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Resurrection - Embalmed Existence
(Massacre Records) Review by
Chris Davison |
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This is certainly a timely release. With the release of last
years aptly named “Mistaken For Dead”, Resurrection produced
their second album in fifteen years. This, readers, is that
first album, first released unto the world in 1993, and now
staggering out of the tomb, blinking its eyes in the full
glare of the modern sun. It’s not just the close proximity
of this re-release to their new album, but also the seeming
resurgence of old-school death metal that seems to be
rolling downhill at the moment.
It’s a salient point to remember, in all the clammer for
all-things Sunlight Studio sound that not all old death
metal came from Scandinavia. Way down in the sun and the
stifling heat of |
Florida, there were whole trenches of
American death metal bands producing their own brand of
unholy, violent, sick metal. Resurrection, while having
plenty of character on this album also have enough of the
sound of that moment to in some respects exemplify that
sound. The guitars are dry and clinical, the drums are
played somewhere on that knife edge between technicality and
atmosphere and the vocals while undeniably extreme and
hoarse are still clearly decipherable; an element that is
almost completely missing these days. The songs themselves
are extremely catchy and memorable, as with the minor
classic “Smell of Blood”, though perhaps lacking the killer
moments that define their better known peers.
For the most part though, this is a minor undiscovered gem,
and certainly worth picking up for anyone with more than a
passing interest in the less-well worn paths of old death
metal. It isn’t all plain sailing (the spoken-word
“psychopath” that introduces each song gets old pretty
damned quick), but this is overall an enjoyable, rollicking
romp through the death metal of an older, more civilised
time – before you needed a PHD in music to enjoy the tracks.
www.massacre-records.com |
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Sacred Mother Tongue - The Ruin Of
Man (Transcend Records) Review by Steve Green |
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I guess Sacred Mother Tongue, to me, represent the acceptable side of the
modern Metal scene. The vocals do switch from screaming to clean, a
kiddie trait I utterly despise, but SMT do it with class. The style
sounds natural and Scott Atkin's mega-fucking-loud production brings the
best of these young upstarts. And if an old git like myself can actually
enjoy Metalcore, then they must be doing something right.
The album does tread a very similar path throughout. And just as I was
about to bemoan that fact, they change track with The Man You Tried To
Hide... and it just doesn't work. The song is piss weak, especially
Darrin South's vocals, which are normally either bollock |
| crushingly
heavy, or beautifully melodic. And then I hit a brick wall as far as
this album is concerned and the skip button comes into play far too
often, mainly when Darrin sounds like the Metalcore offspring of The
Cult's Ian Astbury, a style which doesn't work for me. So I like it when
the band plough full steam ahead, I even like the Metalcore style
vocals, I just don't like it when they attempt to move towards a more
original style. I guess you can't win 'em all.
www.myspace.com/sacredmothertongue |
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Saidian - Evercircle
(Blistering Records) Review by James
Young |
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The fact that Saidian only formed in 2004 means that they
can expand their horizons beyond their native German scene,
and incorporate quite a few styles of power metal into their
sound. Much of the time, it has to be said that the band
come across as a very good Edguy soundalike, such as
‘Solomon’s Dance’, which allows Markus Engelfried’s
commanding vocal melodies to come to the fore. Some of the
tracks do utilise Edguy’s technique of starting with a big
intro, before stripping down the verses to bass and vocals,
such as ‘Stroke Of Genius’, before building things up again
for the chorus.
It’s not all one big Edguy-fest though - some great keyboard
tinkling from founder member |
Markus Bohr brings the band into its own, whether it be the
addition of pumping synths,
or lightening fast finger work. The diabolical lyrics of
‘Tokyo’ cannot detract from a very pleasing hard rock
number, with some 80s style keyboards. The ballad of ‘Once
In My Dreams’ shows the piano tinkling skills of Bohr, and
puts the voice of Engelfried in a completely different
light. It is also not uncommon on ‘Evercircle’ for the band
to hop over international waters, occasionally getting
neoclassical, with ‘Sign In The Sky’ taking on a
distinctively Finnish sound. Sometimes things can take on a
distinctively Italian flavour, especially in ‘Moonlight’s
Calling’, in which the combination of relentless double kick
drums and sweeping synths make one think of Labyrinth or
Rhapsody.
With Edguy taking on more of a pure hard rock sound as of
late, it’s pretty nice to hear something that harks back to
the bombastic days of Vain Glory Opera. Even with this
resemblance, this is still a power metal feast on all
fronts, and should have something for all fans of the genre,
whether you prefer the Stratovarius-led Finnish pack, the
Helloween-inspired Germans, or sword-wielding spaghetti
scene. It will never grab any awards for originality, but
it’s not the most offensive album in the world, and delivers
an hour of pleasing power metal fun.
www.saidian.org |
www.myspace.com/saidianband |
www.blisteringrecords.se |
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Sanction X - The Last Day
(Metal Heaven) Review by Dave Baynham |
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Here we have the debut album from German straight ahead
heavy metal band Sanction X, who are built around singer Ebby Paduch of Infinity’s Call and guitarist Robby Bobel
from Talon & Evidence One. Frankly, it’s a totally massive
riff festival and this will determine how much you like it.
The guitars do some great dive bomb wails without trying to
hit shred speeds. The keyboards ripple occasionally but are
rarely what you focus on. The vocals are powerful and
melodic. But what this disc does best is titanic, neckache
producing, metronome tight, bludgeon riffola. Rhythm section
Robert D’Amico on bass and Peter Langer on Drums, we salute
you! So, if you want a record that makes you |
headbang, this
is it. On the downside it doesn’t push any boundaries and
despite having a ballad and a faster paced number tends to
feel a bit samey. The lyrics are ambitious, anybody doing a
track called ‘Reason why we were born’ gets my vote. But as
an entire album they can be a bit too straightfaced, so by
the end of it you feel like it would have helped to have had
some change of mood for one track. The parts work better
than the whole, so for those people who put individual
tracks into iPods or mp3s this gives you a good choice.
www.sanction-x.com
| www.metalheaven.net
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Shortino - Chasing My Dream
(Metal Heaven) By Julian
Handley |
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If my memory serves me well it was back in the Autumn of
1986 when I had my first aural encounter with Paul Shortino
and his band of the time Rough Cutt, catching their video to
the track “Double Trouble” on the weekly late night video
show The Power Hour. What captivated me about Rough Cutt was
that although they were exceptional musicians, the main
ingredient was the voice of Shortino. As it was unique in so
much that he exudes passion in abundance with his heartfelt
vocals which are raspy and gruff yet softened with a
throaty, honey soothed drawl.
For this solo release he has surrounded himself with the
cream of the German melodic rock |
scene Michael Voss (Casanova) guitar, Roland Bergmann (Mad Max) and Michael
Mueller (Jaded Heart) sharing bass duties, also
appearances on guitar from Johnny Douglas (K2) and Ralph Heyne (Biss). The album is also produced by the multi
talented Voss who nails the job.
The opening track “Remember You” is a great opener gently
easing you in with a tale of lost love, etched with pain and
sincerity. Track two “To the Cross” is a brooding, deep,
bass driven affair, unrelenting in its vengeful outcome. My
personal favourite is “Missing” a beautiful mix of acoustic
and electric guitar, wrapped around effortless vocals, smoke
drenched with a gentle huskiness.
“Nocturnal” is one of the rockier numbers changing the mood
instantly and continuing the harder edged feel with “Side
FX”, before reverting back to the slower, laid back feel
which continues to the close.
It is evident that this release deals with a myriad of
emotions and personal feelings, which emphasise what an
inspired effort that Paul Shortino has created assisted by
his German family. All in all a pleasant experience,
definitely an album to chill out to, and a testament to a
genuine rock singer who’s talent deserved to have brought
him greater success.
www.paulshortino.com
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www.myspace.com/paulshortino
| www.metalheaven.net |
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Sondura - Live Before You Die
(Hardsound Records) Reviewed
by Steve Earles |
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It’s hard to believe this is a debut album, so accomplished
is the playing contained within its grooves. This
London-based 4 piece benefit greatly from the production of
John Mitchell (Architects, Enter Shikari, Funeral For A
Friend). Featuring the Watson bothers, Tom on vocals and Jack
on guitars, Steve Dillon on bass and Fred Green on drums. Sondura’s name comes from the Portuguese for ‘hard sound’.
This is an ideal time for Sondura to come out of the traps,
with melodic metal making a comeback. ‘Scars’ comes from
the heart with its heartfelt refrain ‘God only knows how I
made it out alive’. ‘Never get Enough’ combines an early Alice
In Chains groove with Black Album era Metallica precision. I
could easily see ‘Falling Free’ raising lighters to the air
live. ‘A Thousand Miles’ has a really epic air, while ‘Free
Spirits’ has a very modern groove. ‘Fake’ comes from the
heart. ‘Last Man Standing’ really showcases Sondura’s musical
prowess, while Wasting ends the album in fine style.
Sondura
are a band whose time is about to come.
www.myspace.com/sondura
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Spheric Universe Experience - Unreal
(Sensory) By: Joe Florez |
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This is the French quintet’s sophomore effort which
continues to take progressive metal to new heights as they
did with their debut. “White Willow” starts out with all
guns blazing and no room for error as this is a complex
piece of work that still manages to weave melodies and
catchiness as well as an electronic atmosphere. The riffs
are meaty and punchy while the rhythm section is rich and
thick and never lets up. Franck Garcia’s voice is classy as
he’s able to manage his highs and lows and knows just where
to utilize them. This a very uptempo jam that never bores
the ears. Come solo time, everyone just lets loose and show
just what they are capable of. While they are flashy and go
all over the |
place with their respective instrument of destruction, they
never lose sight of what they do and it doesn’t feel like wankery at all. ”Down Memory Lane” seems to
capture the Dream Theater vibe from the days of yore
especially with Franck somewhat sounding like James LaBrie,
but they all manage to do their own thing with great
success. This track has a lot of bite and you can hear the
ambidextrous drumming that could give Tomas Haake from
Meshuggah a run for his money. This is superb musicianship.
Half way through the disc, there’s a quick two minute
interlude that slows things down just a touch, but the
adrenalin rush continues. While most instrumentals are
trite, there are far and few in between that will captivate
me and “O.B.E” is a fine piece of work meshing some jazz
with metal for a concoction that is a pure joy. Man oh man,
I’m so glad that I gave this disc another spin. The first
time might have just not been right for me because I was gonna just tear it up for the simple fact that I’m progged
out to the max. However, if you can throw in a little
something extra to the mix then it can be explosive and
enjoyable. SUE just went absolutely balls out with this one
and added some surprises. By the time this review comes out,
Dream Theater’s latest will have come out and that one is
fantastic as well, but there’s room for everyone. If you a
fan of DT, then this is a can’t miss. In a word, phenomenal.
www.lasersedgegroup.com
| www.sphericuniversexp.com |
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Steevi Jaimz - My Private Hell
(Cargo Records) Review by Steve Green |
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Steevi Jaimz, original Tigertailz vocalist and all round glam icon. Drink,
drugs and too much make-up. I'd wager a fairly safe bet that this is
album is at the very least, semi-autobiographical. So this album will be
full of rock 'n' roll clichés? Well, yes, but I have to say it's very
well performed and the songs hark back to the heady days of 80s Hard
Rock, with both Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne being very obvious influences.
Imagine Shot In The Dark being crossed with Kiss circa their Animalize
album, add a healthy dollop of Glam Metal to the mix and you're just
about there.
The album was written and performed with the help of Chris Laney and
Anders Ringman |
and their help, I'm sure, has helped the proclamation
that this album is "easily Steevi's most accomplished release to date".
Look, if this album had been released 25 years ago then Steevi Jaimz
would most probably be playing huge arena's this summer. This album
captures the spirit of that time perfectly and fans of 80s arena sized
rock 'n' roll will find plenty to enjoy here.
I have to admit that I didn't even intend reviewing this album myself. I
was just giving it a quick spin before deciding who to send it on to,
but I kind of got sucked into the whole 80's feel and the cd didn't
leave my player until nearly 37 minutes later.
www.steevijaimz.com |
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Sunn O))) - Monoliths and Dimensions
(Southern Lord)
By: Dave Schalek |
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Oh, the latest proper full-length from Sunn O))) since
2005’s “Black One” (well, excluding the “Altar”
collaboration with Boris) finally arrives in the form of
“Monoliths and Dimensions”, released on Southern Lord.
Before going any further, let me just say that the four
tracks presented here are amongst the best and most varied
that Sunn O))) have performed, and immediately tags
“Monoliths and Dimensions” as a nominee for album of the
year.
Clocking in at a mere 53 minutes, that length turns out to
be just perfect for “Monoliths and Dimensions”. Each track
is a marvel, and is wholly distinct from the others.
“Aghartha” is |
the album’s opener and longest track, and is the track that
most closely adheres to the themes on “Black One”.
Concentrating upon overpowering, bleak doom enhanced with an
almost spoken word intonation from Attila Csihar
(with a very noticeable Hungarian accent), the layers of
harmonics threaten to bury the listener. Vague imagery comes
to mind with each of the tracks, and I liken “Aghartha” to a
slowly building journey down into the abyss of a black hole.
Further enhancing the imagery is the inclusion of deep tones
from a conch shell. “Big Church”, on the other hand,
consists of three distinct movements spread out in a rather
short 9:43, with haunting atmospherics enhanced with Attila
Csihar’s best vocal performance to date. Add to the
atmosphere huge amounts of reverb, the obligatory church
bell, female vocals, and experiencing this song in a live
setting immediately vaults to a very high position on my
things-to-do list.
An almost traditional style of riffing, albeit bleak and
crushingly heavy, forms the backbone of “Hunting and
Gathering (Cydonia)”. Adding to the riffing are majestic,
soaring vocals, some synthesizer effects, and a liberal
application of brass instruments. (If you, like me, wanted to
see more incorporation of brass instruments on the album
“Ample. Fire. Within” by Ascend, then you will be very
pleased).
The album’s closer, “Alice”, is truly a gem and comes across
as homage to Earth’s recent direction along with some
definite nods to Pink Floyd. Light tones backed up by
incredibly deep bass tones are overlaid with mournful
trombone and synthesizer to produce a mesmerizing listening
experience. The trombone gradually fades out at the end of
the track with melodies eerily similar to those found on
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, if a bit deeper in tone.
Needless to say, I’m floored by “Monoliths and Dimensions”
and I’ve attempted (poorly, I admit) to translate the
listening experience of this masterpiece of drone into
words. Words cannot do the album justice, but, perhaps, Sunn
O))) say it best with, ”maximum volume yields maximum
results.” Buy or die.
www.southernlord.com/band_SUN.php
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Sworn Enemy - Total World Domination
(Century Media) Review
by Marco Gaminara |
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While I may have heard of these guys before, I'd never
actually heard them 'til now, and to be honest... I really
am wondering why. They are definitely very impressive
technically and in exuberance. This New York outfit
comprises of Sal LoCoco on vocals, Lorenzo Antonucci and
Jamin Hunt on guitars, Sid Caballero on bass and Jared
Buckwalter on drums. Vocals have a kinda hardcore tinge to
them, being predominately shouted with a gruff rasp.
Musically, the two guitars attack your ears from both sides
with their crushing riffs and changes, the ultra fast
drumming has a very clicky kick-drum sound to help
accentuate its speed, but the snare sound is sharp and
crisp. The bass fills out the bottom |
end keeping the rhythm section sound as tight as the
proverbial ducks ass. From the initial blasted intro of
"Sell My Soul" you can tell that these guys shall do just
that to whip up a frenzy of aural assault. The slowish intro for "Aftermath" belies how insane
it's about to get, but then for the chorus things take a
turn again, just to keep your ears tuned for the changes
that come thick and fast. "Run For Shelter" has no such
agenda, as it just hunts you down at high speed that the
shredding leads exemplify. One might say these guys have
some anger issues, but then the best thing to do about those
is to write them down and scream them out at high speed and
volume, as they do on "Still Hating". For some reason "On
The Outside" has me thinking 'Pleasures of the Flesh' era
Exodus, but that could be the way the guitars sound or just
the way they have their intense riffs playing off each other
over the triplets on the drums. I'm trying to decide whether
this is protest music but "Ready To Fight" shall get the
blood lust up in just about anyone and in the song "Step In
The Ring", later in the album, it would appear that some
fighters listen to Sworn Enemy to psych themselves up for
their bought. Having no idea who Blood For Blood are, I
can't really comment on whether the cover of "All Fucked Up"
does it justice or not, so I'll leave it for someone in the
know to make that call. The final track "Home Of The Brave"
has some slow breakdowns where the tempo changes are welcome
and add something different to their high speed norm, and it
reminds me a little of S.O.D., which isn't a bad thing.
www.myspace.com/swornenemy
| www.centurymedia.com |
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