Six albums for Halloween

I actually took off from work today so I could do stuff with my kids. However if I could dedicate my Halloween to just listening to music and needed six albums to make up my day then here are the ones I would choose and the playing order.

1)Iron Maiden-The number of the beast
My favorite Maiden album and one of their darker albums as well.

2)Black Sabbath-Vol. 4
Any of the first six Sabbath albums would work here, but for today I'll go with this one. One of if not their heaviest.

3)Electric Wizard-Come my fanatics
A big does of crazy slow, fuzzed out doom.

4)Misfits-Walk among us
A fun blast and I think it was the Misfits at their peak.

5)King Diamond-The Eye
Any of the King's first five might do, but I always took to this one a lot.

6)Slayer-Reign in blood
I would end the Halloween on a strong blast from Slayer.

***Feel free to add your own picks.

Enforcer-Into the night

Heavy Artillery
2008

The first time I heard Enforcer was last year on the "Speed kills...again" compilation on which they contributed two songs. They were signed to Heavy Artillery records and their debut was actually towards the top of my list of releases that I was most looking forward to in 2008. The opener "Black Angel" comes pounding on like early Exciter only with slightly higher vocals. Right away I know that I am going to love this album. "Mistress from hell" is on next and this is more like Raven's first few albums which is refreshing change as not enough bands acknowledge their influence on thrash. After that the influences go back and forth including a huge dose of early Iron Maiden, more Exciter, Kill 'em all era Metallica, Savage Grace and probably a few NWOBHM bands as well. One of my favorite tracks is the instrumental "City Lights" which begins like something from Iron Maiden's "Killers" and then halfway through switches to be more like something from "Piece of mind". Much of this album sounds like it could have come right out of 1983 with the blend of NWOBHM influences and early thrash bands. However, Enforcer are more than just a time capsule because they do blend styles and bring a smoothness and energy to their style. They have their own ideas and they how to weave those ideas in with their influences. This results in a spectacular blend of some of the best styles of metal's past coming together. Many of today's retro-thrash acts look only to the sounds of about 1986 and later, but Enforcer dig into the roots of the genre which happened earlier than that. I think one of my favorite aspects of this album is just their unbridled fire as they just plunge ahead and go. Personally my only complaint is that I had to wait until now for this to come out because I think originally they thought it would be out a few months ago. I will say the vocals are higher than many typical thrash bands and I think they work fine, but I can see some thrash purists not being big on them. This is a fantastic release that captures the sound and spirit of some of my favorite sounds in metal.

http://www.myspace.com/enforcerswe

Armored Assassin interview

Armored Assassin are from southern California and play old style thrash. They released their album "Damaged Youth" earlier this year. I recently had the chance to interview them and learn more.

Hello, please introduce the members of your band and tell what instrument everyone plays.

Josh Abrams - Vocals lead guitar
Justin LaPlante - Lead guitar and back up vocals
Daniel Thompson - Bass
Marc Carr - Drums

Tell us a little about the history of your band.

Josh had originally formed a band called "Plague Marine" with other musicians. In 2005 Justin joined and Marc soon followed to replace members that weren't working out. Unhappy with the band name, we went to work and decided on Armored Assassin. Daniel joined in 2007 after our former bassist quit.

Who are your musical influences?
D.R.I, Death, Razor, Possessed, Tankard, Exumer, Testament, Exodus, Attitude Adjustment as well as many others.

How is that you guys got into so many bands whose peak was like twenty or more years ago?

It is the style of music we like to listen to, therefore it is what we like to play.

I have been going through Myspace pages and seeing all these band’s friends and fliers that let me know there are a lot of bands in southern California playing old style thrash. How competitive is the scene where you are at?

It is very competitive here as far as getting shows. However, we have found that true thrash bands, that are in it for the music, don't really compete. We are supportive of one another and try to include those bands when we are able. Venues here are not very supportive of the style of music, so when you find one that is, you tend to stick to it. We are just more selective about how many shows we play so that we allow ourselves time to write new music in between.



What do you think that you are doing that is going to get you noticed?

Playing shows, selling the CD world wide and talking with fans on myspace and at shows.

In what areas do you think that your band needs to improve?

We feel at this point that there is room for improvement in all areas, and always will be. We don't have a need to be perfect, we just want to be heard and have fans enjoy the music.

You self-released your “Damaged Youth” album this year. What was the recording experience like? What has been the response to the album so far?

It was a long process. We layed down 10 tracks in 5 days. There was not a lot of room for error because we had the music to record, but money was tight. We had a great time, it was interesting and fun. We think for all we did in that time period, the album was decent. We have done really well with the CD both in the U.S and abroad.

Have you any interest from any record labels yet? How important is it to you to get signed at this point?

We wanted to be signed a while back, however we play with bands who have labels and it seems to us that unless we get a deal where they can actually help us, we don't need it. We sell our CD to distributors overseas and we sell it on myspace. There doesn't seem to be a lot of support from the labels, other than attaching a name to your band.



What are some of the best clubs that you played at so far? What’s so good about them?
Black Castle is the best to the bands. ITs a very relaxed venue and the promoter, Chris - Hate War Productions works hard to keep the scene alive. Knitting Factory and Safari Sams are both good venues for crowds. Church of the 8th Day - Dan Dismal, he has been good to us as a band, and we like playing those venues with him as the promoter.Who have you opened for so far?We have opened for Agent Steel, Heathen, Fueled by Fire, Detente, Merciless Death, M.O.D and many other local bands.

Who would you love to open for?

Tankard, Sodom, Destruction, so many would be cool.

What would be your response be to someone who said that “the young thrash bands of today are not doing anything that wasn’t already accomplished by bands in the 1980’s”?

It isn't about accomplishing anything, it is about music and playing Thrash to keep Thrash alive. This isn't about becoming a rock star, its about doing what makes you happy, and pleasing the fans.



We are rapidly getting towards the end of 2008 so what do you are some of the best albums that you have heard this year?

Mantic Ritual (formerly Meltdown), definetly came out with a kick ass album "Executioner", Merciless Death's "Realm of Terror", Bonded by Blood's "Feed the Beast".

Pick the band from each of the following pairs that you prefer and tell why you picked them.

Dark Angel, Nuclear Assault, Violent Force, Exodus

Death Angel or Dark Angel
Nuclear Assault or Overkill
Kreator or Violent Force
Exodus or Megadeth

Is there anything else that you would like to say about your music or your band?

Thanks to the fans who have supported us for the past years. Without maniacs like them, the scene would just wither away...Thanks to the supportive bands that have helped us further our music and the promoters who know our music and put us out there to be noticed!


http://www.myspace.com/armoredassassin

Closer-A darker kind of salvation

Pulverized
2008

At the end of 2005 Closer rose from the ashes of Withered, they left previous setbacks behind and decided to make a fresh start under a new name. The style used here is heavy, technical music with a mix of thrash, death, black metal and even modern metal sounds. The playing is sharp and the vocals manage to be both smooth and aggressive depending on what is needed. The pace flows nicely and they do an admirable job of blending several sounds together. Yet despite all of that I just couldn't get into the album for some reason. I went back and listened again in attempt to figure it out. The technical ability is there and the production is slick, but there just were not enough hooks to really make this album special. I can't deny that the playing is well done, but the energy level is more restrained than it needed to be. I think they would begin to get into some groove oriented parts, but then they would move on too quickly. I think they more concerned with diversity than they were with building momentum. While that's certainly their prerogative it didn't help the overall feel of the album as much as it could have. They do alright at conveying emotion but again I think they were more concerned with the technical side and that's what came across first. "A darker kind of salvation" is a decent outing, but it lacks in the areas that would cause me to want to listen to it repeatedly.

Clash of the album covers

Here you go, it is...



Halloween's Horror Fire

vs.



Hallows Eve-Tales of terror

***So which cover do you prefer?

Enforcer interview

Enforcer hail from Sweden and play a style of metal that is heavily influenced by both NWOBHM and early thrash. I recently got to interview vocalist Olof Wikstrand to find out more.

Hello, please introduce the members of your band and tell what instrument everyone plays.
Enforcer are:

Olof Wikstrand - Vocals

Tobias Lindqvist - Bass

Jonas Wikstrand - Drums

Joseph Tholl - Guitars

Adam Zaars - Guitars


Tell us a little about the history of your band.

Enforcer has been the band it is known as today since the fall of 2006. But it started about a year earlier. As you might know ENFORCER started as a one man band. I recorded some songs I’ve had in mind for a couple of years and put it out on the internet. The interest seemed huge and soon I was offered to make a 7” single and I was also offered to make a few gigs. I called on my good friend, Adam, and my brother Jonas, to help me perform live. We continued as a full band since that time and after a few line-up changes we are the band we are today. Sometime in 2007 we were offered to make a full length album and we spent the entire following winter to record it. The album is called “INTO THE NIGHT” and it is scheduled for a worldwide release November 18th.


Who are your musical influences?

We’re mostly influenced by 70s and 80s heavy metal bands like VENOM, IRON MAIDEN, DIAMOND HEAD, JUDAS PRIEST, ANGEL WITCH and such bands. We’re doing the same thing, just slightly faster.



You guys look and sound like it’s about 1984. How did you come to get into a style that peaked twenty some years ago?

Well, I guess we started out our metal carrier like any other kid, you know, listening to the big bands like IRON MAIDEN, METALLICA and such bands. But apart from most other kids who stop there, I grew a genuine interest for the music and started to explore what was beyond those bands. I searched for contemporary bands and bands that influenced these bands. I cannot understand why all these big bands can sell hundreds of thousands of tickets while for e.g. Angel Witch never would be able to pull a crowd of more than 500. It kind of scares me that people seem to stop by the big ones and their hits and not explore heavy metal any deeper.


How did you manage to get signed by Heavy Artillery?

We contributed on their compilation CD/LP ”Speed Kills.. Again” and then we just continued our cooperation.

How has your relationship with them gone so far?

It’s been great. They have really helped us a lot and we will release at least one more album together with them.

Tell us a little about your album “Into the night”.

It is basically songs in the same style as the earlier releases. We have re-recorded songs like BLACK ANGEL, EVIL ATTACKER and MISTRESS FROM HELL because we want people who don’t collect tapes and vinyls should get a chance to hear those songs too. Except from that you can expect a broader album. We have songs leaning both towards straight NWOBHM and other towards speed metal. But the concentration is still the mixture.

Wasn’t the album or the recording delayed at some point? If so then why?

It wasn’t really delayed; we were at some point just too optimistic with the recording sessions. We’ve put down almost 6 months on the recording of this one and we didn’t really expect that from the beginning!

In what areas do you think that your band needs to improve?

Of course we don’t need to improve anything musically or our stylewise. But sure, lately we’ve been more aware of improve what we say to media and the way we move on stage. We’ve worked with layouts and prints a lot too.



What are some of the best clubs that you played at so far? What’s so good about them?

That’s really hard to say. We’ve had great times both on small illegal clubs with friends and serious clubs. Even though it’s more comfortable on bigger clubs and venues, the crowd almost always lacks in that kind of places. It just doesn’t come as many people to those places as the smaller and the crowd don’t get crazy enough.

Who have you opened for so far?

We haven’t played as opening act to any big band or so yet. Most often we play with other bands in the same size as us.

Who would you love to open for?

IRON MAIDEN

What would be your response be to someone who said that “the young thrash bands of today are not doing anything that wasn’t already accomplished by bands in the 1980’s”?

I’d agree with him.



We are rapidly getting towards the end of 2008 so what do you are some of the best albums that you have heard this year

I listen to good albums everyday, but if you mean albums of 2008 I’d say the CAST IRON EP and PORTRAIT’s debut. If late 2007 counts, I’ll add NIFELHEIM – ENVOY OF LUCIFER.

Pick the band from each of the following pairs that you prefer and tell why you picked them.

Saxon or Tank

SAXON anytime. Haven’t listened too much on TANK while SAXON is one of my favourite bands ever.

Raven or Venom

VENOM easily. RAVEN have their good moment, but I don’t like their style and outfit. Stuff like that doesn’t really belong in heavy metal. It just makes the whole band feel unserious together with their too rockish type of heavy metal. VENOM on the other hand have everything. Evil, music, attitude and over the top songs.

Exciter or Metallica

EXCITER. I can’t really deny the impact the first METALLICA record has on me, but after that they messed it up totally. KILL ‘EM ALL is among the best albums ever, but so is VIOLENCE AND FORCE. But the difference is that EXCITER released albums that is just as good as VIOLENCE AND FORCE both after and before it.

Iron Maiden or Judas Priest

Pass

Is there anything else that you would like to say about your music or your band?

Heavy metal is alive. Spread the word.

http://www.myspace.com/enforcerswe


***I'll be reviewing Enforcer's "Into the night" album on Halloween.

Defiance-Void terra firma

Metal Mind
1990/2008



The Bay Area thrash scene was so active once upon a time about twenty years ago. It was a very crowded scene that a few bands emerge while others didn' t get the same amount of notice. Defiance probably some for two major reasons, one being that their debut didn't come out until 1989 when thrash was already in full swing. The second is that they sounded a lot like Testament. While that is a good sound to have, Testament had already established themselves and thus Defiance had some trouble coming up with an identity of their own. However that doesn't erase the fact that Defiance were a fine thrash band. By their second album they had obviously loosed up a little as they change the tempo and go beyond the very basic rout of their debut. The playing level is certainly more efficient this time around and they are more consistent. I am not sure that's necessarily heavier though and although this album is good they would benefited from increasing the heaviness level and there. Defiance are a fine example of Bay area thrash and they improved during their all too short first run. I actually like them better now than I did back in the late 1980's/early 1990's. I think that is because their material has aged nicely which isn't something I can say about every thrash band from back then. Metal Mind does a splendid job with the re-issue as this one includes bonus tracks and a lyrics booklet.

Halloween album covers

To celebrate the upcoming holiday we will be posting Halloween and horror related album covers over at "Whole lotta album covers".
http://albumcovers.toomanyvoices.com/blog.html
It actually started yesterday and there will be a post per day through to Halloween. So hop over there and take a look.

Tank-Power of the hunter

Metal Mind
1982/2008


The legendary New Wave of British Heavy Metal (or NWOBHM) was a movement saw a huge amount of bands pouring out around the same time. The results were generally great for fans because they had so many delightful and thrilling new sounds emerging all at once. So there were lots of choices and really a lot of material and ideas to try and soak in. Unfortunately for many of the bands there would ultimately be room for only a few of these bands to go on to greener pastures. So that meant that a number bands never received the accolades that they had hoped for. Tank would fall in this category as they had the firepower and the grit right from the start. "Power of the hunter" is their sophomore release and it was actually released the same year as their debut "Filth hounds from Hades". Tank were often compared to Motorhead and that is a fairly safe comparison. I would say pre-"Ace of spades" Motorhead would be more accurate as Tank are as much rough as they are heavy. On this album I also some early KISS as well, I think it's the raw sound and how each riff is punctuated that has me drawing that comparison. Tank also had strong groove going in the early days and that's apparent on tracks like "Walking barefoot over glass" and "Pure Hatred". The production is rough and I am sure that their sound actually benefits from the slightly fuzzy sound as it gives them a certain edge. I think this is certainly one of their better albums because the attitude and the focus is still very much intact. Metal Mind's re-issue includes three bonus tracks and a lyric booklet. It had been a long time since I last heard this album. I would not say that I could listen to every week, but Tank certainly made their contribution to the NWOBHM scene.

Cryonics-E=MCthrash

2008
Self-produced demo



One glance at the cover of plus the title had me persuaded that I needed to hear it. These guys hail may from Murrieta, California, but they sound much more like East Coast thrash bands from about 20 years ago. I hear some Anthrax, Nuclear Assault and some M.O.D. particularly in the vocal style. I do not know if it was momentum or saving their best for last, but their five song demo gets better as they go along. "Plunge to comatose", "Embrace the Evel" and "Toxic Avenger" are all simple, but tight forays of thrash. They have a sense of humor and that comes across instantly On the fourth song "Paranormal Infestation" they stretch out more change up the tempo more. It's also heavier than the three previous tracks and I was pleased to hear that. They wrap up the disc with the title track which is the longest and easily the best track on the album. The band dig into this song and have the pace changes, aggression and timing all working to their favor on this track. So the positives about this demo is that they are fairly tight, the vocals and some of their influences are different from many of the other retro-thrash acts plus they have a lot of energy and a fine sense of humor. That is a very strong foundation that they have to build on. The problems are the production and some lack of creativity. The sound is okay for a demo, but the guitar is way to far behind the drums and the vocals. I had to adjust the settings on my stereo to hear it like I wanted to. The other problem was that although decent the first three songs could have used more variation. I liked them, but if this had just included those three tracks then I would have passed them off as just another alright thrash band. However the final two tracks show much more promise and the result is that Cryonic shows some real potential and they have a few things they need to work on.


http://www.myspace.com/cryonicsthrash

What's coming up?

I took in some more horror films this week including Friday the 13th part 2 (yay), Jason X (ewww), Targets (brilliant) and Dracula's Daughter (good). Jason X looks they took a cast for a bad teen soap opera show then stuck them into a third rate futuristic setting with some flashy gear. Then they toss Jason in, but of course people from the future are just as stupid as our time because they thaw Jason out and he's go on another killing spree. Then once they chop him up, they fail to dispose of the body and he regenerates parts and becomes an even bigger, stronger killing machine. I get the impression that the writers thought up this one after a weekend of drinking and watching Friday the 13th movies, Alien and some Lost in Space episodes. Here is what I hope to have out this week.


Reviews of...
Santana-Multi-dimensional warrior
Enforcer-Into the night (likely on Halloween because it's really good)
Cryonics-E=MCthrash
Defiance-Void Terra Firma
Tank-Power of the hunter
Closer-A darker kind of salvation
and maybe one more.

Interviews with...
Enforcer
Armored Assassin

Plus a Halloween themed Clash of the album covers

***Have a great week!

Call to preserve-From isolation

Facedown
2008

Florida’s Call to preserve play a heavy brand of hardcore that at times resembles classic hardcore more than today’s hardcore or metal core. It is certainly more in the hardcore camp, but heavy enough to appeal to some metal fans as well. This is a very short album because eight of the thirteen tracks clock in at less than three minutes each. They go straight to the point though as most songs launch right in. The vocals have fewer growls than some of their peers and that helps in being able to hear and understand the message that this Christian hardcore band is trying to get across. However I think that they are more creative lyrically than they are musically. About four or five songs in it dawns on me that they seem to be running out of ideas. Not that the music is bad because in fact it is decent and their spirit is strong. Still they lack variation in their music and that fact becomes evident and on the second half of the album they seem to just be trying to hold on until time runs out. This is a shame because the vocals and lyrics are solid, but people are going to have trouble focusing if the music doesn’t do enough to keep their attention. I heard enough potential to believe that they have the playing ability to do more. They just need to work harder in the writing department.

Interview with Toxic

Toxic hail from Norway and just released a strikingly solid album called "Fear". I recently interviewed the band to find out more.

Please introduce your band members and tell what instrument you play.
Trash Hamer: Vocals, Guitar
Geir Ove Bernhoff: Guitars, Vocals
Daffy: Guitars
Rolf Lura: Bass, Organ, Cello and Double Bass
Kristian Moen: Drums

Tell us a little about the history of your band.
Toxic was founded back in May 2003.
We soon started to make our own songs.We released our debute album "Intoxicated", and made a video called "Chronos" that was broadcasted on several TV stations all over the world. It also recieved a Gold Medal in the Euro Film Festival. Toxic was signed by the UK based label "Rocksector in the spring of 2008.Their second album "Fear" was released in September 2008. This album have already received several good reviews, and the songs from that album is spinning on several radio stations around the world. So now Toxic are planning aq lot of gigs and tours, starting with a 2 week tour in the UK in October.

Who are your musical influences?
We are infuenced by band from the 70's up to today. Some bands that I would like to mention are:Led Zeppelin, System of Down, Queen, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest + many more.

I enjoyed your album “Fear”, but it took me a few tries to really get into it. How would you describe your music?
Yes, I have heard several people say that, and they've also said this: Once you'd got Toxic's CD spinning a few times, it's hard to put it away. The album is very exiting. It has a lot of variation, both from song to song and within the same song.It also has both soft beautiful parts, and really heavy ones. So it's something for any one with a taste for rock music.But there are several "straight in your face" songs on the album, that catches you immidiately. You won't get bored.

How did you come to get signed by Rocksector records? How has that relationship gone so far?
We spotted Rocksector, when we were out surfing on MySpace, looking for someone to help us booking a UK tour last year. Rocksector has done a splendid job for us.It's not so very easy to find someone to trust 100%, in this cruel business.

What are some of the songs on your album about?
Toxic do not have those "love and kiss" lyrics. The lyrics often trying to point a finger on things thatare negative in the world, like greediness and unfairness. Both the song "Greed", "Every Beating is a Lie" and "Feed my Bitch" are made with such lyrics.



Where do you get the topics for your songs?
Both from reading a lot, and from experiences in the every day life.

What are some your favorite tracks on your album? Why?
Lucifer: It's got an unique and stunning riff, and also a mystifying and diabolic part with organ and cool singing. I am the Fire: Straight in your face kick ass rock'n'roll
Tinnitus: A interesting song including a various number of cool themes. Such as Norwegian folk music,and some beautiful cello playing.



What is the music scene like in your part of Norway? Is it fairly active or not?
There is a lot of bands here in Stavanger/Norway, but the live scene ain't that good. Everyone sits on their own shelf, there ain't any cooperating at all.

Are there any great unsigned bands in your area that you would like to mention?
I would like to mention a band called "12", they're cool: http://www.myspace.com/nr12nr

You have a number of dates set up in the UK for October. Have you ever played in the UK before? What are your expectations about these dates?
We did a 8 day tour in the UK last year. The rock scene in England is much better than the Norwegian one. Our tour manager have found some good venues, and announced our tour in several medias. So I hope that there will be a good crowd turning up on our gigs.

Will you be playing in Europe or anywhere else in upcoming months?
After our upcoming 2 week UK tour in October, we're gonna do some gigs here in Norway.We also have several good contacts in the USA, that are trying to sort out an US tour for us. So, we're hoping to do a US tour next year.



What are you doing that sets your band apart from other bands playing the scene these days?I've heard from several people that we've managed to make our own unique sound. You can of course hear influences from other bands in our music, but still we have something special. We're combining melodical soft partieswith hard and groovy ones.

In what aspects do you think that need or would like to improve upon?
We'll need to get out and do a whole lotta gigs, to show the world who Toxic are.

If you could only listen to three albums over the next month then what would you pick and why?System of a Down: Any album. Their album just grows for every spin Judas Priest: Sad Wings of destiny. It's their second album and the're still got their feet on the ground.+Rob Halford sings like a God.Queen: Queen 2. It's their second album and the're still got their feet on the ground.+Freddy Mercury sings like a God.

Is there anything else that you would like to say about your band or your music?Check out our MySpace, it's worth it: www.myspace.com/toxicnorway

Artillery-Terror Squad

Metal Mind
1987/2008


When Denmark’s Artillery released their debut “Fear of tomorrow” in 1985 they were actually well ahead of the majority thrash bands of the time. They had their direction planned out plus they knew how to blend speed and heaviness into a veritable assault. Unfortunately they were slightly overlooked and the production on the debut could have been better, but it was still a classic thrash album. By 1987 the thrash scene was changing because the number of bands playing the style had multiplied a lot over just two years. Still Artillery got even better despite not getting their due. On Terror Squad they attack their material with an even greater ferocity than on the debut. If anything they are even heavier and louder plus even a little more confident. The production was certainly better this time around and that only helps with overall effect. Artillery should have been one of the leaders of the scene because they had everything together while other bands were still trying to figure it out. In my book this is a must hear album due to the thoroughly aggressive approach and the ease with which they just peel off the rapid fire bursts. There is no doubt than they had their share of influence on other bands as well. This re-issue includes eight bonus tracks including demos of “Terror Squad” and some early tracks with Carsten Lohmann handling the vocals. The quality on the bonus tracks varies from okay down to rough, but bonus tracks are always welcome. This is a true thrash masterpiece that has held up very well for being twenty-one years old.

H.M.P. - The Undead Hour

Self Produced
2008

H.M.P. or Heavy Metal Poetry hail from Seattle and obviously very well versed in classic style thrash. They released a full length album back in 2007 and have since followed it up with this three track EP. Since there are only three songs I will break them down individually. The opener “Torn” comes busting out of the gates with a sound that is very much like mid-80’s Slayer only with an even thicker sound at times. The guitar solo reminds more of the blazing style used by Metallica in their early days. H.M.P. approaches this song similar to a sprinter in that they launch into one fast flying burst of adrenaline. Up next is “The Undead Hour” which continues the frantic pace established in “Torn”. I heard more of an early Testament influence on this although again definitely heavier. The vocals are even more powerful this time around and the drums are tearing it up like crazy as they storm ahead. Wrapping up this album is “The Pharoah’s Curse” which is the longest track on the album as it clocks in 5:22. This song had me fooled because it started out very basic and actually remained that way for a while. Then a little before the half-way point it just busts out and plunges forward with a full head of steam. It turned out to be the most complex song on the album as well. My only complaint about this disc is that the songs tend to run together because they do not seem to know to draw the songs to an end. That is minor though because this is a great dose of frantic, head banging thrash with a good amount more power and emotion behind it. Certainly an up and coming band that is worth checking out.

http://www.myspace.com/hmpband

Clash of the album covers

Here you go, it is...



ELF-s/t


vs.



Pentagram-Show 'em how

****Which cover do you prefer?

Guillotine-Blood Money

Pulverized
2008

Guillotine were originally formed back in the mid-1990’s by Nocturnal Rites members Fredrik Mannberg and Nils Eriksson who wanted an outlet to play material that reminded them of the thrash that they grew up with. The project originally began as a two piece going by the moniker of Holocaust. However the band soon became Guillotine, a demo was recorded and eventually the full length “Under the Guillotine” was released in 1997. However Mannberg and Eriksson soon went back to their main band and Guillotine were put on the back burner. A decade later the band was revived and guitarist Daniel Sundborn and drummer Efraim Juntunen were recruited to round out the line-up. So that brings up the present and the band’s second release “Blood Money”. This release comes during a time when the thrash revival is and has been in full swing for some time. Guillotine are beyond most the up and coming bands attempting their hand at old style thrash. The reason is that this band is not trying to re-create the past, but instead they take the style and build it into a huge wall and then just go thundering ahead. The result is a very intense pounding assault on your senses as they churn out incredibly thick layered riffs with a battering ram like rhythm section behind them. There are easily traces of Slayer as well as a definite early 1990's Florida death metal sound as well. The key is that they build on their influences as they add and create an even heavier sound that rarely lets up. The vocals are strong and lean more towards a late 80's thrash sound rather than a death metal growl. Now admittedly it took Guillotine a few songs to get really warmed up on this disc. For a few songs they wander through an aggressive, but relatively simple style before really coming into their own. Then they settled in, began to manipulate and change up the pace and that is when they started to come into their own. This year has already seen more than it's share of old style thrash releases from bands all over the globe. Several plays of this disc had me convinced that Guillotine's Blood Money is one of the more impressive thrash releases of 2008.

http://www.myspace.com/guillotine2007

Ogre interview

Ogre hail from Portland, Maine and play some excellent doom with a influences from a number of clasic 1970's metal bands. I recently got to check in with them and find out more.


MM- Please introduce your band and tell what instrument you play.

WILL BROADBENT: Drums
ROSS MARKONISH: Guitar
ED CUNNINGHAM: Bass/vocals

MM-Tell us a little about the history of your band.

WILL: Ross and I were in a band before OGRE. We decided one day that the artsy stuff we were performing really wasn't us, so we decided to start a new group that would be closer to our hearts. We were both big fans of 70's rock and metal, and that's the kind of stuff that we wanted to play. We put an ad in a local paper, and Ed was the first person to reply. The chemistry was perfect, and we started writing songs. We put our stuff on the Internet, and we were able to generate a buzz. We eventually were signed by Leafhound Records from Japan. We've played lots of great shows all over, including a week long stint in Japan.

MM-Who are your musical influences?

WILL: Speaking for myself, I would say Sabbath, Deep Purple, early Van Halen, AC/DC, Maiden, Priest, Motorhead, and lots of obscure 70's rock and metal.

ROSS: Pretty much what Will said, but I'll add some doom to the list - Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Revelation are the big three for me. Cirith Ungol too. Above all, though, obscure 70s rock is where I'm coming from: Sir Lord Baltimore, Buffalo, Toad, and many many others that I won't bore you with right now.

ED: All of what Will said, some of what Ross said and I was also a huge fan of early Rush…prolly up to about Hemispheres.

ROSS: How could I forget about Rush? One of our biggest influences --- even though Will would like to ignore that fact.

MM-Your latest album “Plague of the planet” is one 37 minute song. Did you go into this knowing you were going to write one long song or did start as something else and just grow from there? What is the concept behind the song?

WILL: We knew going in that we wanted to do it as one song. I felt it was the natural next step for us, as the songs we were writing kept getting longer and longer.

ROSS: Interestingly enough, we started talking seriously about the "Epic" (as it was called long before it had a real title) right after we wrote and recorded a one-minute song for a compilation that a friend put together. We figured that, after writing our shortest song, we should go for our longest song. In my mind, this epic was originally going to be the third song in a trilogy about Colossus, a character in a couple of our songs, but it eventually mutated into a full-blown storyline incorporating not only Colossus but several other recurring characters from the OGRE songbook.

ED: We usually brainstorm and throw a lot of ideas (some incredibly stupid) around and come up with a framework we all like. Then I usually try to fit whatever’s on my mind at that point into the framework. I’d been thinking a lot about cars/driving lately and it was a challenge to meld that with the Ogre mythology.

MM-What was the recording process for the album like? Was it more or less difficult just doing one song?

WILL: I think it went surprisingly well. We played one take of it straight through from start to finish, and then we went back and re-cut the parts and fine tuned them so we were sure to get the best possible performances of each part. Maybe our great engineer Marc who cut it together would disagree, but I thought it was our smoothest recording experience thus far.

ROSS: That said, I would add that it was a bit nerve wracking, because we had to trust that all the different parts would flow seamlessly once we began the mixing process. It was sometimes hard to imagine the final product when we were cutting takes of single sections. Marc's editing expertise was essential here --- he really should be considered a fourth member of the band on this one!

ED: Yeah, Marc’s got it all over George Martin. It’s way cooler to be the 4th ogre than the 5th Beatle…Ha!

MM-So have you played this one live yet? If so then was it difficult to re-create? If not then will you attempt it at some point?

WILL: We've played it out a bunch of times as a whole, and I don't feel that it loses anything in a live setting. We might lose some of the flourishes of the recorded version, but we make up for it in raw rock energy (I think.) A lot of times we are just able to play just a chunk of it due to time constraints, and that's fun too.

ROSS: The very first time we played it live was a bit of a disaster because Ed's bass amp crapped out right in the middle of the song. Typically, that wouldn't be too much of a problem, but when it happens in the middle of a 37-minute track, it sort of ruins the flow! Since then, we've played it a bunch of times, and it's always fun. It certainly takes a lot of energy to sustain through the whole song, but it feels great when we are hitting that final chord. Best live version of "Plague"? Definitely the first night in Tokyo on our Japan tour, when Hideki from Church of Misery joined us on stage, playing synthesizer and percussion. This was one of the live highlights of my musical career!

ED: I think that WAS the highlight of my musical career…so far….



MM-I love the cover. Who drew it? Are any of your comic book fans?

WILL: I drew it, and yes, I'm a big comic fan. Other fans will probably see the influence of my hero Jack "King" Kirby with the cover artwork. Thanks for the complement!

ROSS: Will is too modest to mention this, but he drew 75% of that cover with a broken hand. And I know I'm biased here, but I think Will created one of the greatest album covers of all time with this one.

ED: yeah, you should see what else he can do with a broken hand.

ROSS: Ummm….next question, please.

MM-Do you use any vintage equipment or do anything special in the studio to help give your music an older or more 1970’s style sound?

WILL: This record was the first one in which I used my vintage Ludwig Vistalites from the 70's. I love them!

ROSS: I play a Gibson SG through a Laney amp, but none of it is vintage. I always hear about bands touting all their vintage equipment and analog this and that, but I don't think vintage necessarily translates into authentic. It's got a hell of a lot more to do with the feel of the performances and the songwriting. That said, I love Will's Vistalites too!

ED: 4001 black and white Rickenbacker…just like Geddy

MM-What are you currently working on?

ROSS: Um, not much right now. We haven't quite figured out where to go after "Plague..." but I'm sure we'll hit on something soon.

MM-Do you have any shows coming up soon?

WILL: I think we'll be taking some time off from live shows for a while.

ROSS: There's a chance (fingers crossed) that we could play a big show in 2009, but I don't want to say anything more for fear of jinxing our chances.

MM-What should someone who comes to see you live expect?

WILL: Raw, honest hard rock with lots of guitar solos!

ROSS: One thing I like about our discography is that it's pretty varied....We've got some straight up 70s riff rock, some chugging metal, some heavy doom. So, if we're in a certain mood or on a bill with certain types of bands, we can alter our set list accordingly. At the Doom or Be Doomed festivals, for example, we focused, naturally enough, on the doom side of our sound. In Portland, we tend to play our more up-tempo stuff, which usually gets the audience pretty pumped up. No matter what, though, it's going to be high energy and LOUD.

MM-Where do you get the inspiration for your song topics?

ROSS: I’ll let Ed take this one on.

ED: Well, like I said, it’s kinda what’s on my mind at the moment along with what we all talked about at the last practice. I’d been thinking a lot about cars (while I was driving) and their effect on the world. Then I found this cool story about how if you looked at the earth from space you might conclude that the automobile is the dominant life-form. Highways are like blood vessels and humans are parasites that live in these “iron cells” that flow through the veins…the highway system spreads and grows like cancer. Plus, I’ve been pretty down on religion as one of the major sources of problems in the world and wanted to know what it might be like to watch a mythology evolve. At the same time, I wanted to address the man vs. machine dichotomy and see what happened if they became one species….plus, the idea of giant robots fucking is pretty cool, too!



MM-This band has been around for almost a decade. How do you think that you have grown or progressed during that time?

WILL: Well, the longer you do something, the better you get at it, so I think we're a better band and better players then we were when we set out. I know that I don't have the same youthful energy that I did when we started, which I actually think is a good thing in terms of performing the music.

ROSS: I think our growth most clearly can be seen in two places: the studio and the live setting. I know that, personally, I used to be pretty timid on stage (probably stemming from years of gazing at my shoes in my prior band!), but now I can let loose and, at least, pretend that I'm some sort of rock god on stage (which is an absolutely ridiculous image for those who know me well). Similarly, I used to hate going into the studio and hearing every little mistake played back through headphones. Now, I think we're all a lot looser in the studio. Recording "Plague" was actually pretty fun!

MM-Are there areas where you think the band needs to improve or anything that you have yet do, but hope to accomplish at some point?

WILL: Sure, I'd love to write new music and do more stuff, but honestly, if we decided to break up tomorrow, I would feel completely fulfilled with all we've been able to do. For a band on our level, I'm really proud of our accomplishments. Anything else we do at this point would be gravy.

ROSS: Playing Japan pretty much was tops for me. It's gonna be hard to beat that experience, but as Will said, I would love to keep writing new music and playing gigs. It would be great to make it to Europe sometime in the near future.

ED: If we got the call to go to Europe or back to Japan, I’d drop what I was doing immediately. It was mind blowing over there.

MM-Obviously you like a number of older bands, pioneers in the field. What do you think of the metal/hard rock in general these days? What current bands do you like?

WILL: In terms of some of the newer bands, I like GRAND MAGUS, GATES OF SLUMBER, BIBLE OF THE DEVIL, TOURTURED SPIRIT, HOUR OF 13 and Phil Swanson's other bands. I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch, but those are the ones that immediately came to mind. There are also a bunch of groups in our hometown of Portland, ME that I'm really into: HATCHETFACE AND THE VIPERS, ELDEMUR KRIMM, BIG COFFIN HUNTERS, PIGBOAT, GHOSTHUNTER, OCEAN, CONIFER and a bunch of others. They're all on the Internet, so check 'em out!

ROSS: Ever since we played the first Doom or Be Doomed festival, it has pretty much been about the Maryland/DC/VA scene for me. John Brenner of AGAINST NATURE/REVELATION fame has become a real good friend of mine since then, and he continually inspires me with what he is able to accomplish with those bands and his label Bland Hand Records. Also, bands such as VALKYRIE, EARTHRIDE, and ORODRUIN are producing some of the best heavy music right now. And, of course, there are the two Japanese bands we played with on our tour: CHURCH OF MISERY (pretty much the heaviest band I've ever seen) and ETERNAL ELYSIUM (absolutely fantastic heavy-space-stoner-doom).

ED: This is kinda lame, but I don’t purposefully listen to much music anymore. It’s loud enough in my head. That being said, I’ve heard most of the above and there’s good stuff in all of it.


MM-Pick the band from each of the following pairs that you prefer and tell why you picked them.

Electric Wizard or Witchcraft
WILL: ELECTRIC WIZARD. One of the heaviest bands ever.

ROSS: I'll go with WITCHCRAFT, pretty much on the strength of their debut. I wasn't a fan of the 2nd album, but I've been digging THE ALCHEMIST. EW's first two albums are absolutely killer, but they lost me sometime after SUPERCOVEN. Sometimes, their songs just drone on for too long! (And, yes, I see the irony of that statement coming from someone who just put out a 37-minute song!)

Bang or Sir Lord Baltimore

WILL: SLB all the way! BANG is great, but pretty erratic. Nothing they ever did comes close to SIR LORD BALTIMORE's "Kingdom Come" album.

ROSS: I'm with Will on this one. "Kingdom Come" is one of my favorite albums of all time.

Cirith Ungol or Saint Vitus

WILL: Very tough, but I would have to give the edge to VITUS. They pretty much define doom metal for me.

ROSS: Goddamn you for this one! Still, it's gotta be VITUS, even though I've been on an UNGOL kick lately. VITUS = DOOM.

Black Sabbath or Pentagram

WILL: I love PENTAGRAM, but nothing will ever eclipse the influence that SABBATH has had on my life, so that's what my answer is!

ROSS: I may listen to PENTAGRAM more these days, but that's probably because every note of the entire Ozzy-era SABBATH catalog has been absorbed into each cell of my body. So, to answer your question: SABBATH, of course.

MM-Is there anything else that you would like to say about your band or your music?

ROSS: We're pretty proud of what we've been able to accomplish over the past 9 years, and most of it can be credited to those who support the underground metal scene. So, I'd just like to say thanks to all the websites, zines, blogs, radio stations, and fans around the world who have supported OGRE over the years.

WILL: Thanks for the support, Mark!
ED: Ditto, thanks man

http://www.myspace.com/ogre

Randy Piper's Animal-Virus

Locomotive
2008



Former WASP guitarist Randy Piper returns with his band's latest which was produced by the band's other guitarist Chris Laney. As the opener "Cardiac Arrest" comes barrelling on it's easy to see that Piper is still sticking to a similar style that WASP used way back in their early days. In fact a good portion of "Virus" contains a similar sound to "The Last Command" album and that is just fine with me. Vocalist Rich Lewis reminds me of a cross between Blackie Lawless and Ronnie James Dio. Some of the more mid-paced songs also show a Dio influence in the music with a sound reminiscent of the "Sacred Heart" album. The biggest surprise here might be their decision to cover the "Zombie" by the Cramberries. However they handle the challenge very well and transform into a solid metal tune. To my ears the major difference between Piper's current band and WASP is that Animal use melodies more often and this approach certainly helps a great deal. The writing and playing are extremely tight and focused throughout the ten tracks on the album. The band takes a very direct approach as they charge into many of their songs. This album reminds me of an album that could have been done in the mid to late 1980's although that's certainly not to say that it is dated. Actually it's a solid slice of 80's style metal that comes during a year that is lacking those kind of albums. Good to see Randy Piper and his band hitting their stride and this disc will be getting a lot of spins in my player during the upcoming weeks.

http://www.myspace.com/randypipersanimal

Xystus-Equilibrio

Sensory
2008

Progressive rock band Xystus formed back in 1999 and in 2004 they released “Receiving Tomorrow” and “Surreal” followed in 2006. After that the band contacted the Utrechtsch Studenten, the oldest symphony orchestra in The Netherlands. The result of this collaboration resulted is the rock opera Equilibrio. Conceived as both an actual stage production and a studio recording, Equilibrio was performed to four sold out audiences in July 2008 – over 4,000 people witnessed the opera. Over 130 people were involved in making this production which about a year and a half to put together. Normally this sounds exactly like the kind of project that I would hate. These massive productions that try to blend metal with classical and or musical styles normally have me believing that they would be overblown and inevitably dull. Fortunately Xystus did something right, in fact they did a lot to ensure the success of the is project. This is a musical with five vocalists, three male and two female. All five singers are very good with Epica singer Simone Simons being the top stand out. The music blends classical and metal although with far more of the former. The playing is top notch, but the best aspect of the music is that the two styles work to complement each other. Both styles are of equal importance and the music is tight enough that they balance each other. I would have liked to have heard more metal at times and I think that it would have helped, but the music undoubtedly works as is. Okay, so they got the vocals and music accomplished in fine form plus the production is splendid, but what about portraying emotion? Oftentimes large productions and even progressive metal get so wrapped up in time changes and swirling pieces around that they lose site of the emotion of music. Again not the case here, the emotion is easily portrayed and wrapped in the vocals and music. All the above aspects result in a warm and vibrant presentation that gives the listener a lot, but not too much to soak in. Granted this is not a CD that I could listen to everyday because I would have to be in a certain mood for it. Still it's an ambitious effort that everyone involved should be proud of.

What's coming up?

Alright I was watching more bad monster movies this week including She Demons (pictured above) and The Beast of Yucca Flats. She Demons has a group of Americans getting ship wrecked on an island in the Pacific only to find Nazi soldiers doing experiments where they turning women into monsters. It's goofy, but in enjoyable enough to take. The Beast of Yucca Flats on the otherhand is truly one of the worst films ever made. It's under an hour long and feels every bit of two hours. Tor Johnson plays a scientist(!) who takes in the after effects of an H-Bomb and thus becomes a savage who goes around throwing men around and licking women's hair. That's the best part of the movie because the worst part is that there is no dialog because it's all done with a very boring narration going over the "action" and many stock footage scenes. It's like a nature show and some twisted attempt at a Twilight Zone episode all rolled into a cheap and boring attempt to be a monster film.

This week I hope I have some CDs that I am certainly looking for ward to reviewing. I am still keeping my ears open for bands that will make my top 25 album list for 2008. Here is what I hope to have out this week.

Reviews of...
Artillery-Terror Squad (re-issue)
Randy Piper's Animal-Virus
Call to Preserve-From isolation
Guillotine-Blood Money
H.M.P-The Undead Hour
Santana-Multi-Dimensional Warrior

Interviews with...
Toxic
Ogre

and I might post a Lesser of two evils if I can get to it.

***Have a great week!

Gojira-The way of all flesh

Prosthetic
2008

Gojira is the Japanese word for Godzilla if you were wondering. A French band with a Japanese name might certainly be different and the band’s music stands out as well. Much like the giant monster they are named after, Gojira triumphantly stop their way forward only they do with an arsenal of death, thrash and hardcore here on their fourth album. The overall pace is certainly familiar, but their down tuned sound helps to define their style. Although they incorporate several well-known styles they are difficult to pin down because like moving target they just always seem to stay in motion. The band seems to have an ceaseless supply of tremor inducing riffs and rattling, odd sounds. The song structures are remarkably tight and they have a good idea of to sustain song, but I did feel like they missed some chances to insert a few more melodies and movements at various points. Gojira are easily distancing themselves from a whole pack of these days just due to their willingness to blend several different sounds at once. They frequently manage to make use of repeated riffs as a positive feature. Normally that approach would mean being repetitious in a negative sense, but Gojira manages to turn it into the backbone for many of their songs and it advances the overall feel. The difference is likely that this band knows how to use and manipulate layers of sound to their advantage. I did get a definite feeling that the album was a little too long. I think we all could of benefited from it being a song or two shorter. Gojira are certainly a band who have come into their own in recent years.

F5-The Reckoning

OarFin
2008

F5 includes former Megadeth members Dave Ellefson and Jimmy DeGrasso. The inclusion of those two brought certain expectations at least on my part. My hopes were that it be both heavy and diverse, but also be well done technically. Did they fulfill all those expectations? Unfortunately the answer they did not fulfill them to my complete satisfaction.The overall sound of F5 combines modern metal, thrash and progressive metal elements. There were some parts that reminded me of mid-1990’s Megadeth only more complex and some moments that actually reminded me of Dream Theater. Okay, they are fairly diverse and this is perhaps the strongest aspect about this band. I am not sure all the pieces fit completely when they attempted blending multiples styles in a song. The styles were strong by themselves though and most the songs flow along well enough. The album was not as heavy as I hoped and that is my biggest complaint about this album. The production is low and that steals the sound of some edge plus the band seems too hesitant to break out of their shell despite having many opportunities to do so. The melodies are mostly strong and that helps, but the hooks are often either drab or just lacking sharpness. I really liked the vocals as the range was solid and consistent throughout. There is no doubt about the potential playing ability of this band and there are some fine moments on the album. While it is above average I still could not shake the impression that they held back much more than they needed to. I also got a sense that they tried adding some modern metal sounds and they did not sound very comfortable on these parts. The result of those parts gave a few songs an uneven feel. It was an alright album, but not what I hoped for and I certainly believe that this band is capable of doing something far better.

Cowboy Prostitutes-Swingin’ at the fences

Nicotine
2008


Oh, look it’s a glam band with a raunchy name from where else? Yeah, Sweden of course where of the glam bands seem to be pouring out in droves these days. Yet it took of about a minute or so into the opening track “Rock ‘n roll jail” for me to realize that this band were not content to just be part of the pack, but they were going to move to front and help lead the charge. This band obviously puts much more of an emphasis on their music then on their image and I mean that as the highest compliment. They give a good kick in the face with the energy of the Skid Row, follow it up with some sleazy Faster Pussycat style vocals and top it off with cocky swagger of early 70’s Rolling Stones. That is where they are coming from and that is exactly what they bring to this wild ride. It’s not entirely original yet it’s so easy to get sucked in by their spirit. You can easily put a finger on what the Cowboy Prostitutes are doing yet it’s so addictive that you instantly want more. Fortunately they keep feeding it to you with catchy, head bobbers like “Dancing on my grave” and “Mr. Two Timing”. It could have done with a little less piano because it did cut down on the edge that some of their songs could have had. Now I really expected 2008 to be a banner year for glam, but I was wrong because there have not been enough good albums. However the Cowboy Prostitutes can take pride in the fact that along with Leaded Fuel they have released one of the two great glam albums of 2008.

http://www.myspace.com/cowboyprostitutes

Interview with Chains

Chains are a hard rock band from Sweden who highly influenced by 1980's hard rock and they have been working hard playing in their area's scene. I recently got to check in with lead guitarist Gabby to find out more.


MM-Tell us a little about the history of your band.
Gabby-The band started out in Martin's basement in 2003. From day one, We agreed to lay down every last bit of energy to expand and grow as a band. The years past quickly and with loads of gigs and rehearsals every week, We managed to find a steady sound that defines what Chains is all about.Chains is here to stay !

MM-What are you currently working on?
Gabby-At the moment We're getting ready to record our next Ep, which will be available sometime in October. Apart from that, we're just writing new material and playing gigs.

MM-Who are some of your musical influences?
Gabby-That's what is so interesting about Chains. Everybody contributes with their own influenced style. Add them all up, and You have the magical world of Chains!Some of our main influences are: Def Leppard, Firehouse, TNT, Whitesnake.



MM-What is your band doing that's going to get you noticed ahead of other bands?
Gabby-Well first of all, We're highly skilled musicians and every show we do is unique. We take the music very seriously.There are a lot of bands that just do it for the fame, but we love what we do and want to share it with the whole world!

MM-Have you any interest from any record labels yet? How important is it to you to get signed at this point?
Gabby-Getting signed by a record label is not one of our highest priorities right now. We're focusing more on gigs and reaching out to more people.You have done several demos so far.

MM-What's next for you if you don't get signed soon? Would you work on another demo or have you ever considered doing aself-released album?
Gabby-Like I said earlier, We're recording a EP in September. There are plans for recording a self-released Cd, but when this will happen is hard to say at the moment.

MM-What is the music scene like in your part of Sweden? Is it fairly competitive?
Gabby-There are A LOT of bands in our area so yes, there's a little sense of competition in the air, but everybody treats each other with respect and try to help each other.

MM-What are some of your songs about? Where do you get the ideas for your songs?
Gabby-Most of our songs are based around love and it's reality. Martin writes most of the lyrics.



MM-Who have you opened for? Have you played outside of you home country yet?
Gabby-I suppose the biggest band we've opened for is Crazy Lixx, a famous Swedish band.We are also opening for Gypsy Pistoleros (us) in November, which we're looking forward to.We've done some gigs in Germany and Italy as well.

MM-What have been some of your most memorable shows so far?
Gabby-The most amazing show was at KB in our hometown. The audience we're great and we had an awesome time performing.

MM-What should someone who comes to see you live expect?
Gabby-An arousing experience and an extraordinary live performance that will knock your socks off !!Every show is epic.

MM-Where do you hope to be five years from now?
Gabby-All around the globe, performing in front of awesome people.



MM-If you could only listen to three albums over the next month then what would you pick and why?
Gabby-Def Leppard - Hysteria: It's just magic! Great songs and an outstanding sound. Ozzy Osbourne - No more tears: One of Ozzy's best albums and Zakk Wylde is better than ever. Dream Theater - Images and words: Pure genius! A perfect balance between musicality and soul. Love it!

MM-What do you think about the current hard rock/metal scene in general thesedays? Is it improving or not? Why?
Gabby-It's been better, obviously.. But still there are alot of awesome old bands and a few new ones to.I think the Rock scene is on it's way up again and hopefully Chains will be a big part of it!Is there anything else that you would like to say about your band?Just keep on listening to our music and hopefully we'll come to your town soon!For more info and booking, visit us at http://www.myspace.com/chainsband or
http://www.myspace.com/madisonrawks. (Manager's site) A website is in the works and will be released very soon.

Clash of the album covers

Okay, it is....


High on fire-The art of self defense

Vs.


Sleep-Sleep's Holy Mountain

***So which cover do you prefer?

Helix-Heavy Mental Christmas

2008

Wow, Christmas music already? Here I am just getting my Halloween decorations out. I wonder if two years ago that Twisted Sister knew the impact that their Christmas album would have? I mean it hasn’t exactly been an outpouring, but hard rock and Christmas songs have been coming together on albums with a great frequency over the last few years. This is the band’s 12th full length studio release and it features Helix versions of nine songs plus one new song. Essentially I approached this album as I would any cover album because despite the holiday motif it is still cover album. My rule of thumb on cover albums and cover songs is that a band should remain somewhat loyal to the original, but they need to put some of their own sound into it as well or else it is not worth doing. Now if this album was some kind of school assignment then it might get a fine grade because vocalist Brian Vollmer still has a strong voice and he sounds comfortable on most of the songs. The music is tight, clear and concise plus they benefit from some considerably decent production values. The problem is that rock ‘n roll isn’t about hitting every note correctly. While Helix have all their ducks in a row as far as doing note by note translations they forgot about adding in personality and making any attempt to really make these songs their versions. I never questioned the playing on this album yet almost every song sounds like some band who was hired to play “Rudolph the red nosed reindeer”, “Jingle Bell Rock”, “A wonderful Christmas time” and others for some tv Christmas special where they are essentially background music. That’s how these versions come across to me, they didn’t put enough of their own style into it and the songs just become rather mundane backdrops. Now the one new song they wrote “Christmas time is here again” closes the album and finally the band sounds very excited and motivated. You can tell they enjoyed this one and they loosened up and dove into it. Helix diehards will likely run after this album, but for everyone else you are better off pulling out one of their past albums or just wait for the next studio effort.

Rose Tattoo-Blood Brothers (Special Tour Edition)

2008
SPV


Long running Aussie rock band Rose Tattoo actually released "Blood Brothers" last year, but this is the tour edition which includes the CD plus a live DVD presenting the band's performance at the Wacken festival back in 2006. So let's have at the CD first, I always admired these guys for their ability to create just rough and dirty real gritty rock without a lot of flash. They have always been compared to AC/DC and they do sound like earlier AC/DC although obviously Rose Tattoo have stayed closer to their roots which is a good thing in this case. Once again they show their worth on this album with tracks like the rough and tumble "Black eyed bruiser", the no-nonsense rocker "Man about town" and "Slipping Away" which revolves around my favorite riff on the album. This band has had times where they didn't exist and they have had band members pass away. So it hasn't been an easy road for these guys yet they have persevered and have managed to soldier forth and stay genuine to the type of music they been playing over thirty years ago. Rose Tattoo thrive on putting out the kind of solid rock music that is so easy to get into. Still in a scene where so many bands try to sound and look like the real deal, it's readily apparent that Rose Tattoo are the real thing and it seems to come rather easy for them as well.
The live DVD included here has the band sounding strong on a major stage and the DVD helps make this a very worthwhile set.

Forever Slave-Tales for bad girls

Wacken
2008

I can’t say that I was exactly sure what to expect from this album and after the first play I still wasn’t sure. So I pressed on and after a few more plays everything began to take shape. This is supposed to be gothic metal of some type, but it’s not particularly good gothic metal or all that good at all. They come at it with big keyboards and slicked up production yet below that is a distinct lack of melodies, hooks and range. The music does make an attempt to be moderately heavy and direct at times. That’s slightly respectable yet the riffs are often too repetitious or else they try to stretch the song on for longer than they should. Either way it results in boredom for the listener and a lot of head scratching as to why they thought that minimal effort was going to yield anything other than minimal results. Vocalist Lady Angellyca is a model and I hope she is far more capable at that position than she is as a singer. The production helps to prop her voice up, but despite the assistance she is still very obviously lacking in range. Her voice is just rather sweet and although that’s okay it doesn’t particularly lend itself to the style they are attempting to pull off. She actually struggles more at conveying emotion than does her band. The larger problem with that is that this style gives more time and focus to the vocals which is all well and good if the singer can deliver, but unfortunately Lady Agellyca just delivers up a stale showing that does little to help her band’s cause. In the end this just feels like a project where they had an idea what they wanted to accomplish, but they lacked the skills to pull it off.