Forgotten Gems: Death Mask-Split the Atom

Killerwatt Records
1986

Formed in 1984 this New York speed metal band would begin life as Savage Choir. Vocalist Steven Michaels joined up with guitarist Benny Ransom and the pair quickly became good friends and writing partners. The original line-up also included Ariel Lee on bass and Paul Monroe on drums. While this version of the band would write much of the material that ended up on Split The Atom the line-up would be short lived. Lee and Monroe would move on to more melodic and commercial rock (Monroe for one would go on to drum for XYZ) while Michaels and Ransom went a different route. Seeking to play a more heavy and aggressive style of heavy metal than what they were known for Chris Eichorn would join on along with Lee Nelson on drums. The four piece build up a loyal following in New York and New Jersey proving to be a popular live act. Making a name for themselves proved to be more of a curse than a blessing. In 1985 British label Killerwatt Records came knocking. Long story short the band was forced to change their name (first mistake as they had built up a decent following under the name Savage Choir) and then were given only three days (yes, THREE DAYS) to record their debut album. So, yes Split the Atom is a raw and under-produced album. But, given that the band was so killer live they were able to bang out an album that still sounds good despite the lack of studio time. The album was released in the UK and Europe in 1986 and the reviews were mostly positive. "I'm Dangerous" from the album would go on to be in the B-Movie Zombie Nightmare. Despite the name change and album production things still looked promising for the band. They were promised touring opportunities in Europe with established acts. They waited and waited and sadly it never happened. Death Mask had been Killerwatt Records first U.S. signing and it showed. The label pretty much left them out to hang. With nothing happening in Europe the group returned to the states where they continued to tour. There was no U.S. distribution in place though so Split the Atom was a pricey import. Negotiations fell through as the band tried to get out of the contract. With mounting stress and debt the band called it a day in 1987. Split the Atom would go on to be re-released by Retrospect in 2009. I choose to write about this album because now (nearly 25 years later) the group have finally issued a follow up album! I will be reviewing the album next week. Split the Atom meanwhile is classic eighties speed metal. Driven by Steven Michaels high pitched vocals Death Mask play full tilt thrash in the vein of Holy Terror, Living Death or Blood Money. Dripping with a nostalgic sound that just screams "bang your head" and "blow out your speakers" this is an album that should be in every collection if you are into eighties speed.

Argus-Boldy stride the doomed

Cruz Del Sur

2011
Pennsylvania's Argus return with their sophomore effort. I was very excited as I prepared to hear this one because I was quite impressed with their 2009 self-titled debut. They sure don't disappoint this time around either. If I had known exactly how good it ws going to be I would have hurried even more to give it a listen. The basic sound is similar to the Sword only more of a traditional doom sound at the center of their music. Argus got the message that doesn't always to be extremely slow. Tracks like Curse of the world and Wolves of dusk are real ear melters with a tight fisted charge. Although they never lose sight of ulling out some solid melodies.Former Penance vocalist Brian Ballich has a tremendous voice and uses it to guide and change the mood of the songs as needed. The title track has a main riff that reminds me some of Slough Feg and it just drags you along battering your sense all the way. Durendal has more tempo changes than some of the other songs and they show their ability to pull so much out of a slow passage. The 11 minute plus "Pieces of your smile" delights in trudging along pulling you down, but then they rip you back and forth with various twists and turns of sounds pounding at you. In fact every song on this album is as good as I could have hoped for. I was taken by their debut, but the follow-up is even better. The ideas are fleshed out more is their a greater sense of confidence this time around. Easily one of the best albums of 2011 thus far.

NWOBHM WEDNESDAY: JAGUAR

Andy says-




The story of Jaguar is short and bittersweet. Formed in 1979 they would come along at the just the right time to have an impact on the NWOBHM movement. The original line-up consisted of Ron Reiss (vocals), Garry Pepperd (guitar), Jeff Cox (bass, vocals) and Chris Lovell (drums). The group would build up a sizeable local following and recorded two demos. In 1981 the group signed on with Heavy Metal Records and released the single "Back Street Woman" which would go on to sell over 4,000 copies. Neat Records caught on to the buzz surrounding Jaguar and signed them. At some point during all of this vocalist Paul Merrell replaced Ron Reiss. With Merrel now leading the band the single "Axe Crazy" was released. It sold pretty well and the band hit the road again to build up more steam. "Power Games" was released in 1982 and showcased a bare bones, straight up NWOBHM sound and sold well. Jaguar were on their way. For whatever reason though the follow up album "This Time" (released in 1984) showed a dramatic change of direction. Sales were dismal and interest in the band faded. By the end of the year the band would fold. No doubt the band were done in by the move into more of an AOR sound. Sure their debut wasn't faster than light Raven style metal. It featured more of a mellow side than a lot of similar style albums. "This Time" though really turned off fan's. It wouldn't be until 1999 (and after the re-release of the band's first two albums) that the band would try to give it another go. Helped by a revival of interest in NWOBHM the group (now consisting of Pepperd, Jeff Cox, Nathan Cox on drums and vocalist Jamie Manton) started work on a new album. "Wake Me" would be released in 2000. Jeff Cox would be replaced by Darren Furze."Power Games - The Anthology" released in 2002 helped gain the band more exposure."Run Ragged" appeared in 2003 and in 2006 the band released two live albums. The first release was "Holland '82 followed by "Archive Alive Vol.1". Another best-off "Opening The Enclosure" was released in 2010. The band continues to play live although it remains to be seen whether or not new material will appear any time soon. "Power Games" really is a must hear for NWOBHM fan's. Despite the band's missteps following the album's release "Power Games" is a great rock record and a good overview of what was happening back in the day.



Metal Mark says-

I remember seeing a vinyl copy of "Power Games" sitting in the metal section of record store back in 1985. I looked at it quite a bit actually and considered purchasing it several times never did. I never heard much about them and never heard them back then although I thought I had (that story can be found here http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2008/05/jaguar-jag-wire.html ). Eventually a few years ago I saw an eBay seller offering "Power Games" for a couple of dollars so I took a shot and bought it. I was definitely satisfied with that purchase. It was solid, guitar lead NWOBHM not far off from Dianno-era Iron Maiden only a slight hard rock edge in it instead of just being pure metal. Not original, but very strong and I agree there was no reason believe this band wouldn't keep on in this musical direction and probably get even better. A few years ago I was anxious to get the re-issue of the follow-up "This time" despite hearing mostly negative things about it. In this case I probably should have listened to popular opinion. I am not sure whether the band just changed musical directions or listened to the radio too much. Whatever the reason "This time" was AOR and not very good AOR either. It was very average and worse to take considering how good "Power Games" had been. A number of other NWOBHM bands like Raven and Saxon tried going a more commercial route in the mid-80's and like with Jaguar fans wanted the heavier material. Like many other NWOBHM bands they have reformed and played some shows. Not a lot of great releases, but "Power Games" still stands up very well even today.

Vreid-V

Indie Recordings
2011

Vreid (which is Norwegian for "wrath") was formed out of the ashes Windir. After the tragic death of Windir frontman Valfar in 2004 three of the former members would continue on as Vreid. They added new guitarist Ese who would be replaced in 2010 by another former Windir member Stian Bakketeig . While I know their are those who consider the band to be more or less still Windir (which would really make this album nine) I'm coming at this with a fresh perspective having never heard either act. If you were to take away the black metal vocals (which are nowhere near as bad as many in the field) what you would get would be solid thrash with touches of hard rock and heavy metal. So, yes this is black and roll more or less. I'd say more though as the music draws from some many different genres. I hear 70's rock, progressive rock and early heavy metal. I here technical thrash. I hear quite a bit to let it stand out. And as I said the vocals of guitarist Sture Dingsøyr are not nearly as obnoxious as a lot of their Norwegian brothers. More experimental black metal is what the fields desperately needs so it's good to hear Vreid pushing the limits.

Kicker-Innit

Tankcrimes
2011

Writing short songs is fine with me as long as the band accomplished something during that time. So usually I think of short songs as causing a band to have to focus to accomplish something without much time. However if a song two or two and half minutes and I am bored well before the end of that time then somethings is wrong. That's the feeling I got on this 7" from Kicker. They are punk band from Oakland, California featuring frontman Pete “The Roadie”. Pete has been a punk since working as a roadie for bands for the past 30 years including Subhumans and Amebix. This is his first band and he is on vocals being backed by ex-members of Neurosis, Dystopia, and Filth. This is primitive punk rock with a bare bones feel which is fine, but on the title track and "Wrong things" they were extremely clunky almost clumsy. It sounded like guys were out drinking and stumbled upon some instruments and said "hey, let's record something". Any energy or emotion just seems wiped out by a lack of direction. It was painful just to get through those two tracks. Now the third track "Two Hats" is quite a bit better. It reminds me of The Exploited's early stuff with thudding drums and some actual drive behind it. Not perfect, but good. However it wasn't nearly enough to make up for the other two tracks. They need a lot of work.

Top Of The Heap: Anthrax

Andy says-

Does Anthrax need an introduction? As part of the "Big Four" the band has released countless albums and have been at the forefront of the thrash movement since their humble beginnings in 1983. Despite numerous line up changes and a declining fan base Anthrax continues to carry on. With Joey Belladonna back in the fold yet again the band look to try to recapture their former glory. Whether their much delayed new album Worship Music will achieve that or not who knows. My own personal discovery of Anthrax came courtesy of Columbia House. As a teen growing up in small town America record stores were few and far apart. I remember having read about Anthrax in some metal magazine and thinking the name alone was cool. I ordered Spreading The Disease and eagerly awaited it's arrival in the mail. Once the package came and I popped the tape in my stereo I was impressed. I looked for more of their albums and was able to get Among The Living and State Of Euphoria. While I loved all three tapes it was Among The Living I was most drawn too. "Caught in a Mosh" and "Indians" are two of my favorites but not the only great songs this album has to offer. The title track is classic thrash...Headbanging 101 territory."I Am The Law" is more of a slow, power metal fist in the face tune. "One World" has grown on me over the years. It's not great at first listen and didn't thrill me back in the day. More and more though I've come to see how much the song works."A.D.I. / Horror of It All" I've always had a soft spot for. It's an underrated song for sure. The disc ends on a strong note with "Imitation of Life". One of the more mature cuts on the album it showed the group's growth. What I love most I think about the album is how much it draws on thrash, speed metal and even punk. You can hear the group's roots on these killer tracks and it has been debated that this is their best disc ever. Seeing as I picked it for my pick I guess I'm agreeing with that statement!



Metal Mark says-

Sometimes the first album by a band becomes your favorite album by that band just because it makes such an instantly strong impression that even good follow-up albums just can't trump it. That's definitely the case for me regarding Anthrax. It was summer of 1986 and having recently gotten into Metallica, Slayer and Exciter it was safe to say I had been bitten by the speed metal bug. So I was searching for other bands of this style and the guy who owned the local record store recommended Anthrax's "Spreading the disease". I bought the cassette because unfortunately that was my format of choice back in those days. Opener "A.I.R" cmae blasting on and once it was over I had to pick myself up off the ground because I had been floored byt it's power. However it was only the beginning as "Lone Justice" with it's tight gallop and Joey Belladonna's soaring vocals whipped me around like being caught in a tornado of sound. "Madhouse" had me banging my head along it while "S.S.C./Stand or Fall" had me singing along at the top of my lungs. "The Enemy" again gives Joey Belladonna a chance to shine. "Aftershock" was a huge bulldozer of a song and just one of many chances for drummer Charlie Benante to have my ears ringing without the all out assault that he was bringing. "Armed and Dangerous" showed the band's ability to spread out and knock out a song with some change ups and they excelled at it. "Medusa" is one of my favorites and even now I cannot listen to it just once because I have to press repeat and hear it again. "Gung-Ho" isn't the most invloved song and indeed it's quite basic but it's still massive dose of speed and heaviness. Still a fantastic album that never fails to impress me. My favorite Anthrax album and my favorite album of 1985.

***What is your favorite Anthrax album?

Heavy Metal Thunderdome

Another match-up of two hard rock giants. Remember you are picking based on the music in this contest. If you were a teenager or older around 1983-84 then these two albums were likely staples for you. Or at least I am assuming you have good taste based on the fact that you are here reading this. Anyways here is the match-up....



Def Leppard-Pyromania

vs.



Van halen-1984

***So which album do you prefer?

Aura-Deliverance

Spider-rock

2010

Italy's Aura formed back in 1996, but it was twelve years later that they released their debut album "A Different View From The Same Side". Now they return with their sophomore outing. This is a concept album that is the telling of a man's dream: he travels through Palestine and lives again the sufferings of the Israeli people and Jesus Christ himself to reach his redemption, at the end. Musically the influences include early Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, Yes, Queensryche and others. Whenever I approach a prog-rock or prog-metal album I am always a bit hesitant because I have heard too many bands that get so wrapped in the progressive aspects that they lose site of the rock or metal part. You end up with endless passages of musicians showing off their playing, but they forget about how to piece together hooks to actually rock and engage their listeners. Fortunately that isn't a problem for Aura. They do create an abundance of long musical passages, but they manage to focus on the hooks as well and never lose sight of creating tightly crafted songs. There are plenty of melodies flowing throughout yet they serve to add plenty of texture to their songs. There are more keyboards/piano present than in some other music of this genre. That does tend to give it more of a rock than metal sound at times, but these parts are frequently intriguing and help build your interest rather than lose you. The songs are oftentimes very busy with pieces coming and going quickly, but the band manages a strong sense of control and always seem to be building their songs rather than losing control. An enjoyable album for sure. Also this is an album that I believe I will be listening to a lot in upcoming weeks primarily because there is so much going on that you cannot hope to absorb it all in just a few spins.

Interview With The Approach & The Execution

Last Friday night I meet up with vocalist/guitarist Jeremy Langham and vocalist/bassist Nick Kozono of The Approach & The Execution to discuss life on the road, the new album and the group's future plans. Being the extreme guys they are we hit the road looking for some action and new way's to cause trouble. OK, actually we would meet at Starbucks (located inside Target) to enjoy some over priced coffee alongside shopping couples. Such is the life of these modern day metal mavericks. Between day job's (Jeremy works as a social worker while Nick is busy busting tables to get by) and college (every one's working on their PHD) it amazes me that the band has found enough time to develop such a tight and unique sound. It hasn't been easy as Jeremy tells me. But when you "eat, breath and crap this" as he says in regards to the band things work out in the end. What follows is an interesting look into the history of the band, the making of The Burial March (from concept to recording) and how life on the road takes a very special kind of girl.

Andy-Could you tell me a bit about how The Approach & The Execution got started?

Nick-"Well let's see me, Jeremy and Mike (Michael "Mikey" Notte-vocals/guitars) played in a band from 2004 to 2006. It was a different kind of band. We had different influences and everything. We had metal but essentially I wanted that band to be this band and what not. That band broke up though and Mike and I got together. Jeremy would call and he wanted to get the old band back together and do a few shows. I'll let Jeremy take over from there."

Jeremy-"Anyway, I had listened to one of our demos and I didn't want to leave it at that with a bad taste in my mouth. I talked with a lot of people who were interested in our old stuff and maybe bring the band back. I called everyone and everyone was about three quarters in at the time. Nick though said he wasn't feeling it. He said he was on a different chapter though and I totally got that and respected that. So, at the time I was playing with this heavier rock band who are still around in the Kent area. I wasn't really feeling it. I respect them immensely but I was out of it. I wanted to start something heavier so I hooked up with these guys. I was a vocalist for the old band and had started playing guitar and was getting good at it. I really wanted to just play guitar in a band. I called them up and we meet up. I showed them some riffs I had been working on and we just clicked right away. We talked the and it all felt nature. They had been playing with this guy (our drummer Riley) and after finally meeting him (he had been out of town for a few months) we hooked up and it was fun. We started talking about how can we take this to the next level as far as the music was concerned.With the three of us on vocals we wanted a third guitarist and after trying out more than a few including this guy Tom we finally settled on Andy on lead guitarist. He didn't really look the part. Well, I guess none of us look the part as we are sitting here drinking Starbucks coffee! He was a young kid the youngest of us all. He shreds though and is great. At that point I had always talked about having a female member in the band. I really wanted a keyboard/vocalist to set us apart. Not as a cliche or selling point but just to add something new."

Nick-"We had some people in mind. But this girl Britney would come to mind. I didn't know she played keyboards. But she ended up being with us and really was with us over a year."

Jeremy-"Yeah it just clicked. I don't want to get into it too much. We had some falling outs and things happened. We are really happy with Julie though. We played one last big show last year with Britney and it went over well. We are all on good terms now".

Nick-"Yeah, she is over it and all".

Jeremy-"Julie came in right away and picked up the slack. She laid down vocal tracks on two songs she had never heard before. She came into the studio when we were working on our old demo tape and it's been great with her. It's been over two years with her now".

Andy-"Could you tell me about The Blood March?"

Jeremy-"We started working on Blood March the album in about June of last. We started off just saying let's come back and lay down so tracks every couple of months and see where this is going. We didn't know if it was going to be an EP or what".

Nick-"We never really had a set or anything. Nothing was ever set in stone. We threw out a lot of material or rather didn't use everything. As Jeremy said we had some songs we worked out and once the recording process started we started to mold it into what we have now".

Jeremy-"We started talking about what we were going to do with this and I was the one pushing for this to be a full album. Mike was pushing to get music out right now but I wanted to put out something we would be really proud of. Let's get some awesome art work on this and make this thing a whole concept. It's a concept album and I wanted people to be able to get that. Get the whole effect. I know people are still scratching their head's about some things on it but it's all there."

Nick-"Yeah it's complete."

Jeremy-"It's all there. We took on a new monster but it made us all complete as a band".

(It's interesting to note that The Blood March was actually recorded in a small custom studio. Matt Lucy served as producer and engineer on the record and worked along with the band members themselves to craft this killer album in what was actually just a converted two car garage studio. Jeremy and Nick said that working together in such an environment brought everyone closer together as far as chemistry was concerned. Matt Lucy in fact went above and beyond the role of a producer becoming the unofficial seventh member of the band. The job he did on this album is nothing short of genius. On a fraction of the budget of big name acts he helped craft an album that sounds superb. For those bands who are looking for quality you should look into 5/5ths Studio in Painsville,Ohio. It amazes me that a record this epic was recorded on such a small scale. It just goes to show you that with the right producer anything is possible.)

Jeremy-"It came out this past March and it was quite a few months in the making."

Nick-"We had a deadline and the pressure really pushed us to work harder."

Andy-"As you mentioned it is a concept album and it's rather involved. I was reading through it while I listened and there is quite the story being told there. Care to explain how it all came about?"

Nick-"That was all Jeremy!"

Jeremy-"Well, I had the honor and privilege of penning the whole album as far as lyrics and melodies go with a lot of help from the band. They gave me the free reign which I was so thankful for. I've been writing a lot since in my teens. It used to be the angst poetry and the love and hate poetry stuff. It stated off since I've been in bands since I was sixteen lacking in any really depth to where it is now. The meaning behind the lyrics was ever evolving. I wanted to push myself as much as I could to make something we were all proud of. I was thinking about a concept and I had been doing a lot of reading about medieval philosophers and philosophy in general as well as political science and how politics come to be. I took on this character of a philosopher like Socrates and worked with it changing it into my own. Looking at this album from an overview it's more skin deep and a pessimistic view of society. It's about how as human beings we haven't discovered a way to live with each other and not kill each other. As a culture as society we just keep repeating ourselves our history. That's certainly what the album art symbolizes it's people coming from the blood, dying from the blood and being born into the blood. It's very pessimistic but the story isn't all that bad as there are a lot of overtones that suggest we can change. If you want to look down more at the underlying lyrics it's about a philosopher who is in prison for his beliefs. He has an apprentice who really latches onto his ideas and his teachings. He is sentenced to seven days in prison before his execution. His apprentice comes to see him each day to pen his ideas and that's what some of the songs are actually about. It's us singing his ideas. He preaches civil disobedience and for his followers to not use any violence unless they want to become one of the "blood march". The album is called the Blood March because both sides keep referring to each other as such. And the philosopher keeps urging his followers to not use violence against the king. It is funny because it does paint a portrait of what's going on in the world right now. Things happen though and by about the sixth song he is put the death. The apprentice though takes his words and changes them saying let's use reason to justify violence to take over the king. It winds up with a huge battle and mounting destruction on both sides. I leave it up to the listener to decide how that finishes. At the end though it does a fast forward to now though and leave it open ended. There are swords and rifles so we show that it's the past, the present and the future. I'm actually working on a follow up to the album right now. I'm about three songs deep already and leaving the door open so if we want to stop it right there great or we can continue it."

Nick-"Yes, we left the option open"

Andy-"I have to give you credit for it guys doing a concept album for a debut album is a bold move. You pull it off though."

Jeremy-"Thanks"

Nick-"Thanks"

Jeremy-"We like it because it's something different and makes the the listener focus in on what's happening and to wonder about what we're talking about. If this is just one song about government mistrust, love of your friends or love of your girlfriend that's cool but it's not us. We wanted more"

(It was later in the conversation when Jeremy told me that he actually wrote the last song on the album first and then wrote the rest of it around that one song. And as Nick said when it came to writing the album "everyone had their hand in the cookie jar".)

At this point in the interview I shut off the tape recorder as we waited to see if Mike Notte (vocals/guitar) could make it. While he would prove to be a no show (car problems-more signs of life among the rock stars!) I was able to get to get a feel for the the band's influences (Jeremy-punk, metal, prog and even Billy Joel while for Nick it was just metal). As Nick told me most of the band comes from a metal background except for Julie. In an embarrassing moment that will surely do some damage to her metal cred (sorry Julie) Nick says he was playing some "Seek and Destroy" and she asked who it was. That said though both of them had nothing but praise for her. "Julie brings so much to the band" says Nick. Indeed her singing on the album (as well as her talent on the keys) is a real selling point for the album. The Blood March has so many levels as is and Julie is like the icing on the cake. The three of us talked about how we need more women in metal these days. And as I mentioned earlier it takes a certain type of woman to want to pile in a "crappy van with five guys to hit the road" as Jeremy put it. That alone should tell you something about Julie and the type of woman she is. And while I did mention that The Approach & The Execution have been linked to metalcore the band was quick to point out that they are more than that. While we all agreed that bands like In Flames and Killswitch Engage were still at the top of their games things have gotten far too flooded within the genre. Just like nu metal died a quick death metalcore is slowly dying. "There will always be kids who are drawn to the breakdowns and the aggression of the music" notes Jeremy. "For us though we draw from classic metal like Iron Maiden more than just relying on breakdowns". "There's nothing wrong with them" as Nick would say it's just that for them they don't want the tag. "I'd call us progressive" said Jeremy although he is quick to point out that earlier he was "listening to Master Of Puppets". "We like to grab bits from here and there and not so much copy as respect the classics" says Jeremy as he leans back enjoying his iced coffee while sporting a Iron Maiden shirt. The more I was with the two of them I began to understand their mission. With Jeremy, Nick and Mike acting as the three ring leaders the group have set out to create something new while at the same time keeping grounded. "No egos" said Jeremy in regards to the motto. While his old band put business before friendship The Approach & The Execution are all about having fun. "This never feels like a job" says Nick. I tend to believe him. More than anything Nick and Jeremy seem like a couple of guys out to prove that you can be metal and still level headed. "I love my job as a social worker" says Jeremy. "But at the end of the day playing is what I want to do". And playing is what these guys do best two. The group plan to hit the road this summer for a 10 day tour in late July/early August. In the meantime they have Detroit gigs coming up in addition to more local shows in Ohio. The band is also looking to spread the word through new merchandise. In addition to great looking new shirts the group is looking to market themselves in new exciting ways. Sadly these days it takes more than just a good sound to get ahead. I've seen far too many great bands come and go just because they couldn't get the right break. Here's hoping The Approach & The Execution can break past that. The Burial March as I said is an early favorite for my Top Albums Of 2010 column. It really is hard to pin point what this groups sounds like. "We've made an album that anyone can relate to" says Jeremy. "We've found fans who might not be into the metal part and the heavy vocals and yet they find themselves drawn to the keyboards and the melody". That's the thing. Yes the band are heavy and draw from Metallica and Iron Maiden. But when you add the progressive touches and the melody it takes the album to a different playing field. If you haven't had a chance yet check out the group's music at their Myspace page and be sure to look for them on the road. After all as Jeremy puts it "they eat, breath and crap" metal!

http://www.myspace.com/theapproachandtheexecution

The Tards-Guillotine

Self-produced

2010

Hailing from Kansas City The Tards are a 4 piece metal act from Kansas City, Missouri formed in 2004. Musically they are very much influenced by early thrash. I hear some early Metallica and Megadeth, but the biggest influence is definitely Anthrax. As far that goes they actually on several sounds throughout Anthrax's career. Some times they go for the throat and on other songs they are a bit more subtle. Due to that second part it took me a few times to warm up to every song, but I did. The vocals of Keegan Smith are far more different than the style that usually goes with this type of old school thrash. He has a very deep, raspy voice and you have to really focus sometimes to understand all of the lyrics. Plus he frequently barks rather than sings which isn't my favorite style. The band are followers of a galloping style of thrash, but they sure know how to control them and keep the momentum moving forward. I was impressed by their patience and attention to detail as they build up the steam on their songs. "Revolution Revolver" is probably my favorite track. At almost ten minutes long it's a heavy epic packed with tons of riffs and some of their most impressive moments fall in this song. This album is a decent outing with powerful edges all around.

Mhorgl-Antinomian

The Execution Kollective (TEK) 2011

"Antinomian" is the second full-length release from Australian black metal band Mhorgi. People might actually be surprised to learn that there is a growing black metal movement going on there. Formed in 2004 Mhorgi is the latest in a long line of quality black metal acts to emerge and draw their influence from old school bands Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Bathory, and Venom. This is far from a throwback album though as the group like a add a modern touch to the affair. Musically devastating and forceful the four piece band thrash things up along the way giving this more of a universal appeal. "Iron Clad Destruction" for example offers some great technical thrash to go along with it's Venom inspired black death."Necrohatred (A Tribute to Darkthrone)" is musical assault inspired by not so much Darkthrone as it is raw black n' roll. The band throw in a cover of "Mr. Crowley" that is just nuts. Forget the the gracefulness of Randy Rhodes. This is spastic black speed. That's not to say that the lead work of guitarist Robert Thorpe is shabby. Far from it. His work gets things in check and allows for this to rise above traditional black metal. This is another band looking to push the envelope of the genre by bringing the past (Venom) into the future with an emphasis of melody and mayhem. Interesting.

Panzer Bastard-Centurion

Patac
2010

Boston's Panzar Bastard offer upa five song EP comprised of three originals and two covers. Both are Celtic Frost covers. The first is the backbreaking "The Usurper" which is a fine representitive of where Celtic Frost was in their early days. Panzaer Bastard handle it well as they retain the deep, heavy grooves, but manage to blend in their own sound as well. The other cover is "I won't dance" from 1987's "Into the pandemonium". One of my favorite Frost songs. They do an even better job handling this cover and it's tougher task as well. This song has a delicate set-up to it and a heavy handed approach would cause it to lose it's feel. These guys understand that and do it justice. Nowonto the originals. No surprise aat all there is a Celtic Frost influence to their originals although there is also some thrash and hardcore sounds blended in as well. I love the thick, angry vocals and the focused sound. The title track is perhaps my favorite of the three originals with it's twisted riffs and fantastic sense of control. Impressive EP and I can't wait to see what they do once they release a full length album.

Forgotten Gems : King Kobra-Ready to strike

Capitol
1985

It was early Summer of 1985 and I had earned $10 for helping a neighbor with farm work and the money was burning a hole in my pocket. My dad had to go get groceries and I went with him so I could run down to get a cassette from the newly opened local record store. I wanted to get a tape by band I had never heard before. I remembered seeing an add for an album by a mop topped band that looked to me like a hard rock band. That was all I knew about them, but that was enough. I plunked down my money and bought King Kobra's debut Ready to strike just based on a picture of them posing with their hair and their instruments. Got home and plopped the tape into my extremely cheap-o tape player and was definitely please with my purchase. Singer Mark Free (now Marcie Free) had a tremendous set of pipes as he showed his powerful range on the title track and other songs like "Shake up" and "Dancin with desire". Guitarist David Michael Phillips (David Henzerling) and Mick Sweda work well together creating smooth melodies and cranking out some ripping solos. Bass player Johnny Rod does a solid job. Veteran drummer and band leader Carmine Appice lays down some pounding beats and keeps the pace going. The heaviness level isn't far off from someone like Dokken. I played this cassette plenty of times back in 1985 and still do. Although I didn't know any one else back then who liked them. Their other albums never quite matched up to this one and by the third album only Appice and Phillips were left from this line-up. I think a number of people discovered this album years after it was released and are enjoying now. So better late than never. Definitely a prime example of good 80's hard rock. Soon we'll if the 4/5 reunion of this line-up (everyone but Free) can knock out another solid release on their upcoming album.

Inner Axis-Into The Storm

Coast Rock Records
2011


Formerly known as Midgard this German band actually formed in 1999 and originally featured a female vocalist. The group would change their name to Inner Axis in 2008 and swap out their old vocalist Martina Hacker for new guy Kai Hagemann. Into The Storm is the group's full length debut. Right off the bat you can tell where this is going just by the band's name and album art. This is epic metal territory. What you get is 43 minutes of swords and sorcery traditional metal. Somewhere between Manowar and later day Iron Maiden these guys have found themselves a home and while it's nothing special it's not bad. If there was one glaring weakness it would be vocalist Kai Hagemann who doesn't quite have the power and pose to put them over the top. As is though this will appeal to fan's of epic metal. Get ready to get your best Conan The Barbarian freak on.

http://www.myspace.com/inneraxis

Clash of the album covers

It is...


Clutch-s/t

vs.


Electric Wizard-Come my fanatics....

***Which cover do you prefer?

Ruled By Reason-The Dawning Of Dystopia

The Execution Kollective (TEK)
2011

Ruled By Reason was formed in the fall of 2008 by guitarist Brian Montgomery and bassist Chris Glavac. The two musicians had already been playing music together for several years when they went about searching for fellow musicians who shared their interests in creating new and ambitious metal. Joining them would be guitarist Matt Tarach, a friend of Chris, and Sam Newman ( the drummer from Matt's former band Decameron). An ad was put in Craigslist for a vocalist (thus proving that Craigslist is good for more that just casual "hookups") and Jason Dean would come knocking. A three-track demo was recorded in the Winter of ’08 and by 2009 Ruled by Reason was hitting the live scene. Having already shared the stage with such bands as Between the Buried and Me, Cynic, Emmure, Veil of Maya, The Faceless, Born of Osiris and After the Burial this young American band would go on to record "The Dawning of Dystopia". Featuring elements of melodic death metal and metalcore the group's debut offering is surprisingly refreshing and consistent. In a world of extreme music Ruled By Reason look to stand out with well crafted songs that not only show excellent instrumental skill but also outstanding vocals from Jason Dean. What I found really appealing was the fact that the band's framework is almost that of a rock band. Not only do the band look to pummel you senseless with the heaviness of it but they give every instrument an opportunity to shine. You can tell that the members of Ruled By Reason have some serious chops and unlike far too much modern extreme music you can enjoy both the technical aspect as well as just how intense it is. Great debut.

Pegazus-In metal we trust

Black leather

2011


Let's see the cover of this one has a leather clad couple flying through the night on a steel covered winged horse-motorcycle hybrid. If you would guess this is old style fist pumping metal then you would be almost on the mark. Australia's Pegazus have been cranking out the metal since 1994. The new album is a mix of heavier influences including Judas Priest, Manowar and Anvil. They have a melodic side too at times reminding me of someone like Rough Cutt or early Crimson Glory without the high vocals. Many of the songs are powerful and strong classic style with gigantic riffs and powerful vocals. However there are a few fillers here too as they just don't seem to have the same high energy level on every track. They tackle the Priest classic "Metal Gods" and give a good showing. Although it's always tough to cover Priest just because no one else is Rob Halford, but Justin Fleming gives a good effort. The closing track "Old School Metal Dayz" features several guests in the form of Ross the boss (Manowar), Dave Shankle (Manowar) and Jeff Watson (Night Ranger) as all three deliver solos on this song. "In metal we trust" has some fine moments although it has some definite holes.

Saxon-Hammer Of The Gods Single

Militia Guard Music.
2011


"Hammer Of The Gods" is the first single to be released from Saxon's new disc "Call To Arms". Now while I actually do prefer early Saxon (I was just listening to their s/t album the other day on my turntable) I didn't mind 2009's "Into the Labyrinth". While nothing will ever top their early material (before they went commercial) "Into the Labyrinth" was a good rock/hard rock album. "Hammer Of The Gods" shows that Biff Byford still hasn't lost a step and that Saxon know how to write English metal even after all these years. I am looking forward to the new album even if Saxon isn't the band they once were. I doubt anything they do will help them break back into the American market by now. Too much has changed musically. Just the fact though that the band soldiers on and are trying to make their music more in tune with NWOBHM than American hard rock would be enough for me.

Echtra-Paragate

Temple of Torturous
2011


Oregon of all places seems an odd place to find an instrumental black metal artist. Especially one that specializes in drone/folk. Echtra (of Alethes, Fearthainne, and Threnos fame) handles all instruments on what is his second full length release. Composed of two parts (Paragate I & II) the music itself is rather simplistic and with only a few exceptions is the same piece played over and over again for a little over forty minutes. I will admit that the music does tend to be a bit monotonous and will not appeal to everyone. At first listen it can be a bit dry. However after listening to it another time through I became intrigued by it's dreamy darkness. There is something so beautiful in it's primitive approach. Don't let the black metal tag discourage you from trying this out though as it's got a subtle charm to it.

What's coming up?

This week we'll aim for having out reviews of Echtra,Ruled By Reason,Pegazus, The Tards,Panzer Bastard,Scale the summit,Phobia and more.Plus an interview with The Approach & The Execution, Forgotten Gems, Top of the heap, Heay Metal Thunderdome and Clash of the album covers.

Nasty Tendency-Hello suckers

My Graveyard
2011

Back with their sophomore effort Italy's Nasty Tendency remind me of quite a few other acts. The first one that comes to mind is Sister Sin only with male vocals. That's because they embody a similar mid-80's accept meets Shout at the devil era Motley Crue. I also hear some Lizzy Bordon, Leatherwolf and others. This is mid 80's style metal with touches of glam mixed in. They really do a fine job of blending the two sounds together. "Stay Heavy", "Burn, baby, burn" "Metal strikes again" and "Rocket Woman" you know they didn't exactly spend a long time writing their lyrics. However they spent some time working up slick hooks, catchy choruses and they are extremely tight in their playing. The results are an 80's metal fan's wet dream. I have heard almost everything on this album before in other bands, but they sure know how to tie up into an attractive presentation because I was hooked after a few tracks. Songs like "Jailbreaker" and "Dead on arrival" were burned into my brain immediately. Despite the goofy album title and artwork this album delivers.


www.myspace.com/nastytendency

Lekamen Illusionen Kallet-The Second Wind

Nordvis Produktion
2011


As the Ramones once sang "Somebody Put Something In My Drink". It must have been my morning coffee becuase I was under the impression this was just another black metal release. Stoif (Graav) - all Instruments and JM - Drums (Session) though are not that sort of beast. I'm not sure if this is a side project that grew out of Armagedda or if Lekamen Illusionen Kallet (LIT) are now a full time band. I do know that the "group" has been around since 2000 and that this is their forth full length (it's debatable if 2007's s/t album was a full length as it only had four songs and was under 30 minutes in length) and it is most certainly not black metal. I mean I suppose maybe you could say Stoif sort of has a blackened voice. But more often that not it's almost a scratched up Glenn Danzig meets Johnny Cash in a smoke filled pool hall. And musically this is more in tune with alt country/garage rock and roll. This album actually gets to be a solid little rocker and left me wondering if the black and white face paint was just for show. I don't know how their other albums sound like I said so I don't know if this is something new or not. Whatever it is though I like it. This album reminds me of going to a rockabilly concert with a friend once and there was a goth/rockabilly band who tried for this and failed. LIT pull off the impossible though. Could this be the start of a new genre of black garage rock and roll?

NWOBHM WEDNESDAY: BLITZKRIEG

Andy says-

Love them or hate them Metallica introduced the world to Blitzkrieg. I'm not saying that Blitzkrieg needed Metallica's help. That's an argument reserved for another day. What I am saying is that having their song "Blitzkrieg" covered on the Creeping Death EP would lead to a lot of people wondering exactly who this English act was and how they could be that influential to metal's biggest act? The fact is that the first line up of the band would last only fifteen months and issue only a few official recordings.The group was originally formed in 1980 as Split Image with Sarah Aldwinkle on vocals, Jim Sieroto on guitar (he would change the spelling of his last name to Sirotto to make life easier), Steve English on bass and Steve Abbey on drums. Looking to toughen up their sound the group would bring in vocalist Brian Rose and also add rhythm guitarist Ian Jones. It would be only a month after Brian Rose joined that the group would record their first demo w/ "Armageddon", "Inferno" and of course "Blitzkrieg". Neat Records would be one of the first to hear it and and offered them the chance to publish a single in 1981. A two day session would result in the "Buried Alive"/"Blitzkrieg" single as well as some one-take songs ( one song a re-recording of "Inferno" would end up on Neat's Lead Weight compilation also in 1981). A "live" six-song cassette (Blitzed Alive) was recorded in May of 1981. Mick Moore would replace Steve English and John Antcliffe would take over for Ian Jones. A second single "Too Wild To Tame" was demoed and a deal with Carrerre Records (home of Saxon) was all set when all of a sudden the band started falling apart. Founding member Jim Sirotto decided he didn't want to tour and didn't like the deal on the table with Carrerre Records. Despite the fact that some members wanted to carry on the band called it a day in late 1981. Brian Ross would go on to join Satan as well playing with Avenger, Lone Wolf and Unter den Linden. However in 1984 Ross and Jim Sirotto would decide to give Blitzkrieg another go. Although it should be noted that "A Time Of Changes" was originally going to be a Brian Ross solo act. Along with guitarist Mick Proctor (ex-Tygers of Pan Tang), bass player Mick Moore (Blitzkrieg/ Avenger) and drummer Sean Taylor (Satan/Blind Fury, ex-Raven) they recorded "A Time of Changes". It would later be released in 1985. Back to Metallica's part in the story of in regards to Blitzkrieg. Seeing as Lars Ulrich was a huge fan of Blitzkrieg (and NWOBHM in general) Metallica would cover the song "Blitzkrieg" first on the 1984 Creeping Death EP and then on the 1988 reissue of Kill "Em. "A Time of Changes" wouldn't come out until 1985 as I said so while Metallica's cover brought exposure to the band many fan's would also falsely assume that Blitzkrieg's version was the cover. You have to remember this was before the Internet age so trying to get all the facts straight when it comes to heavy metal bands could be a hard thing to do. With that though there was no excuse when only a few years back a 20 something "metal" fan told me that "Blitzkrieg" was a Metallica original and that the band Blitzkrieg was named for it. This is exactly why we need this article and why NWOBHM history should be a mandatory course for young metalheads. Blitzkrieg would end up breaking up and reforming more times than I can count but in 1990 the band was at it again for the 1991 release of "10 Years of Blitzkrieg".In 1992 they started recording more songs for "Unholy Trinity" which wouldn't be released until 1995. "Ten" followed in 1996 and "The Mists of Avalon" in 1998. Vocalist Brian Ross would be involved in a car accident that would put Blitzkrieg on the shelf. Six months later though Blitzkrieg was back in the game and have been going strong every since. "Absolute Power" in 2002 and "Absolute Live" in 2004 would come out (as well as 2003's compilation "A Time Of Changes - Phase 1") followed by 2005's "Sins and Greed". 2007 saw Blitzkrieg release their last album "Theatre of the Damned" through their own record label Armageddon Music and rumors persist that we'll see a new disc in 2011. Yes "Blitzkrieg" is as classic a NWOBHM song as their comes and Metallica did their song justice when they covered it. And yet there is so much more to their story and their music needs to be heard. If you haven't yet then do yourself a favor and hunt their music down.

Metal Mark says-

Let me get at Blitzkrieg before I get at the involvement of that band whose names starts with an "M". Despite the line-up changes and all the go arounds they had a slightly unique sound in the world of NWOBHM. They frequently walked the line between a cleaner melodic sound and rougher heavier side. To their credit they not only sounded great doing both styles, but they actually sounded comfortable handling the different styles. They could blend in some heavy rhythms not far off from what Judas Priest were doing around the same time, but then they could rip it up and peel off some lightning riffs as well. Brian Ross had a rough hard rock style vocals, but then he kick in some serious falsettos. I love the thick drum sound on their early material as well. Just a few of my favorites are "Blitzkrieg" with it's amazin riff, "Savior" and it's largr than life sound and "Take a look around" with it's varied tones and pace changes. As with other bands like Budgie and Diamond Head who were so no known on this side of the Atlantic Metallica helped Blitzkrieg to gain some notice due to their cover of "Blitzkrieg". It's an alright cover, but when you hear the original you will know that Metallica didn't quite do justice to just how magnificent this song it. Blitzkrieg have a somewhat jumbled history, but they also produced some stellar songs. Definitely a NWOBHM band worth re-visiting.

Zombiefication-Midnight Stench

Chaos Records
2011

What's this we have here? More brutal death metal from south of the border? Midnight Stench is the debut from Mexico's own Zombiefication and yes this is another unhealthy serving of bloody death metal from the fine folks over at Chaos Records. Just to make things a little more interesting though there is a touch of hardcore on tracks like "Cryptic Broadcast" and some doom/thrash in"Anthem to the Deathmarch" .But when you strip this album of all it's flesh it's the same good old fashioned death metal like your Mom and Dad grew up on. Besides that who wouldn't be curious about a band with a song called "Hitchcock Screaming in Phobia'? A nice throwback album for when you just want your death to be death metal!

Forgotten Gems: God Is LSD-Spirit Of Suicide

Century Media
1992

The time has come for something a little different for our Forgotten Gems column. Today's entry is the German band God Is LSD. As far as I know this was their only full length release. Spirit Of Suicide would be a late entry into the field of industrial rock/metal. Seeing as they had to compete with N.I.N., Ministry, Godflesh, Killing Joke and countless other already well established acts this album didn't even make a blimp on the radar. I'm sure the only reason I ordered it from a catalog was because of the awesome album art. Who wouldn't be a bit curious about a band that was labeled industrial metal and had an album cover with a picture of Hitler in a wig? Well, I was. For all intensive purposes there is nothing Earth shattering going on. Honestly it's some crappy drum machine sounds and even crappier synths. But man those guitars. And man the vocals of Thomas Ludke. Between those two this is one dirty little secret of a heavy album. Listening to it again over the past few days I was struck by just how much the guitars remind me of early Megadeth. The excellent track "C.M.T. (Live In)" has these Peace Sells...era Megadeth guitar riffs running through it."From Sucker To Sucker (Subliminal Messages)" is somewhere between heavier N.I.N. and tamer Ministry. It's an eerie number though which makes it work so well. "Girls On Fire" is probably the most unique track on the disc. It's hard edge industrial rock with a sitar and a 90's edge. "The Rise And The Fall Of Bethlehem" features everything that made Land Of Rape era Ministry appealing to me and then tweaks it for it's own enjoyment. "Spirit Of Suicide" brings 80's metal back to the party and loops it. "Trippin..... And Fucking The World" is just plain mean and ugly like that creepy guy who down the street who is well past his fifties and still lives in his Mom's basement. One of my favorite tracks actually is the album closer "Hyena(Aimless Device)" which is a cover by Aimless Device. While the original is more post punk than anything the cover version is just plain heavy and pissed off. Actually the whole album has that 90's pissed off feel and it's a shame the band didn't do more after this release. Spirit Of Suicide really is an unheralded industrial metal offering and should really be heard by Ministry fan's and even Megadeth fans!

Omision-In the Shadow of the Cross

Chaos Records
2011

Tijuana, Mexico is known for many things most of which involve it's fair share of alcohol and drug use. Well, that and half naked college kids. So how is it such a place could give us such a brutal death band like Omision? Formed in 1993 by Heriberto Perez (rhythm guitar/vocals) the sole purpose for the band would be to play the old style death metal. The band would play house parties and small gigs all the while going through several lineup changes until Heriberto decided to put the band on hold in 1997. Finally in 2000 Perez decided to give the band another try. While more line-up changes would take place between 2000 and 2007 Omision carried on. The band would release three self released demos before signing with Asphyxiate Recordings in 2010. Problems would arise though and while tracking the album Asphyxiate Recordings folded. Despite years of line-up changes and hard times the band soldiered on and were able to sign with Chaos Records. So while In the Shadow of the Cross is technically Omision's debut album the music has long been road tested and achieves it's attempt to capture the sounds of old school death bands like Terrorizer and Possessed."In the Shadow of the Cross" starts off with the sounds of bells tolling before kicking into some heavy death/thrash. From the start Omision has a sound that reminds me of not only band's like Possessed but also the early death/thrash of bands like Sepultura and Artillery. "Assault In The Vatican" was the same way. While the band is death metal there is nothing wrong with flirting with headbanging thrash."Beyond the Burning Gates" would prove to be a favorite of mine as was "Prayer". "Prayer" opens with the sounds of monks in prayer before it explodes with insane death blasts. Love it. "Fallen Angels" is another wicked track. It has this cool old doom/death feel going for it. "Seeking the Holy Throne" again brings to mind early death bands like Possessed. "The Downfall" was excellent as well even if it did sound quite similar to one of their other tracks. The album closes with "For Those Far Away". I loved the simpleness of the guitar on this instrumental track. Nothing special as I said just a simple riff and yet such an effective way to end the disc. This is a very good start for Omision and it's a shame that it took so long for them to release it.

Forgotten Gems-Kublai Khan

New Renaissance
1987

This band actually had a small buzz back then just because their guitarist/vocalist Greg Handevidt had briefly played guitar in an early version of Megadeth. Handevidt was a childhood friend of Dave Ellefson. The two moved to LA to get into music and met Dave Mustaine shortly after he was out of Megadeth. The three formed Megadeth, but Handevidt moved back to Minnesota not long after. In 1985 he formed Kublai Khan who would release just this one album. This album has always received very different reviews. The album suffers from poor production, but that was standard with anyone on New Renaissance. Also despite having been released in 1987 this album sounds more like it could have been done around 1985 or even earlier. Because the style often falls between early speed metal and thrash. Plus there are only seven songs and one is an instrumental. Despite all that this album shreds. Opener "Death Breath" has deep heaviness and follows a solid beat while the solos are fast and furious. "Mongrel Horde" alternates between heavy pounding with a slight early Celtic Frost feel, but then picks to a speed metal frenzy. "Down to the inferno" has deep heavy parts centered on a swirling riff and this may be my favorite track. The next three tracks "Liar's Dice", "Passing away" and "Battle Hymn" are all similar to early Megadeth and Metallica. They have basic raw riffs, but plenty of them."Clash of the swords" is an instrumental with lots of heavy grooves and the guitars let loose all over the place. The rhythm section is simple, but solid and the guitars are raw and slightly sloppy but they are far more hit than miss. Greg Handevidt also does a respectable job on the vocals. His voice is clean, but he has a strong tone and manages to sound melodic at times too. It's a shame they didn't push on and do another album hopefully with better production, but that never happened. Still an enjoyable album in the speed metal/early thrash style and I love the almost over the top guitar style and the mix of early gallop and heavy, slower riffs. It showed they had some of their own ideas and were not afraid to mix them in with their influences. Track this one down.

Underride-Distorted Nation

Distorted Nation
2011

I remember "One of us" from Seattle's Underride a few years ago. What most impressed me then was how they managed to take the spirit of late 80's/early 90's hard rock and bring it into present day. On their new release "Distorted Nation" they follow the same path only they have become far more sure of themselves and it shows. They keep the energy of hard rock and in enough smooth melodies similar to alternative rock. This is a guitar lead attack and every song hits you immediately. I tend to like my music a little heavier to be honest, but I was still immediately taken by this album. They blur genres and decades while managing to embody the real heart of hard rock. Tracks like "Paparazzi", "Don't walk away", "Inside Out" and "Road to nowhere" are just a few good examples of how Underride just attack with hooks that will immediately grab you. I found myself listening to most of the songs multiple times because they were just that catchy. Nothing fancy here, but they know how to write memorable hooks and melodies plus some fine vocals help a lot too. Definitely an album I plan on listening to throughout the year.

http://www.myspace.com/underrideseattle

Hell- Save Us from Those Who Would Save Us / On Earth as It Is in Hell

Nuclear Blast Records
2011


Hell was formed in Nottingham, England in 1982. A hard working nwobhm band Hell would release four demos (demos II & III were both released in 1983 and were the two I just recently heard again after far too long thanks to my friends over at Strappado's blog) and a single before the Belgian label Mausoleum would come knocking. Unfortunately two weeks prior to the recording of the album the label collapsed. This sadly would led to the split-up of the band, and the suicide of Dave Halliday (by carbon monoxide poisoning). While Hell were (are?) part of the nwobhm movement overall their sound was different...or better yet unique. From the vocals of Dave Holiday all the way to the sounds of the guitars Hell were all about doing their own thing and they did it. Now interestingly enough Dave Halliday taught Andy Sneap (of Sabbat fame) to play guitar and the two were close friends (Sneap has mentioned Hell as one of his main influences). So with that Andy Sneap offered up his services to work with the band as a producer. With time passing and old wounds healing the remaining members of Hell have reunited to finally record their album after nearly 25 years. Dave Halliday's vocal recordings will be used where possible while Sabbat members Martin Walkyier and Andy Sneap agreed to play on the album to replicate Dave Halliday's vocals and guitar tracks respectively. While Walkyier would leave the re-formed band he would be replaced by Kev Bower's (Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals) brother David. From what I've read David Bower is a television and stage actor and those who have heard rough mixes of the full length album "Human Remains" are blown away by the power and passion he puts into the songs. I will tell you for a fact though that on this single both "Save Us From Those Who Would Save Us" and "On Earth As It Is In Hell" are straight up killer metal. Both songs can be heard (or seen rather) on Youtube and "Save Us..." is part of a free Nuclear Blast compilation on Amazon. Now Hell's 7" picture disc is limited to just 666 copies and while I don't have a copy in my hands at this exact moment I hope to remedy that within the next few weeks. There were many nwobhm and eighties metal bands that suffered the same fate as Hell. There were far too many great acts that slipped through the cracks because labels collapsed or financially the band's couldn't keep it together. Thankfully though there are lot's of record labels that are releasing these long overdue releases and Nuclear Blast will be giving Hell the royal treatment. "Human Remains" will be released in a few months and there will be a single CD, double CD (featuring demo tracks) and a 3LP set! While you wait though be sure to check out the group's single because I have a feeling that "Human Remains" is going to shred.

Warfield-Trivmvirat

Chaos Records
2011


Mexico’s Warfield are a pretty young band having formed in 2008. This seven song EP is their follow-up to 2009's full length Conquering the Black Horde. It includes three new non-album tracks, three bonus live cuts, and a bonus rehearsal cut. What you have here is blackened death metal that oozes with poisoned, demonic doom. Not much here to distant it from the countless other black metal acts out there but I'd argue that in a world where Justin Beiber graces the cover of Rolling Stone maybe we need all the black metal bands we can get just to keep the cosmic balance as it is. One last thing while I'm at it kids you might want to avoid giving your Catholic grandmother a heart attack and wait until after she leaves to play "Vomit On The Cross (live)". I'm not so sure she would dig that.

VARIOUS ARTISTS-SIN-ATRA

Eagle Rock Entertainment
2011

Time for my Monday morning confession. I like Frank Sinatra. I have tons of his LPs and even a few CDs somewhere around here. That is just how I roll. Even if it makes no sense to anyone else I've always loved Ol' Blue Eyes and this isn't the first time I've seen his work covered in an "alternative" fashion. At one point I had the "Chairman Of The Bored: A Tribute To Frank Sinatra" punk compilation. And just like that compilation took quite a few liberties with the songs SIN-ATRA takes the basic premise of Frank's songs and then runs wild with them.Seeing as this gives them the old metal treatment (and features a who's who of metal screamer's like Dee Snider, Robin Zander, Glenn Hughes, Joey Belladonna, Geoff Tate, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Eric Martin, and Doug Pinnick) you can't take this too serious. This is just sit back and enjoy territory. Produced by Bob Kulick ( of KISS/ Meat Loaf fame) and Brett Chassen (who play guitar and drums respectively) with executive producer Wendy Dio the studio groups is rounded out by Billy Sheehan (bass) and Doug Katsaros (keyboards, orchestration). Also making an appearance as lead guitarist on “That’s Life” is guitarist Richie Kotzen . "New York,New York" kicks things off with Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad) taking the mic. What was funny about the track was that there were moments when Townsend reminded me of Tim Curry as he did this sinister take on the classic. Very cool. "I've Got You Under My Skin" w/ Glenn Hughes passed me by with little notice however "Summerwind" w/ Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche) was sweet. I'm not the world's biggest Queensrÿche by any means. That said the song had an almost epic feel to it. I just loved Dee Snider's (Twisted Sister) cover of "It Was A Very Good Year". Turning Frank's song into what sounded like Dee Snider fronting Metallica is pure genius. Tim Owen's take on "Witchcraft" sounded too forced. "Fly Me To The Moon" w/ Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) isn't too bad. "Lady Is A Tramp" w/ Eric Martin (Mr. Big) is like a cross between bad lounge music and good blues rock. The way Eric Martin gets into it though along with the excellent lead guitar work makes it fun though. Now "Strangers In The Night" is a favorite Sinatra song of mine so I was curious to see what Joey Belladonna (Anthrax) would do with it. Let's just say that Joey wouldn't have been my first choice and that I'm hoping he is saving his best for the new Anthrax album. "High Hopes" gets the Franky Perez (Scars On Broadway) punk rock touch. "I’ve Got The World On A String" w/ Doug Pinnick (King’s X) I enjoyed. Having seen King's X live it still amazes me that Doug Pinnick sounds as good in a small venue as he does in the studio. "Love And Marriage" features Elias Soriano (Nonpoint) and is heavy and again offers another almost punk feeling to the song. It's twisted and has a smirky edge going for it. The disc closes with Jani Lane's "That's Life" and unlike Doug Pinnick you can tell they glossed over his vocals. I remember seeing Jani Lane with Warrant years ago when they toured with Poison, Cinderella and Enuff Z Nuff. He sounded dreadful so I have no doubt they did a lot of work in the studio to help him out. Now is that wrong? I mean Ozzy has been doing that as well for years now so who am I to say. And before you ask the concert was a birthday gift for my wife. Yes I really do love her that much. Anyway, back to the album. As I said these types of albums are not supposed to be taken serious. There's some some fun songs and some duds. You normally get that with these type of tribute albums. As a whole though I enjoyed this disc and you don't have to be a Frank Sinatra fan to enjoy it either.


*photo used courtesy of Glen La Ferman

Clash of the album covers

It is...


Deep Purple-Who do we think we are

vs.


UFO-Phenomenon

***Which cover do you prefer?

Witchrist-Beheaded Ouroboros

Invictus
2011

Witchrist hail from Auckland, New Zealand and play an explosively brutal style of black tinged death metal. There are some sitar and church bells thrown in largely in a few songs, but other than those this is a stripped down approach. They create some excessively heavy riffs with a great deal of depth. They control the speed rather than it controlling them which so often happens with some death metal bands. They aren't afraid to slow the pace down as well. When they do slow down they still maintain their intensity and in fact these parts were the ones that impressed me the most. It showed the band had the skills to do more than one trick. The first few tracks seemed stuck in one speed, but eventually they opened up and showed that expertise stretched beyond one idea. The vocals are typical of the style, but they are consistant. The rhythm section helps support the overall sound and they offer up a good selection of beats. The guitar riffs were what impressed me most as they kept pushing themselves to do more and went past my expectations. The foundation for this type of music is based in early death metal, but Witchrist are not content to merely copy. They instead take that seed and push the level of aggression up a notch or two while maintaining a strong focus on creating powerful songs. I get the impresison they could do even more if they keep heading in the direction they have created here. A fine showing indeed.

Thinning the herd-Oceans rise

St Mark's
2011

With some albums I get a bead on it right away and boom my impressions of it are formed. Other albums it takes a while for me to come to a conclusion. This album fell into that second category in fact I listened to it twice sat down to write about it still didn't feel like I had a good handle on it. So I walked a way from it for a couple of days, came back and played it again. For whatever reason this on go around I was able to put opinions together. Thinning the herd hail from New York and play a blend of stoner rock with a fair amount of grunge stirred in. I think what through me on this was with the dark cover and the thick heaviness that initially hit my ears I was expecting a moodier album. However this is a relatively more upbeat and lively style of stoner rock than most. They have their grooves down, but I think I was expecting it to be slightly darker. Either way this is a dirty, fuzzed out romp that wastes little time and moves straight ahead. Reminds me some of the fury of Sasquatch mixed with elements of Soundgarden. It's a fairly basic outing, but never pretends to be more than what it is. They give me the impression that would be a killer live act as well. Decent outing overall.

Rocka Rollas Promo 2011

Self Release

2011

Hailing from Storvik, Gävleborgs län, Sverige (Sweden) is the two piece band Rocka Rollas. While I am going to go out on a limb and say they took their name from the Judas Priest album the band has more of a (early) Running Wild worship sound going on. The promo is available free for download from what I've read (just do a Google search for Rocka Rollas Promo 2011) and will appeal to fan's of Running Wild, Helloween and the such. There is a real charm to be found on the EP and apparently the group is working on a full length release. My favorite track was "Metal Of Steel" with it's old school feel. I found myself singing "I've got metal...metal of steel" over and over. This is just fun throw back power/speed metal. Looking forward to their full length. It will be interesting to see if the two members add on to make it a real band or if this will be a studio only affair. Either way I've got "Metal Of Steel"!


http://www.myspace.com/rockarollas

Forgotten Gems-Post Mortem

New Renaissance
1986

In the mid-to late 1980's I was completely into thrash. Every band with leather jackets, high top white Nikes, stringy hair and some fast riffs probably had my attention at least for a little while. So if I bought an album thinking the band was going to be thrash and they weren't then the album probably tossed to the back of the stack. Such was the case with Post Mortem. They were on New Renaissance records. Which for anyone who remembers this meant bad production, the bands went nowhere if they stayed on this label and most of the time thrash. I bought 1986's Coroner's Office without having heard anything off of it although I had read a brief but but glowing review of it. I figured they would be thrash because one of the band members was wearing a Slayer. Fantastic logic I know, but in my defense was only 16. Well, I listened to the album and there were some fast songs, but not all thrash and those vocals, they were not straight thrash metal vocals. Plus there were some long very slow tracks. Even worse there were short joke type fillers and a slight jazz interlude? What the heck? I was ripped off, mislead and duped by a band pretending to look like a thrash band! That was the thought on this album for a long time. It wasn't until just a few years ago that I gave it another shot and at last it clicked. The band's influences are Slayer, Saint Vitus, Black Flag and Black Sabbath and they all show up on this album. The production is still poor, but that doesn't hold back how brilliant this album yes. Yes, I freely admit that I misjudged this album all those years ago. The faster songs here are a cross between metal and punk and they pull in the heaviness of both, but live for the raw edges of both as well. The slower songs are similar to what Saint Vitus were doing at the time only with even more droning moments, but they are heavy and thick. The band throw several different styles in and sound totally comfortable every step of the way. They could have been a little tighter in spots, but that would come later on. I was wrong on this one and I even think their sound here showed some ideas of early death metal so in some respects they were ahead of their time. If you never heard it then hunt it down and check it out.




New Renaissance
1987

Now the second part of this story was Post Mortem's 1987 four track EP The missing link. Despite being disappointed by Coroner's Office a year before I still believed there was a thrash band in these guys. By 1987 I had gotten into more punk rock bands and was slightly more open to that sound although thrash was still number one in my limited spectrum of music. This album has two fast songs that both lean more towards punk than thrash and two really slow songs. The production was still crap, but for whatever reason I enjoyed this album right away despite it not being what I was hoping for. The two faster songs are mean and raw with lots of bite. While the two slower songs crawl along like a huge dinosaur slowing crushing the ground on it's journey. I still like this EP even better today as well. Even though Coroner's Office appeals to me now I still think that The Missing Link heard the band becoming mush tighter and far more confident. Despite only four tracks it's still the superior album out of the two.

There was a scheduled re-issue of these two albums on one CD from New Renaissance a few years ago, but it never came about. However you can still find them on vinyl on eBay and various places. Plus there was a CD release if Coroners Office back in the 90's, but I heard the quality wasn't the best. You can also find free downloads of both online.

My 2008 interview.
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2008/08/interview-with-post-mortem.html

Forgotten Gems: Runestaff-Runestaff

Heavy Metal Records

1985

In the early eighties Heavy Metal Records was well known as the home of such band's as Handsome Beasts, Bitches Sin, Cloven Hoof and Witchfinder General. In addition to these NWOBHM acts the label also released The Heavy Metal Heroes compilations. I mention this because Runestaff would prove to be an odd signing for them. Runestaff began life in Ipswitch, England in 1980. Originally the group was an all male progressive rock band. Their first recording would be a three track demo cassette released in 1982. Guitarist/vocalist Andy Page would leave the band apparently frustrated over the direction of the band. Vocalist Joanna Symes was brought in and in a twist of fate Andy Page decided to return. With Page concentrating on guitar the band* (Symes,Page,Wayne Moyez-guitars,Jammie Durrant-bass,Barry Godfrey-keyboards and Kevin Hunt-drums) would spend the next few years playing out. The group soon developed a loyal following and adapted more of a AOR/hard rock sound. With the band constantly touring soon enough they caught the eye of Heavy Metal Records. Runestaff's s/t debut album would be released in 1985. And while the group are often lumped in with the NWOBHM movement the truth is their sound owes a great deal more to American rock than to what was in their own backyard. With Joanna Symes on the mic (who sounds a great deal like Pat Benatar) the band offers up thirty minutes of enjoyable rock. There is nothing groundbreaking going on and like fellow English act Satanic Rites the group just go about things with a devil may care attitude. And while obviously being on more of a metal oriented label did not help the band it was actually the tragic death of original keyboard player Kaust Rakhit in 1985 that would set the stage for the group's breakup. Honestly I don't know if keyboardist Barry Godfrey played on the record but he is listed in the credits on most sites so that is all I have to go by. What I do know is that he would end up replacing Rakhit from what I've been able to find out and that Page would quit once more in 1986 over his depression at the loss of his friend. A second album was in the works but was stalled as vocalist Joanne Syme suffered a serious throat problem. With Page gone and Syme's illness the band gradually dissolved in late 1986. Aside from a few tidbits to be found on the net little is known about Runestaff and where the members would end up. Again anyone with knowledge please drop me a line. Now it is a toss up for me and what version of this album I enjoy more. I have both an original LP rip of this and the digital download off of Itunes. While the Itunes version really cleans up the sound a lot the fact is that the vinyl rip gives it more of that eighties charm. Either way though you can't go wrong.

*Per BNR the line up is as follows for the album:Joanne Syme- vocals,Wayne Moyez -guitars,Andy Page-guitars, Jamie Durrant-bass, Barry Godfrey-keyboards and Kevin Hunt-drums. The information about drummer Kaust Rakhit was posted on several different music blogs. I am not completely sure about the whole keyboardist issue so I have printed what I've been able to find out. Either way it doesn't distract from the fact that Runestaff are another case of a band that should have made it but life had other plans. The roads are littered with such acts and it is here in Forgotten Gems that I hope to dust these old finds off and give them new life for a new day and age.