New Jersey traditional metallers ARCTIC FLAME ( Metal Shock Finland’s own Mike Paradine is drummer)recently supported the legendary HELLOWEEN at Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio.
ARCTIC FLAME had a special guest vocalist join them for the track “Hey You;” legendary US cult frontman Eric Moore of the GODZ. The song is from the bands “Mongolian” album, released in 1987. ARCTIC FLAME has recorded the song for a GODZ tribute album due out shortly.
ARCTIC FLAME formed in 2001 and have released four albums, the latest being “Shake The Earth” at the end of last year. For more information, check out the album review at this location.
Mike stated the following about the show:
“ Helloween kicked ass…..really good show, completely exciting…There was a real good crowd and they went wild… The one thing was the band was really giving it to the singer behind his back…like making believe they were kicking him in the ass and making fun of his hairline. I don’t know if things were a little hostile between them or if they were just goofing around.
I also had an impromtu meeting with Eric Moore who now wants AF to open a few shows for the Godz and wants to work with me in some way, either for him to sing lead, backgrounds or produce an album in the future. A very cool, down to earth person and we got along very well.”
Check out some video footage from the show below:
ARCTIC FLAME with Eric Moore 2013
For more information about ARCTIC FLAME check out their official facebook page at this location.
German power metallers HELLOWEEN played the Ohio show near the end of their Canadian and North American Hellish Rock Tour Part II, before continuing in November. Check out the rest of the dates at this location.
Straight off the heels of releasing his critically acclaimed solo album, “Death in the Family”, ARCTIC FLAME drummer, Mike Paradine has begun recording his second effort.
With new co-writer Allen Carrescia, the album will again bring forward some personal experiences from Mikes past. Where his first CD explored the styles from rock to heavy metal, these new set of songs get trimmed down to the hard rock genre. 10 to 12 songs are planned for the album, including a cover of THIN LIZZY’s “Little Darling”.
Completion for the album is scheduled for the end of November but as Mike put it, “There’s always a dark cloud over me so I’m not expecting it”. Tentative title for the upcoming album is “Life Isn’t Fair, Too Fuckin’ Bad”.
Stay tuned for more news!
Check out a track from the last album, featuring Richard Holmgren from Swedish metallers WOLF on vocals:
Ever have one of those days where you want to punch the world square in the face? Well that’s the kind of week I’m having around here. The roof leaks, having to attend, not one, but four funerals, the typical crap at work and having people not follow easy instructions, are just some of the events I had to deal with these past seven days. But the one thing that sent me over the edge is something I haven’t done in over 30 years. I spilled my beer. Yes, I can honestly say that. It’s something that I took pride within myself for not doing all these years. Today, I came home, opened a packaged that I received last week from Las Vegas and ripped it open, knocking over a quarter filled bottle of precious beer. You could have stabbed me in the eye with the pointed end of a stick and I wouldn’t have felt as bad as I do right now! Now, being in a pissed off mood is not the way to review a new CD that you just have been given, but I’ve waited long enough and I have a job to do.
I emptied the contents of the mailing envelope onto my desk and it doesn’t make me feel any better. The band is called Frozen by Fire and the album is titled, “The Quickening”. “Great, just what I need today, another cliché ridden band”, I thought to myself. The bands name isn’t bad but not original either. I guess they were trying to do the Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Ying Yang kind of thing but I would have tried for something more imaginative.
Throughout the decades since metal has been began, I’ve seen countless bands with albums such as “The Beginning”, “The Awakening”, and all other types of “ing” titles and here is another one. Just what the hell does “The Quickening” mean? Are the songs really fast or are they really short? Is the album only a few minutes long or does the band like to drink Nestles Quick when on stage? The word isn’t in the dictionary or in a thesaurus. Oh Gawd, please…no!!! I take the shrink wrap off the jewel case and I just don’t see my day getting any better in this very near future.
Before I inject the CD into my player, I quickly glance at the small press release that they sent along with the album. They list Metallica, Maiden, Guns NRoses, Judas Priest and Motley Crue as main influences. That’s a bit of a diverse spectrum and I’m interested to hear if this is somehow accomplished. I’m just hoping this CD doesn’t bring me to the abyss.
“Die Like a Man” leads off the album with some very traditional, double guitar metal riffs followed by a hard hitting double bass and rhythm guitar attack. Joblin’s vocals come tearing in and I am immediately reminded of Chris Von Dahl , singer of LA Guns on the “American Hardcore” album. Guitars add in some of the classic Zakk Wylde guitar squeals to add a little flavor to the song but as with Zakk it gets a little annoying after awhile. Very cool vocal patterns and the structure compliments the band and the song works very well. A nice melodic guitar solo brings the song together and gives the listener another dimension to the song..nice work….like it a lot..
Some shredding and guitar sweeps start off “The Quickening”. With Paul Di Anno inspired vocals, the song has several changes that commands the listener to closely follow the music. It is a solid, interesting song with more easy to follow vocal melody lines. The song ends with some of the most controlled chaotic guitar leads I’ve heard in a long time.
Third on the album is the over used title, “The Unknown”. Straight off, the razor sound of guitars comes from Motley Crue‘s “Too Fast for Love” album. The song has a more progressive feel, more than the other two but not for the better. The song seems to get lost within in itself when they slow down the time change.
“Stranger Daze” begins with the slow, melodic guitar structure that brings me back to the 1980’s Hollywood metal scene, but not in bad way. More MotleyCrue influence especially in the vocals, are definitely noticed here. This song sounds like it could have been plucked from the middle of any album from early bands in the LA 80’s metal scene. Vocals seem a bit wobbly in spots and could have been stronger but I do like the overall song.
Bassist, Ricky Pasket hits the spotlight beginning on the song, “Wrecking Time”. Fast drum beats, and a more hardcore sound change the vibe of the album up to now. Some Anthrax and Megadeth features are evident here and some of the albums better guitar leads are showcased here.
Now it comes to the part of the show where we bring up the sensitive side of the band with the song, “Powerline Road”. Just when I think that I’m going to hear the same countless cliché power ballad, Frozen by Fire actually brings some originality to the genre. Not the typical sappy vocal line but an interesting even keeled, roller coaster ride of melody. Another throwback to the 80’s LA rock sound.
With a nod to Slade in the spelling department, “Whip Cums Down” leads off with a generic but energetic rhythm but with progressive drumming from Brian “Frosty” Foster. Vocals seem a bit disconnected and a bit shakey in spots here and the drum volume sometimes overwhelm the music. Again, a lot of early Motley Crue is heard especially MC’s first demo. Joblin, as throughout the album, plays some really good and memorable guitar leads.
“You Make Feel Alive” is, you guessed it, a love ballad complete with piano. Sometimes the vocals fit the song perfectly as in the chorus but otherwise seems too harsh sporadically throughout the song. There doesn’t seem to be any continuity throughout the vocal range. Plus there’s some screaming towards the end that totally needs to be redone. It’s a cool song but they should have worked on it a lot more and given it a more polished sound.
At first it seems we’re heading into the same vibe as the previous song but it soon picks up in “Driving Me Insane”. A compelling drum beat built with snare drum fills simultaneously playing above bass drum beats fuel the rhythm right along. Some hard hitting metal is showcased here flavored with guitar leads that are picked from Van Halen to Maiden but again the Crue touch is felt. More catchy melodies, but I could do without the vocal dive bomb in the chorus.
Ok, now it’s becoming quite apparent that these guys love Motley Crue. On the next number, “Land of the Free”, they completely lifted the sound and riff from “On with the Show” from MC’s first album. More of the same catchy chorus melodies and quality musicianship. But once again we have some high registered screams that are completely off. I would have edited those out as it becomes painful to listen to.
Lastly we have “Never Coming Home”. With some Pantera inspired metal to bring the sound to the forefront, we have some excellent guitar patterns which are very imaginative. A break in the song slows it down a bit but it lets us enjoy the razor wire guitar solo which is a pleasure to hear.
Frozen by Fire composes some very original music by throwing all their influences into one pot, with Motley Crue the dominating flavor and making it all work. The musicianship is top notch and they do write vocal lines that compliment the music. Very good work here. My only problem with the band is with the vocals mostly. Sometimes the vocals fly off the rails and it becomes a bit hard to listen to. This seems to happen more towards the end of the album than the beginning. It’s as if he sang the whole album all in one day and started to sputter out toward the end. They need just to smooth out all the rough spots and that can easily be done with a good producer. Also, sometimes the drum volume seems to over take the rest of the music. It swallows up the bass and guitars which then make the drums too up front from time to time. I know myself that being in an original band costs a lot of money but my only suggestion would be, even if it takes an extra year before recording the next album, save the money and get a good producer. They don’t have to get a big name producer but someone knowledgeable to polish it up just a bit. I like this band a lot. I find it quite refreshing that they do have that touch of LA/Hollywood, sound but add in some semi progressive movements in their songs, which makes it sound familiar but unique at the same time. This album just brought back a smile to my face and took the sting out of spilling my beer. Looking forward to what this band brings along in the future. Nice job!
Rating: 7/10
Members:
The Joblin – Lead Vocals, Lead and Rhythm Guitars Brian “Frosty” Foster – Drums Ricky Pasket – Bass Guitar and Backing Vocals
1. “All Hell Breaks Loose” 2. “Bound for Glory” 3. “Kingdom of the Lost” 4. “Bloodshot” 5. “Kissin’ the Ground” 6. “Hey Judas” 7. “Hoodoo Voodoo” 8. “Valley of the Stones” 9. “Someday Salvation” 10. “Before the War” 11. “Blues Ain’t So Bad”
The party has been over now for quite a long time. The rain outside is coming down in buckets and I’m waiting impatiently for my ride to arrive. Soon I recognize the vehicle that pulls up outside and it’s the same old vehicle that I’m used to riding in but with one difference, there is a new driver. His almighty presence has me startled a bit but I relax in the back seat and I’ll soon see if I’m in capable hands. On my trip home, I’ll have to venture through 11 neighborhoods and I’m starting to feel my trepidation.
As we start out, we come to our first visit, “ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE”. Here we have an area that shows that this song forges its own territory. Cool bass line and guitars that have a certain swagger to them, compliments the simple but perfectly played, drum beats. It’s a song that dares you to say something derogatory just so that it can punch you in the face and show you that they are still a force to be reckoned with.
Driving straightforward, we head into, “BOUND FOR GLORY”. As soon I hear the first double lead guitar riffs, I soon know we’re in familiar territory. This brings me back to Thin Lizzy’s “Black Rose” album. Vocalist Ricky Warwick channels founder Phil Lynott’s singing style and tone and one can see a broad smile on Phil’s face. Lyrically he even dusts off some of Phil’s words and incorporates it here. An excellent song, one that I had imagined to hear even before partaking on this trip. Upbeat and instantly likeable, a perfect song for the evolution of Thin Lizzy.
Continuing on our journey, we make a left and enter a neighborhood splashed with old Celtic influences not heard since early Thin Lizzy albums. Opening with old Irish folk music, “KINGDOM OF THE LOST” showcases Lizzy’s trademark guitar harmonies. Once again, Warwick is possessed by Lynott’s ghost and delivers the goods. Another great and memorable track that eases my fear that, somehow, we may get lost along the way.
“BLOODSHOT” time travels back to the sound and grittiness of the “Bad Reputation” album. Continuing with the Lynott-esque vocal scheme and lyrics, it is another great step into the future of the band. “KISSIN” THE GROUND” has one foot in the past and one in the present. A perfect blend on the new and old. The guitar solo is classic Lizzy, but Ricky’s vocals have a more modern approach that gives the song a harder edge. It works well!!!
I’m half way home and so far this drive has been a most pleasant one. I soon find out that it gets better. “HEY JUDAS” combines the sounds of “The Black Rose” and “Bad Reputation” albums. Pure genius!!! An infectious song that I can see being on FM-radio. Not that really means anything anymore but it has that instant likeability to it that many people can relate to! It delivers a punch, a good catchy chorus and a twin guitar solo that flies right off the “Chinatown” record and that what makes this a true Thin Lizzy song.
Smooth sailing but we now start to hit a few bumps in the road in the song “HOODOO VOODOO”. In the past, most bands that had a song with the word voodoo in it, sucked. Though the song itself isn’t bad, the chorus is. It’s probably the most un-Thin Lizzy song on the album, which isn’t a bad thing but the chorus just doesn’t cut it.
Now the driver speeds up a bit and gives us “VALLEY OF THE STONES” a dirty, fast paced rocker that may be more reminiscent of Warwick’s former band, The Almightybut mixed with a dose of Lizzy. A very cool guitar solo stands out on this track along with that amazing dual guitar riff.
“SOMEDAY SALVATION” is that odd song that Thin Lizzy used to have such as “Dancing in the Moonlight” or “Southbound”. Now those two songs, regardless whether they fit with the rest of the album or not, were good songs. Not the case here. It seems disconnected from the overall album. Though this song is a danceable type of song, I just can’t get into it. Too much of a “happy” song along with the “na na na’s” in the background vocals.
On most of the album, there isn’t much going on in the drum department. Nothing bad happening but nothing to write home about either. This changes on “BEFORE THE WAR”. A nice rolling snare drum behind Ricky’s vocals but a nice change of drum beats about half way into the song before the guitar solo. Like the first song, it has personality all its own. This is a true Black Star Riders song.
Almost home, I have one more neighborhood to pass trough and that is “BLUES AIN”T SO BAD”. It’s a slinky, slow moving song that builds to some cool guitar work. Not out front like much of the album but enjoyable nether the less.
Some these neighborhoods have similarities, while some are very different. But they do have one thing in common, they all have that gritty feel to them so I felt very comfortable traveling through them.
The album itself is what I hoped for and a bit more. They’ve kept Phil’s legacy alive and they continue to build on that but they also threw in originality that they need to move forward. I am glad that they didn’t continue under the Thin Lizzy name but I wish they would have used a song title or a phrase from one of Lizzys numerous songs just to still have that connection. Just a minor thing on my part. They know what they have and I hope they continue in this direction. It’s the same car but a different driver. Everyone knows that it would have been impossible to replace Phil but the choice of Rick Warwick was a great one. He still brings that snotty, get ready for a fight attitude that is needed for this band. He also brings a more youthful exuberance that brings excitement to the band. If you’re looking for an updated, modern place to live, this ain’t it. But if you’re like most people, there’s no place like home.
American traditional power metallers ARCTIC FLAME are to support the legendary HELLOWEEN for their show in Columbus, Ohio, due to take place on September 29th 2013.
ARCTIC FLAME commented on their official website: “Arctic Flame is now the support for Helloween at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus Ohio on Sunday, September 29th. This brings the band to that area for the first time. The band is looking forward to seeing some friends and making new ones!!!!”
Metal Shock Finland author Mike Paradine is drummer for ARCTIC FLAME and he formed the band in 2001. They have released four albums, the latest being “Shake The Earth” at the end of last year. For more information, check out the album review at this location.
Check out the dates for HELLOWEEN‘s tour of the USA and Canada below:
2013-09-24 USA New York City, NY – Stage 48
2013-09-25 CAN Montréal, QC – Club Soda
2013-09-26 CAN Québec, QC – Impérial de Québec
2013-09-28 CAN Toronto, ON – The Opera House
2013-09-29 USA Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
2013-09-30 USA Joliet, IL – Mojoes
2013-10-02 USA Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
2013-10-03 USA Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue
2013-10-05 USA Seattle, WA – El Corazón
2013-10-07 USA Anaheim, CA – The Grove
1. Biohazardous Disease
2. Degenerate Warlocks
3. Psychohead
4. The Crossroad
5. Free Your Soul
6. Love Don’t Matter (Feat. Kathryn Bibby)
7. Dungeons N’ Dragons
Unfortunately, when you hear the words heavy metal and the Middle
East, the first thing that comes to mind are the violent past and current conflicts that have occurred, or are occurring at the moment, in that portion of the world. However a new meaning is taking place and, hopefully, will change ones thoughts when approached with these terms. Over the past few years, metal bands in that region have been sprouting up, taking chances and showing the rest of the planet that they too have something to say in the realm of metal. We’re here to review one of those bands called EARSPLIT from Kuwait.
The band originally formed in 1999, and decided to break up after co-founder Ken departed from the endeavor in 2003. Once a spark is ignited however, it is hard to put out and Ken reformed the band in 2005 with new vigor. With restrictions on music, the band still managed to record, produce and release independently, their self titled album “EARSPLIT”.
“Biohazardous Disease” starts this 7 song offering off with good promises. We are immediately hit with a fast driven tempo with riffs and sound lifted straight out from IRON MAIDEN‘s “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” album. Vocals are rough and sung from the throat, giving it a very raw edge, not usually heard for this style of metal. Bassist, Jack does a good job of holding everything together as the rest of the band performs tightly together. A decent introduction, which blazes a path toward the rest of the album.
With the next song, “Degenerate Warlocks” a few cracks began to appear. A total opposite style of metal emerges. The sound flashes back to the band, ANGEL DUST and their superb CD, “Of Human Bondage” (a great album by the way) but missing some of the heaviness. Vocally the singing has a touch of Dave Mustaine’s sound but there are problems in some spots with the pitch, which makes it a little rough on the ears. He also doesn’t venture out of his comfort zone and sings in the same range throughout the entire song. The chorus is a bit weak and unfulfilling and needs some much needed energy and emotion.
The beginning of “Psychohead”, shows an enthusiastic drum pattern performed by drummer RJ, leading into Middle Eastern inspired guitar riffs. The music seems to be a combination of the former two songs, meeting somewhere in the middle which connects all three songs together. But once again we have some pitch problems with the vocals. We do have some nice melodic guitar leads on this one. A good tone, an even keel of playing and a cool double lead, are elements that stand out here. They also have a spotlight on keyboardist, named Solo, as he performs his best DEEP PURPLE influenced, organ work.
As the first three songs have a common thread, tying them together in some way, this next song has nothing in common with them whatsoever. “The Crossroad”, is a slow, ballad type song that actually vocalist, Cleatus, sings well. He reaches out and shows what kind of vocal range he has. It’s a well structured song with a chorus that one can easily become familiarized with.
What seems to be another slow but atmospheric song, “Free Your Soul”, continues in this fashion for about the first two minutes before traveling into a guitar driven downpour. A chaotic, frenzy performed keyboard solo soon chimes in with a sound I haven’t heard since the mid 70’s from the semi-prog band ANGEL. A nice touch but again we have the same problems with the singing. It becomes painful to hear as he tries to hold out notes. The guitar leads are very interesting as they have, once again, a Middle Eastern feel in the beginning section before Ken and fellow guitarist Ash join together for more dual guitar activity . Another well crafted song, with good melody, though some parts are a little repetitive.
“Love Doesn’t Matter” brings us once again, to the ballad type song. This piece sounds like it could have been stolen from the 80’s band, FIREHOUSE. It becomes quite apparent that the vocalist is much more comfortable singing these style songs then the harder ones. Don’t get me wrong, they do these songs very well but they should decide what type of band they want to be as this song, as compared to the first or second songs, are two totally different animals. They also brought in guest vocalist Kathryn Bibby but though she sings very well, it doesn’t add anything to the rest of the song. The song itself it actually very good but It’s also about two minutes too long.
Now we get into an epic introduction with “Dungeons and Dragons”. An up tempo song which brings us back to the MAIDEN sound again, but this time with keyboards out in front. Now we have another good performance by the band, but the ugly monster raises its head once again in the vocals. And do we really need the click track as part of the song? A really good song in terms of the music. The melody is written well except the chorus is sung over and over, leaving the listener wishing different lyrics were used instead of the repetitive,” dungeons and dragons” wording.
I really don’t know how to categorize this band as they have two styles here. There are really two different bands on this album. One minute they want to be a straight forward metal band, but the next minute they have both feet firmly planted in the 1980’s American glam-rock. Very different styles and the band plays both well, but a decision should be made concerning this topic. But the one main problem and it’s a big one, is that they need further development in the vocal area. The vocals waver in many spots as the singer pushes out the notes, and keeping the right pitch is a huge chore. Other areas, such as in execution, performance and song writing, the band is right on the money, so there is much promise here. Now I do understand that just getting a band together in this part of the world is a major undertaking and much credit goes out to that. I do like the band and if they can just fine tune some of these rough spots, they’ll be ok. Maybe one day they can venture out and bring the Metal East to the rest of the world and hear their side of the music. I’m looking forward to their next album and hopefully the promise they hold will come to fruition. 5/10
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
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Band: FROZEN BY FIRE
Review by Mike Paradine 
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 