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Bedouin - Extremely Live 2003 (Hawkwind
Records) Review by Steve Green |
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After leaving Hawkwind (first time around) in 1996, Alan
Davey formed Bedouin. Joining him on drums was ex-Hawkwind
drummer Danny Thompson, and the band also features Glenn Povey on
guitar. This live album was recorded, as the title suggests,
in 2003, which was the bands last year of existence.
So as you might expect with 2 ex-Hawklords on board, Bedouin aren't a million miles away
from the Hawkwind trademark sonic attack. From the faster
tracks, especially Rock Palace which is driven by Davey's
thundering bass through to more mellow trippy moments, you are
most definitely on familiarly territory here. In particular,
Ancient Light, Chasing The
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Dragon and Sword Of The East, which are dead ringers for many Hawkwind classics. I was expecting
some pretty raw recordings, as the title of the album does
indicate a less than smooth sound. But despite not being the
loudest recording I've ever heard, the sound is a delight to
the ears... and the brain. It's so easy to become engrossed in
this album as it does sound extremely good, although at times
it's doesn't feel like a live album at all, as any crowd
noise is buried deep in the mix.
Despite the Arabic sounding name, Bedouin aren't particularly
influenced by the East, any more than Hawkwind are with their
occasional flirtations. But Alan Davey is now working on a
project that is more Arabic influenced and it's one that'll
I'll definitely want to keep an ear out for. Check out all of
his projects at:
www.alandaveymusic.co.uk |
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Black Cobra - Feather And Stone (At A Loss Recordings)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Los Angeles- based sludge/stoner duo Black Cobra, issue their
second full-length, entitled “Feather And Stone”, as an
enhanced digipack featuring some extras such as 10 minute or
so video clip from a show in Holland.
Black Cobra play a rather fast paced version of stoner/sludge
somewhat reminiscent of High On Fire or Weedeater, but with
less polish (if that’s possible). Absolutely dripping with
very loud, punishing riffs devoid of melody, shouted vocals
that are somewhat in the background, and pummeling percussion
that seemingly makes a bass unnecessary in the |
eyes of the band. As confirmed by the video clip, there’s no
bass present; however, that does not necessarily detract from
a very powerful sound as Black Cobra pounds away with their
furious version of sludge.
Most of the songs on “Feather And Stone” blow by in just a
couple of minutes, and are most effective at this length with
powerful riffing and blasts that flatten the listener without
allowing the listener to become bored before moving on to the
next track. I’m pretty impressed with what I’ve heard on
“Feather And Stone”, but I couldn’t help but wonder how a
powerful bass to accompany the duo would probably go a long
way towards turning Black Cobra into an unstoppable freight
train.
A short album that blows by in about 25 minutes, “Feather And
Stone” will please anyone into stoner/ sludge and is a fine
addition to the genre. Excellent.
www.blackcobra.net
| www.atalossrecordings.com
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Discern - To Praise With Persecution (Self-Released)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Discern is a Texas- based death metal outfit consisting of one
person (not unusual in Texas), namely Bill Fraser, who rather
deftly handles the vocals and most of the instrumentation
(Rick Martinez appears with some lead guitar). Fraser’s second
self-release, this one a debut full-length entitled “To Praise
With Persecution”, is primarily death metal of the old school
with gurgled vocals, chunky, meat-and-potatoes riffs,
variations in tempo galore, and some Texas style “horse core”
thrown in for good measure.
Beginning with “Ode To Schuldiner” (tells you where this is
going), “To Praise With Persecution” plows through 11 tracks
that use old style death metal as a base, but periodically
digresses into some unusual passages complete with whispered
spoken word interludes, weird drum patterns, and even a
self-indulgent guitar solo that sounds a bit like a |
poor man’s take on “Eruption” and goes on for far too long.
Self indulgence aside, Discern also reminds me a bit of the
aforementioned, old “horse core” sound of Texas bands past
such as the classic Dead Horse, providing another influence
rather than just straightforward death metal. The sound
utilizes some weird tempo changes, changes in vocal patterns,
and a clear, guitar driven production. At times, these
disparate elements mix well together, and at others, a bizarre
mishmash emerges that sounds a bit amateurish.
Also worth mentioning is the pro-Christian lyrical content,
which will no doubt raise a red flag with a lot of metalheads
such as myself. Pro-Christian metal bands, in my opinion, have
an uphill climb on their hands to gain “street cred”, as it
were, and Discern play in a convincing enough fashion for me
to pretty much ignore the pro- Christian stance. Overall, “To
Praise With Persecution” is worth a listen for those with a
penchant for the old school.
www.discerndeathmetal.com |
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Helloween - Gambling With The Devil (SPV) Review by Metal Mark |
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I have been a fan of these guys since “Walls of Jericho” so I
am always excited when they release a new album. By this point
we generally know what to expect from this band. They were one
of the real founders of the power metal sound and they are
still one of the best bands playing that style of music.
However, I don’t feel that Helloween have released a truly
great album since “Better Than Raw” way back in 1998. The
three albums after that were merely good even though I always
have high hopes for them to return to form. Even though they
have stayed in their characteristic style for these albums,
the energy and creative level has dipped some. They created a
style, but unfortunately they have at times |
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relied perhaps too much on a formula. So how does the new
release measure up? Well, it sure sounds like they raised the
bar on this one for the most part. One of my biggest problems
with some power metal bands is they get caught up in all the
flourish and layers that they sometimes forget how to just
rock. I think that has been true for Helloween at times in the recent past,
but “Gambling With The Devil” has the band making some real
efforts to flat out charge forward with the fire that they are
so capable of. There are a few tracks where they fall into the
standard territory that they tread upon so many times before,
but largely they sound more alive than they have in some time.
It’s certainly refreshing to see a band at this stage in their
career still pushing beyond their limits. I wouldn’t say it
quite earns the label of great, but it’s certainly their most
powerful album in some time.
www.spv.de |
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Ignitor – Road of Bones (Cruz del Sur) Review by James Young |
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With only one album behind them, Texas’ Ignitor are very brave
to release such a balls-to-the-wall album crammed full of such
true, old-school heavy metal. Well, I say ‘balls’, but fairly
surprisingly, the lead vocals are handled by a female, Erika
Swinnich. Why surprising? Simply because of the sheer power
and range of the melodies on display – some of the bellowing
vocals sound as manly as Manowar at their most gravel-like,
whilst some would make Rob Halford quake in his boots. There’s
one note in ‘March of the Guillotine’ that almost shattered
every window in my house. The vibrato is a little too powerful
sometimes and is laid on slightly too thick at some points in
the album, but in general, the textures and |
quality of the long held notes provide a powerful backing to
this band’s crunchy sound. With Stewart Lawrence and Annah Moore providing
wonderful guitar melodies and hooks, this album makes a
significant impact. The production is pretty spectacular –
everything is crystal clear and pretty well balanced, and the
bass is very chunky, which adds a great ‘fullness’ to the
sound. If there’s one thing that I can’t stand it’s heavy
metal or power metal which sounds rough around the edges, and
this certainly is not, which had me paying full attention on
the first listen.
One minor complaint would be that the style remains pretty
similar throughout, with rarely any deviation from that crisp,
poser-slaying, full-metal onslaught. A ballad or slower number
wouldn’t have gone amiss – ‘Hymn Of Erin’ is more of a
heartfelt song with passionate singing and intricate
guitarwork, and ‘Pheonix’ teases with its slower start, but
both hit the frenetic heavy metal grooves before too long.
Also, it’s acceptable to lack originality in an old-school
heavy metal album, but singing about how ‘heavy metal is the
law’ in ‘Reinheitsgebot’ is beyond predictable. The Judas
Priest and Iron Maiden comparisons which one could draw could
go on forever, so it’s better to assess the band on its own
merit. The energy is fairly dazzling, with many shout-along
parts, such as the ‘march’es in ‘March to the Guillotine’.
Whilst each song sounds distinctive, there aren’t any real
stand-out songs, and I must say towards the end of the album I
found myself anticipating the next falsetto note of Ms.
Swinnich rather than appreciate the music which didn’t really
seem to change too much. Despite the lack of variation, it’s
still an enjoyable homage to metal, with a great attitude and
sound, and should not be ignored.
www.ignitor.org |
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Panic Cell - What Doesn’t Kill Us
(Ant Hill Records) Review By Strawb |
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Ah, a gentle opening, melodious, clear, and this will surely
set the tone for the album. Damn, just like when that Nigerian
gentleman promised me millions I’ve been had again, because
Panic Cell are anything but the above. Fast, heavy, rocking is
a lot nearer the mark, trust me. And entering an area I feel
fit to comment upon, none of the five members is exactly
handsome. But they are talented and have made a great album.
And let me get this out of the way. Unrelated to reviewing I
have covered loads of miles recently, and had the chance to
listen to lots of music. There was some niggling feeling when
I listened to Panic Cell, and eventually it struck me: at
times, the lead singer Luke bears an |
unfortunate vocal similarity to Chad from Nickleback. But don’t worry, that is
where the resemblance ends, and this is soooo much better.
Then again so is the sound of a fart echoing around in an
orange plastic bucket….
Back to What Doesn’t Kill Us then. The opening track Father To
Son is a sixty-eight second instrumental opening leading in to
the brutal Stare Into Oblivion. Just a great track and sets
the tone for all that follows, tight instruments, good and
varied vocals with intensity and pace. Human Tarmac is an
exercise in variation of pace and deliverance, fast, slow,
fast, not the strongest track, but the opposition is stiff.
Fallen has a fantastic instrumental opening before Luke
demonstrates his vocal prowess and range, from balladry verses
to screaming metal, its all in this track. Forced Down has a
great opening and shows the variation on this album, one not
to be missed. Soul Purge is almost a homage to certain 70’s
tunes, but then the vocals arrive, from the depths, and stay
there throughout. Has all the indications of a depressing
dirge, but is anything but. Calm is a misnomer for the
majority of its time, frenetic might be a better title, at
least one the track lives up to. Hillbilly comes next, and
they send it to be reviewed in the deep south of Lincolnshire.
Being subliminal Steve? It opens with speech, but normal service
is soon restored as the band join in. Be careful playing this
one when you concert in Peterborough boys, the locals may
gather. Bleed To This has almost commercial overtones, the
verses are quick and guttural, the chorus slow and soft, then
the instruments are released, and go for it like a pack of
hounds after an aniseed bag. Walks Away is the love song and
meets with a touch more success than the normal entrants in
this area. On this album though, with such high standards, it
does seem unnecessary. Dead To Me closes the album. It opens
with a cascade of guitars and drums, and riffs which remind me
of other tunes. Vocals join in and remind me exactly why I
rate this album so highly. The distorted vocals are used well
and provide the final contrast on the album. I feel sad when
the album ends, so play it again. I leave the final words to
Mrs S. – “I like that.”
And on the internet at
www.myspace.com/paniccell
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and coming soon [apparently] at
www.paniccell.com |
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Path of No Return - The Absinthe Dreams
(Burning
Heart) Review by Samuel Munch-Petersen |
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A Swedish band, haven’t had one of those for a while. I think
I can safely say that Path of No Return have certainly gripped
and pricked up my ears on first listen. It’s an album that
tends to shift from dirge to hardcore and back to a rather
more post-rock feel, with impressive and circular riffs that
continue to divert and return without the use of being too
mathematical in their endeavours. It’s apt to say that this
band have thought about what they exactly want to do and how
to get around to delivering it. With punchy and flecked vocals
from Patrik Jakobsson and powerful yet spot on drum work from
his brother Martin there’s no love lost in family. Guitar work
from Daniel Cederborg and bass from Adam Holmkvist |
carries the
music through and through on this album. They’ve progressed
and developed into a tighter and more focused set of musicians
from their previous release; Black Nights Coming and The
Absinthe Dreams is nothing short of an excellent example of
what music can be like and what, indeed, metal can become.
If you’re interested in the thought of being invaded (in a
good way) aurally and you have some spare time kicking about,
then get this album and have a butchers. You won’t be
disappointed in the slightest. It has everything you need,
from emotion to the brutal depths of a certain ‘core’. If
you’re into the likes of death and black then you won’t be too
put off I don’t think, it has something for everyone really,
if you take hardcore to be the very raw and untouched element
of punk, mixed with a bluesy feel, with undertones of
mathematical indulgence. Even classic rock lovers should enjoy
the riffs that come through on tracks like Soran and Shogun.
Eleven tracks long and there’s no stopping the Swedes from
giving us a band that has that certain gift. Bring yourself to
brave the Viking storm and pull back those preconceptions
about hardcore, it can be good when you have bands like Path
of No Return doing shit like this. Go on, give it a spin on
the old decks.
www.pathofnoreturn.net
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Saga - 10,000 Days (SPV)
By: Joe Florez |
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With the exception of World’s Apart back from 1981, I have
never been able to get into the band past or present. I have
been receiving their records constantly since 2004’s Network
and it still didn’t do a damn thing for me. When the latest
offering 10,000 Days arrived, I was just gonna do one of two
things: One toss it out the window or two: give it to someone
else. I have just not clicked with this band for some bizarre
reason even if they are prog/pop/rock and I love that stuff to
death. Well, since it’s here I might as well give it a try. I
was pleasantly surprised by what I was hearing coming through
my speakers. “Lifetime” is a pop/prog number that is not only
upbeat and mid tempo, but hits all the right notes in my |
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eyes. The synths that are a part of their signature sound are there.
Mike Sadler’s voice is spot on. It’s calm and relaxed, but has
enough energy to keep you wide awake. Everything else just
falls into place nicely. The music isn’t over the top like
most other acts in this genre. There’s plenty of catchiness on
here to keep your attention if you are a fan. The guitars have
some bite to them without going overboard. “Book Of Lies” is
pretty interesting because the use of the electronic ivory
keys here have a sci-fi feel and while it may irk some
listeners, I was kind of drawn to this quirkiness blended with
a more sophisticated sound, but still offering a punch. The
solo on here rocks out, thanks in part to the intricate
drumming and time changes in the guitar work. The true essence
of prog strikes hardcore on here, but only for a few and as
far as the guitar solo goes? Forget about it. It’s a homerun!
Now, this is the Saga that I like. Damn, you would think that
after two or three songs you would hit a snag, but the they
just keep the interest coming. “Corkentellis” is a seven
minute instrumental and while I get bored with them after
three minutes this one just refused to let me go. The mix of
modern jazz on here with everything else is rock solid. It’s
technical, popish, proggy and rocks out too. It’s all in
there. I have to say that they boys went all out in order to
make a disc that was memorable and entertaining. Track after
track on here is worthy of your time except for the one
slow/ballad-esque number or two. The musicianship is top notch
here and they went balls out to create something special. Just
to let the fans know, this is Mike Sadler’s last record with
the band as a vocalist cause after 30 years in the band it’s
time to mellow out. So, in essence they go out with a bang
here. www.spv.de
| www.sagaontour.ca |
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Sigil - Vision Of The Future (Self
release) Review by Steve Green |
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This one is pure old school. It doesn't matter which band
names you want to throw at Sigil, be it the thrashiness of
Anthrax or anyone else from that era to be honest, the thick
crunch of Pantera, or the raw energy of early Slayer this
is good old fashioned, heavy fucking metal. And it doesn't
need to be from the far depths of Eastern Europe for this to
be as underground as it gets. Sigil may be from the outskirts
of London, but in terms of World recognition, they could be
from anywhere. I'm sure that outside of their normal gigging
area, they are relatively unknown. Shit, I lived in London for
16 or so years until 2004, and I don't remember seeing them
live, although their name is familiar to me.
This one really is a case of what you see is what you get. Ten
tracks, clocking in at around 34 minutes, but each song is
crammed full of quality Metal. The core of it is Thrashed
based, complete with relatively high pitched vocals, but it's
more of a case of the feelings they produce, rather than any
bandwagon that's worth jumping on. This is Metal from the
heart that doesn't follow any trend or fad. This is Thrashy
because that's what Sigil believe in.
Sigil are a band who have taken 7 long years to put together
their debut album and a band like this deserves your support
for the effort they've put in. All it takes is one click
www.myspace.com/sigil5
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The Disciples of Zoldon - Blackened Theological Tome
(Self
Released) Review by Chris Davison |
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Right, so buckle yourself in for a band ideology that's fairly
“off the wall”. Zoldon, we are told, is the God of heavy
metal, a creature that opposes all that is good and just, and
the band represents his disciples espousing their deities
mantra of evil and metal. Or something. To be honest, once I'd
read that this was a satirical band, I just felt like chucking
the disc in the bin. Satire and metal go together about as
well as legionnaires disease and old folks homes. Heavy Metal,
as a genre, is about as grandiose and epic as music can be,
and barely requires ludicrous concepts to poke fun at it;
metal can do a good job of being |
ridiculous without the aid of “humourists”.
Anyway, that minor whinge aside, this isn't quite as risible
as I expected it to be. Ostensibly the work of one man, Luke
Brimblecombe, the multi-instrumentalism is actually
impressive. There are a number of songs where tone and
atmosphere work well to produce a wholesome track, but in some
others I felt that some of the musical ideas were lacking and
subsequently the song felt unsatisfying. The music, by and
large, is drum-machine led grindy-death metal, with what would
be a blackened atmosphere, if the tone of the album wasn't
quite so ridiculous, (although as long time readers may
remember, I think Black Metal is often fairly laughable in and
of itself). The nearest aural equivalent would be comparable
to the more extreme Devin Townsend material, especially on the
likes of Primeval Battle, Theological Rule, with the more
mid-tempo sections. The artificial drum sound grates with me
after a while, as do the washes of cheap sounding keyboards
that occur here and there. That being said, the guitar playing
is dexterous and has some memorable riffs, though much of the
work of the songs is negated by the fairly muddy production.
This is apparently the fourth release from DOZ, and so Luke is
clearly a man who has stamina and staying power for producing
his music, but I can only wonder what his output would be if
he approached the whole package rather than just the
instrumentalism seriously.
Seriously dude, ditch the “comedy” and give us some real
metal. I think the current “-core” scenes, multiplying as they
do like rabbits on Viagra, produce enough tongue-in-cheek
irony to keep the world turning.
www.solvere.co.nz/doz |
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