Moth's Circle Flight-My Entropy

Logic(Il)logic
2016

Originally formed back in 2003*, Moth's Circle Flight is a heavy & melodic 6-piece metal band that hails from Parma, Italy and has two EPs and two full-length albums to it's name. Just released back on March 1st, "My Entropy" is the band's second full-length album and it combines elements of groove metal, metalcore, modern metal, nu metal and extreme metal. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Luca Cocconi and Simone Sigghinolfi at Audiocore Studios in Fontevivo, Parma and it features a line-up that is composed of four musicians and two lead singers! Rhythm guitarist Francesco "Baldo" Baldi, lead guitarist Luca "Pellach" Alzapiedi, bassist Marco "Satir" Reggiani, and drummer Fabio "Bersa" Bersani make up the musical side of Moth's Circle Flight while lead singers Gabriele "Gabbo" Rosi & Simone "Pancio" Panciroli provide both harsh and clean vocals. Musically, vocally and lyrically tight, Moth’s Circle Flight is damn near solid gold on "My Entropy" and from it's overall production to the actual delivery of the individual songs everything seems to be in order on this HEAVY release. If I was to grade this CD it would get a A- or if you will a 8 out of 10. The only reason it doesn't get a perfect score is because a few songs sound rather similar. It's such a small issue and you can blame that on the metalcore aspect of this Italian band if you want. Even so it is what it is and if this ambitious band is to continuing growing it should be addressed. Has it kept me from listening to this CD a few times through in the past week? Hell no! It's not even close to being a big deal and it hasn't kept me from PUMPING this one up as loud as it fucking goes! Chances are you'll want to do the same thing. Especially if you are a fan of any of the following band's that helped shaped the sound and style of this ambitious metal band. A few of those groups would be Pantera, Parkway Drive, Caliban, Sevendust, Killswitch Engage, Drowning Pool, Mnemic, Trivium, and Diecast. The thing is those are just influences and at the end of the day this Italian metal band marches to the beat of it's own drummer... 





*Moth’s Circle Flight suffered through a few false starts and the obligatory line-up change or two before finally coming into it's own in 2012. If I'm to go by the sounds of their new album here then it would certainly seem as if those trials and tribulations helped shape this band into something special. Even though the group does have some room to grow, "My Entropy" is the product of a strong and confident act that has been polished to near perfection. If this band can get rid of a few bad habits (the monotonous nature of metalcore being a big one!) then they could sure be onto something....

American Head Charge-Tango Umbrella

Napalm Records
2016

"Tango Umbrella" is the forth full-length album from American Head Charge. It follows the 2013 EP, "Shoot", and it arrives 11 years(!) after the release of the band's last full-length recording, "The Feeding". Having heard "The Feeding" I can safely say that "Tango Umbrella" follows a similar path in that it combines hard rock/heavy metal, N.W.O.T.H.M., nu metal, Pantera-like groove metal, and industrial metal into something that is hard as f**K and tens times as freaky! This Minneapolis, Minnesota-based band has always flown slightly under that radar so there's no way of telling whether or not "Tango Umbrella" is the kind of record that is finally going to break them into the mainstream, but either way this is the right kind of album to break stuff to! Due out later this month, "Tango Umbrella" is American Head Charge at their fiercest so fans had better be prepared for a drop-dead serious throw down!
 

Links:

www.headcharge.com
www.facebook.com/AmericanHeadCharge

Realm Unseen-The Origin

Self-Release/Independent
2015

Released on June 30th, "The Origin" is the 7-track debut EP from (self-dubbed) "groove metal" band Realm Unseen. The band, which is based in Islamabad, Pakistan and boasts influences as diverse as KoRn, Tool, Cannibal Corpse, Pantera, Yngwie Malmsteen, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd(!), is every bit as odd and disturbing as the above art-work suggests with the lead vocals of Mohammad Ahsan Khan of particular interest. Opening weirdly-enough by way of a Art Bell clip, "The Origin" is available for free by heading here, but please be aware of what you are getting yourself into before hitting that download button! Musically-speaking these guys are all over the place with "The Origin" making that "groove metal" tag seem a little  limited and short-sighted. Whatever the case it is free and seeing as normality is (at best) an illusion (and something that I can't in all good conscience condone!) this 7-track EP makes for a unique listening experience especially in this colorless world of cookie cutter metal bands and their paint-by-the-numbers recordings.

Uzziel-Torn Apart

Dr. Music Records
2015


Hailing from Micheldorf, Upper Austria, Uzziel is a traditional heavy metal/melodic thrash quartet with "Torn Apart" serving as the band's latest recording. The group is fronted by bassist Mex (Mortuary (Aut), ex-Legacy, ex-Morbid Breed) and according to the band's Facebook bio the word Uzziel comes from the Torah and it supposedly means "El is my strength or God is my strength". Guitarists Francis & Hati and drummer Tom round things out in Uzziel and this 14-track album is actually the band's sophomore release as it follows a 2011 demo entitled "Broken". Whether it's worth mentioning is open to debate, but "Torn Apart"  was originally issued in digital form back in October of 2014 by Darkspace Music. Thanks to Dr. Music Records it will now be seeing a physical release sometime this summer which should please fan's of the band. "How about the rest of us?" I hear you asking. As it turns out, "Torn Apart" is a good times/bad times kind of release. Where should we start? How about we touch on this album's ills and then we'll say a word or two about what works. As it's Friday I'll keep it light and simple especially as I know you all have places to go and people to see! The bad news about "Torn Apart" would be lead singer Mex (aka Markus Pilz). I feel as if I should preface this by saying when it comes to Mex's voice it would work on any other day. Or rather in a different version of this band. While the music is nice mash-up of classic heavy metal and melodic thrash (with cool little sprinklings of hard rock, groove metal and hardcore punk) Mex's voice is extremely harsh and sadly it's even a bit monotonous. If he was fronting a more crossover-leaning version of Uzziel I could see his aggressive mic work serving as a positive. Seeing as the band's album falls closer to heavy metal than hardcore it doesn't. And in a way that moves us to the positive aspects of "Torn Apart". Even at it's hardest and heaviest the music found within "Torn Apart" is melodic. There's also some clever guitar work to be found on "Torn Apart" and while none of this is mind-blowing, Uzziel's sophomore release shows actual promise. In the end Mex's voice really works against that promise, but I suppose it is possible that people could enjoy this while simultaneously tuning out the vocals? So what does it all mean? What's the final verdict? Well, If I was to grade it, "Torn Apart" would get a C+ as it's got good stuff going on even if it's nowhere near a must-add kind of album.

Metal News: Dead Inside Records announces the signing of hard rock/groove metal band Muckagee!

In what will most certainly be a win-win situation for all parties involved, Dead End Records (a fantastic new independent label based in the San Francisco Bay Area that was built by musicians for musicians!) has 

announced the recent signing of San Jose, California's own Muckagee. With one full-length CD already to their name (2012's well-received "What you See") and a new EP entitled "Twisted Control" in the works, Muckagee (pronounced: "Muck-ah-jee") is all set to bring their grove-infused hard rock/alternative blues metal to the main stage for all to hear and (damn-straight!) enjoy! In the meantime the hard & heavy group has released the official video for their track "Over". Appearing on the group's 2012 debut-album, "What You See", "Over" is a groove-heavy pressure cooker where lead vocalist Mzao "Mo" Waters (a one-man wrecking machine with a powerful set of pipes!) and crew slowly turn up the heat before burning it all down! With Bob Lemos and Alvin Gatewood scorching the lines on guitars and the tight rhythm section Dave Wilson and Art Williams (bass and drums respectively) providing a blistering back end this California five-piece has all of the tools necessary to take that next big step!

Rogue-Bullet in the Sun

Self-Release/Independent
2014

I'm pleading ignorance when it comes to this Cleveland-based four-piece(?). Prior to downloading their latest Don Debiase (Beneath the Sky, Modern Day Escape) produced release, "Bullet in the Sun", off of iTunes all I had to go by with this bunch was a brief write-up in our local version of Scene Magazine. At the very least said write-up suggested a band that (partly) leaned toward the Alice In Chains side of heavy rock (more on that in a bit) while also employing some post-Pantera riffs to balance things out. Not exactly a new formula, but with the right amount of passion and persuasiveness perhaps a talented bunch could pull such a style out of yesterday's disposed of "Been there, done that so now let's all move along before somebody gets hurt" genre garbage pile and make it sound relevant to today's discerning metalheads? Sure, why not? Weirder things have happened. Right? So, with that thought in mind I went about downloading this EP off of iTunes as A) Post-grunge isn't necessarily the worst thing out there these days and B) We are talking about an Ohio metal band here and I'm always game to throw my support behind another local act! OK, really it had more to do with that part "B" then anything, but regardless I went on to snag, tag and bag (or however that goes!) this 6-track release for myself in hopes of hearing something that warranted praise. Color me surprised then as Rogue's latest studio recording is much more then simply recycled Alice In Chains melodies and Pantera groove lines! Yes, both band's do come into play on this EP ("33rd & Pain" for example does recall Alice In Chains, but the addition of some cool cowbell (more cowbell!) brings to mind Dumpster Juice), but (other then the so-so "Never Break") this band's rough style of heavy rock also takes into account everything from classic heavy metal to stoner rock and they do it all while living up to precedent that has previously been set by many a great Ohio metal band! Are they ready for the big time though? I'd need a few more spins to decide that one, but for what it is it's actually rather cool with most of these tracks hitting more towards "clever" then "throwaway". Available to download on both cdbaby and iTunes, with CD copies likely to be found by contacting the band over at their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/rogue.cleveland), Rogue sounds like a band with a mission now all they need is the proper mission specs! 

http://www.reverbnation.com/rogueroxx

Ektomorf-Retribution

AFM Records
2014

Having been less then impressed with Ektomorf's 2010 album, "Redemption", I never bothered to hear what this Hungary-based four-piece was up to on their last full length, "Black Flag". That release was issued in 2012 so it's been about two years since fans last heard from this lot and about four years since I last did. Formed back in 1993, with vocalist/guitarist/chief-songwriter and founding member Zoltán Farkas being the lone consistent member since day one, the band is now rounded out by Tomi Schrottner(guitar), Zsabolcs Murvai (bass) and Robert Jaksa (drums). Up-front I will say this for "Retribution". Unlike the last release I heard from these groove thrashers, "Retribution" (for the most part*) sticks primary to Pantera/Soulfly worship while WISELY avoiding anything that turned me off about their 2010 album**! Thank the maker above for that! Elsewhere faint echos of Machine Head and The Disturbed can be heard, but for the most part Zoltán's Ektomorf still reminds me (chiefly) of Pantera. Is that a bad thing? No. I mean, not really. While I was never the world's biggest Pantera fan (I preferred Exhorder!) their influence pops up all the time in modern day metal acts and when I band like Ektomorf takes said influence and makes it more of their own thing then it's fine. It mostly just depends on whether or not you prefer groove over more traditional elements like thrashing guitar solos. I mostly prefer the latter, but I'm man enough/honest enough to admit that I like to "Get into the groove..." from time to time so Ektomorf's latest, while not likely to get constant air-play in my household, does have it's moments when it really kicks hard so that might just come in handy the next time I want to break shit up!

*As much as I appreciate Zoltán's ability to scream and sing clean when the band slows things down to a mellow groove there is still chilling vibes of post-Staind/(later-day) Linkin Park-style radio rock etched in between the lines.

** Warning! The following review of "Redemption" includes references to Staind and Limp Bizkit! Proceed with EXTREME caution!

http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=Ektomorf-Redemption

Unscarred-Fake Democracy

Contorted Records
2014

Neo thrash metal from France featuring a "mysterious Persian metal princess" named Nelly* on lead vocals? Where do I sign up? Seriously though, when the promo for French metal act Unscarred was forwarded to me by site founder/main man Metal Mark I could help but be intrigued. Still, I must admit that I proceeded with caution as, truth be told, I've been burned by similar promises before. But once the vocals kicked in on "100 Lashes" I was sold! Well, the music hit me first (old school U.S. thrash acts such as Megadeth and Anthrax meet German thrash metal bands like Kreator and Coroner) and I was already impressed enough by that, but the powerful voice of Unscarred's beautiful lead vocalist adds that extra icing to the cake (if you will.) Having started out in Paris, France in 2002 (when bassist/founder Brice first came up with the idea of forming his own band) the modern day version of Unscarred actually began a few year later in 2006. With the addition of two talented guitarists in Boris (lead) and Niko (rhythm) the groundwork was firmly in place for what would eventually be one remarkable five-piece band! With the current line-up being rounded out by drummer Franck, and with modern influences such as Lamb of God now standing side-by-side some additional influences such as Pantera and Helmet, Unscarred's unreal talent soaks through the covers of "Fake Democracy" and spills out everywhere thanks to gnarly tracks like the title-cut and "Puppets Territory"! Now, technically speaking this release looks as if it dates back to October of 2012 (when it was most-likely still a self-release), but forget all that noise as this demo is about as relevant to today's metal scene as they come! Not only that but the production is so clean and clear that it's hard to believe that was actually a demo to begin with! Now snapped up by Contorted Records, whose motto, "Supporting the local music scene wherever local is.", I can most certainly get back behind, this one is available as both a digital download and (for the second time around mind you!) a limited-edition cassette tape! While I've obviously stoked about having found another awesome female-fronted metal band, with killer high-pitched vocals to boot, there is more to Unscarred then just the the lovely Nelly. Baking her up is one tight act which never strays far from Unscarred bottom-line message. What pray-tell is Unscarred's bottom-line message? While it's never actually spelled out one would have to assume that it is providing the most powerful, groove-heavy, Neo thrash/modern metal out there whether in France or worldwide! And in that regard this five-piece has achieved their goal!  Don't just take my word for it though. Check out the group's bandcamp page below to hear the aptly-titled (given America in the year 2014) "Fake democracy" for yourself!


Unscarred's bancamp page:
http://unscarredthrash.bandcamp.com/

Unscarred's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Unscarred.Thrash.Music 

* Otherwise known as Niloofar (Nelly's Melody)

Deathpoint-Sinister

STM
2013

Distributed by Spread The Metal Records (home of, among others, Sanktuary, Edge of Attack, Whorecore and Answer With Metal) and sporting a recommendation for fans of As I Lay Dying, In Flames, Intandem, Nine Inch Nails, Periphery, Soilwork, Stone Sour, Tesseract, Tool and Threat Signal, this sophomore release from Hamilton, Ontario's Deathpoint (cool name!) almost slipped right on past me. Had it not been for a recent press-release imploring me to check out the band's new video for this album's opening cut ("For Your Eyes Only") I may have very well skimmed past this Canadian outfit. As the follow-up to 2010's full-length "Fixation", with a 2011 EP titled "Suffer" sandwiched in-between, "Sinister" finds Deathpoint with a new lead vocalist in tow (Tom Emmans of Odium fame) and a sound that, at least when it comes to the ears of this old man, closes in on a lot of what passes for "modern metal" in this day and age before smothering it under a huge wave of nu metal/heavy rock riffs! Officially dubbed a "melodic groove metal band" the band, whose humble roots can be traced back to 2005 (at which point bassist/founding member Brad Gold, still a teenager mind you, started rocking out in his basement alongside childhood friend/guitarist Cameron White) before having their first show in late 2007, the band relies of same kind of huge metallic riffs that could (theoretically) connect the likes of Drowning Pool and Killswitch Engage! That being said, "Sinister" is case of good times and bad times as I'll (hopefully) explain. First the good. Besides the rolling waves of heavy rock riffs, which (in addition to the album's above "recommendations") brings to mind anyone and everyone from Mudvayne to bands like Five Finger Death Punch, (early) Avenged Sevenfold, Shadows Fall and even Pantera(!), the (clean and harsh) vocals of new member Tom Emmans are unnerving! This skilled front-man helps Deathpoint keep the listener off-balance as his rough, tension-filled approach gives "Sinister" a cold, uncaring and unapologetic (in regards to it's antagonistic attitude) atmosphere! There's not much more to it then that. On that front, as you take a look at a release like "Sinister" from far away, this unflinching, ungodly nine-track album can do a crap load of damage. And that's all good right? Well, the problem is when you start to take a closer look at each number you start to notice a familiar trend. While the audio-intensity of "Sinister" is never in question the actual execution remains somewhat dubious. If you were to take any of these tracks on their own and isolate them the music would be impressive. Your force-feed these monster riffs after-all and Deathpoint has no qualms about steamrolling over the listener thanks to the interplay of the guitars and bass. Unfortunate as it may be (and it pains me to say this about such crunchy, groove-laden metal music) much of this album tends to blur together as riffs a recycled at an alarming rate! You could argue that the lead guitarist work (provided by Tim Ross and  Henry Joldersma) is simply distinctive and (therefore) Deathpoint has a trademarked sound already. I wouldn't fault anyone for taking that approach as bands like AC/DC and Motörhead, which I both love, have been recycling the same riffs over and over for years. The only difference would be that Deathpoint, in the grand scheme of things, is not all that old of a group and that here we are talking about just one album! Is it enough for me to write off a release like this one? No. There is still a lot to be taken away from an album like "Sinister" and it shows that Deathpoint has the potential for releasing something absolutely killer! At this point though we're talking about an album where it's not as if you can't enjoy it on it's own merits or anything. It's just that it's best not to over-think this one or dwell to much on each track as I did because you might just be disappointed.