Jokerbats-"Vampire" Single

EvilZ Records / Exor's Magicvision Entertainments 2014 Hailing from a mythical land called EvilZgate, which may or may not actually be in London somewhere,  Jokerbats are a two-piece band comprised of vocalist/guitarist Byron and vocalist/bassist Trix. Along with help from Blond Wolf (lead guitar), Jester (drums/percussion) and Exor (Theatrical voices and keyboards), all of whom help out in studio and/or live situationist, the pair have created a band that is as capable visually as they are musically! Self-described as such: "We're a rock and hard rock band with a penchant for gothic horror and more. With a pinch of parody and a smack of glam, we are, when all is said and done, overall, quite a theatrical thing" the band, who list their influences as being Rob Zombie, Lordi Alice Cooper, Wednesday 13, Bauhaus, Motörhead, The Cure, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Ozbourne, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Murderdolls, Queenadreena, The Stranglers, The Cramps and Metallica has also been described by some sources as a hard rock/heavy metal version of The White Stripes! Truthfully Jokerbats, who will be officially releasing this single on the 24th of February, are all of the above while unlike anything you could imagine! A long-talked about and long-delayed EP was in the works although it now appears as if that will be expanded into a full-fledged album. One can only hope for as much seeing as "Vampire", which can be previewed below thanks to it's official video, is captivating even with it's (somewhat) camp overcoat! Be sure to check this pair out for yourself (and trust me you'll want to friends if for no other reason then the lovely Trix!) and "Like" their Facebook page below so you can be kept up to date on the comings and goings of this EvilZgate-based band! Video for "Vampire" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s5DnwlzNbQ Official Site: http://evilzgate.com/ Facebook Page for Jokerbats: https://www.facebook.com/JokerbatsBand

Scout Paré-Phillips Fields of Ash 7"

Pesanta Urfolk
2013


This was actually released back in August, but for whatever reason I kept passing it over. That proved to be nothing short of a mistake as this 7' EP from singer-songwriter Scout Paré-Phillips (The Sterling Sisters) is a compelling take on folk music! Well, it's sort of folk music and then again it's also like dark Americana I suppose. Or is it graceful goth? Counter-culture music? Maybe it's early gospel country? Whatever you choose to call these two numbers it's a wonderful, graceful (yes, I know I already mentioned graceful once already but this really is!) and frankly charming solo release from one extremely talented individual! Backing up Scout Paré-Phillips (vocals, autoharp, guitar) are Emil Bognar-Nasdor (drums, percussion) and Jonathan Elliott (electronics) and if this 2-track release (available as both a limited-edition, white 7" and a digital download) is any indication of  the talent of Scout Paré-Phillips then by all means fiends, release a full-length album of hers already! With a simply stunning and devilishly charming voice she breaths life into both "Fields of Ash" and "In The End" and while the music can be viewed as earthy and enchanting it's also haunting and gives off a slight feeling of dread. As an alternative to the usually heavy, thrash and death metal that's been clogging up my veins it's a beautiful thing but it also stands just fine on it's own. With "Fields of Ash" singer-songwriter Scout Paré-Phillips proves that there is always some new and exciting to be unearthed if you just allow yourself to take a chance on the unknown!

http://scoutparephillips.bandcamp.com/ 

The Sterling Sisters-Hale

Pesanta Urfolk
2013

I remember that the first time I heard alt-country, and then subsequently cowpunk, I walked away realizing that there was so much more music that I had yet to experience. That same feeling hit me when I listened to "Hale" by Baltimore’s The Sterling Sisters. No, this isn't alt-country or cowpunk. This is something all together different. Although there is a part of this band with ties to alt-country. That would be George Cessna who is the son of alt-country pioneer Slim Cessna. Together with Scout Paré-Phillips you're looking at the chief songwriters behind The Sterling Sisters and, naturally, "Hale". Andrew Haas, Eric Paltell and Corey Hughes are also listed as musicians on "Hale", but who plays what is not established. Not that it matters as it's easy enough to picture this band's sound just by it's apt description. Anyone for Dark Americana then? Yes, Dark Americana. Now we're talking! After a "handful of bold EPs" this bravely original act is hoping for bigger and better things with their full-length debut album. Or at least they're hoping that they'll reach in and grab a few more hearts while they ramble on down the dusty back roads that are filled to the brim with folk, blues, rock and roll, country and so much more. Gothic undertones also come into play on "Hale" (gothabilly never sounded so sincere as it does here!), but at their core, which is filled with this graceful understanding as to what exactly it is that moves people to embrace your music, you'll hear an album rocks much more closer to roots music then anything "electrified". Thanks to their engaging take on one of America's more charming institutions (Americana is just one of those things where it's really hard not to find some kind of enjoyment out of it) an album like "Hale" feels so comfortable. Even if "Hale" comes across as being more focused on the darker side of nature then on it's lighter side (hence the "Dark Americana" tag) this album still feels relaxed and calming. This is one band that I'll be keeping a firm eye on just as this album is one I plan to return to often. 

PsychoBliss-"The Escape of the Dead" Video Single

Self-Release/Independent Release
2013

Given my distaste for PsychoBliss' "Dreams of Dystopia" EP I was surprised to find a rather tasteful reply to the review from PsychoBliss themselves. In fact they agreed that the release had received mixed reviews and that their new material, this "The Escape of the Dead" video single, was much more representative of what the band hoped to achieve sound-wise. While I expected the worst I nonetheless followed up with the band and checked out this new single for myself which, if you are at all the least bit curious, you can find below. As a side-note you can also read my original review of the group's EP below as well. Anyway, for those out there who did not read my previous review of said EP then here is a little run-down of the group.

Hailing from Chicago originally the band now calls Phoenix, Arizona their home. The group is made up of Dan Stollings (guitars, bass and drum programing) and Kyla Pavelski (vocals) with this new single also featuring Kevin Sheely on lead guitar. Musically the group's sound (at least on the "Dreams of Dystopia" EP)
was a combination of gothic, dark metal and bleak black metal. On paper that sounded fine, but the execution left a lot to be desired. That being the case and all, this new single (with a run-time of over 7 minutes!) makes me wonder what exactly happened between "Dreams of Dystopia" and now? It's a case of night and day or the good and the bad. "The Escape of the Dead", which is lyrically influenced by the 1917 Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, "A Princess of Mars", still caries the group's bleak message, but the improvement is almost supernatural in nature! In a nutshell what the band was trying for on their previous EP they achieved here and it certainly sounds as if the band took the constructive criticism they had received and set out to right some wrongs. PsychoBliss still adheres to a dark and dismal mentality although the musical landscape seems much fully and, even by black metal standards, richer. Let's give out warnings ahead of time though and say that this is not for your lily dilly kind of metalhead. No, this is slow and painful (in a pleasant way) death rock that points towards much bigger and better things from the group. Should they choose to walk this path moving forward then I could easily see PsychoBliss garnering label interest. Black metal is still in demand after all with female-fronted black metal still an untapped genre. While I listened in on this track through YouTube, the Metal Archives mentions that "The Escape of the Dead" was released on two compilations. These are IFLHM.com's "Best of the Underground Vol. 1" and Tridroid Records "Nekro Hymns Vol. 1" To find out more about the group (and this much-improved new sound of theirs!) be sure to check out their Facebook page below.


 https://www.facebook.com/PsychoBliss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj5UjHgA3gw

http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2013/05/psychobliss-dreams-of-dystopia.html

PsychoBliss-Dreams of Dystopia

Tridroid Records
2013

Here we've got another self-release album getting a cassette release courtesy of Tridroid Records. It's unfortunate though that, unlike previous albums I've reviewed from this solid metal label, this one is severely lacking in direction and execution. This Phoenix, Arizona act tries for a gothic, dark metal sound but ends up with a far-too tiring exercise in patience. There are a few bright spots though like vocalist Kyla Pavelsk. Her vocals are perfectly suited for this kind of dark and depressing metal as she comes across as a haunted spirit. Between that and the overall concept (gothic, doom-laded dark metal with black metal elements sounds quite promising on paper to these ears) you've got a band that COULD work down the road. Right now though it's as if they've got 25% of the puzzle in place, but the other pieces are all jumbled up!

https://www.facebook.com/PsychoBliss

Bloody Hammers-Bloody Hammers

Soulseller Records
2012


Bloody Hammer's self-titled debut album was released at the tail end of last November (2012), but it's been on my mind as of late and in this weeks play-list so I thought I'd throw it out there. Consider this to be part review/part recommendation. That's getting ahead of myself though as there is plenty of ground to cover before I talk about why you should pick this one up on the fly. This 4-piece calls Charlotte, North Carolina their home town, but you almost have to wonder if they wouldn't fit in more in a place like Salem, Massachusetts or Aston, Birmingham (the birthplace of Black Sabbath). Still a young band (they were formed in 2012) this 10-track self-titled album does show a band still trying to find it's proper footing. Even so there is a lot to be said (and a lot to appreciate) about their classic goth rock /hard rock/doom metal sound. Sure, the Black Sabbath vibe is crystal clear and all, but these three guys/one gal also seem to appreciate everyone from Alice Cooper to The Sword. The grooves are heavy even if the emotion isn't all there yet. Can you have doom metal that seems a bit too relaxed? It sort of seems that way with Bloody Hammers every now and then. It's just the right thing to say as these four do seem to lack a little passion on these 10-tracks. The thing is Bloody Hammers are really enjoyable all the same as this has a musty charm all it's own. "Witch of Endor" is somewhat doom metal and somewhat stoner rock. It exists in a world between. "The Witching Hour" conjures up images of ghouls and goblins from a childhood I thought I had long ago buried. "Black Magic" meanwhile conjured up images of Pentagram and a heavier Witchfinder General. "Souls on Fire" is more appealing then it has any right to be, but shows the addictive quality that a simple hook can have on a person. A little more dread would go a long way for Bloody Hammers though. "Beyond the Door" tries hard to offer up scares, but just like a hastily-assembled carnival haunted house it's more hype then horror. The same thing goes for "Fear No Evil". It's about as creepy as a dollar store Halloween mask. It's as if Bloody Hammers knows they can write really good, dreary goth/doom rock but haven't figured out yet how to put all the pieces together. Part of this album is Dario Argento while the other part is Goosebumps the TV series. Once they are able to construct an album that is more consistent then Bloody Hammers will be a beast of nightmares proportions. Meanwhile I'd still suggest picking up this 10-track LP as it's a groove heavy slab of Alice Cooper-like horror that's perfect for your next late-night, boys and ghouls gathering. It's a easy listen and would fit in perfectly as background noise for those who like long walks by the light of a werewolf's full moon.


















http://bloodyhammers.bandcamp.com/