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Archive for October, 2015

Reverence – Gods of War

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Power Metal, Reverence, Thrash metal on 29th October 2015 by izaforestspirit

Reverence
Gods of War
Released 4th November 2015
Power Metal/ Thrash Metal
Released via Razor Ice Records (Europe and U.S.A.), Avalon/Marquee (Japan and the rest of Asia

‘Gods of War’ is the second album from the American power metal band Reverence. The band was formed back in 2010 and since then they have released one EP and their debut album ‘When Darkness Falls’ in 2012 prior to this.

Before starting the review I would first of all like to say that I have limited knowledge of the American power metal scene. The United States always makes me think of thrash metal and The “Big Four” (Anthrax, Slayer, Megadeth and Metallica). The only American power metal bands that I’m really familiar with are the ultra cheesy, “macho” Manowar and the highly entertaining, power-thrash metal hybrid that is Iced Earth. So I pressed the play button on my device, and hoped for this to be more about power-thrash guitar riffs than tales of swords, steel and glory.

Luckily for me, this album turned out be more of the former. Reverence’s signature sound is a mixture of styles. They use power metal as a base whilst incorporating elements of both traditional heavy metal and some of the guitar patterns from thrash metal. Take Angel in Black for instance, the playful, catchy guitar riffs remind me of the Black album and ‘Load’ -era of Metallica and to some extent Mercyful Fate. As for the vocals, they’re nowhere near as high-pitched as some of the ultra cheesy (read cringeworthy) variety that is common within this genre. Their singer’s chosen vocal style falls somewhere between the epic, story-telling Iron Maiden -esque type (as audible on tracks such as ‘Blood of Heroes‘ and ‘Angel in Black‘) and the dominating, slightly higher-pitched style of mid-career Iced Earth.

‘Battle Cry‘ is by far the catchiest track and definitely one of the highlights of the album. It’s very guitar-driven with vocals merely acting as a means to encourage you start headbanging along to relentless, “full-speed ahead” barrage of thrash metal riffs and solos.

Overall I am happy with this new discovery. Whilst ‘Gods Of War’ doesn’t offer anything ground-breakingly different, it succeeds in delivering eleven well-composed, guitar-driven songs which are bound to please power-, thrash- and heavy metal fans alike.

4/5

Iza Raittila

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Hills Have Eyes’ “Antebellum” release party – Porto, Portugal

Posted in Gig, Live with tags 'Core, antebellum, Ash Is A Robot, Dimension, Hard Club, Hell Xis, HHE, Hills Have Eyes, Porto, release party, The Year on 28th October 2015 by Pieni

Hills Have Eyes, Ash Is A Robot, The Year, Dimension
Hard Club, Porto (PT)
23rd October 2015
Promoted by Hell Xis Agency www.facebook.com/hellxis/

Hills Have Eyes released their third album “Antebellum” early this month (review here) but gave their fans a couple of weeks to learn the lyrics before presenting it live in two shows – one in Porto and another in Lisboa (Oporto and Lisbon, as you like to call them).

Along with that enthusiastic crowd of 200 people, give or take (I’m terrible with numerical estimations, sorry), three other bands joined the party. First one on stage was Dimension. I’d seen them back in August, at Casainhos Fest, but this was the first time they were playing in Porto, promoting their own debut album “Life Is A Mystery”. The latter has been getting a very positive feedback and their shows are a match, but it took a little while for the crowd to engage completely in their groovy hardcore. Singer Poli himself said he wasn’t “recognizing the people of Porto” (he has played there several times before with his other band Devil In Me). He was also a little disappointed when no one seemed to know about Luaty Beirão, the Portuguese Angolan musician and activist who had been on a hunger strike after being arrested for speaking his mind (the Angolan authorities saw that as an overthrow attempt…). But after Poli enlightened them and dedicated a song to Beirão (“Times Of Grace”, if I’m not mistaken), everybody applauded. Meanwhile the mosh circles had gained strength and the overall response to Dimension had grown intense, so when they finished their set with the title-track of “Life Is A Mystery”, Poli had a big smile on his face.

www.facebook.com/dimensionptband/

I confess The Year was a novelty to me, but many in the audience were happily singing along most of the songs, so I’m guessing they have a fair share of popularity. Deserved, for what I could see in this show – not only for the music but for the posture on stage. And the professionalism when facing sudden setbacks – Jaca’s guitar was silent for a while (I saw him fumbling with the wire, maybe it got disconnected, but I’m not sure) and the rest of the band went on playing, singer Johnny jumping around, while waiting for the problem to get solved. Improvisation is always a plus.
They’re working on a new album – two days prior to this show they even released a teaser for an upcoming video/song, “Omotenashi” – but they’ve only played “oldies” that night, like “Karma Farmer” or “Death By Media”.

www.facebook.com/theyearofficial/

Ash Is A Robot’s exquisite sound – a kind of progressive post-hardcore, seasoned with synths – may not agree with everybody’s ear, but Hard Club’s audience that night was pretty open-minded and overjoyed with those Hills Have Eyes neighbors (Setúbal, a little south of Lisboa, is turning out a big talent breeder). And even if the music was taking a bit to sink in, singer /keyboard player Cláudio surely got the moves to catch your attention: that guy’s restless! And funny. Like when no one reacted to his mention of supporting the underground national bands and so he repeated it, slowly, with a cursing word in the end. Or when he said they were going to play a new song (don’t think he introduced the title – if he did, I missed it) and so it would be shit. Or when he asked for a wall of death as soon as “the following relaxing moment” was over – the latter being no other than Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”. Impossible to stay indifferent.
Like in their self-titled album (the follow-up it’s in the making, by the way), Dado Nunes from Ella Palmer joined on stage to sing “Philophobia Part 1”. And it’s also worth saying that Cláudio joined the mosh pit twice and, unlike last time I’ve seen them, managed to come out of it without bleeding (it seems he needed to go to the hospital after the Lisboa show the next day, though, so I wish him a full recovery soon).

www.facebook.com/AshIsARobot/

To the sound of a snippet of The Weeknd’s “The Hills” (yes, you’ve got it – the part where Mr. Tesfaye sings “the hills have eyes, the hills have eyes”), the party hosts got on stage and… well, singer Fábio said something about starting a fire before the last song “Strangers”, as that’s precisely its first verse, but the arson lit up right on the first moment of their show. The sound was a bit messy at first (eventually it got straightened out), but the crowd was singing along so loud – myself included – that I believe only a few of us noticed it. And no one cared. The passion HHE put in their performance makes up for any technical detail. After all, as said in the aforementioned album review, I call them “probably the best Portuguese metalcore band” – that includes the live aspect of the thing as well.
“A new phase in HHE’s life”, using Fábio’s own words, so they went through all the previous ones – even the one that included a split album with My Ocean and Last Reunion, in the form of the song “Ending The Cliché”. And because a party needs its special guests, this was the first song of the set featuring one – Ricardo “Congas” Dias, from For The Glory. Then Vasco Ramos from More Than A Thousand – a good friend and producer of the band – joined in to his usual “Anyway, It’s Gone”, and also Di Noise gave her beautiful voice to “The Bringer Of Rain”, just as she does in the studio version.
I’ve lost count of how many times we were told “thank you”, not just during the show but afterwards, on social media. But I think I speak for everyone who was there that we’re even on gratitude grounds – we all had a blast of a night. When the time comes to write an overview about 2015, “Antebellum” will be listed as number 1 in my album chart. And this gig of Hills Have Eyes will surely top the live performances.

www.facebook.com/hillshaveeyes/

Full gallery here.

Text & photos by Renata “Pieni” Lino

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All Consumed – No World Order

Posted in Uncategorized with tags all consumed, Hardcore, Metal, no world order, self released on 24th October 2015 by Paul Macmillan

All Consumed
“No World Order”
Released October 31^st 2015
Death metal, hardcore
Self-released

All Consumed - No World Order

It’s been quite a while since the world churned out a truly engaging ‘hardcore’ metal album. Decent hardcore albums, yes. Decent metalcore albums, also kicking about (indeed, it’s true that such things do exist, I assure you!). However, a fully functioning metal album that is also hardcore, and not sugared down, ‘McAudio’ for wannabe cage fighters..? Let’s just say, I haven’t been holding my breath of late. Listening to All Consumed’s No World Order has been an utterly satisfying rebuttal.

Much of the ‘core’ side of things here has been derived from the harder edge of the mid-to-late 1990s scene. Hewn from the memorable foundations of acts such as Hatebreed and Biohazard, the bottom floor of this hateful tenement is populated with urban aggression, yet there is more here than tribute or replication. In the same way that Pissing Razors brought a new angle to this form, All Consumed have broken down the gates and let the metal flow freely.

With the added layer of Rob Thomas’ Jason Netherton style vocal – although delivered in a slightly heavier manner than in Misery Index – there is further reinforcement to the feeling that this is, in its purest essence, a death metal album, albeit one with head-bouncing hook riffs leading the way. Producer, Samuel Turbitt, has also performed excellently in capturing live energy here, ultimately allowing All Consumed to truly indulge in their innate heaviness, something which, it could be said, limited their previous recording efforts. The blending of genres feels entirely natural, though, and rather than a disjointed amalgam of two distinct sounds, it hammers home a brutality that will appeal to followers of both real hardcore and old school death metal.

This record is a dark and menacing piece of work, with no pretensions to virtuosity, and is, consequently, a highly listenable record. Repeat spins do it no harm, either, making it a cacophonous pleasure, and an essential keeper for all curators of eclectic, heavy, audio libraries. All hail the No World Order!

4.5/5

Paul Macmillan

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Interview with Huntress-Jill Janus

Posted in Interview with tags banshee, Heavy Metal, Huntress, Jill Janus, Static on 22nd October 2015 by Mickelrath

Huntress recently dropped their new album “Static” and Mick Birchall had a few questions for the vocalist, Jill Janus. Read on as they discuss the new album and production process, heavy metal fans and women in heavy metal.

Mick: With the release of your new album “Static”, what do you think sets this apart from the previous Huntress albums?
Jill: Static is the heaviest and catchiest Huntress album, it’s also the most personal, lyrically.

Mick: Could you tell us a bit about the production and creative process of “Static”?
Jill: I wanted to write and record one album a year for the first three years since signing with Napalm Records. We keep getting amazing tour opportunities, and this can be difficult with scheduling. We chose to record the album between touring with Arch Enemy and Amon Amarth, and we chose producers Paul Fig and Jim Rota because we wanted a more accessible sound.

Mick: Why was “Flesh” chosen as the single to advertise the album? Personally I felt that “Noble Savage” was the more effective song on the album.
Jill: “Flesh” was chosen as the first single by every band member, our producers, manager and record label. Everyone agreed this was the first single. It really represents Huntress with dark imagery and sexually driven lyrics. I love “Noble Savage” yet feel “Flesh” makes more sense as a single.

Mick: What do you enjoy most about writing songs?
Jill: It’s cathartic and healing for me. Writing music keeps me out of trouble!

Mick: Why do you think the Huntress fan base, or heavy metal fans in general, are so loyal?
Jill: Heavy metal fans are loyal because we all possess a sadness and darkness that average human beings can’t comprehend. Together we aren’t so lonely.

Mick: What do you feel is the biggest difference between American/Canadian audiences and the crowds in the UK and Europe?
Jill: Not much is different. I find that people who love metal are very much alike.

Mick: What is your opinion on the rise of women in heavy metal, and not just as vocalists?
Jill: Most women aren’t brutal and they just don’t belong in metal. Many women take the easy route by wearing corsets and singing “easy listening metal” in symphonic metal bands. I’m not a fan of female fronted bands and I feel embarrassed to be a woman in metal sometimes. I do self-loath and I can be very annoying. I understand that women can change the perception of heavy metal, but telling us to stop will only make us want to destroy your world more. That’s the nature of a woman. Just ignore us, you’ll have more luck.

Mick: Do you enjoy any music outside of heavy metal?
Jill: I love ABBA!!!

Mick: What do you personally enjoy outside of playing music and touring, during your downtime?
Jill: Nature and animals bring me so much joy. I like make crystal jewellery on long drives in the tour van. But I really don’t have downtime. Huntress takes all my focus.

Mick: Finally, what is the hardest thing personally you have had to overcome and how did you overcome it?
Jill: I recently had a hysterectomy to remove cancer from my uterus, I’m still recovering from surgery but I’m now cancer-free. That was brutal. Probably the hardest thing I’ve overcome.
Mick: We at Valkyrian wish you a fast and 100% recovery! Thanks for your time and keep it up!

http://huntresskills.com/

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Kampfar reveal the title and cover art for new album ‘Profan’

Posted in News, Studio Report with tags Black Metal, Kampfar on 22nd October 2015 by izaforestspirit

It’s only been a year since their previous opus ‘Djevelmakt’ hit the shops and the Norwegian pagan metal band Kampfar have already finished working on the follow up. Their new album will be entitled ‘Profan’ and it is scheduled to be released on 13th November 2015 via Indie Recordings. Here is the cover:

The band has also released one new song ‘Icons’ on their Soundcloud page. You can listen to it here:

For more information check out:

http://www.kampfar.com/index_front.php

https://www.facebook.com/kampfarofficial

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Gaahl launches new project – Gaahl’s Wyrd

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Black Metal, Gaahl, Gaahl's Wyrd, God Seed on 21st October 2015 by izaforestspirit

The Norwegian black metal vocalist Kristian Eivind Espedal a.k.a. Gaahl (ex- Gorgoroth, God Seed, Wardruna) has recently announced that he has started a new project called Gaahl’s Wyrd.

The project now has its own logo, Facebook page and they are scheduled to play their first show at Blekkmetal Festival at USF Verftet in Bergen, Norway on 13-15th November 2015. Since the band hasn’t released anything yet, their set-list will comprise tracks by some of the bands that Gaahl has played with in the past including Trelldom and Gorgoroth. Here’s what Gaahl had to say about it:

“This festival is a tribute to the old days, so therefore the focus will be on tracks that are from the past. I will bring along some Trelldom songs that have never been played before in a live setting, and I will bring in some Gorgoroth elements, but most likely I don’t think the setting for new songs is the correct one.”

There hasn’t been any updates about the band’s line-up but their frontman stated that they are currently working on some new songs.

https://www.facebook.com/gaahlswyrd?fref=ts

For more information about the festival check out:

https://www.facebook.com/BlekkMetal-443353372479615

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The Defiled to enter Guiness Book Of World Records 2016

Posted in News with tags guiness book, iceberg, Jägermeister Ice Cold, The Defiled on 15th October 2015 by Pieni

It’s been a year since The Defiled faced arctic conditions to be the first band playing a gig on an iceberg. We are proud to announce that such debut has been recognized by the Guiness Book Of World Records and it will be featured on the latter’s 2016 edition.

“Breaking Records certainly makes an interesting change from making them”says Keyboard player The AvD. “As a child this was a book of wonder and excitement, so it’s pretty mindblowing to open this book and see myself and my bandmates looking back at me.“

The show, which was part of Jägermeister’s Ice Cold Gig series, was documented here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0BUVYnZvX8. The band also took the time to get footage for the video of the intense song “Five Minutes”:

www.facebook.com/thedefiled

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Annihilator w/ support – Porto, Portugal

Posted in Gig, Live with tags Annihilator, Archer, European tour, Hard Club, Harlott, In The Blood, Porto, Portugal, Prime Artists, Suicide Society, Thrash metal on 13th October 2015 by Pieni

Annihilator, Harlott, Archer
Hard Club, Porto (PT)
9th October 2015
Promoted by Prime Artists www.primeartists.eu

“Suicide Society”, Annihilator’s 15th studio album, was released on September 15^th2015. And 15 days later, the Canadian band kicked off the In The Blood European Tour in Birmingham. Maybe 15 is their lucky number.

This tour hit only one city in Portugal – which happened to be my hometown – so a fair share of people from across the country (and I believe from the north of Spain as well) headed towards Porto that evening. The roadtrip and the fact that it was a working day might explain why the venue was roughly half full when the first band Archer got on stage. Well, their loss – the Santa Cruz, CA, heavy metal band delivered one hell of a show. It was clear that the majority of the audience didn’t know them, but if you’re attending an Annihilator show, it means you like heavy and fast stuff, right? Archer don’t play thrash, but their metal is speedy and thick enough to please the most demanding thrashers. And among songs from both their releases (“Doom$day Profit$” and “Culling The Weak”), they also offered a cover of Megadeth (“Tornado Of Souls” – because they “come from a certain part of California and felt like they should play something related to that”), where singer Dylan Rosenberg sounded exactly like Dave Mustaine did when he recorded the song back in the day.

Bassist Dave Da Silva also addressed the audience, saying that playing in Portugal had a special meaning for him, given his last name (in case you don’t know, Silva is the most common surname around here). So they not only know how to play good metal live, they also know how to bond with the crowd – which are the two goals a band must achieve on stage. Mission accomplished here.

www.facebook.com/archernation

Harlott were more popular – at least I noticed a handful of metalheads singing along. Their “down-under” accent made some of the words indistinguishable, but when it came down to music, the communication was flawless. Thrashing out since 2006, Harlott brought us some sharp, spirited songs from both their albums “Origin” and “Proliferation”, although they focused naturally on the latter, being their most recent release. There was also a funny song – in terms of lyric content; musically, it was straightforward, serious thrash – called “Hairy Dick” that I can’t find anywhere. So it’s either some unrecorded song, just meant for live shows, or it’s included in a certain “Pain Emblem” EP that was never officially released (thanks for the info, Metal Archives).

www.facebook.com/HarlottOfficial

The place had been filling in and it was pretty packed by the time Annihilator got on stage. Not a sold-out venue, but still a number beautiful enough.

Even though I liked Dave Padden very much, I must confess I’ve never understood why Jeff Waters didn’t remain on the role as a singer. I can imagine it’s more comfortable to just play guitar when on stage, but it did work out those few times in the past. And it clearly still does. The opening track was precisely “King Of The Kill”, the title-track of the first album where Waters sang lead. 21 years later, Waters just nailed it. And closer to the end, after almost one hour and a half, he still had it in him to shout those high-pitched “Alison”, from the “Alison Hell” chorus – even if he begged us to sing it for him.

Now that the vocal part is cleared… well, I don’t think the instrumental part needs any kind of introduction regarding its quality. A few songs from the new album, including the title-track, a few all-time classics, some in-between hits, a drum solo… oh, and those “food songs”, that I personally find annoying but the majority of the crowd thrills with – “Chicken and Corn” and “Kraft Dinner”.

When introducing the band, Waters made sure to tell us where the guys came from – in case the little country flags on the drunkit didn’t give away how important that was for them. So him, drummer Mike Harshaw and guitarist Aaron Homma come from Canada, and then bassist Rich Hinks, who doesn’t come from Canada but from a “little island called United Kingdom”. The look on Hinks’ face when Waters said “little” was priceless. Because metal isn’t all about anger and demons – it can be funny too.

www.facebook.com/Annihilator-9614139730/

Click here to see the full gallery on our Facebook page.

Text & photos: Renata “Pieni” Lino

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Devil In Me – Soul Rebel

Posted in Review with tags crossover, Devil In Me, DIM, Hardcore, impericon records on 12th October 2015 by Pieni

Devil In Me
“Soul Rebel”
Hardcore/Crossover
Release: 20^th November 2015
Via Impericon Records

Rumor has it that “Soul Rebel” is one of the most expected albums in the European hardcore scene. Whether that’s true or just publicist talk, this piece will certainly make big waves. And not just among the hardcore fans – “Soul Rebel” is more accurately described as a crossover album, so it has a lot of tweaks prone to thrill a fair share of the metal community as well. Like those thrash-oriented riffs in “Break The Chain” or “Blood & Rage”, for instance – the latter including a guitar solo just as juicy. But even the hardcore-anthem-material of the title-track, “Monster” or “Warriors” has something about it that will make people outside the hardcore sphere want to shout along those gang vocals, if not the choruses or the whole songs. That’s what makes Devil In Me stand out from the rest of their fellow bands – the ability of turning their rough and brisk sound into a catchy earworm.

And no matter how top-notch the work of a musician may be, special guests are always a treat. Poli’s voice is quite unique, raspy and full of the rebellious attitude that both lyrics and music of DIM bear, but getting Freddy Cricien from Madball to add some vocal power to the aforementioned “Warriors” is a sweet cherry on top of the icing. “Monster” is a DIM-meets-Biohazard blast of a thing, as singer Billy Graziadei, guitarist Bobby Hambel and bassist/singer Scott Roberts give their straightforward input in it. And a not-so-popular name but in no way less talented is Orlando Santana, from the also Portuguese Atlântida On Demand, who helps Poli with “SYG” (stand your ground).

That being said, this is then a thick, well-woven album, comprised of eleven defiant and spirited songs, aimed at open-minded but strong-willed people. Soul rebels. Like lions.

5 / 5

Renata “Pieni” Lino

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Metal Allegiance – Metal Allegiance

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Metal, Metal Allegiance, Nuclear Blast, super group on 9th October 2015 by Paul Macmillan

Metal Allegiance
“Metal Allegiance”
Released 18th September 2015
Metal
Released via Nuclear Blast Records

Metal Allegiance - Metal Allegiance

Ok, I hit play expecting this to be utterly terrible; a seismic collision of super-egos in a tumultuous ocean of abyssal phalli. I’m not saying that every successful metal musician ever is a complete tool, but I do think there’s only so much room for the necessary swagger which comes hand-in-hand with that line of work. This shouldn’t work! Yet, it kind of does…

This revolving door conglomerate of many of the biggest names in modern metal, is hardly ground-breaking, but there doesn’t appear to be any battle of wills in the forming up of the songs. I mean, there are some seriously big names involved here; Phil Anselmo, Randy Blythe, Troy Sanders, Mike Portnoy. It would only be natural to expect friction, but if there was any along the way, it has been lost on its path to the listener.

True, the recording in total doesn’t sound like one band. That would be incredibly hard to achieve with even just the different vocalists throughout. However, there is certainly a consistent energy, and whether the music itself rocks your boat or not, there’s no denying that the quality is right up there with any release offered up by the participating musicians in recent years.

In examining the music, it seems like each vocalist has brought a certain expectation to the band behind them in regards to the direction the music should take. For example, with Anselmo fronting, there is a definite echo of Down’s Over The Under, but when Chuck Billy takes the reigns, you’d be forgiven for mistaking Can’t Kill The Devil for a bonus Testament track, left out of Low at the last minute.

All in all, I’m actually pleasantly surprised by this release. For a fan of many of the artists involved, it’s fantastic to see and hear such a coherent piece of work. It’s not just more of the same from each musician so much as a little something extra you missed along the way. If you don’t like them, though, this definitely isn’t for you. You’re not going to suddenly find that one new thing that turns you on to any of the contributors. Familiar faces, characters easily identified from behind, whether you loved or hated them to begin with.

4/5

Paul Macmillan

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Grave Digger – Exhumation The Early Years

Posted in Review with tags Grave Digger on 9th October 2015 by izaforestspirit

Grave Digger
Exhumation – The Early Years
Released 23rd October 2015
Heavy Metal/ Speed Metal
Released via Napalm Records

‘Exhumation – The Early Years’ is the new album from the German heavy metal band Grave Digger. Released only a year after their previous work ‘Return of the Reaper’, ‘Exhumation..’ features mostly re-recorded versions of old tracks from the band’s first three albums.

The clue is in the title ‘The Early Years’, and by early Grave Digger are referring to the their humble beginnings in early ’80s when their debut album ‘Heavy Metal Breakdown’ was released. So if you are old enough to have followed the band’s career from the start, this doesn’t offer anything new other than a fancy CD cover art, booklet and possibly better production levels. In my case however, I only got into this band recently, so this release was a useful way to get to know some of the Grave Digger classics.

Witch Hunter caught my attention due to the catchy chorus, Chris Boltendahl’s coarse shouting “He’s a witch hunter, witch hunter witch hunter, witch hunter” and the ultra heavy and furious, speed metal style guitars. Similar things can be said about ‘Stand Up and Rock’ which is so catchy that it’s difficult not to head-bang and sing along to the chorus. Then there’s the heavy metal anthem Heavy Metal Breakdown with its furious barrage of thrashing guitar riffs and a chorus that’s likely to stay in your head for some time after the album has finished.

There’s some hints of both speed and thrash metal on here; particularly in the aggressive style of the guitars, audible in tracks such as Get Away and We Wanna Rock You. If you’re looking for some slower, power metal style ballads, you won’t find any on this album. It’s all about the aggressive, “in your face” heavy metal, the choice cuts picked out by the band for their fans.

In summary, I’ve really enjoyed this album. For someone who is only getting to know Grave Digger’s music, ‘Exhumation – The Early Years’ serves as a great introduction. If I ever get the chance to see them live I’ll know which songs to sing along to.

4/5

Iza Raittila

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Satyricon vocalist diagnosed with a brain tumour

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Satyricon on 7th October 2015 by izaforestspirit

Bad news for Satyricon fans… The band’s frontman, Sigurd “Satyr” Wongraven has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. He broke the news a few days ago via his Instagram account. Here’s an extract from the statement:

“I got extremely sick eight days ago and was rushed to hospital. Scans have shown that there is a blind passenger in my head. Most likely it is benign. I can live with it as long as it does not grow bigger. Removing it is extremely complicated and should only be done if it grows into a size where it is a matter of life and death.”

“I will spend the next two weeks trying to get my strength back, then try to starting writing on the new Satyricon again and pick up where I left on all my wine projects.”

The band’s new DVD, ‘Live At The Opera’ is available now via Napalm Records.

https://www.facebook.com/SatyriconOfficial

http://www.satyricon.no/

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Wucan – Sow The Wind

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Blues rock, Retro Rock on 5th October 2015 by izaforestspirit

Wucan
Sow The Wind
Released 25th September 2015
Blues Rock/ Retro Rock
Released via Hänsel & Gretel, division of M.I.G-Music GmbH

‘Sow The Wind’ is the debut album from the German blues rock band Wucan. The band describes their sound as “Kraut-fueled Heavy Flute Rock” and cites Jethro Tull, other blues rock and psychedelic musicians amongst their influences.

The sound of a flute isn’t exactly the first instrument that comes to mind when you hear the term “blues rock”… And “what on earth is retro rock?” I hear you ask… Well, if the opening track Father Storm is anything to go by, then I can state that in this case the term retro rock means playing songs which sound like they were recorded by a group of hippies in the early 1970s rather than a modern rock band in 2015.

There is a fair amount of folk influences in here. Flute sounds and acoustic guitars blend in with melodic, blues rock style female vocals on most of the songs to create that “retro” feel. In addition to this, some of the tracks feature elements of funk music – for example the groove sounds of rhythmic guitar and the Hammond organ on Looking In The Past. Then just in case that’s not enough to make you feel like you have traveled back to the 1970s, the guitar work on their final piece Wandersmann has a certain experimental flair to it which gives the song a weird, psychedelic quality.

In summary, listening to ‘Sow The Wind’ felt like traveling back in time to an era when these types of music were in vogue. So if you’re a fan of either folk music, blues rock or ’70s style psychedelic rock then you could enjoy this. Personally it’s not my kind of thing but I appreciate the effort that they put into creating that “retro”, nostalgic sound.

4/5

Iza Raittila

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Hills Have Eyes – Antebellum

Posted in Review with tags antebellum, hell xis agency, HHE, Hills Have Eyes, Metalcore, Post-Hardcore, third album on 2nd October 2015 by Pieni

Hills Have Eyes
“Antebellum”
Metalcore / post-hardcore
Release: 2nd October 2015
Via Hell Xis Agency

Formed over a decade ago, I only took notice of Hills Have Eyes early last year. But they caused such an impression, both on stage and in studio, that I’ve been dearly referring to them as “probably the best Portuguese metalcore band” (the “probably” being there just so I won’t sound pretentious – to me, they are indeed the best). So even though my rational side tried to control my expectations, I’m only human and they sky-rocketed pretty much on the same day I learnt a new album was on the way. Luckily for me, these guys seem to never disappoint.

If I had reviewed the debut “Black Book” and the sophomore “Strangers”, both would have got 5 stars; but in “Antebellum” HHE stepped up their game. They’ve always exceled in combining the most in-your-face riffage with the catchiest choruses – probably because even the more melodic passages kept a spunky spirit to them. But here there’s a bigger balance between those elements, producing a more mature sound.

Whenever they’re shredding away like there’s no tomorrow and entwine a certain darkness in the process, in songs such as “Eternal Bond” or “Answers In Blood”; when the heaviness of “Oathkeeper” or “Hide Your Scars” mingles with an upbeat rock vibe; the vibrancy of “Red Serpent” or the title-track; the silky touch of a female voice amidst the sharpness of “The Bringer Of Rain”; the molten guitar solo in “The Outspoken King” or the power in the ballad “Make It Right”; all songs were carefully written, filled with unique details, so that each and every one of them leaves an imprint of its own. What more can a music lover ask for? And when Hills Have Eyes say they’ve put their hearts and souls on this album, as much cliché as it may sound, you just know that there are hardly better words to describe it.

5/5

by Renata “Pieni” Lino