Free Metal Monday: Season of the Witch-Season of the Witch

Self-Release/Independent
2007

Season of the Witch* is a horror punk/raw thrash metal band that is based in Louisville/Cincinnati. This self-titled release was the group's first (and possibly only?) album and it came out in October of 2007. It's a name your price digital recording that should appeal to fans of Samhain and possibly even Danzig.





*Season of the Witch can be found online by clicking here.

Dollar Bin Discoveries: Spit Can-Spit Can

Knuckle Down Productions
2007

I'm not exactly sure if this is the sole release from Pennsylvania's Spit Can or what. Formerly known as Cyphilis, which, let's face it folks, isn't much better or worse of a name then Spit Can, this band was billed to me as a cross between Pantera, Clutch and Prong. That's about the extent of the (online) information that I was able to dig up when I first stumbled across this CD in a dollar bin. It's a fair enough assessment. Further online snooping  revealed that all of this material on this nine-track CD was previously available on earlier Cyphilis albums. Well, eight of them at least as the last track on this self-titled release, "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck", is a cover of Prong cover. You can usually tell a lot about a band by any/all particular tracks that they might choose to cover and with Spit Can we're talking prime-time Prong worship on about half of these numbers. Is that a bad thing? Well, if you love Prong (and I do!) then the answer is probably no. And this band, which has a guitarist who goes by the name of Germ(!), does Prong proud and then some! While the band's previous incarnation (Cyphilis) also reportedly dabbled with influences like Hatebreed and System Of A Down (in addition to the Prong, Clutch and Pantera elements!) here Germs (along with lead vocalist Nick D., bassist Deuce and drummer Feist) relies on a much more stream-lined and more defined sound. With that being the case and all the heavy riffs that come from Germ are of the post-Clutch variety. That means while there is some fierce hardcore/thrash converging in the background up-front it does bear a slight resemblance to the (thankfully just about dead and buried) nu metal movement. It's not enough to ruin your appetite or anything, but a few more well-rounded guitar solos would have gone a long way with this Penn.-based four-piece. All in all it was most certainly worth the dollar I spent and other then the fact that a few number's do tend to blur together this ended up being one of the better bargain bin CDs that I've acquired in some time!  

Forgotten Gem: Bone Shaker-BANG...You're Dead

Turkey Vulture Records
2007

As of late I've been trying (Yet again for what seems like the millionth time!) to clean out all the nooks and crannies of my CD collection. While shifting through a pile that felt as if it was going to engulf my room (Seriously, where did I get all these CDs come from? Have they developed the ability to breed like rats?) Bone Shaker's "BANG...You're Dead" fell out. Needing a break from the mad disaster that was once my bedroom I decided to slid this disc into my CD player and see what was what with this band. Logically there had to have been some reason that I had the album I figured. But, whether I bought it, traded for it or if it was some random gift I just couldn't recall. Looking over our records here at Heavy Metal Time Machine I do see that Metal Mark actually interviewed this group at one time and may have even reviewed this album! I fully admit though that I was just too lazy to scroll down through all the postings so it may or may not be there*. Not that it matters right? Even if Metal Mark did review this album it's brand spanking new to me so hey, why not do a write-up I figure. What's the real harm? With that said let's see what is what with the guys (and gal!) in Bone Shaker. Formed back in 2006 under their original name Unholy, under which they released the one album "13 Ghosts", the heavy metal band would change their name a year later before releasing this album on Turkey Vulture Records. Opting to take the name Bone Shaker seemed like a wise-call to me as there were/are far too many bands with either the name Unholy or the name Unholy plus something or rather. With the move to Bone Shaker came this album and, seeing as it was the same three members in both bands, the transaction must have gone fairly smoothly. Here the name of the game is heavy metal with chief songwriter David "Gonz" Gonzalez handling both lead vocals and guitars while drum duties are taken care of by Brian DeHarde. On bass/vocals you have Camille Gonzalez. That means you've got a heavy metal combo made up of  either a husband-wife or brother-sister. I'm guessing it's the former. As for what kind of heavy metal you're going to get from this Milwaukee trio? Well, here's a clue. This album features three, yes count them, three songs with hell in the title. You've got "Hell and Back", "Raising Hell" and "Hell Razor"! So, with this band, or rather on this album, you're looking at a heavy metal that is somehow old-school, think W.A.S.P. (only with a bite more of a raw vibe) or maybe older Accept (pre-"Balls To The Wall" meaning with less AC/DC going on), without sounding like an 80's metal album. That might not sound like such a hard feat, but when you've got all these metal tracks with hell in the title (as well as a track called "How we Rock"!), you're just screaming for it to sound like retro "80's metal". If you've confused as to what's the difference between this form of old-fashioned metal and "80's metal" (as a genre) then be sure to click here: http://www.bnrmetal.com/v3/genres/one/8 . If not then just trek on as this 10-track album sounds for all the world as if you've got these three musicians who were big fans of early W.A.S.P. and bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Accept. No doubt they said "Anything they can do we can do to!" and from there it just steamrolled With quality in mind, as this is quality heavy metal if nothing else, the three set out to record "BANG...You're Dead" and, for the most part, they succeeded in creating one of those albums that will appeal to older heavy metal fans. It's really not all W.A.S.P. worship (even if this does sound to me a lot like early Blackie Lawless and company!)or all Accept or what have you. There is everything from Iron Maiden to Kiss to be found within this release. It's just that W.A.S.P. would be my first reference point with Accept and maybe Judas Priest following closely behind. So yeah, it's worth pointing out that while a band like Bone Shaker might be considered to be more of a "new" act then write material that would appeal to fans of "older" metal. If that describes you then Bone Shaker might be worth investigating. Fans of the previously mentioned acts should like this Milwaukee band as well as those folks who enjoy solo Ozzy (more of his earlier material), the heavier side of Twisted Sister (if there really is such a thing!) and maybe even Motörhead! The only drawback to this album is the lead vocals which could be better. Otherwise this album proved to be a pleasant surprise as it reminded me of a time when heavy metal was still exciting. To a point it still is although it's getting harder and harder to find these kinds of bands that want to play no-frills, blue-collar heavy metal without all the flash and splash that comes from having an "image". I close acknowledging the fact that I'm torn between wanting to hear more from this band** (as there is a great deal of potential here ) and the fear that any other material would suffer the same cruel fate as this one (so-so vocals which do little to enhance the cause or advance the band's standing). So this may or may not be my last time hanging out with a "new" Bone Shaker album. Time will tell.

*After finishing up this review I took the time to go back and dig around in our previous postings. I discovered that Metal Mark had reviewed this album and, in addition to the W.A.S.P. and Accept reference points, he brought up Grim Reaper. I must admit that I didn't hear that as much my first time through the album so I may just have to go back and give it another spin soon!

**The band did release a follow-up album in 2009 called "Union".

 

Sacred Oath-Darkness Visible

 

Sentinel Steel/Angel Thorne
2007/2012

Reunion or comeback albums are always a tricky deal. Sacred Oath entered into a touch one a few years ago. They recorded "A Crystal Vision' in 1987 and it was released the next year. The album was highly regarded, but the band had already split due to various problems. The band did a re-recording album of their debut called "A Crystal Revision" in 2005. Almost two decades after their debut they were ready to knocked out an album of originals. Honestly it lacks some of the raw aggressiveness of their debut. However the style is similar and they rely on a more slick delivery that requires a little more patience from the listener, but after a few plays it sinks in that Sacred Oath deliver a very worthy follow-up to "A Crystal Vision". The influences are the same as the debut with early Maiden, Queensryche, Crimson Glory and others coming to mind. Their style is a mixture of classic, power metal and even a few almost  thrash bits. Tracks like "Battle Cry", "Queen of the night", "Unholy man" and "Prophecy" are good examples of  the strongly crafted metal on this album. When I listen to this album I do briefly wonder what this band would have sounded like had they not broken up in the late 80's. It's a shame they stopped then, but at least they go back together and soldiered on in a direction that fans of their early material can appreciate.

Witchcraft-re-issues-s/t, Firewood and the Alchemist

 

 

Metal Blade/Rise Above
2012 re-issues/originally released 2004, 2005, 2007

I was listening to the Alchemist not so long ago and wondering why Sweden's Witchcraft hadn't done any new music in  years because the last I know they were still together. Then I see that their three lps have gotten re-released. Okay, it's not new material but it will have to do although the latest word is their forth album will be called Legend and it will come out this fall. Which might mean it's a perfect time to explore their back catalog again. Witchcraft formed back in 2000 and by 2004 their self-titled release came out. They are often labeled as a doom band and that's not incorrect. Although they owe far more to early 70's proto-metal bands than they do to 80's doom acts like Candlemass or Saint Vitus. The influences on all three of these albums include Pentagram, Jethro Tull, Sabbath, Dust, Bang and other pioneers. The 2004 debut is probably the most primitive album and the one I would say could be considered the most straight ahead doom in it's approach. Unlike other bands that just draw on influences Witchcraft instead try to sound like they came from a different era. They have the sound, the production and have frequently recorded on vintage equipment in order to get their music to sound like it was done in the early 1970's. The debut has more tracks than either of the two follow-ups. It definitely has a sound like a bunch of guys jamming in a basement or a garage, which is likely what they were aiming for.  My favorite tracks on the debut are "Lady winter", "No angel or demon" and "It's no easy".
A year later the sophomore album "Firewood" was released and that's when I first hear Witchcraft. The sound and the approach was still along the same lines as the debut, but something had changed and for the better. Their control of the pace and their ability to change up the tempo showed a marked improvement.  They had gone from sounding like a rough tribute band to almost being masters of the style. Although the Pentagram influence was possibly even greater. I remember playing this album a lot when it first came out. Despite the obvious influences they were just so catchy. Favorite tracks on  "Mr. Haze", "I see a man" and "Chyld of fire".
Then two years went by before "The Alchemist" came out in the fall of 2007. The style is still similar to the other albums but once again they made another leap forward with their writing and playing. What they really developed on this album was the ability to launch into non-traditional song structures and just run with them. This approach kind of goes back to jamming skills they showed on the debut except this time around it's far more refined. By refined I mean that everything seems very automatic but they still have those rough and heavy images that defined many of their songs on all three albums. They were definitely coming into their own with this album and I was actually surprised by the amount of progress they showed on this album. My favorite tracks here are "Hey, doctor", "Remembered" and the title track.
Thanks to Metal Blade and Rise Above for re-issuing these albums and reminding me how much I enjoyed Witchcraft. I am looking forward to the new album in a few months, but with the line-up changes and the amount of time since the last album I do wonder how the new album will compare with their previous work.

Electric Wizard-Witchcult Today re-issue

2007/2012
Metal Blade/Rise Above

This album  originally came out in 2007 but now it's getting the re-issue treatment from Metal Blade and Rise Above. This was their sixth album and was recorded on vintage 1970's equipment. This wasn't as much a departure in style as it was more of a stripped down approach to some extent. The couple of albums before this had seen some experimentation and plenty changes in tone. The two albums before this definitely had more layers of fuzz added on.Witchcult Today in many ways saw the band getting back to their doom roots to some extent and we definitely got to hear more of Jus Oborn's vocals and they were mostly clean. The themes are much the same as on their previous work, which means witchcraft, drugs, horror literature and British horror films. We do "Black Magic rituals and diversions" which is a lengthy mixture of spoken word excerpts and occasional drum thumping. Raptus is a brief venture into spaced out sounds and "Saturnine" is a long more involved voyage to another planet. However we also get the title track, "Dunwich" and "Satanic Rites of Drugula" which are perhaps some of the most traditional doom that the Wizard have done. Of course that's all relative because this band has always been about being extreme in terms of heaviness and sludge. I like this album as much now as I did when I first heard it in the fall of 2007. It lacks some of the oddness of their previous releases but it shows this band could really focus in deliver some massive waves of pure doom. Instead of just merely sitting a smoke-filled haze this time around they stepped up and really hammered out some straight out, deep down metal that reminded us that this band can still play.

The Hell Candidates-Bring to war

2007




Portland, Oregan's The Hell Candidates have been around for over a decade. The cover doesn't really give an accurate image of what the music might be on this disc. Once I started it up I was right away taken back in time about twenty plus years or so. This band sounds like the kind of classic metal influenced acts that were popular in the metal underground years ago. There is a huge Judas Priest influence mainly focused around the albums from 1980-1984. However the production is less polished and even the performance has something of a "live" feel to it . I mean that in the most postive sense. This is a band who are far from perfect, they are loose around the edges and seem to figuring some things out as they go along yet that goes well with this no-nonsense sound. They remind me some of Ohio's Damien only with female vocals and a little order to their style. On many tracks I felt like I was listening to a lost demo from 1987 or so. The only downfall was that they went on a bit too long. Once it got around track eleven I felt like they were continuing on more than they needed to. Still this is an album that I see myself going back to. They have that old style metal sprit and that goes a long ways.

Tonk-Sister Switchblade

2007



Australia's Tonk strike me as a band who know a lot of the basics concerning hooks, rhythm and other mandatory elements. The also manage to use volume to their advantage as they crank it up and are never subtle. The end results sound like a mixture of AC/DC, 80's KISS, Zodiac Mindwarp and others. When the songs work it's like come at you with quick, but weighty punches as they hit at you with brief yet definite chops. They get points for their energy level, but where they fall short is in the creativity department. This is basic hard rock, but you still have to come to the table with enough ideas or something to sustain the songs for the duration of it's run. There were too many times where this band would begin track in decent fashion, but then they would run into a wall. The results were usually some parts that just kind sat there riding out the length of the song. The results of that were that my attention was quickly drifting elsewhere and my pointer finger was getting itchy to go and press the fast forward button to relieve me of the dull moment. Now the album is more good than not, there are some obvious gaps that really need to be filled before this band can move beyond just being a decent act.


www.myspace.com/tonkrocks

X-terra-X-Nihilo

Self-produced
2007

Long running Christian hard rock act X-Terra most recent release is a collection of material that was written in 1997, 2005 and 2007. Much like their previous release "Wolves" this album is a mix of styles. There are elements of hard rock, metal and others tossed in during the course of the fourteen tracks contained on this disc. The influences are scattered as I hear early Rush, AC/DC, Black Sabbath and others . Unfortunately the results are varied as well. This is a band obviously has some fine playing skills and this shines through in the varied drumbeats and the guitar solos. However the writing ranges from decent down to dull and scattered. They typically shine early in almost every song. However they seem lose momentum and direction as they get into the tracks. There is a tendency for the lyrics to just drag on and the vocals ramble on robbing the songs of the cohesive feel that could have been there. The know to create come fine harmonies with the music, but there are too few choruses that are memorable. This was only a minor problem on the previous album, but it has become more of a handicap this time around. There are standout parts on this album, but very few whole songs that really impressed me. That's a shame because this a veteran outfit who have done fine songs before, but here they seem to have throw organization to the wind and the final product suffered greatly.

http://www.myspace.com/xterra

S.E.X. Department-s/t

Perris
2007

I seem to remember hearing this band mentioned a few times when this CD came out way back in the fall of 2007. For whatever reason I never got around to hearing it back then. I recently got a copy and my interest just came when they were put on a bill with Dirty Penny and Gypsy Pistoleros. Did I really think that just because they were slapped on a bill with two good bands that this meant they were also a fine band? No, not necessarily, but I was willing to take a chance on it because I am a sucker for glam when it' done right. It took all of a minute or so into the opener "Call me baby call me" to realize that this was going to be 80's style glam very similar to Pretty Boy Floyd and early Poison. The vocals of Kelly "Trash" Mendess sound very much like Steve "Sex" Summers of PBF. Actually according to the booklet Mendess played all the instruments and did all the lead vocals, but they had several people doing backing vocals. This is light, bubblegum type of hard rock and at times it's very repetitive. I think my biggest gripe is that it flat out did not rock as much as I had hoped. Part of this is the production is lacking some, but the hooks needed to be much more sharp. They glide into too many songs instead of ripping into them. Now that is all of the negative aspects, but there was definitely some parts to like here as well. Other than the consistent vocals I definitely liked the sense of control and how they managed the pace. Despite the oftentimes ridiculous and cliched lyrics, they still manage to make many of these songs fun just because they present it in such a confident fashion. The band knows how to produce some solid melodies and that is a major plus. There are several younger bands playing this type of music who are much more creative. However there is definitely enough here that taps into what is good about glam rock/hair metal. There is also no doubt that the S.E.X Department have their work cut out for them as well. The band is currently working on a new album. They have also done quite a bit of touring since the release of their debut. So hopefully they turn up the volume and take a few more chances the next time around.

http://www.myspace.com/sexdepartment

Rose Tattoo-Blood Brothers (Special Tour Edition)

2008
SPV


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

Stoner Rider-Three legs of trouble

Trustkill
2007

“Come on and let up, we’re on the road to nowhere”. Thus starts “Rush Hour” the opening track on Stone Rider’s release and while I think this album was a trip, it certainly didn’t go nowhere. I am not sure exactly what I was expecting here from this band, but I think they delivered quite a bit. They brought out bits of AC/DC, Guns and Roses plus some definite thick old, fuzzed out 70’s style riffage as well. Stone Rider tends to jab a bit more with numerous mid-level type hooks rather than going for the big knock out punch. I think that approach suits them because there is very little gliding here as plenty of songs see the band working steadily to maintain the momentum throughout. The most important aspect of that approach is that makes seem really tight as a whole. They keep pumping out rhythms and ideas while working steadily to stay in motion. It’s a bit of a deceptively busy album because not many of their parts are particularly that involved by them, but the many little bits and attention to detail make the songs feel very filling in the end. The only real complaint I had was I would have like to seen a little more energy at times because towards the end there were a few songs that just felt like they were being a little too careful. Stone Rider have put forth an album that has them sounding very comfortable with what they are doing and they deliver in giving fans a whole lot to soak in.

Steel Assassin-War of the eight saints

Sentinel Steel
2007

I was going through various Myspace pages back in the beginning of summer an stumbled upon this band. The band name sounded very familiar then I was enlightened to the fact that they were on Metal Massacre 6 back in 1984. That would be were I knew them from as I heard most of those compilations back in the 1980's. They actually formed as a cover band back in 1980, but broke up in 1985 after failing to secure a record deal. However fast forward two decades and in 2005 the band reformed with a 4/5 original line-up, added a new vocalist and begun work on their debut which would be released 27 years after the band first formed. Talk about better late than never, this is pure denim and leather, hard hitting mid-1980's style metal. Steel Assassin have grinded out a seriously monstrous assault very much influenced by the likes of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Armored Saint and Dio. They even combine some of the influences in the same track and bring some ideas of their own in the form of oftentimes rapid pace changes and twists. The lyrics are of the fantasy/mythology camp and it works just fine here. We get eleven songs with six of them going over six minutes including the closing title track which is just a crushing epic that clocks in at over ten minutes. It's a shame these guys didn't get signed back around 84-85 because I would have loved this back, but I love it now too. Steel Assassin work and maneuver as they create some finely crafted songs that are strong on melodies and backed by a blistering array of hooks and ripping guitars. Not a whole lot of new ideas here, but just a tremendous stampede of killer metal.

http://www.myspace.com/steelassassin

The Dead-End Kidz-Unfinished Business

Self produced
2007



The Dead End Kidz (not to be confused with California punk act Dead End Kids) formed back in the mid 1990's and hail from New York. This is their second album and takes second to realize it's just pretty much pure solid hard rock with both feet firmly planted in the mid to late 1970's. That's means lots of in your face massive riffs that rely on swirling grooves and cutting heaviness. These guys were obviously raised on a diet of Ted Nugent, KISS, AC/DC, Thin Lizzy and UFO because those are the prime influences that I hear. In some ways it's slightly refreshing to hear this type of sound because these days many bands who reach back to the 70's go for the earlier part of the decade. Yet the second half of the 1970's had some great rock too and The Dead End Kidz obviously recognized that and pulled that style into their own sound which is very direct and concise. There are plenty of sing a long choruses that you will pick up on right away and likely you will be bobbing your head right away and belting out the simple anthems while you listen. There is no down time or wasted space in their music because everything just keeps pumping and pushing on. I don't think they are just a retro band either because the production and slightly different guitar tone let you know that they are putting some of their own touches on the style they love. The one real downside is that the vocals are a bit limited because they work well enough, but you can tell the range is short and a bit more versatility in that department might help some. Still this is a very steady effort and every track was enjoyable.



http://www.myspace.com/dekmusic

Warpath-Damnation

Self-produced
2008



While Germany and the United States had thrash bands pouring out all over the place twenty years ago there were never a whole lot of thrash bands coming out of the UK. You had Onslaught and Sabbat and a few smaller name acts, but not a huge amount even though their seemed to be a fan base for it because thrash bands from other countries played there. Anyway now with the thrash resurgence we are seeing more thrash acts coming from there such Evile, Gama Bomb and now Warpath. Many of the newer thrash bands have looked to Slayer, the Bay Area scene (Metallica, Exodus and others) the German thrash scene (Kreator/Sodom/Destruction) and others) or a combination of two or more of those sounds for influences. Yet it takes about a minute into the opener here which is the title track to realize that Warpath's prime musical influence is Megadeth. Primarily "Peace sells" and "Rust in peace" eras as they rely on a similar style of finger bending, slightly odd paced riffs. The vocals are far more standard as no one has ever been able or really tried to sing like Dave Mustaine. There are also some shades of peak Slayer mixed in here and there as well. They rely on the opening riffs and that works wonders, but they don't always do enough into the song to really keep the momentum rolling. It's not a lack of energy as much as it is that they need to work on the songwriting a little and bring some more ideas into the fold. Those killer, slightly crazy whirling riffs are at the beginning of every song, they just need to keep fleshing more ideas. However one thing that they have no trouble in doing is being very heavy and and this is in large part due to having an above average rhythm section. Even if not every song is going to grab you, their spine-rattling, pounding heaviness already made enough of an impression on me. I can't tell you how many time I have pulled out an album from the 80's by some thrash band I once liked only to realize that they have not aged well largely due to the fact that they were just not that heavy. So I think having that strong background going is really likely to help Warpath to get some notice and they just need to work around it and keep building in other areas. They have certainly done enough establish a very firm foundation and seem to be on the right track.

http://www.myspace.com/warpathuk

Leatherwolf-New World Asylum

N.I.L 8
2007



Long known for strong melodies and their triple guitar attack back in the 1980’s, Leatherwolf came back in 2006 with an album called World Asylum with former Crimson Glory vocalist Wade Black taking over on vocals. Black ended up leaving before the end of 2006 and the band brought original singer Michael Olivieri back in to the fold. They also made the decision to re-record World Asylum with Olivieri and call it “New World Asylum”. Okay, that’s a slightly long story, but it was probably worth the steps the band went through because the end product is quite spectacular. So many bands tend to get more conservative and lighter in their approach, but Leatherwolf went all out. This album comes at you like a crushing steamroller in the style of Judas Priest, Vicious Rumors, Accept and maybe even some of Metal Church’s more recent efforts. They also easily weave in natural sounding vocal melodies and some hints of progressive metal in their music as well. It’s not all 80’s throwback as well which is a refreshing change plus they easily mix the classic metal style with a slightly more modern edge. Almost every track works out and perhaps more than anything else it’s just because the band sounds very comfortable working together. Normally my expectations on a comeback or reunion album are low, but this release easily exceeded all of my expectations. Hopefully this line-up stays on track and keeps going because there is obviously some steam and more than a few strong ideas left in them.



http://www.myspace.com/leatherwolfmusic

JK Northrup-Wired in my skin

Alien Records
2007



This is an album from veteran guitarist JK Northrup who had previously played with Northrup, King Kobra, XYZ and others in his 25 plus year long music career. Because he has played with so many different acts he knows a lot of people so he brought in several vocalists for this project including Kelly Keeling (Blue Murder, MSG, Baton Rouge, Trans Siberian Orchestra), Johnny Edwards (Montrose, Foreigner, Royal Jelly, King Kobra), Ted Poley (Danger Danger), Terry Ilous (XYZ, I.R.S.) and newcomer vocalist David Zaragoza (Category 7). There are eleven tracks total here including three instrumentals. Largely it's typical but smooth hard rock with most the majority of the tracks sounding like they could have been recorded between say 1989 and 1991 as they thrive on large melodies and high production values. Using so many vocalists is a little bit of a double edged sword as it allows the album to have some different sounds because the singers have somewhat different styles and ranges yet the album has a whole doesn't quite feel like a unit because of this approach. However that's probably minor because I enjoyed most of the songs as individual tracks. I think the pacing was right on for the most part despite having so many hands or voices in the mix, I would say it was a fairly tight album. The only song I wasn't huge on was "If I were James Taylor I could finish this song" which felt very awkward to me. The instrumentals allow JK a little room to spread out and roam a little more with his riffs and these three tracks tended to be some of the heavier ones on the album. Overall this was a fairly ambitious project and mainly it succeeded in pulling me in. I just wish that I had discovered it a little sooner.





http://www.jknorthrup.com/
http://www.myspace.com/jknorthrup

The Hounds of Hasselvander-s/t

Rock Saviour
2007

Joe Hasselvander is most known for having played with Pentagram and having been the drummer with Raven for the last two decades. However he has been involved with numerous other projects including playing on over half of Blue Cheer's last album. He has indeed been a very busy man over the last thirty years and this is his most recent project. This certainly leans more towards Pentagram in terms of tone although the bulk of the songs are generally heavier and slightly faster. It's a bit like early doom combined with late 1980's metal and there is probably more than a hint of Joe's idols Blue Cheer stirred into the mix as well. Since Hasselvander played guitar for Pentagram on some albums the songs here have that same thick as molasses feel although perhaps even more aggressive. So the overall sound is perhaps right in between doom and classic metal and has enough of each style to appeal to fans of both. The approach is basic without a great deal of variation, but the thickness of the music and the killer drumming more than make up for it. This is all Joe's baby because he wrote all the songs, played all the instruments, did all the vocals and co-produced the album. Needless to say this is must have for fans of Pentagram for sure, fans of doom and more classic style metal will probably find enough about to enjoy as well. Hasselvander has added members for a live line-up and they have played a few shows in recent months.

http://www.myspace.com/thehoundsofhasselvander

After Death-Retronomicon

Iron Pegasus
2007

Something about this CD had me a little confused and it wasn't just the odd album title. It had to do with the music, it was this nagging feeling of familiarity with many of the songs. Yet it took me a few plays to place where I heard this style before. Then it came to me on about the third play of this CD. A good chunk of the material at least musically sounds like someone followed Kind Diamond into the studio around 87-90 and grabbed up some mid-tempo outtakes and then held on to them for years before slapping on some gravel like vocals and updating the drums a little. Actually this is a project from drummer/singer Mike Browning (Morbid Angel, Nocturnus, Incubus) and this CD includes songs recorded by different line-ups of the band from 2000 to 2006. There is some heaviness to it, but at best it's just mildy interesting and it's worse it's mind-numbingly dull. If your music is going to drone rather flow, you still have to have something to draw people in. This is more like filler with very little direction, it's like they are just sort banging around a little without any real rhyme or reason. The production is decent, but that kind of makes the album's flaws just all that more apparent. Obviously they got fascinated with gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt and there are various ramblings about mythology and such, but it doesn't matter much since the music isn't going to keep your attention enough and quite frankly neither will the vocals. The ancient pharaohs may not roll over in the tomb from this album, but like me they won't be too excited about it either.

http://www.myspace.com/afterdeath

Anubis-Sibuna

Flying V
2007

Perhaps I should known what was coming when I saw the image on the back on the insert that showed a man wearing ancient garb inside an Egyptian tomb looking at this band's Myspace page on his computer. However, I did not judge this CD by it's back cover and soldiered on. My interest in this project was really just because half of this band (guitarists Simon Lees and Andy Hart) had played in Budgie at different points. They say this project combines numerous different styles of music and indeed does. It has elements of metal, jazz rock and more modern rock traits as well. Unfortunately they seem to have decided to pick some of the worst traits of each style. There are number of instrumentals and although most of them have some decent guitar parts they all become horribly repetitious before even reaching their halfway point in the running time. The songs with vocals tend to lean more towards modern rock although without much energy or enthusiasm. The vocals are done by Sarah Co'burn who is the daughter of bass player Pete Williamson. Her vocals are in tune, but they just kind of float out there with no real thrust or direction. I know this was a project that everyone involved said they were very excited about. However it sounds like they got together over a weekend, threw some random parts together and switched the record button on while they noodled around, called it an album and packaged it up for sale. It just really reeks of being very underdone and no amount of ancient Egyptian references can save this bland effort from feeling like a side project that wasn't worth doing.

http://www.myspace.com/theanubisprojectuk