Souldrown-Evil of War (Demo rough mix '00)

Self-Release/Independent
2016

Souldrown is a progressive rock-infused hard & heavy power metal band that hails from Athens, Greece and can trace it's roots all the way back to 1993. The material on "Evil of War" was recorded back in the late 90's/early 00's for a demo release that for whatever reason never materialized. Here it is some 16 years later and the band is finally releasing this material and for what it's worth this is some pretty solid stuff! Early on the group was influenced by the likes of Accept, Helloween, Stratovarius, and Warlord before turning their sights to bands such as Tool and Dream Theater. From the sounds of it Souldrown was hoping to combine heavy/power metal with genres like dark metal and progressive rock. As a result of these huge changes in sound and style the music on this well-crafted 5-track EP cuts a fairly straight line between those two areas. In other words this is heartfelt/sincere heavy metal/power metal that has been given a lifesaving intravenous (IV) line of complex progressive rock/metal. Toss in some inspired lyrics and a more than capable front-man and you end up with one EP that is a steal of a deal at only $1.10! In addition to the bandcamp link that appears above you can check out this respectable demo by heading to Youtube.

Sunn 0)))-ØØ Void

Southern Lord
2011

ØØ Void was initially released in 2000 by HydraHead in North America and Rise Above in Europe, with only a limited number re-issue from Daymare Records in Japan in 2008. So now Southern Lord has re-issued it for everyone to hear. Sunn 0))) are a band that I have wanted to like, but have never gotten as much as I'd hoped. I can appreciate drone, but oftentimes the music from these guys is a bit too much like background chatter for me. Very slow drawn out chatter, but still not as focused as I would like. However this their second album appealed to more than a number of their albums that had come out it. We get four tracks each around 14 or 15 minutes. They have the reverb up high and they operate with a great deal of repetition. If you can have patience and sit back to absorb each note and beat being extended then you can appreciate it. On this album I was album to do just that. I think the closer Ra at dusk was my favorite track with it's thick resonating tone absorbing all my senses. It was heavy without be overwhelming and forceful without being too ham fisted. So maybe it's time I went re-visited some of their other albums I have not heard in a few years to see if I feel any different about them.

Forgotten Gems:Breaker-Get Tough!

Original cover

Re-issue cover
Auburn
1987/2000

Ohio's Breaker formed back in 1982 naming themselves after an Accept album. This album was originally recorded in 1984, but various problems delayed the release and it didn't come out until 1987. That delay doesn't change the fact that this is a tremendous album. It went out of print quickly and in the following years this album became highly sought after. Even a bootleg version made the rounds until 2000 when the album was re-issued and included a second disc of bonus tracks. Breaker sound is solid classic style metal influenced by the likes of Accept, Judas Priest, Saxon and others. Tracks like "Lie to me", "Razor's Edge" and "Black and white" are just a few of the solid pounding tracks on this album. Actually every song here is good and after just one listen you'd be singing these songs along with the album. They are truly that memorable. They have their hooks down and a wonderful attention to detail. They knew how to hit hard and keep the momentum going on all ten tracks. It's a shame that the album didn't get released in 1984 and that when it was released that they didn't get more notice because they sure deserved it. They achieved a cult statue of sorts on the underground, but these guys sure had the chops to really be a major player in the 80's. Still one has to be glad to hear this album again. For the re-issue the second disc contains some gems and some just okay songs, but if you get this version you can't really argue a whole bonus disc worth of Breaker. Get Tough! is highly recommended.

Stratovarius-Infinite

Armoury
2000/2010

This was the eighth album from Stratovarius and was originally released in 2000. Before this album they had possibly hit their creative peak in the mid to late 1990's. While Infinite is a good album it saw the band slowing down and re-hashing previous material at times. So at the time it was perhaps the first time in the band's career where they were moving backwards rather than forwards. The re-issue includes a second disc which includes rarities, demo tracks and live songs. The second disc certainly compliments Infinite. The style of the rarities is similar with heavy emphasis on melodies and it is close to the approach of the tracks on Infinite. The demos are of Hunting High and Low and Millennium while the live tracks are Phoenix and Infinity. So all versions of tracks from Infinite. A decent bonus disc although your view of Infinite will probably dictate what you think of it. Overall a decent package that's likely to deal to die hard fans more than anyone else.

Mass-War Law

SPV
1984/2010

Not to be confused with the American band of the same name or the German band who recorded one album ten years ago. This Mass also hailed from Germany, but they formed back in the mid-70's and ended up doing 8 albums between 1977 and 1986. War Law is their second to last release. This is fairly standard metal, but if I heard it without knowing the year it was recorded I would guess about 1979 or 1980. So they were a little behind the times as metal in general was getting heavier and branching by 1984. Still there is something to be said for the fairly catchy brand of music that Mass embraced. They remind me of times of a cross between late 70's Judas Priest and maybe a heavier version of KISS. Being where they are from there may be some early Accept influence mixed in there too. The slightly dated sound is probably what kept them from being as well known as other bands who moved ahead with the times. Still there they were cranking out this slightly under produced music that still has enough kick to be likable. I guess that was the key for them. The fact that they ignored trends and went with what they liked. Dated or not it was still pretty good. This new re-issue includes a bonus track "Playing in a rock -n- roll band" from 1978.