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Amorphis - Silent Waters (Nuclear Blast)
By: Joe Florez |
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I guess Gene Simmons is right. Anyone is replaceable. Just
look at VH and Sammy Hagar, that was a success. Helloween and
Andi Deris also proved to be a winner as well. Now on the
other hand, Gary Cherone in VH was a mistake and once Chris
Degarmo left Queensryche, things haven’t been the same, but
for the most part change can be a positive thing. Alas, we
have the new disc from a group that means taking no definite
shape. Take a glance at the name as well. The proper spelling
is “amorphous” not what you see on the cover and the morphing
of sounds has been consistent all along. It’s round two with
the now settled in vocalist Tomi Joutsen and everyone should
be acquainted with each other |
quite nicely. “Eclipse” was a good record, but we all needed
to get accustomed with the new voice and when this promo
popped in my mail box, I was licking my chops and drool was
all over the floor. So, I rushed in to throw it on and I was
amazed at what has come out of these Finns. First off, you
will not get anything new since they have probably gone as far
as they could. What they do instead is take every sound that
they have utilized from the beginning and put it all in a
blender and what you get is nothing less than stellar.
“Weaving The Incantation” is up first and they come out strong
with some evil as sin growls and heavy riffs, but they are
catchy as ever and Tomi’s voice is powerful as he screams, but
is more than audible. Soon enough though, the harmony vocals
chime in and we get that folky acoustic guitar
thrown into the mix. The music goes back and forth
from aggressive to calm, but giving all the fans what they
want: something old and something from today. Holy Christ! “A
Servant” offers up a surprise that could have been left off
from the “Elegy” days. The guitar licks are very reminiscent
of that era and Tomi’s growling matches that of Pasi’s. Some
of the psychedelic elements are thrown in here as well to
shake things up. The title track slows things down or rather
goes for more of a mid paced number. Mr. Joutsen’s voice is
subtle and tranquil and the piano utilized on here sounds
perfect. A nice rhythm section that is simple is inserted here
and we get another winner here. Ultimately, the hard and heavy
songs come at the beginning and begin ease up dramatically
half way through, but that’s fine because you don’t want to be
fired up for the next 45 minutes plus because you’ll be winded
by mid point. No, the boys never run out of gas in their tank,
but just want to do exactly as their name implies and that’s
to be slightly unpredictable. This album has really come into
its own and justice has been served. Fans of all era of the
group from “Tales to Far From The Sun” should be more than
pleased with the results. I was and still am a huge fan of
Pasi, but the proof is all here. He too can be replaced and I
mean that with no disrespect. This is the ultimate must have
this year. Many more spins are to come with a smile that gets
bigger and bigger each time.
www.amorphis.net
| www.nuclearblast.de |
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Before The Dawn - Deadlight (Cyclone
Empire) Review by Strawb |
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The opening track, Wrath, is a real humdinger and sets the
tone for the album. A touch of solo guitar to lead you in,
joined by another stringed instrument, then the drums with
force and pace. And then the vocals. The old questions - tea
or coffee? milk chocolate or dark continental? - can now be
joined by the choice of vocals on this album, the throaty deep
voice, or the airy rock tones? No, damn it, no obligation to
pick is necessary; listen in and enjoy both.
This is the fifth album from a Finnish group that is the
project of Tuomas Saukkonen, who formed it in 1999 and has
continued with it throughout, despite constant line up changes
and |
the use of session musicians.
The tracks have an air of sameness about them, occasional
variations of tempo and speed notwithstanding. But then if
this is the basis on which the fanbase has been built, why
vary too far from it?
There is no weak track among the ten on the disk, and the
final one must be in contention for the most original title of
the year: ‘…’ must have taxed the creative thinking no
end….[damn, have I just given them an idea for a title on the
next album?]
So heavy with a touch of Gothic and some melodious vocals
thrown in, sort of Evanescence with steel. This reviewer has
listened to it over and over and found nothing to dislike, but
I cannot say it leaps out from the crowd either.
www.beforethedawn.com/ghostsite.htm |
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Conquest of Steel - Hammer & Fist (No
Fashion) Review by Steve Green |
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I wasn't over impressed with Conquest of Steels last
release, May Your Blade Never Dull, an EP of new and old
material. Well I'm pleased, no, make that fucking stoked, to
say that the Steelies are back on form. You can't keep a good
band down and true Metal Warriors, Conquest of Steel are back
firing on all cylinders on this, their second full length
album.
As you'd expect, and hope for, Hammer & Fist, as the title
suggests, is jam packed full of Metal Anthems to wave a sword
at or raise your fist in unity with 100s of other Metal
Brothers. Anthems such as Born In Hell and I Am Legend are
perfect examples of why we all love Metal. This is helped
no-end by the fact that Dan Durrant has an ideal voice for
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this type of Metal. So bollocks to all of the pretentious
trends and the Emo hordes, this is the true heart of Metal.
Conquest of Steel are Saxon, Manowar and Iron Maiden all
rolled into one. The secret of their success though, is the
fact that their songs are catchy, and above all, memorable.
I've heard a few albums recently were the music has been
stunning, Machine Head - The Blackening being a prime example,
but are the songs memorable? Not to me they aren't. The
quality of Taste The Metal and the more Celtic flavoured Under
The Sign (of the Skull and Crossbones) put Conquest of Steel
up there with the best the underground has to offer.
www.nofacerecords.co.uk |
www.conquestofsteel.co.uk |
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Despised Icon – The Ills of Modern Man
(Century Media) review
by Sam Thomas |
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The Ills of Modern Man is the third full length release from
Montreal’s Despised Icon, a band formed in 2002 by members of
Neuraxis, In Dying Days and Heaven’s Cry. They are described
in the press release as death/metalcore, but personally I’d
say that they lean more towards death/grind. OK, there’s some
irritating messing around with time changes, including at
least one instance that had me convinced that the CD player
had jammed (memo to self: do NOT play this in the car!) but
that’s as far as it goes metalcore wise.
Alexandre Erian (yes, they’re French Canadian) and Steve
Marois share vocal duties, but sadly I haven’t been able to
discover which of them does the “normal” death vocals and |
which squeals like a pig recently delivered by Gordon Ramsay
to an abattoir. Or indeed, if they share the
pig-squealing/death vocals in some other fashion.
By now, you should be getting the picture. This is a band with
an extreme level of aggression. Despised Icon have stripped
their music right back to the basics, in much the same way as
a bath of acid would do to a human body. Title track “The Ills
of Modern Man” is as raw and extreme as it gets, and allows
Alexandre Pelletier to demonstrate (again) the ability to
deliver an unrelenting wall of sound from his drum kit.
Perhaps fortunately, and definitely in keeping with the genre,
“The Ills of Modern Man” comes to a grinding (pun intended)
halt after close on forty minutes of flat-out sonic
punishment. The sheer levels of raw energy alone leave me
wishing that I’d caught Despised Icon supporting myspace
darlings Job for a Cowboy on their earlier tour. All in all,
if you like a few squealing pigs, this is definitely an album
worth looking out for.
www.despisedicon.com |
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Entombed - Serpent Saints : Ten Amendments
(Candlelight Records USA)
By: Dave Schalek |
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A band as influential and that has been around for as long as
Entombed deserves to have each new release evaluated on its
own merit without any nostalgia or wishful thinking on the
part of the reviewer. To that end, Entombed releases their
first full-length, and second release overall on Candlelight
Records, in four years entitled “Serpent Saints- Ten
Amendments”.
Frankly, the standard for death n’ roll was raised
significantly higher late last year with the absolutely thick,
monstrous second release from Frenchmen Phazm entitled
“Antebellum Death n’ Roll”. Although Entombed is credited with
sort of inventing this sub-genre, they |
have a bit of catching up to do, in my opinion, although I
certainly enjoyed their last full-length from 2004, “Inferno”.
Right off the bat, “Serpent Saints…” comes off as a cross
between Sodom and Motorhead with a title track that has riffs,
vocals, and even lyrics that are seemingly lifted from “Iron
Fist”. That’s OK with me, but this immediately smacks of
unoriginality. At any rate, the entire album more less
progresses in this dirty style of thrash mixed with the death
n’ roll beat that has become Entombed’s bread and butter. A
few nods to the death metal roots of the band are made with
apocalyptic themes and a few blasts thrown in for good
measure. Petrov’s vocals are as rough as ever and also feature
a lowering of an octave or so every now and then. A rasp is
even tossed in for good measure.
The songs are certainly catchy enough, a necessity for this
sub-genre, but the production is somewhat lacking with a
rather flat guitar sound. An album such as this deserves a
giant sound (“Antebellum…” had that in spades) and this sort
of punch to the face is absent. Overall, however, this is
definitely a good album and shows that Entombed are still a
force to be reckoned with. Recommended.
www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
| www.entombed.org/
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Glorior Belli - Manifesting The Raging Beast
(Southern Lord)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Southern Lord chooses the black metal bands to sign to their
quality roster quite carefully. With that in mind, I look
forward to every black metal signing to the label, and every
subsequent release. Enter the absolutely vicious French band
Glorior Belli, whose 2005 debut full-length “O Laudate Dominvs”
was highly impressive. Glorior Belli now issue their second
full-length, “Manifesting The Raging Beast”. Frankly, the
title of this opus couldn’t be a more apt description, as
“Manifesting The Raging Beast” knocks you over with an all out
black metal assault.
The French black metal scene is one of the most vibrant with a
number of excellent bands |
at the forefront of the genre. I’ll mention Deathspell Omega in particular, since Glorior Belli’s
sound is somewhat similar, particularly in vocal delivery.
However, Glorior Belli are not mere clones, as their approach
is a bit more straightforward than Deathspell Omega’s tendency
to incorporate some moments of avant garde. Glorior Belli’s
brand of raw black metal consists of a wide range of tempos
with variation incorporated into every song, a raw guitar
sound backed up with an audible bass, and vicious vocals
consisting of a roaring, deep rasp that combine beautifully
with the guitars to produce an exceptionally powerful sound.
The powerful riffing is also enhanced with some moments of
melody that are able to allow Glorior Belli to transcend above
the typical raw black metal sound and produce music that is
able to mesmerize the listener. There’s even a long guitar
solo to close out the album with the title track.
Simply put, this is an exceptional black metal album. Much
hoopla is already being made at the impending release of
Deathspell Omega’s next full-length, but Glorior Belli have
beaten them to the punch with an album that will, no doubt,
grace my 2007 top ten list in some form. Buy or die.
www.southernlord.com
| http://gloriorbelli.free.fr/ |
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Invey - Addiction For Comfort
(Insomnia Media) Review by Steve Green |
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Invey are an extremely hard working band and are forever
gigging around the Midlands and further afar. It's for that
reason alone that I cannot knock them. Any band that are willing to
slog their guts out on the UK toilet scene deserve respect.
Unfortunately, that doesn't mean I have to like their music.
The problem for me is rooted in the vocals. I cannot get on
with Claire Natalie's clean vocals. When she is crooning, I
don't even think she is in tune. When the lady lets rip, it's
a completely different story and she sounds great and utterly
convincing. On this cd though, you can't have one without the
other. It's the light and shade scenario and that makes it a
difficult listen for yours truly. If this were an intense,
shit-kicking album, I think I'd quite
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enjoy it. But without the vitriol, I cannot get to grips with
this at all. Bands such as the UK's Harpies and the
US/Israeli/Jamaican band Mahavatar are leagues above what I'm hearing here.
The hard work ethic may be admirable, but I don't see enough
here to convince me they are destined for greatness. Sorry
guys. www.invey.com |
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Malefice – Entities (Anticulture)
Review by Chris Davison |
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Modern metal. What is it? Malefice name check bands like
Slipknot, Arch Enemy and Chimaira on their accompanying blurb,
which will send some readers into paroxysms of joy as they
hunker down into their branded hooded tops, no doubt, and will
send other, possibly more discerning metalheads shivering
with fear of another by-the-numbers outfit clad in the latest
gear, sporting the latest haircuts and throwing the latest
shapes. Malefice appear to be yet another entrant into the
world of the chunky riff, screamed vocals and breakdown ridden
metal here-and-now.
The eagle eyed reader may have got the impression that I'm not
too enamoured by the |
watered down thrash pedalled by many of the higher profile
bands that are sported with gay abandon on the front pages of
the likes of Metal Hammer and Kerrang,
(which, coincidentally seems to have become even more
absorbent and kinder on the skin than ever before). What is it
about the mundane riff, the complete predictability of the
songs and the so-so delivery of the half-arsed lyrics that
winds me up so much? It's hard to say, other than I get the
impression that for many of these bands inspiration is in
short supply other than from what peers are doing. Malefice at
least seem to be a thoroughly professional outfit. I can't
knock their musical ability at all; a chunky production brings
out the fist-in-the air guitar riffing perfectly, the drums
kick with venom during the (plentiful) breakdowns (of which
more later), and the vocals are perfectly placed in the mix to
compliment rather than to dominate the music.
There's plenty of energy here, and the music rattles along at
a cracking pace, with muscular riffing providing the backbone
of a principally modern thrash powered beast. That being said,
while the vitality and effort are in abundance, I can't really
warm to the music. I have given the CD a good half a dozen
listens, and I struggle to accurately remember any individual
track. I suspect that this could be because I'm just too
opposed to bloody breakdowns and clean vocal sections to stand
so-called “Metalcore”. It's all rather forgettable, I'm
afraid. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Malefice are bad at
what they do – to my ears, it's all as good as Chimaira or God
Forbid, which I'm sure will chuff the boys in the band. I just
grow utterly sick and tired of breakdowns, tepid Gothenburg
guitar melodies laced over chugga-chugga guitars. I preferred
metalcore when it meant Biohazard and Merauder rather than
Trivium and chums. Malefice could easily find themselves a
massive selling British outfit; that being said, I won't be
buying.
www.myspace.com/malefice |
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