Ulver, another project that has changed styles completely
since its inception.
Let me make this clear from the start, this album will only appeal to
the more broadminded listener. There is a huge melting pot of styles on
HTWCTAE, from dark electronica, opera, hip-hop to atmospheric ambient
passages. Style-wise, I'd say this has more in common with Depeche Mode
and 80s synth/industrials Propaganda, who's 1985 album, A Secret Wish,
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I still look back fondly on, and maybe The Prodigy, rather
than anything vaguely resembling Metal.
As for my opinion on this album, yes I really like it. It's a laidback,
almost relaxing listen. The trip-hop beats glide you along gently and
the varying vocal styles make for a very interesting listen. Quite
surprisingly, the mish-mash of styles do gel together and the overall
effect is seamless. Meaning that this could have easily
sounded like a whole bunch of styles that are thrown together,
without a single ounce of cohesion in the finished product. I have to admit that the more,
rap/hip-hop leanings are not to my liking, with the darker ambient side,
being much more in-line with own tastes. Deeprooted on the bands Myspace
page is a good indication of what the album sounds like.
www.manes.info |
www.myspace.com/manes |
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Pantheon I - The Wanderer And His Shadow
(Candlelight Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Candlelight Records continues to snatch up huge amounts of
talent across metal’s genres. Pantheon I, a highly regarded,
and much deservedly so, black metal band from Norway featuring
1349 guitarist Tjalve, releases “The Wanderer And His Shadow”,
the band’s second full-length and Candlelight Records debut.
Pantheon I’s style is firmly entrenched in the mid to late 90s
version of black metal, with plenty of stylistic devotion to
Satyricon and Emperor mixed with some frenetic riffing similar
to “Liberation”-era 1349, huge amounts of monstrous bass
lines, and the introduction of non-traditional elements. In
addition, the production, though somewhat thin given the
style, |
is absolutely crystal clear, allowing all of the instruments
to shine throughout the album. Although keyboards are present,
they’re not very prevalent, and other elements are beautifully
incorporated, such as the cello and the violin. The cello
works exceptionally well, and the mastery of its incorporation
makes one wonder why the cello doesn’t make more numerous
appearances within epic black metal. Though melancholy, the
appearance of the cello and the violin does not cross this
release over into a version of Gothic metal; instead, these
instruments rather enhance the black metal style very well.
Clean vocals similar to Ihsahn’s work on
“Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk” make some appearances and
enhance the Satyr-like rasps.
I should state that “The Wanderer And His Shadow” is no mere
carbon copy of past masterpieces. Rather, Pantheon I are able
to separate themselves from being mere clones with a
combination of superior songwriting, fresh and interesting
song structures with non-traditional elements, and excellent
musicianship. In addition, the blistering riffing that is
prominently featured keeps this release firmly within the
realm of fast black metal with the right combination of
brutality and atmospherics.
Pantheon I’s more atmospheric take on black metal allows
Tjalve the creative outlet to explore such expression and
results in the creation of a masterpiece. Very highly
recommended.
www.pantheon-i.com/
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www.candlelightrecords.co.uk |
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Serpent Cult - Trident Nor Fire (I Hate Records)
Review by Chris Davison |
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It may not come as a huge surprise, to be honest with you, but
I'm not a particularly religious sort of man. It's fair to say
that my general interaction with the theological usually stems
from me pouring scorn on the nearest God botherer I can find,
or uttering the saviours name in vain when I drop something
heavy on my feet. That aside, I did find myself praying that I
would be sent this release. I haven't looked forward to
receiving a disc from the Live4Metal nerve centre in quite
some time!
You see, Serpent Cult have risen Phoenix like from the ashes
of Thee Plague of Gentlemen, a band which I had the highest
regard for, and who seemed on the verge of utter greatness |
following the release of their frankly epic “Primula Pestis”
platter. However, for reasons best left alone, Thee Plague
were destined not to record another album, and so it seemed
that the downtuned mayhem of the Belgian doom troopers was
going to remain unheard by human ears. I think it was a few
months ago now that I happened upon Serpent Cult from the
Myspace pages (and how often is it that a Myspace band isn't
utter toilet ?), and listened to a couple of their tracks. I
was immediately struck by how damned heavy they were, and how
the guitars, drums and bass reminded me so much of TpoG.
So yes, Serpent Cult share an overall sound with TpoG, but
there were always going to be some fears. Steve, for all his
problems, was both an excellent singer, a formidable song
writer and an imposing frontman. Serpent Cult has replaced him
with Michelle, who as the brighter among you will have
deduced, is one of those women that I have read about so much
on the internet. Now, usually the involvement of the fairer
species in a metal band is like adding ground up dog shit to a
tasty sandwich. This is a pleasing exception. Taking the
queues from the more upbeat TpoG tracks, Serpent Cult have
ploughed a very powerful furrow through this CD, with four
generally mid tempo stompers with plenty of variety in the
riffing and percussive power with the tight as hell rhythm
section. The vocals sit somewhere between the operatic
approach of Messiah Marcollin and the melancholy of the much
missed English band, Mourn, at least to my battered old ears!
The songwriting is just as effective as before, and if
anything avoids some of the pitfalls of the overly ponderous
TpoG numbers. There are plenty of atmospheric moments, as with
the intro to the fourth track (an old Uriah Heep number, it
seems), but the riff is king here; he bids you kneel before
his throne. My only complaint? Four tracks cannot be enough
for a band of this calibre. Mr Ola: more please!
www.ihate.se |
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Totem – Totem (I Hate Records)
Review by Chris Davison |
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Three tracks on this here CD – and the I Hate website notes
that Totem play doom in the 70's vein. I'm not sure, for once,
that I actually agree in that notion. Now, I love I Hate Records in a way that might suggest some sort of sexual
fixation with them, but I'm afraid I really must take issue
with them on this matter. I would really say right from the
off that Totem are really more of a retro-proto-metal outfit,
and far more reminiscent to me of the odd “bad hippy” bands of
the late 60s. In particular, with the female vocals and the
very spaced out, flanged to fuck guitar sound, they sound very
much like Coven.
So we get dreamy, slightly nightmarish rock tracks with an
appropriately vintage |
production, a Hammond organ giving it
large, drums that sound like they're being played in the next
room, and a guitarist that seems to drift off quite often and
start noodling. Now, I've nothing against vintage rock, but to
be honest I'd rather that my vintage rock was played by
vintage rockers. It might seem slightly hypocritical for a
doom metal fan to start whinging about plagiarism, but in this
case Totem sound completely disingenuous to me. They don't
strike me as having any great love for the proto-metal sound
other than to be quirky and unusual. It all sounds a bit too
contrived, a bit too forced and artificial. There are plenty
of great original recordings that can be discovered with a bit
of digging and an investment in a turntable, and to be honest
none of the tracks here really floated my boat. “Luna Moth
Speaks” has perhaps the best riff to be found here, but to be
honest it's a bit too spaced out, fuzzed out and meandering
for my tastes.
It had to happen eventually. An I Hate Records CD that isn't
fantastic? I'm sorry, this is the first of this rare breeds.
I can only hope it will be the last.
www.ihate.se |
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Trimonium – Son of a Blizzard (Einheit Produktionen) review
by Sam Thomas |
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Trimonium are a German four piece outfit and “Son of a
Blizzard” is their third album. The media seem to be fairly
evenly divided on how to describe them: black, thrash, pagan,
heathen and even battle metal being bandied about as
descriptions. I have to say that I was initially struggling to
get away from the comparison with Immortal that immediately
springs to mind for anything with the word “Blizzard” in the
title. But then again, it’s not just that one word that brings
Immortal to mind – Teutonnic’s vocals are so much like
Abbath’s that it’s quite uncanny. In fact, I was completely
taken aback to find that Trimonium are German because I had
quite happily decided that they must be Norwegian. Especially
as the other |
band that sprang to mind when listening to them were those
well-known Germans (joke!) Ancient.
So should this be dismissed as yet another Norwegian black
metal soundalike? Well, not at all. There’s a lot more tuneful
guitar work in this than you would expect from that genre, in
fact a lot more tune altogether. This is not the bleak,
pared-down version of early black metal at all, it has
discernible melodies and the drums are not always confined to
mind-numbing blastbeats.
The construction of the album is different too – there’s a
nice instrumental intro for starters, with lots of nice sounds
which bring to mind a blacksmith’s forge readying weapons for
battle. In fact, this was rather reminiscent of Finntroll’s
most recent epic. Once into the main body of the album, there
are interesting echoes of all types of metal, overlaid with
the Abbathian vocals. It’s actually a really good mixture of
styles, with enough time changes and switches of direction to
make this a very entertaining album. You never quite know
where it’s going to go next, but when it gets there, it’s
obvious that that’s where it was going all along. I dread to
use the word “catchy”, but I have to conclude that it’s
entirely appropriate here. Third track “The wisdom of the
crying stones” is just the catchiest romp through a black
metal landscape that I’ve ever heard.
One small note of criticism though, I was extremely
disappointed with the booklet that accompanied the CD – it
appeared to contain all the lyrics, which is something that I
always appreciate. In this case, however, it was all to no
avail: the lyrics were printed in a blurry grey against a dark
blue background in an unreadable font. Why bother? I was so
frustrated that I ended up throwing the booklet on the floor
in annoyance. If you don’t want to print the lyrics, fine, I
can live with that. But please don’t print them so badly that
I can’t read them at all!
Nit-picking apart, this is an extremely well-produced album
from a band who are clearly capable of going a long way when
they manage to catch the eye of the right person. A great deal
of work has gone into this, and it really pays off: Trimonium
have come to conquer, and I’m sure they will succeed.
www.trimonium.net
| www.einheit-produktionen.de
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Viatrophy - Chronicles (Siege Of Amida Records) Review by Steve Green |
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Viatrophy are a UK based Death Metal band, with more a Modern (insert,
appropriate type of core)
edge. Apart from the Death Metal tone, their duel vocal attack, one
guttural and one a higher pitched bark, adds a freshness to their sound
that will give them mass appeal. Plus I spotted that Viatrophy had been
on tour with Job For A Cowboy and that single fact saved me a hell of a
lot of time trying to pin down where to place them.
This six track EP, which as far as I can tell, is their debut release,
is a great way to begin their recorded career. The sound is beefy as
fuck and the five full songs and intro are guaranteed to rattle your
brain cells for all they are worth. My only concern is the
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turnaround of band members, which may harm their career. I
just hope they stay together long enough to make another
recording, because I want more than the 25 minutes offered up
on Chronicles.
Viatrophy are part of the new wave of extreme Metal bands from the UK,
that basically, will shape the future of the our Metal scene. Kids
nowadays are beginning to get bored with the shit that gets given the
press/hype treatment. Heavier bands such as Chimaira, Mastodon and Lamb
of God are paving the way, and thankfully the UK is beginning to develop
bands that'll rival their American counterparts. Putting Viatrophy
alongside Anterior, the UK can be very proud to
have two young and talented bands, ready to take on the world.
www.myspace.com/viatrophy |
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