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Banished From Inferno - Self Titled EP
(Ibex Moon Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Here’s a quick, five-song debut EP from Banished From Inferno,
a side project consisting of members of various Swedish and
Spanish acts coming together to form a project focused on “old
school, death fucken metal”, in their words. That’s exactly
what you get on this self titled EP from the trio,
misspellings and all; that is, fast, bottom heavy death metal
based around long listening sessions of old Sodom, Hellhammer,
hints of old Death and Cannibal Corpse, and a host of others.
None of this is all that original, but that’s not the point as
Banished From Inferno tackle their chosen genre with
enthusiasm and gusto while hitting all of the requisite genre |
elements. Catchy songs based around simple riffs, good
variations in tempo to spice things up a bit, and decent
production that, although intentionally rough and sloppy,
retains a great deal of power and heft. Strangely enough,
there’s even the odd moment of melody or two (well, sort of),
and a killer cover of “Into The Crypts of Rays” at the end of
the last track (hang around for it).
Other than that, what else is there to say (this is, of
course, right up my alley)? What the Hell are you waiting
for?!
www.banishedfrominferno.com
| www.ibexmoonrecords.com |
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Cheeno - The Next Step Will Be The
Hardest (Prevision Music) Review by Steve Green |
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This is extremely commercial, female fronted Rock music. You want to delve
further into the term Rock, then I'd add Progressive to some of the songs
and I'd add the term talented to the level of musicianship on display
here. Lead singer Jennie Kloos has a voice which is very pleasing to the
ear and she can crank it up a bit when the need arises. The songs are
catchy, without being annoying, and are way above the level of competent.
So, from what I've written so far, you'd expect there to be very few
complaints.
In theory, there aren't. But this is all a bit safe to be honest. I can
hear elements of Evanescence (the male/female vocals on Pacman) and other
obvious influences (think other |
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female fronted bands such as Hydrogyn and to a
lesser degree Lacuna Coil, as well as a hint of Sepultura!!!) and it's all done very precisely and it sounds smooth and for
the most part, quite natural. But I do find it very hard to get excited
over this type of music. The only time I was genuinely bowled over was
when Jennie lost her rock voice and moved over, briefly, to her soprano
style, which for the short time I heard it, sounded amazing. Now if we had
an album that balanced the two styles, then that would be something to get
excited over. As it stands, this album is very well done, but as I said
before, it's a bit too
safe for me. And with 17 tracks over a very long 71 minutes, they are
pushing the listeners levels of endurance a bit.
www.myspace.com/cheenorock |
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| Dreaming Dead - Within One
(Ibex Moon Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Dreaming Dead are a melodic death metal act with blackened
overtones from Los Angeles and now issue their debut
full-length, entitled “Within One”, on Pennsylvania’s Ibex
Moon Records. A trio, Dreaming Dead are fronted by Elizabeth
Schall, who handles all of the guitar and vocal duties.
The scorching guitar work is the obvious backbone of Dreaming
Dead, with extremely tight, proficient musicianship from Ms.
Schall as she alternates between exceptionally fast riffing
that just shreds and melodic work with a classical edge.
Backing up her guitar work |
are well written songs that start with a Floridian death metal
base, but are occasionally lightened up with some
non-saccharine Gothenburg style melodies, and brutally
enhanced with a few all out blasts (hence, the blackened
reference that I threw out there earlier).
As impressive as the musicianship is from Ms. Schall and the
songwriting happens to be, the rather thin production of the
drums, also very precise with tight musicianship, and the
non-existent bass, unfortunately, robs “Within One” of a
little bit of heft. In addition, Ms. Schall’s vocal work is
average at best, with rather weak sounding high pitched
growls. If you must ask that I compare her to Angela Gossow,
Ms. Gossow definitely has an edge.
However, these detractions aside, “Within One” is an excellent
debut and immediately vaults Dreaming Dead into metal’s
collective consciousness as a force to be reckoned with in
melodic death metal. Work on the vocals a bit, and I fully
expect great things to come from Dreaming Dead. Overall,
“Within One” is recommended.
www.myspace.com/dreamingdead
| www.ibexmoonrecords.com |
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Ebouillumini - The Ebony Channel
(Self Release) Review by Crin |
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English avant garde Black Metal meets an psychedelic trip
somewhere in the mist layered streets of Victorian London.
Now, here we have a project driven by the instrumental angst
of Meads song smith, J,D,Tait. His musical course runs like a
meandering well of sorrow pouring its contents down a
lamenting hillock set upon the supremely strong vocal presence
of Christina Poupousti. It is the powerful female vocals that
ignite the whole theatrical dynamism into life. Imagine the
eccentricities of latter era In the Woods melting into a mind
altering dark abyss. The four tracks here drift from sporadic
black metal ear pummelling to the more settled slow plod of
ambient guitars and keyboards whooshing under the serene |
vocals issuing their valkyrie like wails into the still night
air. Sounds dramatic, but so is the music. Not bad for a band
so far off the radar they may as well not exist. I am sure
that will change.
www.myspace.com/ebonillumini
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Grave Digger - Ballads Of A Hangman
(Napalm)
Review by Steve Green |
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You can't really go wrong with Grave Digger can you? They've been cranking
out True Metal for nearly 30 years now and there's no sign of them
slowing down just yet. New album, Ballads Of A Hangman, their first for
new label Napalm Records, is just the sort album you expected it to be.
Jammed packed with Metal anthems and with ample opportunities to sing
along and to break out the old air guitar... but as it's Grave Digger,
you'll be cranking out their trademark riffs more than practicing your
solos.
Excluding the intro, The Gallows Pole, you get a further 10 tracks and
they are split about 50/50 into good solid trademark Grave Digger anthems,
with the other half elevating |
themselves to classic status. Best of the bunch is the title
track, which has that infectious Teutonic sing-a-long sound
first introduced by Accept in the early 80s, but the cry of
"Hangman" just adds a certain fist banging, feelgood factor, that I'm sure is going
to go down a storm live, as will the storming Into The War. Elsewhere, the
semi-ballad, Lonely The Innocence Dies, which features Veronica Freeman of
Benedictum on vocals, stands out because it's very different for Grave
Digger, yet it still retains all the hallmarks of their classic sound. And
Prey, which was the lead track on the last years EP, has really grown on
me and it's now right up there with countless other Grave Digger classics.
These are just a few highlights from yet another superb Grave Digger
album.
www.napalmrecords.com |
www.myspace.com/gravediggerclan |
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Havok - Being and
Nothingness
(Vicisolum)
Review by Chris Davison |
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It's all too easy to develop a kind of worn cynicism as a
reviewer, particularly with the accompanying blurbs that
record companies send out with their new shiny discs. I
suppose it would be too much to ask for the truth, as “this
band exists on recycled Metallica and Anthrax riffs and
wouldn't know an original idea if it was sent to them
gift-wrapped and by recorded delivery” wouldn't shift many
units. Just occasionally though, you can sift through the grit
and murk of the record company bollocks and find a pearl of
truth. Swedish record company Vicisolum describe Havok as “one
of Europe's most interesting extreme metal bands”. By jove, I
think they could be right. |
Having only been in existence since 2006, it's all the more
remarkable that the Swedish five piece could have produced an
album so accomplished, so interesting and so arresting that it
literally blows most other modern death metal acts out of the
water. They have, in “Being and Nothingness” produced extreme
metal so textured that the only really comparable modern acts
are erm...Textures and Gojira. This isn't some gnarly old
school death metal, for sure, but while it packs the brutality
and technicality now common place in modern extreme metal, it
also has a side order of intellectual engagement and
progressive touches that lift them above the general run of
other bands. The riffing and pummelling drums are are as heavy
as you will find in almost any other brutal death metal band.
The vocals, while growled and deep, aren't as undecipherable
as with many other bands, while still retaining an air of
menace and dread.
It's the “other” elements of the music that make this a
“must-purchase”. Whether it is the sudden appearance of an
acoustic passage within the song, or a dizzying, spiralling
passage that brings to mind vertigo and being out of control
(as with the jaw dropping “Paramount”), this is like putting
the best parts of technical metal like Decapitated in a
blender with the thoughtful progression of Textures. The
production is particularly impressive, being expansive and
atmospheric on the open sections of music, but then also being
able to impress a feeling of constriction and oppression on
the more constrained, blasting sections. Unusually for a death
metal band, the lyrics are also incredibly thought provoking,
and the presentation of the CD package stunning in both
artwork and presentation.
Before I gush any more, let me just say this – if you like
challenging, crushing heavy metal that relies on brains as
much as brawn, then “Being and Nothingness” is an essential
purchase for 2009.
www.vicisolum.com |
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Isole - Silent Ruins
(Napalm Records) Review by Chris Davison |
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It's been a fucking miserable winter for me. First, I had to
work over the entire Christmas period, including a 19 hour
shift of grief and shit on Christmas Day. Then, on my few days
off, I was burgled as I slept and my car, TV, laptop, Xbox and
games all stolen, among other things. What I needed,
therefore, was something to cheer me up, while I sit
transportless in my entertainment free lounge, stuck in the
bleakest landscape in the British Isles. Luckily enough for me
then, that uncle Steve had seen fit to send me the newest
release from my favourite doom-mongers Isole.
This is the fourth release from Swedish down-turned mouth
merchants Isole. With each |
release they have changed just a little, retaining that
special “something” while experimenting and tinkering with
their sound – a laudable exercise which keeps the listener on
their toes and prevents the band from becoming too shoe horned
into a particular style. The grand, sweeping epic doom remains
(after all, why throw the baby out with the bathwater?), but
this is perhaps a slightly more direct Isole than the dreamlike, floating ethereal doom of
old. The riffs are sharper, heavier and at times faster than
before. There is also an increase in the use of growled
doom/death vocals that occasionally pop up between their more
typically Isole chanted vocals. Opener “From the Dark” is a
perfect illustration, with the general dreamy atmosphere being
interrupted by heavy, chugging riffing and hoarse vocals about
midway through. I must confess, that this slight change in
direction for Isole (and it is slight; it's not as if they
have reinvented themselves as a euro-dance outfit!) did at
first have me scratching my head, until I just gave up and
accepted it. Yes, this is a progression for them, but then
some change is a good thing. The core of the sound is still
intact – the echoing, choral vocals, sung cleanly and full of
melody. The chiming of the guitars and the tolling of the
funeral bass. The drums, played simply but effectively in the
background.
Tracks like the infectious “Nightfall” (perhaps a sly nod to
Candlemass there, chaps?) are certainly more direct and less
ponderous than before, but that's a good thing to these old
ears. I really liked their previous albums, but to be honest,
on more than one occasion I did find myself wondering “why
don't they get on with it?” on the more sedate sections. I
haven't found myself thinking this at all during “Silent Ruins”. Epic doesn't have to mean sprawling, and on this album
it doesn't. Finally, Isole feel like a band that has matured
enough with their songwriting to marry a sense of the vast
with a sense of purpose. Closer “dark clouds”, for example,
epitomises all that is right with them. Incredibly
atmospheric, crammed full of spine tingling musical moments
and carefully wrought, this is undoubtedly the finest release
of their career. Much as I love my precious Candlemass,
they've got some serious doomed competition this year...
Oh, and on a side issue, I liked the voice of the record
company voice over lady. Progress!
www.napalmrecords.com |
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Maegashira - The Stark Arctic
(Spare Change Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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New Jersey’s Maegashira release their debut full-length, “The
Stark Arctic”, on Spare Change Records. Even though I’m not
familiar with Maegashira prior to the release of “The Stark
Arctic”, my initial guess of “stoner metal” after one look at
the album cover was, more or less, correct. Take one part old
Black Sabbath (“Vol. 4” territory, or so), add huge amounts of
Sleep, a moment or two of Kyuss (Maegashira’s antithesis?),
and the sludge laden efforts from Eyehategod, and you have
described Maegashira in a nutshell. A backbone of Iommi- style
riffs, mid paced tempos, moments of huge spaces with fluid
bass lines, and generally rough vocals that vary between
growls, shrieks and wails are all |
hallmarks of “The Stark Arctic”, an album that heavily borrows
these genre elements from the aforementioned giants.
I have to admit that my initial reaction to “The Stark Arctic”
wasn’t very positive, though. This is largely due to the fact
that lately I’ve gotten a heavy dose of the Samothrace debut,
as well as Ufomammut’s recent opuses “Idolum” and the
collaboration with Lent0. Like these releases, Maegashira’s
debut is full of gigantic riffs, huge spaces, howling vocals
interspersed the odd spoken word or two, and droning bass
lines. What is lacking on “The Stark Arctic”, however, is a
bit of the magical riff writing Black Sabbath, Samothrace, and
so forth all have in spades. Unfortunately, although some
killer riffs are present here, there’s a bit of filler
material as the album is very unevenly written. That said,
however, what really made me sit up and take notice,
particularly after repeated listens, are the absolutely killer
bass lines that really enhance the riffs. This element alone
gives me hope that Maegashira are only approaching their
obvious potential with this debut full-length.
Fans of riff driven stoner metal will likely want to add “The
Stark Arctic” to their collections, although Maegashira are
only approaching their full potential with this debut. Still,
there’s a lot to like on “The Stark Arctic”.
www.myspace.com/maegashira
| www.sparechangerecords.com |
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Menchen - Red Rock
(Retroactive) Review by Metal Mark |
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Guitarist Bill Menchen seems to be a part of every other
release from Retroactive records these days. He is part of
Titanic and Seventh Power as well as Menchen. Joining him on
this project are bassist Tony Franklin (The Firm, Blue
Murder), drummer Robert Sweet (Stryper) and vocalist Ken
Redding (His Witness). Reportedly this album originally
started out as an instrumental outing for Menchen and Sweet
back in late 2007. However it quickly morphed into something
more when Menchen felt that it really needed vocals.
"Red
Rock" is more hard rock than metal if the distinction needs to
be made. Picture a cross between Queensryche, Dokken and early
Armored Saint. Bill Menchen is an |
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guitarist and a fine song writer as well. He knows how to make
his presences known by ripping off some monstrous riffs, but
he also knows how to build the song as well. The rhythm
section of Franklin and Sweet work very well together in
creating solid driving beats. Sweet's playing is tight and to
the point. Franklin helps manage the pace and cranks out some
meaty bass parts that help texture to the band's sound.
Redding has control, solid range and at times sounds similar
to Geoff Tate. However he can be a bit stiff in his delivery
at times. I am not sure if it's always him or some awkward
lyrics, but there are times where the pace is hurt some by the
vocals. Still those times are few and far between. There are
moments where I think the songs would have benefited from some
involved musical passages. Minor complaints aside, this is
still a fine effort with plenty to offer for hard rock fans. |
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