Live 4 Metal - Reviews

Demon Hunter - Storm The Gates Of Hell (Solid State) Review by Steve Green
	This is a tough one to call. There are so many ups and downs with this album, that I've no idea what my actual opinion is. Biggest downer for me is the fact that Demon Hunter are God Squad. Quite simply, I hate religion, so the religious aspect of this album does sour the experience for me somewhat, but on the other hand, I cannot deny Demon Hunter are, for the most part, bloody good. Again there's a downside to this as they have a "good and evil" side. Full-on aggression, kind of in the vein of Pantera, is the evil side, unfortunately they've also go a very clean side which is of the total wimp-out variety, which I've been saying non-stop the past 12 months or so, just kills the head of steam built up by the energy filled parts.
The title track is a perfect example of how potent this band can be. And a dozen tracks of this type of chaos and I wouldn't care about their religious leanings, but a sugary sweet call of "lead us home" is not acceptable from my Atheist viewpoint. Demon Hunter are an extremely talented band and I even warmed to some of their softer moments, but at the end of the day, this wasn't heavy enough for me on a consistent level. I'm sure those into the more modern aspects of Metal will enjoy this one more than me, because, in all honesty, whatever my views on the subject matter, the execution of Storm The Gates Of Hell is flawless. www.stormthegatesofhell.com

Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today (Candlelight Records USA) By: Dave Schalek
	Strangely enough, I find that my favorite Electric Wizard albums (the EP “Supercoven” and “Let Us Prey”) are usually not the same as those of just about everyone else. For example, I’m rather indifferent to “Dopethrone”, which is usually cited as the band’s best effort. At any rate, the break-up and subsequent reformation of Electric Wizard around Justin Osborn resulted in a shift in style with 2004’s “We Live”, an uneven album that lacked large amounts of memorable riffs. The shift away from crushing doom and more towards a stoner/psychedelic style akin to metal’s predecessors continues with “Witchcult Today”, released by independent giant
Candlelight Records USA with connections to Rise Above Records. The new line up based around sole remaining founding member Osborn definitely matures with this album, a much better written effort than “We Live”. Consisting of eight varied tracks, “Witchcult Today” sounds, frankly, a lot like “Master Of Reality” distilled through the sensibilities of a shitload of requisite listening of Blue Cheer, Free, and other related proto-metal, blues based stoner bands that pioneered the sound. Long, drown out, down-tuned, severely fuzzed out riffs that go on forever are combined with 30 plus year old distortion effects and muted vocals to produce a near masterpiece of navel contemplation. Variation appears in the form of a couple of muted tracks that don’t rely upon gigantic riffs, but instead focus upon distortion and effects layered over bass, simple drums, and spoken word. Essentially, what’s different this go around is that “Witchcult Today” has had a serious upgrade in songwriting and accessibility, resulting in a classic of the genre. That makes all of the difference in the world as far as I’m concerned, and I’ve no doubt that I’ll revisit “Witchcult Today” many times. Excellent. www.riseaboverecords.com \| www.candlelightrecordsusa.com

Faceshift - Reconcile (Black Lodge) Review by Steve Green
	My second review of the day, and once again I'm sitting on the fence. I can see what Faceshift are trying to achieve here, I just don't think they've got it quite right. Formed from the ashes of Stockholm based Death Metal band, Eternal Oath, Faceshift, are not, as the name may suggest, a Thrash band, as they lean more towards the poppy side of Goth. Not quite dark enough to be Katatonia, but more towards what Paradise Lost are these days... confused. I can compare Faceshift with Katatonia on nearly every song, but this just ain't miserable enough to be genuinely compared with their fellow countrymen. And while I don't think, at present, that they've got that certain something that'll propel them on
to greater things, at times I'm made to eat my words, because they are more than capable of letting everything fall into place. My Own Demise is poppy as hell, but it just clicks with me and I can really see the bands potential, as I do with the impossibly powerful Live The Lie. But for every good song, there's more than enough that struggle to keep up with the superior numbers. The levels of consistency aren't quite there yet in terms of song writing, in my opinion, as Reconcile doesn't have enough songs that are above a certain threshold. I'm basing that on their ability to keep my interest on high alert, yet I'm prepared to put money on their next album being an absolute belter. If Faceshift can craft an album that consistently matches the better tracks on Reconcile, then I'll be pleasantly surprised. The magic just needs to be unlocked. www.faceshift.se

For Selena And Sin - Overdosed On You (Mascot Records) Review by Strawb
	Other reviewers on this site have spoken of the plethora of bands fronted by female singers trying to infiltrate what is an already crowed market. And here from Finland we have the debut album of For Selena And Sin, fronted by Annika who is backed by five credited musicians, two guitars, bass, drums and keyboard being the instruments they cover. Their music is technically competent and well produced. It is crisp and clear, and in my listening is blended very well with no one area being allowed to outshine the others. This produces steady and somewhat predictable music. Mrs S listened in and pronounced it background music: you start off interested, but as the track goes on you fade off and are attracted by
something else. The accompanying release states that the band produces melodic metal. I feel that I am well outside of the target demographic of the audience they seek. I base this on the fact that a number of years ago I heard the album Fallen by Evanescence. I purchased it and still play it. It set the bar for that category of music and still does so in my opinion. Whilst Overdosed On You is in no way a bad album, it is very lucky to be mentioned in the same paragraph as Fallen. The question, therefore, is: when you can see the Premiership on the TV, why lose a Saturday afternoon to watch Mansfield Town play Wrexham? So unless you are an addict of bands led by excellent female singers, you probably would not need to add this album to your collection. Website at www.forselena.net

Left Ablaze - Die For Me (Prime Cuts) Review by Steve Green
	I think this one is an arsonists wet dream. An intro made up of news stories about fire and setting things alight. The fun though is short-lived, as Left Ablaze swing headlong into Whore, a feisty combination of Thrash and pummelling Death Metal. 2007 for me, has been a great journey discovering the amazing array of talented bands from Down Under. I've heard many an unsigned band that is a lifetime better than some of the shit signed by European and American labels and smaller labels, such as Prime Cuts, have delivered some mighty fine releases, with this one being no exception. After winning almost everything on
the sporting field, Australia is now setting the benchmark for underground Metal, whether it be Death, Grind or Progressive Metal, their bands are all talented. Apart from the insanely intense Step Inside, Left Ablaze aren't particularly jaw-dropping, and I don't mean that in a detrimental way, they simply club you around the head and beat you into submission with a collection of quality songs. Each one hitting the mark... which is inevitably your brain. Left Ablaze are definitely worth checking out, as are the other bands on Prime Cuts and those doing the rounds on the Australian underground. www.myspace.com/leftablaze \| www.myspace.com/primecutsmusic \| www.primecuts.com.au

Queensryche – Take Cover (Rhino) Review by Strawb
	Had I not already declared 2007 the year of the reunion, then it could be that in fact it would have been the year of this type of album. The clue is in the title – it is yet another covers album. In previous reviews I have grasped the thistle by its painful bits and tried to look in to the psyche that causes successful groups to resort to musical plagiarism. The accompanying press release will always provide some supposed reason, normally the artists’ admiration for the tracks hereon. I have yet to see one which touches upon ‘cashing in’ or ‘seeking an oasis in the desert of musical block’. So accepting that the majority of the work, i.e. the writing and mixing, has already been done, and that the tunes are well known
to some, and that others have already propelled the tunes in to the public domain, here we go. On this album there are attempts made to sound like the original vocalists and to be blunt it doesn’t work. I have two bothers-in-law. One is a blues harmonica player and vocalist, and the other who listened to this album with me, is a fantastic keyboard player who for many years toured the South West and Wales clubs performing in a covers band. As our ears were assaulted, a number of times we laughed. He was forced to walk out, away from his own lounge and stereo, on a couple of occasions. This man has an excellent musical ear and identified occasions where the guitars were out of tune. And his summary on the vocalist was - this man is tonally challenged – if he wants to pitch something tell him to try horseshoes, because he can’t do notes. The first two tracks are from my era of Pink Floyd and the only musical [Rice / Webber combination] I really rate, and they are both led like lambs to the slaughter (and a particularly gruesome and inefficient slaughter it is). I am not a fan of later Queen, including this track Innuendo, but Freddie must be spinning in his grave faster than the rear wheel on Casey Stoner’s Ducati on the straight at the Shanghai International Circuit. Neon Knights? Give me strength. I have just seen Heaven and Hell, purchased their CD and reviewed it on this site, and then this piece of crap is presented to me. Dire. Mrs S. once had a thing for The Police, a thing I didn’t share, but I heard them for a while until her musical tastes moved on. And they have just reformed and are touring. For those who missed them the first time around, get the original. Next to be ridiculed is Peter Gabriel. This man is a musical legend, and has been since his time with Genesis. They went mainstream when he left, and his solo career also carved a different furrow. So what a pity he is demeaned in this way. The tracks I do not know do not inspire me in any way at all - I would compare them to the noise my Dyson or lawnmower make – I know they serve a purpose, but in this age of technological advancement, can we not find something less teeth grating to go on? This is a serious challenger to Ozzys Under Cover for the title of worst covers album ever. I can go to a pub in any town or city in this country and find a bunch of people who realise that they will never musically burst in to the top leagues but are eminently capable of playing good covers. I do on occasion walk out of such performances if they are sub-standard, no matter how well the real ale is kept. On the content of this album I would say that Queensryche could empty a national beer festival, including the free beer tent. Treat Take Cover like syphilis – avoid it.

Sol - Let There Be A Massacre (Van Records) By: Dave Schalek
	The last of a triumvirate of promos from the ever reliable Van Records arrives in the form of a debut full-length from Danish entity Sol, the creative endeavor of one Emil Brahe (a descendant of Tycho?), entitled “Let There Be A Massacre”. Brahe plays all of the instruments (another guitarist does make an appearance late in the album) on this dirge-laden slab of funeral doom that collides head on with a fair dose of pure sludge, resulting in an album that sounds like a collision between Skepticism and Eyehategod, mostly in terms of feelings of pure disgust. Certainly, that sort of comparison is of exalted company, but, initially, “Let There Be A
Massacre” misfires more than it hits the mark. Funeral doom is all about powerful, glacial riffs that are able to hold the interest of the listener for extended periods of time with simple patterns. Not many bands are very good at this, and Brahe’s riffing is not all that interesting over the course of the album’s first four tracks. These tracks not only fail to arouse my interest, but the guitar work sounds decidedly amateurish with poorly constructed riffs and strummed higher pitched tones (I wouldn’t call it melody) similar to that of Catacombs that seemingly go nowhere. In addition, the production is very thin and lacks the power so crucial to funeral doom and sludge. Because the first four tracks are poor, I was more than ready to dismiss Sol and move on. But, the fifth track, “Era Of Decadence”, appeared and just about everything changed. First, all of a sudden, the production became much clearer and pronounced. What had been a rather weak, tinny-sounding album quite suddenly, and absolutely, roared from my speakers. This is more like it! In addition, the musicianship is much better. The rather annoying higher pitched tones are a bit more muted, and the riffs just absolutely fucking drip. The ground shakes when you crank up two of the last three songs with riffs that smash you into dust. The last track is an interesting number with some melancholic accordion that is a fitting end to the album. So, there you have it. Obviously, Sol hits the mark with the last three tracks, which, hopefully, forecast better things to come from this project. Can I make a recommendation on just half an album? Yes. www.van-gbr.de/

The Great Kat - Worship Me Or Die - Re-issue (Metal Mind) Review by Metal Mark
	We all have things we did when we were younger that seemed cool at the time, but later on we may look back and wonder, “What was I thinking?” I remember buying the hype surrounding the Great Kat’s debut and a lot of that was some garbage about her being the fastest guitarist around. Perhaps worse than buying the hype was that I bought the album and played it numerous times for a few months around late 1987 and early 1988. I even joined the Great Kat fan club and again “what the hell was I thinking?” I think it cost $1.00 or so and I got a button, an autographed picture of her and maybe a short newsletter. I still
have the button, which is a big generic looking black and white deal that states, “Kat says worship me or die”. Oh, wait there is music of a sort here that I should probably address at some point. You know how Stormtroopers of Death did “Speak English or Die”? It was a bunch of very short songs that were also fast, heavy, simple and funny. Yes, the Great Kat is like that except remove heavy and funny and replace them with out of tune and dreadfully annoying. Her voice alternates between shrill and a grating dry scream, but neither is very appealing or effective. However, if she’s the fastest guitarist alive then it’s the music that really matters. Yes, it's crap too as it varies between scattered noodling to something that sounds like someone throwing a plugged in guitar into a bunch of empty trash cans. I remember liking this because I thought it was so fast at the time yet now it doesn’t seem that fast at all. It’s also rather hollow with very little heaviness and for some reason that fact didn’t occur to me twenty years ago. The songs are mercifully short though so that’s a plus. Okay, some people may say it’s a joke album or a novelty act and it shouldn’t be taken so seriously. However, even as a joke act it would need to be funny or have some redeeming characteristic that makes it worthwhile. Unfortunately the Great Kat isn’t funny in a clever way or even in a silly way so the humor aspect doesn’t help this clunker much. All in all The Great Kat CD is one of those skeletons that should remain in the closet or at least keep it away from the stereo.