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Scarlet Anger – Freakshow

Posted in Review with tags Scarlet Anger, Thrash metal on 18th March 2016 by izaforestspirit

Scarlet Anger
Freakshow
Released 18th March 2016
Thrash Metal
Released via Hänsel & Gretel Records/M.I.G Music GmbH

The Luxembourgish thrash metal band Scarlet Anger are back with the second album ‘Freakshow’. This release comes four years after their successful debut album ‘Dark Reign’. The band cites classic ’80s and 90s comics and horror stories as the main inspiration for this new piece.

Horror stories and thrash metal tends to be a good combination. The best examples I can think of are classic, old Metallica songs such as ‘The Thing That Should Not Be’, inspired by the tales of H.P. Lovecraft or Iced Earth’s ‘Horror Show’ album. Speaking of H.P. Lovecraft… It seems that Scarlet Anger are also fans of his work, or at least the comics that his stories inspired, since the opening track on here is titled Awakening of The Elder God.

The horror themes continue with the suitably eerie-sounding The Haunted Place – House of Lost Souls which lives up to its namesake. Yet whilst the coarse vocals and the overall tone of this track have that dark and creepy atmosphere, some of the guitar parts are actually fairly melodic. The title track Welcome to the Freakshow is a completely different animal however, reflecting the band’s more aggressive style with ferociously fast guitar riffs and abrasive, shouting style vocals being the key features. Luckily there’s a good mixture of both the harsh, raw and the melodic thrash metal styles which gives the album enough variety to keep the listener interested. After all, it’s not easy to tune in to nearly fifty minutes worth of non-stop thrashing guitar riff barrage and shouting. Therefore it is good that you get the occasional slower, ballad-esque and melodic track such as An Unbelievable Story of A Stupid Boy to provide some relief to sore ears.

Overall, ‘Freakshow’ is a testament to how Scarlet Anger have developed and grown as a thrash metal band. Horror themes aside, the album essentially continues along the same path of modern thrash metal that was audible in Scarlet Anger’s debut.

4/5

Iza Raittila

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Wrath Sins – Contempt Over The Stormfall

Posted in Review, Uncategorized with tags contempt over the stormfall, Debut album, Metal, Raising Legends, Thrash metal, Wrath Sins on 6th January 2016 by Pieni

Wrath Sins
“Contempt Over The Stormfall”
Thrash metal
Released: 26th September 2015
Via Raising Legends Records

Wrath Sins picked up the classic thrash metal, filtered the edginess with some prog and “Contempt Over The Stormfall” was born. It’s not exactly modern thrash metal; it’s thrash metal with a polished twist.

In the mix there’s also a graver tone of vocals, unlike the high pitches this genre has gotten us used to. It’s still clean and aggressive, like Bobby Blitz or Chuck Billy’s, but a notch lower than theirs. And then there’s the growling backing vocals, functioning as a spicy seasoning. Still they invited some “legends” of their hometown underground to enrich the outcome – Fernando Martins of Web sings in the straightforward “Textured Vengeance” while Miguel Inglês of Equaleft helps out in the groovy (what else?) “Solipsism”.

Musically/instrumentally speaking, “Contempt Over The Stormfall” is a pretty consistent, solid album, featuring beefy riffs (the title-track, ”To Where The Waves Break”) and classy guitar pieces (my favorite “Watching Time Collapse”, or “Paradox”). Well done, boys.

3,5/5

Renata “Pieni” Lino

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Eradikator – Edge Of Humanity

Posted in Uncategorized with tags edge of humanity, Eradikator, self release, Thrash metal on 9th December 2015 by Paul Macmillan

Eradikator
Edge Of Humanity
Released July 17^th 2015
Thrash metal
Self-released

Having been a fan of Eradikator before the release of Edge Of Humanity, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect; full on Bay Area style thrash, and that is exactly what has been delivered. When all is said and done, thrash really was over played and rehashed for a long time of late, but every so often one stumbles across an absolute gem of a band. Eradikator are definitely one such discovery.

Even the casual listener will definitely be able to pick out some big influences. Megadeth, Metallica, and Testament are emblazoned shamelessly on the denim vest of Eradikator’s cannon, so much so that you could firmly believe they were spawned in the same era. In spite of this, every blast from this record is the band’s own, and the similarities, strong as they may be, are blended throughout as tribute rather than replication.

This is a cumulative effect, as each member brings their own slice of genius to the table. Pat Cox’s vocals, while holding a Hetfield-esque timbre, are also reminiscent of Chuck Billy before illness gave him that demonic growl. Matched with incredibly well-crafted lyrics, they nestle comfortably between Andy MacNevin and Liam Priest’s wide array of progressive thrash, and the Nick Menza backbone provided by drummer Jon MacNevin (yes, they are related). If only those artists were still putting out albums of this calibre.

Capturing the intensity and excitement of the original movers and shakers of the scene, particularly late 80s releases, Edge Of Humanity is a prime example of what many have tried to do and failed. Eradikator totally own this sound, with creative riffs and structures, and have well and truly raised the bar for future classic thrash bands to reach.

5/5

Paul Macmillan

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Tales For The Unspoken – CO2

Posted in Uncategorized with tags CO2, Death Metal, Metal, Raising Legends, second album, tales for the unspoken, TFTU, Thrash metal on 11th November 2015 by Pieni

Tales For The Unspoken
“CO2”
Thrash / Death Metal
Release: 11th April 2015
Via Raising Legends Records

“CO2” is one of those albums you need to listen to more than once before you form a solid opinion about it. Not in the way that it will take a couple of times for the music to sink in, no; it’s just that there’s so much to it that you won’t be able to grasp it all at first. Tales For The Unspoken are not reinventing the wheel either, or even merging several opposite genres into a new one. They do draw influences from other styles – hence the creativity and richness of their sound – but the outcome is that dear ol’ mixture of thrash and death metal. And there lies the beauty of it: they stay within the boundaries of their genre and yet manage to stay original. Saying that the opening track, “Burned Alive”, has its aggression shaved off by the melody of its chorus may not appear that much of an originality nowadays, but once you hear how exquisitely refined it sounds, with guitarist Nuno Khan’s clean vocals, without compromising the aforementioned aggression, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. Or the fluid guitar solo in “Soul For A Soul”. The groovy bass line of “World’s Biggest Lie” (which features Equaleft-Malone on lead guitar). And speaking of guests, there’s the stout participation of Miguel Inglês, also from Equaleft, in “I, Claudius”; the sharpness of Terror Empire-Ricardo Martins’ contribution to “Crossroads”; and the seduction of Joana Vieira in “Resilient Winter”. All of it immersed under an avalanche of riffs, spiced up with meticulous breakdowns. Never a dull moment with this “CO2”.

4 / 5

Renata “Pieni” Lino

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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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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/

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Text & photos: Renata “Pieni” Lino

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Millarium – First Blood Running

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Thrash metal on 26th September 2015 by izaforestspirit

First Blood Running
Released 23rd October 2015
Heavy Metal/Thrash Metal
Released via Hänsel & Gretel, division of M.I.G-Music GmbH

‘First Blood Running’ is the debut album from the Hannover-based, German heavy metal band Millarium. The band was formed in 2009 and they also have an EP titled ‘Rise High’, which was released in 2012.

After a melodic and mostly guitar-driven instrumental intro, comes the title track offering a healthy dose of old school style thrash metal. The guitar riffs have that “bouncy”, bluesy feel to them whilst the vocals are catchy and easy to follow, but more melodic than the shouting style of classic thrash metal bands such as Slayer. Oh, and by melodic, I’m not referring to the story-telling vocal variety favoured by the likes of power metal bands including Iron Maiden but something more akin to the clear, heavy metal style of early Anthrax.

In many ways it’s the guitars more than the vocals that make the songs memorable. Take Insidious for example, it starts off with some downtuned and deceptively slow guitar melodies before gradually picking up the pace back to the playful, headbanging-friendly style featured in the previous tracks. Wasted is another track which has that playful feel to it, only this time the vocals have shifted towards the more aggressive, shouting style. Yet what caught my attention on this particular song was not the singing, but the enticing, mid-paced bass intro which offers you a chance to regain your balance again after several minutes of frequent headbanging; just so that you can resume the same stance by the time you heard the chorus. Then there’s their cover of Steppenwolf’s classic Born To Be Wild, which seems like a very fitting way to close what has been a very enjoyable album.

Overall, this album sounds like it was recorded to be played live at a festival. Millarium’s style has a certain amount of melody to it which sets them apart from the more aggressive and faster thrash metal bands, but that doesn’t make their songs any less catchy.

4/5

Iza Raittila

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Blackened Ritual – Blackened Ritual

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Blackened Ritual, Debut album, self released, Thrash metal on 19th July 2015 by Paul Macmillan

Blackened Ritual
“Blackened Ritual”
Released July 16th 2015
Thrash/metal
Self-released

Blackened Ritual - Blackened Ritual

It might just be because this a local band who I have watched build up from their very beginnings, but by Cthulhu this album has been an incredibly long time coming! Having just won the Scottish Metal To The Masses, there’s some pressure on Blackened Ritual for this to be solid gold, too. Cool cover? Check! Sound production above ‘demo level’? Check! Riffs? Oh yes indeed!

If you were ever stuck wishing that Lamb Of God would just go back to their early aggressiveness, this could be just the ticket. Added to this, the Testament-infused thrash ethic of the group, combined with the ever pervading southern US bounce that sticks to many Scottish bands, and choruses to die for, delivers something which, while not genre-destroying, is definitely unique enough to be undeniably Blackened Ritual, and Blackened Ritual alone. In years to come, other bands may well be imitating them.

Remembering these guys from the extensive period during which they struggled to find a vocalist, it’s fantastic to see that, not only have they sourced an absolute gem in front-man Tom Simpson, but the musicians at the core of the band’s sound have leapt forward immensely in terms of song-writing and playing finesse. There’s a thoroughly professional swagger to this debut, fuming with attitude and atmosphere that many further along in the game would struggle to compete with.

As a guitarist, there are already a good few riffs on here that I would love to get my teeth stuck into, and that is arguably a quality that could take a band to the next level; the feeling of wanting to engage in their world in more than just the capacity of listening to the record. It wouldn’t be the furthest stretch of the imagination to think that others may feel the same, and I can vividly picture swathes of metal crazed gig-goers shouting along to each track. I’m already itching to hear the next one.

4/5

Paul Macmillan

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Web – Everything Ends

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Doom metal, Everything Ends, Heavy Metal, Raising Legends, Thrash metal, Web on 19th July 2015 by Paul Macmillan

Web
Everything Ends
Released 23rd May 2015
Thrash metal
Released via Raising Legends Records

Web - Everything Ends

Within the first note of Web’s Everything Ends I’m dragged back to my teenage years of the late 90s. There’s an immediate vibe of The Haunted’s first two albums, mixed with Face Down, but there’s more to it than the sneaking suspicion that Marco Aro may have had a hand in the proceedings. If anyone else remembers one certain disbanded UK metal group going by the name Dearly Beheaded as fondly as I do, there’s plenty contained herein to tickle your fancy. There’s even a hint of the creepy, musically narrative atmospherics of Rage’s Black In Mind.

Where this release excels in comparison to those mentioned above, is in production values. It doesn’t suffer from the testing ground that was late 20^th century mixing and mastering experimentation, but has stepped beyond the bounds of the early stages of studio digitisation. The result is that it has both the chops from an era when individuality was celebrated rather than scorned, and the vibrancy of modern refinement in extreme music sound engineering. And it’s a rather pleasant result indeed.

Web have actually been around since the mid-80s, so this is no contrived attempt to instigate a new phase of looking backwards in metal. These guys are the genuine article. They just happen to have not received the global recognition that some of their contemporaries have enjoyed. Unafraid to move through various changes of tempo,- including, but not limited to, mid-paced, double-pedal stomping – Web have a pretty wide palette to choose from within a tightly defined character.

Comparisons are pretty easy in listening to this, but they are all good ones; influences worn with pride, perhaps, rather than stale carbon copying. This album is a human one, and shuns the pull and sway of current trends. Dark and energising at the same time, it is exactly the sort of music I couldn’t get enough of when I first got into anything heavier than Iron Maiden, but pumped up and turbo charged for the modern age.

4/5

Paul Macmillan

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E-Force – Demonikhol

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Thrash metal, Voivod on 20th June 2015 by izaforestspirit

E-Force
Demonikhol
Released 19^th June 2015
Thrash Metal / Extreme Metal
Released via Mausoleum Records

‘Demonikhol’ is the new album from the Canadian thrash metal band E-Force. It is a concept album about the devastating effects of alcohol abuse. The band was formed back in 2001 after the singer Eric Forrest left Voivod. Their debut album ‘Evil Forces’ was released two years later after which Forrest relocated to France, resulting in some changes in the lineup.

The album kicks off with Grievance, offering a barrage of ferociously fast guitar riffs and equally brutal-sounding drums. At first it seems like your average thrash metal, then the vocals enter the frame and they really aren’t at all what I expected to hear. Not that thrash metal as a genre is known for its pleasant-sounding singers, but this guy’s angry shouting reminds more of ‘Slaughter of the Soul’ -era At The Gates or even Children of Bodom than old school thrash metal acts. I guess it’s all about capturing the raw emotion and that uncomfortable feeling that you get after a heavy night’s drinking.

Double Edged Sword stands out due to the brutal drumming and the aggressive guitar work. If you like your thrash metal fast and furious, you might enjoy this track. Debauchery is true to its namesake in that it’s completely chaotic and slightly mad as far as the song structure goes but the guys sound like they are having fun. On the plus side there’s the occasional decent guitar riff on there which makes the track more memorable. State of Delusion has more of the thrash metal vibes in the guitars which makes the song one of the more catchy ones on here. Even the abrasive vocals don’t bother me as much thanks to the skillfully executed guitar work.

Overall, this album proves that E-Force doesn’t want to conform to one specific style. Their signature sound comprises two key aspects: speed and brutality. So if it’s old school thrash metal you’re after then you probably wouldn’t enjoy this. If however, you’re happy to check out something more extreme or experimental than you might want to give ‘Demonikhol’ a try.

3/5

Iza Raittila

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Reign Of Fury – Death Be Thy Shepherd

Posted in Uncategorized with tags independent, Reign of Fury, self release, sophomore album, Thrash metal on 8th February 2015 by Paul Macmillan

Reign Of Fury
Death Be Thy Shepherd
Release: 27^th February 2015
Thrash metal
Self released

Reign Of Fury - Death Be Thy Shepherd

I love thrash! Always have, always will! However, the resurgence of its popularity in the last decade or so has seen an ocean of filler unleashed on the world. It was a disappointing end result to say the least: song writing was ditched by the wayside in favour of constant imitation of the genre’s founding bands, sometimes note for note. The whole scene seemed to have been hi-jacked by a strange breed of hipsters who sneered at any hint of originality, swamping the web with derogatory nonsense, should a thrash band stray from the path in any way.

I’m thankful to say that, on their second album, Death Be Thy Shepherd, Midlands mob Reign Of Fury continue to turn their backs and raise a firm middle-finger to such unfounded buffoonery. From the very first track, Faustian Mastery, you can almost smell the words ‘Don’t give a f***!’ wafting through the air. While ROF comfortably incorporate the essence of the original thrash movement, they deftly side-step the ‘re-thrash’ tag, indulging the influence of both its roots and its later development.

Snatches reminiscent of Megadeth’s Countdown To Extinction twist into Maiden like guitar harmonies. For those of you who stuck with Anthrax throughout their discography, this release will feel like a new home for your ears, although I’m also sensing the air of personal favourite and underrated Arizonans Flotsam & Jetsam sneaking into the axe work. There is plenty of diversity herein, the vocals even venturing into extremely well executed death metal vocals in Gates Of Sanity, which batters its way through an ultimately addictive chorus and musical flavours only found in the Testament cookbook.

It’s a unique musical personality for sure, but one that wears its influences with unashamed pride. If Jeff Waters, Nick Menza, Alex Skolnick, Peavy Wagner and John Bush stepped out of the past together to show the young uns how to write an album, it might not sound too different to this.

It must be a challenge to go against the grain when putting out music which is to any degree retro. As I mentioned to begin with, there will be a certain number of detractors if it isn’t a carbon copy of the original style. However, if you’re having as much fun and care as little about those opinions as this lot seem to, it doesn’t seem like something that would be a chore. Without losing track of their roots, Reign Of Fury have managed to seal the deal on a fresh sounding long player which is absolutely thrash, absolutely relevant, and an absolute neck-snapper! Top drawer stuff!

5/5

Paul Macmillan

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Terror Empire’s debut album streaming in full

Posted in News with tags Coimbra, Debut album, free streaming, Nordavind Records, Pure Grain Audio, Terror Empire, The Empire Strikes Back, Thrash metal on 4th February 2015 by Pieni

Formed in 2009, Portuguese thrashers Terror Empire would release their first EP 4 years later, named “Face The Terror”. By then they had already gained a solid fan base with their live shows, a base that grew bigger and stronger with the EP release. This is bound to happen again when their debut full-legth hits the stores, later this month (23rd February via Nordavind Records). But until then, you can enjoy it in full at Pure Grain Audio, where “The Empire Strikes Back” is available for free streaming: http://puregrainaudio.com/audio/terror-empire-the-empire-strikes-black-exclusive-premiere-album-stream.

Cover art and track listing are as follows:

1. The Empire Strikes…
2. …Black
3. The Servant
4. Skinned Alive
5. Revolution Now
6. The Route of the Damned
7. Man Made of Sand
8. Reality Check
9. Protective Wolves
10. Strings of Rebellion
11. Good Friends Make the Best Enemies
12. Break the Cycle

www.facebook.com/terrorempire

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Sylosis – Dormant Heart

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Death Metal, dormant heart, Metal, Middleton, Nuclear Blast, progressive, Sylosis, Thrash metal on 1st February 2015 by Pieni

Sylosis
“Dormant Heart”
Progressive thrash metal
Released on 23rd January 2015
Via Nuclear Blast Records

Whether you like Sylosis or not, you can’t accuse them of writing mellow songs. So you’ve probably figured out that this title, “Dormant Heart”, has nothing to do with the music featured in it but with the lyrical content (not to mention the catchy, poetic ring it bears). What you may not know is what inspired it. Frontman Josh Middleton has said that it’s about those people – who sadly represent a large percentage of the world population – who just go with the flow, accepting the way things are and what society tells them to be right. People who need a wake-up call to get a new perspective on life. Now, I’m pretty sure none of the members in Sylosis fit in such category, but they’ve faced that kind of wake-up call in September 2013, on a driving accident while on tour, and it’s become a major influence on the writing process of “Dormant Heart”. I’m not telling you this just as a curiosity; after all, Sylosis have always written about the human mind, inner struggles and so-on. The difference is that this time its intensity is stronger, more compelling, as it doesn’t come from what they perceive but from something they’ve experienced; it comes from something more personal.

More intense and more somber. The first track, “Where Wolves Come To Die”, is a pretty sorrowful tune that I still look at as an intro: far shorter than all other tracks, the tension builds without actually exploding, until it abruptly comes to its end. Even though the following track, “Victims And Pawns”, doesn’t take on from where the other left it – kicking off with a thrashing attitude (the “explosion” missing in its predecessor) – it meets the same vibe as “Where Wolves…” at some point in the middle of song, before resuming the thrash speed and again the doom-ish vibe with which it ends (typical prog, when you think of it). So yeah, “Where Wolves Come To Die” screams “intro” to me.

I don’t want to sound too much like the official press release for this, but the truth is that “Dormant Heart”’s distinctive features are indeed its rich riffs – both in number and composition – , solos and breakdowns. I dare saying that the best combination of those resulted in “Overthrown”, “Indoctrinated” and “Mercy”. “Leech” as well, but this one deserves an additional note: the way the guitars sound so vibrant in that beginning reminds me of how Judas Priest “Hellion” makes way to “Electric Eye”. Please note that I am NOT comparing the songs but their effect on your senses and their nature – classy and epic. Although the guitar seems to cry its strings out in the solo, very lament-wise, very eighties-heavy-metal-like. Yes, I confess – it’s my favorite.

But all in all, every song here has the potential to be someone’s favorite (hence the “I dare saying”, as you’ll probably name other songs yourself). Even the 9-minute ballad “Quiescent”, which personally I’m not very fond of, but where I recognize a great job nonetheless.

You know how most bands claim to have released their “best work so far” when they have a new album? Occasionally they’re right. And Sylosis are definitely right.

4,5/5

by Renata “Pieni” Lino

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Death Angel to play 4 shows in the UK this Summer

Posted in News with tags Death Angel, indoor shows, Nuclear Blast, queensryche, summer festivals, Thrash metal, UK shows on 28th January 2015 by Pieni

Thrashers Death Angel will return to Europe this Summer, both for festivals and a string of indoor shows. The latter include four gigs in the UK, one of them as headliners (Wolverhampton) and the other three supporting progressive heavy metal act Queensrÿche. All dates listed below:

Jul 16th – Germany, Bang Your Head Festival
Jul 18th – Netherlands, Dynamo Metalfest
Jul 23rd – Slovenia, Metaldays
Jul 25th – Germany, Headbangers Open Air

Jul 27th – Oslo (NO), Revolver
Jul 28th – Gothenburg (SE), Sticky Fingers
Jul 29th – Stockholm (SE), Debaser Medis

Jul 31st – Germany, Wacken Open Air

Aug 4th – Wolverhampton, Slade Rooms (headline show)
Aug 5th – Bristol, Marble Factory (supporting Queensrÿche)
Aug 6th – London, Electric Ballroom (with Queensrÿche & Armored Saint)
Aug 7th – Brighton Concorde (supporting Queensrÿche)

Aug 8th – Belgium, Alcatraz Metal Festival
Aug 12th – Germany, Summer Breeze

deathangel.us

facebook.com/deathangel

nuclearblast.de/deathangel

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Moonshade’s “Dream | Oblivion” release party – Porto, Portugal

Posted in Gig, Live with tags Death Metal, destroyers of all, dream oblivion, EP, melodeath, Melodic death metal, Metalpoint, Moonshade, release party, survive the wasteland, Thrash metal on 6th December 2014 by Pieni

Moonshade, Destroyers Of All, Survive The Wasteland
Metalpoint, Porto
29th November 2014

Moonshade’s EP “Dream | Oblivion” has been available digitally on Bandcamp since May, but now they’ve released it in physical format. So a release party was mandatory. Playing melodic death metal, they invited two bands of different death flavors – straightforward death metal and a more thrash-oriented one – bands that “tore down the stage”, as Moonshade singer Ricardo said later on, adding that it was just what they had expected, hence the invitation.

The first was Survive The Wasteland, formerly known as Suffochate. Already under the new name, they’ve released a 2-track EP (3-track if you count the intro) last year, “Devour”, “Sculpting The End” suitably wrapping up the show. All the other five songs – including “Stolen Ceremony”, to which the band recorded a “live in studio” video – are still a work-in-progress to a future release. A promising one, by the sound of it! Despite the crowd standing a couple of steps back – singer Cláudio and bassist Miguel taking the clearing for themselves here and there – and the moshers kicking their circle just for the last song, one could tell Survive The Wasteland were making an impression, given the constant headbanging and the growing enthusiasm in the applauses. I believe these kids from Matosinhos have a good thing going on here. (5 / 5)

www.facebook.com/survivethewasteland

Next came Destroyers Of All. Warmed up… no, heated up by Survive The Wasteland, the crowd started moshing earlier. The fact that they had a bunch of hardcore fans there also helped, screaming along the lyrics and everything. After all, if you make it to the finals of Wacken Metal Battle (losing to a more veteran act, Revolution Within), you must be good enough to earn followers along the way and get a lively crowd every time you go on stage. “Into The Fire” it’s the only recording so far, an EP with four shredding tracks (plus intro & outro) and its title track seems to be the most popular. Among those songs they played also a new one, “Death Healer”, and a couple of covers, Death’s “The Philosopher” and Pantera’s “Cowboys From Hell”. Singer João introduced the first one as a song from a band that “you might have heard of before”, and the trick to make the crowd scream louder came from drummer Filipe, who said “what, am I the only one who knows them?”. And yup, the trick worked. “Astral Projection” finished another great set. (5 / 5)

www.facebook.com/DestroyersofAll

Despite their more melodic approach, Moonshade weren’t less intense. They even had a guest keyboard player, Nuno Barbosa, to produce that authentic sound that samplers never achieve.
“Dream | Oblivion” is already their second EP, the first released four years ago with the title “The Path Of Redemption”, so this gig was a mix of them both – quality melodeath made in Portugal. And while the rest of the band keeps a bit to themselves, frontman Ricardo is otherwise very expressive. And amusing. For instance, when introducing “Genesis 3.5”, he warned us they would bore us with those almost eight minutes of a song. Or, close to the end, when a fan picked him up and carried him through the front rows, holding him between his legs, Ricardo would thank him, claiming it had been real fun, although he probably wouldn’t be able to have kids in the future.
When the show was over, the crowd wanted more, but the singer said they didn’t have more songs. Someone asked for them to repeat one song (he was specific about the song, but I honestly can’t remember, sorry) but Ricardo replied they didn’t have any more songs of their own but there were “the songs of others”. And the night ended with a brilliant cover of Amon Amarth’s “Guardians Of Asgaard”. (5 / 5)

www.facebook.com/moonshadeofficial

Metalpoint celebrated its 7th anniversary the following day and these three bands put up quite a pre-party.

Text & photos by Renata “Pieni” Lino

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Anthrax’s live DVD “Chile On Hell” hits the stores on the 20th

Posted in News with tags Anthrax, Chile, Chile On Hell, live DVD, Nuclear Blast, Thrash metal on 9th October 2014 by Pieni

Thrash legends ANTHRAX, 1/4 of The Big Four, are about to release a live DVD later this month (20th October, to be exact). As the title indicates, “Chile On Hell” was filmed in Chile, at the Teatro Caupolican in Santiago, on the 10th of May last year. This was an extra-long gig, where ANTHRAX visited their whole discography.

Available on DVD and Blu-ray and 2 live CDs, “Chile On Hell” was recorded in 5.1 surround sound and produced by Jay Ruston, the artwork by the hands of Stephen Thompson and drummer Charlie Benante. And here’s the setlist:

01. Among The Living
02. Caught In A Mosh
03. I Am The Law
04. Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)
05. A Skeleton In The Closet
06. March Of The S.O.D. (STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH cover)
07. In The End
08. Deathrider
09. T.N.T. (AC/DC cover)
10. I’m Alive
11. Indians
12. Medusa
13. In My World
14. Got The Time (Joe Jackson cover)
15. Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t

Encore:
16. I’m The Man / Raining Blood (SLAYER cover)
17. Madhouse
18. Antisocial (TRUST cover)

“Santiago was the perfect place to film the show for this,” says Benante. “When we’d played there in the past, we’d finish our set, play our encore and go back to the dressing room. But every time, the fans would continue to scream and cheer and clap. I mean, they went on and on, they wouldn’t stop. One time Scott [Ian, guitar] and I walked out to the side of the stage just to watch what was going on in the audience, it was intense. Why wouldn’t we want to film a DVD in front of an audience like that? Plus, the time was right to do this DVD… We wanted to finish on a high note. We didn’t want to look back and regret that we didn’t record the live show.”

http://anthrax.com/

https://www.facebook.com/anthrax

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Lucifer – Desensitize to Oppression

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Death Metal, Entombed (band), Thrash metal, Toxic Holocaust on 8th September 2014 by izaforestspirit

Lucifer
Desensitize to Oppression
Released 21st May 2014
Thrash Metal/ Death Metal
Self-Released

Desensitized to Oppression’ is the debut album from the Lithuanian thrash metal band Lucifer. The band formed back in 2006 and have also released two demos ‘Agony’ and ‘Feeding the Machine’.

First up is the ultra aggressive and brutal-sounding Killchain which highlights the band’s death metal influences – the growling vocal style and the blastbeat drumming. The guitars and the overall feel of the music is very much thrash metal. Whilst the drums are mostly just steamrolling their way through the song, the guitars add more depth to it thanks to the melodic riffs and changes in the pace. This pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the album.

The death metal elements remind me of early Entombed, only these guys are much faster and the thrash metal guitars add an extra boost of energy to each track. Harmony and Connection Failure are good examples of how this combination works; the drums are blasting away at full speed whilst the guitar riffs and solos ensure that the songs retain that catchy element. One track that caught my attention is Feeding the Machine mostly due to ultra fast, almost punk-esque and at times incomprehensible vocals. It’s also the only song on here that has more of the thrash metal elements than death metal ones. In fact the only death metal aspect that I can detect in here are the drums.

Generally speaking I have very little reason to dislike this album. Lucifer’s signature hybrid of death and thrash metal is like a cross between Entombed, Helltrain, Grimfist with the guitar riffs of bands like Toxic Holocaust. The mixture is a good one but I have a feeling that it might be have been better had there been more variation between the songs. Most of them follow the same pattern of fast drumming, growls with some melodic guitar riffs half-way through the song. Once you have heard one song you have pretty much heard them all.

3/5

Iza Raittila

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Savage Messiah to headline European tour this autumn

Posted in News with tags Earache Records, European tour, headlining, Heavy Metal, Savage Messiah, The Fateful Darkness, Thrash metal, UK Tour on 29th June 2014 by Pieni

In order to promote their latest album “The Fateful Dark”, Savage Messiah will headline an European tour, kicking off in later September and finishing in November, after a full UK leg:

Sep. 26 – Hillegom, Netherlands – OJC Solution
Sep. 27 – Dijon, France – Rising Fest
Oct. 04 – Brescia, Italy – Circolo Colony
Oct. 06 – Barcelona, Spain – Rocksound
Oct. 07 – Madrid, Spain – Wurlitzer Ballroom
Oct. 08 – San Sebastian, Spain – Le Bukowski

Oct. 25 – Oxford, UK – The Cellars
Nov. 11 – London, UK – The Garage
Nov. 15 – Sheerness, UK – The Ivy
Nov. 18 – Southampton, UK – The Joiners
Nov. 19 – Bristol, UK – Exchange
Nov. 20 – Winchester, UK – The Railway
Nov. 21 – Cambridge, UK – Portland Arms
Nov. 22 – Birmingham, UK – Institute

“We’re pleased to announce that we’ll be out on the road again this Sept/Oct and November once the festival season is over. This is the biggest headline tour for us so far so we’ll be pulling out all the stops! Expect lots of visuals, lights, popes and of course METAL!!! We’re even thinking of chucking a new song in the set (!!) as we’ve been busy crafting the follow-up to ‘The Fateful Dark’ for a few months now. Get your tickets early, and we’ll see you at the front for a UK heavy metal extravaganza!!!”, says frontman Dave Silver.

http://www.facebook.com/SavageMessiahMetal
http://twitter.com/savagemessiah

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Slayer Announce U.S. Fall Tour with Suicidal Tendencies and Exodus

Posted in News with tags Exodus, Gary Holt, Metal, Slayer, Steve Souza, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, Thrash metal, Tom Araya, tour, US on 23rd June 2014 by hammersmashedlauren

After touring together this past May, the trio is back with a full U.S tour for the fall. Slayer will be taking a break from recording to take off on this tour starting in November. Gary Holt will be once again playing for both Exodus and Slayer, and this will be the debut of former front man Steve Souza.

Slayer’s Tom Araya states his excitement for this upcoming tour,”We are way fucking excited about hitting the road again with Suicidal and Exodus. Fucking intense. See you in the fall.”

Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 AM local time. Here are the confirmed dates:

11/12 Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA
11/14 The Forum, Los Angeles, CA
11/15 Comercia Theatre, Phoenix, AZ
11/17 Bricktown Events Center, Oklahoma City, OK
11/18 ACL Live, Austin, TX
11/19 Verizon Theatre, Dallas, TX
11/21 Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
11/22 The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
11/23 The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC
11/25 The Armory, Albany, NY
11/26 Sands Events Center, Bethlehem, PA
11/28 The Palladium, Worcester, MA
11/29 Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ
11/30 Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
12/2 Agora Theatre, Cleveland, OH
12/4 Egyptian Room, Indianapolis, IN
12/5 The Fillmore, Detroit, MI

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Deficiency – The Prodigal Child

Posted in Uncategorized with tags Deficiency, Fantai'zic Productions, Thrash metal on 8th June 2014 by Mickelrath

Deficiency
The Prodigal Child
Thrash metal
Released on 14th October 2013
Via Fantai’zic Productions

Deficiency, are a melodic thrash metal band from France with a sound that’s very heavily influenced by metal greats like Metallica, Trivium, Machine Head & Megadeth. They play with intricate riffs and melodies to create a heavy and interesting sound. Their second album The Prodigal Child is a powerhouse of heavy tones, catchy riffs and solo’s that are beyond impressive.

The album starts off really well, with some intensely brilliant melodies with really well written lyrics, the intro track, which is also the title track, has a great intro to let you know exactly what you’re in for with this album. Everything sounds really tight on this record and the production is tidy and in general the sound is really good to the ear, at least for the average thrash metal fan. Certain songs are really interesting and caught me off guard, songs like Those Who Behold and The Experiment twist and wind the melodies and rhythm to create something a bit different but ultimately pleasing.

For as technically capable the songs are written, the big downfall on this record is that it’s really not all that engaging, it’s fun to listen to whilst some of the songs are playing, such as the song Unfinished, but the majority of the album is largely forgettable. A lot of the songs are mostly album filler and have nothing more to offer than what is presented at face value.

In summary, it’s hard for me to love this album fully. It’s very well written and you can clearly tell a lot of effort went into creating this record. However, the album just doesn’t grab my attention in the right way; I suppose if you’re a hardcore lover of thrash or if you’re a fan of smaller melodic metal bands, than this might be well worth checking out. If you’re looking for something big and innovative, than there a so many other bands with similar sounds and ground themselves with more of an identity.

3/5 (just because of the kick ass guitar solos)

Mick Birchall

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