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Hearse - Single Ticket to Paradise (Vic Records) review by
Sam Thomas |
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Living in a metal house is great! (No, I mean living in a
house where people appreciate metal, not in a house made of
it. Obviously.) I can start playing a review CD, and (except
if it’s grind) I get intelligent comments. Thus, with
Hearse, within two seconds (quick off the mark is Steve) “Is
this The Answer? Only it sounds just like AC/DC”. Of course
it doesn’t sound like AC/DC, one because I can’t stand them,
and two because it sounds so much like Zeppelin’s “Whole
Lotta Love”. And that’s just the intro.
“Single Ticket to Paradise” is one of those albums which,
when you hear it for the first time either makes you think
“Woo-Hoo! They’ve finally produced the album I always knew |
they could” or “Who are these guys? And why haven’t I heard
of them before?” And, after listening to it for a number of
times (OK, I played nothing else for a week solid) I still
think it’s absolutely stunning. And, since nobody else has
complained, I guess they like it too.
If you can imagine Entombed coming up with something really
commercially catchy, this would be it. There are also echoes
of Hypocrisy here, and more especially of some of the
heavier Pain tracks. The title track, in particular, reminds
me in a kind of reflected backwards and darkened way of the
Pain track “Close my Eyes”. But really, all this is just me
clutching at straws, because, really, this is too good to be
categorising it as “like so and so”.
Fortunately, nobody has apparently told Johan Liiva that
death metal shouldn’t be catchy, nor that if you’re in a
Swedish metal band of any description you have to change
line-up at least once every two years (Swedish tax law,
apparently). But he has got to grips with the idea that you
must use Dan Swanö as producer. Brilliant job, as usual –
the production on this is perfect.
Matthias Ljung provides some guitar sounds that leave me
breathless – they’re endless without being either boring or
leaden. Johan’s vocals are better than ever, and I’m not
going to leave Max Thornell out of it either – his drums are
a perfect counterpoint to the guitar’s melody.
Pointless to pick out any track for special mention: they’re
all brilliant. This is without a doubt Hearse’s finest album
to date, and the only reason I can see for anyone not to buy
it immediately would be complete insanity or stupidity. Oh,
or not liking metal. Then again, aren’t they one and the
same? This is superb. Don’t take my word for it – buy your
own copy. Immediately.
www.hearse.se
| www.vicrecords.com |
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Innocent Rosie - Bad Habit Romance
(Swedmetal) Review by Metal Mark |
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Yet another hard rock act from Sweden, but Innocent Rosie
really shine on their debut. This band has only been around
for four years, but already they have toured Europe and
America.
More than anything they certainly have their chops down as
they show them here. This is guitar driven rock that owes
much to the likes of Skid Row, Motley Crue, Faster Pussycat
and Guns N Roses. They throw in blues rock, sleaze glam and
just flat out bone rattling hard rock. Their sound owes a
lot to the late 80's-early 90's, but at the same time it
leans towards our current era as well. The blend between the
eras pulls enough of the best of |
both time periods into the mix.
The vocals are rough and full of the kind attitude that
compliments the music wonderfully. The rhythm section beat
and thump along churning out thick layers that help guide
the music. The production is nothing short of fantastic as
they manage bring all of the energy to the surface. The band
doesn't hesitate or worry about sounding slick or polished,
but instead they just charge ahead. Innocent Rosie are the
type of band that the scene really could have used twenty
years ago, but at least we are getting them now. They could
stand to tighten up in some places and hopefully they keep
pushing ahead, but nicely done indeed. Certainly this is an
album that will be in steady rotation in my stereo for a
while.
www.myspace.com/innocentrosie |
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IQ - Frequency
(SPV)
Review by Metal Mark |
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Progressive rock is one of those genres where I tend to
think bands are either stellar or flat. I go in expecting
solid playing, but so many in this style fall into the trap
of playing rambling passages that concentrate more on
technical ability than emotion. Thank goodness the latest
release from British prog veterans IQ falls squarely in the
stellar side. "Frequency" is the first album from this
British band since 2004's Dark Matter. The new album reminds
me a lot of 70's progressive rock with a few nods to the
early 1980's as well. IQ could be compared to a lot of bands
as various parts bring to mind different acts. Yet by the
end of the album that doesn't matter a whole lot because
they bring everything |
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together nicely and make it their own sound. The melodies
are the major focus here and the band uses their technical
skills to enhance the melodies rather than going off in
various directions. The result is an album that works on
many levels yet manages to convey a definite sense of focus.
IQ wrote these songs like excellent storytellers. They put
in enough hooks to build the song and the music kept growing
until the inevitable climax. There were very few moments
where I didn't find myself glued to what they were going to
do next. There is a subtlety to a number of the songs as
they glide into them rather than charging and it works
perfectly. The only problem I had with the disc was that
many of the songs start out at exactly the same pace which
is fairly slow. I was hoping for them to start a song or two
at a different tempo. However if you just hang on then the
songs do pick up and they toss in some tempo changes. Prog rock fans should easily find much to enjoy
about this one. |
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Manimal - The Darkest Room
(AFM)
Review by Steve Green |
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The name Manimal had me thinking that this was going to be a band
featuring ex-members of WASP. Wrong! This is melodic Hard Rock, with a
Progressive edge, but with high pitched Power Metal vocals. I admit my
description does make it sound like a car crash just waiting to happen,
but trust me, the finished result is much better than I may have led you
to believe. Although I will warn you, vocalist Samuel Nyman does sound
like Bruce Dickinson with his bollocks caught in his zipper at 20,000
feet. Very fucking high.
As the album progresses I find myself enjoying it more and more. It has
a very calming effect on me, which is very useful in today's barmy heat.
And although I've described this |
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as Power Metal, Hard Rock and Progressive, I'm also reminded
of such traditional luminaries as Rainbow, Iron Maiden as
well as hints of Dio, so this will, I'm sure,
appeal to the more traditional Metalheads out there. Nothing
groundbreaking, but an impressive album nonetheless.
www.myspace.com/manimalsweden
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Merauder - God is I
(Regain) Review by Metal Mark |
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I can remember when I first heard the term “hardcore” at
some point back in the mid-80’s. It was kind of foreign
because I was of course deep into metal and not much else.
Somewhere after that I heard more hardcore bands and saw
that the differences between metal and hardcore were not as
much as I had once thought. The whole New York hardcore
scene of the late 80’s and early 90’s always drew me in with
the raw aggression and passion that many of these bands
brought with them. Merauder emerged from that scene nearly
twenty years ago. After a few demos in the early 90’s they
went on to do four releases between 1995 and 2003. Line-up
changes and label problems slowed them |
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down, but they certainly were not down for the count. Now
they come back swinging with “God is I”. They sound like
they have let their frustrations and their feelings bottle
up and uncork them as just explode on this album. This is
punishing, kick you in the gut style that never slows down
or apologizes. The production compliments the attack by
helping Merauder
bring out a massive wall of sound. There are enough grooves
spinning below the surface to keep it interesting. They also
manage to be heavy enough to appeal to metal fans as well.
My only complaint was that a few songs sounded fairly
similar, but the band keeps it moving along enough that’s
not a major issue. So it’s refreshing to know that the
classic hardcore spirit is still going and that this band
has faced some tough issues and come bouncing back in fine
form.
www.regainrecords.com |
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Midnite Social - Self
Titled (Self-produced) Review by Metal Mark |
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I don't know what took me so long to get around to popping
this disc open. I think it ended up getting sucked into the
pile for longer than it deserved, but fortunately it did get
played. Fortunately because contained on this disc from
Massachusetts based Midnite Social are some seriously rockin'
tunes. They have their influences for sure as they show some
hints of Guns N Roses and prime Aerosmith, but they easily
move beyond the copycat bands that make up the majority of
today's hard rock scene. The grooves are monstrous and they
pull them out like it second nature and perhaps it is. The
vocals are loud, confidant and even a little cocky which
works just fine for this style. Guitar solos are |
fresh and vibrant with strong tones. The drums are solid as
they pound and smash their way through. Then you have the
bass, which you can actually hear. That doesn't happen
nearly enough in hard rock as many acts choose let it go
unheard, but Midnite Social use it as it was meant to be. Midnite Social know
how to mix it up too. Tracks like the steady grinding
"Crazy", the swirling and pounding "Once" and the spine
shaking "No Paradise" are just a few examples of the kind of
instantly likable rock songs that this band can crank out.
While tracks like "Jessica" and "Goodbye" demonstrate the
band's ability to slow things down a bit and really play up
some solid melodies. The only song on here I wasn't big on
was the rap based "After Midnite". Even though it
was alright,
it just seemed very out of place in view of the album as a
whole.
This is a band who come across as very natural and
that blended with their talent and obvious enthusiasm
certainly makes them an act to watch out for.
www.myspace.com/midnitesocial
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Nachtmystium - Doomsday Derelicts
(Candlelight Records/ Battle Kommand Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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The release of “Assassins: Black Meddle Part I” by Chicago’s
very own Nachtmystium was a polarizing event in metal. Some
saw the release as a brilliant (go ahead, call me names),
refreshing new take on black metal (myself included,
although Nachtmystium really can no longer be called black
metal), whilst others saw it as merely an excuse for
hipsters to step in and claim to be interested in this new
musical phenomenon termed “black metal”. I found the release
to be highly enjoyable as an interesting mix of genres,
although others panned it for reasons that I could
understand. At any rate, some misfortune befell the band
last year after the album’s release, and Nachtmystium are
trying to regroup. |
Those efforts have now garnered Nachtmystium an opening slot
for Pentagram’s trek across America this summer, as well as
the release of “Doomsday Derelicts”, a four-song EP released
on Candlelight and Battle Kommand. The four songs presented
here in a mere 18 minutes have a great deal of variation
with, for example, straight away blasting on “Bones” to open
the EP, moments of up tempo rock similar to “Assassins…” on
“Life Of Fire” and “Hellish Overdose” (with some wicked
riffs and a slow dirge, to boot), and some psychedelia mixed
in with blasts on “Pitch Black Cadence”. In short, “Doomsday
Derelicts” has a nice mix of straightaway songs with little
room for introspection and wandering experimentation.
A bit harsher and more straightforward than “Assassins…”,
“Doomsday Derelicts” is highly recommended.
www.myspace.com/nachtmystium
| www.battlekommand.com
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www.candlelightrecords.co.uk |
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Paganizer - Scandinavian Warmachine
(Cyclone Empire) review by
Sam Thomas |
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Considering both the amount of information available on the
Internet, and the output of Rogga Johansson, it’s nothing
short of incredible how little info there is online about
any of his projects. The official website for Paganizer was
last updated in 2006, and the myspace isn’t that much
better! I guess that he’s way too busy recording good old
Swedish death metal to worry about any of that...
Anyroad, I’m pretty certain that “Scandinavian Warmachine”
is the seventh album from Paganizer (not bad when you
consider that they’ve only been around since 1998, and have
been put on ice on at least one occasion in the meantime).
Not to mention all the other |
bands that Rogga’s been
recording with in the meantime...
OK, facts out of the way, back to the music. Describing
Paganizer as old-school death metal is really doing them a
bit of a disservice: they play death metal, sure, and
obviously they’re Swedish, but there’s often, though by no
means always, an underlying groove to their sound that sets
it apart from, for example, Grave. Whilst Paganizer
definitely have a brutal sound, it’s allied with a
catchiness that keeps the tracks in your head afterwards.
There’s also an element of humour that raises this above the
average – I mean, how can you not love a track titled
“Distracting the Gods to Enable the Slaughter of Millions”?
And it’s quite a jolly little ditty, to boot.
This album comes in at around 55 minutes, which would
probably be a bit on the long side for unmitigated brutal
death, but for something which has a bit of variation
through its sixteen tracks, it’s perfectly acceptable. As
ever with Rogga, here is a rather well put together album
with both brutality and listenability. Can’t knock that!
www.paganizer.com
| www.myspace.com/paganizer
| www.cyclone-empire.com |
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Pantheon I - Worlds I Create
(Candlelight Records)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Norway’s Pantheon I, now seemingly the main project of
guitarist/ vocalist Tjalve, return with their third
full-length. Entitled “Worlds I Create”, the album is a nice
follow up to 2007’s “The Wanderer And His Shadow”. “Worlds I
Create” largely continues the style laid down by Pantheon
I’s prior output; that is, loads of progressive black metal
similar to late period Emperor with hints of Satyricon and
1349 mixed in for good measure.
Yeah, I wrote up the review for “The Wanderer And His
Shadow” in 2007, and I find myself returning to the same
themes from that review for “Worlds I Create”. The guitar
work is absolutely stellar, alternating between
exceptionally fast riffs and melodic passages, |
the bass lines are very dynamic and fluid, and the
incorporation of melancholy atmosphere with clean vocals and
cello is, once again, very well done. The high quality
production values and fantastic songwriting are all present, as well. Probably
what separates “Worlds I Create” from its immediate
predecessor, though, is that the album places greater
emphasis upon progressive elements, and has a lesser
tendency to just blast away, although some very fast songs
are present. All of the songs have considerable variation,
though, with moments of brutality interspersed with melodic
moments and melancholic touches. I find myself greatly
reminded of Emperor’s last two proper full-lengths as I
listen to “Worlds I Create”.
In short, “Worlds I Create” is an excellent progressive
black metal album that showcases stellar musicianship and
songwriting, and comes very highly recommended.
www.myspace.com/pantheoni
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www.candlelightrecords.co.uk
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www.candlelightrecordsusa.com |
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Ram - Lightbringer
(AFM Records)
Review by Strawb |
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Ram, is in fact my nickname amongst a certain group of
people. You know how it goes, you do good deeds, take some
good photos, listen to all the right music, but just once
you get caught, two viagra stiff and wearing nothing but a
tupping harness entering a field of 50 sheep and no-one ever
forgets.
The joke made it in as it celebrated its centenary in 2005,
which was the year that Ram released their debut and
previous album ‘Forced Entry’. So they have taken four years
to pen and record this, their second album, and as far as
this reviewer is concerned it has been time well spent. In
one of my previous reviews, that of Nightvision I sought a
new |
sub-genre of metal, and as if they knew I would be reviewing
this, Ram claim to be one of the leading and primary
practitioners of “New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal”. And
may it have a prolific and extensive life, although the
words new wave would seem to limit its longevity.
And so to the music that Harry and the other three band
members produce. Do you remember when Judas Priest were the
leading exponents of screaming metal? I am talking late 70’s
and early 80’s here. When Iron Maiden told epic tales of
seafaring and waiting in a cold cell? And I haven’t
mentioned it yet but this band is from Sweden, which let us
be honest, produces some excellent metal. Now we are getting
into the right area. Add thirty years of improved techniques
and production. These boys have studied their history and
adapted modern practices to produce a belter. From the
opening Crushing The Dwarf Of Ignorance, Ram have me in the
palm of their collective hand. A somewhat forceful opening
leading to the compulsory sound of heavy rain and thunder,
before we move on to the title track and get our first taste
of the screaming vocals. I am now listening to In Victory,
the third track, and it has me reaching to increase the
volume just to that level where you know the neighbours are
aware of what you are playing, and a visit may be imminent.
Ram need to be there to do them justice. And the neighbours
may be out. Today's favourite, Awakening the Chimaera is now
entertaining the neighbourhood, and I’m sure there’s another
couple of numbers on the volume knob. Ghost Pilot could have
been recorded by Rob Halford, but still has Ram through it,
like Skegness through a stick of rock. And the standards are
maintained through the other five tracks. The band also seem
to be bringing back the look of the same era, all tight
leather trousers, shoulder length hair and no beer guts.
Come on chaps, its 30 years later, two of them are probably
impossible and I refer to the opening paragraph to see why
being found in a field of cows may not be a god idea, don’t
think the judge would believe ‘just needed a couple of hides
for new trousers’.
I have just recalled another definition of Ram, the
foreshortened version which no longer has ‘battering’ in
front of it. So, solid, forceful, and with the power to
knock doors from their frames. That is the summation from
me. And my neighbours have gotten the same message.
Interweb at
www.myspace.com/rammetal
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