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Octavia Sperati - Grace Submerged (Candlelight) Review by
James Young |
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First things first - I can’t stand the term ‘female-fronted’
metal. As a genre of metal, it simply doesn’t exist, because
it would group Arch Enemy and Within Temptation, two totally
different styles, together. Norwegians Octavia Sperati, for
those of you who don’t know, are actually a gothic doom metal
band, consisting of five women and one male drummer (maybe
then this should be called ‘male-backed’ metal…or not). Their
debut album, 2005's Winter Enclosure, was a fantastic listen,
and after some relentless touring recently, which saw a number
of songs from this album previewed, they seem to have
perfected their sound and are ready to unleash this monster on
the world. When compared |
with the last album, the fantastically heavy, groovy,
doom-laden riffs are back, as well as Silje’s magnificent vocals. What is all the more
captivating about her voice is that she does not attempt
stupidly over-the-top operatic stuff, but uses her powerful
voice as an instrument in itself. The production is slightly
more clear, which makes the whole thing sound more polished
and listenable, whilst still dark, reflected in the gloomy
album art.
Even more noticeable in this album is the keyboard-tinkling of
Tone, heard especially in the Thin Lizzy adaptation of ‘Don’t
Believe A Word’. Don’t think that they’re going down the
Metallica road though, because this features some gorgeous
piano work and sweet singing from Silje, making for a
wonderfully heartfelt ballad. The last full song on the album,
‘Dead End Poem’, is along the same lines also, with the
addition of some light drumming and soft guitars towards the
end, before leading into the orchestral outro entitled
‘Submerged’. The heavier songs are fantastically
well-constructed, sometimes blending doomy riffs with hazy
atmospheres, such as in the crushingly heavy ‘Moonlit’.
Trine’s bass work deserves special mention, shining in tracks
including the headbangable ‘Going North’, where it’s of an
almost black metal fuzziness, perhaps showing that their time
touring with bands such as Enslaved has had an impact. The
bass is also top-notch in the laid-back intro to
‘Deprivation’, where it provides an almost haunting quality.
The drumming of Ivar never totally stands out from the rest of
the band, but this is by no means a bad thing; he provides a
multitude of rhythms which match the music perfectly, such as
the marching snare rhythms at the end of ‘Provenance Of Hate’,
to which some nice vocal chanting is added, along with some
plinky-plonky keyboards - all very epic indeed.
I could go on about the genius of this album, but it’s
probably best left for you to hear and see for yourself. Just
like the title, you’ll be totally submerged in this album
after a few listens, with its gloomy moods and wonderfully
menacing atmospheres. Forget female-fronted, this band kicks
the behinds of ninety-nine percent of the ‘male-fronted’ bands
out there, and yours will be next if you don’t check it out.
www.octavia-sperati.com |
www.candlelightrecords.co.uk |
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Olympos Mons – Medievil (Scarlet
Records) Reviewed By Robert Beeton |
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Once upon a time, not so long a go, a group of noble musicians
went on an ambitious journey in search of creating a number of
exciting tales. Their result was purely “Medievil” and these 4
men (Ian Eric on Vocals, Jari Erik On guitar, Krister Lundell
on Bass and Mikko Sepponen) were known as Olympos Mons!
Melodic power metal for me, is usually just a load of old
cheese except for the odd few good tracks from the likes of
Rhapsody. On the other hand, I am beginning to move towards
the good seats on the round table, where the cheese isn’t so
much. Olympos Mons “Medievil” is their second album (the
follow up to Conquistador) delivers a mixture of |
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brave heroic action with a minor amount of drool coming from
the horse’s mouth. The album really does give you a sense of
being in Medieval times where true feelings of being in a
great hall or on a giant battle field really do all exist.
Among the tracks a feeling of magic also lingers! Highlights
For me included “Wolves”. Eerie and spooky notions float in
the air, you know the wolves are in the dark and are out to
get you! A haunting track with a great, yet frightening
distant solo from deep within the gloomy woods. Watch your
back, it may bite you! Then there was the powerful epic
journey that was “Medievil”. The first feeling that came to me
was of a thousand charging knights on horse back heading
straight for you. Feel the battering drums at times as a good
old circle pit may be in your favour! Olympos Mons has given
you a fantastic album with so much energy and impact, enough
to make you want to get a sword out and fight, that any
melodic power metal fan should be pleased!! “Medievil” is out
now!
www.scarletrecords.com |
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Orange Goblin - Healing Through Fire
(Sanctuary) Review by Chris Davison |
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I have had a long, occasionally suffering relationship with
Orange Goblin. It all started with an embryonic version of
first album cut “Sarumans Wish” from the Dark Passages 2
compilation platter, and from there I was a fan. Their first
three albums are stone-cold back-to-back classics, and yet the
eminently forgettable Coup De Grace saw them straying just a
little too far into stoner rock territory, and Thieving From
the House of God was but a partial return to form. That being
said, their live stint at the Bloodstock festival all those
years ago was one of the most memorable of recent years, and
they remain one of the few bands that I will pre-order albums
from. |
“Healing through Fire” is the return to barnstorming form that
I have been patiently waiting for. Long castigated for their
eclectic collection of influences, the overriding theme here
is of heavy metal. Remember that ? When bands were merely
labelled “Heavy Metal?”. The southern rock tinged blues
approach remains, as do the vestigial remnants of dooms leaden
bludgeon, but here, in essence, is the distilled aural liquor
of cut off denim waistcoats, the unmistakable aroma of sweaty
men clad in Saxon T-shirts. British heavy metal at its finest.
This is, of sorts, a concept album based around the great fire
of London, but it is a concept given a fair amount of artistic
licence, so that rather than being some sort of po-faced
history lesson, we are treated to fantastic tales of the
plague dead returning to reek their revenge in the the
mid-paced atmospheric stomp of “They Come Back”, or the
ramblings of deranged seers in “The Ballad of Solomon Eagle”.
Throughout, that trade mark Goblin swing is in full effect,
with some absolutely wonderful old school drumming that is
more concerned with making your hips shake than trying to beat
some world blastbeat record. The guitars are more aggressive
and gnarled than in recent albums, adding considerable grit
and fire to tracks such as the frankly stunning “Cities of
Frost”. Of course, it's the job of towering frontman Ben Ward
to add spice to the music, and here he has a career highlight.
His whiskey soaked voice, part Lemmy, part Pepper Keenan has
never sounded more impressive. His throat is raw, impassioned
and evokes the spirit of pure rock and roll. I have always
wondered why Orange Goblin never reaches the level of public
attention that they deserve. I have always thought it was a
matter of not being easy to compartmentalise; the doom kids
don't think they are are “pure” enough to warrant attention,
and the traditional metal crowd don't see enough dragons and
fantasy in their artwork. Finally, however, they have produced
the album that not only could but more rightly should see them
rise in profile. Classic enough to draw in the rock crowd, but
heavy enough to keep the rest of us interested, and at last
with a production that does them justice, I can only hope that
this will finally raise the boys to the heights which they
undoubtedly deserve.
Oh, and as if the album itself wasn't worth buying alone, you
get a ten track DVD of the masters at work in their natural
habitat; the live theatre. Let's not mince our words – you
need this. You deserve this. Treat yourself to a slice of hot
Goblin. www.orange-goblin.com |
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Scale The Summit – Monument (Self Release)
Review by Strawb |
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USA progressive from Houston, Texas with a two guitar, bass
and drums line up. Note the lack of vocal credits here, which
is in no way an oversight as this is almost 40 minutes of
instrumental music. The photos show that all four members are
young; the talents displayed would belie their years, and the
fact that the band was formed in 2004, with two of the members
joining in 2005. This is their debut album.
The music itself is Rock, I found no part of the album where
the cross is made into the Metal arena. The lack of vocals is
somewhat disconcerting initially, but soon overcome allowing
the instrumental combinations to be fully appreciated. |
The track titles are prog all the way. The opener, Shaping The
Clouds, begins with a note being held in a gentle manner,
followed by a sharp cascade as all of the instruments join in.
It is driven and played with conviction. On every track there
is technical proficiency on each instrument, but be it the
material or the mixing, this is an album I just want to turn
off. As each track fades into the next there is some change,
an occasional new direction, but this feeling never leaves me.
I find myself clock watching constantly.
On the basis of this release, I would say that the base camp
has been reached, but the pinnacle remains a somewhat lofty
ambition. However if instrumental prog is your thing then
Scale The Summit could well be one of the bands for you, so
check them out on the internet at
www.myspace.com/scalethesummit
and
www.purevolume.com/scalethesummit |
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Seizure Crypt - Hello, My Name Is …Madness
(3:16 Productions)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Any metalhead in their late 30s or so worth their credentials
remembers the whole crossover scene, and the influence of NYHC
in that scene. Bands such as Agnostic Front, The Crumbsuckers
and others were greeted rather warmly by the metal scene and
even led to the development of a few crossover exclusive
labels, now defunct, such as Combat Core Records and Death
Records. By the early 90s, however, grindcore was becoming
established with Napalm Death and Brutal Truth raging ahead,
Corrosion of Conformity changed styles, D.R.I. faded somewhat
into generic thrash, the crossover labels dropped out of
sight, and crossover ceased to be a major influence as Billy
Milano’s M.O.D. antics |
bored the Hell out of everybody.
At any rate, the reason for this short history lesson is the
release of Seizure Crypt’s NYHC debut full-length, “Hello, My
Name Is …Madness”. Pure crossover NYHC coming across as a mix
of Agnostic Front (naturally) and Attitude Adjustment
(remember them?), “Hello, My Name Is… Madness” rips through
eight tracks that veer dangerously close to pure hardcore for
my tastes, but is, nonetheless, evocative of the old crossover
days. Consisting of a wide range of tempos from a slow crush
(which tends to last a bit long) to a pit-inducing gallop, a
dual vocal attack laden with typical hardcore shouts, and
“society is shit” lyrical content, Seizure Crypt has all of
the bread and butter elements of the crossover genre present.
Now, keep in mind that all of this has been done before, and
there’s certainly nothing new going on here. Although I had
most of the important crossover albums (still have most of
them), I don’t really miss the disappearance of the genre and
pure hardcore was never my thing. To that end, Seizure Crypt,
although certainly competent, doesn’t really do much for me.
www.seizurecrypt.com |
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Simone Fiorletta - My Secret Diary (Lion Music)
By: Joe Florez |
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Once again, the young Italian up and coming guitarist from
Moonlight Comedy is back with another prog metal instrumental.
His debut, “Parallel Worlds” was fascinating due to the fact
that he didn’t follow the blueprints of the genre and instead
ventured out and created something that was filled with lush
dynamics and had plenty of depth that it held your interest
for the duration. Can the sophomore release apply the same
principles as the first one?
I was surprised at the fact that
the opener “A Day In California” didn’t have an ounce of prog
in there. Instead, we get an upbeat, happy and not so
complicated composition that |
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shows Simone being a little flashy and nimble with his
fingers, but it’s catchy and remarkably simple with riffs that
are infectious. It’s has more of a pop feeling more than
anything else, but glad to see that the man’s vision isn’t
focused only on one thing. He has broadened his horizons a bit
more here. Andrea from Labyrinth provides the keys and in the
end is a breath of fresh air. You will hear a smidge of Satriani, but it’s all about
originality. An electronic voice is used as an intro to “I
Came Back” before the man’s music takes off. This time around,
there is an electronic atmosphere and a programmed drum
machine used during the first minute before rocking out again.
I thought that at first it was gonna be all about the
electronics, but once again we are thrown a curve ball and I
just soak in what the man has created. Unlike the opener, this
one is a bit more on the technical as the axe is performed
with great efficiency, but is more complex and the ivory keys
also step up to the plate and manage to wow me. There is a
little space jazz thrown in here as well which always makes
for a fun listen. “Welcome, Anita” shows a soft and tender
spot as Simone performs not so much a ballad, but a slow song
that still manages to have a little kick in it and its heart
is in the right place. It’s gentle with a nice percussion
sound and filled with emotion. I have to say that I wasn’t
quite ready for this disc and was expecting another technical prog disc and didn’t get it at all. But, you know what? I am
glad. Simone had the guts to try something different and
manage to still make it work. Now, some fans will be
discouraged by this review and that’s fine. This one isn’t for
everyone and if you want the proggy stuff stick with his debut
solo work and Moonlight Comedy. There is nothing in the books
that says he has to do the same thing over and over again.
This is why he has this outlet to do whatever the hell he
wants. I enjoy this record equally as much as his other one,
but in different ways. Unpredictability is the name of the
game here and it prevails. Be prepared for pop rock and soft
numbers. www.lionmusic.com
| www.simonefiorletta.it
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Three - The End Is Begun (Metal
Blade) Review by Strawb |
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It's unusual for me to comment on this, but what a great album
cover - one of the best I have seen since the days of Roger
Dean & Hipgnosis. So, with my attention grabbed it was time to
listen to the music. When I first listened to this platter my
brother in law Steve was visiting. He has had formal music
training and was quick to point out that the opening of the
initial track – The Word Is Born Of Flame is very clever as
the guitar opening is on one beat, and the vocals when
joining are on another. This is very difficult to do. And sets
the standard for the musical proficiency displayed throughout.
Later in the same song we are treated to an almost metal-type
guitar solo. The title track begins with a staccato, machine |
gun-like instrumental before the vocals join. Then it heads
along in an 80s-style big hair direction, reminiscent of Jon &
Vangelis. In there is a touch of Eastern influence. Battle Cry
opens with a raw acoustic guitar, before slowing with the
introduction of the vocals, which hit the highest notes so
far. The electric guitar solo brings a touch of pace, but
again this is lost when the vocals rejoin. It isn’t a slow
number, but it obeys the 30mph speed limit, so it’s more of a
battle whimper. All That Remains is their leader on My-Space.
It has more pace and is a more committed, slicker track. My
Divided Falling leads with a drums and guitar intro, and
features some good changes of tempo around the chorus and deep
voice vocals towards the end. Serpents In Disguise goes back
to the 80s-style again. It has a good, rhythmic Drum and Bass
line and brief screaming metal-type vocals. Been To The Future
is a slow song, reminding me of early Genesis, but not up to
that standard. Bleeding Me Home is another song that would not
have been out of place in the first half of the 70s; it keeps
up a steady pace, with a fading ending. Live Entertainment
would be the concert sing-a-long track, it has that sort of a
feel and easy repetition. Diamond In The Crush has various
instruments performing at varying tempos, so pace changes are
common. Shadow Play is a slow love song, and the world already
has enough of those. These Iron Bones has a driving Bass
intro, and with the chorus removed it would make a decent rock
song. The Last Day is another slower one to finish.
Three hail from the USA. This is Prog with a difference and
worth a listen.
On the internet at
www.theband3.com &
www.myspace.com/3 |
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Tulus - Biography Obscene (Indie
Recordings) Review by Crin |
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Tulus released their first demo in 1993, released two more
demos, and three rather low key albums before splitting up, to
be reborn as Khold. Khold, released four albums that were kind
of a progressive Tulus before regenerating back into Tulus.
So, here we have one of the genres most classic acts to whom
cult status is most definitely allied.
The album starts with a cello and violin intro, and these
instruments make appearances throughout the release. The slow
menacing embodiment of both Tulus and Khold can be drawn from
the first track, the vocals becoming the obvious source of
this assumption. It is from the unique vocal growl that the
music deploys its clean sound. Additional female |
vocals lift the deadened atmosphere to livelier heights, but
when you have a violin making appearances, piano and a very
strident bass high in the mix, there can be no guessing what
will come next. The following tracks serenade the senses with
fast and slow arrangements crawling and biting within an
almost surreal like atmosphere. There is even a lazy saxophone
piece on the track Demise, and this smoke fuelled atmosphere
hangs over all of the tracks here.
The fast moments are vintage Tulus, and yet the flowing string
instruments set this album ablaze, taking the brooding
despondency to another level. This is not just another Tulus
album, another band reforming out of mist of the past for
dubious reasons. Tulus were never a renowned act to warrant
criticism of their peers. This is a vibrant, head crushing
album that is given a decent sound, only time will, tell if
can stand the test of time. This is also the first Tulus album
with English lyrics.
www.myspace.com/indierecordings |
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Vreid - I Krig (Indie Recordings)
Review by Crin |
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I
Krig [meaning, at war] is Vrieds second album, and for those
who do not know, the band consists of former Windir members,
who opted to carry on under this guise after vocalist Valfar
died.
Lyrically woven around a poem written in 1946, by Gunnar
Reiss-Anderson, that pays homage to the Norwegian resistance
during WW2. Musically, the riveting melodies shift between a
modern Black Metal frame and the uplifting elements of Windir.
There is a great depth to the compositions, a driving melodic
spine that sets this band above the icy viciousness of the
likes of Gorgoroth, and even Dimmu Borgir sound rugged
compared to |
the subtleties of this release. The music bounces across slow,
cleanly produced guitar structures, crisp drum beats and at
times fast sections, that remind us of the roots this band
emanate from. The coarse vocal lunges keep the whole album
from straying to far from the darkly atmospheres that haunt
the main theme of the album. The more I play this, the more
the tracks eat into my head. There is a real quality that sets
the tracks ablaze, a rare embodiment of simple Heavy Metal
music ignited with a dark soul.
With Satyricon bearing the torch of Norwegian Black Metal to
the masses, Vreid are also armed with an ordinance of catchy,
memorable songs to captivate fans of most metal genres.
www.myspace.com/indierecordings |
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Widow - Nightlife (Cruz Del Sur Music)
By: Joe Florez |
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My first encounter with this 80’s old school inspired metal
band with themes about classic B-horror flicks was in 2005
with “On Fire.” Musically, it was good. They had solid riffs
and catchy choruses, but the thing that made them standout to
a degree was this death metal screamer that chimed in from
time to time with Lili who did the clean singing. The problem
I had with the band was Lili. While her heart was in the right
place, she was just a mess with her vocals and she is no
longer with the band. Now that we have John taking over her
spot we can perhaps move forward. The only way to tell though
is to throw this on and find out. “First Born” shoots out of
the cannon blazing with sinister riffs that will grab the ear.
The |
harmony vocals also will have you hooked , but it’s those
screechy and evil dark vocals that crack me up. They come out
of nowhere, but it’s all good. It’s a fun number. A simple
rhythm section accompanies the track for an end result that
will have this song tattooed in your brain for a while. The
blackened growls take front and center stage when “We Will
Meet Again” starts right up. John’s clean lung work soon joins
in and the singing goes back and forth. The riffs are fueled
with a bit more rage and the drums just go absolutely for
broke. There is nothing stopping the band as Widow wants you
to take notice of their homage to early 80’s metal when things
were primitive, but with a supped up production. This is a
much better release than the last one especially on the
singing front as they are more than tolerable and the music is
consistently rockin’. At the end of the disc are two covers.
The first is Van Halen’s “Ain’t Talking Bout Love” in which it
sounds like the original for the most part with the exception
of the guys adding their own twist. It’s louder and heavier,
but when the Witchery like shrieks come into play in the
chorus, it’s an absolute riot, but I mean that in a positive
way. The other classic is Kiss’ “I Stole Your Love” and this
one is purely evil. A blast to listen to indeed.
A solid
release overall, but before you throw this one on make sure
that you throw on your ripped jeans, jean jacket and wear your
bullet belt because you will be throwing the devil horns and
rattling you head for the duration.
www.cruzdelsurmusic.com
| www.myspace.com/widow
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