Live 4 Metal - Reviews

Beyond The Void - Gloom Is A Trip For Two (Endzeit Elegies) Review by Steve Green
	When you like an album, it's so easy to get carried away and think of it of the best thing since sliced bread. I think Gloom Is A Trip For Two is an exceptionally good album. I'm not going to rave about it being the best album of the year, shit, we've not even completed the first month yet. But I will go as far as saying that I think you'll be hearing a lot more from Beyond The Void over the next year or so. This album brings them up to a level that puts them on a par with anyone else in the Dark Gothic vein. I'm not going to make any comparisons with other bands as I think this brooding piece of darkness deserves to be judged in it's own right.
And I find that when trying to describe an album you really like, it's hard trying to convey exactly how the album sounds. I guess that's just a case of getting over-involved with the music that has captured your heart. Opener, Her Dive Into Midnight, is an upbeat and extremely catchy piece of Euro-Goth that makes for an easy, accessible start to the album. It's not until track two, Seductora, that Beyond The Void begin to show their true class. This is one of two duets with Mexican singer Isadora Cortina. Her gentle voice work perfectly with Daniel Pharos' darker tones and by now, you should be getting drawn in by the albums beauty. And the beauty is the key to the albums success. Rudolf Pfaffenzeller's gentle piano work adds an innocent charm that is completely shrouded in darkness, especially on Nihilism, which is an absolutely stunning song. As is the melancholic Hateworld, which sees an impassioned Daniel bearing his soul once more. Elsewhere, without realising it, the songs work their way into your grey matter and you end up singing the songs at all hours of the day. I've woken up most mornings with the chorus of Faminine swirling around in my head. Look, Beyond The Void aren't doing anything new here, but what they are doing, is creating classy music. And music that is a joy to listen to. When the mood is right, I'm completely blown away by this album. That mood needs to involve dimmed lights and preferably, it needs to be late in the day. A soundtrack for a sunny afternoon this, most certainly is not. My only complaint is that a couple of numbers seem to drag a little, the title track being one of them. I just feel the band should let rip a bit more when the cobwebs need to be blown away. But that is only a very minor complaint. This album is right up there with that of its peers. I hope the band gets the breaks they need to take Beyond The Void to the next level. Check 'em out at www.MySpace.com/BeVoid (although they don't have any new tracks online, yet) and read the interview at: www.live4metal.com/beyondthevoid2008.htm

Breedapart - Wars Within The Mind Are Fatal EP (Hard Face Records) Review by Steve Green
	I got stuck in horrendous traffic in Sheffield this morning. A huge chunk of the city was closed off as there was a murder, slap-bang in the area I needed to get through and it drove me fucking crazy. Had I had this EP with me at the time, I'm sure the ass kicking tunes would have calmed me down. This is a wonderfully brutal quick-sharp-shock that I just can't get enough of. Seven tracks, thrown down in under nineteen minutes, but it has the class of a full length album. Breedapart are a bunch of high octane Thrashers that include just enough Hardcore to get you bouncing around around the room like a total loon. Everything about this EP is faultless,
but top marks go to Alex Gray's drumming as he drives this forward on the wave of Lee Tilbury's tortured screams. Who, in turn, reminds me of a thrashier, more metallic version of Paul Catten (ex-Medulla Nocte) and boy can he cram a lot of words into each sentence. On top of their aggressive as hell stance, there's an over-riding sense of melody that is (kind of) like current US sensations, Five Finger Deathpunch and in older terms, like early Machine Head and classic, Vulgar-era Pantera. The balance is, as you'd expect, perfect and the cleaner vocals don't lose the band an ounce of power. This is my first experience of Breedapart and I think they are going to be huge. I know they considered splitting after one of their original members left last year, but I hope they stick together as they are the best UK band I've heard in a long time. www.myspace.com/breedapart05

Bullet for My Valentine - Scream Aim Fire (Sony) Review by Robert Beeton
	Back in 2006, a Bridgend Welsh metal-core band released their debut album “The Poison” not knowing where they would go. They ended up selling 1 million copies worldwide and 350,000 copies in the United States alone. Now two years down the line after playing sell out shows and festivals in countries around the world, sharing the stage with the likes of Metallica and Iron Maiden, Bullet For My Valentine, are back with their second highly anticipated album “Scream Aim Fire”. The album displays how the Welsh-Metallers have developed as individuals and musicians with this being reflected in the Bullet sound. A new heavier edge is the result, yet still keeping the vital elements that make Bullet For My
Valentine who they are. With much more “crunch” and melodic playing the grown up Bullet For My Valentine are here. Though the title track “Scream Aim Fire” has been widely talked about for a month or so now since it was posted on the Bullet myspace, I think that other tracks on the album clearly outshine it. The first is the beautiful “Hearts Burst into Fire”, a heart-felt story, of returning home from war to your love that you have not seen for so long. But when it all is so good, goodbye calls your name again. Sweet melodies, wavering rhythm and passion is everything this track delivers. Maturity is gained over time with a lot of bands; you start out inexperienced and you have the basic raw ingredients. Then as you progress as musicians the ingredients slowly mix together. “Waking the Demon” probably the heaviest track Bullet For My Valentine has ever done demonstrates how far they have got in such a short space of time. Fast and frantic and very thrash-esque, this track could stand high among tracks created by already well established bands such as Metallica. Not only does it have the heavy edge and creativity, the imagination and a fantastic solo, it delivers heartfelt passion through the ways in which the lyrics are sung as they are backed by graceful riffs. The issue which Bullet sings about in this track is bullying and how it shouldn’t be stood for. Something that today, a lot of people face and raising this issue through their music must clearly be felt by the band members. In my opinion this one of the best tracks they have written so far. Im onto the fifth track now and from one listen of each of these tracks im already growing attached to this album, and im not even half way through! Their previous album had its few god tracks then the rest weren’t exciting but this album is just brilliant.” Deliver us From Evil” opens with great feelings. The riff you hear straight away sounds very old school rock and is seriously catchy. The track is mixture of tempos and has great warmth and depth. It displays a mixture of emotion played alone by the music itself with matt putting his touch to finish it. It is slowly put together and builds ups in to a great song. With many build ups and break downs it feels it could go on! Now close your eyes for a minute and imagine the rain as it falls from the sky hitting your skin running down your face. Im on about “Say Goodnight” A warm powerful ballad which is about saying goodbye to someone close. It wraps around your heart with the opening sound of an acoustic guitar with a background of rain pouring. The track then awakes from its shell with the singing melodies that the lead guitar delivers. However as the track progresses it slowly builds. With a flourishing solo to break up verses and then a soft to powerful build up on the snare and drums to lead it into its glory “Say goodnight” stands out clearly! And finally I reach the closing track “Forever and always.” Bullet for my Valentine has delivered an exceptional album which explores many areas which the band had previously not been. With great balance outstanding power and significance, arrays of strong issues explored and as always sheer heaviness Bullet for valentine will go far. “Forever and Always” Sails out the album with pride. The track will make you feel sad that the album has come to the end. It marches out to the sound of hands coming together and bass snare pounding calling out to anyone who listens, join in! And it goes on and on gradually breaking down just to the drums and it feels magical! Bullet for my Valentine Have delivered and if I were to give this a rating it would be 10/10.An album clearly worth buying. “Scream Aim Fire” is out now in shops worldwide released by Sony Bmg! www.bulletformyvalentine1.com

Dagorlad - Herald Of Doom (Shiver) Review by Steve Green
	I hope the album title isn't too misleading. This isn't Doom I'm afraid, it's medieval - fantasy metal from Belgium. A land well known for slaying dragons... or is it making chocolate? Anyway, this is a low budget affair, created by the duo of AOD, on vocals and the more realistically titled, Philippe Gandibleu, the creator of the instrumentation. And for what this album lacks in production values and budget, it is still quite an endearing piece of music. I could quite easily spend most of this review picking holes in the mix, and the way the music and the vocals don't quite gel, but I really like what I'm hearing. This is an old fashioned romp and the music this duo have created is impossible not to get into. This is a soundtrack
to all of the old films I watched as a kid, the pomp and majesty of the middle ages and it's even more dungeons and dragons than anything in Ronnie James Dio's armoury. The occasional folk interlude adds a bit of spice to the proceedings and I'm a sucker for the catchy choruses, which seem to be the albums strongpoint, along with Philippe's obvious musical skills. Herald of Doom is one of those albums you need to accept for what it is. A jewel buried deep in the underground that'll never get mass attention, but is well worth making the effort to discover, if the medieval/fantasy theme is your thing. www.shiver-records.com \| www.myspace.com/dagorladbelgium

Deluzion - Alive and Wrecking (Self Release) Review by Steve Green
	Live albums are rare enough these days, but Dutch mob Delusion have gone one step further, with a live EP. And if you think about it, if you are unsigned it makes sense to release a live cd. As most bands tend to perform better live, therefore, in theory, the energy that cannot always be captured in the studio is there for all to hear, that is, if you can get a decent enough recording quality... and I'm sure it's a lot cheaper than booking a studio. The sound quality of this three tracker is thankfully very good, and it's a nice introduction to Deluzion. They mix up a bit of thrash, a bit of traditional metal (meaning Iron Maiden) and a bit of melodic death, the result is an upbeat assault, with just a hint of groove, that flows
freely. The dual vocal attack works brilliantly and there's enough here to whet my appetite for their forthcoming debut album. My only hope is that they can capture the same energy in the studio. Well worth checking out at www.deluzion.nl

Dr Slaggleberry – Self Titled EP (Crash Records) Review by Luke Goaman-Dodson
	Describing themselves as “cuntcore” and citing influences including Bryan Adams, Anal Cunt, and the Ren & Stimpy theme tune, it is difficult to imagine that Dr. Slaggleberry couldn’t be one of the greatest bands ever to emerge from the UK (or at least from the Home Counties). However, the overriding influence on the band is Mr. Bungle, and from their disjointed, staccato rhythms, onstage costumes, and quirky band moniker, Dr. S. make their fondness for this group quite clear. Unfortunately, while Mr. Bungle exhibited deranged innovation, Dr. S. follow the Bungle blueprint too closely to really stand out. The basic structure of stop-start jazz-funk riffs, metal guitars, and machine-gun drum-fills makes
the entire EP feel like a reconstruction of certain heavier Bungle tracks like ‘My Ass is on Fire’. This said, a couple of differences are immediately apparent; the band utilises a baritone guitar instead of a bass, which lends a different dimension to the sound, and vocalist Edd mostly uses a black-metalish scream. While essentially derivative, Dr. S. manage to coax some interesting sounds out of their musical concoction, and slower, more atmospheric but regrettably brief breakdowns indicate an angle that hopefully the band will expand upon with future releases. The members are all extremely proficient musically, and this ten-minute EP shows a lot of promise, but until they begin to expand and refine their sound, they are unlikely to match the twisted genius of their predecessors. www.myspace.com/drslaggleberry

Isole – Bliss of Solitude (Napalm) Review by Chris Davison
	Ah, the return of everyones favourite epic somnambulistic doomers, with this, their third outing, now released through Napalm records. All of which is fine, except that Isole aren't all that sleepy any more, or at least not in any comfortable, dreamy sense. This is still Isole, for sure, but this time the Swedish crew are having trouble nodding off, and when they do, they're not being visited by the candy-coated sandman. For those of you having trouble keeping up with my sleep induced analogies, please allow me to explain. Isole have released two magnificent prior albums, both of which I have had the absolute pleasure to review. They were both monstrously epic things, comparable to the
mighty Solitude Aeturnus in scope, and having a curious floating, dream like ambience to them. This time around however, they're in a much less ethereal mood. This is a darker, more brooding Isole, taking in more influences and producing a much more direct, less happy album. The mood throughout is darker than the average black hole, as opener “By Blood” comes on like some kind of bastard hybrid of the afore mentioned Solitude Aeturnus and My Dying Bride at their most epic. Those majestic, ghostly clean vocals of yore have been joined by brief but effective growls, while the drums also venture into forays of the double bass world. The guitars produce huge, sweeping riffs that are so epic that you can almost imagine civilisations rising and falling while they play! The playing here is somehow more brittle and fragile in a spiky, angular sense, as with the effective and moody opening section to powerhouse track, “Bliss of Solitude”, which is easily the heaviest track that they have ever produced. My only complaint about earlier Isole that was while it was very atmospheric and dreamlike, their songs had a tendency to...well, be quite nice to have a snooze to, but lacked the directness of song writing to allow for concentrated listening. That is now an ex-complaint; Isole have truly come of age, and are no longer a close contender to the throne of epic doom. They now belong in the big leagues proper – standing shoulder to shoulder with Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus. Magnificent. www.napalmrecords.com

Light Pupil Dilate - Snake Wine (Lifeforce) Review by Steve Green
	Light Pupil Dilate, are a power trio from Atlanta Georgia. This album is a crazy mess, but that's ok, because it says that on the biog too, well it's described as a smouldering mess of sound... which I'll gladly go along with. There are quick bursts of energy which are followed by long drawn out, Southern tinged guitar passages, where you can just feel every single note. Awesome shit that you just get into the groove with. The drumming is all over the shop and I'm sure Michael Green is drumming on the wrong cd as his tub-thumping isn't matching the rest of the music. But if that's their bag, who am I to argue? It's a little out there for me, but I can appreciate the skill involved in pulling this all together. It would be so
easy for this to sound like a total, well, piece of shit, but it doesn't. It gradually draws you in, just like a good Stoner record would. The label describes this as "the future of extreme heavy music". While everyone reading this will know that's just record label bullshit, I wouldn't really describe this as extreme either. There are some molten moments, Twinkly being one of them, and the tuneless Shower Me With Love being the other, but overall this is too smooth and despite the crazy rhythms, this is too accessible to be labelled as extreme. They sound, to me, more like a fucked up version of Soundgarden, perhaps with a bit of punk attitude thrown in for good measure. www.myspace.com/lightpupildilate

Mystic Prophecy - Satanic Curses (Locomotive) Review by Metal Mark
	One aspect of power metal that doesn’t always sit well with me is the bands who ride more on melody than aggression. I think the two can be blended together and that makes for a more even sound. I think that it the approach that Mystic Prophecy takes and they do an admirable job of pulling it off as well. This is very much a riff heavy style of power metal that pulls and pushes forward with just the right amount of force. The vocals flow along with the music very well and the song structures are generally well founded. They manage to vary their approach from song to song as well, so most of the tracks have their own identity. My only complaints were that the mix was a little low at times because it seemed
like when the vocals came on, that the music jumped way back and it didn’t really have to do that. Also, it seemed like they could write a few more longer songs because several tracks seemed to end more quickly that I thought they would. Overall an album that brings both power and metal to a subgenre that sometimes strays too much from it’s basis. www.mysticprophecy.com