Archive for January, 2012

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Svart Crown on Burning Winter Tour

Posted in News on 31st January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

French deathened black metal outfit SVART CROWN will be hitting the road with ULCERATE for The Burning Winter Tour.

Dates are as followed:

THU 02 FRA: Reims/Centre Culturel du Crous
FRI 03 HOL: Nijmegen/Merleyn
SAT 04 BEL: Ghent/Frontline
SUN 05 UK: London/Purple Turtle
MON 06 UK: Edinburgh/Bannermans
TUE 07 UK: Liverpool/Lomax
WED 08 UK: Birmingham/Asylum 2
THU 09 FR: Nancy/T.O.T.E.M
FRI 10 GER: Halle/Marktwirtschaft
SAT 11 GER: Berlin/K17
SUN 12 POL: Krakow/Kazamaty Club
MON 13 CZ: Praha/Black Pes Club
TUE 14 CZ: Ostrava/Barrak Musik Klub
WED 15 Slovakia: Kosice/Collosseum Club
THU 16 Slovenia: Ljubjana/Orto Bar
FRI 17 ITA: Padova/Tacu Tacu Club
SAT 18 ITA: Cesena/Big Barré
SUN 19 FRA: Montpellier/Secret Place
MON 20 SWI: Lyss/Kufa
TUE 21 GER: Trier/Exhaus
WED 22 DAN: Copenhagen/Club Loppen
THU 23 GER: Bremen/Romer
FRI 24 GER: Bad Oeynhausen/Black Sabbath
SAT 25 GER: A Sultan’s Night/ Ludwigshafen

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Warhorns Fest Line-up Revealed

Posted in News on 31st January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

The line-up Warhorns Festival, booked for 21st-22nd September, has recently been revealed. The line-up, so far includes:

Wolfchant (Germany)
Nothgard (Germany)
Annwn (Wales)
Ravenage (England)
Old Corpse Road (England)
Windrider (England)
Cryptic Age (England)

More details to follow.

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Barren Earth: “THE DEVIL’S RESOLVE” set to be unleashed!

Posted in News with tags , , , , , on 30th January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

The Devil’s Resolve is the studio album from the fast-rising Finnish maestros of progressive death and doom metal, Barren Earth.

The sophomore album from the Finnish metal titans is set from release March 12th via Peaceville Records. The new album comes two years after the release of their debut The Curse of the Red River, which made a massive impact upon its release with fans and critics alike. The Devil’s Resolve is said to take the listener across musical landscapes utilising the trademark sounds of Barren Earth including brutal riffs, gloomy growls, with some extra pieces such as… No, not that… Bagpipes (Courtesy of Jaakko Lemmetty from Korpiklaani)! And if that’s not good enough for you… There will also be an appearance of Mathias Lillmåns from Finntroll who shall be providing guest vocals.

Artwork comes courtesy of renowned artist Paul Romano (Mastodon).

Tracklist

Passing of the Crimson Shadows
The Rains Begin
Vintage Warlords
As It Is Written
The Dead Exiles
Oriental Pyre
White Fields
Where All Stories End
Martyrs of Devotion (Special Edition only)
World in Haze (Special Edition only)

To pre-order the new album:

CD-http://www.burningshed.com/store/peaceville/product/261/3518/
Vinyl-http://www.burningshed.com/store/peaceville/product/261/3517/

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Bulletproof w/Fable @ Hollywood and Vine, Hull

Posted in Gig, Live with tags , , , , on 29th January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Bands: Bulletproof, Fable
Location: Hollywood and Vine, Hull
Date: 27th January 2012

The show originally had four bands on the bill: Clown Corpse (whom I was really looking forward to see), Promethium, Bulletproof and Fable. Unfortunately, Clown Corpse had dropped off the bill [something about a member being ill] and Promethium had been delayed by an accident on the M62 and so had arrived and played after I’d left the venue to head for home.

Fable started up the night, beginning with a cover of Queens Of The Stone Age’s “Go With The Flow”. I’ve never been a fan of QOTSA, so I found this cover to be more entertaining than that of the original. They continued the set with an average rendition of “I Feel Like A Monster” by Three Days Grace [I think]. The rest of their set was built up by covers – though I’m not so sure about the fourth song they played. The vocals through out the entire set seemed to go from strong sounding to more weak throughout several of the songs, which is a shame since the frontman has potential. The only other thing that irked me about Fable’s set was the lack of energy and charisma, though it was their first gig so the nerves might have affected the overall performance.

After a long hour or so, Bulletproof made their way to the stage at long last though we were all left waiting a bit longer as some photographer was preventing the band from playing by getting in their faces with his camera, though the frontman didn’t seem that bothered by it. When they finally began playing, they took us all by surprise with a great use of riffs and strong clean vocals – except for the shouting-like vocals. The drummer displayed a lot of talent, keeping his sections tight. The highlight of their performance was that of a song called “Bacon Strips”. Bulletproof finished off with an almost perfect rendition of Motorhead’s “Rock Out” and a brutalising version of “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath.

As I stated above, I had left before Promethium had arrived at the venue, so I missed their set which is disappointing since I’ve heard their recorded material and quite enjoyed it. Bulletproof are definitely a band I’d recommend people to go see, as are Fable.

Nico Davidson

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Anachronaeon – The Ethereal Throne (2012)

Posted in Review with tags , , on 27th January 2012 by bkemeny92

Band: Anachronaeon
Album: The Ethereal Throne
Release date: January, 2012
Genre: Dark Metal
Label: Stygian Crypt Productions

Concept albums. You rarely come across these nowadays, don’t you?
“The Ethereal Throne”, Anachronaeon’s fourth album, is one of them though.
The Swedish duo describes their music as dark metal, and I find this term highly accurate,
as “The Ethereal Throne” could hardly be filed under mere melodic black or death metal, there are
so many more influences, but the concept’s and the lyrics’ mood makes dark metal a perfect
marker for this release. If I had to compare it to anything I could only mention Evemaster,
as they share the conceptuality and darkness in their releases.

So, imagine a man, blinded by religion, eager to do anything for the success of his quest
earning the Ethereal Throne, thus reserving a pleasant afterlife for himself.
The lyrics represent the diary of this man, describing his twisted mind, and his dark deeds,
and the story goes on and on leading to this man’s demise. The story is perfect, it caught me
right from the start and remained truly interesting until the end. I won’t spoil any more of it,
hear it for yourself.

As for the music itself it’s clear that Patrik (vocals/guitars/bass) and Andreas (drums) are skilled
musicians, and their music perfectly fits the lyrical concept. Dark lead melodies with fierce
tremolo picking are common through the entire piece as much as heavy rhythm guitars and
Iron Maiden-ish lead harmonies. Also, the music screams for oldschoolness, and I mean it as a compliment.
Amongst today’s overtechnical sweep based soloing concepts, there are a rare few, who
follows the old ways, and Patrik’s lead playing is like a blast from the past,
containing melodic runs and eighties tapping for example.
Unfortunately, sometimes the riffs and chord progressions are the bit overused ones,
and there are some really, I must say, boring rhythm guitar parts, and
the occasionally entering additional keyboard passages in the background are there
just to remind the listener how much it could enhance the atmosphere if they would have been used more.
Also, the music didn’t catch me that much. After I’ve listened through the album twice, I was still
a captive of the story, but could hardly remember any of the music.
I find the album is the strongest in the middle, and I think the best songs in the record are
“The Whereabouts Of My Father” and “Defying My Master”, but if you only plan to listen to some songs,
you’ll miss the strongest aspect of this album, the story, so do yourself a favor, and listen to it
from the beginning, ’till the end.

Pros:
– perfect story
– lead guitar work

Cons:
– can only be listened to as a whole
– many overused or boring rhythm guitar riffs
4/5 – A great concept makes this album a good one.

Bálint Kemény

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CENTURIAN set to record new album

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , on 27th January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

The Dutch death metal formation that are CENTURIAN will start recording their third full-length album, titled Contra Rationem, on April 27th together with producer/sound-engineer Jo Peeters (Aborted, Heaven Shall Burn, Severe Torture) and Ralph Timmermans (Mindpark) at the We Are (Music) Junkies recording studio in Eindhoven. The album will be released by Listenable Records and will be the first studio release after 11 years – way to make us wait for a new release, eh?

Rob Oorthuis, founding member and writer/composer of CENTURIAN, commented: “The new record should appeal anyone who is prepared to die for his stands. Believe nothing, dare all!”

A few song titles include: Judas Among Twelve, Adversus, The Will Of The Torch, Thou Shallt Bleed For The Lord Thy God, Antinomian, Feast Of The Cross.

Click here for the video of Centurian rehearsing the new song: Judas Among Twelve.

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Sticky Boys listening hard!

Posted in News with tags , , , on 27th January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

The explosive French hard rock trio The Sticky Boys have recently signed a multi-album deal to Listenable Records. The dynamitic live act have rocked cities and clubs all over their native land and gathered mosh pits at HELLFEST back in 2011. The band have even had one of their songs chosen to appear in a TV advert [which can be viewed here] by the French national railroad company (SNCF), which was filmed live at Paris Eastern.

http://www.stickyboys.eu
http://bandcamp.stickyboys.com
http://www.facebook.com/stickyboys
http://www.twitter.com/stickyboys
http://www.myspace.com/stickyboys

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Gorod – A Perfect Absolution [2012]

Posted in Review with tags , , , , , , on 26th January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Band: Gorod
Album: A Perfect Absolution
Release Date: March 2012
Genre: Progressive Death Metal/Jazz
Label: Listenable Records

It’s not every day that you come across a French metal act [unless you actually follow the French metal scene in the same manner that people follow their favourite celebs on twitter], so it was a shock I found Gorod’s upcoming album in my e-mails. The band are described as progressive death metal and jazz on their official Facebook and they’ve been around since ‘97 – Originally formed under the moniker Gorgasm (sounds like the name of a dodgy pornographic snuff film, doesn’t it?). Anyway, Gorod’s newest release A Perfect Absolute, due for release in March, is based on the history of 10th century Kiev. More specifically, in the year 945 when Igor, King of Kiev was murdered (probably in a brutal manner) while collecting a “tribute” while visiting his Pagan neighbours the Derevlians, who lived in a forest. After the incident, his widow, Olga, avenged him in an extremely harsh manner before converting to Orthodox Christianity. That’s your history lesson for today, readers.

I find the genius combination of subtle birds singing and tragic orchestration to work well as a build up for the main part of “Birds Of Sulphur”. The guitars virtually smash it up with strong back up from the drums and vocals. The melodic licks are quite reminiscent of Lamb of God and to a broader extent, Amon Amarth.  The second half of the track sounds more along the lines of Death, only heavier and faster. “Sailing into the Earth” stomps on the ears with its guitar work like a herd of raging elephants, the only different being is that the former is much more pleasing on the ears, especially the brutalising use of drums. The third track “Elements and Spirit” might sound like the name of some sort of Wiccan book of shadows but musically, it’s more on the power metal-meets-Mario sounding side of things with a hint of Children of Bodom mixed in with it as well provided by the keyboards – though this could be a sound caused by the 70s jazz influences. The most shocking thing about this track is the vocals… Don’t worry, they’re still barbaric enough to melt your next door neighbour’s face but as I was saying, the vocals do come as a shock due to the slight use of clean vocals for one line and then a more semi-raw vocal style later on.

The vicious sounding axe-work and thundering rhythm sections of “The Axe of God” are to the ears like flagons of mead are to a Viking: Pure enjoyment. The solo reminds me, for some strange reason, of Megadeth while the slower section seems to have a sense of grandeur mixed with sorrow. “5000 at the Funeral” take the album down the slow lane with a solemn, possibly jazz-like musing of guitars, strings and piano giving the album a unique sound compared to most death metal releases. The percussion seems to be quite industrial and alternative before the wailing of Arch Enemy-sounding riffs hurl themselves into the fray with an epic-yet-harsh narration that gradually evolves into a fierce snarling roar of metallic growls. For the most part, the track seems very drum-orientated which will please any drummers that listen to the album. And for any guitarists reading this, don’t worry, there’s plenty of neck-braking riffs.

The romantically named “Carved In The Wind” brings back the epic, poweresque guitar sections mixed in with the overpowering vocal work and bonecrushing rhythm section. The track is pre-dominantly Lamb of God sounding, especially towards the end which does make the song as tasteless as water. Nearing the end comes “Vangarian Paradise” which really does spice up the album with its mix of metal and funky jazzed up riffs. The snarling roars that are the vocals oddly sound brilliant with the unique sounds on the track. The album coms to its end with “Tribute In Blood” which is a dangerously good mixture of blasphemous vocals and demonic riffs as well a brilliant way to finish the album.

Gorod are certainly masters of their trade when it comes to welding together metal and jazz into an unholy yet enjoyable union of blasphemous, face-melting music and “A Perfect Absolution” is no different. Gorod literally take the good parts of 70s jazz and death metal to create the masterpiece that is this album.

4.8/5

Nico Davidson

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Interview: Lost Effect [2012]

Posted in Interview with tags , , , , , on 25th January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Lost Effect started out back in ‘08, surprising the York music scene with their unique blend of influences and staunch vocal vocal. Four years on, Lost Effect are set to reach higher goals. Nico has a chat a quick chat with the band.

Photo by David Ferret Taylor.
Nico: How did Lost Effect come to be?

Lost Effect: Lost Effect formed from the ashes of female fronted metal band Arkandur (formed by Steve Wells and ex-Lost Effect guitarist Carl Barker). Arkandur got themselves a good live following supporting bands such as Rise to Addiction and The Prophecy. With a few members departing, the band decided to re-brand themselves and take a heavier musical direction and also include a harsh vocal style to compliment the female vocals that Arkandur had already been using. This band became Lost Effect.

N: What would you say are the biggest influences on Lost Effect’s music?

LE: The metal genre as a whole is just one huge influence on Lost Effect, our personal influences incorporate a wide range of music and styles. As far as metal bands are concerned, Lost Effect owe a fair amount to Nightwish for kick-starting mine and Carl’s interest in female-fronted metal and forming a band to emulate them. Otherwise Lost Effect try to combine the best of new and classic metal styles to create something unique. Influences could be Black Sabbath one week and Amon Amarth the next.

N: How does the song writing process goes when it comes to writing new material?

LE: Usually, one member of the band will come to band practice with some riffs/lyrics ideas. Once we have that platform to start from the rest of the band will then put their input in and craft their own parts around this base. Sometimes though, one band member will just come in with a whole song and orchestrate the whole thing. Either way we all have active roles in the writing process.

N: With the addition of new vocalist, Emily, do you feel that Lost Effect will reach greater heights than before?

LE: We definitely hope so. It has nothing to do with previous singer Beth’s abilities as Beth was a great singer and an amazing individual, but now we have Emily up to speed with everything, we’re hoping she can bring whatever it is we need to elevate ourselves to the next level.

N: Lost Effect recently recorded the “Salvation of One” EP, what were the most enjoyable and most detestable parts of the recording process?

LE: The recording process is always a love/hate deal. The actual recording itself was dead straightforward, we had many great 1st takes and very little mistakes. The problems we had came during the mixing/editing period as Dave & Steve Wells produced the E.P themselves, it just took a lot longer than expected. We’re really happy with the end result, but seen as though it took a while to actually release, we’re itching to record again right away as we feel we’ve written much better songs since those on the E.P.

N: What are the band’s plans for the rest of the year?

LE: This year is hopefully going to be bigger than anything we’ve ever done before. We’ve played the York venues over and over and we’re really looking to expand our horizons and gig all over, wherever we can! We’ve also been talking very hush hush about perhaps making our next recording our first album. We basically hope to just gig our asses off and get the Lost Effect name out there. We ended 2011 on a high being played on the DJ Beerman show on Top Rock Radio to some great reactions. We’re hoping to bring people some exciting things regarding Lost Effect his year.

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Orpheus to support Amon Amarth on Australian tour

Posted in News on 25th January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Melbourne-based melo-death metallers ORPHEUS have just been confirmed as the support act for AMON AMARTH’S Australian “Surtur Rising” tour in April, later this year.


For more info:

http://orpheusofficial.com/
http://www.facebook.com/orpheusofficial
http://www.amonamarth.com/
http://www.facebook.com/OfficialAmonAmarth

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Pergana – The Mirror of Silence EP

Posted in Review on 25th January 2012 by izaforestspirit

Band: Pergana
Album: The Mirror of Silence
Release year: 2011
Genre: Gothic Metal

‘The Mirror of Silence’ is the debut EP from the gothic metal band Pergana.

The first track ‘Let the Silence Sing’ is exactly what one might expect to hear from a gothic metal band. Melodic guitar riffs and symphonic metal keyboards? Check. Operatic, old Nightwish – style female vocals? Check. At least they have a competent singer which is more than I can say for many of the other Nightwish clones around at the moment.

‘Frozen Heart’ is in the same vein with the addition of the occasional Machine Head style guitar riff. The only difference is that this time the vocals remind more of Within Temptation than Nightwish. The next track, ‘Romance Secrêt’ stands out for two reasons: firstly because it’s sung in French and secondly because it’s a lullaby featuring pleasant violin and piano sounds which accompany the female vocals. The result is a very tranquil atmosphere that lulls the listener to sleep.

The atmospheric intro to the final track ‘The Eyes of a Beast’ reminds me of what Nightwish used to sound like back in their heyday. The keyboards work especially well here as do the guitar solos and the combination of male and female vocals. There’s only one major problem with this arrangement – they sound like Nightwish!!

3/5 – Not bad but severely lacking in originality.

Iza Raittila

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Dakesis to support EDGUY at HMV Institute, Birmingham

Posted in News with tags , , , , , on 24th January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Birmingham prog-power metallers DAKESIS have been confirmed for the highly coveted opening slot with German metal legends EDGUY on the Birmingham date of their February UK Tour. This is no doubt another epic chapter to be written in the band’s ever growing saga.

Having been fans of EDGUY for many years, DAKESIS are understandably excited about the prospect of sharing a stage with their heroes. Front-man Wayne commented: “We’re just so overwhelmed to be given the opportunity to share a stage with a band as influential on our sound as EDGUY. We’re going to bring a great show to kick off what promises to be a truly memorable night!”

With DAKESIS recently releasing their début album [review can be found here], and planning a string of live dates, festivals and tours for 2012 [including the headlining slot at our very own Valkyrian Festival this year, which will be in aid of Autism Plus], this opportunity is a great way to kick off the year for one of the UK’s finest metal acts.

Dakesis are Wayne Dorman, Gemma Lawler, Matt Jones, Amie Chatterley and Adam Harris. The band’s web-page has photos, upcoming dates and bio information on the band
members.

Dakesis are also in the voting for February’s band of the month. You can vote for them here.

You can find their website at www.Dakesis.com.

Tickets for the event are available from http://www.kililive.com/gigs/edguy

For more information
www.Dakesis.com/Press
www.Edguy.net
www.venues.meanfiddler.com/hmv-institute/home

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Goddass – The Ages Come EP

Posted in Review on 24th January 2012 by izaforestspirit

Band: Goddass
Album: The Ages Come EP
Release year: 2011
Genre: Rock

‘The Ages Come’ is the new EP from the London based, Anglo-Italian rock quartet Goddass, which features Henry Rundell (ex- Voodoo Six). The EP acts as a teaser to the upcoming full length and is currently available to download for free from the band’s website for a limited time only.

The first track ‘Make You Sweat’ features a good intro, catchy guitar riffs and an equally catchy chorus. The guitar solo works well here too. The undisputed highlight of the EP, ‘Getaway’ sounds like the perfect track to start a gig with as it has all the right ingredients needed to warm up a crowd. Once again the chorus is so catchy it’s tempting to sing along.

The next track ‘No One’ features a great intro and good guitar riffs but lacks the catchy vocal style present in previous song. Whilst the result isn’t too bad overall I doubt that this song would work well when played live. The same cannot be said for the title track however. ‘The Ages Come’ may not be as catchy as the first two tracks, but it has a certain epic ‘ballad’ feel to it that makes it memorable.

Overall this is a very good EP and I wish Goddass all the best of luck with the new album!

4/5

Iza Raittila

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Pilgrim Launch Title Track

Posted in News with tags , , , on 24th January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

PILGRIM will be launching the title track from their debut album, Misery Wizard, today. Fans can preview the 10 minute plus doom epic HERE.

Rhode Island’s PILGRIM are the latest addition to the Metal Blade roster via Alan Nemtheanga’s imprint, Poison Tongue Records. The doom trio consists of: Krolg Splinterfist, Slayer of Men on drums, Count Elric the Soothsayer on bass guitar and The Wizard on guitar and vocals. The band will be performing on a string of dates on the east coast this March. The confirmed dates so far are available below.

Misery Wizard is available for pre-order now and will be released in North America on February 14th, 2012.

PILGRIM
Misery on the Road — World Tour 2012
03/01 Brooklyn, NY  Public Assembly
03/02 Philadelphia, PA  JR’s Bar
03/03 Washington DC  St. Stephen’s Church
03/04 Richmond, VA  Strange Matter
05/03 Copenhagen, Denmark Heavy Days in Doom Town festival

http://www.metalblade.com/pilgrim
http://www.facebook.com/hailthepilgrim
http://www.youtube.com/pilgrimofficial

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Nile and Mayhem Exclusive UK Show At Bloodstock

Posted in News with tags , , on 24th January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

So, this year’s Bloodstock line-up just seems to get better with each new announcement and it couldn’t get any better than legendary black metallers MAYHEM and American death metal outfit NILE playing Bloodstock as an exclusive 2012 UK show. The announcement was made on the official Bloodstock Facebook just minutes ago.

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Amon Amarth Announce Celebratory 20th Anniversary Shows

Posted in News with tags , , , , , on 23rd January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Swedish Viking death metallers Amon Amarth announced that the band will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with a string of dates in Germany, Poland and Holland. The announcement on the band’s official website reads as followed:

“To celebrate our 20 years anniversary as a band we are going to arrange 5 special shows which will take place this August in Germany, Poland and Holland.

“We will perform 2 full sets with songs from our entire career and there will also be a meet and greet. More details to be announced later.

An evening with…. – the 20th Anniversary Shows are as followed:

05.08 CHEMNITZ (DE) / Südbahnhof
07.08 WARSAW (PL) / Progresja Club
14.08 SAARBRÜCKEN (DE) / Garage
16.08 UTRECHT (NL) / Tivoli
17.08 HAMBURG (DE) / Markthalle

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Epica – Storm The Sorrow [Single]

Posted in Review with tags , , , , on 23rd January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Band: Epica
Single: Storm The Sorrow
Release date: 20th January 2012
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast


I was first introduced to Epica’s music, by my brother, shortly after the release of their album “The Divine Conspiracy” but that didn’t stop me from falling in love with the stuff they released before that album. “Design Your Universe” felt like a let down compared to their previous albums, so obviously I’m hoping that the next album “Requiem for the Indifferent” [due for release early March] will be an improvement. Just a few short days ago, Epica released “Storm The Sorrow” as a single from the aforementioned album.

Straight away, the song begins with an overpowering symphonically beautiful tragic sound that pave the way for Simone’s vocals (which are on top form). Mark’s and Isaac’s guitar workings are well structured, carrying the use of symphonic melodies and choir vocals well throughout the song while the rhythm sections [drums and bass] offered up do much to keep the track sounding solid. Mark’s vocals make an appearance quite unexpectedly, with Simone’s vocals (At least I think her vocals – I could be wrong). the piano-vocal section that follows creates an oddly soothing aura within the music. “Storm The Sorrow” ends in a similar fashion to its beginning – staunch and symphonic.

Epica have proven themselves to be one of the finest symphonic metal acts on the European – and possibly the international – scene. If “Storm The Sorrow” is anything to go by then “Requiem for the Indifferent” might be the greatest Epica release to date. I don’t know about any of you, but I’m certainly looking forward to it now after hearing “Storm The Sorrow”.

Nico Davidson

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IN SOLITUDE To Tour With AMON AMARTH

Posted in News with tags , , , on 23rd January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

IN SOLITUDE will join AMON AMARTH and Grand Magus on their Spring tour that kicks off in Glasgow on March 13, 2012.

The Swedish outfit return after destroying at their debut UK show at Live Evil in October 2011 and catching the eye of label mates Amon Amarth who were looking to bring an intense package to the UK and Ireland.

IN SOLITUDE has been declared “one of the hottest new metal acts around” by Decibel Magazine while Metal Hammer described the band as “Structurally and melodically complex, densely layered yet dynamic and fluid, often enthralling, always engaging, this is a metallic Feast.”

The band’s Metal Blade debut, The World.The Flesh.The Devil was released on May 20th and stands as a “trad-metal charge of Iron Maiden with doom metal’s ironclad grey” according to Kerrang! Magazine.

Additionally, Terrorizer heralded The World.The Flesh.The Devil as their “album of the month” in issue #210.

See them here:

AMON AMARTH + Grand Magus + IN SOLITUDE

March 2012

13th GLASGOW – ABC
14th BELFAST – Mandella Hall
15th DUBLIN – Vicar Street
16th WOLVERHAMPTON – Civic
17th PRESTATYN – Hammerfest @ Pontins (not Grand Magus, In Solitude)
18th CARDIFF – Solus

TICKETS: http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/

After these dates IN SOLITUDE will head to the USA where they join Behemoth, Watain and The Devil’s Blood on the Decibel Magazine tour in April. Dates will be announced soon.

IN SOLITUDE are:
Hornper: Vocals
Niklas Lindström: Guitar
Henrik Palm: Guitar
Gottfrid Åhman: Bass
Uno Bruniusson: Drums

http://www.metalblade.com/insolitude
http://www.myspace.com/insolitudeheavymetal
http://www.facebook.com/insolitudeofficial

‘THE WORLD: THE FLESH: THE DEVIL’ is out now on Metal Blade
BUY IT HERE FOR £6.99.

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UNEARTH Introduce New Drummer

Posted in News with tags , , , , on 23rd January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Fans that have seen Unearth live on their recent trips to Alaska, Japan and on their US and Canadian tour with Chimaira, may have noticed a new face on stage. The guy behind the kit has been none other than up-and-coming drummer, Nick Pierce.

Photo courtesy of Jeff ChanNick Pierce is a self taught drummer who’s been playing since age 10. He grew up playing for local bands in the Seattle/Tacoma area (Culling the Weak, Eterna Nocturna, Embalmed) as well as LA based band The Faceless. Nick first sat in behind the kit for Unearth in May of 2011 during their two show trip to Alaska. Unearth discovered Pierce on YouTube where he had been covering Unearth songs, among many other bands, on a series of videos on his YouTube channel.

Vocalist Trevor Phipps adds: “Nick is a beast of a drummer and a great guy to hang with. I look forward to jamming with him around the world for years to come.” Guitarist Buz McGrath compliments Pierce and says he has a “Great attitude, energy and the knowledge that we can throw the most insane riffs at him and he can create and adequately perform next level beats for said riffs makes it a little easier to sleep at night.”

Nick Pierce shares his excitement about joining Unearth: “I’ve been a fan of Unearth for many years and I’m excited to shred with a great group of guys and support our fans.”

A live video of Pierce performing “Watch It Burn” live on tour has been made available on Metal Blade TV HERE. Drum aficionados and fans should subscribe to Pierce’s youtube channel for more drum videos, as well as a new eight-minute extended drum solo, which can be seen HERE.

Unearth’s latest album, Darkness In The Light, is available everywhere now. The album has seen rave reviews, hundreds of spins on SiriusXM Liquid Metal, Full Metal Jackie and metal radio worldwide. Check out what’s been said so far…

“strong, dynamic songwriting…it highlights Unearth’s strengths superbly.” Decibel Magazine

“a whirling torrent of passion and aggression” 4/5, Terrorizer Magazine

“it’s the band’s reawakened urgency and positivity that makes this like discovering them for the first time again.” Metal Hammer Magazine

“Darkness In The Light is a maelstrom of melodic riffs, screamy shouts and enough noodling to keep Guitar Hero nerds happy. But it’s not chasing maidens and slaying dragons; Unearth have enough of the ’90s straight-edge hardcore scene still left in their blood to give the lyrics an impassioned warrior cry against corrupt politics and wavering faith.” 4/5, Alternative Press Magazine

http://www.unearth.tv
http://www.facebook.com/unearthofficial
http://twitter.com/unearthofficial

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RAM To Stream New Album: “DEATH”

Posted in News with tags , , , on 23rd January 2012 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

RAM will stream the whole of their new album Death, to be released January 30, 2012 via Metal Blade Records in the UK!

It’ll be online at TERRORIZER from 10:00am GMT a week before release on Monday January 23, 2012. Check it out here:
http://truecultheavymetal.com/blog1.php/2012/01/23/terrorizer-streaming-ram-death

In other news Metal Blade Records announces that there will be a limited first edition of the European CD that will include a bonus-DVD. The limited first edition will be sold as a regular CD, so make sure to pre-order while copies last!

Make also sure to surf over to the landing page at http://www.metalblade.com/ram where you will find the pre-order options and the new song Defiant! Death will be available on CD and on vinyl! A shirt bundle is also available there!

Death track listing:
1. Death
2. Comes From The Mouth Beyond
3. I Am The End
4. Release Me
5. Defiant
6. Frozen
7. Under The Scythe
8. Hypnos
9. Flame Of The Tyrants
10. 1 7 7 1

RAM was created back in ’99 and released their first E.P Sudden Impact in 2003. After playing numerous festivals and a support tour for Sebastian Bach they released their first long player Forced Entry in late 2005 which brought the entire old school Heavy Metal community to its knees. RAM hit the road with Dark Tranquillity, did some Scandinavian shows with Gamma Ray and played gigs and festivals all over Europe.

In 2008 the band returned to the studio with producer Johan Reivén to record the album Lightbringer which was released in 2009 via AFM Records. This time they really took the time to explore the true heavy metal sound. The recording of the album took 10 months of nothing but strife for pure Heavy Metal perfection. RAM also headed out on a headline European tour to promote the album.

In 2011 RAM went back into the studio to record their third album Death. This time they worked with producers Per Stålberg and Olle Björk to create their best album to date by far. Live shows as support for Swedish extreme black metal band Watain followed as well as destroying some festivals.

The world trembles in fear before the release of the metal behemoth that is Death. RAM are back! Necks will be broken!

RAM is:
Oscar Carlquist – Vocals
Morgan Pettersson – Drums
Harry Granroth – Guitar
Daniel Johansson – Guitar
Tobias Peterson – Bass

http://www.facebook.com/pages/RAM/128575340510564
http://www.myspace.com/rammetal
http://www.metalblade.com/ram

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