Pÿlon-Homo Homini Lupus

Roxx Records
2014

Now in their 12th year together, with (current) vocalist/guitarist Matt Brand and (former) drummer Tinu Christen having first hand-crafted the band's firm foundation together back in 2002, Switzerland’s Pÿlon are now on album number six with the excellent "Homo Homini Lupus". Still (in spite of such an impressive back-catalog which also features two splits with Painwork and My Silent Wake) it was only last year's "The Harrowing Of Hell" (initially released in 2012 on vinyl and in 2013 on CD as a collaborative effort between Roxx Records and Quam Libet Records) that served as my introduction to Pÿlon and their classic take on doom metal. Ever since that divinely inspired moment I've found myself at the mercy of this band's well-honed style and crafty delivery! On "The Harrowing Of Hell" (which, if you are not at all familiar with, you can discover by way of my 2013 review posted below!) the band, now featuring a line-up of vocalist/guitarist Matt Brand, guitarist Oliver Schneider (Mink Security), bass guitarist Reto Hardmeier (Punish, ex-Aliengates) and drummer Beni Mayer, perfectly balanced original content with a creative re-imaging of the well-known Black Sabbath number, "Paranoid". On "Homo Homini Lupus" (an album that marks another turning point for this Swish collective!) the band once more blends original content with a unique cover track. This time around the band truly surprises the listener with their take on Slayer's "South of Heaven"! Featuring guest musician Tim Gaines (Stryper) on bass, "South of Heaven", or (if you will) this band's choice to cover such a classic thrash number,  finally answers a question that I have pondered since I first bought Slayer's fourth album back in 1989 or 1990*. That question was "What would it sound like to have a Christian metal act cover a song that features such strong apocalyptic imagery?". Well, now I know. It sounds AMAZING! But, here's the real deal about this album. The original material here is absolutely incredible! As briefly touched upon above, "Homo Homini Lupus" moves the band into new territories previously only hinted at on "The Harrowing Of Hell" with the original compositions "Crowned", "Al-Hahar" (featuring a verse in Modern Hebrew!) and the album's first single, "Saligia", which can be previewed here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-xWNxdKLiQ), taking doom in a direction quite similar to a certain Malta-based outfit. And incidentally that particular band donated the use of their lead singer for this upcoming full-length endeavor from Pÿlon! That's right, I'm talking about another one of my favorite doom bands in Nomad Son and on "Homo Homini Lupus" the vocal talents of Jordan Cutajar are put to good use with each and everyone of the original compositions here coming across as nothing short of brilliant! All six of Pÿlon new tracks are exquisite in their own right, blending doom rock and doom metal fundamentals with clever arrangements and intelligent, thought-provoking/soul searching lyrics, but with the addition of Nomad Son's hugely talented Jordan Cutajar such numbers (especially the later half of the new tracks like "Saligia", "Is se donnent du mal", "Crucifer" and "The Curse of Eden") take on a life of their own making "Homo Homini Lupus" an absolute must for doom connoisseurs! Prior to this posting I actually mentioned to the fine folks at Roxx Records how heavenly I found this release as that's how griping Pÿlon's latest is! Obviously the Nomad Son connection and the Slayer cover alone will draw in plenty of curious onlookers, but as a whole this really is masterful work! If only I could share more with you, but sadly you'll just have to wait until June to experience it for yourself. As a final note there is a special package available to the first 100 pre-orders of this exception album. For a limited time all pre-orders (well, at least the first 100!) will come with an exclusive lithograph hand signed by all of the members of Pÿlon! Not only is that a neat idea, but it will most assuredly become a sought-after collector's item down the road! Why wait then? Find out more at:  www.roxxproductions.com

Link to Pÿlon "The Harrowing Of Hell" review:
  
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2013/05/pylon-harrowing-of-hell.html

* My memory fades as I grow older and I no longer remember exactly what year it was that I first bought this album on cassette tape.

Sultan-Check & Mate (Deluxe Edition)

Tribunal Records/Divebomb Records
2014

I'm really got to hand it to the folks over at Tribunal Records. These guys sure know how to pick 'em when it comes to re-releasing classic and/or cult recordings. Case it point "Check & Mate" from Geneva's Sultan. Originally released in 1990 on Zar records (and containing classic heavy metal that fans of Fifth Angel, Leatherwolf and Riot should simply love!) this "one and done" LP was preceded by a 1986 vinyl single entitled "Rebel Fire" (included here as a bonus) and stands as a testament to the fact that far too many good bands simply never got their proper-due. Tracing their roots back to the mid-eighties (before disappearing around 1991) this Swish five-piece had one hell of a front-man in Dragi Majstorovic* whose voice was perfectly suited for the straight-ahead heavy metal gold that this lot provides on "Check & Mate". Stating the obvious here, but the sound** is superb as always (Tribunal Records and their division Divebomb Records really does wonders when it comes to re-mastering this long-lost gems!) while the songs (other then the slightly lame ballad "Mary") simply rock! Along with the original/long out of print album this re-release includes the aforementioned "Rebel Fire" single and what's interesting about the title cut there is (according to the Metal Archives) the fact that besides producing the number, Norbert "Nono" Krief (of Trust and Shakin' Street fame) plays the final guitar solo on the track! Pretty sweet right? But then again this whole re-release is simply sweet anyway! Taking their cues from not only traditional heavy metal (hence the references to the likes of Fifth Angel and Riot!), but also the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement (think along the lines of a more hard rock version of Saxon and/or a band like Salem) the band Sultan really should have done more, but it is what it is. Plagued by line-up changes early on and a every-changing music scene Sultan just couldn't keep it together. Thankfully labels like Tribunal Records/Divebomb Records remain diligent about their mission to provide solid re-releases. While I only have the digital version of this cool little rocker I can tell you that the CD version will come with an 8-page booklet including pictures and a interview with drummer/founding member Fabian Ranzoni! That would be the route that I would go when it comes to "Check & Mate" and, hopefully when I'm first able to do it(!), that is what I intend to do-add this bad boy to my personal CD collection! For fans of Fifth Angel, Leatherwolf and Riot (as well as other similar-sounding traditional heavy metal outfits) a release like "Check & Mate (Deluxe Edition)" should be welcomed with open arms and I'd feel like I was keeping this gem all to myself if I didn't recommend it!

*The 7" single "Rebel Fire" features vocals from one "Wils". 

** Per the promo material: "New mastering by Jamie King + Layout/Restoration by Adam Peterson (WATCHTOWER, EPIDEMIC and SOLSTICE)"

Distant Past-Utopian Void

Pure Steel Records

2014 

"Utopia Void", which is due out in the later part of next month, is the latest release from Swiss heavy metal band Distant Past. Formed back in 2002 by Emerald's Adriano Troiano (bass and keyboards), originally under the name Evil Eyes and with two of Adriano's high-school friends in tow (guitarist Alain Curty and drummer Kaspar Zwirner), the band's first album was issued in 2003. Since then (the group's release of their debut album, "Science Reality") the band has seen it's fair share of line-up shake-ups with only Troiano and Curty remaining from the early days. With "Utopia Void", which has some oddly sinister album art adorning it, this Swiss band now features the services of former Emerald lead singer/guitarist Jo Julmy (lead vocals) as well as guitarist Christof Schafer (ex-Orpheus) and drummer Jan "The Onion" Zwiebel. While the group is primarily looked at as a progressive/melodic heavy metal band this album finds a group more then willing to stretch past any such preconceived notions.Opening number "A Day of Darkness" carries a serious torch for all things 80's metal (as do the numbers "Kingdom of Shadows", "Helpless" and "The Illusion") while the band tackles Black Sabbath on the (Ronnie James Dio-tribute number) track "Touched by the Gods" and even Megadeth-like thrash with "On The Edge". At almost sixty minutes in length this one is a sure-fire winner and a good sign that 2014 will indeed be a good year for heavy metal! 

Interview with Broken Fate's Tobias John Bänteli

Late last month I reviewed Broken Fate's latest EP, 2012's "Rising to the Dream". Now I'd like to present to all of you a brief interview that I had the pleasure of conducting with the group's founder, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Tobias John Bänteli. You can read my review of this Swiss act's EP below (as per usual) and be sure to head over to Broken Fate's Facebook page after you're finished ready this interview and "like them" so that you can keep up with the band and follow the progress of their upcoming release. Enjoy!

 

Andy-First off I'd like to thank you for taking the time to chat with us. With a new album in the works I'd imagine that things are pretty busy in your camp these days. How is that coming along?

Tobias John Bänteli (Tobi)-We will be recording the new album in April 2014 in the Musicfactory Studio in Kempten (Germany) with Rd Liapakis (Mystic Prophecy).

Andy-Your 2012 EP, "Rising to the Dream", covered a lot of ground style-wise. Can we expect more of the same from your upcoming album? Will there be as much diversity on it as the EP? While I totally dug the track "Fate" it does seem to come from out of left-field  a bit!

Tobi-Yes, we will continue with our style, but will also follow up with a ballade similar to “Fate”.

Andy-You guys have on other LP in your back-catalog besides the EP. What would you say has changed from your debut album to this point? What areas have you grown in and are their areas that you'd like to improve on?
 

Tobi-We have found our style and sound. For us it is modern Thrash Metal. We are getting better daily as is the quality of our song-writing. I will just have to learn to write songs with a shorter duration.

Tobi taking charge live on stage!

 

Andy-To my ears Broken Fate, sound-wise, almost comes off as a cross between thrash metal and heavy rock and your past cover song choices (from Metallica to Nickleback) certainly seems to attest to that. Are all four of you guys so open-minded, music-wise, or was that just the main vision of the band and everyone just got on board with it?

Tobi-We will be always be influenced by various bands such as Metallica and Nickelback and at the same time cultivate our own style and bring everything together under the Broken Fate sound.

Andy-Are there any working titles for the new disc that you can share with us?

Tobi-Some titles have already been locked such as “Your Night”, “Freedom”, “Take you away”, “No chance for you”, “Liberate” and “Bridge between”. Additional songs are still in the writing process.

Andy-Besides the new album what does 2014 have in store for Broken Fate?

Tobi-We anticipate that the new album will be released in June 2014. We presently don’t know through which label because we are still on the look-out for label or distributor.


Andy-I'll leave you guys with the last word. Is there anything we didn't cover that you'd like to share?

Tobi-In 2014 our first performances in Slovakia, the Czech Republic , Germany, Italy and France will take place. Towards the end of 2014 we hope to write an EP with the songs that didn’t make it to the album. One of our present main goals is to close a deal with a record company.
Look at Facebook and the web to us. we need your support
 
Broken Fat's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/brokenfate6

Review of "Rising to the Dream":
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=Broken+Fate-Rising+to+the+Dream