Artist: Belladonna Album: Shooting Dice With God Label: Visionoir/Goodfellas Release Date: 18/04/2013
Tracklist:
1. All Is Vanity
2. Karma Warrior
3. Abduction
4. If I Was God
5. Ishtar Blues
6. Wonderlust
7. In My Demon’s Name
8. Aura Blues
9. Primal Dream
10. Multiverse Love
11. I Set My Controls To Overdrive
BELLADONNA are a well-known Italian “Rock Noir” band from Rome. They have released three studio albums so far (“Metaphysical Attraction”, “The Noir Album”, “And There Was Light”) and this, “Shooting Dice With God” is their fourth. This platter is a good mix of melodic ideas and versatility, and is another step forward in their career.
“All Is Vanity”, the album opener, is a good and melancholic song that leads us to “Karma Warrior”, the first single. “Karma Warrior”, is a hard rock track with a very catchy chorus, and shows us the skills of Valentina De Iullis on piano. The third track, “Abduction”, is an intimate an interesting ballad on which the voice of Luana Caraffa draws beautiful landscapes. The singer is the main protagonist even in “If I Was God”, a delicate ballad that will take your breath away. After two beautiful ballads it is time to some good ol’ rock, and “Ishtar Blues” hits the spot with its convincing and groovy riff. You will probably enjoy “Wonderlust” for its tasteful, refined arrangement and the haunting mood. The hypnotic and Kashmir-ish riff of “In My Demon’s Name”, and its fantastic atmosphere, will conquer you from the first listen. This is probably one of the most interesting songs of this album. The eighth track, “Aura Blues”, presents to us the tasty guitar work of Dani Macchi in all its richness. This great bluesy mood is the proof of the versatility of this band. “Primal Dream”, one of the heaviest tracks of “Shooting Dice With God”, is a blast! An intricate structure, great dynamics, a delicious arrangement, interesting guitar work and the voice of Luana are the ingredients of this masterpiece. “Drama” and “epicness” are the best two words that I could use to describe a journey called “Multiverse Love”. This is probably my favourite track of the album. “I Set My Controls To Overdrive”, with its power and energy this leads us to the end of BELLADONNA‘S last opus.
In conclusion, “Shooting Dice With God” is probably one of most interesting rock/metal albums of 2013. You must have it! Belladonna prove again that they are one of the most important Italian bands out there, leading this movement at an international level. Well done, guys!!
RATING: 9/10
BAND MEMBERS: Luana Caraffa – Vocals; Dani Macchi- Guitars; Valentina De Iullis – Piano; Tam Scacciati- Bass; Mattia Mari- Drums
1. When Darkness Calls
2. Bleed For Me
3. Phantom Road
4. Devil In Disguise
5. Too Late
6. Gate Keeper
7. The Price You Pay
8. Monster
9. Revolution Rising
10. After The Leaves have Fallen
11. Vengeance Is Mine
REVERENCE is an American Heavy/Power metal band featuring members from TOKYO BLADE, SAVATAGE, CRIMSON GLORY, BURNING STARR and FUNNY MONEY. Well, honestly I only know SAVATAGE from that list. The band formed in 2010 in Detroit, Michigan and they are due to debut their first album, “When Darkness Calls” soon. I’ve got a digital copy of this album (lucky me?!) from the band management and now I am glad to explain my experience of REVERENCE ‘s metal for you.
Unfortunately the copy that I have is 96 kbps and 32 khz, as you may know it is not a high quality. I always use Winamp to listen to the music whenever I want to review them. This application gives you the ability to check the ID or information of any songs, I’ve found this option very useful. You just need to right-click on any particular song on the playlist or press ‘ALT and 3′ keys and you will see a table with all the information about the track, if they have them though. If you cannot see any information, just click on the ‘Auto Tag’ button on the right and bottom corner and it will fill in all the tables itself (by luck though). Unfortunately, there was no information for any tracks of this album and auto tag won’t work too as this album is not released yet, this is not the band’s fault though. To have a better listen I set the equalizer to ‘Full Bass and Treble’ mode which may melt your eardrums!
REVERENCE ‘s “When Darkness Calls” is a modern power metal album, however I felt a little 80′s –ish during listening. It is not an extraordinary nor exceptional album, but very energetic. The album starts with the self titled track which is a powerful one. However the intro of this track is not impressive, but after one minute, the power metal starts and you will taste the band’s true metal. I must confess that I am impressed by the vocals. Todd ‘s voice has a wonderful wide range to it, which reminds me of John Sykes and Don Dokken. There are some elements which are common between most of the tracks in this album, fast guitar riffs and solos, however they are not always at the same level. For example the third track, ‘Phantom Road’ is pure American power metal, with guitar riffs which remind me of George Lynch. But on the next track, ‘Devil In Disguise’ you will hear some NWOBHM and fast thrash riffs mixed together which create a good heavy metal feeling.
The fifth track, is the best track. It is named ‘Too Late’ and starts with an awesome fiery intro including ICED EARTH-ish guitar arpeggios and a guitar solo which reminds me of IRON MAIDEN, then come the volcanic riffs spurting flames and METAL. The vocals are wonderful again, as well the chorus parts. The song was written, recorded, mixed and mastered at the highest level, in other words, it has the makings of a masterpiece. In the final part, ‘Too Late’ ends at the point where it started, very clever! Another notable track in this album is “Monster” which sounds like STRATOVARIUS trying to play ICED EARTH. It is very melodical powerful metal, however I found some elements of symphonic metal in it as well. In this album you will even find a HELLOWEEN-ish track which is entitled ‘Revolution Rising’. If you love Pumpkin metal like me, you will love this track too.
In my opinion, the weakest point of this album is the tenth track, ‘After The Leaves Have Fallen’. It starts with an electric guitar arpeggio along with a little echo which doesn’t sound good to me as it is too simple and it is just one theme which repeats. However it could be better if they tried to play this arpeggio with a piano, for example as HELLOWEEN did on the track ‘If I Could Fly’. Also I believe it could be better if the track listing was arranged a little differently, for example this song would be good as the fifth or sixth track to balance it in a better way. As I said before good artists always care about everything, even tiny details. By all means, it is not bad music, you still can enjoy the vocals, guitar solos and bass themes in the background.
As the final word, “When The Darkness Calls” by REVERENCE is a good power metal album full of energy and flames. I recommend listening and rocking with this album to all who know and love the power metal music genre. Also I believe that although the band is not well-known now, they have the potential to be a big name in this genre in the near future. I look forward to hearing more Metal from them at a higher level soon. My rating for this album is 8/10 and I was glad to listen to REVERENCE ‘s debut album, “When The Darkness Calls”.
01 Let’s Shake Some Dust
02 Pearl Hart
03 The Nameless One
04 Dead But Rising
05 Cape Of Our Hero
06 Room 24
07 The Hangman’s Bodycount
08 My Body
09 Lola Montez
10 Black Bart
11 The Lonesome Rider
12 The Sinner Is You
13 Doc Holliday
14 Our Loved Ones
Volbeat 2013 ……. A sort of adaption of the band to the current metal scene, losing that bit of rockabilly that was previously the band’s trademark. The entrance of Rob Caggiano (Anthrax) makes this release heavier than before, and it’s often Poulsen who follows him and not vice versa, and – knowing his charisma- that’s news! They made a cover of Young The Giant, establishing a safe melody, without going fast with the tempo (we should wait until track 10 to listen to some fast rhythms) and resulting in being a bit repetitive.
The collaboration with Sarah Blackwood (Walk Off The Earth), on the track “Lonesome Rider”, sounds really interesting and brings the band back to their “Elvis Metal” roots, as we can hear on the last songs of the album.
This was fundamentally a release for the band’s career, but seems monolithic, a bit dull and with not many great ideas. After the first session of listening I would give it a 6.5/10, with an extra “half mark” just because I’m a huge fan and I would love them anyway, like all huge fans would do with their favourite bands.
Tracklist:
1. Manus Dei
2. Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife)
3. Ashes To Ashes
4. Torn
5. Song For Jolee
6. Veritas
7. My Confession
8. Silverthorn
9. Falling Like The Fahrenheit
10. Solitaire
11. Prodigal Son
- Part I: Funerale
- Part II: Burden Of Shame (The Branding)
- Part III: The Journey
12. Continuum
KAMELOT are a well-known American Symphonic/Power/Prog Metal band, from Tampa (Florida).
They have recorded nine successful studio albums (plus three live ones and a compilation) and this, “Silverthorn” is their tenth and the first one after the departure of their legendary front-man Roy Khan.
This is a concept album and the debut with KAMELOT for the new singer, Tommy
Karevik (Seventh Wonder).
“Manus Dei”, the opening track, is a sort of intro (good to be used to open their gigs) for the first single “Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife). “Sacrimony” is great song with good riffing, orchestrations, choirs, guitar and keys solos, plus the interesting contribution of Elize Ryd on female vocals.
In this platter – in fact – are Elize Ryd (Amaranthe) and Alissa White-Gluz (The Agonist) as female singers, a sort of alter ego(s) for Jolee, the main character of the concept.
The third track “Ashes To Ashes” is a good power piece with nice guitar and keys work. A catchy song with some good prog ideas and some Arabian flavours!
“Torn”, one of the jewels of this release, is a mix of speed, anger, melody and complex structure. Its secret weapon is the beautiful chorus that will conquer every single listener out there.
“Song For Jolee” is a wonderful ballad in which the intensity of Karevik‘s voice sends shivers down your spine. The wonderful work provided by the Seventh Wonder’s singer gives “Song For Jolee” the possibility to be considered the best composition present on this album.
“Veritas”- the sixth song- is another power track, with fantastic backing vocals, in the vein of the previous “Ashes To Ashes”.
“My Confession”, a catchy-but not so interesting song, leads us to the title track,
“Silverthorn”, a track in which the orchestra and the metal band are entwined to form a good wall of sound! Mr. Thomas Youngblood shows us his skills between convincing riffing and well-shaped solos.
“Falling Like The Fahrenheit” has a nice refrain and a great contribution supported by Eklipse, a really great string quartet (especially live. I saw them in Milan opening for Nightwish and they were such a nice surprise).
The tenth track, “Solitaire”, is a weak song with nothing interesting to date but it works well as a prelude to “Prodigal Son”, a complex piece divided into three parts: a mix of intensity, melancholy, heavy riffing and prog ideas. A good old epic track that could be greater with a more homogeneous type of song writing like they provided for their older “epic tracks”!
“Continuum” is the haunting finale of this great release.
“Silverthorn” is a great release, heavily recommended to the lovers of the genre. In conclusion, Tommy Karevik is a fantastic singer….you won’t miss Mister Roy Khan the Great!
RATING: 8.5/10
BAND MEMBERS: Thomas Youngblood – guitars
Casey Grillo – drums
Oliver Palotai – keyboards
Sean Tibbetts – bass
Tommy Karevik – vocals
Artist: DEEZ NUTS Album: “Bout It” Label: Century Media Release-date: April 1st 2013
DEEZ NUTS – Bout It (31:47):
1. Bout It
2. Shot After Shot
3. Not A Face In The Crowd
4. Keep On
5 .Popular Demand
6. Go Fuck Yourself
7. Don`t Act Like You Don`t Already Know
8. What We Eat Don`t Make YOU Shit
9. Call To Arms
10. Streets Are Watching
11. Public Service Announcement
12. Unfuckwithable
13.I.D.K.W.Y.T.Y.A.B.I.K.W.D.G.A.F.A.Y.
14. Life You Live
15. True Colors
16. Band Of Brothers
Australian Hardcore titans DEEZ NUTS drop their 3rd full length album ‘Bout It’ in even bigger and better style than ‘Stay True’ and ‘This One’s For You’. Of course, the partying, sex and drugs are still prominent themes, but the new release brings something a bit deeper and more meaningful, explaining frontman JJ Peter’s extrovert views on life.
‘YOU KNOW WHO THE FUCK IT IS!’ launches opener and album-titled ‘Bout It’ into an explosive start, giving an idea of the band’s mentality from the off. It couldn’t be clearer 3 minutes later that DEEZ NUTS mean business and are not going to take anything lightly, their bullish temperament shining through Peter’s lyrical honesty and Salinger, Rogers and Green’s typically heavy Hardcore sound. Lead single ‘Shot After Shot’ continues the mayhem, with Peters’ vicious rapping and shouting tearing its way through at pace. It’s heavy, but the bouncy melody and simple chorus keep it catchy; definitely one that will stick in your head for a while.
A couple of tracks further in and the record shows no signs of slowing, unrelenting in its theme that DEEZ NUTS are going to do it their way. That ‘way’ more explicitly is that they could not care less about their haters and that they have big plans for the future. In terms of Hardcore at least, they should not be setting their sights on anything less than global success. Proving their ever-growing popularity in the scene and the respect that they have gained from other bands are massive guest appearances from the likes of Hardcore legends HATEBREED, along with SUICIDE SILENCE.
Aside from the lyrics, the technicality of the guitars and pounding drums cannot be ignored – on point throughout, it sounds as crisp and fresh as anybody today. The record is certainly not short of a few gut-wrenching breakdowns either, positive to send crowds in their upcoming European tour into an absolute frenzy.
Huge album closer ‘Band of Brothers’ could not be more anthemic, with the helping hand (more specifically, voice) of ARCHITECTS’ Sam Carter starting it off with a soft verse, backed by some atmospheric acoustic guitar. This then leads into the four piece’s more recognisable gang shouting, adding to the track’s anthemic feeling and giving it a higher octane. The stand out track then closes with a faded-out sing along.
So, 16 tracks and 31 minutes later, ‘Bout It’ begs the question of whether there will be a better Hardcore record this year. DEEZ NUTS are taking the genre by its throat, and this is not a record to be missed. Oh, and in their words… they are “UNFUCKWITHABLE”!
Artist: Ash the Sky
Album: This is Reality
Label: Independent (Self Released)
Date of Release: February 13, 2013
Tracklist
1. Poverty Of The Mind
2. Another Chance To Kill
3. Close My Eyes
4. No Mercy
5. Conflikt
6. This Is Reality
7. Let Freedom Ring
8. I Scream Vengeance
9. Truth, Lies, Reality
10. Wake Up
Following on from the 3 track EP released in 2012, Michael Felder’s “Ash the Sky” are back with their more “In your face”, more technical and more rounded metal album. Combining the strengths from the EP, we are given more examples of well-placed Phrasing, Shredding, Technical Progressions, and the most ‘Off the wall’ examples of harmonies one person could simply handle.
Starting off with the high-octane “Poverty Of The Mind”, we are thrown head first into the pure unrelenting progressions of gruff-vocal expressions not too distant from the great “Byron Davis”. Adding the speed of the drums and tonalities of the guitars, this is a great introduction to the album.
Bringing in the heaviness with “Another Chance To Kill” and the technicalities of “Close My Eyes” you really are left wanting more. The interesting combination of guitar harmonies and pure heaviness is not to be missed nor misunderstood. Introducing the beautiful rich intense solos and very well abused Whammy pedals and you feel a little smile creep on over.
Straight into the craziness of “No Mercy” and apart from the obvious “Testament” feeling, this track really does give the listener everything from Epic drums and choruses, to pure driven riffs and beautifully created solos. Possibly the greatest track on the album so far!
The intro to “Conflikt” is fantastic, very close to the Gothic horrors of the 20th century. This track has the ‘edge’ element which really takes the listener on an interesting journey inside the music and mind of Felder. Again, with the blasts of the kick drums and the Dethklok feel, this track is simply brilliant.
So, we’re half way through the album now and it only gets better as we progress.
Into the album track “This is Reality”, and as far as death metal goes, this is about as well-crafted as it gets. The mix between the growls and the heaviness in the guitars is sublime. Add to this the interestingly placed solo which slows the track down very slightly, with the double delay and echoes are really quite haunting. This is a great example of how far death metal has come over the years and how much further music, as a whole, has progressed.
Into “Let Freedom Ring” with the progressions and combinations of heaviness meets more heaviness is a great way start any track, however as you progress further you start to fall into the madness behind the track. The solo didn’t appeal to me on this track as it felt misplaced, but as a whole, the track is interesting.
Track after track this album just gets better and better, with the most technical and heavy phrasing combinations anyone could expect to hear. Mix up the songs and solos with Wah’s, Delay, and Harmony driven sequences and you really do have an amazing listening experience.
If you like Children of Bodom, Lamb of God, In Flames, At The Gates, God Forbid, Arch Enemy, then you’ll enjoy this album with all its technicalities and impressions.
10/10
Band Members:
Michael j Felder – Lead Guitar/Vocals Chris Morgan – Bass
I have to be honest here. I personally have known the guys in Attacker for many years. As a teenager, they were the first local band to be signed to a label and at that time, it was a monstrous accomplishment. And because of this, they seemed very intimidating until I met original guitarist, the late Jim Mooney (who I found out later on that we were related) in college. Soon I started hanging out with him periodically in local bars and just talking music. Many years later, Attacker and the band I am with now, shared the same practice space over an auto mobile repair shop in Bayonne, NJ. We saw each other very frequently and it was drummer Mike Sabatini who first congratulated us on being signed to our first label. More recently, Mike and I meet about once a month at a local diner and catch up on everything metal.
But now, as a reviewer I have a job to do and all personal feelings are put aside. Attacker’s music always struck me as being in the category of real true metal. They didn’t have the taste for American metal that was rooted in blues/rock, played at a high volume that was prevalent at that time. Their music was more in the style of the early days of underground NWOBHM and their first album “Battle at Helms Deep” proved this. Their second album, “Second Coming” was a personal favorite of mine. Though the musicianship was strong on both albums, vocalist, the late John Leone, had a better texture and feel for Attackers music, bringing it up to the next level. Don’t get me wrong, Bobby Mitchell brought them to the forefront and continued to do so afterwards, but every so often he would have a whiney pitch to his vocals which would remind me of early Vince Neil. Now after a few setbacks and a new singer, Attacker brings forth their new effort, “Giants of Canaan”.
After the intro of “As They Descend” we get right into the thick of the album. “Giants of Canaan” starts right off with a face paced tempo which changes often. The different changes could challenge a song but it all comes together like clock work here. Even the acoustic interlude doesn’t disrupt the flow of the song.
The band then takes a different approach in “Trapped in Black”. It is more of a straight forward song and has a cool and catchy pre-chorus. The alternating guitar solos that Pat and Mike put together here show how well they work together.
Influences are evident and upfront in the songs “The Hammer” and “Sands of Time”. The guitars in “The Hammer” and vocal line in “Sands of Time” both have Iron Maidens “Powerslave” running through its veins.
The fifth number “Washed in Blood” is probably the weakest song on the album. Not a bad song at all but the chorus gets little repetitive for me.
“Steel Vengeance”, one of my favorites on the album, seemed liked it could have been a lost song from Halfords, “Resurrection” album. It has the same driving sound and high vocalisation throughout that album.
With its galloping rhythm and catchy vocal line, “Curse the Light is my favorite on the album. Great vocals and good dynamic bass and guitars make this just as good as anything put out by the bigger bands in the last few years. Great song!!!!
Attacker has always been known for throwing in a healthy dose of good old thrash metal and in “Born into Battle” they don’t disappoint. Bobby turns the notch up a bit on his vocals to a more brutal texture for most part. You get your ass kicked on this one!
“Black Winds Calling” steps into the bands vicious wicked song on the album. The vocal attack turns into an angry tone for most of the song, but also uses a small melodic touch to offset the nature of the music. Guitars also scare up some riffs from the early Maiden albums.
From the first notes of “Glen of the Ghost” the listener can reference Iron Maiden’s “Dance of Death”. The same feel, same sound and Bobby brings out his finest Bruce Dickinson voice.
Overall, there are the immediate comparisons to Maiden and Priest but I also hear Helstar, Jag Panzer and sounds from the album “Heart of a Killer”, from Winters Bane, Ripper Owen’s earlier band, in a few songs. The album was produced by Attacker and Patrick Guden and it shows that you don’t need a big time producer to do a great album. In fact I think a well known producer would have done more harm than good on this CD. I see a lot bands with a great sound get polished and over done when using one.
The outstanding portion of the album, as a whole, are the performances given by twin maniac guitarists, Pat Marinelli and Mike Benetatos. All I can say is that they fit perfectly together, as in the vein of Tipton and Downing and I’m not saying that lightly. Grinding out razor like riffs mixed with hints of thrashy rhythms, you can actually feel that they enjoy playing off each others notes. The solos are inventive and they compliment each song, which just adds to the overall superiority of the album. Drummer Mike Sabatini knows when to add fills and when to hold back. This technique lets the song breathe and the listener has various ways to view verses and chorus’s when they come back into play. Now we all know bass players get overlooked most of the time. But here John Hanemann holds the music together like a vice grip, that has just enough force to let the rest of the band have the freedom to go off without flying off into space. He ties everything together to solidify the whole sound. Bobby Lucas, well he just does an outstanding job here. Hitting various notes all over the scale, Bobby assumes the role of “THE” metal singer. He has an aggressive side much like Sean Peck of Cage, but also channels James Rivera and of course Dickinson. Now, while he perfectly uses his octaves to bring that classic metal style alive, the thought does cross ones mind on how this will translate to live performances.
After finishing the album, you won’t walk away with a catchy chorus burned into your brain right away. What they do accomplish is something even more important, something rarer. They bring back the feeling when metal was like a new present to be unwrapped. To have an idea on what you are going to hear, but not fully knowing what to expect at the same time. The sense of anticipation that sets upon your emotions and then feverishly playing an album to full satisfaction. It brings you back to that specific time in metal when all was exciting. That is what you have here. It is something that is lost amongst today’s releases. The only album that had the same effect on me within recent years was WOLF’s “Evil Star” CD. There is only negative critique that I can give. When I listen to an album for review, I put everything dead center. No added treble, no added bass, no added anything. I try and listen to it as it was recorded. I would have liked to hear just a touch of bass or bottom to the whole recording, to give the album a little more punch. When I added my personal touch to it, which is just a bit of bass, the bass drum slammed me in the gut and the songs opened up a bit more. But again, this is my personal way of listening and everyone has their own style so it’s more of a matter of choice than anything else.
“Second Coming” was my favorite Attacker album up until this one. Even though it is still young, I doubt that any future releases for this year will surpass this one for me. 9/10
Artist: Ivan Mihaljevic & Side Effects Album: “New album Counterclockwise” The Label: Zetafactory Released: 2012
Track listing:
Too Much Is Not Enough
Build Your Destiny
What Is Underneath
Driving Force
Gilded Cage
Gift Of Life
Time Travel
Eclipse
I Am
The first thing that caught my eye was the interesting album cover & the name; Counterclockwise. I found the cover to be spot on with the content and concept of the album. As you move deeper into the album, you start to realize it is much more than meets the eye. It took me several times to listen to the album in it’s entirety; to truly appreciate it. The lyrics reflect rich concepts of pain delicately balanced with positivity.
I can only describe the vibe of this album as an emotional roller coaster. Not unlike a symphony, one moment you hear slow beautiful melodies then BOOM in your face guitars riffs. The level of artistry is nothing short of incredible. At no point in my review, did I question the artistic ability of the composers. The beauty really resides in how these artists work together. Complimenting each other perfectly. The drums match the complexity of the guitar, yet at no point gets overwhelming or muddy.
It is clear they are good musicians, but what I really appreciate was the depth and richness of the lyrics. Song after song, they maintain a high level of quality. There is no fillers in this album. No empty songs to fast forward past.
I listened to this album over and over; and after much digestion, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is some of the finest work I’ve ever heard. Not only the production value but the message that is behind the it. This music is the type to stick with you; long after you hear it.
One of my favorite tracks on this album is Build Your Destiny. The lyrics, “Show them who you are, spread your wings and fly. Into the air, across the sky. You’ve got the key , so build your destiny,” really stuck with me as it is some of the best advice I’ve ever had. Almost as if the singer is speaking directly to me. Another song worth noting was Gilded Cage. This song has a powerful message behind it. I found it brilliant the way they paired these strong lyrics with a soft instrumental. Highlighting the depth of the lyricism. The lyrics ,“ I’m locked up in a gilded cage of modern age , And cannot turn the page,” seems to say it all.
My absolute favorite song was the final track I AM. Ending the album on a positive note. My favorite line from this track is ,“I cannot live in the future, nor can I stay trapped in the past.“ What a powerful quote; eloquently summed up in a few words. It is lines like this that leave in me awe. Causing me to not only listen and enjoy; but to think as well.
Furthermore, the line, “Slowly time disappears and there’s no end..,” was a brilliant way to end this album. Leaving a positive image in the listeners mind. It is easy to see why this group is popular. There is no doubt, they have potential for greatness.
In the conclusion, I found this album to be emotionally exhausting. An obvious sign of excellent artistry. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this review and highly recommend this album. It is safe to say this album has made a fan out of me.
Artist: Nergard
Album: The Beginning
Label: Pug–Nose Records
Release Date: June 14th 2011
Tracklist:
1. The Haunted – featuring Ralf Scheepers (4:01)
2. All I Ever Wanted – featuring Tony Mills (5:16)
3. Hell On Earth – featuring Mike Vescera (5:11)
Once upon a time (May 2010) a Norwegian composer named Andreas Nergard decided to write material for a metal musical called Memorial for a Wish. He gathered an impressive line-up undoubtedly, that includes Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear, ex-Gamma Ray), Tony Mills (TNT, Shy), Nils K. Rue (Pagan’s Mind) and many more talented metal musicians.
But how does it sound?
Well, one can easily identify classical power metal in this EP, not to say too classical. Beside the rather heavy and distorted guitar sound it would be tough to find anything new in this piece. The lead vocalists most definitely deliver, the guitars are tight and tuned, but… it’s just not it. The overall feeling is as if you’ve heard it already on a Kamelot, Edguy or Blind Guardian album. There is nothing new to hear around here unless you’re new to power metal, although I was surprised by some technical metal oriented bridges that reminded me of Mastodon or Devin Townsend.
Yet still, the EP is just what listed above; a fine piece of good old power metal, with some of the finest vocalists around and without too much “progressiveness” that some of the genre’s hardcore fans tend to dislike.
Some of the EP’s highs are its surprising bridges and probably the truly epic intro of the first track “The Haunted”. I believe it’s the best track on this short EP and the most powerful one (And for some reason, Ralf Scheepers reminds me in some parts of Jorn Lande).
Nonetheless I find the production a bit mediocre. The guitars are somewhat of dim sound, and the percussions are pushed aside for some reason, as for my humble opinion.
To conclude, I recommend this piece of pure, fun power metal. It will shake your senses for a few days and afterwards will probably appear on your playlist once in a while.
Line up on “THE BEGINNING” (2011) ANDREAS NERGÅRD (Rudhira) - composer/drums/bass/keyboards RALF SCHEEPERS (Primal Fear, ex Gamma Ray) – vocals TONY MILLS (TNT, ex Shy) – vocals MIKE VESCERA (ex Yngwie Malmsteen) – vocals
Band: Raven Lord Album: Descent to the Underworld Record Company: Mausoleum Records Released date, February 1, 2013
Tracks:
1) The Rebel
2) Atilla the Hun
3) Let the Show Go On
4) Seal of the Cross
5) Promised Land
6) Settle the Score
7) Black Friar
8) World Out of Steel
9) Revelation
10) Metal Nights
11) Sun God
I’ve been anxiously waiting to hear the full length album of Raven Lord since I was given a snippet of one of their songs from Axel Wiesenauer over at Rock n Growl Promotions a few months back. Upon immediately hearing the rough tone of vocalist, Csaba Zvekan, I was very intrigued what the band had to offer. How pleased I was when the chance came to review their full length album, “Descent to the Underworld”.
The first song, “The Rebel” starts off with an even keel tempo which the keyboards set the atmosphere for the rest of the song. Double bass drums follow with some not over the top shredding. The vocal attack stands above the rest but some cool guitar riffs bring the song to life. When Csaba goes for the high notes and gives some sustain to them, he reminds me of Graham Bonnet. Good catchy chorus and the album starts off on the right foot.
“Atilla the Hun” brings up the rear with some hard hitting drum work and guitar shredding right off the bat. The vocal style here brings more of a 3 Inches of Blood mixed in with Halfords “Painkiller” for pure metal ecstasy. Instead of the basic shredding guitar solo as heard in the first song, there is an interesting mixture of styles of shred and traditional, which makes it a lot better than the previous effort. Very cool! The keyboards play only a part to fill in the background which to me, softens the song around the edges and isn’t needed. Without it, the song would have sounded that much harder.
Their 3rd song has the same feeling as the first, mid tempo but with a touch of touch of Middle Eastern flare. “Let the Show Go On” showcases vocals that are brought down to an almost normal pitch but with enough bite to keep the relationship going with the preceding songs. The guitar solo once again combines the shredding with the traditional style playing which gives fans of both genres something to cheer about. It’s a nice touch that you don’t hear much, if at any at all. Another good solid, metal song with easy listening to the chorus and good sustaining high notes (ala Graham Bonnet again), just right up my alley.
And the tank keeps running along with “Seal of the Cross”. A solid, march along type metal song that immediately has your head banging to the beat, right from the beginning. Another well crafted and well performed guitar solo that has an underlining Eddie Van Halen spirit that haunts the start of the lead. Vocals are similar to “Let the Show Go On” but with less shine. Keyboards once again are unnecessary.
“Promised Land” more frenzied shredding leads break out the song leading into some cool melodic riffs. After hearing the keyboards the last couple songs, they’re getting on my nerves. They absolutely bring nothing to these songs. In fact, as I stated before, they soften the edges of an otherwise good hard sounding tone. Let the guitars attack the song with no inference, which unfortunately they do. It’s a good song but I’m starting to hear some repetitiveness.
Ok we’re half way through the album and that brings us to “Settle the Score”. The vocal style goes from a more melodic manner to that with more roughness to the banshee screaming madman we heard on the second song. Using all three different styles really brings this song to the albums high glory. After hearing his “normal” voice, I would have liked to hear more of that on some other songs. Out of the material so far, I would consider this song, the most closely associated toward a commercial sound. Not that I mean it would belong on the radio, not by a long shot, but one that would have greater appeal to the masses.
No more keyboards please!!!! But that’s what we have in “Black Friar”, an instant head banging tune accented by aggressive vocals from a lower register to an adrenaline filled mid range singing. One of the most dramatic and emotional sung songs so far on this album. The guitar solo starts off with the basic shredding that we’ve heard a thousand times before but metamorphs into some melodic leads that fits more in tune with the song and which should of stayed on that path though out.
To appeal to the basic instincts of every metal fan, the band has written, “World Out of Steel”. Repeating the line of “City of Metal” through out the chorus, one wonders why the song wasn’t titled that way. Not a bad song but it stands in the shadow of Primal Fears not so strong tunes. Did I mention more uneventful keyboards?
No, no, no!!!!! Keyboards ruin this great sounding intro to the song “Revelation”. On this number we are hearing a lot of the same vocal patterns that we’ve heard a lot before in the early stages of this album. A lot more guitar leads lean toward the shredding approach which just doesn’t compliment or add to the song. A lot more energy is put into this one but I also think they use the higher falsetto a bit too much. Along with the shredding, it becomes annoying which is a shame because here we have a good energized song.
The high falsetto persists on “Metal Nights” so much so that it seems to be a continuation of “Revelations” but works very well here. Switching back and forth between that style and his clean, normal vocal range, the song can breathe. The contrast works and compliments each other. The bad part is that the chorus is repeated way too often.
Our last song “Sun God” reminds one of Primal Fear before the vocals come stinging in. Vocals provide a good texture against the slower paced rhythm and fits will with the setting as does the guitars which add to the song. Very cool, mid-eastern vibe going on with this one. Keyboards play a more important part as it sets the feeling or atmosphere here. A good song to end the album. Overall
I have to admit, I’m not a fan of shredding guitars. To me, it disconnects the listener from the rest of the song. Where your normal leads have more feeling and interweave with the rest of the music, that guitar style is more of a “look what I can do” attitude. But with Raven Lord, Stefan Lindholm mixes the two styles into something enjoyable to listen to. I can see this is going to be a staple in the bands complete sound. Vocally with Csaba, the band can explore many avenues of metal. On this album we can hear three styles of singing and he does them well. Yes, he does over do the screaming part in some places but he can hit those notes with conviction and power. Some songs I wish he used his clean approach more often. Some repetitiveness can heard throughout the album and none of the songs jump off as being an instant “classic”, but this band can deliver the goods. Using “Descent to the Underworld” as a springboard, I see a lot of good things coming from this band in the future…
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