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Opeth – The Roundhouse Tapes
(Peaceville) review by Sam
Thomas |
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It’s taken nearly two years to produce this DVD, and the CD
has been available for ages. Time well spent editing, or a
cynical ploy to get more money for the record label? Well,
it’s pretty much de rigeur to bash the record labels these
days, but I’d describe this as being a very well-worthwhile
little package. Along with the DVD itself there was a
collection of postcards (which, of course, you’d never
actually send to anyone) and a little booklet of band pictures
in the sepia tones we’ve come to associate with Opeth these
days.
As for the DVD itself, well, it’s exactly what you’d expect if
you’ve ever either been to an Opeth gig or seen the
“Lamentations” DVD. Mikael and the boys are in top form
(sparkling wit as usual – this guy has the best links between
songs ever) and there’s the added twist that this is the last
recording of this particular line-up. The track list is pretty
well thought out (my one complaint is the absence of “The
Drapery Falls”), especially when you compare it to
“Lamentations”. By which I don’t intend to cast a slur on the |
previous work, it’s simply that they complement each other:
it’s not just rehashing the same old tracks that are good in a
live setting.
The extra features on the DVD are particularly good: band
interviews, fan interviews, soundcheck (fascinating, not just
for anoraks) and the only picture gallery that I’ve ever been
interested enough to work through to the end. It’s very
interesting to hear what the fans think of Opeth, which tracks
they want to hear, and at the end of the DVD, what they
thought was the best song of the night. Not to mention the guy
who, after listening to another fan banging on about how he’s
come from South Africa, says, deadpan “Well, I’ve come from
Wiltshire”.
The band interview was very interesting, particularly where
Per Wiberg is asked “What’s your favourite airport?” Must
remember that one for the next time I’m scratching round for a
question to ask a band...
The filming of the concert itself is a technical masterpiece.
Great camera shots, fantastic colour, good crowd shots and,
most importantly, superbly edited. The screen at the back of
the stage is shown off to good effect as well – somebody had
the very clever idea of putting up an animated version of the
relevant album cover for each track. (Shame that they didn’t
provide a hard copy of the track list on the DVD box, I do
like to know what’s up next.)
As for the content of the concert, well, just check out the
tracklisting. Superb. Loads of Blackwater Park era and before,
but a few new favourites as well. Performed the way you’d
expect from Opeth, that is to say, flawlessly. This is the
ideal Christmas gift for any Opeth fan, or, of course, the
ideal present for yourself. Before Christmas. The Swedes may
not give us a massive tree like the Norwegians, but I think
I’d rather have an Opeth DVD any day.
www.opeth.com
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Paradise Lost - Gothic re-issue
(Peaceville) Review by Marco Gaminara |
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What can I say about this album??? Man! Okay, I'll start with
a complete aside. I heard a track from it on the radio one
night in 1992, as there was an "Alternative/Goth" segment on a
Sunday night and the DJ happened to play the opening track
owing to the name of the album and song. The next day I went
to the only CD store in Johannesburg that sold metal CD's at a
real price rather than the over inflated 5x that specialist
stores managed to get away with. Well after weekly sojourns to
said store for the next 18 months, they finally managed to get
a copy in and a whole host of other great metal which I
snapped up. Well needless to say, the wait was worth it and in
my opinion this is their finest album. and |
listening to it again is giving me goose flesh, as it does
every time I do. Nick Holmes' death vocals worked so well over
Gregory Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy's interwoven guitars, and to be
honest this was the only band I could tolerate with death
vocals for a very long time, probably because the only other
stuff I heard using them was grindcore and was too intense for
my sensitive ears at the time. From "Gothic" to "Desolate",
with Nick's vocals or without them as on "Angel Tears" and the
aforementioned "Desolate", along with Sarah Marrion's giving
them that added misery and woe on "The Painless" and the title
track. C'mon, I could get completely carried away here and am
enjoying reminiscing while doing so. There are 2 bonus tracks
on the CD taken from the 'In Dub' EP, "Rotting Misery (Doom
Dub)" and "Breeding Fear (Demolition Dub)", which I thankfully
have on my "Gothic EP" too.
Then there's the bonus "The Lost Tapes" DVD that comes with
this re-issue, which contains a live performance from 1991
where the highlights for me are the incessant stream of stage
divers that are climbing on stage, along with the girl that
climbed on stage only to plant a wet kiss on Aaron 'til on of
the techs on stage managed to remove her from his face. While
the quality pretty much sucks by today's standards, being a
single camera take of the entire gig and it not coping very
well with the flashing lights and colours, but that said, this
captures the moment in time perfectly and how so much has
changed. What I also enjoyed was watching Stephen Edmondson
play his bass and never stop headbanging while there was music
playing, along with the occasional glimpse of the cymbal
obscured Matthew Archer pounding away at his drums in the
background. So while not always as visually stimulating as a
multi-camera big budget live video it was actually great to
watch and probably even greater to experience.
www.ParadiseLost.co.uk
| www.Peaceville.com |
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Phazm - Cornerstone Of The Macabre
(Osmose) Review by Steve Green |
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More craziness from the French underground. This is filthy as hell, Death
N Roll, with more than a passing interest in banging out the odd
infectious groove. Nowhere is this more evident, than on opener Love Me
Rotten (Love Me True) which is a dirty little ditty that you cannot help
but joyously bounce along with. Imagine The Entombed down a dimly lit back
alley taking part in an orgy with a 100 cadavers and you are getting close
to how this sounds. This is an unholy concoction of Motorhead, The
Entombed, and all out Rock N Roll.
At times this album is dank and miserable and at other times, it's
strangely uplifting. The
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pure Rock N Roll swagger of Damnation is impossible to resist,
as are the gentle acoustics of Strange Song and the spaghetti
western themed Mucho Mojo, but the more dirge ridden numbers,
aren't as accessible. The Worm On The Hook doesn't cut it for me and I
have a strange love/hate relationship with the self explanatory Welcome To
My Funeral.
The styles tend to change from song to song, so you are kept on your toes
as you never know what to expect with each new number, especially when you
unexpectedly hear a storming version of Metallica's Damage Inc. That
concept of never knowing what to expect works brilliantly here and despite
the multitude of styles Phazm have crammed into this disc, the end result
is a very pleasant one indeed.
www.osmoseproductions.com |
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Pro-Pain - No End In Sight
(Regain) Review by Metal Mark |
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I didn't start listening to much hardcore music until about
86-87, but I immediately loved the passion, spirit and good,
hard-hitting nature of this style. Music changed a lot in the
1990's, but some bands still followed their own path and
influences. Pro-Pain started out in the early 1990's doing
what they wanted which was playing a bone-crunching,
unapologetic form of real hardcore. It's hard to believe that
they are now on their 11th album because time really has flown
by. They certainly have not strayed far from their roots over
the years though. The passing trends of the last decade and a
half have not swayed this band's approach. This is still
angry, fist-clenching, the technical skill is perhaps |
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a little more advanced now and there are a few more melodies
this times around. They still hammer away and they still sing
about standing up and fighting for what you believe in. This
band is still a bulldozer that knows to plow ahead and still
keep it interesting. They have managed to stay consistent over
the years and now they have even managed to add some diversity
to their sound. Some purists and longtime fans might cringe at
the idea of changes, but really the changes here are slight
and they give the band an even more well-rounded sound. This
is certainly another strong chapter in Pro-Pain's history. |
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Ruiner - I Heard These Dudes Are
Assholes (Bridge 9) Review by Steve Green |
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Ruiner are back with another quick fire blast of angry as hell hardcore.
Actually, this is a collection of earlier works, including the What Could
Possibly Go Right 7" single, as well as demo tracks and others from a
split with Day Of The Dead and from a compilation.
If you've not heard the band before, they are a little different from your
average hardcore band. The gang shouts are kept to a minimum and they just
exude a ton of energy in every song. Rob Sullivan seems to be as angry as
ever as he hurtles his way through the 14 tracks which are rammed into 23
minutes leaving you with very little room to breathe as the songs come
tumbling down in rapid succession. The style worked on their Prepare To Be |
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Let Down debut and it works again here. And despite the tracks
being drawn from a number of releases, they all flow together
nicely, if that's the right word to describe Ruiner. So if you are looking to have your head
ripped off any time soon, I heard these dudes could do the job for you.
www.bridge9.com |
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Speed Theory - Blood
Money (Ant Hill Records) Review by Steve Green |
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Yet another band mixing old and new forms of Metal and the results here,
are (almost) flawless. When you hear my description of Speed Theory, please
don't instantly dismiss this as something you've heard a million times
before, because this may not be a new original form of music, but when
it's performed as well as this, who the hell really cares?.
This is melodic Thrash, maybe with a hint of Pantera, mainly because of
the coarseness in the throat of the impeccably named frontman, Wesley
Alexander Davies III, mixed in with the traits of modern Metal I usually
detest. The vocals switch from a tough guy stance to more melodic tones,
yet this time, the clash of styles work. As do the ad lib style parts,
which I'm sure will go down well live as well. Musically, this is, as I've
mentioned, melodic Thrash, with plenty of influences from our talented
Scandinavian brothers and with just a small element of grunge too. At
times I can hear this shifting through the gears from aggressive, in your
face and full of attitude, down through Down's more melodic moments and
ending up sounding like one of Soundgarden's more soulful moments. The
best example of which, is the title track, which quite sensibly is the
lead track on the bands Myspace page.
Quite simply, Speed Theory are a very exciting new band you have to
discover for yourself.
www.myspace.com/speedtheory
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Starbreaker - Love’s Dying Wish
(Blistering Records)
By: Joe Florez |
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It has been a while since former TNT lead singer Tony Harnell
parted ways with the band and branched out on his own. This is
record number two for the man and has the best of the best
musicians surrounding. Joining the uniquely high pitched man is
drummer phenomena John Macaluso and on guitar is Magnus Karlsson
who is also responsible for producing the Allen/Lande project.
“End Of Alone” is a killer opener that has sit all: killer riffing
that will stay tattooed in your head for a long time, a killer
rhythm that is nicely paced and a voice that goes through the
motions and paces. There is also an atmospheric vibe provided
just for extra emphasis. |
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This is a perfect recipe for the AOR/hard rock crew. There is absolutely
something about this man. Tony’s voice is kind of hypnotizing
if you don’t mind the high pitch ranges that vary. The music
is sort of captivating as the pacing moves around in all sort
of mid tempo ranges. The guitar work is very meaty for this
melodic material. “Building A Wall” has a more down tuned
range, but damn it’s killer. The drums have a nice beat even
though they tend to get heavy at times. It doesn’t matter if
you go for the more upbeat tracks or something softer it
doesn’t disappoint for the simple fact that things remain
entertaining and interesting. The main thing that this disc
has going for itself is the fact that it’s versatile. There is
no time to get bored or used to just one flat out style. This
CD manages to move around successfully and I will be spinning
this many more times to come. I think TNT and Morning Wood
fans should take this one to the counter for a purchase. I
just wish I could say the same kind words to TNT’S Ronny LeTekro’s solo project which was just an absolute mess.
www.blisteringrecords.se
| www.lovesdyingwish.com |
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Tragedian - Dreamscape
(Music Buy Mail)
Review by Nathan Ward |
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Tragedian hail from Germany: playing melodic metal or maybe a
heavy form of power metal. After releasing a self titled demo in 2003,
they finally release their debut album ‘Dreamscape’. The album
does contain all but ‘Ocean’s Call’ from the demo. There are
11 songs on the album, 6 new songs, one intro, and an
orchestral version of the last song.
‘Dreamscape’ sounds like a cross between the melodies from
Stratovarius and some of the heavy riffs from Children of
Bodom. The vocals, handled by Timo Behrens, sounds a bit like
Joacim Cans from Hammerfall, and when he hits the high notes
he’s similar to Paul Di’Anno. The instruments are played very
well, they all fit well together and the melodies |
and riffs don’t overshadow any of part of the song, which can
be distracting. If all new bands can do this then music will
be a lot more enjoyable to listen to in the future. As I
mentioned one of the songs on the album is an orchestral
version. The song in question is ‘Conquerors’, the normal
version is only 3 and a half minutes long, but the orchestral
version nearly doubles that, and is just as good, if not
better than the original.
From what German metal bands I’ve heard recently, this form of
metal is popular over in Germany and I can see why. Combining
heavy riffs from the melodic metal side of things with the
melodies of power metal is a winner in my book, and hopefully
we’ll start seeing U.K bands in this genre. At least that’d be
nice. www.tragedian.com |
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X-World/5 - New Universal Order
(Locomotive/AFM) Review by Metal Mark |
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This supergroup of sorts includes vocalist Nils K. Rue
(Pagan's Mind), bassist Magnus Rosen (Hammerfall), guitarists
Andy LaRocque (King Diamond), Reeves Garels (Tin Machine,
David Bowie) and rounding out the line-up is drummer Big
Swede. Rosen called this "heavy metal for the year 3005".
Well, if that is true then would metal won't be progressing a
whole lot in the next 900+ years. Reeves throws in some spacey
guitar parts here and there and there are some light
industrial beats going on intermittently. Plus there are
various chirps that I guess are supposed to make us believe we
are on a spaceship or something. Instead most of these
"futuristic" bits do not add to the sound as they tend to |
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just not be enough to effective. There is no doubt about the
talent brought together here. I am interested in any project
involving Andy LaRocque and he certainly delivers. I
think the overall sound here is something like Queensryche
with better guitar solos, but with a lot of unnecessary parts
thrown in. I mean the future/space theme is fine as an idea.
However I never got a sense that they completely commit to
that idea. Instead it's like they have this light progressive
metal sound which is fine yet they tacked on these odd parts
in the hopes of making it different. Unfortunately those parts
tend to be distracting and even pointless in the whole scheme
of things. Maybe this idea could have worked had the spacey
parts and metal parts complimented one another, but that's not
what occurred here.
www.myspace.com/xworld5 |
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