Artist: Night Terrain
Album: American Dream
Label: Self Released
Release Date: 24 July 2012
Tracklist:
1. Dyssonic
2. Beyond Walls
3. Wayside and Hallowed
4. Dusk
5. Dawn
6. American Dream
7. Wild Again
8. Adrift
9. Arise
10. Distant Echoes
Night Terrain is a post-metal band from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Usa. Their music is a mix of space/ambient rock, doom metal and stoner rock. “American Dream” is their first full length release.
“American Dream” is an interesting and convincing instrumental album (except for the last song).
Even without a singer this album hits the post with a ten track journey, combining great atmospheres, good riffs and solos.
The album lets your imagination go far away. With their music this trio can create great landscapes indeed.
Some passages are slow and doomy, while others have that grunge/post metal feel which is their trademark.
Another Night Terrain’s trademark is their ability to create good stoner riffs, giving energy to their music.
Some melodic ideas are useful to confer different dynamics to the tracks.
Even if they are not “virtuosos” they know how to create music.
The only real pity of this platter is the amateurish level of the production. With a pro producer their music could reach another level. And I hope they will be able to reach that level soon.
RATING: 7.5/10
Band Members:
Dave Walsh – Guitar
Joe Bachmeier – Drums
James Bixler – Bass
The scene was set, I was in position at the front of the crowd on the blisteringly hot Friday afternoon of Bloodstock 2012. I wanted to ensure the best possible view of the stage for my first live experience of the powerful American metallers and what a metal onslaught it turned out to be!
ICED EARTH certainly drew a big crowd for 3.15pm, demonstrating their popularity among the UK crowd. Drummer Brent Smedley was first onstage and began pounding his bass drum and getting the crowd clapping as the other members joined him.
Vocalist Stu Block announced how happy he was to be at Bloodstock, his first European festival and was ecstatic to be ‘popping his festival cherry’ with us! Stu gave several speeches throughout the set with an enthusiastic response from the crowd. He is certainly a great choice as the new ICED EARTH front man: he has a great stage presence, is an expert in working the crowd and above all, has one awesome metal voice!
Luke Appleton looked to have settled extremely well into his role as bass player, as though he has always been there, looking very happy to be so.
The band were all dressed in the traditional ‘metal’ style, with their customised jeans and cut off denims complete with back patches, very cool!
So, to the music! From the first song ‘Dystopia‘ from the latest album of the same name, the band played a storming set in the hour they had, including such classics as ‘My Own Saviour,’ and the very emotional ‘Watching Over Me ‘ ( Something Wicked This way Comes, 1998) and ‘Damien‘ (The Horror Show, 2001). ‘Watching Over Me‘ was particularly poignant with Stu explaining that Jon had written it for his friend who passed away, the emotion was palpable and there was a huge response afterwards from the crowd.
One of Stu’s rousing speeches took place before ‘Anthem‘ (Dystopia, 2011): ‘Now let’s talk about the human spirit, there’s a lot of it in this room. On this new album we were talking about a lot of the negative things happening in the world today, like politicians stealing the fuckin’ money right out of our back pockets, cancer killing our loved ones. But no matter what shit we have to go through, our human spirit will prevail, no matter what they throw at us, can I have a fuckin’ hell yeah?!‘ And he certainly got one!
Nobody could miss Jon Schaffer’s commanding presence with his trademark bandana in place, providing the solid guitar sound and backing vocals along with the riffs of Troy Steele. Pounding away with amazing precision and speed on the twin bass drums was Brent Smedley. Newcomer Luke Appleton did an amazing job on bass and Stu Block’s vocal style is diverse with screams to rival (dare I say ‘maybe better than’ these days?!) metal god Rob Halford. Those notes he hit were amazing!
I could see the harmony between every member of the band, there were lots of smiles between them as they gave us a fantastic metal performance. Their enjoyment was plain to see and transferred to the atmosphere in the crowd, everyone was having a great time during the one hour long set. The band were as slick as a well oiled metal machine and it was the best show of the day for me, I can’t wait until the next time!
Setlist
Dystopia
Burning Times
Angel’s Holocaust
Slave To The Dark
Watching Over Me
V
My Own Saviour
Anthem
Boiling Point
Damien
Iced Earth
Stu Block, Iced Earth Bloodstock Open Air, 10/08/12
Jon Schaffer, Iced Earth Bloodstock Open Air, 10/08/12
Artist: Scar for Life
Album: 3 Minute Silence
Label: Infektion Records
Date: Sep 10, 2012
Country: Portugal
1. Last Crow
2. Metabolic
3. White Shades
4. Interlude 1948
5. Burn It All feat. Kari Vahakuopus
6. before the Storm
7. One More Day feat. Anne Vitorino d’Almeida
8. 3 Minute Silence
9. The Journey
10. Old Man feat. Anne Vitorino d’Almeida
11. Brave Enough feat. Ged Rylands
12. One More Day (instrumental version)
Melodic Metal band Scar for life was founded by guitarist Alexandre Santos in 2008 following his compositional work with ‘Redstains’. Creating songs from vitriolic, groovy assaults to soft acoustic pieces this band is set to make an emotional yet powerful stand. 3 Minute Silence, is the bands third album to make a shout in the world. Recorded at Pressplay Studio at the begining of 2012, features a new lineup and an handful of guests such as Violinist Anne Vitorino d’Almeidam, Finnish singer Kari Vahakuopus (CATAMENIA) and British keyboardist Ged Ryland(ex-TEN). Drummer Joao Colaco (ex-MORE THAN A THOUSAND) stepped in whilst guitarist Sergio Faria added new depth on live performances.
Starting with an ambient acoustic intro combining Spanish-feel movements we are dragged into the metal beginnings of ‘Last Crow‘ and one could quite easily mistake this for a few other great songs out there. Leonel Silva unmistakably throwing those powerful rough vocal lines in to the mix whilst Dinho and his growls carries forth a pounding of structure and brilliance not often heard in music today; With the breakdown before the exquisite solo sections you almost lose feeling of the metal before. Galloping to an extreme is always good to hear in any metal band and Scar for Life has got it down to a tee on this track. We leave with a very ‘White Zombie-esq‘ outro!
‘Metabolic‘ gives us a great example of technical melodic metal from the very start with the delayed intro to the vocals in the verses being something quite special. The guitars keep an interesting melody flowing all the way through whilst maintaining a positive influence on the music. The mixing is superb and everything is so clear, which makes a change to hear in this type of music. Into the bridge before the beautiful solos come in and open up this track into a new. We are then thrown back into the power after an interesting short ‘Pink Floyd-esq‘ sequence.
‘interlude 1948‘ breaks down the last 3 tracks and gives us a beautiful spine chilling acoustic track to take a breather to before the more inevitable poundings like that of ‘Burn It All‘ with the anthem melody lines carrying this track into its own. Another great fulfilling track full of little oddities and complexities that really makes it stand out from the melodic rhythms and lead to the blasting of the drums and not forgetting those ever-so powerful vocals.
‘Before The Storm‘ is one of “those” tracks you could listen to over and over again. With the pounding rhythms and solos that take you unto an entirely new realm, there really is nothing this song doesn’t have. I loved it, and will be playing it again.
Back into another softer track and this time we’re given the wonderful textural layers of ‘One More Day‘ with the beautiful rhythms and vocals taking you on a journey into yourself. Bring in the violins of Anne Vitorino d’Almeida and everything seems perfectly calming, this has been so well written to encompass everything. The vocals really show how much talent and creativity is flowing through this band as going from metal to this is something quite special.
Into the album track ‘3 Minute Silence‘ and you are given very groovy metal full of distinguishing features and textural expressions from the vocal changes to the musical genius that covers it. I really am beginning to understand this band and what makes them “tick” so to speak, from the gentleness of those beautiful solos to the well crafted insanely textural solos like that in this track. Another superb song on what is becoming one of the best albums I’ve heard this year!
Bring in what is possibly the most beautifully haunting track on this album ‘Old Man‘ with the wondeful expressions from the very talented Anne Vitorino d’Almeida on violins, Nelson Raposo on pianos and the backing vocals from Jane Castro with the ambient and soothing simplicities that make this track into something wonderful. Give us then a little more life and we take the violins onto a new path where the drums kick in and everything goes a little exciting for a moment. It’s always a pleasure to hear lead guitars and violins next to each other, very complimenting instead of destroying each other. The vocals on this track are just enough not to destroy the feeling, whilst the solos are again perfectly fitting throughout, I can’t argue with this at all.
Leaving the album with the last 2 tracks ‘Brave Enough‘ featuring Ged Rylands on the keyboards and the instrumental versrion of ‘One More Day‘ really define how good this band can be, not only technically superior to many bands but with a complete understanding of classical modes and ambient textures. The vocals between Dinho and Silva make this one hell of an album throughout whilst the guitarists Santos and Faria extend the feelings beyond anything you could or would normally expect to hear from one album. Maybe over 3 albums you would come across the beauty and textural intensity that lies here, but “one” album!? It is far from great, it is Brilliant!
10/10
Lineup:
Leonel Silva – Vocals
Alexandre Santos – Rhythm, Lead Guitars & Bass
Joao Colaco – Drums
Sergio Faria – Lead Guitars on ‘Before the Storm’ & ‘Brave Enough’
Nelson Raposo – Piano
Album lineup
Leonel Silva – vocals
Alexandre Santos – lead & rhythm guitars, bass
João Colaço – drums
Anne Vitorino d’Almeida – violins on tracks 07 & 10 Sérgio Faria – lead guitars on tracks 06 & 11 Nelson Raposo – piano Jane Castro – backing vocals
Kari Vähäkuopus (CATAMENIA) – vocals on track 05 Ged Rylands (ex-TEN) – keyboards on track 11 Dinho (NEW MECHANICA) – screams & growls on tracks 01, 03 & 11
Artist: Blood Mortized
Album: The Key to a Black Heart
Label: FDA Rekotz and Chaos Records
Release Date: November 2011
Country: Sweden
Tracklist:
CD Version
1. Unleashing The Hounds (Rick Rozz from Massacre, Death, M inc) soloing on this track
2. The Heretic Possession
3. Only Blood Can Tell
4. Dead and Rotten
5. Doomsday Architect (Rick Rozz from Massacre, Death, M inc) soloing on this track
6. Rekviem
7. To Murder a God
8. Shadow of the Quarter Sun
9. Bringer of Eternal Death
10. The Key to a Black Heart
Vinyl Version
1. Unleashing the Hounds (Rick Rick Rozz from Massacre, Death, M inc) soloing on this track
3. Only Blood Can Tell
4. Dead and Rotten
5. Rekviem
6. Doomsday Architect (Rick Rick Rozz from Massacre, Death, M inc) soloing on this track
8. Burn and Die
9. Bringer of Eternal Death
10. The Key to A Black Heart
Founded by vocalist Mattias Parkkila and guitar player Benny Moberg in Stockholm, Sweden late 2007, Blood Mortized are an unpolished Swedish Death Metal band created by veterans of the Swedish old school death metal scene.
In April 2008 guitarist Anders Biazzi (formerly Hansson) joined the band, followed by drummer Mattias Borgh in late August 2008; February 2011 saw Gustav Myrin join the ranks as the new second guitar player and in June Mattias Söderlund was drafted as the new bass player.
Into the album and you’re immediately thrown into intense death metal with a heavy introduction from the drums smashing your mind apart. With the vocal layers and breaks built in, there really is an interesting mix up of melody throughout which a lot of death metal seems to lack. An interesting first track to the album!
Blasting into “The Heretic Possession” with the guitars driving another melodic fusion of intense metal heavy enough to induce involuntary body movements is a great start to another well driven track. With the heaviness and harmonic passages throughout the vocal sections and the combo’s with the bass and drums really opening up this track you couldn’t ask for more.
Into “Only Blood Can Tell” is epic from the very start with the haunting melody lines flowing throughout this track. Even with the vocals coming in and dominating, you don’t lose that purity that could quite easily dissapear. Adding to the mass of intense music you have this overwhelming sensation to move with the music as it progresses, the drums commanding attention throughout until the solos come in which based on the first song could have been over the top, and they aren’t! It’s a “nice” well presented interesting song from start to finish.
As you progress through the album one thing appears apparent throughout and that’s how much time and precision has been taken to make this sound the absolute best it can. There doesn’t seem to be an error or even an incline of one anywhere, which in this sort of music is very easy (generally) to spot. The accuracy contained within demands attention and it’s not difficult to give the band or this album that attention. “The Key to a Black Heart” album really does define what is great about death metal!
“Rekviem” starts with one of those memorable but haunting intro’s that we all love to hear, like that of “Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’” and the classic yet memorable haunting riff that really grabs your attention from the starting pistol. After the intro you are dragged head first through the pits of your very self, and the torment you allow to grow within your minds. An exemplary execution of melodic soloing, with the drumming really expanding everything throughout here is beyond perfect, it is excellent to hear. “Rekviem” is melodically perfect whilst remaining harmonically accurate; to have these two things in one piece of music is very rare and yet brilliant to hear. We leave this track almost like we start it, in the haunting mass of no-nonsense chanting.
Let’s get really heavy now with “Bringer of Eternal Death” and if you weren’t already moving you will be now; this song is everything you’d expect in death metal from the power thumping of the bass and kicks, up to the leading riffs of the guitars into the super heaviness of those intense vocals. This track is a great reminder of how good death metal used to be, especially for the old-school metallers out there. The solo is nothing to be desired but then the song really makes up for where the solos lack depth.
We leave with the album titled track “The Key to a Black Heart” and boy what a track! If you hadn’t had enough of a blasting throughout this album so far, this track will give you your final beating. Combining everything good from the last 9 songs into one mass of madness, which sends you back to a time when music was good, when music was as demanding as it was intense and if you haven’t found it through this album then maybe you never will.
The Blood Mortized album “The Key to a Black Heart” has really brought back that greatness that was heavily driven death metal and I’ve missed it to be honest. The intensity throughout this album shouldn’t be taken with a pinch of salt; it has the means and power to blow your head off!
9/10
Blood Mortized is:
Mattias Parkkila: Vocals (Previously with Stigmata, E.G.Y.P.T and Excretion. Session vocals for Excruciate. Current side projects are Birch Mountain and Malfeitor).
Anders Biazzi: Guitar (Biazzi (formerly Hansson) was a member of early death metal bands like Patholog, Scum and Amon Amarth. Biazzi played with Amon Amarth between 1991 and 1998 and performed on the bands demos and the first two official releases).
Gustav Myrin: Guitar (Played with early death metal band Pathalog. Relased demos, three albums and toured with dirty rock & rollers Apes IQ between 2001 until 2010).
Mattias Söderlund: Bass (Recorded albums and toured heavily through Scandinavia with Swedish punk legends Charta 77.)
Mattias Borgh: Drums (A member of early old school bands such as Embryo and the newly resurrected cult phenomen Crypt of Kerberos. He is also well known for his percussive work with Arcana.)
Well, what to say about an album, that for sure has been reviewed hundreds of times in these years … all the good words have been written, all the technical aspects have been analyzed… but still, when MSFinland’s Review Manager, Dylan, asked me to write my opinion on this legendary album, I simply couldn’t refuse…
“Roots” is the sixth studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band SEPULTURA. It was released in February 20, 1996 by Roadrunner Records, and was the band’s last studio album to feature founding member and vocalist Max Cavalera. Following the experimentalism of the album Chaos A.D., Roots has more influence from Brazilian musical rhythms, and features Brazilian musician Carlinhos Brown, percussionist David Silveria, turntablist DJ Lethal, and vocalists Jonathan Davis and Mike Patton. Roots sold more than 2 million copies worldwide.
Opening track “Roots Bloody Roots” is with all the good reasons the title track, it includes it all in there… it’s an invitation to enter the brand new nu-metal world of SEPULTURA of those years; and as people are stuck on the traditions and too many times are unable to see further, ROOTS caused a huge controversy over the band’s decision to experiment with a completely new way to express themselves, for this album SEPULTURA literally invented a new style, never heard before 1996, with the spirit to seek their roots through the exaltation of tribal life, etno-music, in its most radical and “primitive” sense.
The next track “Attitude”, is introduced by a great tribal rhythm then enter the syncopated drumming of Igor Cavalera and the repulsive voice of Max, at certain points the rhythm changes and becomes more pressing, this is a excellent example of a crossover between metal and tribalism. “Cut throat” to me is perhaps the only track that stands out the most from this album, in fact, i’d define it simply a great metal song where Max shouts his anger towards the political “cut throats”, and attacking violently against the dominance of the music industry.
The point of maximum inspiration can be heard without doubts in “Ratamahatta” (sung in Portuguese), alternating by Carlinhos Brown‘s improvisations on percussion, by Andreas Kisser‘s guitars and Igor‘s drumming. This combination creates a perfect delirium.
“Breed Apart” brings us back to a more “canonical” metal, with a hint of electronics in the guitar sounds, and the following “Straighthate” after a hypnotic beginning, becomes a ferocious track full of distortions. “Spit” has accelerated rhythm and nice riffs, the vocals are more aggressive than we normally hear, with a sort of a thrashy stamp.
“Lookaway” is full of guests, DJ Lethal (ex-House of Pain, Limp Bizkit), Jonathan Davis (Korn), and Mike Patton (Faith No More), music-wise it’s a dark nu metal-dipped song of dark attitude, the song structure is well-balanced, and to me this could be the best song of this album.
“Dusted” and “Born Stubborn”, these two songs denote a wild and true destructive will, although brought to the limelight with different methods from the past. “Jasco”, feels like a short emotive break with its melodic acoustic guitars, followed by “Itsári”, wholly tribal song played together with the Xavante-tribe in their reserve. This is another example of the depth and courage of “Roots” and how it was able to go on unexplored paths and trails.
With “Ambush” and “Endangered Species” we go back to the typical Sepultura sound, full of distortions and power, combined with local Brazilian instruments enriched by a pinch of electronic tones, played by Carlinhos Brown. “Dictatorshit” is a bizarre closure of the album, a 1:26 min song consisting a fast thrash-death metal run, that turns out to be good and efficient if brief.
The unlisted hidden track “Canyon Jam”, also this song was played with the Amazonian Xavantes-tribe, it’s a collection of sounds, noises and percussions recorded in a deep Canyon at Indigo Studios.
Overall
“Roots” has in it all what you can expect from a masterpiece, a classic, that at the same time is faithful to the tradition, but full of innovation. Roots is a full-bodied and very complex album, with harsh, dirty and mean sounds, perfectly in balance with its slow and powerfull riffs and syncopated rhythms that highlight the influence of nu-metal. There will never be another Roots, for sure, but the roots of this album will always be there as an example and a model for hundreds of bands of today and to those yet to come.
Artist: Wind Rose
Album: Shadows Over Lothadruin
Label: Bakerteam Records
Release Date: 28 August 2012
Country: Italy
Tracklist:
1. Prelude
2. Endless Prophecy
3. (The Tournament)
4. Siderion
5. (The Grand March)
6. Son of a Thousand Nights
7. The Fourth Vanguard
8. (Dark Horizon)
9. Majesty
10. (The Havoc)
11. Oath to Betray
12. Led by Light
13. (Sacred Fount)
14. Moontear Sanctuary
15. (Vererath)
16. Close to the End
Wind Rose are an Italian Progressive-Power-Symphonic Metal combo that started in 2007 as a cover band (Dream Theater, Symphony X, Blind Guardian etc ).
This is their first full lenght album, after a self-released Ep in 2010. This is a concept album about a fantasy land called Lothadruin and the beautiful artwork was handled by Felipe Machado Franco (Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire). The huge and great production of Cristiano Bertocchi (Labyrinth, Vision Divine) gives the album the right atmosphere.
Along with the songs there are some narrative tracks that bind the different scenes together. The whole idea behind this platter is quite similar to Rhapsody of Fire‘s concept albums.
When you listen to a Symphonic-Power Metal work you already know what you are going to hear: fast riffing, heavy guitars, haunting atmospheres, vocal harmonies, fantasy lyrics and so on……luckily, the Progressive element inside Wind Rose‘s music give us something more interesting to hear. Not just the Classic Power sound, to be precise.
Tracks like “The Fourth Vanguard”, “Oath to Betray”, “Majesty” are good examples of this.
The guitar work is very good and the “solo duels” with the keyboards are very Dream Theater-ish and the technical level of the band is quite high.
Vocal harmonies are interesting and well arranged.
The Epic/Symphonic element mixed with the Prog side flows always very fluently.
A “Celtic” taste in some songs is a nice and catchy idea because it gives different flavours to the work, as you can hear in “Moontear Sanctuary”, a great track.
In the end, if you are a Prog/Power fan – or a Symphony X die-hard fan – you will really enjoy “Shadows over Lothadruin”.
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
Artist: Sepultura
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 