Archive for September, 2020

Burton C. Bell leaves Fear Factory

Posted in Misc., News with tags , , , on 30th September 2020 by izaforestspirit

Burton C. Bell has recently announced that he has parted ways with Fear Factory. The statement was made following a series of legal disputes with guitarist Dino Cazares and two former members of the band regarding rights to the Fear Factory name. Tensions between the band members began when Dino Cazares started a crowd-funding campaign to raise funds for the band’s new album. Here is an extract from an official statement from Mr. Bell’s official website:

” The past several years have been profoundly agonizing, with these members bleeding my passion with depraved deceit. As a direct consequence of their greed, these three have dragged me through the unjust, judicial system, resulting in the legal attrition that has financially crippled me. In the end, these three members have taken possession of my principal livelihood. However, they will never take my 30-year legacy as the beating heart of the machine. A legacy that no other member, past or present, can ever claim.”

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Fear Factory was formed in Los Angeles, California, The USA in 1989 and Burton C. Bell joined the group the following year. He has been involved with the band throughout their career. Now guitarist Dino Cazres, the only original member left in Fear Factory, has announced that the band will continue as a two piece. Their last album ‘Genexus’ was released back in 2015 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Burton C. Bell’s new alternative rock band Ascension of The Watchers have a new album called ‘APOCRYPHA’ coming on 9th October 2020 via Dissonance Records.

For further information go to: https://www.burtoncbell.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fearfactory
http://www.fearfactory.com/

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Goldray – Feel The Change

Posted in Review with tags , , , , on 27th September 2020 by Pieni

Goldray
“Feel The Change”
Psychedelic Rock
Released: 31st July 2020
Via AKA Shic Records

goldrayfeelthechange

Goldray’s sophomore album may be called “Feel The Change” but that’s something that won’t happen when it comes to its nature and its quality. Leah Rasmussen’s mesmerizing voice will once again lead you into a dreamy dimension, under a top-notch psych rock soundtrack. There’s the groovy “Oz”, with all that rich guitar work Kenwyn House has gotten us used to and the kaleidoscopic effects that I like to call “laser gun shots” (seriously, they sound like those sci-fi eighties movies!). Then the straightforward emotion of the ballad which the album is named after. The hippie-vibe “The Forest”, and its sequel (literally: “The Forest – Part 2”) in a heavier approach, resembling something in-between Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. The seduction of “How Do You Know”. “The Beat Inside” living up to its name – such an enthralling rhythm, coming from the artist’s heart and aiming at yours. The bluesy “Come On”. And then the ethereal “Phoenix Rising” wrapping it all up. Yes, I am aware I’ve used a lot of positive adjectives and remarks, but this is really an outstanding record within the genre. Is it perfect? Maybe, but I’ll leave that part for every listener to decide.

9/10

Renata “Pieni” Lino

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Marilyn Manson – We Are Chaos

Posted in Review with tags , on 25th September 2020 by izaforestspirit

Marilyn Manson
We Are Chaos
Released 11th September 2020
Alternative Rock
Released via Loma Vista

MARILYN MANSON | We are chaos - Nuclear Blast

So here we are in the autumn of 2020- a terrible year for many people and one that we all probably wish would be over soon. The pandemic is still causing havoc with our lives. While we do our best to cope with the new challenges sometimes the best remedy for stress and anxiety is a suitable distraction. I for one, have used this time to revisit some of the things that used to bring my joy when I was younger be it books, films and of course music. However bad 2020 has been, it has also witnessed the birth of some really good new music. This brings me to the latest album from Marilyn Manson, a band who’s career I have been following since my early teens. I was pretty much ready to give up on them after ‘Eat Me, Drink Me’. The two albums that followed were unmemorable and I had serious doubts whether Brian Warner was cable of writing decent songs . Then ‘The Pale Emperor’ came along and I was pleasantly surprised as to how much I liked it. Three years ago he repeated the success with ‘Heaven Upside Down’. Now this year he is back with ‘We Are Chaos’ featuring the country musician Shooter Jennings along with a variety of session musicians.

The CD version comes with a copy of a painting by Marilyn Manson, which suits of the overall sombre tone of the album. It’s a bit of a slow start with the opener Red Black And Blue. Personally I found the speech at the beginning a little off-putting and I was almost tempted to skip the song completely. It is good that I didn’t though, as song itself is decent but hardly one of the highlights of the album. Luckily the title track is much better. I cannot get enough of the chorus and the emotional yet haunting vocals. I already liked it when I first saw the video and even after a few listens it still hasn’t lost it’s appeal. Now that’s more like it. Half-Way & One Step Forward also got my attention thanks to the melancholic piano intro and the creepy vocals. I also really liked Don’t Chase The Dead, another great alternative rock track that captures the right balance of a haunting atmosphere and dancefloor-friendly melodies. There are many moments that reminded me of Marilyn Manson’s ‘Mechanical Animals’ era. In many ways the songs on here contain the same vibe as that album, which just happens to be one of my favorites.

In summary, ‘We Are Chaos’ is a surprisingly accessible album that gets better with every listen. Each song is packed with emotion and there is certain melancholic vibe present throughout. It sounds like the spiritual little brother of ‘Mechanical Animals’, the next phase of Marilyn Manson’s evolution as an artist and his best work in years.

8/10

Iza Raittila

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Kataklysm – Unconquered

Posted in Review with tags , , , on 21st September 2020 by Pieni

 

Kataklysm
“Unconquered”
Melodic death metal
Release: 25th September 2020
Via Nuclear Blast Records

 

unconquered

Kataklysm’s studio discography has grown more or less every two years and, despite the pandemic, 2020 didn’t miss the mark. In fact, “Unconquered” was written based on the current struggles the world is facing and the band describes this album as “a rebirth of aggression”, as a response to said struggles. In all honesty, I don’t think this is THAT much more violent than before, but it’s pretty clear we’re listening to a more elaborate work, richer in features – both modern and old-school – that enhance the melodic part in their melodic death metal nature. Also Jean-François Dagenais gave 7-string guitars a shot, and that alone offers new textures.

“The Killshot” lives up to its title, such brutality embedded in that riffing and double bass drumming – and yet its musical pattern lingers in your ear. That’s probably why it was released as first single, but for similar reasons, so could have been “Defiant” – the latter somewhat fiercer and more straightforward.

It’s funny how Kataklysm consider “Cut Me Down” a “haunting and melodic” song (featuring Wolfheart–Tuomas Saukkonen, by the way), when I think those words best describe “The Way Back Home” (one of my favorites). But it’s the doomsday vibe of “When It’s Over” that makes it the most ominous track (and therefore another favorite of mine).

I won’t say this is their best record so far, but I can assure you the Canadian quartet is right to feel proud of it.

8/10

Renata “Pieni” Lino

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White Virgins–No Safe Word

Posted in Review with tags , , , on 21st September 2020 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

White Virgins
No Safe Word
Released 2020
Sludge Metal
Self-Released

Hailing from Germany, White Virgins formed in 2019. No Safe Word is the band’s debut EP.

The EP opens up with Glitter Dick. Though the track’s name may sound like some dodgy porno, the track is anything but dodgy as it hits hard and heavy with an assault of riffs., and thundering bass lines. Leatherwhip comes in with a gritty, almost offensive sound, whilst Double Slut Experiment fails to entice the ears with its trying-hard-to-be-crunchy riffs. Snuff Rider features more prominent percussion work but the riffs feel and sound very mismatched, leaving the track with much to be desired. Pussy Melter is another track that sounds like a dodgy porn title but there is definitely nothing pornographic about the lacklustre riffs or unexpected tempo changes. The EP ends on I Want To Have Sex o Marilyn Manson, which has a total change of a pace from the rest of the release. The sound of this track is much darker than the rest of the EP, with a certain melody running through the guitars.

No Safe Word is a very hit and miss release, with some tracks feeling rushed and written last minute. White Virgins show potential but overall the EP feels very lacking.

5/10

Nico Solheim-Davidson

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Crushing Force – Remnants of Devastation

Posted in Review with tags , , on 21st September 2020 by izaforestspirit

Crushing Force
Remnants of Devastation
Released 25th July 2020
Melodic Death Metal
Self-Released

Crushing Force - Remnants of Devastation

’Remnants of Devastation’ is the debut EP from the New York based melodic death metal band Crushing Force. The band was originally a one man project of Bill Rotach (Desekrator, ex-Nazgül) created in 2016 with the aim of making instrumental music for video games. One of the tracks, ‘Inferior Humans’ features a sound clip of Fawkes from the video game Fallout 3.

Now I have never played Fallout 3 and I am not really into video games, so I cannot comment on how well this would work as a soundtrack. What I can say, is a few things about is the music itself. The EP is full of shredding guitar riffs along with a few well constructed melodic guitar parts. Mr. Rotach is clearly a skilled guitarist and guitars are definitely the main focus of the EP. The aforementioned Inferior Humans is the most aggressive song in here with crushing guitars and savage drums hammering away. At the other end of the spectrum, we have songs like the title track which is more thrash metal -esque and melodic in nature.

Overall, this is a well made EP from a promising melodic death metal artist. The lyrical themes and the overall tone of the music would not be out of place in a post-apocalyptic landscape. As to how well it works as a soundtrack, I guess that’s up to the gamers to decide.

7/10

Iza Raittila

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Joe Bouchard – Strange Legends

Posted in Review with tags , on 8th September 2020 by izaforestspirit

Joe Bouchard
Strange Legends
Released 31st July 2020
Hard Rock
Released via Deko Entertainment

‘Strange Legends’ is the latest solo album from the American hard rock artist Joe Bouchard. He is best known as one of the founding members of Blue Öyster Cult. This record features drummer Mickey Curry (Alice Cooper, Bryan Adams) along with lyrical contributions from the the sci-fi writer John Shirley, co-screenwriter for the movie ‘The Crow’.

I have to admit that I’m not too well versed when it comes to Blue Öyster Cult. I am mostly familiar with just two of their songs – ‘Don’t Feat The Reaper’ and ‘Astronomy’ thanks to the Metallica cover. Despite this I decided to give the album a go… So, what we have here are eleven tracks of melodic and uplifting hard rock. The pace is varied but generally speaking the more energetic tracks are mostly in the first half of the record, then Mr. Bouchard mellows things down with a few ballads towards the end.

I enjoyed the guitar parts on African Queen and the chorus is pretty good too. It’s catchy, almost to the point where you are tempted to swing along to the guitar tunes. Speaking of guitars, if you like like jazz style guitar work then you should definitely check out the instrumental Racing Thru The Desert. The guitar riffs are very well done, but personally I’m not so keen on the trumpet noise on the background. Perhaps a little too much like a jazz jamming session for my liking. She’s a Legend is another standout track with a memorable chorus. The overall tone is a little darker thanks to the creepy synthesizer sound in the background. That the doesn’t make the track any less catchy than the others on the album, though. In many ways that song reminded me of some of Blue Öyster Cult’s best known hits.

In summary, ‘Strange Legends’ is a catchy, guitar-driven hard rock album. I enjoyed it despite my limited knowledge of Blue Öyster Cult and Joe Bouchard’s solo work. If you are a fan of Blue Öyster Cult, the chances are that you already have this record. I reckon that most hard rock fans will like it too.

8/10

Iza Raittila

Valkyrian Music

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New EP from sludge metallers Skeleton Screen

Posted in Misc., News with tags , , on 4th September 2020 by izaforestspirit

Here is something for fans of sludge and doom metal. Introducing the American sludge/ doom metal duo Skeleton Screen. The band was formed last year by guitarist and vocalist Mark Johnston. Their debut EP ‘Conditions’ is out now and available from the Bandcamp page.

For more information visit:

https://skeletonscreen.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/skelescreen

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Cradle of Filth live stream show coming late next month

Posted in Live, Misc., News with tags , , , on 1st September 2020 by izaforestspirit

British extreme Gothic metal outfit Cradle of Filth are the latest band to jump on the live stream bandwagon. They have recently announced that they will be doing a live stream show next month. The event will take place on the so called “Devil’s Night”, the day before Halloween a.k.a. 30th October 2020 at St. Mary’s Church, Colchester Art Centre, England.

The band have recently been working on their new album, the yet to be titled follow up to ‘Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay’. It remains to be seen whether the live stream show will feature any new songs, but the band have revealed that it will include the first appearance from their new keyboard player and backing vocalist.

The streaming times will be as follows:

22.00 (10.00 pm) GMT
23.00 (11.00pm) CEST
18.00 (6.00 pm) EST
15.00 (3.00 pm) PST

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Tickets are on sale now at: https://cradleoffilth.veeps.com/stream/schedule

For more information go to: https://www.facebook.com/cradleoffilth/

https://www.cradleoffilth.com/

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