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Delphian - Unravel (Lion Music)
Review by Steve Green |
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Having an original sound can sometime reap huge rewards. In
Delphian's case I think it can be a hindrance. It took me an
age to get into their debut album Oracle, although when it did
all finally sink in, it was well worth the time I'd spent on
it. My only concern is with those wanting a quick fix. Will
they be prepared to spend the time getting into something a
little different?
Within the first minute of opener Starting To Unravel, the
magic displayed on Oracle is evident, as is the unique vocal
style of Aniek Janssen. She definitely is an acquired taste
and as is far removed from the commercial end of female
fronted Metal as it gets, but then |
again, was Prog ever meant to be commercial? Creation is in a
much heavier vein than the opening number, and it's a
direction I don't really does the band justice. Admittedly,
the chorus is pretty cool, but the bulk of the song lacks the
finesse I know Delphian are capable of producing. The first
half of Sleepless Lullaby had me thinking of Blind Melon.
Unfortunately after about 3 minutes of being completely
blissed out, an injection of pace is added and the magic is
gone. The production is a bit fuzzed out as well, which
doesn't really do it for me. Thankfully, things settle down
again and the song ends as it begins... in great style. Flutes
meet guitars head-on for the more rockin' Focus On Acid, with
the tempo drifting in and out. The two styles mix perfectly
and Aniek sounds at her very best.
Black & Blue is hard work, as it never really gets going. The
vocal melody on Hidden is astounding, but I don't think the
music matches the vocals. The guitars and rhythm are severely
lacking in imagination, which is a shame as the vocals seem to
be completely wasted. A rousing finale does improve my opinion
of the song, it's just a shame the intensity wasn't there at
the beginning.
I think what I've noticed about Unravel is that the first half
of the album is much more accessible than Oracle. Ok, that
might be down to my familiarity with the band, but it's more
likely down to the improvements they've made as song writers.
The 2nd half is much harder to get into and bar the 10 minute
epic, Air, which ends the album, I feel it's a bit of a
letdown. Air highlights that the band can write great songs,
just not on a consistent basis. It's only my opinion, but if
the band lose the less tuneful aspects of their sounds and
concentrate on the more melodic material, they'll appeal to a
much greater audience. And a bit more invention musically
wouldn't go amiss either. Let's hope they let rip on album
number 3 and play to their strengths and with a bit of verve
that'll match Aniek's outstanding voice.
www.delphian-metal.nl |
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Infest – Feel the Rage (Hurricane)
Review by Sam Thomas |
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Feel the Rage is the first full length CD from Infest, who are
probably the only band I’ve ever listened to who come from the
Basque country. They’ve been around since 2003 and done the
usual thing of producing a couple of demo EPs. This 11 track
opus is round about half an hour long, so it will come as no
surprise to discover that they are pretty heavily into the
grind (rather than grand) scheme of things. There are also
elements of death and hardcore in their work, and all told,
it’s rather a pleasant little offering.
The production is absolutely superb, with Sbeu’s drums
sounding particularly tight. Bud (strange name, I know) has
the screeching mode of vocals down to a fine art – he probably |
manages to get more words per minute than an auctioneer at
your local livestock sale, but as they’re all screamed at
reasonably high pitch I guess the Guinness book of records
won’t be knocking at his door any time soon. Having said that,
he also manages some really impressive ultra-low pitched
growls as well. You get the odd (and I do mean odd) little
audio clip at the beginning of tracks which is so typical of
grind, but this band are much more than another bunch of guys
playing grind. They are clearly all extremely competent at
playing music, not necessarily a prerequisite for your average
grind outfit. There’s also a lot of very clever stuff going on
with the changes of tempo, in a hardcore kind of way, from
breakneck speed to, well, even faster and then slowing right
down with Sbeu just chucking in a casual blastbeat which he
somehow fits into the overall rhythm of the piece. Very clever
(at least when it’s done this well). And, as I discovered when
listening to this on headphones (nobody else wanted to hear it
a second time) there’s some very clever switching from one
channel to the other.
A couple of tracks have titles in (what I presume to be)
Basque, which is probably another first. Altogether, this has
to be one of the most interesting CDs I’ve come across in
along while. Not least because it’s actually very, very good.
I didn’t particularly expect to like this when I read the
press release, but I ended up realising that it’s probably the
best extreme release that I’ve listened to so far this year.
For sheer technical ability, these Basques should go far.
www.infest-metal.com |
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Kaipa - Angling Feelings (Inside Out)
Review by Steve Green |
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I've never heard of Kaipa before. Unbeknown to me, they have
quite an extensive history. Having formed in the early 70s,
they recorded 5 albums between 1975 and 1982, which goes some
way to explaining their talent for authentic sounding 70s Prog.
Since their reformation in the new millennium, this will be
their 4th new studio album.
First thing you notice, apart from the weird... or to be
honest, downright dodgy album title, is the level of
musicianship. These guys can play the most intricate of
passages, with the keyboards, guitars and rhythm section all
firing off at different tangents, yet the cohesion is
flawless. Everything sounds so natural. |
I'm going to be a bit cheeky and make a couple of comparisons.
Kaipa have years of experience behind them, so I really
shouldn't be making comparisons, but musically, I do think
they're similar to Genesis and on a couple of occasions I
found myself thinking that some of the vocal melodies reminded
me of Ayreon, especially as Kaipa have both a male and a
female vocalist. At least that gives you a ballpark area of
where Kaipa are coming from.
As it's my website, I'm going to allow myself to be ageist.
Which is only fair as I'm no spring chicken myself. Apart from
the musos that are going to cream themselves over some of the
skills displayed on Angling Feelings, I don't see anyone under
40 going for this. Unless they've been completely brainwashed
by their parents that is. I'll counteract that by saying,
whatever your age, if you love 70s Prog, go visit the band
here:
www.kaipa.info |
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Phonic Rapture - The Arrow (Chapter
Fourteen Recordings) Review by Steve Green |
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When Phonic Rapture recorded this single, they probably didn't
know it would be their last release. When I was visiting their
website for a bit of background knowledge on the band, I was
greeted with the announcement that they are splitting up.
I've had the pleasure of discovering quite a few good up and
coming UK bands recently and Phonic Rapture are amongst them.
Their take on Rock, is that of a Bluesy persuasion which is
probably more suited to a hot and sweaty club than that of a
major arena. I'm struggling to pinpoint where I'd place their
sound, but ex-Samson vocalist Nicky Moore, mixed in with a bit
of classic 70s rock ain't a band comparison. |
I love the lead track The Arrow and hearing a song of this
calibre, makes it a shame that the band are splitting up. The
potential is more definitely there. The more rockin' Dirty
Dog, has some very interesting lyrics. How many songs do you
know about turning someone's dad gay and then fucking their
(friends) sister? Bon Scott would be proud of them for that
one. Hitting the final nail in their coffin is The
Entertainer, another stomping slice of dirty biker blues.
If you want this single, I guess it's a case of "get it while
you can"
www.phonic-rapture.co.uk |
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Shadows Fall - Threads of Life
(Atlantic/Roadrunner) Review by Jesse Ketman |
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Right before I threw this one in, I gave a listen to Somber
Eyes to the Sky, Shadows Fall’s very first album. What a
difference a decade makes, eh? I would be hard-pressed to find
a band that has matured as well as Shadows Fall, from the
screamy, core-tinged first album to one of the front-runners
in the metal scene in terms of style, ability, and production.
The lyrics in Threads of Life will be familiar to any Fall
fans, dealing with concepts such as inner struggle and
hypocrisy. I’ve always preferred bands with a message, as
opposed to monotonous gore lyrics or stories of dragons, and
the heartache and rage these boys possess really shines
through on this album (Another Hero Lost brings without fail a
flood of |
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faces and emotions to my mind, and an immediate regret for the
greats who have fallen before their time). Nobody who knows
their shit would dispute that Shadows Fall’s breakthrough/out
album was The War Within. While at the time I was personally a
bit angry with the mellower, more melodic approach, I love the
album to death now, and is second to Art of Balance as my
favorite. I still haven’t placed Threads of Life in my mental
pecking order as of yet, as honestly it’s still digesting, but
I can say without qualm that this is the tamest album thus
far. Now don’t misunderstand; the pace is still far from
relaxed, and the roaring vocals are as good as ever, it’s just
that in comparison to some breakneck melodies of prior albums
(Those Who Cannot Speak on War Within or Haunting Me Endlessly
from Fallout, for example), the tempo is down a few notches.
Usually that really pisses me off, but I’m willing to accept
it in this case because the songs are just so flippin’
awesome. The first track, Redemption, is the only one I skip,
but that’s really only because I’ve been hearing it all over
the place for like 2 months, and am quite sick of it, despite
it’s powerful chorus and beautiful guitar-work. Other
highlights include Failure of the Devout, an obvious depiction
of religious consciousness, and Dread Uprising, probably one
of the most powerhouse Shadows Fall songs ever, with a no
clean vocals whatsoever and a creeping midsection that yields
one of the best Fall solos ever. So, time to get down to the
obligatory brass tax here, I suppose. I know a lot of you only
liked the first few albums, before they “sold out” (some
people just can’t stand their bands maturing), and this won’t
change your mind. Group 2, you know who you are, and you know
what I’ll say, so pick it up and play it loud. Long live these
Shadows, and may their Fall be far, far into the future.
www.shadowsfall.com |
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Sworn - The Alleviation (Twilight)
Review by Crin |
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Tagged as Norwegian Black Metal, but harnessing a sound more
in tune with the Swedish melodic death metal sound of the
nineties. The sharp, cutting guitar sound of bands like In
Flames, Nocturnal Winds and Gandalf, come to mind when
listening to the snappy flurry of six string riffs that batter
the ears in a ceaseless surge of Blackened Death Metal. Again,
Dissection do have their mark etched over the music, as this
style is very much in debt to the Swedish legends. The band
features Lars Jensen, of the blackened folk metal band
Myrkgrav, so this is a more technical style than his mother
band.
I have played this numerous times without feeling anything
special is happening, and that’s is |
more than likely down to the musical formula being so
mainstream in texture and content. The musicianship is precise
and decisive, the songs polished and crisp, and this is the
albums main flaws. The sound is too smooth, the presentation
too clean, and that creates that all to familiar style that
evokes the already mentioned acts, as well as mid-era
Sentenced, and Dark Tranquillity.
As for having any relations to Norwegian Black Metal, hardly
any moments provoke such connections, but the music is made of
stern stuff, strong, melodic and easy listening Heavy Metal on
amphetamines.
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Warrant - Born Again DVD (MTM)
Review by Steve Green |
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You know the kind of chores you always put off, well watching
this dvd was one of them. I did offer this disc to a couple of
other writers and no-one bit my hand off, so now I have no
choice but to press play.
Thankfully for me, Jani Lane has vacated the mic and Warrant
circa 2007 are a much more palatable proposition that the
Cherry Pie, bubblegum version I knew... and loathed. His
replacement, Jaime St.James, has a fine set of pipes and this,
coupled with a much more mature approach to song writing,
makes the material on this dvd, on the whole, not bad at all.
I mean, I never cringed once, nor had I any reason to
complain.
The dozen tracks on offer are all from last years Born Again
album. So what you are getting for your money are the visual
representations of the album. Unfortunately, the budget seems
to be absolutely zero. Each track is recorded in the same
(empty) club, with various visuals, be it pictures, clips from
a live concert etc... spliced into the bar room filmed
footage, which |
does get tedious after a while. Why not film a live show
instead and release that?
The extras include Mini Monster, which is a camcorder diary
kinda thing with the band playing golf or sitting in cars!!!!
And we need to see this because? Even the goofing around is
painfully embarrassing. In The Studio, is as you'd expect, is
clips of the band playing in the studio and bouncing ideas
around. Again it's boring and it ended my time spent with this
dvd. The prospect of a Warrant Slideshow was too much for me.
www.warrantweb.net |
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