|
|
|
|
|
Blaze Bayley - The Night That Will
Not Die (Blaze Bayley Recordings) Review by Steve Green |
 |
I have nothing but the utmost respect for Blaze Bayley. My interest in
Iron Maiden (at the time) was already on the wane by the time Blaze
joined their ranks, so I've never really taken the time to discover
those albums (although The Clansman is my favourite song from that era),
but you gotta give him full marks for having the balls to even think
about replacing Bruce. And to comeback after the death of a loved one,
in this case Blaze's wife and manager, Debbie, and throw yourself into
your music, well, it's a humbling experience for a music fan. I know I
couldn't do what Blaze has done.
Tackling Blaze's music, well, most of it is new to me. I saw him live
supporting Rose
|
Tattoo in London about 7 or 8 years ago and although the
music didn't blow me away, his performance as a frontman was
out of this world. And the same thoughts apply to this
double live album. The way he interacts with the audience is
first rate and a lot of the music is of a similar nature,
particularly the superb, The Man Who Would Not Die and the
equally fantastic Voices From The Past.
Amongst the 21 songs on offer are 4 from his time in Maiden, which the
kids were in approval of, with Futureal getting the thumbs up
immediately from the brats as soon as they heard it. But for me, it's
his own material that's made me a fan of the man/band. It's good honest
Metal, obviously inspired from by certain UK band, but who cares. The
songs from Iron Maiden, Blaze (the band) and Blaze Bayley (solo) are all
of a similar nature, with the increase of the crowd noise signalling
which songs are from X Factor and Virtual X1 being the main difference.
I'm sure fans of Blaze will snap this album up and for newbies like
myself, it's a really good introduction to Blaze, and I'm sure I'll be
taking the kids along to see him on his UK tour early next year... and
this time I'll be going as a fan.
www.blazebayley.net/
|
| |
|
Clamath - Last Exit To Damnation
(demo) Review by Steve Earles |
 |
Well played sincere modern metal in the vein of At the
Gates, Pantera, The Haunted and Lamb of God. ‘State of Total
Awareness’ has the same primal fury as At The Gates, ‘The
Blackest Nightmare does indeed have a Dimebag-inspired
groove. ‘Ground Breaks’ does indeed bring to mind The
Haunted. It’s on the title track that Clamath display their
own identity and on future recordings it would pay for them
to do more of this. A promising demo from a promising band.
www.myspace.com/clamath1
|
| |
|
Construcdead - Endless Echo (Black Lodge) Review by Marco Gaminara |
 |
I'll be the first to admit that sometimes too much of a good
thing can diminish your enjoyment in the end. The context of
the statement is more aimed at having to take every new CD I
get apart and write something about it, this is probably the
main reason reviews start becoming harder to write and
possibly a little lacklustre. But then something like this
comes along and you once again know why you started doing
all this. Now Construcdead have gone through many line-up
changes since they started as a side project of some of the
best Swedish bands, and they have kept up the intensity with
all the required melody to make this a great album. From the
opening salvo of the anything but sleepy "Sedated |
|
Morning" this quintet kick you out of bed and don't relent.
I guess everyone has their own definition of a safe place
and "My Haven" sounds anything but. The title track "Endless
Echoes" has harmonic clean vocals for the first time and add
a new depth to the song which the shouted ones wouldn't be
able to accomplish as effectively. A good solid bass riff by
Thomas Wallander flows through "A Goddess Breaches Through Me"
which is a thing of "Disfigured Beauty" with its chunkier
guitar riffs. I have to mention "Mephisto", if you know me
you'll know why, but also because I really enjoy the way
Jens Broman swaps between ultra melodic and shouted vocals
in juxtaposition to the music thereby adding emphasises to
Nicke Karlsson's blasting and kick drum assault. Christian
Ericson and Rickard Dahlberg literally litter "No Exit" with
lead breaks and squeals at every opportunity, making the
song even faster than it would be with riffs alone.
"Transfixed" has this undercurrent of anger prevalent in
both the vocals and swift rhythm changes that leave your
head spinning. Feeling somewhat slower, even though that's
not really the case, "Tragic Kingdom" has triplet after
triplet flay you 'til the soothing chorus melody makes the
pain go away, and once they up the tempo again it's like
salt in the wounds. The lingering leads over the slower
guitar rhythms on the outro to "Spiritual Shift" work well
into the intro of "The One Beside Me" with it's steady
rhythm, while the final track "Cataclysm" is fast and
furious and a fitting end to a really great album that works
very well through it's ebbing and flowing songs.
www.Construcdead.com
| www.blacklodge.se |
| |
|
Deus Ex Machina - I, Human
(self release)
Review By Steve Earles |
 |
‘Deus Ex Machina’ means ‘the ghost in the machine’, and
thus, gives the listener a titular clue that we are the same
cyber-metal territory once covered by Fear Factory. Deus Ex
Machina hail from Singapore and their geographical location
has given them a nice original edge. Take the second track
‘The Mask’, powerful and melodic, somewhat inspired by
Meshuggah. ‘Replicant’ despite its title has a more
traditional metal riff, and a profound Death influence too.
Inspired by Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, both book and film,
this album is an impressive well-packaged project, the
samples and crystal clear production enhancing the listening
experience. |
| A fine, sincere, well played album, full of genuine songs.
I’d like to see Deus Ex Machina play some gigs away from
Singapore, as there would be quite an audience for them in
Europe.
www.myspace.com/demsg |
| |
|
Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome (Sensory Records) review by Sam
Thomas |
 |
Despite the name, Leprous are (as far as I can judge) a
collection of five nice young chaps from Notodden, Norway.
Notodden is the home of Ihsahn (Emperor etc), so it may not
be that big a surprise to know that they are to be found as
his session band. However, I wouldn’t start comparing them
to Emperor, in fact, it’s quite difficult to know who to
compare them to.
Eventually, I started to think of Swedish bands, early Opeth
in particular, with possibly a vocal style more akin to
Katatonia (or maybe even The Old Dead Tree). And now that
I’m mentioning matters arboreal, why not chuck in Porcupine
Tree as well? |
From all the following, you may well deduce a delicacy of
touch, a distinct tendency towards intricate, evolving
patterns that drift and spiral like incense before fading
away... But there’s also a catchiness to this album and a
suggestion of far greater maturity than might be expected
for a bunch of guys who are only on their second album and
whose ages range from 18-23. Then again, how old was Ihsahn
when he started out? Exactly.
Third track “Dare You” sounds so incredibly like Opeth’s
early work (think “Morningrise” maybe) that it’s really
uncanny when it morphs into a completely different sound
(slightly distorted guitars) and almost becomes a metal
version of jazz (obviously not quite making it: I really,
really do not get jazz) but then thankfully decides to be
something which is more proggy in nature, but with an
insistent drumbeat that doesn’t belong in prog… Oh well, you
get the general idea. Difficult to describe, but very
catchy. Innovative, but never just for the sake of it. And
above all, superlatively talented. And possibly the best
thing of all? The info that came with the CD mentioned Van
der Graaf Generator, who I haven’t listened to for years, so
I’m now going to dig out my copy of “Still Life”.
Seriously, this is an excellent album. If you aren’t afraid
of owning music that crosses genres, this is probably going
to be the most original album you could buy this year. It
drips quality with every twist and turn, and is simply a
must-listen.
www.myspace.com/leprousband
|
| |
|
Resurrecturis - Non Voglio Morire
(Casket Productions)
Reviewed by Steve Earles |
 |
Highly impressive death metal from Italy, boasting an
impressive production and genuinely well constructed songs.
Band mainman Carlo Strappa is not only a fine guitarist
(something in vein of the late lamented Chuck from Death)
but writes in a powerful autobiographical style avoiding the
usual death metal clichés.
It also has to be said that this CD is magnificently
packaged to match its music, featuring incredible paintings
from Samuel Santi, a 12-page booklet and a DVD.
Challenging well-crafted metal for challenging times. A true
work of art from a true artist
www.resurrecturis.com
| www.coprorecords.co.uk |
| |
|
Slasher - Broken Faith EP
(Self Release) Review by Steve Green |
 |
This is a very cool 4 track EP from Brazil. This is a brilliantly produced
4 tracker, kind of in the vein of Slayer and The Haunted. So molten Thrash with a
hint of Hardcore is the order of the day here.
And despite this being a debut release, the quality of the songs on
offer, as well as the skilled musicianship and superior production, make
it
obvious this release has been put together by experienced musicians,
with the band forming from a number of local bands, including Executor,
who hail from the late 80s and have 3 albums and a number of demos under
their belts. |
| My only complaint? Well, with the 4 tracks flying by in just under 14
minutes, there's no enough music here to keep the listener happy. But at
least it whets your appetite for a full length release in the future.
www.myspace.com/bandaslasher
|
| |
|
Toxik Society - Living Kufeso
(Self Release) Review by Steve Green |
 |
Ever wondered what Kill 'Em All would have sounded like if Dave Mustaine
and say one of the more high-pitched singers of the time, maybe Bobby
"Blitz" Ellsworth had control of the vocals? If you've suffered many
sleepless nights over the subject, your torment is at an end as Spanish
Thrashers Toxik Society have created the answer.
The tone on this 3 tracker is set very much in the early to mid 80s and
if you've never moved away from that era, then this release is for you.
Not exactly original, but good fun nonetheless.
www.myspace.com/toxiksociety |
| |
|
Vielikan - Emotional Void
(Self Release) Review by Steve Green |
 |
Vielikan are from Tunisia and this 3 track demo is a real underground gem.
Ignoring the basic, but perfectly adequate, home production, which takes
you back to the mid-90s, this is a fantastic piece of old school
Death/Doom, or at least it's something resembling the style. The overall
feel is a little depressing, but, as with a lot of Doom, I find the
music wonderfully uplifting. Of the 3 tracks on offer, the upbeat 11
minute epic, Black Marsh, steals the show for me and it also showcases
the bands progressive elements in all their glory.
This is the sort of release that I love to discover as the band are
obviously doing this |
|
because of their love of Metal. If I had the money, I'd
release the bands album myself, but as it stands, the band
are looking for a deal and I hope someone comes forward and
takes a chance on these guys. This EP is available for free
via the bands Myspace page.
www.myspace.com/vielikan
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
