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Believer - Extraction
From Mortality Re-issue (Metal Mind) Review by
Metal Mark |
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I remember reading good reviews about Believer's debut back in
1989 and I remember reading a good interview with them around
then as well. However I never pursued any of their CDs because
I was ignorant in thinking that because they were a Christian
band they would not be very heavy. I guess that my train of
thought was that all Christian rock sounded like Stryper and
Petra. Fortunately I have gotten to get a hold of this
re-issue of this album so I can hear what I have been missing.
Believer played thrash a little in the style of Exodus and
Testament although with even grittier vocals. The sound leans
a little more towards heaviness than speed which helps the
music to have a very thick feel to it. They |
plow into almost every song with a lot of confidence and more
fire than many acts who just went through the paces back then.
It's not the most original thrash release ever done and it
came when thrash was into its peak, which means it was a
crowded field when this came out. Yet they approached their
material with a head full of steam and the end product shows
that for sure. They control the pace and really milk each
moment as much as possible and that in itself sets them well
above the bands who thought thrash was only about speed. This
re-issue includes a thick booklet, a nice package and I am
certainly glad to find out that these guys far exceeded my
expectations.
www.metalmind.com.pl/index.php?jezyk=en |
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Dreamscape - Revoiced
(Massacre Records) By James Young |
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This is an odd release - it’s sort of a ‘best of’, rerecording
and re-release all at the same time. What we have here is a
selection of tracks from Dreamscape’s first two albums, Trance
Like State and Very, all rerecorded with the new vocalist,
(who is now the old vocalist) Roland Stoll. This re-recording
came out in 2005, but here it is again, complete with a new
song from the upcoming album, ‘Breathing Spaces’, and a bonus
video ‘When Shadows Are Gone’. Whilst this may scream ‘cash
grab’ to some of you, it’s nevertheless a very good album in
itself, and perfect for those of you who haven’t heard the
original recordings. If you bought it in 2005 however, there’s
very little new, so I wouldn’t bother |
checking it out this time around.
This progressive metal band, which has been around since 1986,
although only releasing a debut in 1997, has been through a
large number of vocalists, with current vocalist Mischa Mang
being their fourth. It’s interesting to see how well Stoll
handled the older stuff, even though he’s no longer in the
band. The first two albums, which were a heady mix of the
instrumental sensibilities of Dream Theater and the more
astral-sounding likes of Pagan’s Mind, are slightly more
mellow than the newer Dreamscape material, and personally I
think the original vocalists were perfect for this style.
Stoll still handles this stuff extremely well, and all twelve
tracks ooze class. Heck, even if you don’t like his voice for
whatever reason, there’s still the phenomenal eight-minute
instrumental ‘Unvoiced’, which is worth the price of this CD
alone. The mood changes in this song are exquisitely pulled
off, with the keyboards of Jan Vacik (another member who has
left since the original release of this rerecording) capturing
so many emotions it would make Kevin Moore tremble in his
boots. Every song on this album is uniquely crafted and
musically special in its own way, and anyone who shows a vague
interest in prog will love the catchiness and technicality on
display here. Songs such as ‘Thorn In My Mind’ and ‘Alone’ is
a classic example of prog which has a tendency to go off on a
widdly instrumental tangent every now and again, which leaves
you astounded at how every band member keeps up. The bonus
track from the upcoming 2008 album, which I assume features
new vocalist Mang, rather than Stoll who sings on the rest of
the album, seems to be a harrowingly dark affair, showcasing
some dark tones, and some of the heaviest passages this band
has written to date. Fast double kick drums from Michael
Schwager and some intricate guitar work show the difference
old and new Dreamscape, with the recent work borrowing a lot
more from the power metal genre. The video, ‘When The Shadows
Are Gone’, the opener to 1999’s Very, is a mix between live
and studio footage, which is passable, but the song is
fantastic, so there aren’t any real complaints here.
Whether or not you want to own a re-release of a rerecorded
‘best of’ is up to you, but my job is to tell you whether it
sounds good, and it truly does. The music contained on this
disc is quite literally out of this world. Not technical
enough to be unemotional, but still clever enough to be
exciting as hell, Dreamscape are a great example of how
progressive metal should sound. And after hearing the teaser
of the new material, the forthcoming album will certainly be
worth checking out.
www.dreamscape.de |
www.myspace.com/dreamscapeofficialsite |
www.massacre-records.com |
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Fever Jack - Get The Hell
Out (Self-produced) Review by Metal Mark |
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Imagine the scrawniest kid from your school days talking crap
to the biggest kid. It may have been have amusing for a few
seconds, but ultimately you would know that even though the
scrawny kid was talking tough that they ultimately didn't have
the muscle to back it up. When it's all said and done that's
about how I feel about this album from Italy's Fever Jack. The
title, the image and the spoken intro for the title track all
have you thinking they are really going to bring something.
However what they bring is a lot of hot air, lukewarm riffs
and sometimes flat and ineffective vocals. It's not exactly
bad and in fact almost every single track starts with some
promising licks. However any signs of promise fade fast as the |
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guitars quickly dip down in repetitive mode and the bland
vocals come on and amateur night begins. The influences I hear
might be Pantera, Alice in Chains and maybe even Zodiac
Mindwarp, but far less interesting. The beats and heaviness
are not far from being something, but the songwriting is a
long way off. I gave it repeated plays hoping something might
click, but I actually got more annoyed with each play. I like
the guitar tone a little and the production was fine, but the
vocals don't help and this band is in desperate need of
finding some hooks and a real sense of direction.
www.myspace.com/feverjack |
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Filthy Teens - Target: Deceased (Deepressure
Records) Review by Steve
Green |
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If bands want us hacks to write something nice about them, then including
some history on your own website, or that of their promotion agency, would
be a nice start. All I can tell you about this project is that it was put
together by drummer Muriel Saracino... and that in Italy, Muriel is a guys
name, oh, and they've released one demo and played two concerts. I guess
such meagre information makes you concentrate on the music a bit more, but
all I'm coming up with is that this is primarily Grunge, or is it Stoner
Rock? With a bit of electronic-cum-space rock thrown in as well.
I'd go as far as saying that this is well played and that the songs are on
the positive side of |
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average, but there's not really a lot to get excited about.
The band name indicates that they should sound like a sleazy
Hanoi Rocks clone, the artwork looks dark goth or industrial and the music limps
between Grunge and Stoner. I'm afraid this one is destined for the bargain
bin. www.myspace.com/filthyteens |
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Greeley Estates - Go West Young Man, Let The Evil Go East (Ferret) Review by Steve
Green |
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Greeley Estates sounds like some kind of rundown, inner city council estate from oop
north. It ain't, it's a band from Phoenix Arizona who fly the flag for the
post-hardcore brigade.
It doesn't really matter what I think of this album as I cannot get on
with Ryan Zimmerman's vocals. The man is too whiney by far and that grates
the shit out of me, which in turn, makes this album hard for me to get
into. Which is a shame, as Greeley Estates have a stack of good ideas
incorporated into their sound. There are plenty of little nuances that
show that the band have a modicum of originality, which is a rarity in
today's modern scene. Unfortunately, they are lost on me because of the
vocal situation. But music is all about |
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opinions and if this is your normal bag, then Greeley Estates
could well be the band for you. And judging by the bands past
successes, a million plays on Pure Volume, and as an unsigned
band, is pretty damn amazing, as is their commitment to
touring.
Unfortunately, although Greeley Estates have their strong points,
ultimately, the vocals spoil it for me.
www.myspace.com/greeleyestates
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Liquid Sky - Identity (Insomnia Media) Review by Steve
Green |
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When it comes to female fronted Metal bands, the UK are woefully lacking
when compared to our European cousins, or any other country come to think
of it. Has the UK ever produced a world class female fronted band that can
compete with the likes of Nightwish, Within Temptation or Lacuna Coil?
Shit, I can't even think of one that'll give the 3rd tier of bands a run
for their money... So are Liquid Sky the band the UK desperately needs to
give us little credibility when it comes to the Gothic end of the
spectrum? That's a toughie. I really like this album and in terms of the
UK, it's definitely one of the better albums of its kind, probably a close
2nd to Seasons End, but I doubt it's enough to elevate |
them to the major league.
Taking away all of the stuff I mentioned above and judging this album on
its own merits, then it's a bloody good album. Liquid Sky have a certain
Englishness about them, but singer Hecate Taglietti brings a European
flavour with her voice and I could see quite easily see Liquid Sky signing
for a label like Napalm Records and the band being schooled by Alex Krull
at his Mastersound Studios. Musically, I'd say that Liquid Sky are going
to appeal to those that prefer the Progressive side of things, and with
Threshold's Karl Groom handling the production duties, that backs this up
that theory quite nicely. Their approach is slow and measured, with
everything in its place, and that yields my only complaint. Some of the
songs, after a few minutes, start to plod a little. I'm thinking more of
in the live environment, than in the studio, as I can see someone catching
Liquid Sky for the first time, and being unfamiliar with their material,
starting to drift off as the band aren't doing enough to keep their
attention. They need the injection of pace that's used on Dreamstate,
which is probably the most enjoyable song on the album, or the simplistic
beauty of Watch The Ocean, to keep things interesting.
Liquid Sky are definitely one of the better bands emerging from the UK
underground and despite any criticisms I may have made, I'd recommended
this to anyone who's a fan of either female fronted, or Progressive Metal.
Potentially, they could be ones to watch.
www.liquid-sky.co.uk |
www.insomnia-media.com/store.html
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Lutemkrat - The Last
Survivor (Bleak Art Records) Review by Crin |
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One man bands have multiplied in this digital age where music
[of great quality and on the flip side, great yawning shite]
can be born in the relaxed confines of the bedroom. The music
of such forms is one of an entirely individualistic creative
spark. Here we have the solo project of a certain Wolf
Lutemkrat [hence the band moniker]. You may be drawn to a
Germanic origin and yet this is of Brazilian heritage and yet
musically it could be anywhere given the orthodox paint by
numbers compositions. Musically this release is unfortunately one of two very predictable halves. The musicianship is of
a high standard, the sound is what you would expect a Black
Metal opus to be, and the songs are aptly titled to evoke |
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the terror of dark spirits. Musically, there is nothing
remotely new that exists here. There is the slow acoustic
guitar interludes, the blasting programmed drums, strangled
vocal angst and buzzing guitar melee of riff after riff
pounding the air with military precision. The fact is there is
nothing bad about this album. The songs are very well formed,
enjoyable and oozing memorable moments, its just a formula
adopted by numerous acts since time began. Brazilian Black
Metal as a whole will never astound the worlds Black Metal
masses, and this release will do little to change that.
www.bleakartrecords.com |
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