Heavy thrash metal band BULL-RIFF STAMPEDE sent a wave of absolute destruction upon Nottingham supporters ears this evening 13/10/2012 at the Salutation Inn in support of the mighty FALLEN FATE. Bull-Riffs bassist Rod Boston commented “how great it was to see such support from our Nottingham crowd”. Blasting in with 5 waves of absolute hell BULL-RIFF STAMPEDE gave Nottingham something to think about whilst really rocking the crowd with powerful, face ripping metal.
Keep ya eyes peeled for BULL-RIFF STAMPEDE as they make their way across the UK destroying towns and cities as they go. Nottingham has been torn a new one following this mass onslaught of metal, who’s next!?
Artist: Sinheresy
Album: The Spiders and the Butterfly EP
Label: Revalve Records
Release Date: 14th December 2011
1. Temptation Flame
2. The spiders and the butterfly
3. Merciless game
4. Forever us
5. When darkness falls
Italian band Sinheresy are a symphonic heavy metal band founded in 2009 and characterized by the use of female vocals and male clean vocals performed by Cecilia Predrini and Stefano Sain. Their music is described as symphonic metal although some material can be simply considered heavy oriented. Their debut EP “The Spiders and the Butterfly”, was recorded at the famous Ravenna’s Studio 73, and is a pure gothic metal release: the patterns of the genre are mixed and meshed up with symphonic, progressive and power elements. The EP was released fall Dec 2011 by the Italian label Revalve Records and it’s currently promoted in Europe by the label in common with K2Agency.
In short from the very beginning we are thrown head first into a wonderful array of melodically textured intros before the rich vocal beauty of Cecilia Petrini comes in with her operatic voice and really expands the musical properties of this track. Combining the gentle Piano’s, Synths, heavy drumming, powerful guitars and the most enlightening solos “Temptation Flame” is really a great opening track to what sounds like it’s going to be an exceptional album.
Jumping straight into the titled track “The spiders and the butterfly” we are introduced to arpeggiated sythns and the powerful mix between Stefano Sain and Cecilia Petrini controlling the vocals and really giving this us depths not often heard. Into the rich solos and well crafted effects “The spiders and the butterfly” gives the listener an interesting look into a cross between Nightwish (Tarja Turunen) and Within Temptation whilst remaining positively unique throughout. As we leave the track it slows down to just Petrini and Pasutto keeping melody before super intense soloing comes in to tear you a new one with a combo of sweep arpeggios and power phrasing. Back into the song for a final blast and all the instruments come back to give you another belting!
“Merciless game” opens with a groovy introduction giving your body and mind something to cling on to before Sain opens up and gives the listener an alternative array of gripping sensations to hold you tight before the beautiful characteristics of Petrini come back in for another blast of spine tingling goodness. The music is high action, fast paced, driving throughout yet keeping the listener hooked throughout.
Slowing down the pace a little we are given the beauty that is “Forever us” with Petrini singing in a highly welcomed tone above the most wonderful played pianos from Girardelli which takes you away from everything you could ever expect. As the song moves forward Sain comes in and adds to the richness of all the textures throughout simply expanding this magnificent track a little further. If we think it couldn’t get any better than this, you’d be mistaken as the solos come in to expand the harmonies beyond anything my mind was expecting to hear.
Leaving with “When darkness falls”, and the haunting melody driven Gothic based atmospheric synths demanding attention from the very start; this is enough to hold you fixed to your seat before the explosion of metal comes out of the floor to blow your head off! Throwing vocal mixes between Petrini and Sain whilst the music demands its own respect this ending song is brilliant from start to finish. There isn’t a moment where you think it’s is going on too long, actually quite the opposite, it leaves you with the “I want more” feeling.
If you enjoy the best parts of Nightwish, Epica, and Within Temptation, then Sinheresy’s “Spiders and the Butterfly” EP is really going to interest you.
Artist: Nechochwen
Album: OtO
Label: Bindrune Recordings
Release Date: 31 July 2012
Genre: Apalaci Folk Metal
01 Cultivation
02 On the Wind
03 Otomen’pe (Our Ancestors)
04 Haniipi-miisi (Elm Tree)
05 He Ya Ho Na
06 Pekikalooletiiwe (Instructions; an Exhoration)
Where previous releases have been rooted in the historic and ancient past, Oto focuses on the guidance our ancestors bringing us into modern times. The album title could be called ‘Ancestor’ in English. Nechochwen say: “We consider this third Nechochwen album to be a “double EP” with Side A taking an organic, acoustic route and Side B shifting to an aggressive metal assault. The focus of this album is quite simple: ancestral wisdom and Native tradition is relevant and important in our overly complex and distracting present world. Never has man been so disconnected from the very soil he walks on. Just as there are two sides to this LP, there are two sides to all of us. One is at peace with our surroundings and the other attempts to conquer them. This album is a tribute to the balanced, ancestral self.” Pohonasin: “Oto, in both conception and inception, is paradoxical in nature. It is the proverbial thread of the past thrust through the eye of the needle that is what we call the present day; a musical time machine that seamlessly shifts between two worlds that could be considered equally shrouded in obscurity. Visually, the title ‘O+O’ invokes a sense of symmetry. Like a human face, it looks equal on both sides. But upon closer inspection, symmetry is but an illusion. Each side holds its own discerning features. Such is the case with this volume of Nechochwen. Two distinctly different notes of the same chord, embraced in a confluence of harmony.”
So, what are we actually left with following that explanation?
Starting with the intro to “Cultivation” is the most well placed use of delay and artificial echoes anyone could ask for in one piece. Followed up by flamenco style playing and effects is brilliantly crazy. If you were or are a fan of Opeth or Agolloch then “On the Wind” will become one of your favourites by far, introducing elements of long choral structures and opening melodies is beautiful in every sense of the word. Taking into account the mystical feel of haunting whispers of native traditions flowing in and out of this song is amazing to hear.
Bringing in the very classical opening of “Otomen’pe (Our Ancestors)” and gentle listening is by far the greatest element here. Introducing choirs alongside a very well played finger-picked classical riff really gives you another insight into the beauty that is or are Nechochwen. Flowing directly into the “Haniipi-miisi (Elm Tree)” with the excellently placed and well written intro riff taking the music into another world and further into yourselves. If that wasn’t enough for you then add to this another well written solo guitar section featuring what feels like two harmonies on top of each other playing a melody line which is just enough to take this piece of music a little further into the soul. Before the song finishes you are given Ancestral and Native chanting to enhance this listening experience a little more, this is beyond beautiful, and is simply magnificent!
So after all the gentleness do not be fooled by the metal creeping out of “He Ya Ho Na” whilst it remains positively heavy it still keeps the Agolloch/Opeth feel to it bringing you to those ancient times. Introducing some interesting elements from the echoed growls to the screams not too distant from the greats in folk metal; this is really a great track to follow up from the rest of the album.
We leave this album with the very fast paced metal track “Pekikalooletiiwe (Instructions; an Exhoration)” bringing in the greatness that folk metal and Black Metal collectively share whilst remaining positively above the rest. From the hypnotic melody motif phrasing, to the blasting of the drums, into the pure raw feel of the vocals, gives the listener a little more to consider before a very obscure but excellently executed solo section comes in to destroy any left false sense of security you may have once held about this album. We are left with a very familiar outro to the intros we once felt coming into this album, full of grace, beauty, delight and substance to open up the listeners mind a little further.
Artist: Skydancer
Album: Winterkiller
Label: SBS Records
Date of Release: 31/01/2012
Genre: Galician Heavy Metal
Hometown: Vigo, Spain
1. Perfect Mind
2. Winter’s Hideout
3. Living Hell
4. The Inner Killer
5. Absinthe
6. Human Void
7. Orphan of the Dark
8. Crossing the North
Founded by Daniel Soengas, in the seaside town of Vigo, north-western Spain, Skydancer defined a unique style featuring Extremely rough vocals, melodic patterns and skilful guitar solos. In the six years Skydancer have been around they have been growing step by step to make themselves a shining name amongst the immense mass of Heavy Metal bands out there today.
With previous albums making waves amongst the global audience, Skydancer are sure set in becoming one of the forerunners of great heavy metal.
Bringing in their third album ‘WinterKiller‘, Skydancer are attempting to shape and perhaps even mould the very fabric of one’s own conscious outlook of winter and the bleak coldness that surrounds it. With the warming, yet haunting introductions featuring rich orchestral melodies and obscure patterns, follows an almost intimidating onslaught of melodic thrash metal from the very beginning.
Keeping in line with many thrash metal bands out there today holding onto the tight gritty sound that is famous within this genre, Skydancer include fast paced driven blasts of melody throughout the album whilst introducing shouts and screaming growls. A lot of the melodic metal seems to be hidden behind heavily driven thrash yet “Perfect Mind” is A-typical of the sort of expressions you would expect to see in power-metal whilst the solos are not far from the genre either. There is a lot going on in this song to slightly alter the perception of the listener.
Into “Winter’s Hideout” and melodic death seems to be missing here, although a very interesting song full of crazy patterns and techniques to confuse even the most experienced listener, this track is very defined throughout. From the super-fast paced thrash soloing to the aggressive movements “Winter’s Hideout” really opens up another possibility in music.
Into something a little more melodic now “Living Hell” with the Celtic style introduction grabbing attention to the listener before the Bach-esq motifs kick in an exemplify the track a little more. Galloping is almost a must in any metal of this sort and we are not disappointed here, whilst jumping back and forth between melodic structures before a wonderful echoed solo section takes over and slows the pace down enough to allow the Neo-Classical driven sweeping to kick in and expand the track a whole lot more than we would have expected from the start.
Into the haunting atmospheric disruptions of “Absinthe” with the well constructed pianos leading throughout before the distorted guitars come in to join this simple yet well executed piece of music. The main issue I have with this piece of music is it all feels a little too MIDI from start to finish; although there are some interesting compositional features going on here it is just lacking any depth and feeling. Bringing in the lead guitars to the mix half way through and I’d have expected a little more than what was given based on the rest of the album thus far.
Dragging you into the mind-set of “Human Void” and the technical obscurities that are going on here is definitely interesting from a guitarist’s point of view, but is it enough? Bring in the vocals after a very yawn worthy motif which by any good guitarist’s standards should have been opened up a little more, yet the vocals do give another textural possibility of an additional madness within. “Orphan of the Dark” has one of those powerful head nodding introduction lines to it which after you get past the ridiculous speed-picking scale run at the start you begin to really appreciate this song as a whole. Brilliantly executed harmony lines and melodic passages opens this song up as being one of the bests on this album so far! As you progress through the “Orphan of the Dark” everything that is good about metal is shown here from the distinctive chopping guitars to the harmonies into the choruses which have very addictive properties to them. As we expect from this track we should be heading to a unique solo and yes we are given something like that, from the delayed pitched harmonics and bar-dives to the alternative arpeggios, it is well created for the best possible effect.
We leave this thrash based melodic metal album with the very harmonic and very melodic “Crossing the North” which features everything that is interesting in this genre from the high speed tremolo picking to the thrash chopping, into the power metal motifs and back into blasts from the drums before picking up again. Add to this a bridge section of interesting broken riffs just to slightly alter things before once again speeding up and chopping through the track a little more. As far as obscure tracks go, this is up there with the best of them! There are some interesting passages throughout yet the definition is sometimes lost by all the timing changes as just as you’ve got used to listening to one part, it all goes nuts and leaves you bewildered in the dark. It could be said this is what Skydancer were trying to achieve and if so, well done, my mind is totally screwed! As we come out of the high octane riffs we are saluted with a very Maiden-esq melody which feels as we are building into something a little more exceptional, and yes, we do! Thrown back into a madness of sorts that are the obscurities of the track with all the madness combined before the inevitable mixed harmony solo sections come in to destroy what sanity you have left, assuming you had any to start with. This is definitely an interesting track!
As far as interesting albums go, this is definitely one of them. It gives you a huge mix of genres to delight your senses with before destroying anysense of understanding you may once have held. Other than that obscurities and effects a lot of the mix feels hidden behind the noise of distorted mayhem and lacks the thumping body shifting I would have come to expect. However, this is one album not to be missed or put aside for any reason.
Artist: Bisongrass
Album: Self-Titled
Label: Self-Released
Date of Release: 15th September 2012
Track listing:
1. Electrified Gypsy.
2. Infected.
3. Seeds Of Hate.
4. Unipolar.
5. Square Turkey.
6. Desert Rose.
7. Sounds Like Trouble.
8. Halos At Sunrise.
Formed in late 2010, formerly Bison, from Aberdeen UK Played their first gig 13th August 2011; featuring the current and former members of Dredwater, KCHGH, Ablach, Filthpact, Risactonia, and Korpse. After only a few gigs they won both the Best Band 2012 & Best Newcomer 2012 at The Fudge Aberdeen Music Awards. Their debut, self-titled album is set for a September 15th release.
Produced and mixed by Niall Mathewson and Bisongrass at The Mill Studios, Aberdeen, and has been primed as one of the heaviest things coming out this year.
Jumping into the most exciting funky riffage with “Electrified Gypsy” from the likes of White Zombie to Sabbath we enter this first track not too far from the expressive tendencies of Jim Morrison and the Doors with a little metal growing in-between the nuances. Given the influences of this band I’d be surprised not to hear some home-grown metal creeping out of the floor and onto the shelves. “Infected” really gives us some fantastic expressions and gracefulness whilst maintaining a fixture of super-expressive metal. The solo’s are not only well textured but very rich combining all the great techniques you’d expect in heavy metal without losing too much control.
On the first bar of “Seeds Of Hate” you automatically feel your body moving along to this exhausting pounding of metal and depth throughout. The drumming from James Dron really keeps this alive and moving whilst the vocals leave you yearning for more. Again the super-expressive almost destructive soloing takes a new turn opening up another field of masochistic madness for your listening pleasure.
Slowing the pace down a little we’re given the intro to “Square Turkey” featuring rich subtle textures of the blues/rock guitars feel whilst remaining positively as strong as the previous few. For great ‘stoner’ metal this is up there with the best of them. Kicking in to the riffs and we’re thrown head first back into a little madness which is all too familiar but much loved.
From hypnotic opening riffs like “Seeds of Hate” to the “Desert Rose” you are undoubtedly shown what can be achieved with the right amount of texture and expression without going over-the-top. Keeping a perfect balance of obscurity and mayhem whilst remaining positively unique and strong is everything that is good about this album! Throwing in powerful vocal textures and guitar passages whilst the drums glue you to the floor keeping you focussed throughout.
From a not too distant past we were given the absolute best of metal from the likes of Sabbath to Geezer Butler to Rob Zombie, and now as you enter “Sounds like Trouble” you get that distinction of everything you knew and loved whilst remaining positively great in its own standing. Again giving you those superb riffs and powerful structures to the head banging drums and basses, moving you along with this excellent piece of music whilst remaining positively up there with the best of them!
Leaving the album you’re given one more blast of metal with absolutely everything you’ve heard in this album from the subtle hypnotising nuances to the intense vocals and really heavy muting from those guitars. “Halos At Sunrise” is a great way to leave what has been an absolutely great listening experience.
If you’ve never heard them before like myself I’d implore you to give it the album shot. This is slightly beyond the average stoner metal which we all know and yet opens up a few more possibilities of throwing your mind out to the music and letting Bisongrass control everything else.
Artist: Wildestarr
Album: A Tale Tell Heart
Label: Furnace Maximus Records
Release Date: 30 October 2012
Track list
1. Immortal
2. Transformis Ligea
3. A Perfect Storm
4. Valkyrie Cry
5. Last Holy King
6. In Staccata
7. Not Sane
8. Seven Shades Of Winter
9. The Pit or the Pendulum
10. Usher in the Twilight
Thanks to my friend Captain Howdy here at Metal Shock Finland, I was handed the promo for a band called WildeStarr. When I first saw that the name of the band, I said to myself, “Oh no, not another glam LA band.”; Plus the name reminds me of someone’s first band when they were in high school After getting myself acquainted with the bands info, I soon learned that it was a combination of former Vicious Rumors bassist Dave Starr along with vocalist London Wildes names together. Ok, that I can understand! Then 2 things concerned my right off the bat. First was, that this was the bands sophomoric album and it was a concept album. For me, 95% of concept albums suck and for a band to resort to this idea for the second CD was very ambitious on their part. And second, they have female singer. Yikes!!! Except for Doro and Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy, most female fronted bands just don’t cut it. Simply put, and no pun intended, they just don’t have the balls to sing metal. I’m not a big fan in that department at all.
Well after hearing the first song, “Immortal”, this band buried all those perceptions that I just mentioned. This is probably the best song that I’ve heard all year! High piercing screams, killer double bass drums, excellent guitar leads and a tempo that is perfectly made for head banging. The use of doubling the vocals and harmonies are used frequently but at the right moments and the small measures of the tempo slowing down brings out the rest of this selection. After hearing this song, I can honestly say that she has what it takes to be a great metal singer. No whiney moments, just true kick ass vocals. I am most impressed!
“Transformis Ligea” is a perfect follow up to the first track. A very heavy filled rhythm section fused with vocals at a lower register which separates it from opening number but is just as good. The chorus brings out a chilling emotion to her voice and automatically shows that she knows how to send a shiver up the spine. Drummer, Josh Foster drives the song steady with some nice fills and Dave Starr plays some melodic guitar leads that conjure up the spirit of Ace Frehley.
Our third song, “A Perfect Storm” brings forth the sound of modern day Judas Priest. Not as prominent as the other two but a decent effort. I could do without some of the voice effects as I think it isn’t needed and is too much like Priest/Halford. Jack brings a slightly different style of guitar leads here, where the finger work is much more complex.
Now, from here to the last song, you might as well put on a Primal Fear album. Every song is textbook PF. It all sounds that it was lifted from P Fears “New Religion” album. “Valkyrie Cry” and “Last Holy King” are perfect examples of this. Not bad songs but it seems the band stole the playbook from Mat Sinner. The vocals have the exact phrasing and emphasis as Ralf Scheepers.
As we get to the fifth song “In Staccata” we find a song that is completely over sung. I’ve listened to this album 5 times but could only finish listening to this song 3 times. It gets to the point of being really annoying.
Next up and a really good song is “Seven Shades of Winter”. A very profound sounding chorus that catches the listener’s ear! It sounds a bit different than the other songs but not enough where it sounds that it doesn’t belong. The verse flows effortlessly into the chorus which is dramatic but not over bearing. My second favourite song on the album as it combines a heavy back section into a catchy, melodic chorus.
The last two songs, “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “Usher in the Twilight” continue on the Primal Fear path.
The production work is at the top of the class. All the instruments sound as if you could walk between them so there are no problems there. My one small concern is that the drums seem a bit too digital sounding. For me, this is a problem not just here but with a lot of other modern metal albums.
Now for the band itself, absolutely no lack of talent here whatsoever; I really, really like this band. Dave Starr plays flawlessly throughout the album. He seems to instinctively know when to play melodically and when to rip the frets off the board. He adds effects not to sound different but to compliment or to bring a song along. London Wilde is without a doubt, my favourite female singer. She is more than competent singing in a predominately mans domain. I just hope that she sometimes exercises “the less is more” rule in the future as sometimes her much higher range notes become a bit much after using them frequently. Josh Foster fills in the drum seat quite nicely. Fast double bass beats drive many of the songs to blistering speed and he throws in fills where needed. The one good thing is that he doesn’t play “lead” drums where the fills could interfere with the vocals. He knows when to play and when to pull back, something that is detrimental to some drummers.
Overall, It is a pretty good album.. I just wished they touched the album with more originality. I was let down after hearing the first two songs which were killer, a path they should have stayed on. The concept element worked well here and the artwork of the album cover is a good representation of the music inside. I look forward to hearing their next set of works.
Favourite song: “Immortal”.
Least Favourite: “In Staccata”
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Ads
Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 