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Alghazanth - Wreath of
Thevetat (Woodcut Records) Review by Crin |
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Finnish Black Metal doesn’t come much better than this.
Brazen, dynamic, gut fucking aural dismemberment ignited with
a sense of the epic. From the first track, Moving Mountains,
the rousing guitar arrangements collide with majestic
keyboards to form a quite lush sound. Thevetat was the great
Dragon King who corrupted the psychics of Atlantis, turning
them into evil sorcerers, and there is an almost Bal Sagoth
magnitude to the layered instruments here. There are also
slight similarities to Dimmu Borgir and more notably Italy’s
Stormlord, but the generic style make that inevitable.
Polished, crisp and majestic is where the music emanates from.
The compositions are engaging although not as imminent as the |
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fluency of Dimmu Borgir. The compositions rely of a safe
melodic format, never experimenting into the obscure.
Alghazanth formed in 1995, and this is the bands fifth long
player. You can immediately taste the maturity of the music,
its harsh driving fast sections billowing in the swooshing
keyboard orchestration. The track, Future made Flesh, is an
outstanding slow burning number oozing the atmospheric genius
of Bathory. Overall, the more you play this opus par
excellence, the more it will gnaw into your brain like a
satisfying drug that just melts like honey on a roasting
corpse. There are also , dare I say it, the intricacies of
Cradle of Filth emerging from the more virulent tracks. That,
in it self will reveal the quality and depth to Alghazanth’s
wonderfully rich repertoire. A truly awe inspiring piece of
music.
www.woodcutrecords.com |
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Chokehold - The Sweet Sense Of Genocide (Free
download) Review by Steve Green |
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Chokehold are a band who I think have come as far as they can. This
opinion of mine has nothing to do with my opinion on their musical
prowess, it's just based on the fact that they got national exposure after
appearing on the Saxon documentary on Channel 4, which I was (un)lucky
enough to be in the studio for the recording of the E4 follow up. Said
programme, then got them on Saxons Inner Sanctum UK tour, which I again
witnessed and saw how good the band were with limited space and time,
yet they've had to resort to releasing this album as a free download as they
couldn't secure a deal for its release. Somewhere down the line, someone,
or more likely, several someone's, has decided that Chokehold are not a
financially viable option, because we all know that the music industry is
run by people who are only in it for the money, right?
So what is wrong with Chokehold? Not a lot really. This is 9 tracks of
groovy Metal that falls somewhere between Pantera and old-school Metal.
The vocals are part Phil Anselmo and part, well a yappier version of Alexi
Laiho, with the music being very confident in its swagger, and aggressive
in its stance. I guess the only real complaint is that this isn't exactly
the most original form of Metal around. But with saying that, I think there will always be a
place in the Metal world for a good old fashioned Heavy Metal band that
likes to kick ass.
So after having endured a difficult twelve months, support this band by
downloading the album, for free, and then email them to tell them how good
it is. www.chokehold-metal.com
| www.myspace.com/chokeholdmetal
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Crystallion - Hattin
(Dockyard 1) Review by Dave Baynham |
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This is the second album by German melodic/ power/ heavy metal
band Crystallion, whose first album ‘A Dark Enchanted Crystal
Night’ was released in 2006. It is a concept album about the
battle of Hattin, in which Saladin inflicted a crushing defeat
on the Crusaders, leading to the downfall of the Kingdom of
Jerusalem. I like the way the narrative is told from both view
points, which makes it feel more like history than a story.
The lyrics sound like the writer had read about and gained a
good feel for the period. This is a sweeping, grandiose epic
of an album and the scale fits with the subject matter.
Crystallion create this atmosphere without going overboard on
special effects, but mainly by really great song |
construction. Although they produce some fast European power
metal, they know how to contrast it with slower more old style
heavy metal riffing and have some decent hooks. The guitar soloing always
makes sense in the context of the song rather than being for
it’s own sake and is at times reminiscent of Judas Priest
while at others of Michael Schenker. However it is often the
imaginative use of a variety of keyboard sounds by Manuel
Schallinger that adds another level to the tracks. The
monumental eleven minute long album closer ‘Preach with an
iron tongue’ sums up much that is enjoyable about this album.
It starts as a moving ballad, then after two minutes Thomas
Strubler’s impressive voice crashes through the gears from
delicate to air raid siren and the band goes into a hugely
chunky riff with more overblown stuff to follow. For me the
main points of reference are Rebellion and Thy Majestie,
although given the mix of power metal and traditional heavy
metal there are enough potential comparisons. Overall this is
a bombastic headbanging delight of an album and well worth
investigation.
www.crystallion.net
| www.dockyard1.com |
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Dark Sky - Empty Faces
(AOR Heaven)
By: Joe Florez |
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Had no idea that this band existed nor know the fact that they
already have three full lengths under their belt. Well, it’s
time for the Germans to dish out number four and zero time is
wasted when “Hands Up” cuts right to the chase as the opener.
Big synths, big riffs and a slamming rhythm section makes this
song sound louder than life. It’s catchy and reverts back to
the 80’s with great ease, but has an obviously better sound
production. The composition is simple and as always, has a nice
solo in the middle as well as nice harmony vocals. What the
fuck is up with covering Michael Sembello’s “Maniac?” First
was Firewind’s version which was more metalised and now Dark
Sky? This one is a bit |
more pomp than metal, but has a harder edge thanks to the
riffs and Frank’s vocals are gritty, but also have that Claus Lessmann (Bonfire) touch. It’s a guilty
pleasure (sorry!). Wow! This is a first for an AOR/hard rock
band. There is no ballad until the end. After nine songs of up
beat and up tempos “Meaning Of Life” closes the doors with a
ballad that isn’t exactly all that slow and dragging. And
also, there is a hidden track after numero ten.
Despite the
fact that lead vocalist Frank has a blown out hairdo that is
reminiscent of 1986, this is the year 2008 and AOR is making a
comeback of sorts. Well, at least in Europe anyway. Basically,
if you like glam bands from Germany and it’s counterparts that
speak German I.e. Switzerland (Bonfire, Gotthard, Fair
Warning) and countless others, then you are in good company.
This is cheesy at times, but all in good fun. Enjoyable is how
I would put this one.
www.aorheaven.com
| www.dark-sky.de
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Gorgoroth - Black Mass
Krakow 2004 DVD (Metal Mind) review by Sam
Thomas |
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Well, here it is at last. The infamous recording of Gorgoroth
made in Krakow in 2004 that caused more controversy than any
other DVD, complete with everything you’ve read about –
sheeps heads; naked, crucified models; blasphemy (of course)
and pyrotechnics. The original recordings were said to have
been confiscated because of a sense of outrage that such
blasphemous proceedings could have been allowed to take place
in the (then) Pope’s home city. Or maybe it was because animal
rights activists felt that the sheep had been humiliated…
Either way, I recall reading at the time that it was hoped
that eventually the recordings might resurface, might even be
officially released. Now that time has arrived, was it worth
the wait?
The DVD begins in a pretty irritating way – lots of black and
white images, irritating repetitive soundtrack, but then
explodes into “Procreating Satan”, along with the obligatory
fireworks. The stage setting is everything that you could have
imagined, a wooden structure |
wrapped with barbed wire, guttering torches, impaled sheeps
heads and a scattering of sheep’s heads on the ground, all lit
with a garish red light. And let’s not forget the models. Four
of them, two male, two female, tied to crucifixes with black
bags over their heads. I can just imagine the interview:
“Well, we’ve got this job, it’s a bit unusual, quite a lot of
hanging around…”
In fact, the models are a big problem in this whole
performance. The two women both faint before the end of the
fourth track, which is so distracting once you notice it that
you feel compelled to see if you can pick out the exact moment
when they disappear (I can’t, but you can spot when the first
one gets into trouble). Once that’s happened, you find
yourself willing the two guys to follow suit, but they don’t.
Gaahl is his usual strange self throughout the performance –
pretty immobile, looking rather like an evil version of a
sad-faced clown who has been involved in a nasty traffic
accident. He’s also wearing his trademark spiked bands, which
just have to be longer and spikier than anyone else’s. The
setlist draws heavily on the then most recent release,
“Twilight of the Idols”, and also “Under the Sign of Hell”,
and it’s pretty well thought out, as these things go. When the
lights are red, the entire stage could quite easily pass as
the ante-room to Hell, and I’m sure that it smelt like it too.
You get the usual run of extras, including two tracks recorded
live at Leipzig in 2000 (presumably underwater, judging by the
sound quality), biography, photos, desktops, etc. All the
stuff that you’ll watch at most once, but that’s how it is, I
guess…
Fundamentally, the thing with this DVD is this: it doesn’t
really matter what I, or any other reviewer says about it. It
is destined to become a classic, one of those things that you
have to own if you wish your interest in black metal to be
taken seriously. Here’s my two penn’orth, anyway, it’s
actually worth the four years’ wait. |
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Magica - Hereafter
(Locomotive) Review by Metal Mark |
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This is the third release from Romanian, female fronted
Magica. They play symphonic power metal that’s actually as big
on melodies as it is on symphonic sounds. The vocals seem to
get more attention then the music and that may turn off metal
fans a little. Vocalist Ana Mladinovici has a fantastic voice
and she can keep the songs going fairly well. The music is
sharp and expertly produced, yet I could not help shake the
feeling that everything was a tad too smooth and predictable
for me. I enjoyed the album, but there were no surprises or
even big moments. Largely what you heard in the first minute
of each song was what you would get for the entire track. I
would have been to appreciate it even more if the |
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music was more powerful and a little more variation in the
song structure would not have hurt either. I definitely hear a
confidence in this band though and that’s promising. It would
be great if they continue to fine tune and push ahead with
their sound. |
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Nefastus Dies - Urban Cancer
(Candlelight Records USA)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Rather generic blackened death metal is the order of the day
with Canada’s Nefastus Dies, a band with ties to mathcore
sensation Ion Dissonance. “Urban Cancer” is this quartet’s
debut full-length, on giant Candlelight Records USA no less.
Generic is definitely the word here as “Urban Cancer” is
essentially a non-stop blast with little tempo variation and
riffs that barely vary from track to track. A few blackened
elements such as keyboards and so forth periodically make
appearances and enable “Urban Cancer” to be reminiscent of
later releases from Limbonic Art and, perhaps, Crionics. That
wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, but my main problem with
Nefastus |
Dies is the vocal delivery of Ill-Fate, recently
departed from Ion Dissonance. Consisting of an annoying,
virtually non-stop, and completely unintelligible “yah yah”,
the horrible vocals absolutely ruin this release for me. Yeah,
a few pig grunts make the odd appearance, as well as some deep
seated growls; but, combine the relentless “yah yah” with
generic riffs that barely vary throughout “Urban Cancer”, and
you end up with a completely forgettable release.
Other than that, what else is there to say? Write some better
songs, and ditch the horrible vocals and maybe you have
something here. Then again, maybe not. Ugh.
www.nefastusdies.com
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www.candlelightrecordsusa.com |
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Neronoia - Il Rumore Delle Cose (Eibon Records)
Review by Steve Green |
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I really like this album. Il Rumore Delle Cose is a wonderfully mellow
dose of dark ambience that, to me, has a similar feel to fellow (Italian)
countrymen Monumentum's In Absentia Christi, mainly due to the empty
production, although this album is nowhere near as tinny as In Absentia
Christi. They also share a very similar guitar tone, which at times is
very gothic in texture, which (very loosely) reminds me of Bauhaus' Daniel
Ash.
Unlike the Monumentum classic, there are no cover versions of Fade To Grey on this album, then again,
there are no song titles either, with each track getting lumbered with a
Roman numeral as a name, and as this is the second Neronoia album, things
begin with XI
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and end with XX. But what you get between the X's is an
alluring, albeit very simple formula, that is impossible to
resist. The whole concept is very basic, with a plodding drum
beat, atmospheric keyboards, jangling guitars, semi-spoken,
almost whispered vocals and a bass sound buried deep in the
mix, which is barely audible at times. Each song flows into
the next and the variation between tracks, is at times, hardly
noticeable, with the occasional Industrial influence being the
only change, or the brief chink of light that appears on XVI.
Apart from that, this is a very gloomy experience and one that
the more miserable amongst you will no doubt enjoy.
www.neronoia.tk |
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Soul Doctor - That’s Live!
(Metal Heaven)
By: Joe Florez |
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Soul Doctor is a blues rock/AOR band that is fronted by one
time member of Fair Warning from Germany, Tommy Heart. I had
no idea that they threw down four studio records, but after
which they decided to pump out the inevitable live record
which spans from the years 2005-2007. These guys know how to
shell out the blues riffs cause they are plentiful on here and
at times have an AC/DC vibe. “Blood Runs Cold” and Under Your
Skin” are down and dirty song with big licks and Tommy’s voice
doesn’t sound as pomp as his other band. He gets down and
sings his heart out here. The way that they play could get
them on a bill with Black Label Society and play at a local
pub while the guys drink till |
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their livers float. “Good Times Slippin’ Away” reverts back to the 80’s glam rock days
complete with synths while “Temptation” combines the pomp with
blues and keys, but provides one hell of a rhythm that could
be compared to Allanah Miles “Black Velvet.” Of course in this
genre, you can’t continue without doing a ballad that requires
all the fans to hold up all of their Bic lighters and “See You
In Heaven” is it. “Unspoken Words” contains a true guitar solo
before jamming out to the song. I am not quite sure that
everyone in the Bonfire/Fair Warning/Gotthard camp may like
this because it’s not as poppy as the bands mentioned above.
However, there is that feeling thrown in there if you listen
carefully. SD has a bit more of an edge that is a little
unsettling compared to Tommy’s former band. It’s all good in
the end and quite frankly if you like your AC/DC’s, Krokus’
and Rose Tattoo’s then you should have no problem with this.
www.metalheaven.net
| www.souldoctorrocks.com |
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Stick It Out - Self Titled
(Self-produced) Review by Metal
Mark |
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Stick It Out hail from Rome, Italy and play a fairly solid
style of hard rock with a number of early 1990's influences.
The opener "Marry the swine" rips on and maintains a solid
groove throughout with the vocals reminding me some of Ian Astbury. The next two tracks "Dog's Friday Nite" and "Sgt.
Lizzie" vary in pace, but are almost as good and I took to
them immediately. Track four is a little odd as it's a cover of
Faster Pussycat's "Jack the Bastard. I say odd because I have
always considered it a lesser song from an album that's
certainly not Faster Pussycat's best effort.
Stick It Out do a decent job with this version as they tighten
it up and pick up the tempo a little. I don't know if it was
doing a cover at this |
point or what, but the momentum they had for the first three
tracks never quite returns on the remainder of the album. Most
of the rest of the material is quite decent and varied enough.
Yet a few songs are a little too routine and make me think I
heard this style in the early 90's and wasn't particularly
impressed with it back then. I wish they could have carried
over more of that groove from the first few tracks. Still the
vocals are exceptionally strong, the music does enough to be
interesting for the majority of the album and the production
values are high. They are a young band and they have obviously
laid some groundwork down and begun to establish their style.
I hope they take a good look at what really worked here and
make that their focus for the future.
www.myspace.com/stickitout
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