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Maltese Falcon - Metal Rush
(Metal Mind) Review by Metal Mark |
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This band formed in Copenhagen back in 1983. Their band name
was actually suggested to them by their friend, Metallica
drummer Lars Ulrich. Ulrich had taken the name from a 1930
novel which was twice adapted into film twice. The band
recorded three demos between 1983 and 1984 before landing a
record deal with Roadrunner. This band's sound is hardly
original, but it is interesting to some extent. At times I can
hear British bands like Saxon and Judas Priest. However
Maltese Falcon also sound like LA bands like WASP, Witch and Lizzy
Borden. Bands that bordered between metal and hard rock.
Perhaps this band's greatest strength is their ability to
balance catchy melodies with solid doses of |
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heaviness. They are able to pull this off fairly easily.
Unfortunately the band's greatest fault is that they too often
fall into the trap of being very repetitive. There are several
songs where they overstay their welcome without adding much
else. They know to start their songs with impressive riffs,
but they are not as consistent at keeping the momentum going
on every song. It's a shame that the band never did another
album though because the potential was there. They disbanded
in 1986 leaving this as their only album. Bass player Hasse (Hal)
Patino would later go on play with King Diamond, Doctor
Butcher and Force of Evil. Vocalist Srren Peter Jensen would
join Danish band Release. Metal Mind's re-issue includes a
lyric booklet and a band biography. |
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Martyr - Fear
(Rusty Cage Records) Review By Strawb |
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Jonafun Woss – what a dickhead. Sixteen million quid of our
money, I wouldn’t pay the twat sixteen turds, unless it was
for him to crawl up his own chute. On a recent journey from
the Lakes to the Peaks, my in car CD decided playing music was
no longer it’s raison d’etre, so I was stuck with Saturday
morning radio. For older men this means Radio 2, and so it was
Mr Speech Impediment. He spent most of the show that I heard
pontificating about a band named Anvil, who apparently have
reformed and are trying to resurrect a career beyond it’s
previous limitations. The difficulty for old floppy hair was,
as he readily admitted, he knows sweet FA about metal. And I
suppose we should be thankful for that, |
otherwise he may become a fan and that would have potential metalheads
deserting in their droves. Sod it, even I may go to pastures
new.
So tenuously linking to this review, we have Martyr, a Dutch
Metal band returning after 20 years with the original line up.
The version I am reviewing is a two disk digipack which
contains the new album ‘Fear’ and the remastered debut album
‘For The Universe’. Firstly, let me state that this Martyr are
not the Canadian band based in Quebec. They are Dutch Metal
cult legends, at least according to the publicity blurb. If a
legend relates to age in your book, then Martyr could
automatically qualify as Rick formed the band in 1982. Yes, 27
years ago, no doubt before many readers of this site were even
conceived.
This five track CD of new material opens with ‘The Most Evil’.
As it begins I am transported back in time 27 years, to the
music of that era. Predictable really, and in my view no bad
thing at all, remember, I am of the ‘music after 1980? easy,
there isn’t any’ inclination. However, a number of things have
improved in this time period, technology and production values
amongst them. And these values are reflected on these tracks,
as there is an element of studio’ed to death. But then again,
I would expect some of the rawness to have disappeared from
the band members as it has from my peers and I. But as we
approach the end of the title track, I find myself looking for
something off of the beaten path, come on Martyr, this is the
era of right to roam. The drumming at the beginning of
‘Different Kind of Rain’ stands out as distinctly hollow and
false sounding, otherwise no change, we advance across the
battlefield with driven, powerful rock. ‘Take Me Home’ the
penultimate track is slightly slower in tempo, and this is the
only change. I await ‘Eaten Alive’ with no sense of suspense
or trepidation. But damn them, Martyr have pulled something
different out of the bag, very ‘Operation Mindcrime’ in style,
and just what I needed to hear. My impression on first
listening was that Rops vocal contributions were the
outstanding part of the album and this opinion has not
changed. There are many albums out there I would sooner play
than this one, but it stands well amongst its contemporaries.
And from what I’ve heard, it’s much better than Anvil.
For the Universe opens with an instrumental ‘Theme’ before
maniacal laughter heralds the arrival of ‘Speed Of Samurai’
which contains the fastest music I have heard across both
albums. The vocals are not so distinct and at times are hidden
in the contributions of the other instruments. The drumming is
especially strong. ‘The Eibon’ follows and is a lengthy
instrumental, allowing good blending of the instruments and
each band member to float their own boat. It is not for me, I
formed the impression time had come to a halt about two
minutes in. Vocals return with ‘Four Walls’ including some
attempts at harmonies, very de riguer at the time of the
original pressing, but aged beyond even myself. The echo pedal
is given an outing on the vocal track. For the younger readers
this one track seems to have most of the clichés of the era
within it. Brought to mind ‘On Through The Night’. None of the
final three tracks raise my opinion of this one. To sum up
then, listenable to if you buy the digipak, but unless it was
a scoring album for you back in the day, I’d leave it in the
dealers.
www.martyronline.nl takes you to the website. |
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Rape Pillage And Burn - Songs Of Death… Songs Of Hell
(Ibex Moon Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Straightforward, old school death metal in the vein of Six
Feet Under, Bolt Thrower, and with just a hint of good old
Sunlight Studio sound are Rape Pillage And Burn’s staples of
choice. “Songs Of Death… Songs Of Hell” is the debut EP on
Ibex Moon Records from this trio from Dallas, Texas.
Consisting of five songs, “Songs Of Death…” contains
absolutely no surprises whatsoever, but is infectiously catchy
over most of the five tracks with crunchy riffing and
generally mid-paced gallops. Completely eschewing any sort of
modern, flashy tricks of technicality, Rape Pillage And Burn
seem to merely exist to flatten the listener with simple,
bludgeoning, |
bass heavy riffs, and a pummeling percussion. The
obvious influences here are Six Feet Under, some Bolt Thrower
with similar vocals and lyrical themes, and a hint of early
Grave with that familiar Sunlight Studios crunch.
For the most part, the five songs on “Songs of Death…” are
well written and you can’t help but find yourself nodding
along as Rape Pillage And Burn beat your head in. However, the
last song with a slower pace is sub-par compared to the first
four and, overall, “Songs Of Death…” isn’t anything that you
haven’t heard before. In addition, the production is a bit
hollow, and Rape Pillage And Burn is a band that would hugely
benefit from a gigantic sound. That said, though, “Songs Of
Death…” is a very promising debut and I am looking forward to
a proper full-length.
www.myspace.com/rapepillageandburn666
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Seven Dirty Words - Hard Boiled and Dirty
(Self-produced) Review by Metal Mark |
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If you stick Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" Callahan on your
cover then you really need to back it up with something
equally rough and mean. Southern California's Seven Dirty
Words have only been around since 2006, but they obviously
know what they are doing and waste little time on this seven
song EP. This is stripped down speed rock of the variety that
gets your blood pumping and has your head spinning. Inspired
by the likes of Motorhead and the Supersuckers, Seven Dirty
Words charge head over heels into every short, but spirited
song on this disc. They sure are not re-inventing the wheel
here. Still they are reaching down and pulling out the kind of
gritty, heavy music that everyone needs at |
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least on occasion. There are not all that many pace changes as
they just seem to be stuck in "go" mode for almost the entire
time. They storm through the songs with their adrenaline
pumping and their guitars squealing. The production left
enough fuzz on the sound so that really fits in nicely with
their approach. I did find myself hoping for some difference
in pace towards the end of the disc, but that never really
happened. Not an album I could listen to all the time, but
certainly a searing blast of nerve rattling tunes.
www.myspace.com/7sevendirtywords
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SOS - Adult Situations
(Self-released) Review by Metal Mark |
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New York's SOS had me thinking back to the late 80's and early
90's. They have some of the NY hardcore sound of that time.
Plus they have mixed in metal and even a few bursts of the
kind of light funk that worked it's way into some heavy music,
say twenty years ago. The biggest difference might just be
that SOS benefit from better production that most underground
bands lacked two decades go. The two things I really like
about this band is their direct approach and the blending of
styles. They know to get to the point when needed and the best
songs are short and sweet. Around the midpoint of the album
they lost |
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me a little. They slowed down and settle in for some very
average tunes that lack hooks and energy. They rebound from
it, but never really get back to the fire that they showed on
the first say five songs of the disc. That's too bad because I
think this easily could have been a better disc. Granted they
follow a very basic formula at best, but they handle it well.
Then the band unfortunately seem to have felt the need to add
some filler. They fight back enough towards the
end to finish above average. They hit some intense moments and
they can be tight when they want to, but there simply needed
to be more of that type of approach. |
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Trigger The Bloodshed - The Great Depression
(Rising Records)
Review by James Young |
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You’d have had to be living under a rock or desperately
unlucky to have never heard of Bristol’s Trigger The
Bloodshed, with some key concerts and festival appearances as
of late. But even if you’re like me, and haven’t actually
heard their music, brace yourself because this is going to
pummel you senseless. Akin to the likes of Origin, or maybe
Suffocation on LSD, The Great Depression is like being
repeatedly kicked in the mouth. Nevertheless, you’ll keep
coming back for more, and certainly hang around for the
forty-odd minute duration. The mixture of technical death
metal and grind on display will probably be criticised by many
for being too fast. This is simply wrong because firstly if |
you’re after a ballad, you’re in the wrong place, and
secondly, this is not just extremity for the sake of extremity
- what we have here is a well-produced, very measured assault
on the senses, which never feels overpowering or pointless.
Rob Purnell and Martyn Evans’ guitar leads are so razor sharp
and clear that you could almost reach out and cut yourself on
them, whilst being so precise you’ll be in awe of the playing
on display. The drumming of Max Blunos is so ridiculously
quick that it is easy to neglect it, but the actual thought
behind where blasts start and finish is quite remarkable,
whilst there is an octopus-like tenancy to insert extra cymbal
strokes for ultimate carnage. The voice of Jonny Burgan is
your standard death metal fare, but the overlapping of vocal
tracks, so that a new line starts just as the last finishes,
gives a ridiculously intense grindcore vibe to the album and
works a treat.
The body of this album is so damn fast you’ll be relieved when
there’s a break, like the minute long static of the ‘Interlude
- I’, or what will wrongly be described by many as the
breakdown sections, which can be found in ‘Warbound’ and ‘The
Dead World’. These are in fact mid-tempo sections, which seem
slower in comparison to the rest of the frenetic playing, and
should not be confused with those of deathcore bands. Nobody
complains when Nile or Suffocation does it (well, they do, but
they shouldn’t…), so there’s no reason why Trigger The
Bloodshed shouldn’t mix things up a bit. That’s not to say
there’s absolutely no variation on this disc apart from these
slower sections - far from it - guitar patterns range from the
quasi-black metal tremolo speed of the opening title track
‘The Great Depression’ to the slower chugga chugga which kicks
off ‘The Infliction of Tophet’. If this wasn’t enough, most
songs contain enough meaty hooks, emergency stops and
fret-melting solos to make each song a miniature piece of art
in its own right.
We can be very proud to say that these guys are British, and
that we can add another band to the rank of the technical
death metal elite alongside the likes of Cryptopsy, Origin and
Decrepit Birth. If these guys come to a town near you, be sure
to check them out, but stand well back!
www.risingrecords.org |
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Unlight - Death Consecrates With Blood
(Massacre) Review by Nathan Ward |
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Unlight are a black/death/thrash metal band from Germany.
‘Death Consecrates’ is the bands 3rd album. There are 10 songs
on ‘Death Consecrates’, each mixed with the heavy and powerful
style of thrash, and the fast blasts of black metal. All this
overlaid with the death metal style vocals.
The album opens with the title track of the album and it works
really well as the opener to the album, one of the best
openers I’ve heard in a long time. There’s no gradual intro, it’s
straight in with a fast black metal riff and drum beat, along
with the death vocals. This pretty much sets the tone for the
rest of the album; an onslaught of fast, heavy or powerful |
riffs and drum beats, blending in and out of the thrash and
black metal styles seamlessly. All the instruments work
together really well; they keep the feel of the album
consistent, and create some moments which would be great live.
The vocals are similar to Ihsahn from Emperor, when he growls.
Although Unlight are a black metal band, you won’t find any
keyboards on this album.
‘Death Consecrates’ is a solid album from beginning to end; it
keeps the same pace all the way through, making it enjoyable
to listen to. So if you like thrash and death/black metal,
Unlight’s ‘Death Consecrates With Blood’ will be a good choice
for you. www.unlight.org |
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Various Artists - Swedish Death Metal 3 disc compilation
(Index Verlag) review by Sam Thomas |
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This three disc compilation of Swedish death metal is a labour
of love produced by Daniel Ekeroth. It was originally hoped
that it would see the light of day last year, as an
accompaniment to his 448 page book on the subject, published
last year, but has had to wait until the impending publication
of the German version to see the light of day. Uniquely
qualified as he is to write the book and choose the music
through his involvement in the scene as bass player with a
number of bands (of course, he’s Swedish!) including Insision,
it’s absolutely fascinating to see what he’s chosen for this
over 200 minute marathon, and of course to consider what you
yourself might have chosen in his place… |
Probably the best thing about the compilation is the number of
really obscure tracks selected. I don’t mean that the bands
are necessarily obscure, but almost the whole of disc one, for
example, is taken up with demos, and from tapes at that!
Obviously this leads to a bit of a fluctuation in quality and
sound level, but it’s definitely worth it to get a chance to
listen to these tracks without having to hunt down the
“remastered with bonus tracks” cd that you’ve already got in
its original version. The second cd is more a collection of
album tracks, and as such the quality is more consistent. Once
again, the selections are thought-provoking, for example, the
inclusion of a Tiamat track (from “The Astral Sleep” – back in
the days when they were a death metal band), and have a lot
more to do with the place of the bands in history than with
the way that the scene has developed today. Admittedly, there
is one recent(ish) track right at the end of the final cd –
Katalysator’s Mass Genocide Ritual from 2007, but by and large
Daniel has stuck to the era he obviously knows and loves, 1986
to 1992.
CD three sees us heading back to demo tape land again, but
with a leavening of EP tracks as well. As the tracks are in
chronological order, there’s a distinct improvement in quality
(mostly) over cd one. Macrodex stood out for me on this disc,
with “Necrophilicide” being a track that made me instantly
want to find out more about the band.
And I guess that that’s the best thing about this compilation:
everyone will find bands that they’ve never heard of before,
and like them. It’s also an incredibly comprehensive history
of the genre, which no true fan (or complete lunatic) can pass
up the opportunity to acquire. Inevitably, there are tracks
which I dislike, but all the historically important names are
there: Entombed, Grave, At the Gates, Edge of Sanity, along
with a host of less well-known but nonetheless influential
bands. This is not just another compilation, it is THE
definitive collection of Swedish death metal.
www.index-verlag.org |
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Wizard - Thor (Massacre
Records) Review by Steve Green |
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Although we've been receiving promotional cds from Massacre Records on and
off for a number of years now, they still constantly surprise me with the
number of classic bands on their roster that I've never heard of, but
should of. Here we have Speed/Power Metal merchants Wizard, who've been
together now for 20 years and this is the first I've heard of them. I
guess I should find the nearest darkened corner and hang my head in shame.
Let's cut to the chase straight away. I fucking love this album. This is
riff hungry Speed Metal, with a vocalist, Sven D'Anna who has a
schizophrenic voice that can flip between a Power/Traditional Metal style
and a high pitched shriek that sounds, to me, like Rob
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Halford trying out
as a replacement for King Diamond. Although for the most part, it's his
clean voice that's utilized on this album. I'm sure longtime fans of the
band are shaking their heads in disbelief at my description of his voice,
but hey, I'm a recent convert to the band and I'm trying to get their
sound across to other potential new fans.
As a rule, I'm not a particular fan of the concept album, but taking their
sound into consideration, a whole album based around the mighty Thor works
much better than expected. Sure, there is a liberal smattering of cheese
to be found here. But it's all good fist-banging fun. And that's the
biggest plus point of this album. Pure Metal anthems that all true
Metalheads will/can quite easily fall in love with. And it's a style which we don't
get enough of these days.
For newbies such as myself, I'd recommend this to fans of the likes of
Manowar, Grave Digger, Accept and Judas Priest, as well as King Diamond.
If you like the bands I've just mentioned and you've not discovered Wizard
yet, then this is an essential purchase.
www.massacre-records.com |
www.legion-of-doom.de |
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Wolf - Ravenous
(Century Media) Review by Strawb |
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As I rush towards the half century on this planet, I reflect
that Wolf has held many meanings for me over the years. The
large carnivorous mammal is the more obvious connotation, the
older usage as a man who tries it on with every woman still in
possession of a pulse, the distinctly average 1994 film with
Jack Nicholson and right down to the crap Michael Van Wijk as
the gladiator of the same name, who when trying to scare
people into shitting themselves would only cause underwear
accidents as they in fact laughed until they pissed
themselves.
And now under the same name, we have four ugly fuckers from
Sweden with the mission |
statement of making kick-ass, honest, grab you in the nuts
heavy metal. This is the first album of theirs that I possess,
having missed the previous four which were released at two
yearly interviews after the self titled debut in 2000. So this
one was a year late then, which may be attributable to the
personnel changes on this album, with Tornado and Raptor
joining Axe and Viper in the line up. The eleven tracks vary
in pace and heaviness, but none have me reaching for the skip
button. We open with one of the stronger tracks, ‘Speed On’
which sets the tone and level for what is to come. I feel that
the track of choice from the band is ‘Voodoo’, which has just
had a video made for it. The opening vocals with minimal
backing show what a strength Viper brings in this area. The
pace isn’t the fastest and it may lean a smidgeon towards the commercial, but I find myself with the
riff in my head once it is over. It will be a chorus the crowd
will raise the roof with at festivals whenever it is played.
The title ‘Whisky Psycho Hellions’ drew me to track nine as it
contains a few of my favourite things and conjured up a mental
picture. Unfortunately it isn’t the strongest track on here
but did spark a mental connection to the Budgie track ‘Nude
Disintegrating Parachutist Woman’ however the mental picture
here is not so desirable, even if the music invokes a score
draw. Mrs S describes it as ‘good, and it sounds professional,
not like some.’ This reflects on the whole package including
the guest artists, the production of Roy Z and the artwork of
Thomas Holm. One to keep near the sound system and play often.
As Chris Davison reminded me, we saw Wolf at Bloodstock 2007. They had
the ‘technical difficulties’ and filled in very well until
they could eventually complete their set. Despite these
obstacles were very good on the day. And we will see them at Hammerfest this year, have to check out if this new line up
has the same draw.....
Online the most info is at good old Msypace, specifically at
www.myspace.com/wolfheavymetal
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