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Lillian Axe - Waters Rising
(Screaming Ferret Wreckords) By: Joe Florez |
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Back in the day when glam/hair metal was the rage, I was
opposed to it to the highest order for the most part but have
since changed my tune. At any rate, I was never all that
familiar with the band’s music with the exception of MTV’s
Headbanger’s Ball playing over and over again Bad Finger’s
cover of “No Matter What.” The guys have been making the
rounds once again since the turn of the century with the
release of a live album, line up changes, constant touring and
now their first full length since 1999.
The cover of the record gives the impression that this is
psychedelic and retro 60’s sounding. I was expecting the title
track to be all bright and happy, but what I got was |
music that was catchy, but had more of an edge to it. The
riffs were meaner and when I come to think of it, Trouble came
to mind. Not bad, but not what I was expecting. “Antarctica”
is slower with a 60’s vibe thrown in especially in the
background vocals department during the chorus which is
reminiscent of The Beatles. “Become A Monster” has a serious
groove thanks to the bass kicking ass here which saves this
song. The song has more of an upbeat tempo and while it
doesn’t chart into the poppy realm, it is a welcomed change.
There’s at least semi-ballads on here, but don’t appear until
midway through the album. This record really caught me off
guard. I understand that the band doesn’t want to be known
mainly for one style of music, but this harsh change perhaps
isn’t gonna win over new fans or the
ones that stood by them since their inception. This
combination of 60’s era rock with a harder edge mixed with a
dash of pop sensibility isn’t a good mixture. The production
is good, but the guys play with a rougher edge that is far
from slick and I think that they are trying to get away from
that. At almost seventy minutes, this is more than I can
handle. Half of that would have sufficed, but then again
perhaps not. You want retro 80’s glam with a modern edge then
I must suggest elsewhere.
www.metrocityrecords.com |
www.screamingferret.com |
www.lillianaxe.com |
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Necrodeath - Draculea (Scarlet
Records) By: Dave Schalek |
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I
have to admit that I was entirely prepared to dislike
“Draculea” by Italian thrashers Necrodeath. The band’s last
full-length, “100% Hell” from 2006, failed to arouse my
interest and I did not investigate Necrodeath any further. In
addition, I erringly lumped the band into the new breed of
retro thrash bands that have begun to appear over the last two
years (and have gotten increasingly annoying to me over the
last month or so for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, even
to me), without realizing that Necrodeath celebrated their
20th anniversary in 2005!
Given that Necrodeath was completely off my radar for most of
their existence, I found that |
I was surprised to discover that I actually like “Draculea”. Although I have no idea what
Necrodeath sounded like 20 years ago, today the band is
initially reminiscent of latter day Destruction’s slower
material, right down to vocalist Flegias’ carbon copy Schmier-style
vocals. However, there’s a lot more going on here than mere
20-plus year old thrash. To these ears, what separates
Necrodeath from some of the other thrash that I’ve heard
lately is that a number of different elements are put together
with enthusiasm and style. Thrash metal gallops, catchy riffs,
some acoustic and melodic guitar work, and even a good cover
of “Countess Bathory” are woven together to result in an
enjoyable album. In addition, rather than focus on generic,
old school thrash, Necrodeath uses the style as a backbone for
plenty of exploration with tempo changes, liberally applied
doses of melody, a few progressive moments ( a didgeridoo
makes an appearance for crying out loud), and even some catchy
bass lines that make an appearance or two. Ultimately,
“Draculea” is a good album from a veteran band.
Will “Draculea” encourage me, realistically, to go back and
explore Necrodeath’s back catalog in depth? Probably not, in
all honesty. However, this album will definitely make me pay
attention to further releases from Necrodeath.
www.necrodeath.net |
www.scarletrecords.it |
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New Project - Ultraviolent Light (World Three
Records) Review by Steve Green |
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While I used to like the occasional industrial dalliance, I'm not that
clued up when it comes to the more cyber/dance orientated variety. And in
all honesty, this isn't a bad listen at all. Ok, it's a tad
commercial in places, but I like the overall feel of the
album.
I'd put New Project into two camps. First up is the heavier
side to their make-up. Driving guitars over a thumping drum
beat and rasping blackened vocals that veer towards Dani
Filth, but without the high-pitched screech. The other side to
New Project is the more commercial material, which I think is
best described as the industrial version of Metalcore where
the vocals just lose their aggressive edge and a catchy chorus
comes from nowhere. |
The catchy as hell, Cyberpunk being the best example and I can
imagine this song appealing to those that like the more modern
Goth bands like Deathstars. It really isn't my cup of tea as
the chorus is way too weak, yet I can appreciate it enough to
see its obvious appeal to a younger audience. And I do see
this album appealing to a hip young crowd. It most certainly
isn't heavy enough for "proper" industrial fans: IE: Ministry
and the like, but I can see the Kerrang and Scuzz generation
lapping this up.
www.newprojectonline.com |
www.myspace.com/newprojectonline |
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Pagan’s Mind - God’s Equation (LMP)
By: Joe Florez |
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Norway’s Pagan’s Mind has always been considered unique in the
progressive metal realm simply because they play by their own
rules and sound like no one else in the genre. No one! Their
first three offerings were simply astonishing pieces of art
and now the question is if they can deliver the goods one more
time?
Once we bypass the intro which is all guitar until towards the
end where the drums, banging from Stian kick in, it’s onto the
title track that had me worried at first. Unlike the previous
compositions, this one is a bit more experimental. There is
this consistent electronic vibe that runs through with the
progressive elements. Nil’s voice sounds a bit high pitched at
first, |
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but settles in quickly. It doesn’t take long for the more
aggressive side of the band to chime in, but somehow they
successfully marry the various styles all together for what is
to be considered a phenomenal experience in the music scene.
It’s very weird at first compared to the older material, but
it makes sense after a few listens. For those who may feel
uncomfortable at in the beginning with the opening track, fear
not because you will be able to easily take in “United
Alliance” which pretty much follows the PM formula of killers
riffs filled with melody and passion, drums that are tight and
played with class and precision , keyboards to give it that
extra ambience and nice bass tone to help give it that killer
rhythm. And let’s not forget about the vocals that can just
soar past the heaven’s without ever being annoying. It’s
upbeat and filled with traditional double bass poundings to
keep your heart and blood going. More experimentations occur
as we channel along on this magnificent journey when we hit
“Atomic Fireflight.” Nil’s singing is manipulated by a voice
processor to give it that extra evil feeling and the skin
bashings are harsher, but yet the guys all find a way to sound
first rate prog metal. Amazing! “Hallo Spaceboy” is a David
Bowie cover from the mid 90’s and while I haven’t heard this
song in a very long time, I know that the Norwegians did this
justice. Son of a bitch! This is one breathtaking album that
deserves repeat listens because there is so much going on that
you are bound to miss a thing or two the first time around.
The production is beyond Godlike and the performances by
everyone deserves not only to be recognized, but applauded as
well. This CD is filled with rich, lush and dynamic
soundscapes that one can’t help but be swept away by their
sounds once you press the play button. This is prog metal at
it’s finest hour and how it should be played. There’s tempo
changes, passion and emotion utilized though out the disc and
it’s flat out original. Fans of power metal, prog, metal
should embrace this with open arms. It’s already the end of
the year and I have mentioned that a lot of records be album
of the year, well damn it! It’s over now. I declare Pagan’s
Mind album of the year hands down and perhaps of the decade
too.
www.limb-music.com |
www.pagansmind.com |
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Rat Skates - Born in the Basement (Kundrat
Productions) Review by Metal Mark |
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As
fans, we often see the end results and we don’t really think
about the amount of work that goes into something. That
thought kind of applies to this documentary and the stories
within. Rat Skates was the original drummer for Overkill and
this is his story. He talks about his days in a punk rock band
the Lubric*nts and how they became Overkill. Once Overkill
formed he goes into talking about the sound of the band as
well as detailing parts of promotion that I never thought
about. They didn’t have much money, but wanted their band to
look professional and to promote their band. He created the
band’s logo, screen printed t-shirts, made homemade stickers
and more, all for the sake of getting the band’s name out
there for people to see. They were an unsigned band that
wanted their stage show to look good. Rat discusses the
importance of the milk crate, yes the milk crate because it
apparently it served many purposes including many of them
being used as his first drum |
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riser. The whole “do it yourself” approach was a big part of
what he had to do get the band and their show noticed. Using
what skills, tools and supplies you have to do whatever you
can fit it to his approach. I guess too often, many of us take
for granted that these bands have help or support, but many
times they just have themselves to rely on. He obviously had a
lot of passion for what he did and he believed strongly in his
band and kept pushing to achieve a goal. His stories are well
told because he was so enthusiastic about what he was doing.
It also just reveals so much about the Herculean efforts that
go into getting noticed when you are just one fish in a big
sea, but they did it. The film also uses many rare pictures
and live audio and video clips as well. There is just so much
information in this film about so many aspects of the music,
the presentation and everything that went into the development
of those aspects. I strongly recommend this movie not just for
Overkill or thrash fans, but for all fans of music because it
will give you a greater view into the details, work and
creativity that most of us are not aware of.
www.ratskates.com |
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Trollrock - Army of Lost Souls
(Locomotive) Review by Metal Mark |
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The first time I heard this album I had to flip it over to
make sure that it was done in 2007 because it sounds like it
was made around 1981 or so. The major influences here are
Diamond Head, Thin Lizzy, Dio era Black Sabbath and maybe even
the first Manowar album. Every little part of this album seems
geared to sound like it was done between 1979 and 1982, from
the vocal style down to the production values. This kind of
approach limits what the band can do and probably limits the
audience that is going to appreciate this style as well. Now I
like metal from that time and there was a lot of creativity
coming from a number of bands back then. However, unlike
someone like Slough Feg who take some of |
the best parts from that time, Trollrock seem to aspire to take on some of the
more mediocre aspects of the times. A few tracks really rock,
but mostly the band opts for slower, winding type songs that
were largely falling out of favor by the middle of the 1980’s.
Quite honestly their time would have better spent if they
would concentrated more songs that actually rocked instead of
drawn out songs that wander around for far too long. They just
don’t have enough to punch to make most of their songs work.
The album comes across as more of a novelty than anything
else. Unfortunately they don’t do enough to warrant the album
being played more than once or twice. By that point you will
probably realize that you have heard most of this before by
acts with far more talent and creativity.
www.trollrock.com |
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V:28 - VioLution (Vendulus Records)
Ray Van Horn, Jr. |
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V:28 is one of the most intelligent death-industrial bands
you’ve likely been missing out on, so much that if you’re
coming to this album as a first-timer, the fact that the album
is the final instalment of a trilogy will be lost on you.
Since 2003, V:28 has been building on an apocalyptic storyline
about the end of humanity and the deconstruction of terra
firma. The first album NonAnthropogenic was recorded as a duo
featuring Kristoffer Oustad and Eddie Risdal when they
realized they could fulfil their objective to fuller capacity
by adding bassist Atle Johansen. None other than Enslaved’s
Grutle Kjellson lent his vocals to two songs on
NonAnthropogenic, and a truly bombastic endeavor was under
way. By the time |
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V:28 released their brilliant follow-up SoulSavior, the new trio had created something haunting,
claustrophobic and still chillingly wondrous. Now comes the
wrap-up, VioLution, an album that puts a vicious stamp to the
story arc as mankind has seen its end and the machine has
usurped control. If this whole thing is reminiscent of The
Matrix films, there’s some truth to it, but in V:28’s
cataclysmic odyssey, humanity loses, so much its doom is felt
with the horrifying spelunked opening notes of “Pattern of the
Weak,” a song that utilizes subwoofing and electronics to
extend its tekkie of the damned feel. As obsessed as human
beings are with technology for recreation instead of utilizing
it for better, constructive purposes (such as saving lives),
the final decree issued by V:28 is that the collective
possessiveness of humankind is its folly and ultimate death
sentence. Certainly not a cheerful endeavor, but VioLution is
a warning against compulsion and stagnancy, that allowing
computers and machinery to substitute life’s basic modes, as
well as diving headfirst into the latest geek tech trends is
conceding one’s soul like Borg, as “Surrender to Oblivion”
states. The entire project in nature is akin to Voivod’s
thrash masterpieces Killing Technology and Dimension Hatross,
so much that “Can You See the Light Now?” rings like a
tribute. It’ll be interesting to see where V:28 goes next,
because SoulSavior alone is a definitive statement of
assurance for this band, while VioLution is the final
summation of a long-worked-out project that is cryptic and
still beautifully textured in the same mindframe. This is
potentially dangerous stuff.
www.vendulus.com |
www.v28.com |
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Velvet Revolver - Libertad (RCA)
review by Sam Thomas |
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I
was among the many thousands who bought Velvet Revolver’s
first album, Contraband. I don’t know what the rest of the
world thought about it, but I was a bit disappointed that a
group which had so many great musicians in it had produced
something that wasn’t absolutely fantastic. So this time
around I approached the album with some trepidation: was I
going to end up having to diss a bunch of guys who I really
admire, or would it just scrape through?
Fortunately the answer to both questions is a resounding “No”.
This is the album that I’d hoped Contraband would be. In fact,
it might even be better than that. Velvet Revolver |
have obviously been playing and travelling together for long
enough now that the band has actually become a band, rather
than a collection of disparate musicians. Something has
changed from the Contraband days, and changed for the better.
Maybe it’s a function of the difficult emotions that many of
the band have been dealing with, maybe it’s a function of the
work that they have all undoubtedly put in. I don’t know, and
at the end of the day I guess it really doesn’t matter.
Libertad was originally going to be that most strange of
beasts, a concept album. The good news is that that idea got
knocked on the head (I really don’t like concept albums – they
have excused so many naff tracks over the years) and the band
just set out to produce “The best album we could”. Why can’t
everyone else just do the same?
What you end up with is a collection of some alarmingly
catchy, good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. And when that’s done
well, there’s nothing to beat it really. This is just fifty or
so minutes of great playing, with songs that are instantly
recognisable (I know this because my twelve year old daughter
kept saying “Is this Velvet Revolver?” within two seconds of
walking into the room) and as catchy as the sexually
transmitted disease of your choice. I defy anyone to listen to
this more than once and not sing along. Slash is playing
guitar in the way that only he can, but the great thing is
that it doesn’t over-dominate the recording – he’s brilliant,
but not in an ostentatious fashion.
You also get a “making of” clip which is quite fascinating,
more for the fact that as it plays, you have the various
tracks playing in the background, which is the point where you
realise that you recognise every one of them, and are singing
along.
I’d like to be able to pick out a few tracks and say that they
are my favourites, but this album is just so damn good that I
can’t. Basically, this is everything you could hope for and
more from a group who have an abundance of talent. I’ve been
really spoilt this year with music that’s come my way, and
even so I can say that this is amongst the best.
www.velvetrevolver.com |
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