Druknroll-Unbalanced

Metal Scrap Records
2018

Formed in 2006 by Andrey "Druknroll" (guitars, bass, keys, and drum programming), Druknroll is a Russian metal band that I have had the pleasure of covering in the past (link). The recently-released "Unbalanced" is the fifth full-length album from this dark & dangerous group that is currently fronted by Alexander "Horror" Tolgaev (Svartstorm). Having started out in life as a solo project, Druknroll's one of a kind sound combines elements of hard & heavy rock, progressive metal, melodic thrash metal, death metal, and modern metal. Now in it's twelfth year of existence (and every-bit as different as their name implies!), this edgy-outfit has a lot to offer to modern metal fans and heavy death thrashers.

Infiltration-Nuclear Strike Warning

Wornholedeath
2018

Infiltration is a (brutal) death metal band that hails from Saint Petersburg and is made up of musicians with ties to such groups as Chamber of Torture, Free at Last, and Hellbomb. Formed in the spring of 2017, this harsh & head crushing Russian band is influenced by classic death metal acts like Bolt Thrower, Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, and Six Feet Under. This 5-track EP serves as Infiltration's debut and it was originally released back in October of 2017. Now making the rounds once again thanks to Wormholdeath, "Nuclear Strike Warning" is a must-have for fans of 80's and 90's death metal. Short and compact, old school-leaning death like this never really goes out of style. A full-length LP from this Russian group would be a think of beauty. Here's to hoping that it happens!

Starsoup-Castles of Sand

Metalism Records
2017

Starsoup is a progressive heavy rock/metal studio project from Moscow, Russian. Formed in 2011 by vocalist/guitarist (and sole full-time member) Alexey Markov (Distant Sun, ex-Citadel, ex-Shadow Host), Starsoup made it's debut with the 2011 single, "Angel". The full-length "Bazaar of Wonders" followed in 2013 with two additional singles, "The Wait" (2015) and "Your World Is Dead" (2017), serving as the bridge between album number one and this full-length feature. Released in late November of 2017, "Castles of Sand" is the long-anticipated sophomore LP from this extremely- versatile act. Like it's predecessor, "Castles of Sand" finds Alexey Markov backed-up by not only guest musicians, but other vocalists. Obviously with so many different players at work, Starsoup is going to sound different from album to album. Not only that, but each song is going to have it's own flavor. To that end here is the album's track list. Please note that tracks number 10 and 12 only appear on the CD versions of "Castles of Sand". You can find information on how to order a CD copy of this incredible album by heading here. That link takes you to the group's bandcamp page.

"Castles of Sand" track list:


1.The Catcher in the Lie
2. Into the Woods
3. Brother's Plea
4. Your World Is Dead
5. Rumors of Better Love
6. Escapist
7. Winter in Shire
8. Castle
9. The World That Has Moved On
10. Light Up the Stars (CD bonus)
11. Moon on the Shore
12. Road to Sunset (CD bonus)



Starting off with the four-minute "The Catcher in the Lie", Starsoup's latest recording is a charmingly diverse release where you are likely to pick up on something new and exciting with each new spin! On "Castles of Sand" you'll find everything from traditional heavy metal to classical music. You have progressive AOR and folk-leanings, modern metal and thrash. There is melodic hard rock and there are power metal moments that will make your head spin. Pretty much anything that you can imagine shows up on Starsoup's new album. On paper that might sound messy and chaotic. In actuality this is a well-constructed album that is intelligent and enjoyable. It is geared towards progressive rock fans and anyone that likes their music to be thought-provoking. I'd also recommend it to anyone that likes to march to the beat of their own drummer. Kudos to Alex Markov and company for this excellent album. Hopefully this is just  the first of many great releases from this Russian project.








In addition to Alexey Markov (guitars,vocals, and effects), "Castles of Sand" features:

Mike Sorokin Drums (1, 4, 6)
Ivan Izotov Bass (1, 3, 4, 7), Keyboards (3, 4, 7), Orchestration (1)
Dmitriy Ignatyev Guitars (lead) (1, 4)
Kirill Babiev Vocals (1)
Sergey Serebrennikov Drums (2, 3, 7)
Oleg Mishin Flute (3, 4)
Vladimir Shevyakov Guitars (6), Guitars (lead) (8, 10)
Evgeniy Nesterov Bass (6)
Rustam Akhmatgaraev Keyboards (1, 6), Piano (9, 11, 12)
Artem Molodtsov Bass (8, 10), Guitars (8)
Anton Yalovchuk Drums (8)
Vladimir Shulepin Keyboards (8, 10)
Daria Naumenko Vocals (9)
Alex Dyachenko Drums (10)

Burial Ground-Pain For Pleasure

Independent/Self-Release
2017

Burial Ground is a one-man metal from Russia. The main man in charge of everything goes by the name AlexFromBeyond (Dead Zone, From Beyond, Mass Hypnosis) and this three-track demo is simply the latest in a long list of demos that have been released since 2015. That was the year that this blackened speed metal/thrash project got off the ground. If I'm counting correctly "Pain For Pleasure" would be demo number ten! Toss in the single "Hellraisers" and a compilation entitled "Sounds of Evil" (both from 2016) and you have the complete discography for Russia's Burial Ground. That is a shit ton of work in the past two years!!  Obviously I can't vouch for all of those releases, but here's the wild part friends: "Pain For Pleasure" is fine as fuck!! I mean sure, it is a little strange how this Russian metal band sounds almost German. That's kind of odd, but it's must certainly not a deal-breaker! If anything it's just an observation. Otherwise, "Pain For Pleasure" is a blackened take on wicked speed metal/thrash from the guy pictured below. If that phrase sounds good to you (the whole blackened speed/thrash metal part) then stop what you are doing and mosh your way on over to this one-man band. For more information on Burial Ground there is also this Facebook page.

The Barber-General Thrashing

Zero Hero Recordings
2016

Moscow, Russia's The Barber released "General Thrashing" close to one year ago, but I'll be damned if that is going to stop me from bring it up now! If you are a fan of (underground) punk rock n' roll, eighties hardcore punk, and Motörhead then chances are you'll feel the same kind of instant attachment to the band's debut LP as I did. I'm not going to say that you won't like The Barber if all three of those genres are not heavily represented in your personal music collection. Mixed in with vintage punk and (street-worthy) hardcore, "General Thrashing" has more than enough (metallic) rock and roll to get you up out of your seat and into the pit. Just so there is no question about it these guys known how to write (Grade A) material that is every-bit as catchy as it is cruel. You can thank the group's legitimate ability to absorb the greatness that is (and forever will be!) garage rock and roll for that revelation. Preceded by the 2014 EP "Original since 80th", The Barber's first full-length album could easily cross on through to the other side. I'm just wondering if the general population will be able to see The Barber for what it really is. Will they understand the spirit of this band and what makes them tick? Can they look beyond the cool music and the good times? Hell if I know. Maybe it doesn't even matter. I mean as long as people spread spread the word about these guys then it is all golden. But that's the kicker. It isn't enough to just experience the music of The Barber. You need to share it with other people. Deep down inside I get the feeling that this Russian band is the real deal. Let's not go changing that. Sell this band to your friends for what they are. We desperately need to rally around this lot and others like them so that they don't feel pressured to change for the sake of more gigs or a record contract.  As can be heard here, The Barber's latest release is a wicked cover of The Exploited's "Beat The Bastards". That's a good sign that these Russian musicians are still tied to their roots and that they are marching forward to the beat of their drummer alone.  With all of the obstacles that have surely sprung up,  The Barber gets mad props from me for sticking to their guns!

Druknroll-In The Game

Metal Scrap Records
2016

"In The Game" is the fourth full-length album from Russia's one and only Druknroll. It follows the 2015 EP, "Петля мироздания" ("The Loop Of World Creation") and this 44 minute release features 10 distinct tracks from group-founder Andrey "Druknroll" (guitar, bass, and keys) and company. Starting off strong thanks to forceful opener "The Wolf" (official video ), "In The Game" snakes it's way through a hazard-filled landscape where everything from heavy metal-flavored harsh thrash to melodic death metal just lays there waiting for the perfect chance to spring out and strike you dead! Having previously covered this Saratov-based band back in late April of 2014 (link) I feel somewhat comfortable in saying that style-wise not much has changed for this colorful lot. Of course by that I mean there really is no one true style for this modern metal that has been in existence since 2006. Like it's unique moniker, Druknroll does things however it sees fit and that isn't necessarily a track by track affair, but during the course of a single song! To be fair it doesn't always work as things can and sometimes do become chaotic. That's the danger of trying to put too many ideas into a single song. It's a small danger, but a danger nonetheless. But, what's life without a little danger now and then? It's boring. Thankfully that's not a problem with "In The Game". Above all else it's never boring! Chaotic? Perhaps. But boring? No way! At it's core an album like "In The Game" is geared towards those who like their modern metal to be interesting and maybe even a little bit genre-jumbled. In that essence it works and it makes me wonder what more this band is capable of now that they are more familiar with the English language?

Mechanical Man-Mechanical Man

Self-Release/Independent
2016

Active since 2012, Russia's Mechanical Man is a five-piece band whose energetic & highly addicting rock-infused sound combines elements of progressive metal, traditional metal, melodic metal, and modern hard rock. The band, which interestingly-enough has been dubbed Russia's answer to Metallica(!), is comprised of Alex Zefiridis (vocals), Serj Danilov (guitars), Alexander Lee (bass), Vitaly Ostrov (drums) and Eugeny Komarov (keyboards) and this captivating self-titled album (which is frankly-speaking damn delightful!) serves as Mechanical Man's not-to-be-missed debut offering. With 8 tracks in all, "Mechanical Man" was produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, Lordi, Apocalyptica, Moonspell and Amorphis) and his handling of this band's fearsome music is absolutely spot-on perfect! Available for download right here, "Mechanical Man"is a strong contender for best debut album of the year! My friends it simply doesn't get any better than this!

Grenouer-Unwanted Today

Mausoleum Records
2015

Due to drop on March 20th, "Unwanted Today" is the eighth full-length album from long-standing band Grenouer. That's not even taking into account the various demos, EPs, odd single and splits that this four-piece outfit has released since first forming way back in 1992. How that makes this band a "New breath of modern rock-metal from Saint Petersburg, Russia" then is beyond me! As odd as a opening/rant as that might be those are the exact words that open up Grenouer's promo for album number eight so it does seem a bit strange to toss out a word like "new" in regards to a band that first formed when I was still in high school! Maybe just maybe this Saint Petersburg band, with their Dualized (Mnemic, Voodoo Highway, Travis Cold) -produced new 13-track album here, is talking about their latest style as the Metal Archives has them taking the leap from thrash/death metal early on to industrial metal before finally landing squarely on rock/metal map that stands before us? If so that would make a bit more sense as (frankly-speaking here friends) that seems to be a trend for quite a few of Russia's more long-standing acts. The pogoing from one genre to another that is! Which brings us all the way back around to the latest "styling and profiling" sound that is Grenouer. Let's have more of the promo material if we can as the following statement is actually more telling about this band's latest LP. "The vocals reminiscent of Devin Tonwsend type prog-metal, while the guitars produce radical riffs not unlike Meshuggah" we read from Lukas Hendrik over at Rock Hard Magazine and (true to form) that's as good of a start as any for "Unwanted Today". Lead singer Andrey Ind (ex-C.O.D., ex-Tartharia) does have some Devin Tonwsend going for him, but quite honestly I prefer Grenouer's front-man over his "name that vocalist influence" counterpart! The truth is Andrey has a nice range going on and he breaths life into what can often-times be a difficult form of metal to fully embrace. Modern metal like this has it's own kind of built-in audience (of which I'm admittedly not a regular attendant) and there are plenty of sales figures to back that fact up. But, while I love the emotional vibe of rock/metal like this it always feel a tad artificial to me. That's not necessarily the case with these rockers. Together with Alexander Motor (guitars), Al Bolo (bass) and Danny D (drums) our main man Andrey cuts a nice path across Russia's cold landscape with material that is warmly-inviting. When Grenouer is in deep those ill feelings I have for modern metal lighten up even if I would be hard pressed to point towards any particular stand-out numbers. Even with all the special guests that invited special guests that Grenouer invited to the party it still strikes me that much of "Unwanted Today" blurs together. For the curious those guests would be Eddy Cavazza (John Wetton, Anthony Phillips) on guitar along with vocalists such as Demian Von Dunkelwald (Overunit Machine) and Enrico "Erk" Scutti (Figure Of Six). There is even an opera singer in Dmitriy Yankovskiy (Helicon Opera, NeoClassic Project) which one would think might add a little zing to the mix. Sadly it's still just Grenouer doing their thing. So, what does all of that exactly mean in the end? Well, as an outsider looking in the album "Unwanted Today" made for a pleasant enough listening experience even if it was one which I'm not likely to indulge in ever again. For everyone else it would simply depend on how much you were into the whole rock/modern metal sound. For those who are crazy about the scene a release like "Unwanted Today" might be worth a listen. But even then it's not likely that this will be the album to push over Grenouer over the hump. Just like every other form of metal the one that Grenouer is stepping into is way over-crowded! It's takes a lot for your voice to be heard with thousands of other bands vying for attention especially when you are late to the main event to begin with! That's not to say that Grenouer cannot pick up a few more fans along the way. They likely will especially with a label like Mausoleum Records behind them. But as far as being the next big thing in modern metal? I'd take a pass on that bet friends.....

Bjarm-Imminence

Fono Ltd.
2014

Strangely it has been more than a bit of a struggle getting this review transferred from my thoughts and onto the written page. That's by no means a fault of this Russian band or their music. No, it actually has more to do with trying to get all of the proper notes about this band typed out in a somewhat reasonably fashion. As we're talking about a band that are named after a territory mentioned in Norse sagas up to the Viking Age and one that has the tempting selling point of "The perfect combination between Beauty and Violence" it is a tad hard building up the right kind of introduction for this band that was formed in 2009 and is based in the city of Severodvinsk, in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast. Regardless, Bjarm first hit the scene in 2010 thanks to the a ten-track demo entitled "Defect". Lead by vocalist/lyricist Andrey (Garmskrik, ex-Fenrir, Splendor Solis, Vedun) and rounded out by Mikhail Shatnyi (Bass), Alexey (Guitars), Egor (Guitars) Vitaliy (Drums) and Anastasia (Keyboards and Vocals) the basic "structure" of this band is something like this-male (harsh) vocals and female (smooth) vocals are effectively employed over-top of strong (METALLIC) twin-guitar parts, symphonic (occasional black mostly death) metal orchestration and (in general) extreme metal in order to provide as physically an intimidating presence as humanly possible. Oh, and let's not forget that ambient nature of Bjarm's debut album either! Besides being well-constructed in it's execution and well-rounded musically "Imminence" is (no pun intended!) an immense emotional journey! One listen and I was hooked! I wanted to hear more and to feel more of what this Russian act had to offer and for someone who usually doesn't care for such a term as symphonic metal  this album pulled me in directly and made me open my eyes to new discoveries. Bjarm is another one of those (newish) acts trying their hands at something a bit different and off the beaten track. The thing is they are doing that while still holding firm to some of the industry's already establish hallmarks and by the Norse gods it's working for them!  Need some links? Well, here you go!

 http://vk.com/bjarm
 https://itunes.apple.com/ru/album/imminence/id889323814
 https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Bjarm_Imminence?id=Bwddmmiuarhnt7p4nz3b6v4z5va
 http://www.facebook.com/bjarmofficial

Free Metal Monday: Gravity Rain-The Shining Silence

Self-Release/Independent
2014

With no reviews posted this past weekend I thought I'd make up for it by posting two great (free) downloads. The first one (a 27 track promo compilation) was just posted and while that release covered a wide-range of artists this "name you're own price" digital download simply covers Russia's own Gravity Rain. Of course that's not to say that there is anything simple about Gravity Rain and/or the music of "The Shinning Silence"! For one thing Gravity Rain isn't so much a band as a mission. And the man behind this mission? Well, that would be Russian songwriter Danny Klaven (vocals/guitars). In his own word's this talented vocalist/songwriter says: "When I was forming this band, I wanted to create music for the rock lovers that is not aggressive, that you could think and somewhat meditate while listening to it, that will have a lot of melody, beautiful vocals, but will retain the power of metal guitars and drums." Sound's good right? Here in Gravity Rain (a project that interesting enough was initially described to me as somewhat of a fusion of Tool and the Devin Townsend Band) Danny enlisted musicians Artyom Kuznetsov (guitars), Dmitry Aleksandrin (bass) and Nikita Kochkin (drums) and the results are pretty solid as far as this three-track EP goes. Mission-wise Danny succeeds as Gravity Rain does have plenty of melody as well as powerful metal guitars and drums.  Gravity Rain could best be described as a cross between  melodic metal and (progressive) power metal and on their bandcamp page (http://gravityrain.bandcamp.com/releases) further mention is made of Staind and In Flames (as far as sound goes). The Staind reference point is actually a good addition to the Tool and Devin Townsend ones as Gravity Rain relies on modern day heavy rock with punch! All told "The Shining Silence" is well-written and performed and for those who enjoy heavy, guitar-punctuated melodic rock/metal a EP like this one should find plenty of fans!

DRUKNROLL-Точка Кипения (Boiling Point)

Metal Scrap Records
2014

"Точка Кипения" is the official title of this Russian act's latest (their third overall full-length output since forming in 2006) with the translation being "Boiling Point". Between that piece of information and the fact that this is all in Russian then you should have a general idea about what this four-piece is offering (at least lyric-wise). It also serves as a bit of a head's up/warning that if you can't get past the language barrier that some releases come packed with then you should turn back now. For everyone else who has stuck around then let me just say that with this one (due for release here in the states in July from the looks of it) you get pretty much everything on the menu ad then some! And that's just in the first five tracks mind you! We start off with something akin to modern metal on "Злоба" ("Rage") before our attention is quickly turned towards the melodic rock/hard rock of  "Моя звезда"("My Star"). That in and of itself was odd (especially as that second track there features acoustic passages and all!), but then track three cuts in and it's heavy rock/thrash n' roll meets death metal with more then a few quirky time-changes to make you question just what the hell is going on with this bunch! Keep in mind the fact that you're but a third of the way through  "Точка Кипения" ("Boiling Point") and there are still seven tracks to go! And pretty much that's how it goes with this one. In-between this odd mash-up of progressive power metal and heavy thrash, with vocalist Alexandr "Horror" (Svartstorm, ex-Князь Тьмы) splitting his time between a hard rock style of delivery and a death metal growl(!), "Во власти глубины" ("In the Power of Depth") throws weird sound effects at you (apparently from the hands of lead guitarist Alexey "Alex Knip" Khuzhaev)  while challenging your ideas of what can and does pass for "modern metal" here in 2014! All of which brings up a good point about DRUKNROLL's latest. Is it by definition "modern metal"? Or is this band just extremely experimental in it's approach to music? Would you label this one adventurous or write it off as being far too schizophrenic for it's own good? The truth is I don't quite know. Some of ideas here are clearly clever and the combination of heavy metal/thrash metal and keyboards & sound-effects actually works. But there are other times when it's all a system overload and it's almost as if the band had one too many wild ideas for just one simple song and would have been better suited flushing these ideas out over several songs. If I was to grade it we'd be looking at a B- or maybe even a B. That's clearly not enough to recommend "Точка Кипения" ("Boiling Point") to everyone so this one would be better saved for those who are looking for something different and off the grid.


Russian titles:

1.	Злоба	05:00
2.	Моя звезда	04:35
3.	Самурай	04:36
4.	Во власти глубины	04:46
5.	Оборона Севастополя	06:01
6.	Белая смерть	05:29
7.	Десятая ночь	04:33
8.	Игра с огнём	05:06
9.	Бог морей	05:15
10.	Насыщение	04:44

Title translations:
"Boiling Point"
1. Rage
2. My Star
3. Samurai
4. In the Power of Depth
5. Defense of Sevastopol
6. White Death
7. Tenth Night
8. Playing with Fire
9. Sea God
10. Saturation 

 Special thanks to the Metal Archives for providing the track listing and subsequent translation.  

Ram-Page-The Depths Of Rage

Metal Scrap Records
2013

Fancy some death-tinged thrash metal? How about one with vocals (which in this case are provided by Privalov Vlad) that conjurers up images of fist bangin' demons? Sound like a winner in your book? If so then look no further then Ram-Page! This Russian band, whose name (at least for me) makes me reminisce about the good old days when I spent quarter after quarter at the arcade on a game in which you could destroy cities thanks to your mad monster skills, was formed back in 2010 with "The Depths Of Rage", which was just released this past October, serving as their 3rd full-length studio album overall. The band's latest album features 12 brutal tracks with influences mostly falling on all things "older". Picture the likes of Slayer, Hydra Vein, Exodus, Warrant (Germany's of course!), Kreator, Dark Angel, E-X-E, Sepultura, Overkill, Sodom and Death all getting together in one room with nothing being served but great (chilled) vodka. Maybe toss in a little bit of blacked thrash to keep everyone on their toes and that's (more or less) what you're in for when it comes to "The Depths Of Rage". With a current line-up that also features Privalov Sergey (guitar), Dolgov Dmitriy (bass) and Kasatkin Kiril (drums) Ram-Page are a great choice for those that love raw, nasty and sinister death thrash with all of the fixings!

Fausttophel-Thirst Of Oblivion

Another Side Records
2013

Russian metal that is naturally sung in Russian. That could prove to be a challenge. I'm always saying that heavy metal (or in this case blackened melodic death metal) is a universal language though so no excuses on my end. posses Alright, so here's what I do know about this band (info-wise). There's two members in Alexander Savinykh (vocals, guitars, bass and drums) and Valentin Samokhin (keys and vocals) with Alexander likely the band's founder. Formed in 1999 in Poltava, Ukraine the band's first run would only last until 2001. Later on in 2009 the band would be resurrected in the Obninsk, Kaluga region in Russia (Metal Archives I thank you for the info). And finally "Thirst Of Oblivion", which is technically called "Жажда забвения", is the group's debut album. Well, that's if you can call a 6-track release a "album". Oh, and there's also a cover on this "album" of the Коллапс track "Думи" (translation: "Thoughts" by the band Kollaps). The rest of the album's tracks are listed below in English if anyone is interested. Alright, so after all of that what are we to make of Fausttophel and this 6-track release? Musically they've been compared to the likes of Old Man's Child, which I do pick up on, and are suggested for fans of Edge Of Sanity (most definitely), Gates of Ishtar and Unanimated (Metal Scrape Records I thank you for any & all addition information I plundered from your site and this album's description). I personally don't know much about those other two bands (sound-wise) and can't say for certain if that's the case or not, but there's certainly some Old Man's Child and Edge Of Sanity going on here and, even in Russian, this short release (it falls under 40 minutes) is pretty sick. Gritty is another word I would use to describe this band's delivery and (in typical fashion of this kind of black metal enhanced melodic death metal) there is a overwhelming feeling of dread on "Thirst Of Oblivion". This 6-track album is really dark and it carries itself in a fashion where even at it's HEAVIEST there is a twisted sense of melancholy! Something different for sure, but different's good with this kind of metal.

Tracklist Translation:
"Thirst of Oblivion"

1. Feather - Hanjar
2. Looking for Lights
3. Spell
4. Part of You
5.  ( cover)
6. Thirst of Oblivion

Aruna Azura-A Story Of A World's Betrayal

Metal Scrap Records
2013

Somehow the full-length debut from this Russian band had slipped my mind. I had actually downloaded this album for review purposes sometime back and I only just now (or rather this morning) happened upon it by chance. It seems a shame that I had somehow overlooked this one as Aruna Azura's "A Story Of A World's Betrayal" isn't all that bad. Despite the fact that their name makes me think of  Hakuna Matata (yes, I know I'm weird to think of such a silly rhyme!) this youngish Russian band has some skills going for them. Technical death metal is the game these guys plays with the only difference being this group and a dozen similar such outfits is that there's some progressive metal intertwined throughout their debut album. Oh, there's also the clean and harsh vocals. Death growls mix up with clean singing and while it doesn't exactly deliver the desired effect for Aruna Azura it's the sign of a band that's trying to stand out from the crowd. There is room to grow for this bunch, but as far as debut-albums go this one is solid if unspectacular. Find out more here:
http://metalscraprecords.bandcamp.com/album/aruna-azura-a-story-of-a-world-s-betrayal

Seagall-Hidden Ego

recordJet
2013

Around 10 years ago Seagall first saw the light of day and took flight. This Moscow-based 4-piece was originally brought to life to be a solo undertaking for highly touted guitarist Elena Seaglova, but that all changed with the addition of a group of similarly talented musicians. Elena, who (per the promo bio) is the winner of multiple guitar festivals and is an international endorser of Siggi Braun guitars and ENGL amplifiers, has manged to make Seagall into a rather jazzy (or should that be snazzy?) instrumental group. Good instrumental rock is not the easiest thing in the world to pull off as the lack of vocals can and, frankly speaking here, often do, expose flaws in the actually music. Little things that might otherwise be missed are magnified under the bright spotlight and exposed for all to see by attentive listeners. Of course that's just the first potential pitfall to be had for these sorts of groups. Just take a sneak peak at the other side of the coin where we might very well find music, when stripped down into vocal-free recordings, that fails to hold the listeners attention for long. When "Hidden Ego" is held up to the light of the day by a discerning public it just might be that some of this blurs together even when we're talking about highly creative compositions.  at first listen it might appear that Seagall isn't that concerned about listener interaction, but a repeated listen or two might be in order with "Hidden Ego". Two times through for me and I was happy enough with the direction this group, which is filled out by guitarist Alexander Sinitsyn, bassist Dmitry Shtatnov and drummer Ilya Lipatov were heading. If you find yourself in the market for a cut and dry "who do they sound like" I'm afraid this review will be of little help. Peppered with the familiar sounds of their home country, which works on several different layers, our friends in Seagall cover straight-up rock, hard rock and yes, even heavy metal. Most of the material present on "Hidden Ego" has a distinct classic rock vibe and when this group starts to pick up steam their helped out greatly by going for tried and true heavy metal riffs. As this might just be Seagall's first recording to see an "official" release outside of Russia it has just the right amount of highlights to make people stop and take notice. Find out more about this instrumental 4-piece at their Facebook page below.



https://www.facebook.com/SeagallBand 

KB36 - Fish Eat Fish

Pure Steel Publishing
2013

Russian rock band KB36 started off as a studio-project back in  the beginning part of 2009. A year later the project started taking on the shape of a real band and, after a few years of fine-tuning their sound, we now find ourselves with KB36's debut album. "Fish Eat Fish" finds lead singer/song-writer Tengiz and company (Oleg-guitars, Sergey-bass, Dima-keyboards and Lyosha-drums) playing musical chairs with various genres all of which, more or less though being experimental, fall within the framework of rock/hard rock. This Moscow-based act are not the weirdest bunch I've ever heard though so please don't go about this one expecting to hear experimental Mr. Bungle type rock. About the closest this batch would be to Mr. Bungle would be that band's front-man's other act Faith No More. Then again, this bunch is really much more streamlined as the band goes about experimenting with classic rock musically and lyrically (just like our old favorite 60's and 70's classic rock acts used to do the lyrics here focus on "personal themes and social concerns") meaning you've got this hipster act that had me visualizing the likes of David Bowie and Robert Plant (both of whom had careers in which they weaved together different sounds and textures as well as different styles) as well as artists like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Lou Reed. Again, we're talking about artists that cut their teeth on different kinds of music while all retaining their distinct sound.  "Fish Eat Fish" sounds like this Russian band then which, even through all the variations, means these rockers have already tapped into their own sound. That's pretty freaking sweet when you step back and think about it! When was the last time a young act achieved something like that?

EDVIAN-2012

Total Metal Records
2012

One of the advantages of reviewing music for a hobby/living (or whatever you want to call this particular aspect of existence) is the (seemingly) non-stop influx of new music at ones fingertips. Hardly a day goes by anymore in which new albums show up in either my digital or physical mailbox. As a fan/collector myself it's cool to know that with every new day somewhere a new band is potentially either in the process of forming or releasing debut material. Such is the case with this particular album that was released at the tail end of 2012 by the Russian band EDVIAN.  Formed in 2009, and featuring two brothers – musicians: Andrew and Victor Plitkinyh in it's ranks, this particularly act focuses their attention/talent on the field on progressive music.Their full-length, 8-track debut-album, as noted, was issued at the tail end of 2012 and, theme-wise, deals with the oncoming end of the world as predicted by the Mayan calendar! Interesting to say the least. Thankfully that didn't happen (the end of the world and all) as we wouldn't all be sitting here today talking about cool progressive music like this! My guess is EDVIAN is probably pretty stoked that the world didn't end as well since they would probably like to see the fruits of their labor. With all of that said, and seeing as the world hasn't imploded (yet), onward we march to this debut-recording. As stated, this is progressive music at it's core.While we could just call it "progressive metal" I think that "progressive music" is a better tag. Sure, it does have all the hallmarks of progressive metal as evident by usual progressive metal influences (Dream Theater and Symphony-X are mentioned in the promo material and it's a fair enough statement) there's all sorts of other things present, add-ons if you, such as electronic music and progressive rock. Add all of that together, mixing gently as you go, and, after you toss in the emotion theme of a world wrapped in chaos (by way of metal that's much more extreme then the Dream Theater and Symphony-X comparisons would suggest), you end up with "2012". With only a 4-track demo to their name otherwise, this 8-track LP shows a level of maturity and experience that's normally not associated with such progressive-minded groups this early in the game.With interesting time-changes, and musicians focused more on creative metal then mass-appeal metal, these 8 tracks add up to a stellar listening experience and a suggested pick-up for the fans of all thing progressive rock, metal and beyond.

Death Rider-Straight To Hell

 

Self-Release/Independent

2013

Ahead of time I'm just going to apologize for how this review will probably turn out as this is my first attempt at using the Google Blogger app on my phone. It's more an experiment to see if it actually works of if I should just stick with the old tried and true "home computer" method. So far I'm leaning towards sticking with my computer, but we will see when it's all said and done. I've got no information on this release other then the fact that the band hails from the Russian Federation, they play old-school thrash/speed metal and this release is available web-wise everywhere. Who knows if there are even physical copies of this one? I won't go into greater detail as it's a fair enough album and this review is really more of an attempt to see if modern technology and I can be friends or if we will be stuck in a death struggle for all eternity! Just do a web search and a thousand + links will pop up for this metal maniac of an album.