Them-Sweet Hollow

Empire Records
2016

Them is a international heavy metal band that was originally formed in 2008 by singer Troy Norr (Coldsteel) as "Them - The King Diamond Tribute". After three and a half years or so of covering King Diamond and Mercyful Fate songs, Troy decided to put the well-known tribute band to rest so. Placing Them on the back-burner, Troy went out and worked on other projects. Fast forward a couple years to 2014 and the dead suddenly returned to life! Or at least the name "Them" did. Brought back into the world of the living once more by it's skilled front-man, Them suddenly began the long and treacherous journey from being in a tribute band to writing and performing all original material. To that end, Troy envisioned a whole new concept for the resurrected and largely "re-imagined" Them and soon enough he began the slow and meticulous construction of what would turn out to be "Sweet Hollow". With the help of some top-notch musicians from Germany and the U.S. (see below), the 50 minute plus "Sweet Hollow" is not only the bright light at the end of that dark tunnel for Troy Norr, but arguably one of 2016's strongest heavy metal recordings! Mixed and mastered by David Otero (Aberrant, Moth (live), ex-Dethroned, ex-Serberus), "Sweet Hollow" is a cleverly-crafted concept album that tells the "bizarre journey of a man caught between unfortunate circumstance and unspeakable evils". It serves as the follow-up to the independently-released "Fear Them" EP and features eleven songs....well, twelve if you include the all-too brief intro "Rebirth". Clocking in at just a minute and nineteen seconds, "Rebirth" flips the switch from off to on in regards to this ghoulish creature of the night. "And what is this ghastly monster made of" you might be asking? Taking a cue or two from it's namesake, Them first captured the unholy spirits of both King Diamond and Mercyful Fate in order that they might serve as this album's guiding voices. From there they built up the actual body of "Sweet Hollow" with pieces and parts of Grade A power metal. Last, but most certainly not least, lead singer Troy Norr plucked out his own heart and gave it to his new creation! Naturally charged by the thunder of the gods themselves(!), "Sweet Home" is a tribute to all those who too part in it's construction and a real gift for fan's of classic and true heavy metal!! 




Them's full-length debut find's Troy Norr (amazing enough!) backed up by:


Guitarist Markus Johansson  (4Arm, Sylencer)

Guitarist Markus Ullrich (A Cosmic Trail, Lanfear, Septagon)

Bassist Mike LePond (Affector, Elegacy, Fatal Array, Heathen's Rage, Holy Force, Mike LePond's Silent Assassins, Rivera/Bomma, Stygia, Symphony X, Waken Eyes, Distant Thunder, ex-Brute Force, Ango Tasso's Air Force, Mike Bino Project, Universal Mind Project, ex-Ashenveil, ex-MindMaze, ex-Painmuseum, ex-Seven Witches, ex-Sleepy Hollow, ex-Helstar (live), ex-Operatika Element (live), ex-Malakis Reign, ex-Rattlebone)

Keyboardist Richie Seibel  (A Cosmic Trail, Ivanhoe, Lanfear, ex-Charisma, ex-Ivorie)

Drummer Kevin Talley (Castrofate, Feared, Grot, Nothnegal, Sylencer, The Art of Hate, Dååth, ex-Horror of Horrors, ex-Consumned, ex-Decrepit Birth, ex-Dying Fetus, ex-Implore, ex-Misery Index, ex-Six Feet Under, ex-Suffocation, ex-Throes, ex-WretchedPain, ex-Absence of the Sacred (live), ex-Battlecross (live), ex-Cattle Decapitation (live), ex-DevilDriver (live), ex-Hate Eternal (live), ex-M.O.D. (live), ex-The Black Dahlia Murder (live), ex-The Red Chord (live), ex-Chimaira, ex-Worlds Divide, ex-All the Way to the Bank, ex-Throes (live))

Lizzies-Good Luck

The Sign Records
2016

Formed back in 2010 by Patricia Strutter (guitars) and Motorcycle Marina (bass), Lizzies is a on-the-rise  heavy rock/heavy metal band that hails from Madrid and is (fittingly enough!) named after one of the street gangs from the cult film "The Warriors" (1979). Lead singer Elena Zodiac and drummer Saray Sáez (The Screamin' Fish, Them Autumn Bones) round out this four-piece band that first made the scene with "Heavy Metal Warriors". The nine-song "Good Luck" is this Spanish band's unreal debut album and it was preceded in life by not just the aforementioned 2012 demo, but a 2013 EP entitled "End of Time" and last year's (stone cold killer!) single, "Viper". Skillfully-produced by Ola Ersfjord (Dead Lord, Tribulation, Primordial) at Moontower Studios in Terrassa and Cuervo Studios, "Good Luck" clocks in at just over thirty minutes and it features the amazing sounds of one young and enthusiastic band that wasn't just raised on classic rock and traditional heavy metal, but the whole N.W.O.B.H.M. scene! In addition to "Viper" and my personal favorite, "666 Miles" (which you can check out by clicking on it's official video below!), "Good Luck" is full of hard & heavy gems like "Night in Tokyo", "Speed on the Road", and "Russian Roulette". The album opens up strong with the really cool "Phoenix" (a gritty hard rocker that blends together Iron Maiden, Raven, and Girlschool!), and thanks to it's slick combination of catchy material and clever lyrics it keeps the momentum going until the very end! Available in digital format and on CD and vinyl, "Good Luck" is a fantastic debut from a hot new band that knows what's it's doing and where it wants to go. Ultimately I give this one a perfect 10 out of 10!!
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