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Devian - Ninewinged Serpent (Century Media) Review by Crin |
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Just because you are signed to a big indie doesn’t mean you
are any better than the multitude of talented acts residing on
smaller labels. Never has such a statement been more apt than
here.
The band are made up of former Marduk members. Legion, and
Emil Draugutinovic, and we are presented here with a
regurgitated myriad of former classic melodic Black/ Death
styles afforded to the likes of, At the Gates, In Flames, Dark
Tranquillity, and Sentenced.
The music has a thick, strident production, and the vocals are
bellowing roars issuing the pangs of purgatory with frightful
ease, but the whole virulent musical overview has a very |
worn feel to its overall texture. The promo sheet cites,
Slayer, Possessed, and Motorhead as reference points, and where might
that be? I just hate these rubbish promo sheets.
Here, we have dense, all guns blazing heard it all before
melodic Death album of the European style. Nothing here can be
credited to individual creativity as its all borrowed,
re-constructed extreme metal and as long as you are aware of
that, the music will flow like a robotic afterthought though
the ears and rest amongst the debris of past riffs and deathly
rasps piled high in the head. Take this band and cast them
into the mire of likewise acts that populate the underground
and they would drown in their own self importance. The album
is razor sharp, and in no way bad, its just a tired formula
done to death yet again.
www.centurymedia.com |
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Engel - Absolute Design (SPV)
Review by Robert Beeton |
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The plans were written, the music was created and now we have
the “Absolute Design” by heavy melodic Metallers “Engel”.
Coming from Sweden with their debut album the guys from Engel
have combined a number of styles, which they have taken from
their backgrounds to bring you a spooky storm of psycho gloomy
anthems, mixed with a dramatic collection of passionate trips
and mellowed out infusions of slowed down riffage. Produced by
singer of “In flames” Anders Fridčn and founded by Niclas
Engelin, who was formerly with “In Flames” among other bands
such as Gardenian and Passenger, who couldn’t say that they
have good direction. |
I love this album and among my highlights were the tracks “In
Splendour”. Let it take you under as you fall in and out of
conciseness while you bang your head so much that the veins in
your neck begin to pop, blowing blood everywhere. Then when
you think its over you’re thrown into darkness as you fall and
fall - while your neck is still blowing blood vessels, while
you’re falling in and out of conciseness. Sounds cool don’t
it. Then there’s the almighty “Propaganda”, a fast paced
explosion of brutal tornado like riffs and drums combined with
a firestorm of melodic melodies that will sabotage any place
you play this. Jumping to track 9 sees the awesome “Trial and
Error”. With Mangan Klavborn
tearing the place up at times with vocals making you think
that he may need to keep replacement voice boxes at home
joined with the bolts of electricity that run through the
thunderous drumming of Mojjo and the shocking riffs created by
Niclas, Marcus and bassist Michael Hakansson then you will
quickly find there are no errors in this track.
“Engel”
deliver an exceptional debut album combining a tank full of
musical excellence that combines balance in both rocketing
metal and more mellowed out tracks this is worthy album to
purchase.
“Engel” Release “Absolute design” on the 5th of November
through SPV.
www.spv.de |
www.myspace.com/engelmusic |
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Every Time I Die – The Big Dirty (Ferret) Review by Samuel
Munch-Petersen |
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This year it’s said that Keith Buckley was diagnosed with a
throat disease (not sure what), yet has not cancelled any of
the shows to date and still continues to rock out with
Underoath. Hope you get better soon and keep singing strong.
Now on to the album. It’s full of guts, power, hyperbole and
is as much like a heavy explosion on the new Batman filming
set. I’m not a heavy fan but at the same time they’re not your
conventional hardcore band. They are in fact something more,
especially with The Big Dirty, it’s developed and evolved, the
band play to a higher and more punishing level. The tracks
come thick and sludgy with the likes of Leatherneck and
We’rewolf dragging |
along with every chord and bar. They continue to speed through
with their music but have moved on to being a flowing and
alternating diode of musical representations that states more
than just a screamy, shouty
and bouncy band, they are raw and continue to smash the riffs
and beats with encouraging excellence.
Keith’s vocals seem on top form on the record and since still
being on tour, there’s enough assumption to suppose he’s well
enough to sing. Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams on guitars
give us a selection of riffs and pinches that make the album
circulate with every second. Mike Novak and Josh Newton on
drums and bass respectively take playing music to a new level
with the speed at which they mimic each other on the varying
tracks.
The album isn’t spectacular but it isn’t a rubbish heap
either. If you’re into Every Time I Die then you’ve already
decided, if you’re not then try it and see, it might be your
thing, but I don’t think you’ll be bowled over...
www.everytimeidie.com
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Motley Crue - Carnival of Sins Live
Double Disc re-issue (Eleven Seven Music)
Review by Metal Mark |
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Between 1983 and 1985 I remember playing Motley Crue cassettes
to death. Since then my interest in them has been up and down
as their releases have been hot and cold plus personal
problems have often overshadowed their music. However their
2005 tour was largely a huge success and this two disc, 23
song set was recorded during that tour.
Live albums have always been so hit and miss and typically I
approach them with low expectations. However my hopes were
raised some after a glance at the track listing which showed
that the first disc was largely material from “Too Fast For
Love” and “Shout at the Devil”. However the first few tracks
have the band sounding a little off in the pacing, almost |
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like they are just not hitting the changes sharp enough or
that age has just slowed them down a bit. It might have been
subtle misses, but my ears picked it up because of having
these songs burned into my brain when I was teen. Tracks like
“Shout at the Devil”, “Ten Seconds to Love” and “Primal
Scream” are just lacking the fire and punch of their studio
counterparts. Largely it’s just the music that’s a little off
kilter initially because although I hate to admit it, Vince
Neil is pretty well on during just about every song. There are
a number of highlights though including “Red Hot” which is
completely on, “Live Wire” where the crowd gets to sing part
and “Kickstart my Heart” which has always been so catchy
despite it’s simplicity. I would say it’s a decent outing more
for the diehard Crue, but the casual fan probably shouldn’t
run after it. I enjoyed a number of songs here, but more than
anything it had me digging out their early CD’s to hear the
original versions of the songs.
www2.motley.com |
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Resistance - Patents Of Control (Lion Music)
By: Joe Florez |
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It’s album number two for these Californian metalheads. I
wasn’t quite sure what to expect before popping this is, but
once I did it was nothing but full steam ahead as the opening
track “Inhumanation” proves. Quick riffs and rapid fire double
bass drumming at times shows that these guys means business.
Rob’s vocals are really noticeable cause he sounds like James LaBrie if he was angry and doing a thrash record and then when
he does his screams in the night they come off as an homage to
Halford/Ripper. This is a decent opener and gives you a good
indication of what’s to come. “End Of Today” just runs the
gamut in terms of speed as they just forge ahead without ever
looking back. The solos are a bit |
meaner and more furious, but the melodies always remain
intact. The guys prove that speed isn’t always a concern in
their composing. In “Confession Of A Blackheart” the tempo is
more mid paced with hints of energy dispersed accordingly and
Rob’s crooning is slightly more relaxed as opposed to being
filled with rage on a constant basis. “Paternal Shift”
features guest vocals from female screamer/shredder Loana Valencia. If that name rings a bell,
it should. She fronts Dreams Of Damnation and was the former
publicist for Century Media and now handles all of us North
American scribes via Nuclear Blast U.S.A. While her appearance
is short, she proves that she can belt it out with the best of
them. It’s sinister and dark as sin. What’s funny about this
song is that Loana’s vocals come in exactly when Rob’s does in
the chorus. So, it’s good vs. evil duking it out. Pretty cool
if you ask me.
Resistance belts out old school metal with
modern day technology. This is speed/thrash metal for those
who need a genre to classify this in. The mix of rage, hints
of technical musicianship and occasional shredding all make
their way on here for a record worthy of your ears and cash.
There is nothing new on here, but with the wave of new thrash
acts making their way to the store shelves again this one
deserves not to be overlooked. Congrats to Lion Music for
signing something that wasn’t proggy.
www.lionmusic.com
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www.myspace.com/resistancemetal
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Soldiers - End Of Days (Trustkill)
Review by Steve Green |
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Soldiers features This Is Hell bandmates Rick Jimenez and Dan
Bourke. With the former, putting down his six string and
handling mic duties this time around. The first time I played
this album was straight after having my bits blown off by
listening to Sundowning by This Is Hell, which is reviewed
below. And I felt kind of awkward as I was loving Rick and
Dan's main band, but this side project didn't really do a lot
for me. Thankfully, it was only the first listen that didn't
do it for me, probably because it was hard playing it straight
after Sundowning, which is such an awesome album, because
subsequent repeated listens of End Of Days have been
thoroughly enjoyable. |
It's obvious from the off that the members of Soldiers are
experienced players. End of Days is pure honest hardcore that
delivers a swift dig to your solar plexus. I have to be honest
and say it doesn't quite deliver the knockout blow that This Is
Hell does, but it's still a force to be reckoned with. It's
got all of the ingredients you'd expect: Gang shouts, angry, kickass vocals and circlepit inducing rhythms. The only thing
I don't get is the lyrical angle. I've really got into
hardcore over the last year or so, but the intensity of the
lyrics and the political leanings are something that I'll
never get. I guess that's no surprise as the small Derbyshire
village I live in, is a million miles away from the Long
Island habitat of Soldiers. It doesn't stop me liking the
album though.
www.myspace.com/soldiersny |
www.trustkill.co.uk |
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The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal (Metal Blade Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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I don’t go out of my way to listen to metalcore and melodic
death metal, but I liked “Unhallowed”, The Black Dahlia
Murder’s monstrous debut, as well as catching them as an
enjoyable support act for Nile a few years ago. Since then,
their profile in metal’s consciousness has drastically
increased with Ozzfest appearances, well-publicized Myspace
escapades (who really gives a shit, I mean honestly), and a
rotating drummer position.
I didn’t particularly like “Miasma”, but The Black Dahlia
Murder’s third album for American giant Metal Blade Records,
entitled “Nocturnal”, sees the band producing a mature,
excellent work that could propel them to the forefront of
melodic death metal, a |
genre seemingly always in need of a shot in the arm. More akin
to melodic death metal than metalcore, “Nocturnal” is full of very precise, tight riffing,
plenty of blasts with lots of variations in tempo, guitar
melodies and solos, and Trevor Strnad’s patented dual style
vocal attack which usually garners the metalcore comparisons
more than anything else.
What separates “Nocturnal” from “Miasma”, besides album
length, is a more mature approach to songwriting, ultimately
resulting in much more memorable, and catchy, song structures.
Each song is full of different riffs that blend together well
without becoming jarring or annoying; a feat not easy to pull
off in a convincing fashion. The all-out blasts accompanied
with frenetic riffs easily segue to the more melodic guitar
work. In addition, the drumming of All That Remains alum
Shannon Lucas is incredibly tight and fires on all cylinders.
That said, however, about the only negative aspect of the
album that I can think of is the drumming production, which
could’ve been a bit fuller as the drums should really pop on
this album. This is a minor quibble; however, as “Nocturnal”
is obviously a standout of the genre and will garner the band
even more notice as 2007 comes to a close.
My overall opinions of melodic death metal haven’t really
budged, but “Nocturnal” by The Black Dahlia Murder is
excellent. Get a website other than Myspace, though.
www.myspace.com/blackdahliamurder
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www.metalblade.com/english/artists/theblackdahliamurder/bio.php
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This Is Hell - Sundowning (Trustkill)
Review by Steve Green |
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Sundowning was released in the US last year, and at last, it
finally gets a UK release. No doubt to coincide with This Is
Hell's visit to these shores next month with Comeback Kid and
the Cancer Bats.
There's not a lot you can do in 15 seconds. Apart from a
grotty comparison to Motley Crue's ode to the orgasm, Ten
Seconds To Love, there's not a lot that fits into that time
scale, apart from the fact, that 15 seconds was all it took
for me to get hooked on this album. Sundowning is a 15 track,
30 minute shot of adrenaline that just doesn't let up. It's
the type of album that gets me pumped up immediately and grabs
my attention for the whole |
fun-filled journey.
As I said before, opener Retrospective, takes a full 15
seconds to explode, as, after the first gang shout finishes,
Hell is unleashed, literally. Call it how you see it. This is
a major kick to the bollocks, that just doesn't let up. The
punishment is never ending. This is one angry band. With each
song averaging two minutes, they do tend to fly past, but for
all of the aggression and gut wrenching shit flying around,
this is pretty melodic and there's plenty to groove along to.
It takes a talented band to be this pissed off, but still
retain a modicum of melody, with the all-out attack of
Permanence being a prime example. This song is a classic slice
of hardcore.
Quite simply, this is a great album of pissed off
metallic/punk edged hardcore. I can't wait for next years
follow-up, which should be out around February.
www.myspace.com/thisishell |
www.trustkill.co.uk |
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