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Awake By Design - Sentiment
(Self-Released) Reviewed By
Steve Earles |
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Usually, the combination of the two words ‘self’ and
‘released’ send anticipations of horror down my spine, but
Awake By Design’s ‘Sentiment’ puts many a label-signed
Gothic Metal act to shame, beautifully packaged too, and
professionally produced by Greg Chandler (note to bands reading
this, get a producer, it’s always worth it, trust me).
Tapping into the rich tradition of British Gothic (which
goes all the way back to the first Gothic novel The Castle
Of Otranto by Walpole, check out The Devil’s Backbone by
Guillermo Del Toro for a Walpole-inspired film in the
context of the Spanish Civil War, through to Byron), opening
track The Visions Truth, features a glorious hook
reminiscent |
of Paradise Lost circa Icon (which was surely the moment
Paradise Lost stood on the cusp of major success): “Dreams
are empty but they’re mine.” Silence Undone, with its
driving riffs and keyboard hooks, could easily crossover to
any rock audience. The heartfelt Elusive Years is another
album highlight, Awaken By Design are not afraid to plumb
the depths of the emotions. Forever They Told is reminiscent
of classic The Mission, but in a very contemporary fashion.
Sentiment brings to mind the progressive heart-searching of
Anathema. Instrumental, A Scarlet Coming highlights the
bands undoubted musical virtuosity, while Failures Drown
showcases the fine voice of Adrian Powell.
To sum up, firstly I admire Awake By Design’s
work ethic, whether it be playing live, rehearsing, and
writing, they’ve given Sentiment 100% and it shows.
Secondly, sincerity is absolute to me in music, whatever its
genre, and Awake By Design have a beautiful melancholic
sincerity, they are following in the tradition of The
Sisters Of Mercy, Paradise Lost and Anathema, which is as it
should be, but they have found their own sound. A fine
debut.
www.myspace.com/awakebydesign |
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Blood Red Throne - Souls Of Damnation
(Earache Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Norway’s old school death metal titans Blood Red Throne
return with their fifth full-length in eight years. Once
again, what was originally a side project from Tchort and
now seems to be his main focus, Blood Red Throne do not
deviate from their tried and true formula of near perfectly
executed death metal that combines old school crunch with
modern elements. Not much has changed with Blood Red Throne
over their last couple of full-lengths, and that’s just
fucking fine with me.
Combining a gigantic production, a generally mid-paced tempo
with some variation in speed, and a huge load of catchy
riffs, Blood Red Throne deliver a truly devastating album |
in “Souls Of Damnation”, newly released on Earache Records.
Catchy as all Hell, not much separates “Souls of Damnation”
from its immediate predecessors, except for some notably
very fluid bass work from Erlend Caspersen which is really
given a prominent role, and an odd moment of melody very
deep into the album. In short, the album builds upon the
band’s prior output and basically perfects the formula with
very well-written songs. No filler material is present on
“Souls Of Damnation”, as was the case somewhat with “Come
Death” and “Altered Genesis”, albums that varied somewhat in
quality over the entire length of the album (only in a very
minor way; not to disparage one of the better death metal
bands working today).
Other than that, what else is there to say (buy or fucking
die)? If you’ve been into Blood Red Throne for awhile now,
you have no reason not to go out there and immediately track
down “Souls Of Damnation”. In addition, those of you
lamenting the possible disbanding (?) of Bolt Thrower would
be wise to investigate Blood Red Throne. Now, whatever
happened to that rumored tour of the United States?!
www.myspace.com/bloodredthrone666
| www.earache.com |
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Celan - Halo (Exile On Mainstream Records)
Review by Chris Davison |
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Chalk and cheese. Salt and Vinegar. Night and day.
Sometimes, things that seem to be the complete opposite of
each other combine to make an effective whole. Celan would
appear to be one of these things. Ari Meyer, of noted Kraut
noise-niks, Einstuerzende Neubauten and Chris of Unsane met
a while ago in Berlin, Germany, and thought "hey, why not
combine our influences into one awesome unit?". Well, there
might be a metric-shitload of reasons why not, given that
one has performed in one of the godfathers of industrial
music, and the other has been the voice of smart-arsed
noisy-hardcore heroes Unsane.
So, you might well be wondering by now what these cheeky
chappies sound like? It's fair |
to say that I'm no expert on Einstuerzende; my only exposure was at university when the
weirdo down the corridor (and trust me, this guy was batshit
mental) used to play vinyl at full pelt that sounded
suspiciously like a bunch of Germans hammering away at a
motorway bridge with pneumatic tools. Turned out that's
exactly what is was. Those crazy Germans, huh? I've never
really been the biggest fan of Unsane either, the sole album
of theirs that I bought (recklessly on the back of youthful
vigour having seen their now infamous video of skateboarding
wasters wiping out in amusing fashion on MTV) being rapidly
consigned to the "NPA" pile (Never Play Again). Luckily,
Celan are more than the sum of their parts, sounding for the
most part like a more varied, dynamic version of Unsane.
There's more of a slight industrial feel to it, though the
elecronica and samples found within actually serve to make
it feel more like an avant-garde metal album than anything
related to hardcore - thank fuck. Elsewhere, the song
writing seems to have been completed with the goal of adding
a sense of dynamism and contrast (as with the frankly
excellent stand-out track "All This And Everything").
So, should you buy it? Well, approaching with an open mind
and a lingering fondness for the mid-nineties years of
alternative metal, you would be hard pressed to find a more
interesting release. What you may find, however, is that
interesting does not necessarily mean worthy. Celan - fated
to join its brother on the "NPA" pile.
www.myspace.com/celanband |
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Crash Street Kids - Transatlantic Suicide
(Hot City) By Julian
Handley |
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Having never heard of the band I first did a little research
and discovered that “Transatlantic Suicide“ is the third
album and the final instalment of a complex, concept
trilogy, and whilst not being familiar with the first two
instalments, I decided to review this release as a new
entity without getting sucked in by any elaborate plot.
Initially I had problems accepting the album as it is so
leftfield of any contemporary, retro glam efforts that I have
heard lately, and it wasn’t until I donned the trusty
headphones and immersed myself in the psychedelic 70’s vibe,
that it hit me like a hammer that this is one very special
release. The music smacks of Cheap Trick, Hanoi Rocks, Mott
The Hoople |
and T-Rex, with a sprinkling of Beatlesque Enuff
z’ Nuff thrown in for good measure.
The essential ingredient in transporting you back to the
70’s, yet making it a pleasant, nostalgic trip for those of
a certain age are the emotional mood swings of talented
vocalist Ryan McKay, who has the infectious knack of
transmitting the relevant moods onto the unsuspecting
listener, putting you through an upbeat / downbeat mind
melter, ably assisted by a band that aren’t averse to
throwing in the occasional piano key, violin chord and
acoustic guitar lick creating an effervescent glam overload.
Clever arrangements make this a refreshing throwback to a
bombastic era, with standout tracks being “ Do You Still
Believe In Rock & Roll”?, “Destroyer “ and “We Kill
Tomorrows “. Well worth checkin’ out.
www.crashstreetkids.com/
| www.myspace.com/crashstreetkids
| www.myspace.com/hotcityrecording |
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Fleshgod Apocalypse - Oracles
(Candlelight Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Hyper-produced, brutal death metal played at a blistering
speed is the bread and butter, if you will, of Italy’s
Fleshgod Apocalypse. Sporting Franceso Paoli of Hour Of
Penance on drums and guitar, Fleshgod Apocalypse play the
kind of tight, brutal death metal that has largely descended
from Suffocation, but is mostly concerned with flattening
the listener with an all out assault built very heavily upon
a gigantic production.
Overall, the effect works quite well as you’re pretty much
flattened with a kaleidoscopic whirlwind of bottom heavy
guitar riffing and drums played at frenetic speed. Luckily,
there is enough variation in the song structures to keep you
interested, and you find yourself |
drumming along as the album blows by. Adding some variation
and a few moments of let up in the assault are some
orchestra and classical piano interludes. These interludes
give one the impression that Fleshgod Apocalypse are trying to tie together ultra-tight,
brutal death metal with classical music, but I’m of the
opinion that the classical pieces merely provide the
listener with some breathing room before the assault
continues.
There are a few minor problems with a release like
“Oracles”, namely the usual “sameness” to the songs that
bands in this genre suffer from, as well as a definite
mechanized feel to the triggered, at times programmed,
percussion. In addition, the “uber” production present on
“Oracles” is more than a bit overwhelming and further adds
to the album’s inorganic qualities. These complaints,
however, to most fans of brutal death metal are minor as
“Oracles”, for the most part, simply knocks your socks off.
If you’re looking for this sort of brutal death metal, look
no further than “Oracles” by Fleshgod Apocalypse. Yep, buy
or die!
www.myspace.com/fleshgodapocalypse
| www.candlelightrecordsusa.com/
| www.candlelightrecords.co.uk/ |
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Iron Maiden - Flight 666
DVD (Sony) Review by Metal Mark |
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We all age, unfortunately, but some age better than others.
Iron Maiden’s prime was back in the 1980’s going on that
great run of the first seven albums. The 90’s was a far more
inconsistent decade for this band, but “Brave New World” in
2000 showed some life. The last two releases have seen the
band not only come back to form, but actually re-establish
themselves. Even now, almost thirty years after their debut,
there is something about this band that makes seem very
genuine, but at the same time we are in awe of them because
of all that they represent. This two disc set documents
their “Somewhere Back In Time tour” that took place back in
early 2008. The first disc documents the journey itself and
the second disc is a performance with each song being filmed
in a different city on the tour. At this point in my life a
film about the behind the scenes part of a band’s tour would
not interest me much at all. However, this is Maiden and
even something that may be dull or |
routine with other bands is bound to be extraordinary with
them. This film is no exception. This film isn’t just about
the band, it’s also about their music, the fans and the
impact the band has had upon their fans. That is as it
should because all of these elements are part of what makes
this band great. Maiden’s source of transportation is their
plane piloted of course by Bruce Dickinson. The image of
this machine in flight with the mummified Eddie on the tail
fin is astounding. The band seem much more mortal now than
they did twenty years ago. I mean we know they have aged,
but we get to see the fatigue set in with different members
during this grueling tour.
It’s not a weakness though, but instead it makes them even
greater when we see them work through their problems. Even
when they are tired or banged up, like when Nicko receives a
huge bruise on his wrist from a stray golf ball, they still
get fired up and charge out there like it was 1985 all over
again. We knew all that though. Where this film really
succeeds is in showing the fans. We see the piles of
screaming fans at every stop. Then we get the individual fan
stories like the young fan in Costa Rica who talked about
Maiden's stop being "the thing" and the fan in Colombia who
says Maiden's visit was every metal fan's dream or the guy
in Japan who says that the great thing is that the band has
never lost their spirit. All of these show the passion and
respect that the fans have. The band is just as charged as
they ever were and the fans are equally fired up no matter
where the band goes. Maiden never fell into acting or
thinking they were rock stars because they were too busy
concentrating on the music and the tours. That's a large
part of what has made them so great. Steve Harris sums it up
late in the film when he says "It's all about the music and
I think the people know that". Indeed we do know that and
seeing them go through 23 shows in six and a half weeks and
still sound great just adds to their legacy.
Disc two is Maiden live with 16 tracks plus the Churchill's
Speech introduction. The venues vary from arenas to outdoor
stadiums. Always the fans are bouncing, screaming and
singing along to "Powerslave", "Moonchild", "Heaven
Can
Wait" and all of the other selections. The band are just as
excited as their fans. Comparing this to last year's
re-issue of the fantastic "Live After Death" is interesting.
Almost 25 years later and Bruce is still running all over
the place, Harris plays the bass without looking, the
guitarists are amazing while making it look easy and Nicko
look like an octopus with arms swinging everywhere. Just
flat out fantastic performers who keep going at it with
everything they have. I didn't need to see this stunning two
disc set to know that Iron Maiden are the best metal band of
all time, but it's still a must see for all fans.
www.ironmaiden.com |
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Somnolent - Monochromes Philosophy
(Solitude Productions)
Review by Ellis Woolley |
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The sunshine outside is burning brightly and summer is well
upon us, thus making the miserable world of funeral doom
metal seem at utterly pointless genre to all but the
bleakest of metalheads at this time of year. Somnolent's
debut album did thankfully come out last winter but
listening to it again now is a very difficult experience.
With four unmeasurably morose songs clocking in at 59
minutes, Somnolent will already be cutting their potential
audience base right down to the bare bones with a cursory
listen to their Mournful Congregation and Esoteric angled
take on the genre, but it is safe to say further listens
will narrow down that field even further. Save for one
minute at the end of |
| 'Paradoxes
Of The Universe', the beat rumbles on at what could be best
described as the 'standard' pace for the genre, never doing
much in it's attempts to drive you into despair. Despair is
gleefully achieved however with a lead guitar tone,
primarily found in 'Unrequited Love To Reverie', that is so
out of tune one
wonders how it wasn't picked up during the recording
process. The sound of heavy rain and crashing waves
accompanies the listener at numerous moments across all four
songs, at times accompanying the lonesome echoey guitar
nicely and at others providing more of a distraction, but
then really nothing is pleasant about listening to this
album. Despite the relative few attempting such a style,
this would not be the album for one looking to explore the
genre with one listen. Just too staid and plain for much of
its time, Somnolent have walked the path lesser trodden and
come out at the end of it with a record stuck firmly in 1st
gear and featuring few flourishes to keep you entertained on
the journey. For the brave, or suicidal only.
www.solitude-prod.com |
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The Denial - Claws
(Hurricane Entertainment) Review by Crin |
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Retaining that Gothenburg sound and harnessing a massive
clean production, this Italian Death/ Thrash act pretty much
tread the mill, so to speak, never reaching boiling point,
never petering away. Its just average melodic Death with a
touch of thrashing grind added. Taking their sound bites
from At the Gates and Hypocrisy, with a splattering of
early Sepultura [the vocals especially] one can only direct fans
of the Swedish Death sound to this release as I found the
formless songs here less than appealing for anyone else but
a true fan of the genre. The production is solid and
substantial enough to harness the like of Obituary if
required. The cover of the VoiVod track, Nanoman [from the
1995 album, |
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Negatron] is a standard cover albeit a rather less familiar
VoiVod number. It still has a potent rhythmic
bite as does this whole album.
www.myspace.com/thedenial |
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The Human Quena Orchestra - The Politics of the Irredemable
(Crucial Blast Records)
Review by Chris Davison |
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"Blackened Industrial Doom", it says on the cover.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Not for the first time when examining
something associated with the frankly tedious word
"ambient", I feel like the young boy from the fable about
the Emperor and his new wardrobe. Q magazine, any number of
hipster internet critics and Terrorizer may all be fighting
each other to be the first to shoot their harry monk over
Sunn 0))) and their pretentious brethren, but I'm left with
the vague feeling that they're all having a laugh. They're
laughing at you.
Now, I don't like to slate things because they're of no
musical merit; it may well be, of course, that there is a
rich musical experience to be had here by someone with a
more |
trained, or more eclectic mindset than mine. All I can do is
tell you how I hear it. What I hear, at best, are the
ambient noises to a Z-list British post-apocalyptic sci-fi
movie. While Sean Pertwee hides from a death machine made
out of bacofoil, an old pram and a fridge, THQA are busy
screaming incoherently down a microphone while their Casio
plays a repetitive "soundscape" and their recording of a
Moulinex food blender is played through a ZX Spectrum 16k;
to be fair, they may have added the 16k rampack in order to
augment the experience.
To say I hate this would be to miss the point. I don't hate
it, so much as I just don't get it. If I want ambient noise,
I can just leave the window open and hear the rumble of HGVs
(or between 3.15 and 4.15, the noise of passing school kids
running through the A-Z of profanity). Sorry chaps, but this
just sounds like a bass being dropped intermittently in a
Coventry engine factory.
www.myspace.com/thehumanquenaorchestra |
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The Jokers - The Big Rock N Roll Show
(Top Two Records) Review by Steve Green |
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What do you do when you're not happy with the mix of your new album?
(Which incidentally you record in your front room with duvets hanging
off the wall) Simple. Search the internet for the best mix engineer and
then contact the legendary Mike Fraser, who's just mixed AC/DC's Black
Ice. It just shows what you can achieve if you're cheeky enough to
approach the best in the business.
So, as you'd expect, the album sounds fantastic. There's so much going
on in the mix. A shed load of instruments and vocal melodies flying
around in perfect clarity, all held together by a very distinctive
British sound collected from a number of influences from the |
past 40 years. I hear everything from The Stones and The
Beatles, right through to Led Zeppelin, The Who and AC/DC.
(And yeah, I know that AC/DC aren't strictly British). The
end result is very polished, yet it doesn't quite do enough
to blow me away. Maybe it's because the influences are so
obvious and the sound doesn't flow as it should as it's so
easy to say that song 1 sounds like The Stones, the next
like The Who etc... So a bit of originality wouldn't go
amiss on their next album. On the flipside, the air of
familiarity will probably win over listeners within a couple
of plays, so it ain't all bad.
This is definitely one for the retro brigade.
www.myspace.com/thejokersmyspace |
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