Soil of ignorance/Wadge

Give Praise
2011

This split 7" features Canadian bands Soil of ignorance and Wadge. Soil of ignorance are up first and they play a sick style of brutal powergrindcore that will leave your ears ringing. What I liked about this band was that while firing ahead at a breakneck pace they still remembered the importance of actually being heavy which doesn't always happen in grindcore. Actually bringing some really heaviness to their music adds a real depth to their sound. Wadge are up next. Their tracks are longer and their is more of a thrash influence. The sound is aggressive yet choppy at times. The production on Wadge's songs is slightly muddy and I found myself adjusting the volume and holding my headphones on to try to hear the guitars like I thought I should. They have a very direct sound and waste no time on their songs. I preferred Soil of ignorance if I had choose between the two bands, but both bands will melt your ears so definitely a good package.

Forgotten Gems:Jesters Of Destiny-Fun At The Funeral

Restless
1986

L.A. band Jesters Of Destiny were "alternative metal" long before the description became a household term. In fact in a day and age before the world would see bands like Jane's Addiction, Faith No More, Last Crack, Mindfunk, Medication and Tool suddenly re-shaping heavy metal music here you had truly groundbreaking group Jesters Of Destiny out there crafting their own oddball take on the genre. Featuring quirky pop moments, psychedelic infused rock and odd bits of Black Sabbath inspired doom the band no doubt confused crowds who were used to seeing either bands like Bon Jovi or Metallica at the top of the metal world. Who this group would have appealed to during the mid-eighties remains a mystery. Most certainly they would have been to pop for traditional metal fans and too left field for alternative rock junkies. It was as if they were of their own world somewhere out in the deep cosmos. The "band" started out as more of a studio project than anything else. To start with guitarist/keyboardist Ray Violet and guitarist Bill Irvin had studio time planned and were looking for a rhythm section to play with them. Drummer (and multi-instrumentalist) Doktor Stixx was recruited as was bass player/vocalist Bruce Duff with the promise that both would be "paid" in the fact that they would both be allowed to each write their own song for the recording. Two of the songs from the project ("End Of Times" written by Duff and "Digin' That Grave" a group collaboration) were good enough to inspire the four of them to be more than just a one-off studio team. In Fact "End Of Times" was good enough (and heavy enough) that it made it onto a Metal Massacre compilation which was standard practice it seems for L.A. bands of the time (to be on said compilation that is not to write a song called "End Of Times"!). The name of the band supposedly came to Bruce Duff in a dream. With a record deal in place Doktor Stixx would end up playing guitar (his weapon of choice) and so the group recruited Louie Schilling to play drums. Bill Irvin would play on Fun At The Funeral as did Eric "Sickie Wifebeater" Carlson (of The Mentors) although Irvin left after a few live shows. Carlson can be heard on the tracks "God Told Me To" and "Crimson Umbrella" which caused Guitar Player magazine to likened his playing to that of an "epileptic seizure." Although in hindsight his playing is inspired if admittedly a bit out there! Recorded in San Fernando, California ( at Dawnbreaker Studios) the album fell on deaf ears when it was originally released. As much as it is a work of art the fact is in 1986 heavy metal and it's culture was not ready for a band that worked Iron Butterfly into their metal instead of the usual Iron Maiden! While it would be remastered and reissued on CD by Ektro Records with eight bonus tracks if you want to get the real feel for the album hunt down the "yellow tape" version. This version is more heavy (or as my friend Garth likes to say "Metal Massacre like HEAVY") than the re-issue. The re-issue features more keyboards and while it is still a great listen some of the edge is gone. For some the albums weirder moments and more pop-oriented songs will be a turn off. Give "End Of Times" a spin though as well as the uber-catchy "Diggin' That Grave" and you'll be hooked. After the album line-up changes plagued the group before an EP of covers (In A Nostalgic Mood) was released. Again the band proved themselves groundbreaking in the fact that they were well ahead of the trend. Cover albums would not be in vogue until much later. The group were set to record a third album when they crumbled into oblivion. For something different and truly interesting you'd do well to track down Jesters Of Destiny.

American Speedway-A Bigger Boat

Prophase Records
2011

Beer drinking punk and roll band American Speedway hail from the Philadelphia-area and have already made a splash with their hit single "One Foot In, One Foot Out". Back in the summer of 2008 the song ended up topping the charts on Sirius Satellite Radio's Punk Channel. They also charted on CMJ's Heavy Rock charts with their single "Ship of Fools" in November of 2008. "Ship of Fools" was the title track to their debut album released in January 2007. On "A Bigger Boat" the group (Michael Thursby Speedway - Guitar/Lead Vocals, Chris Callahan - Drums and Billy Angry - Bass/Vocals) is joined by Lorraine "Dirty" McGurty (of all female metal band Wench) on lead guitar. Right off the bat McGurty proves her worth on the razor-sharp opener “Howl (Ya Doin?)”. Just like Dinosaur Jr. did when they blended classic rock and punk the band American Speedway mixes not only classic rock and punk but Motorhead and some AC/DC as well. Making it all the easier to compare the band to Motorhead is the fact that lead vocalist Mike Kerchner sounds for all the world like he could be an illegitimate son of Lemmy. Although it must be pointed out that Mike's voice doesn't have as much of a smokers edge. Back to the album though. When you see the promo picture of this band hanging out in a bar (all the while drinking Pabst!) it should tell you that something about where this is heading. Never taking themselves too seriously the band blasts out these fast (and short) numbers never overstaying their welcome. Its more like they came, they saw, they rocked out and then fled the scene before the cops can show! This is one fun listen and you can just tell that live American Speedway must be a fun show. Nothing trendy or hipster going on here. Great sopmore release!

What's coming up?

This week we'll have reviews of albums from U.D.O, Gates of slumber, Iggy Pop, Diamond Lane, American Speedway, Soil of ingnorance, Wadge and maybe more. Also we'll have Forgotten Gems, Clash of the album covers and Top of the heap.

***Have a great week!

Beer Corpse-Keg Nuts

Give Praise
2011

This 7" from Australian thrash/grind/noise act Beer Corpse is short, but certainly not sweet. The put ten tracks on this 7", but most are so short they didn't even have to work to cram them on. The music is generally late 80's style thrash with a only a few moments where they step it up to a grindcore level. Honestly they handle both styles with ease and the sound is big and beefy with sharp cuts and skull pounding beats. The problem for me was that the vocals are barely audible groans that sound like someone trying to speak through a gag while holding mouthful of peanut butter. The music had me hooked quickly, but even after playing this album three times the vocals just seemed more distracting than anything else. Good grindcore vocals can be noisy, but still hit you hard and add to the overall sound. However here the vocals just don't add much of anything.

Vomitory-Opus Mortis VIII

Metal Blade Records
2011


No bones about it this is no frills and no bull shit death metal. What a refreshing thought. Pure unfiltered in your face death from one of Sweden's oldest and finest bands. Vomitory does not mess around on Opus Mortis VIII. Formed in 1989 by guitarist Urban Gustafsson the bands early influences were bands like Sodom, Napalm Death, Slayer, Carcass and Venom. As an early underground favorite their sound started out as thrash before developing into straight up death metal. After releasing some demos and a vinyl 7 the band released their debut album Raped In Their Own Blood in 1996. While the band has never really moved beyond old fashioned death metal their sound has remained reliable. They consistently put out quality death metal albums and this one is no different. Just black and white assaulting your senses death. Nothing new and yet Vomitory make it work with their conviction.

Primordial-Redemption at Puritan's hand

Metal Blade
2011


Ireland's Primordial have been making music for a long time and that experience shows up once again on their latest effort. Their blend of folk and black metal is very polished, but they are certainly very much in control of every aspect they are creating. This epic style metal with rapid fire pace changes and not a track clocks in under the six minute mark. They are not afraid to let loose with beastly blasts whenever the mood strikes them. There is no mistaking that this band succeeds very well at creating a real atmosphere so often. Also they are confident and skilled enough in what they are doing to change the feel of the song as they see fit. I could definitely hear and admire these traits. However what holds this album back to some extent is that frequently the band gets involved in some long, repetitive passages and they tend really bog down the flow and almost verge on being dull. It only happens for a brief period, but it was definitely noticeable on a few occasions. Still a pretty exciting album with plenty to explore on it.

NWOBHM WEDNESDAY: SPARTAN WARRIOR

Andy says-

United Kingdom's Spartan Warrior were formed in 1980. With an original line-up consisting of Dave Wilkinson on vocals, Neil Wilkinson on guitar, Tom Spencer on bass and Gordon Webster on drums the band would spent their first two years crafting their own take on the NWOBHM sound. Second guitarist John Stormont was added although he wouldn't last long. Baz Warne replaced Stormont before being replaced himself by Paul Swaddle. In 1983 they released the "Cold Hearted" demo as well as having two tracks included on the Guardian Records sampler Pure Overkill. 1983 would prove to be a busy year for the band as it also saw the release of their debut album Steel n' Chains. As with their 1984 s/t release the album Steel n' Chains showed that the band was capable of writing music that was both heavy (and similar in nature to bands like Saxon and Iron Maiden) and melodic (almost traditional rock in nature like the softer "Don't Wanna Be a Loser"). Even though the record was not a heavy seller Roadrunner Records saw enough in them to take a chance. They ended up signing the group and releasing their eponymous sophomore album in 1984. This time around though the album was both a critical and commercial success. The album's mix of hard rock and heavy metal caught on with fans and the band seemed headed to the top. Even though they had made their debut at the tail end of the NWOBHM movement the band looked poised to make a move into the mainstream hard rock/heavy metal scene. Conflicts within the band arose though. There were problems with their label. Around 1985 with tensions between band members at an all time high Spartan Warrior called it a day. That could have been the end of Spartan Warrior's story. An all too familiar story in fact. In 2006 a digitally remastered version of Spartan Warrior was released. As we've seen with several other NWOBHM groups and eighties metal bands time does heals old wounds. Reforming Spartan Warrior the group released "Never Take Me Alive" in 2009. The song was originally recorded for the Steel n Chains album but didn't make it onto the album. The group re-recorded the song and released it as a single. 2010 would see the release of Behind Closed Eyes (Ironage Records) as the band looks to recapture their past glory. For a great overview of their 1984 s/t affair be sure to check out Mark's review in the archives. Spartan Warrior are another band too often forgotten about in conversations about the NWOBHM. That is a shame too because both of their early albums are worthwhile additions to any true NWOBHM fan's collection.


Metal Mark says-

I'm listening to their self-titled album as I write this and reflect on this band. They formed as the movement was in full swing, but their demo and albums came towards the end of the NWOBHM. As we all know it was such a crowded scene that it was given that not everyone was going to achieve success. These guys were very good and extremely tight. The vocals are strong and I have to give some real credit to the rhythm section who made themselves known and help guide the way. They walked the line betwene hard rock and metal at times and did that trick well which something not all bands can do. I do think their material sounded a couple years behind what was going on as I suppose they were sticking to the sound they started with in the early 80's, but the metal landscape was changing and growing heavier in the mid 80's. Plus arguing amongst yourselves and problems with the record label are probably the two greatest causes of cutting a promising band's career short and these guys ran into both of the above. Still these gave their all on their early material and it still sounds great today. The grooves are smooth and they had a lot of promise back then. Definitely a band whose material is worth tracking down for a listen.

Voodoo Circle-Broken Heart Syndrome

AFM
2011
Voodoo Circle was founded by Silent Force guitarist Alex Beyrodt for the sole purpose of with the aim of paying homage to bands like Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rainbow and Yngwie Malmsteen (all major lifelong inspirations for every member of the outfit. Mixed by Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Krokus, Allen/Lande) and produced by Alex Beyrodt Broken Heart Syndrome pulls off the near impossible task of not only being a tribute to the above mentioned bands but also being an outstanding hard rock album. Not an easy thing to do mind you. Also featuring vocalist David Readman (Pink Cream 69), bassist Mat Sinner (Sinner, Primal Fear), keyboardist Jimmy Kresic (Kiske / Somerville) and drummer Markus Kullmann (Pump, Minotaurus, Dezperadoz)although the real star here is Beyrodt. His impressive guitar skills and knack for writing catchy songs makes Broken Heart Sydrome a real instant classic. Worth checking out.

Pharaoh Overlord-Out Of Darkness

Ektro Records

2011

Finland's Pharaoh Overlord are a side-project of the group Circle. Featuring three members (Jussi Lehtisalo, Janne Westerlund and Tomi Leppänen) the group was originally conceived of as an outlet to explore their shared love of stoner rock. As with their original band though the group's music would became more varied and experimental with each passing album. With Out Of Darkness the group shifts away from their more experimental rock leanings toward a fairly traditional heavy metal sound. Following the short intro "The Eyes Of Pharaoh" the group launches into the title track. With vocals that recall Glenn Danzig the band bangs out a fairly heavy hard rock number. On "Devastator" things swing towards Omen style eighties metal. "Doomsday Mourning" is Armored Saint meets Odin. "Transylvanian Afternoon" sounds like two songs morphed together. An almost goth rock sounds swirls in and out of riff happy heavy metal. "We Came To Rock" is more eighties heavy metal worship as is "No Speed Limit". With "No Speed Limit" though the vocals are delivered in an almost punk style not unlike The Damned. "Unseen Eye" teases Iron Maiden on Black Sabbath complete with an Iron Butterfly moment. Oddly a worthy number. "I Am The Light" is 70's hard rock meets Trouble w/ some Danzig for good effect. An interesting release to say the least. You have moments of hard rock, eighties metal, experimental rock and goth metal. Worth searching out if only for it's old school charm.

Between the buried and me-The parallax: hypersleep diaries

Metal Blade
2011

Surprises in music can be a wonderful thing if done correctly. With a band like Between the buried and me I kind of know what's coming on a new album, but only in a loose sense. I know they'll bring a huge platter piled high with elements of prog-rock, jazz, punk, folk, metal and other. I know that will bring everything at a brisk speed and have my head spinning the whole. However I don't know exactly specifically beyond that and that's where they keep me on my toes and keep amazing with each new twist and turn. Opener "Specular reflection" is a wonderful example of BTAM at their best. It's over 11 minutes of a full on assault on spiraling sound clashing and flowing as the band flies through, over and around far too many musical passages to count. A number of bands can mix different musical styles in songs, but not every one can mix the styles as seamlessly as this band. Also I have yet to hear a band who can switch the vocals so easily and no matter what have them completely in sync with the current musical landscape that is going on. "Augment of birth" follows with another spectacular display thunderous beats and rapid fire blasts of sound. This song is more intense, but the band still manages to infuse so many parts and tones into the mix and every piece fits perfectly. "Lunar Wilderness" spends the first few minutes living up to it's title as we are flown out on a cosmic journey being jarred by a wild and furious attack as BTAM go all out, but the cosmic bits find their way back into the sound here and there. This may be my favorite song just because it's such a perfect blend of pounding heaviness, technical madness and odd meanderings. Some fans bicker about the length of this band's songs on recent albums, but I think that's nonsense because short or long they give so much on every track. Totally brilliant release from one of the most interesting bands going today.

Shakra-Back On Track

AFM RECORDS
2011

Switzerland-based hard rock act Shakra have been trying for 14 years to break out of their native land and catch on with the mainstream rock scene. Since their last album Everest (which made its way to #4 on the Swiss album charts in 2009)the band have recruited new vocalist John Prakesh to take over for the departed Mark Fox. Back On Track continues the group's obsession with playing hard rock from the eighties. The only problem with that is its 2011. "MMTWGR", "Someday" and "Stronger Than Ever" being exceptions the rest of the album feels recycled of old Bon Jovi, Europe, Slaughter, Def Leppard and Kiss style 80's hard rock. Granted the band sounds good and the production (done by the band's own guitarist Thom Blunier) is stellar. It's just that of the 12 tracks here only the above 3 left much of impression. "Unspoken Truth" (as with the heavier "MMTWGR") has it's moments when it boarders on true traditional metal. It's just that there is a strong case of "I've heard that riff somewhere before" running through out it. If "Brand New Day" had been released it the late eighties (or even early nineties) it could have found heavy rotation on rock radio. Again though here we are in 2011 and hard rock is a hard sell. While wishing Shakra the best they just don't seem ready to take over the world.

Heavy Metal Thunderdome

It's time for another for another round of the Thunderdome. I pit two albums against each other and you pick the one you prefer based on the music. So it it...


AC/DC-Highway to hell

vs.


Aerosmith-Rocks

**Which album do you prefer?

Murder Junkies-Road Killer

MVD Audio
2011

You can't write about the Murder Junkies without mentioning GG Allin. As his backing band they were the soundtrack to his notorious live act. A live act in which he would defecate and urinate onstage (not to mention rolling in it, eating it and throwing it like a crazed monkey at audience members) all the while fighting with fans male and female alike. Usually the set would be cut after a few short songs due to the violence and mayhem associated with his act. Following G.G.'s death in 1993 the Murder Junkies carried on (or limped along rather) playing as a tribute to G.G's legacy. On Road Killer "PP" Duvay (of Putnam County, New York-based punk band They Hate Us) takes over for the late G.G. on vocals. While nobody will ever take the place of G.G. his spirit lives on in Duvay. Anchored by the rhythm section of Merle Allin (G.G.'s brother) on bass and Dino Sex on drums Road Killer plays like a tribute album to G.G. It has the same sense of sarcastic and politically incorrect humor. It's obnoxious and borders on obscene. It's also a vile and disgusting piece of work. In other words it's downright fun to listen to. "Once A Whore", "Stab You 50Times" and "Piss' Drinkin' Jew" are not going to go over well with your uptight liberal friends. It's the words of the Dictator's coming to mind though-"Fuck Em If They Can't Take a Joke". This is punk rock. Good punk rock like you and I grew up on and a worthy tribute to disturbed life and times of G.G. Allin.

Forgotten Gems-Whiplash-Power and pain

Roadrunner

1985

Ah, early Whiplash, truly an album that stunned me back then and even today retains much of the force that it did back then. My first run in with this band was hearing them do "Thrash 'till death" on the Speed Metal Hell compilation in 1985. Not too long after that I heard their debut "Power and pain" with the classic three Tony's line-up (Portaro, Bono and Scaglione). The band had knocked out a few demos before getting signed to Roadrunner. The sound isn't far off from early Metallica and Slayer and maybe even Judas Priest only sped-up. However the energy is what helps plus they never go with just one riff because the trade-mark of their early sound was finding a way to put in a quick underlying fill riff that would catch your attention and add to the overall frenzied sound. Tracks like "Warmonger", "Last man alive", "Stirring the Cauldron" and "Message in blood" showed the band's explosive style. This was thrash when you could still hear all the notes being picked and appreciate every note, beat and word being thrown at you. Whiplash knew how to milk all they they did and get the most out of everything. They had been around less than two years when this album came out, but I guess the multiple demos and many shows in the NY/NJ area had then prepared because indeed they came with everything they had on this album and I think it's their finest moment. After this they would go through line-up and eventually sound changes with differing results. Their sophomore album "Ticket to mayhem" comes close, but this their debut remains their best album.

Pentagram-Last Rites

Metal Blade
2011



This is certainly one of the most eagerly anticipated albums of 2011 for sure. No wonder, it's the first studio album from them in seven years and an even greater reason for celebration is the fact that it's the first in seventeen years to feature Victor Griffin on guitar. Pentagram were one of the founders of doom metal. However not every studio album has been a gem and this album like many of their others features new recordings of older songs. Doesn't matter because Pentagram have returned to fine form despite age, inconsistent albums and Bobby Liebling's on and off album addictions. I was kind of surprised when I heard Metal Blade had signed them because knowing Liebling's past and the band's revolving door policy they may have had to wonder when or if a new album would get done. I don't know if the touring last year helped them or if it's just that Liebling and Griffin work so well together, but whatever the reason may be they have still cranked out a gem. From the opening chords of "Treat me right" it's obvious that this band has plenty of gas in the tank. Once Liebling's voice comes on I knew that this album was going to hit like a sledgehammer. "Call the man" is Pentagram bringing their brand of subtle doom luring you in and then hitting you with richer passages later on. "Everything's turning to night" is another favorite with some unexpected change-ups handled expertly. I actually like every track here and think that this one of the band's smoothest albums to date. Definitely their best album in some time and one of the best of 2011 so far. It's great to welcome the return of a classic band, but it's even better when they actually deliver and Pentagram have certainly done so.

Sourvein-Black Fang

Candlelight Records
2011


North Carolina-based Sourvein was formed in 1993 by vocalist/guitarist T-Roy Medlin. A sludge doom band, Sourvein have released three full length albums,a EP, split recordings with Buzzov’en, Bongzilla, Rabies Caste and Church of Misery as well as having contributed to the Eyehategod tribute album For The Sick.In fact musically the band is in the same ballpark as Eyehategod. So far T-Roy Medlin has remained the only original member left over from the group's formation. Black Fang is quality sludge doom perfect for those dark, rainy days. Not much more to say other than if bands like Eyehategod, Buzzov'en, St.Vitus and Electric Wizard are your bread and butter then Sourvein's Black Fang will appeal. The band should score extra points as well for the album cover which is sickly sensual.

Happy Easter

Enjoy the holiday!

The Approach & The Execution Contest

April 19th,2011


I have two autographed copies of The Approach & The Execution's The Blood March CD and one regular copy to give away. Just go over to the right on this page where it talks about contacting Mark and click on "HERE". Send Mark a message that you want to be entered in the contest and list an e-mail we can contact you at in case you win. Please make sure to put "The Approach & The Execution Contest" in the subject area. On April 25th we'll draw three winners and contact you. Good luck everyone.

By the way here is my review of the album in case you are interested.

http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2011/03/approach-and-execution-blood-march.html

Winterius-In carbon Mysticism

Lifeforce
2011

The press release for the debut from Kalamazoo, Michigan's Winterius says they "are the musical equivalent to nature". That's a bold claim, but Winterius seem to have ambitious intentions. This is black metal from a band that tries to go beyond the basic format and rely technical skill as much as pure, brutal power. The potential in their writing and playing is present, but it's not always completely thought out. Many times they would begin on an instrumental passage and have some real momentum going, but then they just didn't seem to know how to hold the song together or how to properly finish it. A shame because almost every single song starts out with real promise. I also definitely have to add that I preferred the instrumental parts to the pieces with vocals. This is because the music was frequently very interesting, but whenever the standard growling black metal vocals popped up the music seem to take a nosedive into the background. Winterius have plenty of ideas and show great promise, but they need to really tighten up around the edges I wasn't totally satisfied with the production. Still certainly worth a listen because of the ideas they tackle.

Clash of the album covers

It is...


Raven-All for one

vs.


Saxon-Denim and leather

***Which cover do you prefer?

Crucified Mortals-Crucified Mortals

Hells Headbangers
2011

Crucified Mortals' self-titled release feels like it fell out of space and time and somehow found its way into Hells Headbangers' hands. It's mission statement? Keep on thrashing in the free world while you've got it. Formed back in 2001 by former Nunslaughter bassist Craig “Reaper” Horval the group have already released numerous demos and split albums. Underground favorite in their hometown of Cleveland (thanks to their unapologetic style of eighties thrash worship!) Crucified Mortals owe their sound to groups like Slayer,At War,Carnivore,Dark Angel,Rigor Mortis,Sodom and Deathwish. More than anything though Slayer is an obvious starting point. My first thought playing this was Slayer (throw devil horns in the air here please!). No black metal like the other two Hells Headbangers releases I've reviewed. No death metal or modern metal either. Pure thrash. There remains a good reason why the group were regarded with awe by Ohio metal fans. Think thrash is dead? Obviously Crucified Mortals haven't heard or they just don't care. Why let bands like Municipal Waste have all the fun? Crucified Mortals play with an attitude while riding Slayer riffs to hell and back. A killer debut and one that shows that Crucified Mortals has only one way to go and that is up. Thrash fans owe it to themselves to track this one down.

Anytime, anywhere

I may have done this topic before, but my answers change so I'll tackle it again. I like a lot of albums, but there are ones I only listen to every once in awhile. On the other end of the spectrum are those albums I could listen to at any given time. So here's the challenge list ten hard rock or metal albums that you could listen to at any time without getting bored of them and you can only use an artist once. Here goes.


1-Iron Maiden-The number of the beast
2-Van Halen-Fair Warning
3-Black Sabbath-Sabbath bloody sabbath
4-Hanoi Rocks-Back to mystery city
5-Led Zeppelin-Houses of the holy
6-Medieval-Medieval Kills
7-WASP-The last command
8-Budgie-Never turn your back on a friend
9-Overkill-Feel the fire
10-Prong-Cleansing

***Feel free to add your own list.

Romeo Must Die-Hardships In Season

Romeo Recordings
2011


When the United Kingdom band Stampin’ Ground decided to call it a day in 2006 (after 11 years together) vocalist Adam "Bomb" Frakes-Sime and bassist Ben Frost (neither of whom were original members of Stampin' Ground to begin with if I remember correctly) decided to form a new band and thus Romeo Must Die was born. Picking up members Paul Fletcher - guitar, Samj Dawkins - guitar and Tom Winch - drums they released the EP Defined by Enemies in 2008. Their full length debut Hardships In Season was eighteen months in the making during which time the members of the group all seemed cursed and experienced an "onslaught of misfortune". While Defined by Enemies showed similarities to the hardcore/metalcore (and really thrash) sound of Stampin' Ground on their new album Rome Must Die tries to distance themselves from their former band. In their search to establish a new identity the group uses acoustic guitars (such as on the title track and albums closing number) and piano/keyboards as well as experiments with melody to craft their own style. While there are still moment that remind me of Stampin' Ground the majority of the music has a melodic/technical thrash sound. Honestly people the fact is really if this was a different time and age this would probably just be called thrash or maybe hardcore thrash. Why we have to have 1,000 different names for heavy metal is beyond me. But it is what it is and it's a new day so for those who must know Romeo Must Die could best be described as groove/metalcore/thrash although more thrash than anything. Despite the album cover art which makes you think that this is probably just another metalcore band (as well as the band's name) there is a lot here for thrash metal fans to sit back and enjoy. Sure, “Let Them Hate” might be groove metal born of Pantera but let me set the record straight that "Time... The Great Vivisector" is pure thrash and proud of it. You can here the influence that bands like Metallica,Slayer,Testament and Exodus has had on the band.“Survivors Club” is hardcore thrash. Falling somewhere between the Cro-Mags and Hatebreed I like it even if it does come of a tad like the younger (and much more pompous) attitude driven "hey look at me" metalcore bands of today. "Better Off Dead" is kicked in the gutter bass driven thrash with a hardcore pit bull attitude. “15 Minutes Of Shame” was a touch too metalcore disguised as thrash for me that said "Slow Motion Catastrophe" is modern thrash and proud of it. "Breathing Fire" is hardcore thrash taking a stab in the dark at despair filled angst. It does feature some nice metal riff age and soloing which I liked. "The Rust of Life" is catchy thrash metal that bounces along while "Narcissist" is just plain heavy. "All Life Ends In Failure" is again a number that would fit in well if you were to place it in any 90's thrash metal album. "New Beginnings" closes things off with another quick acoustic bit. All in all 49 minutes of melodic thrash played by guys who for all intensive purposes would otherwise be listed as a groove metal/hardcore act. Also, one last thing the copy I reviewed might not be the finished version. It seems as if the album is going to be re-mastered with more of an upfront sound expected. I didn't have a problem with the sound myself so it will be interesting to see what they do to make Hardships In Season stand out more. As it stands this was another example of why not to judge a band ny it's album art. This month you can get Hardships In Season with a copy of Metal Hammer's latest issue. It looks as if for once they have a band worth checking out as hard as that might be to believe!

Interview with Intervention

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Finland's one and only thrash band Intervention.


Andy-Would you introduce yourselves and tell me how Intervention came about and what made you choose your name?


Intervention-Intervention is a thrash metal band from Rovaniemi, Finland. First we had a Megadeth cover band but as we wanted to start working on our own material Intervention was born. It was 2007. We were a 5-piece band a long time, but now we have only one guitarist. Line-up today is: Tuomo Marttinen - vocals, Johannes Leipälä - guitars, Joni Lehto - bass and ville Alakörkkö - drums. We were trying to came up with a good band name, which is pretty hard nowadays. Juho, our other guitarist back then came up with some alterations of Slayer's Divine Intervention, and suddenly we just thought that we should just drop all the other words and simply use Intervention. That's a good solid band name, short enough and easy to remember.


Andy-Who are your biggest influences and how would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard Intervention?


Intervention- All of us have a very different musical taste. But to mention some names Intervention is most influenced on musically, we have to say Megadeth, Testament, Pantera, Slayer. Good old big thrash band, you know. But of course there are a lot of other bands we like to listen and all of them affect on us on some way, naturally. Intervention can be said to sound like a some sort of combination of Testament, Megadeth etc. with touches of death metallish elements thrown in to add some variations.


Andy-What is the metal scene like in Finland these days? Is there much of a scene for more thrash oriented groups?


Intervention-The scene in Finland is huge, one can say. There's so much unsigned bands around.


Andy-What does the future hold for you guys? Any label interest at all?


Intervention- We have had some interest from some labels, but nothing official yet. We will keep on thrashing, writing good metal music and playing gigs whenever we can.


Andy-What was the biggest (size wise) crowd you guys played for?


Intervention-We haven't played that many gigs yet, but we will play as much as we can. It is the best part of this thing, you know. Our biggest gig must be the one at the Club Teatria (Oulu) when we were opening for Swallow the Sun, a finnish death/doom metal band.


Andy-If you could play with any band who would it be?


Intervention-This is a hard one. It must be one of those big thrash bands already mentions on this interview. Anything like that would be just great!


Andy-When your not creating mosh pits with your insane music what are you guys doing? Any day jobs?


Intervention-Tuomo and Johannes are students, Joni and Ville are working. You have to have a job to get the bills paid, as playing in a small band like Intervention doesn't pay your bills. Of course it would be awesome if it would. Let's see maybe one day it will.


Andy-Any last words for all the metal fans out there?




Intervention- Check out our music at www.intervention.fi and keep it metal!


Be sure to check out my review of Intervention's Growing Line Of Caskets demo here:
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=intervention

What's coming up?

For the next week we hope to have out reviews of albums from Romeo must die,Pentagram, Crucified Mortals, Winterius,Murder Junkies, Between the buried and me,Sourvein, Primordial and maybe more. Plus an interview with Intervention, Forgotten Gems, Heavy Metal Thunderdome, Clash of the album covers and more.

Enjoy the holiday weekend and have a great week!

Aerial Ruin-Valleys of the earth

Vendlus
2011

Aerial Ruins is a one man accoustic folk band. It is the project of Erik Moggridge who has been in Old Grandad and Epidemic. Much of the music is done on the acoustic guitar. This works well in that Moggridge has a strong handle on the stroytelling element of songwriting. This approach works particularly well with the music because you can really absorb and hear both very well. The production also has to be noted because the tones that are brought out of the guitar have a very a very deep quality. This frequently reminds me of of hearing say late 60's-early 70's albums and I mean albums as in vinyl. The sound quality is a large part of the appeal of this album. The sound is very rich indeed. The down side is that with one instrument dominating the sound there isn't a great deal of variation in the sounds. The writing and playing is enough to make me enjoy the album, but the lack of variety means it's probably not an album I would want to listen to all the time. Plus everything is very slow and that may not appeal to everyone, but I actually took to it immediately. A powerful and well-crafted album.

SOASHYANT-SOASHYANT

Palapal
2010

The brotherhood of heavy metal knows no color or language. There are no class restrictions. When your together thrashing madly it becomes a universal cause. A chance to stand together and tell the world we will not be silenced. Here in America we might take that for granted. Even in most of Europe the freedom musicians enjoy is pretty great. I'd wager that being in metal bands in Iran posses more challenges than you and I could even imagine. Granted Iraq would be worse but that is beside the point. SOASHYANT formed in 2004 and went through numerous line-up changes from what I've read before finally settling on a steady line-up. Musically the band is a mash-up of various genres although it all comes through as power metal/thrash. In their music you hear bits of Bay Area Thrash, Iron Maiden, Sepultura, Motorhead and European power metal (Helloween/Gamma Ray). As most of it is in their native language commenting of their lyrics is impossible. What does come through in translation though is their talent to write inspiring thrash rock numbers. Thier version of thrash is fun and catchy. Maybe not out to change the world thrash but rather change thier own part of the world metal. Listening to groups like SOASHYANT makes you realize just how much the scene has grown and how far reaching heavy metal has become. Worth tracking down a copy.

Gamma Ray-Skeletons and Majesties

Armoury/Eagle Rock
2011

I guess when Helloween released "Unarmed" last year I should have known that Gamma Ray would have to also do an album oddly updated versions of some of their songs. This is called a mini-album not an EP for some reason. We get seven tracks, but two tracks are repeated in differing versions. I have not been as big on the last couple of Gamma Ray albums as they have been alright, but the band seems lost some of the creativity they once had and this mini-album actually just re-enforces that point. So the idea is the band wanted to revive some of their older tracks and do different versions of others. The first two songs are "Hold your ground" originally from "Heading from tomorrow" and Brothers originally from "Insanity and genius". The versions here are likable updates and worth hearing. Then the album's mood changes as we get a washed out, quirky and very mellow version of "Send me sign". This is just sad because the original is a fantastic song and this take offers nothing appealing at all. Just a lame space filler. Next up is an acoustic version of "Rebellion in dreamland" that just drags on forever. I felt myself nodding off several times. Then we get "Wannabees" which was originally on the Japanese version of "To the metal". It's just alright music wise but the annoying vocals sink it. Then for some strange reason we get and extended version of "Brothers" that runs a little over a minute longer than the earlier one. It's a fine song, but did we need two versions of it? I don't see the point. Last up is the Karaoke version of "Rebellion in dreamland". You know in case you were throwing a big fancy party and felt that what would really add to the mood is to have some Karaoke power metal to sing a long to. Probably not and again I don't see the point to including this version here. So almost half the songs are likable and a little more than half made my skin crawl. Here's hoping they put more time and thought into their next studio album.

NWOBHM WEDNESDAY: TANK

Andy says-

If you've never had the pleasure of having your eardrums assaulted by Filth Hounds Of Hades I want you to stop what your doing and go track down a copy right now. Try Youtube for clips. I'll be waiting. Back now? Yeah, Tank are a bit like the rock and roll/heavy metal sound found in Motorhead. For better or worse this NWOBHM band would draw comparisons to Motorhead throughout their early career which in my mind isn't such a band thing. Though it should be noted these days they sound more like another NWOBHM act (Saxon) so do with that what you will! Formed by bass player Algy Ward ( of legendary punk band The Damned) Filth Hounds Of Hades drew favor with critics and has gone on to become another highly influential heavy metal release. I first tracked down a copy after hearing Sodom cover the Tank classic "Don't Walk Away". Sodom at the time was a favorite of mine and their choice to cover a band called Tank well I had to find out more (again you kids today don't know how great you have it with the Internet right at your fingers). It took me some digging and a lot of back and forth trips to local record stores but I finally found info on the band and picked up a copy of this album. Sadly my copy was lost to the ages some time ago. While I have a digital copy it's an album I'd love to have on CD. Anyway, following this release Tank went the way of many other similar bands and more or less faded away. Nothing ever topped this album for them. While their follow-up
Power of the Hunter is a fine enough release the band failed to catch on with fans. By the time This Means War came out the band were moving away from their Motorhead sound and towards a more melodic sound. In fact their last album War Machine is a far cry from the street metal assault of Filth Hounds. While I liked it I do miss their early hardcore rock and roll style. And given the fact that Algy is no longer with the group makes it harder for me to still consider Tank to be...well, Tank. For a moment in time Tank were another great and praise worthy NWOBHM band and every young kid out there should own a copy of Filth Hounds Of Hades if they are into metal.

Metal Mark says-

If you pick a name like Tank then you better be heavy enough to live up to such a title and in their early days this band sure did. I remember seeing a guy at a record store with the Tank logo painted on the back of his leather jacket. I had not heard them yet, but was interested. My first encounter with Tank was when I bought their 1987 self-titled album on cassette shortly after it came out. It was decent, but not quite what I was hoping for. Then I picked up their 1984 album "Honour and blood" and the double anthology "Armour Plated" both on vinyl these were more like it. The raw fury and the simple yet hard hitting riffs had me hooked. Their early stuff was the heaviest and they certainly were likened to Motorhead at the time. As they went along they became lighter in sound. I don't know if they just branched out or were aiming for a wider audience or a combination of those two. Either way the sound changed and their appeal wasn't what it once was. No offences to guitarists Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans, but I prefered Tank when they were a three piece with Algy Ward and Peter and Mark Brabbs. That early smash mouth sound just worked so well and it still holds up very well. Nowadays it's hard to really consider the current line-up as being Tank since Algy Ward is no longer there, there are no original members left in the band and they sound nothing like they once did. Either way they left behind a fine leagacy with their early work.

Stilllife-Requiem

Self Release
2011

Traverse City, Michigan plays host to The Traverse City Film Festival (founded by every one's favorite filmmaker and activist Michael Moore) every summer. I'm wondering if that kind of environment has anything to do with the amount of animosity you can sense in Stilllife? I know if I had to see Michael Moore every summer break I'd be angry and anti-everything as well. Formed initially as a Metallica/Iron Maiden cover band (more on those two later) the band is fronted by brothers Eric (Vocals, Guitar)and Nate (Bass) Charbonneau alongside another brother Jeremy (Drums). Guitarist Joe Melin rounds out the act. Written, recorded, and mixed by the band members themselves my first insight with Requiem was how much Eric Charbonneau sounded like a water downed James Hetfield. I'm not sure if that is what he was going for or not it just seems interesting that they started off doing Metallica covers because he has that same sort of sound going on in his voice. It is interesting that today of all days Metal Mark choose to visit Metallica's ... And Justice For All because that's a good starting point for thier influence from the sounds of Requiem. Maybe go with some Queensrÿche and Fates Warning (and obviously early Iron Maiden as well) and you've got a good idea where Stilllife come from. "Fruit of the Fallen Tree" takes a crack at the plate and offers up some of that Justice era Metallica garage metal style while the instrumental "Directive Four" dissects "Number Of The Beast" and tries to put it back together with some "Peace Sells...". Not really the best way to superglue metal parts. That aside the group takes a stab at concept rock with the three part "Requiem"- "Part I: The Oracle", "Part II: The Vision" and "Part III: The Only Resolution". In this case saving the best for last as this three part number showcases the group's goal of playing inspired progressive power metal. Are they there yet? Not really as there is a lot of work to be done. For a self-release though this shows a promising start. With work and guidance they could do it. Find out more at: www.myspace.com/stilllifehome

Free Reign-Heavier Than Metal

DC Rightside Music
2011

Having a band with the tag "heavier than metal" makes you think that they might be pretty "Hell Bent For Leather" HEAVY. Free Reign are only heavy if you consider their weight. If you don't know the gimmick is that the band features some Dallas Cowboy players (and a member of the Miami Dolphins) playing heavy metal music. I get the fact that you listened to Metallica, Iron Maiden and Slayer growing up and now listen to stuff like Avenged Sevenfold/Disturbed and figured why not make your own music. What I don't get is why musicians like Puddle Of Mudd, Twisted Sister, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Vinnie Paul (Pantera) and Zakk Wylde are singing your praise? Well, maybe I can see Puddle Of Mudd being believers as they shouldn't even be considered metal. But the rest? Granted it isn't awful and I've heard much worse so far this year. It's simply nothing special. If it wasn't for their gimmick (which is getting them endorsement deals which is also crazy) Free Reign would be just another sub par band trying too hard to prove their the new thing or the real deal and being shrugged off. Thankfully I heard this one from a friend and didn't buy this from all the hype because I would have felt ripped off. Pass this one by.

And justice for all- Yearly visit

One of my most anticipated albums of 1988 was of course Metallica's And justice for all. I remember going to the local Sound Waves the day it came out. There was a huge banner for it hanging out in front of the store and posters all in the store window. Oh, yes this was going to be a great day. I had been listening to the first three albums in the weeks leading up this release. I had seen them earlier in the Summer on the Monsters of rock tour and they had killed. I plunked down my cash for the cassette and clutched it tightly on the way to the car anticipating how great it was going to be. Then something happened, that being that the mighty Metallica had lost their way. I'll get into specific gripes in a minute, but needless to say I was shocked. What happened? How could this happen? My view of Metallica was changed from that day on. I have never come close to liking them as much as I did during the three years before that day. Anyways this leads me to an annual ritual I have whereby I take out And justice for all and give it another chance. Yes, I have been doing this for years to be fair and hoping it might click or at least that's what I thought up until a few years ago. Now I have kind of accepted that I am never going to embrace this album, but I still give it an annual play and try to really give it my attention.

Here are top complaints from 1988 about the album.
1-Most of it is far slower than it needs to be.
2-Several songs are way too long considering what little is going on during the time frame.
3-Where's the bass?
4-Going along with number three is the fact the production overall is very thin.

So over 22 and a half years later here's where I stand after my latest listen as I address the above concerns.

1-I still find this a problem. The power just isn't there and pace is part of it and so is number four, but still this album sorely needed some more speed and spirit to help it out.
2-Oh, definitely. Most of the songs are too long and this ties in with number one as well. They tried to write epics, but instead wrote a number long, boring songs. Yes, there is difference between epic and long and boring. However that's something Metallica didn't know and their lack of writing talent came to the surface on this album.
3-After who knows how many listens I still get stuck on this point. Indeed, why did you hire Newsted only to keep his talent hidden on his first full length effort with Metallica? Another bad decision.
4-There are times where the production is okay, but overall it fails the band. The writing has lot of problem so maybe even stellar production would not have made a difference. However the production on the previous two albums was great. So it was painfully obvious that something was lacking in this area. Even more so is that I've heard live recordings of some of these songs where they sound a lot better live and I think that shows the production here might have robbed this album of some steam.

Okay, not to be a total sourpuss I forced myself to come up with three things I like about this album.
1-Dyers Eve is a pretty good song and nice choice for a closer. Not sure if I like it because it's the fastest song or the shortest, but still I like it.
2-James Hetfield sounds decent overall and the production shortcomings didn't effect his vocals.
3-Blackened has potential. It's probably my second favorite song on the album and it has some moments, but a heavier production would have helped (I know I couldn't resist a little negative jab even here).

So there you go. I gave the album my annual listening actually two as I play it once in the car and then once through the computer with head phones. It's not a good album and it was and still is a disappointment, but I have given and will probably still give it at least one shot a year. Feel free to blast me or agree with me.

Forgotten Gems-Witchkiller-Day of the Saxons

Metal Blade
1984

Canadian band Witchkiller released just album that being this five track EP. I stumbled upon a used copy of this on vinyl at a record store around 1987 or 88. They had long hair, wore leather and had some cheesy rubber mask with them so I bought it for I believe about $3. A great purchase indeed. Think Judas Priest, Manowar, Iron Maiden and other classic style early 80's metal. "Day of the Saxons" charges forward into battle with steady beating drums and stellar vocals. "Riders of doom" begins slow, but quickly enters and Iron Maiden style gallop. This is the longest track on the album and one of the best. "Cry wolf" is a bit more subdued, but eventually it heats up. "Beg for mercy" treads deep into a NWOBHM sound and it has more of a bounce than previous tracks, but the band controls it nicely. Closer "Penance for past sins" focuses around a deep cutting riff. This one might have the grittiest vocals of any of the songs. The only negative for me about this album is that it's only an EP. It ended too fast and left me wanting more. Unfortunately this was it for Witchkiller unless you can track down their demos which I've heard have floated around at different times. Metal Blade put "Day of the Saxons" out on CD some time ago, but it's still fairly easy to find.

Faithsedge-Faithsedge

Scarlet Records
2011

Streaming online at AOL Music is the self-titled debut album from California's own Faithsledge. Who you may ask? Well, Faithsedge is another so-called "supergroup" of sorts (although not your normal all ego no chemistry supergroup as it seems these guys gave their sound a lot of thought and time considering the quality on display here) that was started in early 2009 by singer/songwriter Giancarlo Floridia. The bands stud line-up features renowned producer/bassist Fabrizio Grossi (Steve Lukather/Starbreaker), former Dokken guitarist Alex De Rosso and drummer Tony Morra (Rebecca St James,Van Zant). What about the music you ask? Well, take shades of light metal like Nelson, Firehouse, Winger, Night Ranger, Kiss and Europe and toss with some harder stuff (Dokken for one and maybe eighties era Ozzy /Dio?) and then finish off with a pinch of progressive rock (I suspect they listened to some Rush at some point growing up). Mastered by Tom Baker of Precision Mastering (Judas Priest/Motley Crue) this 11 track album has enough punch to appease hard rock/metal fans while still pulling in the AOR crowd. With a professional sound and catchy hooks these guys seem destined for commercial rock radio and it wouldn't surprise me to see these guys move on to bigger and better things. Faithsledge will be written off as fluff for some no doubt. But these guys bring back that arena rock feeling and have a classic sound about them. I might actually have to look into this one further and lay down some hard earned cash for a copy. A nice surprise for another rainy Ohio day!

Concrete Force-Mental Enforcers

Blower Records
2011

Mental Forces was a 2008 demo first before getting the royal treatment (which among other things meant the addition of two new songs) and a re-release in late 2010. That didn't stop me from checking the sell by date a few times. 2008 really? Not 1998 or even 1988? It's not that this is spoiled metal that sounds dated. More than anything this Greece thrash band just sounds like they came from the Bay Area and lived the same scene as Metallica, Exodus, Heathen and Testament. Mostly Metallica although the drums reminded me of the late great Chris Witchhunter (Christian Dudeck)(R.I.P. 7th September 2008, Liver failure) and his work in Sodom. The most interesting fact about this band that was formed in 1999 is that there is only two guys at work here- Jim Stournaras (All vocals/instruments) and Nick Huber - Lead Guitars. Honestly this sounds like a full force band at work here. These guys thrash hard and heavy. Even if this disc does sound over 25 years old it somehow still sounds fresh and modern (or at least like late 90s thrash). I made the mistake of listening to this one in the car and I could have easily have gotten a ticket with the way I found myself speeding along and thrashing. Talk about speed freak metal! Let us all hope that this is only the first step for Concrete Force. Thrash fans young and old must check this one out!

Forgotten Tomb-Under Saturn Retrograde

Agonia
2011

This is the fifth full length album from Forgotten Tomb. Forgotten Tomb play a brand of blackened doom with the a rather lonely frequently gloomy feel to many of the songs. Yet it's a mood they are very well suited for creating. The music changes varying from simple drudge to frequently very melodic pieces that briefly take the mood up a little. Several tracks feature several tempo changes while other seem all to content to drone on in the same pitch. That second approach does hold the album back to some extent. I get the impression they are going more for atmosphere than just being technically impressive and that's a fine goal. Several times I could close my eyes and imagine this being the soundtrack as I walked through a woods as a dark storm was coming. On other occasions I just found myself waiting for the song to end because they do try to stretch a few riffs a bit further than they are capable of. Overall I think they achieved the sound they aimed for and remained fairly interesting along the route.

Mark Deutrom-The Value Of Decay

Southern Lord
2011

In some way I thought it would be harder for me to wrap my head around The Value Of Decay the solo album from Mark Deutrom. Maybe I've just forgotten my own past among all the young punks of my teens. Too much metal has gone into my veins lately and honestly this was a nice exercise walking the road less traveled. Since Mark Deutrom did play with the Melvins (as their bass player) there is certainly some of that style of doom to be found here along with all the random bits of weirdness and samples. This is nothing as offbeat as the Butthole Surfers or anything just some after hours craziness to get your juices going. This is actually the fourth solo release from Mark who is an elder of the noise scene. In addition to his time spent with the Melvins Deutrom helped found West Coast hardcore act Clown Alley in 1985. He is also a well known producer having worked with not only the Melvins ( Ozma and Gluey Porch Treatments LPs) but also RKL's Rock n Roll Nightmare LP, Raw Power's Mine To Kill and Too Tough to Burn albums and Neurosis' excellent Pain Of Mind release.Somewhere in between his time playing with the Melvins and his duties as a producer he became a co-founder of Alchemy Records. Presently Deutrom can be found playing with The County Bucks. Back to his The Value Of Decay album though and for better or worse what you have here is 15 tracks that range from random weirdness/noise ("Darksider") to 70's inspired fuzz doom ("Buried In the Jewel"). When things get going like on "Victor's Closet" I'm reminded of not only the Melvins but also some of Mike Watt's solo work. Like I said earlier from Mark's reputation I expected this one to be out there more. Thankfully it wasn't too much of a stretch and if fits nicely in with other Southern Lord bands. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how "Cities Of Gold" flirts with psychedelic doom and how "Empire Sands" is over eight minutes of noise/doom and how much I enjoyed both. Melvins fans as well as doom and/or noise freaks would do well to check this one out.

More questions for you

Here are some simple questions about your music buying.

What was the last CD/album you bought where you think you got a bargain?

What was the last CD/album you bought where you think you overpaid for it?

Name one CD/album you have considered buying in the last month (can be new or old)?

Forgotten Gems: Tarot-Spell Of Iron

Flamingo Music
1986


I hadn't thought about this album in awhile which is a tragic shame because if their is one band who truly define heavy metal it's Tarot. So, what made me decide to give Spell Of Iron a spin and a nod? Well, while visiting another metal blog ( the always excellent Stay Heavy) I noticed that Tarot decided to re-record this this album which by the way was their debut album. Alright, I'll get this out of the way and say that yes Marco Hietala (vocals/bass) did end up in Nightwish and that is probably where most people know him from. That my friends is a true tragedy though as Tarot has enjoyed a long and successful career in their native Finland. In fact they still remain one of Finland's top metal bands and have quite a catalog of music to their name. They were formed in the early eighties by the Hietala brothers (Marco and guitarist Zachary). As I said Tarot play plain, honest-to-goodness old traditional heavy metal on Taste Of Iron. And they have continued in that matter which is rather surprising since other bands from the same time period felt pressure to become more commercial to appease the masses. "Wings Of Darkness" is probably the most well known song on the release and it is good. That said though "Midwinter Nights" starts off the album with some excellent headbanging metal. There was nothing pretentious about Tarot. They were really just a straightforward heavy metal band. It surprises me that Zachary didn't make more of a name for himself outside of Tarot because his guitar playing is top notch. On "Dancing On The Wire" he plays these riffs that are dark and tense and just plain evil. Obviously predating the similar style of melodic death metal that would appear years later it does make you wonder. Coincidence? I think not. "Back In The Fire" is straight up metal. Think early Oz and the sort. Similar in nature though I give the edge to Tarot. Sometimes the album reminds you of Iron Maiden ("Never Forever") and other times Black Sabbath ("Midnight Nights"). And yet the band still manages to sound like nobody other than Tarot. It is weird to think that Tarot had everything going for them (sound, look, charm, etc) but couldn't make an impact anywhere other than their homeland. Regardless, the instrumental "De Mortui Nil Nisi Bene" showcases the skills these guys had as they rock out to some serious charming riffs. Real traditional metal fans (Iron Maiden, Dio,Oz,Accept,etc) would do well to check out this album. It was re-mastered and re-released several years back so tracking down a copy should not be too difficult. The only drawback for Tarot is that the tracks on Spell Of Iron do tend to sound alike at times. Many new bands suffer this same fate and that shouldn't stop you from checking out this mid eighties gem.

Symfonia-In Paradisum

Armoury/Eagle Rock
2011


This heavy metal super group formed in 2010 and this ten-track offering was recorded mainly in Finland, mixed and mastered in Italy and produced by Timo Tolkki (who also plays guitar on the this release). With a line-up featuring vocalist Andre Matos (Angra, Avantasia, Shaman, Viper, Looking-Glass-Self, Virgo, Holy Sagga, Aina, HDK), the aforementioned Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius, Revolution Renaissance), bass player Jari Kainulainen (Stratovarius, Kotipelto, Evergrey, Elias Viljanen, Mess, Voluspaa, Warmen, Killing Machine) keyboardist Mikko Härkin (Sonata Arctica, Kotipelto, Cain's Offering, Essence Of Sorrow, Kenziner, Wingdom, Mehida, Solution .45) and drummer Uli Kusch (Helloween, Gamma Ray, Holy Moses, Ride The Sky, Beautiful Sin, Masterplan, Shock Machine, Mekong Delta, Roland Grapow, Axe La Chapelle) you should be able to grasp what In Paradisum is going to be. Given their backgrounds in the melodic metal community you can safely say this is epic melodic/power metal. Apparently all of these guys found themselves living in Scandinavia and decided to join forces. If your at all familiar with Angra then you'll know that vocalist Andre Matos has got the epic metal vocals down pat (although he does get a tad high pitched now and then as if he is attempting to break glass). And with this core of musicians you know that everything will sound majestic and glorious. And Tim Tolkki does an awesome job with making the album sound clean and pristine. My only gripe (you had to know this was coming with me right guys?) is that sometimes it gets a tad too glossy and keyboard heavy. Otherwise I enjoyed tracks like "Forevermore" and Pilgrim Road" which showcase Tim's guitar work. I enjoyed the title track even if I could have done without the choir background. “I Walk In Neon” with it's chorus I enjoyed as well. Honestly with this sort of melodic metal it really is a love or loathe genre. While I am normally not into the overblown European style of power metal I appreciate this album. "Rhapsody In Black" brought to mind Stratovarius although this album doesn't exactly sound like Tim's ex band. Same goes for "Santiago" which has some addicting moments in it. I can hear bits of Stratovarius and maybe Gamma Ray. The only thing with that track is that I know I've heard the main guitar riff somewhere before and it will drive me crazy until I figure it out (maybe Mark can help with me with that?). The album closes with "Don't Let Me Go" (the slowest track of the ten) and it must be said this one (the album not the track!) surprised me. Normally not my cup of tea. That said I like where this is going. If this band can stay together and keep all their egos in check they could really prove to be a monster force.

USX-The valley path

Neurot
2011

This album from North Carolina's consists of one track that clocks in a little under forty minutes. Don't let the track influence your opinion, just turn on the disc, sit back and follow the journey. What a journey it is because it doesn't take long to realize that USX have carved, paved and plotted a slow, steady and amazing course for this song. The is dark psychedelia that revolves around very deliberately paced beats and sullen guitar riffs. Many of the parts are surprisingly basic, but it's the writing and placement that makes this track so unbelievably amazing. Obviously the band don't worry about the time, they just keep moving forward and they are masters of making repetition work for them. The moods flow with ups and downs as well. Plenty of singular notes bring the mood down, but slowly turning passages soon emerge and pull you along in a different direction. This album manages to sound immense without being overwhelming. Truly an album with so much to offer. Highly recommended.

Clash of the album covers

Here you go.



Death-Scream bloody gore

vs.



Sodom-In the sign of evil

***Which cover do you prefer?

Twisted Tower Dire-Make it dark

Cruze Del Sur
2011

Metal in general is faring well these days. However those of who got into metal in the 80's probably have various, but strong memories of the changing musical climate as the 80's made way for the 90's. I remember the mid-90's being particularly rough as metal seemed to have been pushed out or at least pushed underground. It was during these rough times that Virginia's Twisted Tower Dire emerged. Not only did they come out playing metal during a time when it wasn't in fashion, but they were big into classic metal and NWOBHM. Even though that wasn't a popular path at the time the band stuck to their guns and here they are over fifteen years later as they emerge with their fifth album. We thank the metal gods that bands like this had the guts to believe in what they loved. "Make it dark" is a fantastic outing sure to please us old grey around the edges metal fans, but it's also exciting enough to pull in some younger fans that realize how great this style of metal is. We are treated to eight songs of slick real metal drawing from the likes of Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Tygers of Pan Tang, Omen and others. Their music is slightly upbeat and that works for me here because it just adds to making it a fun listen. Sometimes metal fans are famous for being so set in their ways, but the melodies mixed in the clssix metal sound work wonders on this album. Twisted Tower Dire have solid vocals, tight riffs, striking solos and more. They capture the soul of what I love about classic metal on this album. Check it out and crank it up.

The Poodles-Performacracy

Frontiers
2011

Sweden's the Poodles return with their latest effort and fans are not going to be disappointed. These guys obviously grew up listening to the likes of Motley Crue, Def Leppand, Bon Jovi and other 80's-early 90's hard rock bands. They have that sound at their core, but there is definitely a modern rock shell wrapped around the twenty plus year old hard rock influences. Don't let that last part scare you because for the most part these guys know how to get the best out of their sound. They remind somewhat of Crashdiet only far more consistent. There are some pop elements here with U2 being a definite a source on several songs. The Poodles know how to pull heavy edges and smooth pop choruses together and tie the two together so they compliment each other. Tracks like "Your time is now", "Bring back the night" and "Until our kingdom falls" will all have you singing along rather quickly. The production is high quality and very consistent although some times it seemed smoother than it had to be. I don't think all old school hard rocks fans will embrace this album right away because it is different, but give it a chance and it may grow on you. Took me about two plays to warm up to it.

Ravencult-Morbid Blood

Hells Headbangers
2011

Hells Headbangers (which by the way is a superb name for a heavy metal record label I must say!) have presented me with some early Easter presents by the look of things. Browsing through the available promos I feel like a kid in the a candy store (granted its more like a candy store filled with maggot filled chocolates). Over the next few days I hope to familiarize myself with the label and their unique roster. So, first off here we have Ravencult who hail from Athens and are another entry into the field of Greece's traditional black metal outfits. Wait a second here. Is traditional the word I really want to use? Rather I liken this is more blackened thrash than your normal old and crusty black metal. Never mind the lyrics which are a shade too Venom for my tastes. The music is the meat of the matter here and as a matter of fact said music had enough thrash to satisfy my inner cravings. It's not straight up crossover like Witchery or anything mind you. It's more akin to a black metal band letting their hair down a bit to rock out. Formed in 2001 Ravencult managed a series of demo/7"releases before finally unleashing their debut album "Temples Of Torment" six years later. The band then went on tour twice in Europe first embarking on a tour with Setherial/Corpus Christii and then Krisiun/Rotting Christ. The group has also appeared at several European festivals such as Festung/UMM Open Air (GER), Inferno Metal Festival (NOR), Sathanas In Gloriam (HOL), and Under The Black Sun (GER). Having also shared the stage with bands Aura Noir, Inquisition, Impiety, Mayhem, Varathron, Behemoth, Carpathian Forest, Rotting Christ, Watain, Arcturus and Satyricon it looks as if Ravencult are well on their way. So, not bad for my first handful of Hells Headbangers treats. We'll have to see if their other offerings give me the same (metal) sugar rush or if they just give me cavities.

Wolverine-Communication Lost

Candlelight Records
2011

Last time I checked in with Swedish act Wolverine they were still a progressive power metal band with some death metal leanings (mostly in the form of the back-ground vocals of drummer/vocalist Marcus Losbjer). Even their name conjures up images of either that vicious compact killing machine of an animal or one of my favorite X-Men characters (if I'm not mistaken it's the X-Man character that Wolverine are named after). So that being the case and all when this promo showed up in my e-mail I was expecting something with bite. I hadn't heard the group's 2006 release "Still" so this caught me off guard. The transformation that Wolverine apparently started on earlier albums seems to be complete. This is less the work of a metal band and more the creative output of a heavy rock band. While Wolverine at this point will not really register with traditional heavy metal fans let me tell you that this is some beautiful and skillfully crafted progressive rock. Vocalist Stefan Zell has really come into his own on Communication Lost. And the music is majestic and very mature. The songs are complex in nature with various different layers helping the album to have this massive sound. Everything from the guitars to the keyboard/piano parts to the rhythmic percussion give Communication Lost this sweeping filling. This one was a real pleasant surprise and just shows that a band can change styles and improve over time. Highly recommended.

What's coming up?

This week we hope to have up reviews of albums from Wolverine,Twisted Tower Dire, Symfonia, USX, Mark Deutrom, The Poodles, Winterius and maybe more. Plus Clash of the album covers and Forgotten Gems.

Have a great week!

Flame-March Into Firelands

Hells Headbangers
2011


So here it is another typical rainy day in Ohio and I sit down to digest another unholy slab of black thrash from my new friends at Hells Headbangers. March Into Firelands is album number two for this Finland band who formed in 1998. My first impression is that overall this has a raw sound going for it. While the production has more of this analog sound I find it actually works for Flames. After all who what would you expect from a band who sound so much like the eighties? I mean that in a good way my friends. I hear bits of Bathory, Morbid Angel, Slayer, Death, Mayhem, Possessed and other bands I just can't put my finger on. Flames are not going to get a lot of points for originality mind you but at this point in the game it's hard not to hear something that hasn't been done before with any type of metal band. Even if they don't strike you as being new they do strike you as being evil and intense. As I said I liked the fact that the production wasn't all crystal clear. It gave the album this retro feeling. And honestly there is some killer thrash moments throughout the album as well as this twisted sense that the music truly is maniac. Its almost as if they were right and this music is trying to crawl inside of you and possess you. From the sinister vocals to the way the music twists and distorts itself I have to say March Into Flames is a piece of dire and dark art. This one is truly worthy of warped minds friends. Enjoy the madness kids.

Hrizg-Anthems to Decrepitude

Moribund Records
2011


Anthems to Decrepitude is the second full length release for Hrizg. Hrizg by the way is "Orcish" (World Of Warcraft) for pain so right from the start you should be able to figure out where this is going. Indeed this is primeval black metal. Hailing from Spain ( home of The Spanish Inquisition which seems to be a likely influence here as this is music I could see as a soundtrack for torture ) Hrizg is a one man army handling all instruments and vocals himself. Speaking of vocals Hrizg has less of the typical scratchy vocals associated with the genre and more of an eerie and evil doom voice. It gives the music more of a haunting feeling. As it is black metal variety isn't so much a concern for Hrizg as is creating a blackened landscape. That said "Invierno" does offer a nice break in that it features a lovely little guitar solo playing over the sound of rain. Also "Broken Shield" has this neat little piano piece that I found to be nifty. More variety like that would have helped this to stand out more. Hrizg though does not seem like the type to care though. This is him painting a portrait of inner torment and in that regard he does succeed. However, I'm still not sure this is going to set the black metal scene on fire or anything. That said though black metal purists should like this and it does have it's moments of being rather creative. Recommended for fans of old school Mayhem and Tormentor.