Live 4 Metal - Reviews

Panzer Princess - Oh, no it's Panzer Princess (Self-produced) Review by Metal Mark
	I heard the four song demo "Legacy of Ignorance" from Sweden's Panzer Princess a few years ago. I was pleased with it, but I was anxious to find out what they could do on a full length album. Well, I had to wait more than two years, but here is an eight song disc that runs just under half an hour. The sound on "Legacy of Ignorance" was a cross between Hanoi Rocks and Faster Pussycat. Those ingredients are present here as well. They have the quirkiness of Hanoi Rocks and the sleaze glam approach of Faster Pussycat. However this time around there is a definite 1970's Aerosmith influence present on several songs. The addition of this sound means these guys rock even more than they did before. The
swagger is still there only now they are even tighter than before. The aspect of this band that appeals to me the most is the balance that they achieve. Panzer Princess know how to display strong rock hooks, but they mix it up enough to keep their listeners on their toes. This isn't the same old 80's style glam that a number of other current acts from Sweden knock, so that plays to this band's advantage. The different influences help to give their sound more depth. My only real complaint about this disc is the length and amount or lack of amount of songs. There are eight songs, but the final track "Oh, No" is really just a snippet and "Rob the Bank" although a fantastic tune was on the demo from 2006. So really it's only six new full length songs. All good for sure, but I still would like to hear them do a real full length album because they certainly have a lot to offer. www.myspace.com/panzerprincess

Parhelia - Shifting Sands (Self Release) Review by Steve Green
	I like Parhelia, they mellow me out. Ok, maybe they are a little off the Metal radar for the majority of our readership, but they've just supported Anathema in their native Dublin and I see that as a natural pairing... except that if you haven't heard Parhelia before, they're an instrumental outfit and their music is effortlessly relaxing. Instead of a vocalist, the main focus of their music, well for me anyway, are the guitars of Phil and Greg, which are mainly gentle intertwining leads, with the occasional riff-fest, gently played of course. Like early U2 played at half pace, with a rhythm section that's so laidback it's almost comatose, but walking still. (To quote a certain Mr Neil Young)
As with their last release, 2007's Oceans Apart, this is so easy to get into and comes recommended, more to fans of Pink Floyd and their ginger cousins Anathema, than to your average Metalhead. www.myspace.com/parhelia

Pleroms Gate - Pass the Gate of Pleroma (self released) Review by Crin
	Polish extreme Folk Metal, that batters the fuck out of the drum kit whilst the keyboards try to keep up. This is the debut offering from this rather peculiar band. Featuring members of the equally obscure Polish pagan band Pagan Forest. This is a rather odd release as it draws heavily from fellow Polish Gods Behemoth and Vader for its wrought iron head crushing dynamics and yet filters the sound though a symphonic funnel. The vocals are vitriolic cross-over style barks and the drum work also has that Grindcore snap to its velocity. This really grates alongside the keyboards and sporadic Pagan atmospheres. To confuse matters even more the track, Rise to the Glory [Tribute to Quorthron Seth] is
evidently a respectful nod to the mighty Bathory without sounding anything like them in any way. In a land that is rich with Black Pagan acts of the awesome quality of Hellveto, Slavland, Perunica, Graveland, Arkona, Perunwit, Pripegal, to name but a few, I can categorically state Pleroms Gate are not imbued with any folk qualities. I am bemused why the bands biog states to the contrary. That said, the music is well constructed for what it is and that is head thwacking grind meets a Pagan mood in a crossover battlefield somewhere in Spain. Confused??, well buy this and tell me different!! www.myspace.com/pleromsgate

Point Blank - Execution (Demo) Review by Steve Green
	Ok, guess the musical style. The titles on this 4 track demo are: Death March - Execution - While You Bleed - Harvest of Death. The band are Finnish and their previous demo was called Gatling Gun Manifesto. Those that said Death and/or Death/Thrash, give yourselves a pat on the back. Even for a demo, the production here is still pretty raw and loud, but for this style of Slayer-esque bludgeoning, would you want it any other way? Ok, it's a bit one dimensional, but I don't see the problem keeping it simple every now and then. Not every band on this fucked up planet needs to sound wholesome and over-produced. While You
Bleed, in particular sees the band branching out with a slightly more complex rhythm and the guitar work, especially the arrangements, is very good, so there's a possibility that Point Blank will evolve from this straightforward style to something more elaborate. A rough diamond this may be, but one worth keeping an ear out for. www.myspace.com/pointblankmusic \| www.pointblank-band.net

Realm Ex - Comprehension Of Self (Self release) Review by Steve Green
	The biog for this release had me scratching my head in confusion. Realm Ex is basically a one man band (Timofey Mineyev) from Russia. Except that they/the project has an additional member, drummer and lyricist Pavel Terentev... which is all well and good, but this is an instrumental album. I think even someone of my limited musical ability could write lyrics for an instrumental... Anyway, moving on to more serious territory. This is a mixture of Neo-Classical and Power Metal, with the added intricacies of Progressive Metal. And taking into consideration my lack of enthusiasm for this type of music, which is normally self indulgent wank, I'm impressed with what Timofey has
produced here. The music is steeped in 80s influences, such as Yngwie Malmsteen and quite bizarrely (to these ears at least) 80s tv themes, as well as more traditional 90s Power Metal, so the sound is nothing new, but it's still an acceptable listen. The production isn't the best here, but the feel is good and the songs actually flow well and hold your interest throughout. And I wasn't tempted to hit the skip button once, which is always a good sign. Find out more at: www.realmxmusic.com

Remedy - Strange Fast Now (Self Released) Review by Steve Green
	Of all the self released cds we've received in the past few months, this is by far the most professional. With a sound rooted in 70s and 80s Hard Rock and Metal, it's hard to believe that 3 of the 4 band members are just into their 20s, with the eldest band member, drummer Mark Dodds checking in at a world weary 27!!!! I guess the closest you'll get to Remedy is the Black Crowes, which should come as no surprise considering the band name, there's also a smattering of Led Zeppelin in their sound, especially on the rockier Priests and Preachers. I'd also throw Pat Benatar into the ring, mainly because of front woman Jenn Cherene's stunning rock n roll vocals. And
despite the retro influences, Remedy keep things sounding very fresh with some very skilled musicianship and a production I'd defy the majority of signed bands to rival. In a nutshell, them seem to have it all. As with all unsigned bands, if you get the right breaks, anything is possible. And with a bit of luck, I can see Remedy rising to arena status within 5 years. Someone should snap these guys (and gal) up asap. www.remedyrock.co.uk

Slave Traitor - Man Infest Destiny (self released) Review by Crin
	Doom Heavy Metal from Seattle, U.S.A. With a sound befitting the very top notch bands, the music here treads a similar path to the likes of Crowbar, High on Fire, Mastodon, old Neurosis, and even Slayer. The Doom style here is up-beat and catchy. Gloomy weighty riffs abound and ooze forth with a groove and mid-tempo sludge sound. As with a Doomy acts you will notice traces of Sabbath amongst the guitars riffs, and that is unavoidable. Ice blasted melodies and rhythmic shifting implode amongst catchy sludge riffs bursting with brimstone and fire. The deep-toned guitar chords dance with a NWOBHM-flavoured guitar solo’s to solidify and kick this bands METAL feet firmly up your flabby assholes.
The band utilizes a triple vocal attack that offers a wider range to the music’s vitality. They really are spite charged throaty rasps in the style of Cemetery’s Mathias Lodmalm. There is also a thrash element that bolsters the overall crushing rhythmic music here ultimately follows the aforementioned bands traditional vive as well as likewise acts, Orange Goblin and Cathedral. With each track having a style of its own, this is far from a tedious listen. I would suggest many of you will enjoy this has is has so many of the attributes of what Metal is all about. This is pure and simple up-beat Doom with a heavy as shit production. This 6 tracker was mixed by the renowned engineer/producer Jack Endino, and it shows. www.myspace.com/slavetraitor

Soulthreat - Storm of Time (self release) review by Sam Thomas
	It’s 2009, and it’s another one-man band! This time, we have Soulthreat from Germany, aka Pius Grave, who just happens to be the vocalist with death metallers Minatory. This is a very interesting project, with three different guitar sounds, programmed drums and guttural vocals all provided by the man himself. He’s also used his keyboard for a few other effects as well, notably piano and some very nice fading out, flowing along kind of sounds. The production is a bit raw, but in a way that adds to the overall effect: particularly the vocals which have such a raw edge that it kind of sounds like there’s a whole choir
growling along. Think the Russian singing on the soundtrack to “Hunt for Red October”, but after they’ve been forced to gargle razor blades. For me, it really works. I found that this sounded completely different on headphones – the drums seemed to have moved a lot higher in the mix for whatever reason. And considering that I knew they were programmed, they sounded more than acceptable. The most interesting thing to appear with this release was a list of notes about the individual tracks, which was a very nice touch. Themes ranged from hating people in “Honest Scorn” (I’m sure my daughter can relate to most of this!) to a vehement assault on religion in “Storm of Time” and “Mental Suicide” (to which I could definitely relate). Once again, this is a difficult to categorise work, with guitar work that I wouldn’t have necessarily expected from a vocalist, black metal themes, death metal growls, good clean vocals and some rather nifty keyboard work which would suggest that if Herr Grave ever wanted to start up a symphonic black metal project, he’d have no problem. I enjoyed this album: it had complexity and depth that I am learning to expect from the best solo projects. Pius Grave should definitely give himself a big pat on the back for this one… www.soulthreat.de

The Old Corpse Road - The Echoes of Tales Once Told (demo 2009) Review by Crin
	An unusual band moniker that is explained thus, ‘Corpse roads provided a practical means of allowing the transport of corpses to cemeteries that had burial rights. In Britain, such routes can also be known by a number of other names: bier road, burial road, coffin road, coffin line, lyke or lych way, funeral road, procession way, etc’ This is English Black Metal without a doubt, you can immediately hear it after a few minutes, and if you are wondering what an English Black Metal sound is like, then read on. Firstly the style is foremost Cradle of Filth driven, the acidic vocal snarl evokes Dani Filth to the maximum. Secondly, the keyboards here generate a symphonic beauty amongst the
guitar born carnage. This 3 track demo really is a very strong release with a high degree of infectious grooves etched out of the fluent musical tapestry woven here. Cradles of Filth comparisons have been detrimental to UK bands in the past. Hecate Enthroned never recovered from it, Reign of Erebus suffered from it. But I feel now Cradle are no longer a dominant force in the underground so to speak, it will not harm these talented fellows. The comparison is also unavoidable. The songs are intricately weaved with acoustics and keyboards sewn between virulent fast Black Metal and slower more brooding guitar arrangements. There is also a high injection of folk style moods akin to Irish act Waylander. The song, The Oakmen of Naddle Forest, is eleven minutes of pure atmosphere. It oozes a Bathory vocal chant, and even reminded me of that other old English band Ragnarok [my friend Deorth would be most impressed with this track]. The slow burning momentum and overall Pagan feeling here is truly stunning. I very rarely left feeling awe struck by music these days, but this demo had me on the verge of such an emotion. This band are top drawer and I wish them well in their path of Black Metal creativity. Get the demo. www.myspace.com/oldcorpseroad

Unbreakable NTC - Dead Zone (Self Release) Review by Steve Green
	Hailing from Noordwijk in Holland and categorising themselves as Thrash Core, hence the NTC ( Noordwijk Thrash Core) tagged on the end of Unbreakable, this a very good 5 track EP. Personally, I'm more inclined to go with Death/Thrash, mainly because of frontman Peter's rough edged voice, but whether it's Death/Thrash or Thrash Core, one thing is for certain, this fucker certainly knows how to Thrash. Starting with the title track, Dead Zone, each track just gets better and better, until you reach the rousing finale, Scarred Life. In between the first and last track, it's just heads down and race for the finish style Thrash. And damn good it is too.
With only 5 songs and a running time of only 17.30, you are certainly left wanting to hear more. Check 'em out at: www.myspace.com/unbreakablentc