On a Bridge of Dust-Facing the Opposite

Self-Release/Independent Recording
2011

Released back in 2011, and acting as a proper introduction to this Italian-based post-progressive/alternative metal 4-piece act, it's only now that "Facing the Opposite" is making the rounds to various music-blogs for review and much-warranted promotion. Why it's taken several years for the album to get out to it's target audience is any one's guess, but for whatever reason, and sometimes for no reason at all, albums just slip through the cracks. Here it is 2013 and well, as luck would have it, this Italian band has just now fallen in with the right crowd as there is now a serious push being given to this (relatively) young act. To quote Guns N' Roses: "All we need is just a little patience". The band, which was formed in Verona in 2008 by some musicians/friends, forged their own identity over the course of  two demos before hitting the studio for what would become "Facing the Opposite". As far as debut-recordings go the band (Timothy Bertolini-vocals/guitar, Daniele Pasetto-vocals/guitar, Gherardo Sabaini-bass guitar and Jacopo Frapporti-drums) deserved better then the original fate of this album would have suggested. Without heaping undue praise upon this album (as it does carry more than a few traits of it's obvious influences) the fact remains that, for a debut-release, "Facing the Opposite" is a well-designed/fine-tuned piece of plastic (to use an old term to describe a new record). Influenced one hand by such bands as Tool, Katatonia, Mastodon and Isis this Italian group also had/has a passion for Porcupine Tree, Radiohead and Mogway. It's actually somewhere between Tool and Katatonia that most folks would agree is where this young band firmly plants it's feet. As someone who is not as well-versed in all things post-progressive as I'd like to be (let's face it friends at my age there's only so much new knowledge that can be crammed into this head of mine without something else spilling over!) I will simply state that I hear the Tool and Radiohead influences as well as the Porcupine Tree, Mastodon and Isis leanings. Whatever or whoever you decide to reference back to tends to be a mute point though when you're talking about the quality of the material on hand. The music here invokes an emotional response and the band, with a keen eye focused on making the music inspirational and interesting, utilizes all the tools (no pun intended!) at their disposal to keep you glued in place as the music washes over you. At times, thanks to some creative use of keyboards, the music does take it's chance on becoming too much too soon, but it skirts that line like thread through a needle. As this is simply album number one for the band (and seeing as they have no doubt evolved since this one was originally recorded) there's a bright future ahead for this bunch if they can keep their compact chemistry in check. I look forward to hearing more from this Italian group down the road.

http://onabridgeofdust.bandcamp.com/ 

Forgotten Gems: Blood Of Kings-Blood Of Kings

Self-Release
2011

Is Seattle,Washington becoming the new Bay Area? Hear me out. With some insanely talented young bands (Sword Of Judgement anyway?) calling this coffee central city their hometown it's not all that much of a stretch. The latest group to catch my attention is Blood Of Kings. While they don't need me to serve as a hype machine (their music will do just fine thank you very much!) Forgotten Gems is all about sharing music whether old, or in the case of Blood Of Kings, a bit newer. That's the thing with Blood Of Kings. Yes, they are a "newer" band, but their roots, or as Sepultura put it "Roots Bloody Roots", run deep. Blood Of Kings features two guys who were in H.M.P. (Heavy Metal Poetry) in Pete Yore(bass/vocals) and Eric Jelsing (drums). H.M.P., a thrash metal band, released a full-length album and two EPs. In Blood Of Kings the pair is aided by guitarist/vocalist Nick Paul, formerly of the bands Wolves in the Throne Room and Stormcrow. This 4-track demo cassette was recorded with Greg Wilkinson (Ghoul, Insect Warfare, Saviors, Stormcrow) at Earhammer Studios in Oakland, CA.  Skip past the questionable demo artwork (Not very "metal" looking at all is it?) and you'll find this 3-piece band with an amazingly consistent and mature sound. For their first recording the band is spot on. They fuse old school speed and thrash metal together with elements of traditional heavy metal and US power metal. The closest point of reference would be early Washington State act Metal Church. Take the self-titled debut album from Metal Church, replace the late great David Wayne with a singer who offers up raw, raspy vocals (Not to worry they don't ruin the party) and add a little more of a homegrown/underground appeal and there you have Blood Of Kings. Sure, you might be saying "Isn't this  just another, in the long line of already established young bands, new band trying to copy a style and sound that is historically reserved in it's own time and place?". Is this just another new band that is trying to tap into the energy of the past or are they trying to keep true metal alive? It's more of the latter. Much more. This young band is keeping things old school, but they have forged their own path. The sound is solid like the heavy metal bands of old while maintaining a newer, more modern take on the genre. Armed with a unique sound, and empowered with talent to spare, Blood Of Kings is one band you've got to keep a close eye on. Especially if you love REAL metal. As the band is currently recording their debut full-length album at Witch Ape Studios (with Tad Doyle at the helm), 2013 should be a good year for Blood Of Kings and a good year for those of us that love good speed/power/thrash metal. Be sure to check them out for yourself. 



https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blood-Of-Kings/166688440059586

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats-Bloodlust

Metal Blade/ Rise Above
2012

The second album from Cambridge based Uncle Acid and the deadbeats plays out like a most appropriate soundtrack for this time of year. Their fuzz soaked, down trodden style would fit perfectly as one walked under barren trees and a grey sky while treading on a blanket of dried leaves during an afternoon in November. That's probably fitting as they have a love for horror films are darker topics. This trio isn't as much into more modern doom influences as they are in pumped up by proto-metal like Sabbath, Pentagram and Bang. Although there are some definite progressive elements woven in with their fuzz soaked rhythms as well. The vocals and sloth like beginnings of many of their songs reach back to 40 or so years ago, but the variations that pop up as the songs move forward show both a greater skill and a wider range of ideas. Their love for sludge is apparent, but they only use that a foundation because they move forward frequently expanding into different and sometimes surprising directions. I've heard plenty of retro-acts pulling from this time period particularly in the last few years, but this act certainly does it better than most. They stay and true enough to their influences yet they transfer emotion so instantly in their songs while opening up their horizons be bringing more sounds and tones than I could have anticipated. This is a re-issue of a 2011 album and the band hopes to have another release out early in 2013. This version contains the bonus track "Down to the fire" which is far more mellow than the other tracks on the album. It treads closer to Zeppelin territory than it does to the other bands that inspired their other songs, but it's just as spectacular and captivating as the other songs. This album will get you excited for the next album so hopefully the follow-up will be out in just a few months.

Warchest-Aftershock

Madness
 2011
 This was released last year, but is showed up in my mailbox this month so I gave it a shot. Hailing from Chile this is the debut from Warchest. They formed back in 2008. The influences are obvious, it's a mix of late 80's and 90's metal including Pantera and Metallica. They often alternate from galloping Bay area style thrash to crunchier, but very simplistic metal attacks. What I enjoyed most about this album was they played it rather straight-up. No long introductions just a lot of going straight forward and sticking to a basic, buy heavy enough route. I probably prefer the thrash oriented tracks more and they tackle those with a fair amount of skill. The downside for this band is that although I enjoyed the music for half the album or so it was getting old in the second half and my interest was fading down the stretch. The reason for that is their basic style can only last them for so long. By the end I was hoping they would take a chance, mix it up or do something a little bit unpredictable. That never happened and they just stuck to simple patterns and closed out the album. It's not a bad album at all in fact it's good, but it's far from spectacular. It's decent for what it is but they don't deliver anything that makes me think they can progress beyond this level.

Black Sword Thunder Attack-In Hell's Reign

Self-Release/Independent Release

2011

Yes, this is a 2011 release. So what? This three-piece band hail from Greece (Kalambaka, Thessaly to be exact) and seem to have more than a few fans singing their praises. Honestly, without my friends over at Strapp's site a band like Black Sword Thunder Attack (who incidentally win my award for "Most Metal Name Of The Year" for 2011 and, so far, for 2012 ) would just get lost in the day to day shuffle of life. That would be a shame as their take of epic /traditional heavy metal is just down right cool. While there was another tape, "Promo 02", which looks as if it included only one track, this 2011 demo looks to be it for these guys. For the record the band is made up of vocalist Stelios, guitarist/bassist/keyboardist Christos and drummer Marios and they have a serious love affair going on with early eighties metal. Someone mentioned Warlord and that was all I needed to check out this demo and I am thankful I did. Maybe there is some Merciful Fate to be found in the murky mix as well? Hard to say for sure. Do I wish there was more? That is the understatement of the year. My computer's counter says 12:04 by the time these four tracks wrap up and that my friends is a blatant tease. This stuff is fantastic in an underground metal sort of way. 12 mintues is hardly enough time when your enjoying some great Greece heavy metal. Find out more at the link below.

http://strappadometalblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/black-sword-thunder-attak-in-hells.html

The Last Things-Circles And Butterflies

Arkeyn Steel Records
2011


Florida, St. Petersburg's The Last Things released one full-length studio album,"Circles and Butterflies", in 1993 and then promptly folded. Previous to The Last Things two of the band's three members (lead vocalist/guitarist Richard Elliot IV and bassist Darren McFarland) were in a band called Blackkout that released one full-length studio album in 1989, "Ignorance of Man" and then promptly folded. Not sure what to make of that other than the fact that these guys were two for two. Kind of a shame too as The Last Things (weird name and weird album title) ,while obscure in general, were quite the talented bunch. How to describe them? Well, Blackkout to start with was a technical/progressive metal band and The Last things are also often tagged with the label progressive metal. On the whole though there is a lot more going on here than just that tag. If I were to say that The Last Things were just a progressive metal band then there is a huge possibility that your mind could move towards Fates Warning or Dream Theater. Granted, The Last Things do share a similar mindset as those two bands. If you started with a base made up of Fates Warning and then added on some different layers you could get a general idea of what these guys were all about. There are times when you hear everything from Psychotic Waltz to Atheist to Watchtower. There is even some "simple" thrash that recalls Megadeth. In addition to the typical guitar/bass and drums the band utilizes both artificial sounds (synthesizers) and the natural sounds of instruments you don't typically associated with heavy metal like the flute and bagpipes! As a result the band can go from a heavy thrash/nwobhm style number like "Ghost From the Past" to a number like "The Spirit Lives" (where bands like Jethro Tull and Uriah Heep come to mind!). To add an extra layer to that it is interesting to hear how vocalist Richard Elliot IV can go from sounding like Fish (of the band Marillion) to Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) in the snap of a finger. Unreal. This is without a doubt a phenomenal album made only better with the inclusion on the band's unreleased 1994 demo and a unreleased Blackkout demo from 1990! All of the material has been given a full digital makeover and the album comes with lyrics, unpublished pics and a bio. Don't let that 2011 release date bother you as it was released at the end of the year. Strongly recommended for fans of Psychotic Waltz, Savatage, Secrecy, Jester’s March and more!

Stone Axe-Captured live! Roadburn festival 2011

Ripple music
2012

Stone Axe have not been around that long but they sure have quite a few releases. Even though they have done just two LPs, there were two disc deluxe editions of those plus they releases some seven inches. So what kind of release are they missing? Oh, I know a live album. They teased with some live tracks as bonuses on those deluxe editions. From those we knew they could bring it live and were very comfortable on stage too. Yet a whole album would surely be even more spectacular. Indeed it is. Not every bands translates well on a live album although some try to twist the knobs in the studio to tweak their live sound. I doubt there was a great deal of that going on when getting this album together. There didn't need to be because the old style early 70's throwback rock that this band creates so easily flows on a live album just as well as the studio versions. Maybe even better believe it or not. They tear into the instrumental opener "Stonin'" and then glide into "On with the show". From there they just keep knocking out killer rock songs one after the other with their mix of of AC/DC, Free, Bad Company and others. For me the highlights include the slow and raw "Black Widow", the bouncing "Shine on" and the heavy hitter "Old Soul". Seriously ever track is worth hearing and the band is seriously tight live.For those who are already fans of this band this is a welcome addition to their catalog. For those who have never heard this fantastic act then this would serve as a fine introduction.

Dizzy Bitch-In The Pink (2011 Re-issue)

Azra/FIJI Records/1986
FnA/ 2011

Oh dear God in heaven what in the name of all that is holy is this? "In The Pink" came out in 1986 and just in case you thought that eighties rock couldn't possible get any worse we have this three piece act and this pile of dung to prove that not only was there a rock bottom (see any "Hair Metal Hell" for proof), but there was a rock bottom to said rock bottom. Lead by vocalist/guitarist Hondo Blackout (it gets worse) the band also featured Tim Tation (ugh) on bass and backing vocals and Johnny Lust (what the hell?) on drums and backing vocals. Words alone fail to describe how truly atrocious this is. This Lakewood CA, act fall flat on their faces somewhere between pop rock and sleaze metal. Imagine a world where a more pop-rock Quite Riot was influenced by Teeze. Now imagine a world where there was an even more lame version of said band with little in the way of talent and there you would find Dizzy Bitch. The fact that this band has the nerve to list the Plasmatics as an influence (in addition to all the usual hair metal/hard rock superstars of the day) makes me ashamed to be a Wendy O. Williams fan. Truly this album deserves the "Hair Metal Hell" treatment, but even I could not or would not subject Metal Mark to this crap. I care about him way too much to watch his ears bleed from this abomination. Truly awful and one of the worst hair metal releases I've ever heard. When I say this is lame I'm being generous.

Steak Number Eight-All Is Chaos

PID/2011
Metal Hammer/2012

If I had early on decided that album opener "Dickhead" was the way this album would unfold there is no doubt whatsoever that I'd have missed out on something good. This juvenile track is full-on "Big Dumb Sex" (lyric wise) and seemly presents itself so far out of place one wonders why they opted to have it open the album. Lyrically these four young lads (average age now seems to be 20) are much more thoughtful and open as the album unfolds so having "suck my dick" lyrics tossed in your face first thing can be a bit offsetting to say the least. I'm not sure many people outside of the underground post-metal/sludge-rock scene would have heard this album if not for Metal Hammer. Seeing as Metal Hammer is giving this album away free in their most recent issue and has an article on them one would hope that more people check into this young Belgium act. Did I say Belgium? Yes I did and if your like me I'm sure you can't remember the last time you heard of a decent band coming from that country. This particular band started off the ground with the members still in their early teens (14!) and despite their charismatic looks they seem quite adapt now at laying down what is epic in the making sludge. For some unknown reason the mainstream media has chosen to call vocalist/guitarist Brent Vanneste the "next Kurt Cobain'. How they came up with that particular comparison one really has to wonder. Maybe Brent spills his heart in much the same way Kurt did. It is the same kind of raw pain that one can only express with experience. Musically the only reference point to bands like Soundgarden, Nirvana or even the Smashing Pumpkins would be in the rare moments that Steak Number Eight allows a sense of post-punk pop flavor to slip into the sludge mix. Even then it is so slight it ends up being a blink and you miss it moment. No doubt singer Brent Vanneste was inducted into the underground scene thanks to his mother's love of Esoterica and Sunn O))) and for that he should be thankful. Any parent that would play such cult music for their child would certainly help set the stage and benefit from a child that turns the tables around on mainstream rock. Infused with such early influences and having music built around anything and everything from the Queens of the Stone Age to Deftones to Mastodon and Isis makes for a formidable outfit and something much more than just plain sludge metal. There is potential in these post-rock/post-metal/sludge rockers that if properly harnessed could have significant impact on the musical landscape. My only question remains what happened to the first seven steaks guys?

Wytch Hazel-"Surrender" Single

Self-Release
2011

If one didn't know better you could be forgiven for thinking this 2-track single/demo was a long lost NWOBHM release. Hailing from Preston (United Kingdom) this four piece band was formed in 2011 releasing this 2-track hard rock/NWOBHM sampling shortly there after. Their bio states "Inspired by the likes of Henry VIII, Sacred vocal works and other Medieval and Renaissance music there emerged a band who decided to do something a bit different within the area of old fashioned Hard Rock and Heavy Metal" and different it is my friends. While the bio goes on to note that they draw from from influences like "Jethro Tull, Pagan Altar, Old Church music vocal and instrumental (mainly Sacred Vocal music), Secular Medieval/Renaissance/Baroque music, 70's Priest, Henry VIII, Thin Lizzy, Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, Ashbury, Iron Maiden, NWOBHM" this really is more on the hard rock side of things. Those seeing the Iron Maiden mention and expecting twin guitar attacks would certainly be let down. Rather this has the sound and feel of a lost 70's hard rock number and truly does pull you in with it's mystical old world charm. If there is any complaint to be had with this offering it would be it's short length. This is hardly enough to satisfy. The band draws you in with vintage and charming sound and then leaves you longing for more. This is the sort of group that would find a fitting home on High Roller Records so let's hope that some label decides to give these guys a chance. You can find out more about the band and "Surrender" at their FaceBook page.

https://www.facebook.com/wytchhazel

Speedpig-Hog roast in hell

Self-produced
2011

Hailing from Bridgend, South Wales is the two man project Speedpig. What we have here is a strong combination of stoner rock, 80's metal and a modern touch as well. Beginning with "Kill you to death" they launch into a multi-level attack and never let up. "Black Acid" slides on like great oily monster, but soon erupts into a faster burst of energy. "Rise up and die" is a bit more sedate, but it really focuses on the vocals and some simple yet heavy drum beats. "Tsunami" is a fuzzed out frenzy that finds the band sounding oddly comfortable. "Full hog" centers around a thick, hard hitting riff. However that's not it for this song because this one is very strongly crafted with tempo changes and it's just tight throughout. The album closes with "SMG" which revolves a around a swirling heavy sound that really picks up around the final third of the song. Certainly an enjoyable EP that's basic to some extent, but these guys know a thing or two about creating some hooks and really keeping the music interesting. In the end it's a very fun ride and I hope these guys keep at it.

Randy-Randy

No Remorse
2011


Astute readers will no doubt recall that I covered Randy once already in a Forgotten Gem segment. In fact here it is:http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=Forgotten+Gems%3A+Randy-%22Shadows+Are+Falling%22+Single+ This release is the best-of album mentioned in that segment that the record label No Remorse released at the tail end of 2011. After hearing the group's single and a few tracks off of this release (one of which was the top-notch "It's Got To Be Love") I decided to track down a copy of "Randy". Lucky for me that a seller had it listed on Ebay at a reasonable price. The thing is the more I listen to this collection the better it gets and honest to God it was worth every penny I spent getting it shipped here from overseas! Musically these fine gents come across as more of a laid back and garage based Praying Mantis although it is also similar in nature to stuff like early Picture. The band takes rock, pure hard rock, NWOBHM and eighties heavy metal and gives it a shoot in the arm of class and style. Not only was this band a great mix of those genres the fact was they wrote songs that were rock classics. They had the ability to write catchy music that was full of melody and hard rock grit. Now, if the band's 1986 7" single was not proof enough that record labels let a great band slip through their fingers then Randy's 1987 demo is proof positive that PR people are not all they are cracked up to be. I say that of course with the greatest of respect to my friends who work in PR because other than the possible fact that the music was a bit light for 1987 it is damn near perfect. Then again hair metal was still alive in the later part of the eighties as grunge had yet to kill it off. Randy though owed more to true hard rock than the glam and pop metal groups of the day and cuts like the righteous "C'mon Let's Rock" are the stuff dreams are made of. Somehow it comes across as Kiss meets AC/DC only with more of a garage band feel to it. The sound is real though. Nothing fake or artificial about these boys from Denmark. "Nightmare" and "The Razor's Edge" are eighties in tone although the catchy nature of these two tracks is timeless. "Nightmare" has a chorus that got stuck in my head and was hard to shake. "The Razor's Edge" reminds me quite a bit of bands like Dark Wizard or even Highway Chile. It is hard rock, heavy metal and NWOBHM all rolled up into this killer number. The group's 1987 demo is heads and shoulders above so much of what was on rock radio then it boggles my mind how they remained unsigned. "Victim of the Night" (which is represented on the demo as well as live) is a true blue powerful rocker and as the band walked the thin line between rock, hard rock and traditional heavy metal they proved capable of sounding just as good in a club setting as they did on tape. "Who's Got the Power" is as smooth as it is sharp and showcased Jørgen Jensen's great vocals. "Don't Look Back" is probably too raw for those that liked their hard rock all tricked up by studio work. With it's bluesy riffs it is bar room rock at it's most purest form. "Who's Got the Power" and "Don't Look Back" again are breed from the same starting material as all the popular rock bands of the eighties. The only difference with Randy is how it comes of more natural and pure. The three live cuts all come from 1987 and offer a nice look at this three-piece band in it's natural setting. You can get a real sense of the energy these guys brought on the road and from the sounds of it playing live is where they really came alive. What a shame it is that Randy got passed over and instead we got stuck with tons of craptastic bands like Nelson, Warrant, Slaughter, Europe and Nitro. This release should be a must-own for all eighties metal fans as well as those interested in hearing no-frills rock/hard rock.

Frantic Amber-Wrath Of Judgement

BlueFreya
2011



Fan's of either female-fronted or all-female metal groups should feel quite pleased with the wealth of material out there these days. It seems as if the more I look around for new acts to cover (or old acts to check out) wave upon wave of material comes pouring my way. The latest group that I stumbled upon (or rather tripped over as it was right in my way when I was off looking for another group!) is Stockholm, Sweden based melodic death/thrash Frantic Amber. Since I half expected another Mystica Girls I was pleased to be wrong when this 5-track demo debut downloaded. The moment I heard this one images of early Sepultura, early Slayer and early Metallica came my way although none of those three ever could be as infused with melodic death quite like this band. Is it a new sound? No, not by a long shot! Nothing groundbreaking here and this one is not at all perfect. Some of the material tends to overlap into other material and there are moments when things fall flat. But, (and there is always a but right?) the band shreds and has a vocalist who knows how to deliver. The music is heavy ladies and gentlemen and played with skill, speed and demonic intensity. If your looking for new melodic death/thrash you could do a lot worse.

Despite Exile-Scarlet Reverie

Self-Release
2011





I had the great hard rock band Vanadium on my mind when I sat down to listen to Despite Exile's 2011 EP over the weekend. Not that these two bands have anything in common other than being from Italy mind you. I was only thinking about how there have been quite a few excellent bands to come out of Italy. Do Despite Exile fall into the excellent category? Well, a few facts first before we get into that. The band was formed back in 2010 and unlike Vanadium (who every fan of early eighties metal should check out by the way) play a heavy (as in brutal baseball bat to the head heavy) form of deathcore with a small dose of metalcore thrown in as a last thought. I can only guess at to the band's exact influences. Maybe some early Death, Morbid Angel, Venom, Obituary and Deicide on the death metal side of things and stuff like the Cro-Mags, The Accused, Cryptic Slaughter, Terror, early Suicidal Tendencies and early C.O.C. on the hardcore side. Throw in a salt shakes worth of American metalcore and your there. Its almost like 60% death, 30% hardcore and 10% metalcore. Now seeing as these guys are only a year or so removed from their formation when this EP hit the scene I'd say the results are quite excellent. The band manages to be both technical in nature and drenched in brutality at the same time. With this being only a six song affair the beat down is over with though before the fun even begins. As it is an EP it clocks in at under 30 minutes so I'd like to see what happens when the band has a full-length to work with. Deathcore fans should like this one quite a bit.

Lynchmada-To The Earth

Truth Inc. Records
2011






Lynchmada was an outfit I was not too familiar with when their CD arrived in my mail. As I was on my way out at the time I just slid the disc into my car's CD player, hit play, turned the volume up and was greeted by this unearthly black/doom sound by way of "What Fresh Hell Is This?". Not too surprisingly I had a blank look on my face as I thought to myself "Andy, I thought the promo sheet said Lynchmada would appeal to listeners who were into bands like Deftones, Karnivool, Meshuggah and Chimaira?". Well, as I was just about to answer myself (since the only time I can ever find someone to agree with me is when I talk to myself) the rest of "To The Earth" kicked in and it certainly was not black metal or doom. Rather what it was was this incredible hybrid of thrash and almost deathcore. This Gold Coast, Queensland based band have a fresh sound that pulls from British metal, Scandinavian death metal, technical thrash, metalcore and interestingly enough progressive rock. Alright, maybe it isn't all that new and fresh as seemingly every new "modern metal" band is pulling bits and pieces of different genres out of thin air and pasting them together. What makes these gentlemen different though from the bulk of other modern metal bands doing the same thing is that here it sounds cool. Crushing and insane riffs, blasting drum beats, bulldozer like bass lines and both clean and rough vocals all swirl around creating an album that while technically not new or inventive is at least fun to rage out to. Sometimes that is all you need out of a metal act anyway right? Does a new band have to be new style and sound wise or can they just be a rage in a cage blast of heavy metal fury? For me sometimes it matters little if the sound is completely new as long as it is down right gritty and insane. With Lynchmada the sound is new (in that not every modern metal act out there these days is doing it right) and they destroy bodies in the pit at the same time. It is a win-win situation!

Raymond did it

R Squared Films Inc.
2011

Raymond did it is an independent film that was directed, produced and written by Travis Legge.
The plot revolves around mentally challenged Raymond. Raymond is getting picked on and his brother Bryce tries to protect him. Bad girl Paige shoves Bryce and he ends up getting killed. Paige quickly invents a story to blame it on Raymond. Three others in the group go along with that idea. Only Tammy shows some compassion for Raymond. Fast forward six years and Raymond has been locked away for years and the rest of the group have kept the secret to themselves. As you can probably guess Raymond escapes and goes after all those responsible for causing him to be locked away. Obviously this film was influenced by the liked of Halloween and Prom Night. Even the score sounds kind of like Halloween. When I first saw the part when the characters as young teens I thought the acting was quite horrible. Fortunately their older counterparts are better with the acting ranging from acceptable to good. Lindsay Felton (Scream Queens) as Tammy is probably the top stand out as she is troubled by what happened and still feels sympathy for Raymond. Kyle Hoskins plays Raymond and even though he doesn't have many lines he handles his roll well enough plus and at six foot five and sporting a bulky frame he makes an imposing figure. The body count is fairly low and you get a few simple almost cheap killings, but some strange ones too. Raymond manages to turn a lawn mower, a washing machine, a bong and a shower curtain rod (yikes) all into lethal weapons. The effects and make-up on the more brutal killings is pretty well done. So the characters who set up Raymond all at one time or another drink, do drugs and have sex so traditional horror movie lets us know they'll get theirs soon. One aspect of the film I liked was that when the group finds out Raymond has escaped they don't panic too much. Instead lead by the always evil and selfish Paige, three of them plus Paige's dope head boyfriend decide prepare for Raymond and get him before he gets them. I liked the is aspect because it made me dislike them even more because they never felt remorse and they were going to put Raymond away for good. That plan almost works except of course they never make sure he's dead before tossing the body away and Raymond comes back angrier than before. So there are plenty of good points to this film, but there are some holes too. While the action parts and characters are generally good the dialog and pacing has some problems. A lot of the parts in between the action just felt like throwaway dribble that very little. There were times where characters rattle on while they sit on the couch. These parts don't advance the story nor do they add to the characters, but instead I got the impression that filmmaker Legge realized he needed to stretch the film some to get it to feature length. So even though he may have been chomping at the bit to bring Raymond in, Legge needed to pad the film some so he quickly scribbled how some nonsense and had the already unlikable characters chew on those lines for a while. My other major complaint *spoiler alert* involved the final confrontation between Raymond and Paige. Given that Raymond knew she was the leader behind framing him and how brutal the killings were on the others involved I expected Raymond to get his revenge in grand form. Instead Paige throws a fit, jumps Raymond and he breaks her neck in a not so believable fashion. That part could and should have been much better. Overall a decent film though. The ending leaves things open for a sequel so we'll see if that ever comes about. The DVD also includes a making , a trailer and Raymond's song.

Witchaven-Terrorstorm

Metalhit
2011

This is actually a re-issue of an album that originally came out in early 2010. This version comes with new cover art. Formed in 2006 South California's Witchaven are old style thrash with some tinges of early black and death metal tossed in. The most obvious influences are Show no mercy-era Slayer and Kreator around 86-86. Almost every song starts with some tightly wound swirling riffs with the drums pumping hard to keep up. Instead of Tom Araya type growls we get an approach that's closer to several German thrash bands back in the early days of the style. The whole album reaches back to about 84-85 and doesn't try to go beyond that time period. The energy level is high and that helps to a certain extent. The problem here is that most of the songs were around two or three minutes yet I still felt myself growing bored all too quickly. I have been listening to old style thrash well since it was new and not old. So for a band playing this style to really impress me and draw me in they are going to have reach out a little and do more than just re-hash their influences. This is a little better than a lot of bands playing retro-thrash these days. I could imagine them possible being pretty entertaining live due to the energy. Yet on "Terrorstorm" they are above average, but a bit too routine to really make an impression. You have heard this before many times over before.

Zebulon Pike-Space is the corpse of time

Aquarius

2011

Thanksgiving was almost two months ago, but that doesn't mean that I still can't thankful for the return of Zebulon Pike. So we get the first album from since 2008's Intransience and their forth total. If you are unfamiliar with this band they are prog/stoner/doom instrumental masters. They have an electric yet elaborate sound because it encompasses so many styles, but unlike some other bands of similar genres they don't to caught up in themselves. They realize it's about the music not about the individual players. Each of the five songs here has it's own personality. Each track clocks in around the ten minute mark. Given the length and this band's ability for diving into different styles you are treated to so many various sounds and tones on every track. At times they meander around a bit longer than most people might like, but hold on because eventually they are going somewhere with each musical passage. I found this album to be slightly darker in tone than some of their previous work, but that was with me because they weave that mood into the proceedings on spectacular fashion. Probably an album that requires some real patience from the listener, but well worth the effort.

(drama)-Zastor Tisine

Altsphere
2011

Hailing from Croatia (drama) formed in 2004. They recorded a demo in 2006 and then began focusing their writing skills even more. This album was actually recorded in 2010, but was just recently released. This is not in English, but that really doesn't matter because the music certainly does enough to relay the emotions they are trying to get across. The idea behind this album was influenced by five albums of nature situated in a wintry landscape. The album ranges from simple stripped down riffs to much more complex patterns. The start with a basic doom foundation and on layers of textures and different sounds to build the songs up. They excel at using melodies, heavy riffs and thick plodding passages too. (drama) are powerful song writers who realize the importance of subtlety. They have the playing skills to really control their songs and they do so in expert fashion. Their greatest strength to my ears is their ability to transition from one style to another without losing any power in their music. Some bands get caught up in pushing different styles in your face, but this band has a definite plan for each song and they stick to it all the while pulling you along and exposing your senses to all they have to offer. This is definitely an album that requires several spins to really get the most out of it, but it's certainly worth the effort.

Necrotic-S/T

God of Thunder
2011

This is the debut from Florida-based act Necrotic. So this is old style thrash with some classic metal mixed in and the vocals sometimes have a more modern take. Okay, so that sounds like an ambitious undertaking. Indeed they attempt to include more ideas than the usual outpouring of retro-thrash acts going today. I'll start with the positives. First off the energy level, there is no denying the enjoy what they are doing here. There are times where their enthusiasm makes up for some some other shortcomings. Also I would say they are not afraid to try different things, although thrash is the dominant style they pull in classic metal, some more modern crunch passages and they even try a few slightly melodic bits too. Plus they don't just separate the styles, they try to blend several together in each song. Okay, now the down side. While they have the talent to play different style they don't always possess the the creative ability to put the different pieces together and make it work. There are many moments where the different bits clunk rather click. However don't see this as a failure. No, there is definitely enough potential here to make this worth a listen. The know how to create so many parts and most sound good, they just need practice getting it altogether in a more seamless manner. Sometimes that works on this albums and several times it does not. I think they are onto something, but they need some practice and a bit more focus. Indeed I hope they keep at it because this album had enough to make me think they really be something special if they keep at it.