October Fright Fest-Burnt Offerings

Around 1979 or 1980 my brother and I saw this film on TV on a dark and stormy night. It made an impression on me from the start. A family moves into a large, old house to watch it. They have to care of it and take care of the old woman upstairs. Things quickly go bad as family members run into odd occurances and the mothers begins acting strangely. The situation becomes worse and worse until the family decides to leave the house, but can they leave in time? I never saw the film again until like 15 years later. Not as great as I at first thought, but still enough scares and mystery to keep it going.

Favorite part-
Definitely the ending. Not going to spoil it for you and it may be predicatable, but the ending makes the movie.

Why you should see this film-You have to have some patience, but the acting and the ending make it worthwhile.

If you've seen it before then you should watch it again because-I only watch it every couple of years, but always enjoy it.

Top of the Heap: Iron Maiden

Andy says-

As I suspect that Metal Mark will ch
oose Iron Maiden's "Number of the Beast" as his entry in this series I have decided to play devil's advocate and choose "Killers" as my top serving. The second album for Iron Maiden is nowhere near as heavy or raw as their debut and yet it still retains some of the almost punk edge that made these NWOBHM masters such a driving force. Vocalist Paul Di'Anno was sent packing after this release and his replacement would of course prove to me more than capable. True as it is that "Number..." is a shinning example of heavy metal in it's prime this album showcases Paul's ability behind the mic proving that he was no slouch either. I won't argue who is better because Bruce would win that contest with little effort. But for Paul and the band "Killers" is a album that deserves special appreciation for the impact it had in the day and still has. As I stated it is not as raw or heavy as their debut and yet it still has a thunderous appeal to it that cannot be overlook. With veteran producer Martin Birch on board and new guitarist Adrian Smith the band went on to produce their next masterpiece album in their short career. The song "Wrathchild" is a defining heavy metal number. It is a timeless heavy metal song still played to this day on the radio and in concert by not only Iron Maiden but in countless cover versions. Also featuring two instrumental numbers in "The Ides of March" and "Genghis Khan" (as well as the epic "Murders in the Rue Morgue") the album is an early example of how heavy metal suddenly became a classic genre. This album (along with it's followup) would put Iron Maiden into the same category as Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and AC/DC as forefathers of the hard rock/heavy metal movement. While not as popular as it's follow-up album "Killers" remains one of Iron Maiden's top moments and is a favorite of mine.

Metal Mark says-

If you hadn't heard me say it before or couldn't guess it from the top of my blog well then I'll say it now-Iron Maiden are my favorite band of all time. There are plenty of great metal bands and there's Maiden-the best of the best. Now choosing a best album from them isn't easy. I think their first seven plus "Dance of death" and "A matter of life and death" are all great. When I narrow it down to finding the best from that group I would A matter of life and death at three, Killers at two and The number of the beast at number one. No albums is perfect, but "The Number of the beast" comes pretty damn close. We've all heard the mesmerzing title track, the instantly likable "Run to the hills", the haunting "Hallowed by thy name" many times over. The surging "Children of the damned" gets a great deal of recognition too. The other songs don't alwasys get as much rcognition but they deserve it. "22 Acacia Avenue" is a prime example of the band's strong songwriting skills. "The Prisoner" demonstrates their mastery of controlling the pace. "Invaders" and "Gangland" are frequently overlooked, but both are powerful in your face kind of tracks plus Maiden didn't do this kind of song a whole after this album unfortuately. The Dianno albums were great and Killers marked the band's first huge leap in songwriting. However bringing Bruce in to front the band made a huge difference and allowed the band to reach out and do songs they could not have attempted with Dianno. This isn't just my favorite Maiden album, but rather my favorite album of all time.

***What is your favorite Iron Maiden album?

October Fright Fest-Phantom of the Paradise

Music writer Winslow Leach (William Finley) wants his music to be used and is hopeful that powerful producer Swan (Paul Williams)will use his music. Swan actually wants to steal and claim Leach's music as his own. In a battle Leach is disfigured, but he eventually returns as a phantom trying to deal with Swan and get Phoenix (Jessica Harper) to sing his material. Swan is pretty much evil and tries pulling all the strings to do his bidding. This is glam rock version of the Phantom of the opera, but it's a must see for fans of over the top cult films.

Favorite part-
Actually I'd Williams' music as he wrote all of the songs here. It varies from Elton John style pop songs to darker Alice Cooper style songs.

Why you should see this film-Not a perfect film, but it has a wild,exagerated view of the early 70's glam scene and they combine it with a dark horror story.

If you've seen it before then you should watch it again because-It's definitely a filmd that gets better each time you see it.

Hedon Cries-The End Of The Path Is Nigh

Self-released/Independent
2011

"We are Hedon Cries, a melodic Death/doom metal band from Greece". So began the e-mail that accompanied this promo. As I sat down at my computer waiting for the album to start up I said to myself "Self, I hope this isn't another one of those mental exercises where you have to try to stay alert while the album creeps along". Thankfully I was way off base. Can I throw the phrases classic rock and modern metal into this review without taking away from what Hedon Cries is aiming for? This album is the third release for this Greek band and "The End Of The Path Is Nigh..." is a surprising (at least for me) look at home grown and lovingly crafted melodic death metal with the "extra package" as it were. This thing certainly fits the mold of death/doom alright and yet the extra attention given to guitar solos left me smiling. Pulling in tiny bits of seventies rock is not going to see Hedon Cries get slapped with a "sell-out" tag as you really have to pay close attention to get it. Very likely most people will simply write it off as a fleeting moment. But when you get it you really GET IT. And Hedon Cries GETS IT. So, do yourself a solid on this Monday morning and head over to their website for a free download of "The End Of The Path Is Nigh...". Everybody wants something for nothing these days it seems and Hedon Cries have an offer you can't refuse! Melodic death/doom with shades of classic rock and modern metal created with such care and yet delivered like a lead pipe to your senses. Good times.

http://www.hedoncries.com/

Happy Halloween!

Martyr-Circle of 8

Metal Blade
2011

Hailing from the Netherlands Martyr's first run was during the the 80's and the band knocked out several demos and two albums "For the universe" and "Darkness at time's end". Both were fairly solid metal releases with a NWOBHM inspired sound. Fast forward a few decades and the band resurrected with several original members. Their first release back was the "Fear the universe" EP in 2009 and now they have out a new full length effort. The Martyr of today sound a bit different than the Martyr of twenty some years ago. There is somewhat of a classic metal sound at the core of their music even today, but they are far heavier and faster today. However the new sound is just as effective and even more powerful in some ways.They incorporate thrash parts in with their steady barrage of metal. The first time I played this album I found the new sound startling and wasn't so sure about it. Repeated plays had me enjoying it more and setting aside my 1986 standard of what this band should sound like. It's an updated sound, but given the amount of time between albums and all that has gone in metal since then it's not an outlandish transition. They even toss in a re-recorded version of "Speed of Samurai" which was originally done on their "For the Universe album". A number of old order metal bands have comeback albums this year, but Martyr is definitely one of the better ones.

October Fright Fest-Targets

Some horror fans may say Target isn't really a horror film. Yes, there's no vampires, zombies or lumbering monsters stalking the village. Instead it's the tale of a seemingly normal guy who snaps and begins to use his skill with a gun to just take out a people. Around the where I live we saw several years ago about how scary the threat of a sniper can be. The films captures that mood too. While the sniper goes down his bloody path we get the side story of Boris Karloff basically playing himself. He's and aged horror star ready to call it quits after promoting his final film. Scenes of these two characters are shown during the day and as the day goes on we see the two will end up at the same drive-in that night. Karloff gives a tremendous performance particularly in the ending.

Favorite part-The scene where the sniper picks off an unsuspecting driver is just way too realistic but well done nonetheless.

Why you should see this film-It may be a topic that's a bit too real for some, but it's a very well done film.

If you've seen it before then you should watch it again because-The more you see the more can feel the emotions from the performances of the two leads. Great film.

October Fright Fest-Vampire Circus

In the early 1970's Hammer Films began to show nudity and more violence in their films. This film definitely falls into that category. Not a perfect film by any means. There are flaws in the plot and parts are rushed, but it's still an adventurous attempt with decent results. The film begins when a local woman has taken up with a vampire. So the good townspeople take it upon themselves to barge into the vampire's home and stake him. Flash forward a few years and hey, look the circus is coming to town. Everyone likes a circus right? Oh, but wait it's really a circus of vampires come disguised as circus performers. Their goal is to get revenge on the people that killed the vampire in the opening sequence. So they began to target and pick off those townspeople and their families.

Favorite part-
Probably the opening scene. It really sets the mood for this album.

Why you should see this film-It's a flawed film, but it's fairly dark, has enough action and twists to keep your interest.

If you've seen it before then you should watch it again because-The more I watched it the more I felt like they took some chances but most of them paid off.

Mournful Congregation-The book of kings

20 Buck Spin
2011

I hear the label funeral doom and right away in conjures images of long, slow and bleak tracks. Australia's veteran act Mournful Congregation are funeral doom masters. Their songs are all of the above, but fortunately they involve so much more as well. Here we get four songs adding up to around 80 minutes of music. Although it's slow and requires patience on the part of the listener they never disappoint. Each song is a single entity, but also each song contains so many varied sounds winding along the way. The pace is important to defining their sound and style, but the variation of tones is what really makes this album. The first three tracks are all tremendous with deliberate beats and rhythms. However the band's finest moment comes in the title track which is also the closer. Clocking in at over 34 minutes by itself means that it's got a lot of ground to cover. This may be the darkest song of the four, but it's undoubtedly the most interesting. Albums like this require patience and focus from the listener. However the payoff is huge because the sounds don't just hit you, but instead they drag into another world. This album isn't so much an assault on the senses as it compliments your senses and lets you really feel on the emotions that are being emptied into the music.

Harpoon-Deception Among Birds

Seventh Rule Recordings
2011

Chicago, Illinois grinders Harpoon offer us their sophomore record, Deception Among Birds. Andy Nelson, who recorded the band's first first full-length, Double Gnarly /Triple Suicide was brought back to handle engineering duties once again. The album finds guitarist/drum programmer Dean Costello (Crazy Stallions), singer Toney Vast-Binder (7000 Dying Rats, Gun Kata) and bass player D.J. Barraca (Lair of the Minotaur) in a very metal mood. There's still enough grind to go around on Deception Among Birds it's simply that thrash metal sure seems to be on Harpoon's mind. Not pretty thrash metal or anything. No, this is ugly and raw thrash in matching with Harpoon's overall view of the world. Not for the faint of heart.

Reviews for suckas-Dragonforce-Inhuman Rampage

Since Halloween is almost here I asked Mr. T what scares him? That question lead to the first Reviews for suckas in the last few months.

"What scares Mr.T? Not much scares me, but I'll tell you what I find scary. I find it scary that these fools called Dragonforce got a record deal and release their pathetic jibba jabba for a bunch of idiots to spend their money on. Look at some of these songs-"Through the fire and flames". I'd rather be going through fire and flames than listening to this pathetic garbage. "Body breakdown"? I'll break down their bodies and their fool heads too for making this weak trash. "Cry for eternity"? I'll make them cry that long when I make them meet my friend-pain! These suckas play like their pants are on fire and that crazy singer doesn't take a breath and just keeps pouring out a bunch of sworthless jibba jabba. I pity the fool that thinks that Dragonforce is real metal!"

October Fright Fest-Revenge of the creature

It's frequently a joke about how bad sequels are, but I don't think this idea came up until the 1980's when sequels were being churned out with more regularity and not always a great deal of care. However sequels both good and bad existed before that. There were some solid sequels in the past. The Creature from the black lagoon is in the minds of many (including me) the best monster film of the 1950's. So following up a film like that was a tall order. The Revenge of the creature isn't quite as good, but it's good and a worthy sequel. The gill man gets brought back to Florida and of course he escapes to terrorize the locals. Being it's the 50's the dialog is often, but great scenery and the creature make things go pretty well.


Favorite part-There is a part where the creature throws and unsuspecting victim into a tree. It looks to be done with a dummy and ropes on pulleys. Quaint by today's standards, but considering what was availible

Why you should see this film-If you liked the first film and almost any 1950's monster films you would probably like it. It's not as essential or as original as the first film, but it has a fair amount of action and looks good even today.


If you've seen it before then you should watch it again because-As I said above it still holds up pretty well.

What's coming up?

I still hope to review the new Mournful Congregation today. For the coming week we hop to have out reviews of albums by Hedon Cries, Autumn, Harpoon, Martyr,Shredhead and Whitechapel. Plus some Forgotten Gems, French Metal Friday, Top of the Heap, Reviews for suckas and hopefully an October Fright Fest or two between now and Halloween.

Midnight Chaser-Rough and Tough

Heavy Artillery
2011

With cover art that looks like that how could you not get a little excited about the music tucked neatly inside? Following in the footsteps of their superb 2010 self-titled EP, this new album finds the Bay-Are's own Midnight Chaser laying down an invitation to come to the party and tear the mother down! Now these guys cite their influences as everything ranging from 70’s Judas Priest, Motorhead and Deep Purple to the harder edge of ZZ TOP and even the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. As retro-worship goes these guys have got the goods and man if I wouldn't list Thin Lizzy and Kiss as obvious influences as well. In other words there isn't 1% modern metal to be found on this album. This is throw-back heavy metal with obvious late seventies/early eighties love. That all serves as a lethal combination and on the aptly titled "Rough and Tough" Midnight Chaser don't hold back. If anybody dares tell you that no-frills hard metal is dead then throw this bad mother on. This is no-nonsense party rock the likes of Sammy Haggar fronting Motorhead at a gathering of Hell's Angels. Dig it.

Halloween listening-A list

I took the kids for trick or treating at the mall last night. I needed some music for the holiday to take for listening to in the car so I brought my Misfits boxed set with us. I have been watching horror movies more in October because of Halloween, but I have not gearing my listening for the holiday. in previous years I have done, but so much this year. I still have a few days then to squeeze in some Halloween type heavy music. Here is a list of 13 I hope to pull a few from.

1-Iron Maiden-The number of the beast
Not like I need an excuse to listen to this album because I play it all the time.
Still some horror themed songs on it and it always makes me think of Halloween.

2-Halloween-Don't metal with evil
An obvious choice and it has some holiday themed songs.

3-Hallows Eve-Tales of terror
My favorite of theirs.

4-Helloween-Keeper of the seven keys part 1
Maybe just for the one song, but still an album I think this time of year.

5-Mercyful Fate-Don't break the oath
Definitely a mood setter.

6-King Diamond-Abigail
You always need a scary story.

7-Grim Reaper-Fear no evil
Any would do, but I'll pick this one.

8-Misfits-Walk among us
More Misfits, their best single album.

9-Samhain-Initium
Not as fun as the Misfits, but almost as cool.

10-Saint Vitus-s/t
Some great doom is good for this of year.

11-Overkill-Feel the fire
This one always has me thinking of this time of year.

12-Ozzy-Diary of a madman
Back when Ozzy was worth listening to.


13-Black Sabbath-Volume 4
Toss on an old classic too.

***Feel free to add your list.

October Fright Fest-Brides of Dracula

The title is misleading in this Hammer film. There are no brides although I guess they are perspective brides. Dracula is not in this film either. This was originally to be Hammer's second Dracula films and they were hoping Christopher Lee would return as Dracula. However they were unable to work out a deal so no Lee and no Dracula. Instead there is a vampire named Baron Meinster who is released by a woman who unfortunately felt sympathy for him. The Baron then begins biting necks and recruiting undead followers across the land. Wait, because Dr. Van Helsing (the magnificent Peter Cushing) is in the vicinity and he knows a thing or too about getting rid of vampires.

Favorite part-Almost any scene with Cushing, but I'll go with the fight scene between Val Helsing and Meinster that occurs a little bit before the finale.

Why you should see this film-It's one of Hammer's finest gothics. Despite the fact that there is no Dracula it's still a solid vampire movie.

If you've seen it before then you should watch it again because-It's a classic, if you like you you will continue to find more to like about it with each repeated viewing.

October Fright Fest-The innocents

Deborah Kerr stars as Miss Giddons a somewhat shy woman who accepts the position as governess for two orphaned children whose uncle is frequently away from the estate. Everything seems to go fine until Miss Giddons hears about what happend to thenow-deceased groundskeeper and the previous governess. The she begins to wonder is she seeing things or are their really ghosts around the house. Will Miss Giddons succomb to madness or will she find out what is going on?


Favorite part-This is a beautifully filmed movie. I won't spoil it for those have not seen it, but I'll just that the scenes that may or may not involve spirits are done exceptionally well both in photography and timing. Many horror films could and shpould have taken lessons from this movie.



Why you should see this film-This isn't a bloodfest and there are no vampires of flesh chewing zombies, but instead it' a subtle story that plays with your mind as to what's reallly going on.



If you've seen it before then you should watch it again because-Once you see it once you know what is happening, but once you see it again you can focus in the clues that will hint earlier on as to what is really happening.

October Fright Fest-Kingdom of the spiders

A Small Arizona town begins to see tarantulas showing up. A farmer (Woody Strode) loses some animals to spider bites. Veterinarian William Shatner tries to find a solution with the help of Tiffany Bolling. Eventually it turns out the tarantulas are not only great in number, but very aggressive as well. Instead of finding a solution the townspeople find themselves fighting for their lives.

Favorite part-Just the fact that they used so many real spiders in this move helped it to look good. The concept is kind of far fetched, but you place real spiders all over the place and it looks like a real threat. The ending is good too.


Why you should see this film-William Shatner, tarantulas, great scenery, William Shatner, fine supporting cast and did I mention that William Shatner was in it?


If you've seen it before then you should watch it again because-The 70's was full of nature gone wild films. A few before Jaws, but many more after it's release. Kingdom of the spiders is one of the better ones from that sub-genre. Plus it holds up well under repeated viewings.

Heavy Metal Thunderdome

Oaky, remember you are only judging by the music here. It is...


Black Sabbath-Vol.4


vs.


Led Zeppelin 2

***Which album do you prefer?

Brainstorm-On the spur of the moment

AFM
2011

When October rolls around I normally begin working on my top 25 albums of the year list. I know there are still a few months left to the year, but I like to listen to any possible contenders. However there are a few late in the year releases coming out that could be contenders for top album list. The new one from veteren act Brainstorm is definitely an album I was waiting for. Over the years this band has certainly delivered and they do it once again on their latest. With a combination of classic metal and power metal they know to mix it up and keep the songs going. I want to touch on just a few of my favorite tracks. "In the blink fo any eye" came on in a storm of energy and never let up. With "Temple of stone" they opt for a crunchier approach but they certainly handle that well too. "Where your actions lead you" comes flying on with a great riff. Most of the album brings the same elements that have made their previous albums so good. Although the middle of the album is a little weaker than the beginning or the end. It's a good album, but perhaps not as strong as the last few efforts. It's heavy and tight, but somehow slightly more predictable than some previous albums. However it's certainly worth a listen.

Myrath-Tales of the Sands

Nightmare Records
2011

Myrath (which means 'legacy' in Arabic) are a progressive metal band that incorporates Middle Eastern and Oriental flavors into their music. Formed in 2006 and formerly known as Xtazy they were the first band from Tunisia to be signed on a label. Quite an impressive feat to be sure and certainly well deserved. Following in the footsteps of 2010's well received "Desert Call" the album bridges the gap between progressive metal and power metal with a creative eye geared towards an explosion of color. The band paints a stunning landscape with their skill throughout "Tales of the Sands". Lead by the smooth vocals of Zaher Zorgatti the band has managed to craft an album that is full of surprises, technically sound and fun to listen to. I'd take Myrath and stack them against other progressive metal bands any day. It's funny but this is the sound that Metallica can only dream of having when they tried to sprinkle their later material with Eastern influences. Why I thought of Metallica when listening to this album I'm not quite sure. Other than the fact that some of the technical aspects of Myrath's sound certainly rival Metallica's work this is an entirely different beast. Myrath have a sound that is nothing short of magical. It makes me dream of the Orient and the Middle East. Metallica only gives me nightmares. Speaking of "nightmares" I should mention that
Nightmare's version is for everywhere but EUROPE according to the promo material. Take from that what you will.

Skull Fist-Head öf the Pack

NoiseArt Records
2011


Hands down this new album by Skull Fist is one of the best heavy/speed metal LPS to come out Canada! Head öf the Pack is just such a perfect title for this bad boy. With music like this Skull Fist are making a serious case that they should be considered towards the top of the heap of the NEW WAVE OF TRADITIONAL HEAVY METAL (NWOTHM) movement. From the very start of their first full-length album you can sense that Skull Fist is starting to come into their own. Cuts like "Commanding the Night" and the aptly titled "Commit To Rock" are chuck full of heavy metal/speed metal. This brand of muscular heavy metal might have riffs born of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Metallica but the way it is laid out is anything but a copy cat. Even as they tip their hats to Tokyo Blade with their cover song "Attack Attack" (from Tokyo Blade's 1984 Lightning Strikes 7" EP) they do it their way with energy and intensity to spare. This is prime-time, Grade A heavy metal from Skull Fist. Thank the maker this kind of metal still exists and that we have bands like Skull Fist.

Satan's Host-CELEBRATION: For The Love Of Satan - 25th anniversary album

Moribund
2011


If you can overlook the goofiness of new tune "For the Love of Satan" (the music itself shreds it's just that the obvious Venom lyric worship is utter cheese guys) then this new collection of re-recorded classics is pretty sweet. Taking cuts from the vast catalog of power metal/black metal band Satan's Host and reworking them around Harry Conklin's "signature soaring/haunting style" is a good move. Material that original appeared on "Metal from Hell" (including "Hell Fire" and "Metal From Hell") and giving them the modern touch makes this collection a must have. It breathes new life into these songs. In fact, despite the recent move towards black metal a lot of this material sounds like killer power metal/thrash. "Midnight Wind" (from the bootlegged album of the same name since it was officially never released) is also cheesy in a Merciful Fate/Venom kind of way but man if it isn't some of the best classical power metal around. Listening to these re-worked versions makes me wonder why these albums have yet to be issued on CD? Hopefully something is in the works as these albums show the majestic side of Satan's Host even in their humble beginning. "Cauldron of the Ancients" is a cut from 1999's EP,"In Articulo Mortis" and showcases Harry's vocal range. The self-released album "Archidoxes Of Evil" gave us "Nightside of Eden" and Harry and company work their magic on it. Epic power metal is the name of the game and the band plays it better than most. Working their way to 2004's "Burning The Born Again (A New Philosophy)" gives us "Ecliptic Equinox" and at this point it is obvious that Harry is making his case that he never plans to lose his edge and like a fine wine he just gets better with age. "Satanic Grimoire: A Greater Black Magick" gets represented here with "Satanic Grimoire" and "Great American Scapegoat 666" brings back haunting memories thanks to the track "Cursing, "Vampyric Evil-Eye". Our eerie peek into the past of Satan's Host is finished with "Dark Priest (Lord Ahriman)" from 2009's "Power ~ Purity ~ Perfection: 999". Really there is not a bad track to be found on this collection of re-worked classics. Usually albums like this leave me longing for the originals more than anything. In this case Satan's Host has made an album that celebrates these older classics with a modern touch while still giving us something interesting to latch onto. "CELEBRATION: For The Love Of Satan - 25th anniversary album" wraps up with the other new tune, "Convictions". A superb metal tune to end a well-crafted heavy metal platter. As a follow-up to 2011's "By The Hands Of The Devil" this makes perfect sense. Especially with it being the 25th anniversary of their legendary "Metal From Hell" debut. My only request now is a deluxe edition of "Metal From Hell". That would truly bring everything full-circle for Satan's Host.

Sinner-One bullet left

AFM
2011

Sinner are one of those bands has rather quietly been releasing consistently good classic style metal for almost thirty years. They don't tend to get quite as much notice as someone like Running Wild or Grave Digger, but there is no denying their steady contributions over the years. Despite his commitments with Primal Fear and other projects band leader Mat Sinner still keeps this act going in fine fashion. Despite recent line-up changes this band has remained focused and the quality of their music is still high. Just seconds into the blazing opener "The one you left behind" it's obvious that we are in for a solid attack of metal. The title track,
"Suicide Mission" and "Mind over matter" are just a few of the tightly crafted head bangers on this album. "Mend to be broken" and "Give and take" show their ability to blend melodies in with their heavy edged approach. "Haunted" and the closer "Rolling away" are both slow tracks, but both have enough of a steady flow to keep them going. Really there are no fillers on this album. My only real complaint would be ending with a slow track wouldn't be my first choice as I would normally prefer that a band end with a more powerful song. Nothing new, but I am glad for bands like Sinner that never fail to deliver.

What's coming up?

I still hope to review the new Sinner tonight. For the next week we hope to have out reviews of the latest from Satan's Host, Brainstorm, Skull Fist, Midnight Chaser, Mournful Congregation, Autumn and The Magnificent. Plus October Fright Fest, Heavy Metal Thunderdome and I hope to still talk Mr. T into doing another column.

***Have a great week!

The Magnificent-The Magnificent

Frontiers Records
2011

If your going to call your band The Magnificent then you better make sure you bring nothing but the best to the party. Sporting Circus Maximus singer Michael Eriksen from Norway and Finnish producer/guitarist Torsti Spoof (of the band Leverage) the band is rounded out by Rolf Pilve on drums, Sami Norbacka on bass and Jukka Karinen on keyboards. Besides a few additional musicians that's all folks. Without sounding too cynical (for a Friday at least) if you've heard a few Frontiers Records all ready then you'll know what is in store here. The Magnificent offer melodic rock with flashy guitars, smooth keyboards and a quite capable lead singer. It is modern enough while still bringing to mind the obvious influences like Journey and Foreigner. If you love sparkly melodic rock then you'll no doubt love The Magnificent. Are they worthy of that title though? Ask me after they release a few more albums.

Top 5 most disappointing live hard rock/metal albums

I'll list this as most disappointing rather than worst because this way I pick bands that I normally like, but they fell short on these live albums. Here they are and feel free to add your list too.

1-Iron Maiden-A real live one
Oh,dear. How could a live Maiden album go so wrong? Have most of the songs being from two not so good albums, have so-so production and some surprisingly less than stellar performances and you have the recipe for a truly underwhelming live album
2-Judas Priest-Priest...live!
So they wait until touring for the wretched Turbo album to release another live album. There are good songs on it, but plenty of just okay ones too. Why couldn't they have done a live album for either of the previous two tours instead of doing it for one of their weakest albums?
3-Guns -n- Roses-Live era 87-93
Okay, G-N-R were not always known for consistently good live shows, but if you are doing a live album where you pull songs from different shows then why would you choose some very bland performances?
4-Rush-A show of hands
Okay, it's still Rush. However it's Rush in their poppy period which just didn't do it for me. I just sighed and went back to their 70's material.
5-Alice Cooper-Alice Cooper show
The first live Alice Cooper album was recorded toward the start of a down period in his studio. So we get some limp tracks plus the selections from the 71-74 period lack punch with this line-up playing them live.

Despite Exile-Scarlet Reverie

Self-Release
2011


Scarlet Reverie is the self-released debut EP of Italy's own Despite Exile. These Italian thrashers have a sound that mixes in the best parts of heavy metal, hardcore, progressive metal and death metal. Vocalist Jei brings emotion and intensity to the mic as he leads Despite Exile. The rest of the band plays with a fury most deathcore/metalcore bands could only dream of. Since we are speaking of deathcore and metalcore it seems as if the band is most often lumped into those two categories. Thing is though even with the familiar break downs and scratchy vocals the band brings more to the table to keep things fresh. Interesting riffs and as I said earlier the emotion in the music far outweighs tired old tags with "core" in the title. Respecting their audience more than that allows Despite Exile to create metal that keeps you interested while still pummeling you senseless. Be sure to experience the thrill ride for yourself. Check out the band's reverbantion site below for more information.

http://www.reverbnation.com/DespiteExile

Top ten hard rock/metal live albums

I like lists a whole lot. Can't remember if I did a live album list on here before or not. Even if I did ignore it because here's my current one. Here they are in order. Agree, disagree or add your list if you like. I may post a top five most disappointing live albums later today. Yes, I do realize that all of these were made in the 70's and 80's. I tried hard to think of a live album done since 1990 that could be in the top ten. While there have been some good ones, I couldn't think of any that were deserving enough to make this list. So here they are in order.

1-Iron Maiden-Live after death
2-Ted Nugent-Double live Gonzos
3-Judas Priest-Unleashed in the east
4-Hanoi Rocks-All those wasted years
5-Motorhead-No sleep 'til Hammersmith
6-Rush-All the worlds a stage
7-UF0-Strangers in the night
8-Scorpions-Tokyo Tapes
9-Black Sabbath-Live at last
10-Raven-Live at the inferno

French Metal Friday-Stators

What are we to make of a world where bands like France's own Stators release a killer piece of heavy metal history and then disappear while bands like Poison are allowed to continue on, album after album after assaulting the public with "Unskinny Bop"? Sort of makes you wonder how people can't see the evil in this world and that Satan is all too real and working as a PR these days. Stators was formed in 1981 and other than a handful of demos the band's only release was "...Never Too Late" ( Full-Length release on Axe Killer Records in 1985). Thankfully God loves us as much as he loves quality heavy metal so we do live in world that allows bands like Stators to get a second change thanks to the fine art of re-releases. "...Never Too Late" was re-issued on CD by Brennus in 1998 and can also be found on Itunes not to mention various shareware sites. If you've never been fortunate enough to experience Stators then stop what you are doing and head over to Youtube for a taste of this most excellent NWOBHM inspired French band. Featuring vocalist Gilles Meleo (who released a single with Sphex in 1979) and future Satan Jokers' guitarist Olivier Spitzer the band often draws comparisons to Sortilège. That's fair enough to be sure. Like the mighty Sortilège the band draws on the NWOBHM scene as well as traditional heavy metal. There is also quite a bit of early speed metal to be found here what with the great lead solos. The music is well-rounded featuring interesting riffs and thankfully Strators breaks the mold of pedestrian heavy metal by crafting rock inspired tunes. Vocalist Gilles Meleo sings in English although his accent gives off a sinister quality that really pulls you in. Never mind the goofy photo above or the album's oddball cover art. Strators were a serious heavy metal act and "...Never Too Late" is a hidden gem that shouldn't be left to die under a pile of crap metal albums.

Forgotten Gems: Waysted-Vices

Chrysalis Records
1983



Waysted are a hard rock/heavy metal band that was formed by UFO bassist Pete Way after briefly playing with former Motorhead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke in Fastway. After leaving UFO over creative differences Pete Way had hoped to play with Fastway but was unable to since he was still under contract with Chrysalis Records. After playing bass for Ozzy Osbourne's Bark at the Moon tour Pete decided to form Waysted with Scottish rocker Fin Muir. Recruiting former Def Leppard drummer Frank Noon and guitarists Ronnie Kayfield and Paul Raymond (who also handled keyboards) the band released Vices on Chrysalis Records in 1983. Waysted could best be described as being somewhere along the lines of a cross between UFO, AC/DC and Girl with some Springsteen,Seger,Thin Lizzy and John Cougar Mellencamp throw in for good measure. Lead by the swagger of Fin's razor blade vocals (imagine Bob Seger channeling Lemmy and you'll get the idea) Waysted rocked the line hard between sleaze and heavy metal. Vices is the sound of high-octane rock n' roll turned up to 11. This is the sort of hard rock you used to find in smoke filled bar rooms. Before glam metal threw makeup all over sleaze rock (in the process ruining it for everyone) you had Waysted laying down the law with Vices. It's dirty boys and girls. Swagger-filled dirty rock n' roll/hard rock with a heavy metal punch in the mouth. In other words its awesome. No need to thank me for saving you from corporate rock and mall metal. Just doing it for love folks. Doing it for love....

October Fright Fest-Raw Meat (AKA: Deathline)

This British made film came out in the UK as Deathline, but over here in the states it goes by the far less subtle Raw Meat. This film and set in the early 70's. A politician gets attack down by the subway. A young couple find him and the man of the couple thinks he is drunk, but his girlfriend thinks he's hurt and convinces him to tell the police when they get up to the straight. However when the policeman comes down the man is no longer there. Soon we find out that there is cannibal living down in a back room in the subway. He watches as his pregnant and sick mate dies. The back story reveals that around the turn of the century workers were in a cave-in down in the subway. Some survived by lving off the flesh of the dead. Now we see their last descendent trying to survive, but he wants more than that. Now he wants a new mate. While all this is going on the police get involved because the politician that disappeared has some pull. We are treated to Donald Pleasance as the head investigator and this is definitely the best role I have ever seen Pleasance play. Yes, even better than in the Halloween movies. The police think the young couple may have been involved with the politician's disappearance. Eventually the woman of the couple gets targeted by the cannibal as his possible new mate.


Favorite part-When the cannibal man looks as his mate dies. This adds to the film that he's not just a monster. That's a large part of what makes this movie different from the typical creature feature.



Why you should see this film-A rather unique film due to the story and sympathy for the "killer". The pacing could have been tighter and the guy in the couple is just okay. However the other performances are strong and it's a great looking film as well.



If you've seen it before then you should watch it again because- Definitely a film where you understand and see more each time you see it.

October Fright Fest-Demon Wind

Demon Wind is a leftover horror film from the golden age of video store rentals. Rewind to a time when your best source of movie entertainment was to be found at the downtown video rental. You know the one. Owned by Mom and Pop (not unlike record stores of yesteryear) it usually carried all the hit movies up front with various genres (action, romance, comedy and sci-fi) scattered around the store. I don't know about your old video stores but the ones I went to usually had the horror section somewhere in back of all the other rentals. Heck, they were usually found by the adult section so what does that tell you? I used to love going through the horror section. One would be tempted to rent a movie based solely upon it's outrageous cover. Demon Wind was that kind of film. With a demon breaking through a window and the tag line "It'll blow you away" how could you not be at least a little curious about what waits for you? While the film has never been given a proper DVD release here in America our good friends over at twistedanger (link below) offer the film at an affordable price.



Brief description-

The film starts out in 1931 where we are shown a body being burned on a cross. At a farm nearby a woman named Regina is trying to keep demons from getting inside. Despite keeping the demons out her husband George kills her after being transformed into a demon. Years later the grandson of Regina and George (Cory) decides to travel up to the same farm after the suicide of his father. Along for the ride are his girlfriend Elaine and some of their friends. In a plot ripped right out of the pages of the script of Evil Dead a mysterious fog roles in, people are possessed by demons and all hell breaks lose.

Favorite part-

My favorite part of this film (besides it's overall abundance of cheese) is that it has the farm exist in two separate dimensions. One one side of the door the farm is intact and on the other it is in ruins.

Why you should see this film-

If you love cheesy horror films you'll love this one. Don't get me wrong it is bad. The plot features huge holes big enough to drive a truck through and the acting is wooden at times. But for a good time where you don't have to think too much you can't beat Demon Wind.

If you've seen it before then you should watch it again because-

As I said its a fun film. Whereas today's horror films are just plain bad (and boring) eighties and early nineties horror films were bad in a fun way.



http://www.twistedanger.com/index.php?a=dvd&cat=20&dvd=2589

NWOBHM Wednesday-Praying Mantis

Andy says-

Despite the fact that the Metal Archives decided that Praying Mantis wasn't "metal" enough for their site you cannot have a conversation about the New Wave Of Heavy Metal movement without mentioning this top notch act. Actually, Praying Mantis pre-dated the movement by a few years but wouldn't get noticed until appearing on the Metal For Muthas compilation in 1980 with their song, "Captured City". It wasn't their first recording though as that honor would go to the Soundhouse Tapes EP released in 1979. While "Captured City" raised awareness to the band it was their support slots for Iron Maiden and Ronnie Montrose's Gamma that caught the attention of Arista Records. With Arista Records behind them Praying Mantis went on to release the excellent Time Tells No Lies in 1981. Despite good reviews the band was done in by management problems and line-up instability. Dropped by Arista Praying Mantis seemed to vanish into thin air. While in reality they had signed to Jet Records even that would be short lived. After two singles failed to revive their early success the band folded. While many in England and America seemed to forget about Praying Mantis the band maintained a strong fan base in Japan. Thanks in no small part to that support the Troy brothers (always the backbone of the band) briefly reformed Praying Mantis in 1990. Nine years after the release of Time Tells No Lies the band released Live at Last. The following year the band would finally release a proper follow-up to their debut with the album Predator in Disguise. Since then the band has carried on although with frequent line-up changes. With their latest EP, Metalmorphosis the band collected re-recorded versions of classic songs and showed the world that they are capable of keeping with their classic sound while also keeping up with the current heavy metal scene.


Metal Mark says-
Okay, so I'm going through "Time tells no lies", "A cry for the world" and "Predator in disguise" as I write this. Not everyone in the NWOBHM scene sounded like Iron Maiden or Diamond Head although a few later to the scene bands did try to sound like them. My point is that the scene had a lot of bands that represented a number of different sounds. Praying Mantis were a combination of hard rock/metal and even a touch of AOR mixed in. It was the early 80's when they started so all these styler were going on so combining them seemed like a fine decision. I think "Time tells no lies" is their best effort. It's tight, it's catchy and had the band already establishing their own sound. It's unfortunate they couldn't follow up on it within the next year or two. I think their sound would have really hit had they done a quick follow-up and got a push around say 1983 or 1984. That's not the way it went though. Oddly enough they have done far more albums in the last twenty years than in the 80's which was of course the prime for the NWOBHM scene. Former Iron Maiden guitarist Dennis Stratton was a part of Praying Mantis having played on every album between 1990 and 2003 except for the old demos album. Kudos to the Troy brothers for making numerous efforts to restart this band and get it going again because as Andy says they have been the heart of this band. I actualy think that 2009's Sanctuary is their second best album. This year's Metalmorphosis EP is re-recorded tracks, but it's still the same line-up that did Sanctuary and the band sounds very focused. Here's hoping some new material is coming soon.

Mos Generator-s/t

Ripple
2011

It was just a few months ago that I thrilled when Ripple music re-issued Stone Axe's debut with a pile of extras. Now that very same label treats us to another re-issue of one of Tony Reed's bands. This is the 10th anniversary edition which includes the original album plus a previously unreleased track from the original recording sessions and the full Live at the Manette recordings that were previously self-released in limited numbers. The songs from the original album are amazing enough on their own. Yes, I could just say these tracks are high caliber groove-laden, 70's inspired stoner rock and all that would be true. However that only scrapes the surface for how good this band really is/was even at this early stage of their career. Every project I have heard Tony Reed in has a flow to it that's just automatic in every aspect of the song. Many bands play this style and you can learn chords and beats, but you can't learn the kind of flow that Mos Generator have. It just comes with knowing what you are doing and it being second nature. That kind of flow is all over these songs. It's like being in a vehicle with an experienced driver/pilot you hear/feel a few seconds and you know you are in good hands so you sit back and enjoy the ride. If it just the original album being re-released that would be great enough, but we also get a bonus studio track and a live album as extras. I was particularly impressed by the live tracks because it sounds it's likely a smaller venue, but the quality is quite spectacular. Mos Generator live are perhaps even more spot on with hitting everything in fine fashion and just channeling their natural smoothness in this performance. Really a fantastic package all around. Once again Ripple Music not only delivers the goods, but they go the extra and exceed all my expectations on this one.

SoulHealer-The Kings Of Bullet Alley

Independent Release
2011

Finland's SoulHealer are a heavy metal band that came along about 20 years too late. Theirs is the sound of hard rock forged in the fires of acts like Black Sabbath, W.A.S.P., Accept, Mötley Crüe, Judas Priest, AC/DC and Kiss. It's loud without turning into thrash and crunchy without being doom. It's almost like a mash-up of early Quiet Riot style hard rock and Motörhead only with a early eighties underground metal feel to it. From album opener "Kings of Bullet Alley" with it's sing-a-long chorus to album closer "The Real Me" this is eighties heavy metal as played by today's fans. As I said this is about 20 years late to make a real impact. If SoulHealer had formed alongside bands like Twisted Sister, Manowar or Armored Saint then I have doubt that their vinyl records would have sold like hotcakes. Now though tastes have changed and its mostly just old men like me that smile at those familiar eighties heavy metal riffs. That said though for those looking for that long-lost feeling of heavy metal (when it was still raw and smelly) you should check SoulHealer out. And for you younger readers out there who have found treasures in your parents old record collection where Saxon sits comfortably next to Ratt and Iron Maiden this is a band worth hearing. Find out more at:

http://www.soulhealermusic.com/

Clash of the album covers

It is...


Helloween-Keeper of the seven keys

vs.


Gamma Ray-Majestic

***Which cover do you prefer?

Mecca-Undeniable

Frontiers Records
2011

Mecca is a AOR supergoup lead by vocalist Joe Vana. On their 2002 self-titled debut album Joe was joined by Toto members Fergie Frederiksen, Bobby Kimball and David Hungate as well as Pride Of Lions guitarist Mike Aquino, session drummer Shannon Forrest and keyboardist Jimmy Nichols. The album was well received by both fans and critics with obvious comparisons being drawn to bands like Toto, Kansas, Foreigner, Mr. Mister and Whitesnake. "Undeniable" is the follow-up and for the most part picks up where "Mecca" left off. Armed with new players, Joe Vanna takes Mecca for a walk down AOR/melodic walk lane with pit-stops along the way to pay homage to others that came before. "Undeniable" is a proper title as there are undeniable influences to be had throughout the album. Bands like Journey, Toto, Mr. Mister, Foreigner, Survivor, REO Speedwagon and the like make up the bulk of Mecca's backbone. "Undeniable" is also a perfect fit for Frontiers Records as it's melodic rock at its best. If slick, over the top and flashy rock is what your looking for Frontiers Records usually has something right up your alley and Mecca fits that mold perfectly. In a time when AOR and melodic rock has lost steam (Let's face facts here folks and realize these two genres may never see the popularity they had in the eighties again) bands like Mecca are still out there singing its praises. If your the type who just can't seem to ever get enough of this sort of smooth rock then "Undeniable" should find it's way into your life. It's well produced and executed with top notch talent backing up Joe Vana once more.

Evil United-Evil United

MVD audio
2011


Having opened up the latest package of promos that Metal Mark was kind enough to send my way I just picked one at random to check out. Throwing it in my car's CD player I hit play and headed off for some mid-morning chores. Now while Mark had filled me in about Evil United before hand in all honesty I had so much on my mind that I forgot that the band featured former Watchtower/Dangerous Toys/Broken Teeth front-man Jason McMaster. Listening to the NWOBHM/traditional heavy metal inspired thrash blaring out of my stereo I found myself grinning from ear to ear. Not that it was anywhere near original or ground breaking mind you. No, it was just the feeling that here was a band playing hot damn heavy metal! Once home I picked up the paperwork that came with Evil United's CD and it was only then that I saw the Jason McMaster connection. Sure the voice sounded vaguely familar but lets face it when you've been exposed to loud music for well over 24 years like I have your ears are not quite what they used to be! The rest of Evil United is equally compelling what with Don Van Stavern (Riot, S.A. Slayer) on bass, Todd "Bird" Connally (PB/DC, Cult To Follow) and John "JV4" Valenzuela (PB/DC, Urial) on guitars and Shakes West (Neurotica, PB/DC, Sebastian Bach) on drums. Yes, I can hear what your asking. Isn't Jason McMaster already in a dozen plus other projects/tribute bands? Is this band really necessary? And my answer would be so what! Who cares if Jason plays in hundreds of bands. I'll take a real true blue heavy metal disc any day of the week over what passes for modern metal these days. Jason is admittedly a huge music fan having had his first exposure to rock in the form of Elton John, Kiss and Queen. In addition to being a good vocalist he also plays bass and has played in power metal bands, industrial, hard rock and everything in between. With Evil United you get a sinister vibe and people are right to pick up on the Merciful Fate/Slayer influences. Their there front and center for all to hear. That along with the already mentioned NWOBHM and traditional heavy metal influences make this a solid slab of fist pumping metal. It does have an underground feel to it so those expecting something bright and shiny should just stop where they are at. Same goes for those listeners who think that just because a band isn't 100% original then they shouldn't waste their time. Heavy metal is all about being part of a brotherhood. The loud and the proud as I always say. That in a nutshell is Evil United. Loud and proud.

Morta Skuld-Through the Eyes of Death: The Early Demos

Relapse
2011

Underground death metal band Morta Skuld were formed in 1990 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That same year they released these two promising demos ("Gory Departure" and "Prolong the Agony Demo") followed by the Morta Skuld / Vital Remains Split in 1993. After signing with England's Peaceville Records the band released three well received full-length albums. Morta Skuld would sign with Pavement records for their last effort, 1998's "Surface". For whatever reason the band decided they needed to move on in 2002 they changed the bands name to MS2. With the new name came a drastic change in style. Gone was Morta Skuld's mid-paced death metal and in its place was modern thrash/nu-metal. MS2 became 9mm Solution before the band finally broke up. This album combines the band's two 1990 demos on one disc. Both demos have been remastered by Chris Wisco at Belle City Sound. Fans of Morta Skuld's brand of brutal death metal will love this collection. The sound has been tweaked and smoothed out while still retaining the intense edge that made Morta Skuld such veterans of the scene. If your new to Morta Skuld this release might not be a bad place to start as it does give you a good idea of what these death metal heavyweights were aiming for. With so many bands reforming these days maybe there remains hope for Morta Skuld. Death metal still remains an underground favorite for many and Morta Skuld would be welcomed back with open arms by their many fans.

Dark Forest-Dawn of infinity

Cruz Del Sur
2011

I never heard of these guys before and from the name was at first expecting some black metal band. Not the case as their British band draw from classic 80's metal influences. They have knocked out three EPs and Dawn of infinity is their second full length effort. The influences include Iron Maiden, early Helloween, Judas priest, Gamma Ray, Running Wild and others. They also remind me of current bands with similar influence like Twisted Tower Dire. Only where Twisted Tower Dire are and on the A list for retro-classic metal bands, Dark Forest would be more of a B- band. The music is very active and fans of constantly moving riffs will probably be delighted as most of the songs revolve around just that kind of sound. Tracks like "Seize the day" and "The stars my destination" show the bands ability to crank out some tight fisted real metal and just run with it. They do a fine job of staying focused and there are no filler tracks on this one. My only real complaint other than lack of originality is the vocals. The vocals are decent, completely in tune but somehow they never really push beyond just the expected. They are perfectly alright, but nothing special and that label could define this band as a whole. I listen to them and I like them yet a month from now I may not remember them. They are above average, but there are far better and more exciting bands out there doing this style better.

Lance King-A Moment in Chiros

Nightmare Records
2011

Lance King is a melodic metal vocalist with over 25 worldwide releases to his name. Over the last 21 years he has spent time in Balance of Power, Pyramaze, Defyance, Avian, Empire, The King's Machine, Gemini, Decible, Magic Kingdom and Shining Star. On this, his first solo album, Lance has collected an impressive array of musicians to help him out. You have Jacob Hansen (Beyond Twilight, Invocator & Anubis Gate), Kim Olesen (Anubis Gate), Michael Harris (Darkology, Thought Chamber), Tore St Moren (Jorn), Fred Colombo (Spheric Universe Experience), Markus Sigfridsson (Darkwater / Harmony), Kevin Codfert (Adagio), Michael Hansen & Shane Dhiman (Phonomik), Morten Gade Sørensen (Pyramaze, Wuthering Heights), Elyes Bouchoucha, Malek Ben Arbia, Anis Jouini (Myrath) & Mistheria (Bruce Dickinson and many others) all gathered together with the sole purpose of helping Lance King out by putting together a classy melodic metal/power metal album. Produced by the pair of Kim Olesen (Anubis Gate) & Jacob Hansen, (Volbeat, Heathen, TYR, Amaranthe, Communic, Mercenary, Onslaught, Rob Rock, Blotted Science, Raunchy, Pretty Maids, Cryoshell) the album is due out on November 11th because "The album's concept is based on the 11:11 time prompt phenomena happening to over 75 million people around the world, Lance is one of these people, and has dived in deep to find more about what it’s all about. This album is one man's journey as a seeker of truth looking for answers to the world's greatest mysteries". Also of note is the fact that Lance has chosen "Human Trafficking" (sex slavery) as the charitable cause he would like to champion with profits from this album's sales going towards efforts to abolish the slave trade industry worldwide. Teaming up with an organization called "NOT FOR SALE" Lance King is hoping to draw awareness to this worldwide vile crime while at the same time giving the listeners a solid album full of melodic metal tunes. "A Moment in Chiros" is aimed at fans of Redemption, Dream Theater and Symphony X as well as melodic/power metal fans in general. Find out more about "Not For Sale" at the link below and if your a melodic metal fan be sure to pick up "A Moment in Chiros" on November 11th.



http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/about/slavery/

Fishbone-Crazy Glue

DC-Jam
2011

Long running band Fishbone have been playing a blend of ska, punk rock, funk, hard rock and soul for years. Their latest offering the "Crazy Glue" EP marks their first studio release in five years although they did release a live album and a DVD in the last few years. Their line-up has changed a lot of the years with members leaving, returning and leaving again.However their sound remains largely the same which is a good thing. "Deepshit backstroke" is a bouncing head bobber with swirling riffs. "Afukafoo" is based around deep and simple sounds, but the vocals really keep this one moving. The title track is a heavy slightly choppy attack that benefits from some crazy vocals. "Dui Friday" launches into a blaze of drums and horns and never really lets up. "Flutter butter" is a steady romp, but perhaps the only song on the album where I lost interest about half way through. "Gittin' in that ass" is a surging blast of attitude. The album finishes with "Weed,beer and cigarettes" is a thick, quirky track that's not quite as adventurous as other songs, but still strong and a fine way to close the album. Fishbone have always found ways to do so much and yet make it all sound so natural. This album is no exception as most of it just flows and pulls you along for the wild ride. Glad to see them back and they are supposedly working on a full length album as well for a release in the hopefully near future.

Trillium-Alloy

Frontiers Records
2011


Amanda Somerville is an accomplished American singer-songwriter and vocal coach who has written and recorded with bands such as After Forever, Edguy, Kamelot, Epica, Avantasia and Docker's Guild. Since Amanda is blessed with such an amazing vocal range (from tenor to soprano) so far her solo career has been focused on creating softer pop/rock. While she has explored hard rock before it has mostly been in the form of collaborations. "Alloy" is the first album in which hard edge rock and heavy metal take center stage for Amanda. She ended up calling her new project Trillium because it “symbolizes a trinity because things are always showing up in 3s in my environment and there are a number of triads occurring in this project, as well”. Amanda looks like she is all too ready to branch out more into the fields of heavy rock and traditional heavy metal from the sounds displayed on "Alloy". As she says about the album title- “The name of the album, "Alloy," is symbolic and metaphorical. An alloy is a substance composed of two or more metals, or of a metal or metals combined with a non-metal, intimately mixed. It also means standard; quality; fineness and is an admixture, as of good with evil. I'm a Pisces, so I'm all about duality and combining known elements - sometimes opposing each other - to create something different. Though I've been working myself further and further into the metal scene, I still always feel the need to add an extra element to make it shine, bling, stand out”. In her desire to craft a special album Amanda enlisted the team of Sascha Paeth & Miro (Kamelot, Avantasia, Epica, After Forever, and Angra) as producers, songwriters and performers. Their hard work paid off in spades as "Alloy" is a fine album that works the thin line between riff happy radio rock and harder edged heavy metal. With the production team in place Amanda assembled a great set of musicians to back her up. The official line-up is quite solid with Sascha Paeth handling just about everything (Guitars, Bass, Keys, Drums), Sander Gommans - Guitars, Miro - Arrangements & Keys, Olaf Reitmeier - Acoustic Guitar, Robert Hunecke – Drums, Simon Oberender - Keys and Jorn Lande - Guest Lead Vocals on “Scream It”. It sounds as if a lot of thought went into "Alloy". Solo albums can be very hit or miss. With "Alloy" Amanda obviously took time to consider the direction she wanted to go and the album's overall flow. While her vocals are of course a highlight the music doesn't simply take a backseat. In fact everything merges perfectly together making Trillium sound less like a traditional solo venture and more like a new band. It offers so much variety under the label of hard rock that I'd challenge anyone with an open mind not to find something worthwhile here. This is one album I plan to come back to again soon enough.

What's coming up?

This coming week we hope to have out reviews of albums by Lance King,Mournful Congregation, Trillium, Dark Forest, Morta Skuld, Mos Generator, Fishbone and Sinner. Plus French Metal Friday, Clash of the album covers, NWOBHM Wednesday, October Fright Fest and I might even see if Mr. T can return to write a column.

Have a great week!

Vomitron-No NES for the wicked

Metavania music
2011

Vomitron is a solo project for Peter Rutchen. Rutchen plays keyboards for Armory and Frozen and guitar for Graveheart. The idea for this album was to do heavy metal versions of original NES video game music. An interesting idea that I suppose came from having a love of old video game and metal with the realization coming that combining the two might be a promising idea. Indeed it is as Vomitron offers up 14 selections of NES selections getting heavy yet lovingly done versions. Viedo game music is frequently active and often as many of these selections and Rutchen realizes that and translates them according with varies instruments without losing any of the excitement of the original version. If you spent hours wearing callouses onto your thumbs as you pushes and poked away at that rectangular control then some of these songs may be ingrained in your head. In fact hearing these songs may bring back memories of those hours trying to conquer these games. The spookiness and straightforward approach of Castlevania is captured here. Double Dragon has quick pace changes and a heavy metal that are really brought to the surface in this version. Contra really makes a fantastic transition to the heavy versions here. The tempo and tone changes really make this one of the best tracks on the album. In fact every song here is solid. My only complaint is that they may find a limited audience for this project. Given that the peak for the NES was more than twenty year ago most of the people who remember these games are over thirty or more. Still those appreciated those games will likely be thankful for this album.

Forgotten Gems: Skull-No bones about it

The years between 1989 and 1991 saw tons of hard rock bands puring out everywhere. Some were good and some were pure crap that had no reason being signed in the first place. You just knew with so many acts springing up dandelions in the spring that not all of them were going to make it. Many bands did one and done during this period. For a number of them that was a good thing for us music fans, but some good bands got passed over then too. Skull were the brain child of guitarist Bob Kulick, brother of Bruce and his credits include playing with Paul Stanley's solo band, WASP, Meatloaf, Balance and many other projects. Also in the band were drummer Bobby Rock (Nitro, VVI, Nelson and a pile of others), bassist Kjell Benner and vocalist Dennis St. James. This album came out in 1991 a year that saw grunge knocking out hard rock bands like this one and many others. I was expecting run of the mill hard rock from Skull, but instead was bowled over by some severely tight melodic metal along the lines of Dokken, Whitesnake and Sammy Hagar-era Van Halen. Singer Dennis St. James can just flat out sing with so much power. Every note he belts out is spot on. Kulick of course shines some ripping riffs and tasty solos, but he never showboats. Instead it's all geared just making the songs stronger and building them up. Benner and Rock make a solid rhythm section laying down a heavy background and guiding the pace. My favorite songs include the shredding "Breaking the chains", the tight grinding "I like my music loud", the bouncing "Little black book" and the instantly catchy "Livin on the edge". I unfortunately never heard this one back in the day, but only remember seeing a tiny ad for it probably in RIP magazine. The download is easy to fine so definitely track this one down and give it a listen.

Exhumed-All Guts, No Glory

Relapse Records
2011

Exhumed should have called their new album "All Guts & All Gory". With such lovely and charming song titles as "Your Funeral, My Feast", "Dis-assembly Line" and my personal favorite "So Let It Be Rotten… So Let It Be Done" this is one blood-drenched album. Having been around since 1990 this San Jose, California death/grindcore band have always been an underground favorite. After all these years not much could be done to change that lets face it. Even with nods to thrash it isn't as if this new album could suddenly make Exhumed overnight sensations. Quite honestly I don't think the band cares at this point just as long as they have a gore-filled good time. And they seem to. They thrash and grind their way through "All Guts, No Glory" like a pack of half-crazed demon dogs. Either you love this kind of metal (with a grinding death assault) or you don't so depending on where you find yourself on the heavy metal scale approach with care. If vile, ugly and nasty death/grind sounds appealing right before Halloween then dive right in!

Forgotten Gems: Stranger-The Bell

Hot Blood
1985

If you think about what was going on in 1985 in regards to heavy metal it is no wonder that Stranger's "The Bell" slipped by without much notice. You had albums like Trouble's "The Skull" released as well as albums like Stryper's "Soldiers Under Command", Whiplash's "Power and Pain", Ratt's "Invasion of Your Privacy", Possessed "Seven Churches", Megadeth's "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" and Dokken's "Under Lock And Key" (just to name a few) and bands like Guns N' Roses were making steam. How was a young German band that sang about witches, evil, dirty women and angels supposed to make a serious go at it? Serious eighties metal fans would have embraced this one with open arms. Somewhere between Helloween (the standard as far as describing most German speed/power Metal of the time) and early NWOBHM these five lads found their sound and man if they didn't run with it. Tracks like "Hazel the Witch", "Broken Harmonies", "Midnight Angel" and "Bright Fog" all beg to be heard over the noise of legions of similar heavy metal songs that made rock radio all the rage back then. So, why didn't they make more of a splash? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it took five years for the band to offer a follow-up. And when they did? Well, released in 1990 the album "Pretty Angels" saw Stranger with a completely different line-up. With only guitarist Rikki "Wolfgang" Rieger returning the sound was turned upside down. While "The Bell" could be called a step-cousin to Helloween's "Wall of Jericho" the follow-up sounds nothing like heavy metal. If you didn't know that it was the band Stranger you could be mistaken for thinking this one was some lost hard rock release complete with horns! Yes, horns! Skip it at all cost as "The Bell" has been reissued by Karthago Records (remastered as well!) in 2005 with bonus demo material. If that doesn't suite your needs it's also easy enough to find on share sites.