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10-11-2013, 11:33 AM
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#1941 (permalink) | |||
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Horribly Creative
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: London, The Big Smoke
Posts: 8,265
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Quote:
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 Because if you had, you'd know most of their material prior to this was thrash and around this time the band were messing around with gothic and industrial metal.
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Power Metal Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History |
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10-12-2013, 09:23 AM
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#1942 (permalink) |
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,996
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Hey, get off my back! I asked for help but the two Metal Icons were too busy, so I just did the best I could. Some of the albums were selected purely down to the name; in Sepultura's case, I know about Dante (tried to read "The Divine Comedy" once) so that attracted me, and in Kreator's case it could have been any album but again I liked the title. You don't think I've managed, among all the other things I do, to review the discography and history of every metal band in just two months, do you?
Anyhoo, it's all relative. Some of the bands I could have chosen better examples from, apparently, had I known about them, but to use your own Genesis example, if I knew nothing about Genesis how would I decide between "Trespass" (cool title!) and the self-titled? I wouldn't know that one differed vastly from the other. That's why I could have done with some help. Meh, it's all rock and roll anyway, innit? See what you think of the next one...
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10-12-2013, 09:30 AM
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#1943 (permalink) |
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,996
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South of Salem --- Witch Mountain --- 2011 (Self-released)
 Not to be confused with German metal band Mountain Witch, these guys first came to my attention purely by accident and only really because they are to my knowledge the only doom metal band to have a female vocalist. I could be wrong there of course, but I haven't heard of any others. Then again I'm hardly a doom aficionado (unless you're talking about the computer game!) so what would I know? But the idea of a woman singing the deep, throaty music of doom metal intrigued me and I bought their "Cauldron of the wild" album, and reviewed it some time back. I wouldn't say I was blown away by it, and in areas it seemed quite plodding (well, this is doom metal after all!) but it was an interesting experience. So here's their album prior to that. They don't seem to have released that much, from their inception in 1997 --- three albums and two EPs --- so there wasn't that much to choose from. This is almost more an EP in itself, with only six tracks total, although one is twelve minutes long. It opens on dark, screechy feedback guitar from Rob Wrong that then becomes grindy, sludgy, slow and stomping riffs before Uta Plotkin comes in with the vocal as "Wing of the lord" gets underway. Her voice really changes the overall style of the music: it's not deep, throaty, growly or really that heavy; I'd say sort of like if Janis Joplin had sung metal. It's very powerful though and being a woman she can reach much higher registers with less effort than her male counterparts. There's also a sense of the likes of Ann Wilson about her voice, very strong and at times edging into operatic territory. I've heard Wrong's guitar work before as I say and it's pretty damn good, though here he's a little restricted, not ripping off too much in the way of solos, and keeping a crunching main melody more or less all through the song. Some nice stuff at the end from him, then we're on to "Plastic cage", with a super little dark bassline before the guitars crash in. It's a little faster than the opener, though not much, sort of slow grind boogie feel to it. "South sugar" then is sort of more in the blues mould, heavy as hell and reminds me a little of a much slower Deep Purple. "End game" is a nice little melodic piece, shortest track other than the closer, which is basically a reprise of it. More boogie rock in this with a great vocal from Uta, possibly doubletracked unless she's invited in some other female to take backing vocals duty. The tempo slows down then in the last minute, very doomy and very effective. The epic is up next, and "Hare's stare" runs for twelve minutes and change, opening on deep acoustic guitar, low-key and laidback until the electric smashes in and Rob Wrong takes control of the intro. Lyric seems to be fairly political, though they seem to be hard to find anywhere to check. Definitely something about children in poverty or danger though. This is where Rob Wrong gets to show off what he can do on the fretboard, and it's mighty impressive. He's no Iommi but he can certainly play. Bit of an odd little spoken bit right at the end, then a reprise, as I said, of "End game", which seems to consist, rather cooly, of just a guitar solo to close the album. And how better to finish a metal album than with an extended piece of axework? Well, not that extended: the whole track only lasts just under a minute and a half. But a good way to close certainly. TRACKLISTING 1. Wing of the lord 2. Plastic cage 3. South sugar 4. End game 5. Hare's stare 6. End game (Slight return) Witch Mountain are certainly not the best metal band in the world. From what I've experienced here, they're not even the best doom metal band. But they are refreshing and new in ways, and they have one hell of a singer. Despite the name they don't seem to focus too much on occult or magic in their lyrics, and they definitely don't seem to espouse a Satanic sort of image. It's just a name, possibly a real name, a mountain that just happens to be called Witch Mountain. Or maybe it's a play on which mountain? I don't know. But they sure churn out some good metal. And in the end, isn't that what Man has striven for since he first jammed on headphones? Kiff! I'm asking you a question!   Read more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphaned_Land
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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 10-25-2013 at 12:49 PM. |
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10-12-2013, 09:37 AM
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#1944 (permalink) |
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,996
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Hail to the king --- Avenged Sevenfold --- 2013 (Warner Bros)
 Oddly, this is the first time I've heard Avenged Sevenfold. Oh, I've heard of them, sure, but never really listened to any of their music. They seem to be one of the rising stars in the metal scene, and this is their sixth album, their first in three years. With a dark growling doomy sound attended by pealing bells we're suddenly introduced to a lone electric guitar far down in the mix then what sounds like a trombone but probably isn't anything of the sort. Hold on though: it is! As well as trumpet and tuba. Well I'll be a poseur's uncle! Tough, militaristic percussion cuts slowly in and the guitar then kicks in properly as "Shepherd of fire" (an odd occupation to be sure) opens the album. Vocalist M. Shadows has a raspy, very rock-n-roll voice, sort of brings to mind the likes of Richie Sambora. These guys are fond of using pseduonyms, and so we end up with Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance on guitars, and Johnny Christ (assuming that's not his real name!) on drums. Luckily though they have the talent to back up this penchant. It's a slow enough opener but with plenty of power and punch, and continues more or less in this vein with the title track, which of course you can imagine them getting great response to onstage, with many horns being thrown no doubt. I like the way the guitars kind of do their own thing, with the rhythm playing its own little riff sort of in the background while the lead punches out, well, the lead melody. Works very well. Slick little solo here too, then "Doing time" is the first one to really kick out the stays as the two axemen go wild, the tempo firing up to ten as Christ batters the drumkit (never thought I'd ever write that sentence!) and powers the whole thing along. "This means war" slows it all back down again though with a tough grinder, touches of Sabbath or Dio in it. A choral vocal opening in presumably latin to "Requiem", then it's hammering, machine-gun drums and strutting guitars for a dark, dramatic piece with the return of not only the brass section but also strings with violin and cello adding to the atmosphere. Expressive gentle guitar ushers in "Crimson day" which sounds like it could be a ballad. Very laidback with nice vocal harmonies, and when the electric guitar kicks in it really adds something to the song. Could see this as a single, no problem. Like the addition of keyboards, along with more cello and violin, and the guitar solo just puts the icing on the cake. Oh yeah: it is a ballad. Good smokin' rocker then in "Heretic" with a somewhat progressive feel to it, with a great sense of Iron Maiden in "Coming home" --- very close, in fact. Superb extended guitar solo and the reintroduction of keyboards courtesy of producer Mile Elizondo. Big trumpet and trombone intro to "Planets" with attendant guitar and rattling drums, and when it gets going the song rocks along with power and promise, and a forceful vocal from Shadows. We close on "Acid rain", which gets underway with a beautiful little piano melody courtesy of Jeff Babko, joined by some lovely strings and a crying guitar, which makes me wonder is this a second ballad to finish off the album? Oh yeah there's no doubt, and it's an excellent way to bring the curtain down on this fine album. You all know I'm a sucker for ballads, especially metal ones, and this is one the best I've heard this year. Superb. TRACKLISTING 1. Shepherd of fire 2. Hail to the king 3. Doing time 4. This means war 5. Requiem 6. Crimson day 7. Heretic 8. Coming home 9. Planets 10. Acid rain So where have Avenged Sevenfold been all my life? I need to check out some of their other material, because I definitely feel like I've been missing out. "Hail to the king" is without question one of the albums of 2013, metal or otherwise, and is sure to give them a big boost in getting back on top where they belong. I'm not going to use cliched phrases like "the return of the king" or "back on the throne", but if anyone had forgotten them, then this band is avenged more than sevenfold upon them.  Read more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenged_Sevenfold
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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 10-25-2013 at 12:50 PM. |
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10-12-2013, 03:04 PM
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#1945 (permalink) |
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,996
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 Time for a few more links to metal albums I reviewed in days gone by... Subsurface --- Threshold  http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1079656 Borrowed time --- Diamond Head  http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1080675 Long live the King --- Narnia  http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1089559 Judas Christ --- Tiamat  http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1089843 Ghost opera --- Kamelot  http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1090564 Black tiger --- Y&T  http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1094368 Underworld --- Adagio  http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1096925 Diary of a madman --- Ozzy Osbourne  http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1098232 Abominog --- Uriah Heep  http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1100984
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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 |
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10-13-2013, 03:18 AM
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#1947 (permalink) | ||
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Horribly Creative
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: London, The Big Smoke
Posts: 8,265
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Quote:
__________________
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Power Metal Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History |
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10-13-2013, 05:39 AM
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#1948 (permalink) |
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,996
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Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa --- Moonsorrow --- 2011 (Spinefarm)
 People who are better versed in the Finnish language advise me this is about death and the underworld, and you know, I'm going to have to take their word for it, cause I couldn't even say "Help! Someone is trying to kill me!" in Finnish without a native looking at me with astonishment and wondering why I was so interested in what they had in their sandwich. In short, my Finnish is slightly worse than my Turkish, which is to say, I can't speak or understand a word of either language. My friends over at Encyclopaedia Metallum tell me that the band's name came from a song by Celtic Frost, and that they began as a black metal band, adding folk elements and swinging in a more pagan/folk direction as time went on. This is their sixth and latest album, which is supposed to see them moving more back towards a black metal sound. It certainly has interesting instruments on it though, not the sort of thing you'd expect from a black metal band, with the likes of bouzouki, mouth harp, recorder, saw (?) and accordion to name but a few. Sounds like it could be a hoot. Or not. There are only seven tracks in all, but two are twelve minutes long and two are sixteen, so it's not like you're being shortchanged. The album opens on one of those twelve-minuters, "Tähdetön", with a hard and heavy guitar pulling us right into it as the drums pound out a doomy rhythm, slow but powerful. Unfortunately for me, it's another screamer and this time I can honestly say I have no idea what he's singing as it's not in English. But with a voice like this it probably wouldn't matter. Dark choral vocals join the melody as the guitars chug and cut away; there's not much evidence of those esoteric instruments I mentioned yet. Good powerful, dramatic music though, if you can ignore the singer. Which I find hard to do. What sounds like a fast keyboard run joins in and the song takes on a sort of folky feel, then "Hävitetty" is a short instrumental with very celtic indeed sounds and the sound of someone walking, perhaps over gravel, coughing a lot while the wind whistles in the background. Following this we're into another twelve-minute track, and this seems to be the pattern throughout the album: long song, short instrumental, long song, short instrumental. Big rousing choral vocal and punchy guitar and violin I think as "Muinaiset" opens and marches along with a kind of middle ages sort of melody. It's good as far as it goes, but I'm not sure it needs twelve minutes to make its point. Another instrumental interlude then as "Nälkä, väsymys ja epätoivo" basically carries on the sound effects we heard in "Hävitetty", with a man walking and breathing heavily, this time the sound of dogs or wolves baying is added and a deep dark ominous synthesiser line slides in and takes us into "Huuto", one of the two sixteen minute tracks, which starts off on nice acoustic guitar but soon ramps up on the back of electric and trundles along like a steam train. Some good keyboard work here and the guitarists certainly distinguish themselves. Again though: sixteen minutes? There is a great sense of drama and energy in the song, veering at times almost into progressive metal territory. The keyboard riff running through the latter parts of it really characterises the track. One more instrumental then and we're onto the final track. In "Kuolleille", our walking man seems to have left the dogs or wolves behind, but now it seems he's running and out of breath. The wind is still howling. He sounds as if he may be climbing. Then he lets out a blood-curdling yell, and I guess that's the end of him. "Kuolleiden maa" closes the album on another epic sixteen minute track, with churning guitar and solid keyboard and we have two blessed minutes of peace before Mister Screamy comes in with his vocal. Sigh. Oh wait, what's this? In idly clicking the "lyrics" tab on EM I see some kind soul has provided English translations! Well thanks whoever you are, but I'll be goddamned if I'm going to go talking about them now that the review is almost over. Maybe some other time. It's a damn fine conclusion to the album anyway, and were it not for the vocalist I think I could end up becoming a fan of this band. As it is, death vocals, grunts, growls, screams, call them what you will, have again managed to destroy my chance to enjoy some really good music. Damn them. TRACKLISTING 1. Tähdetön 2. Hävitetty 3. Muinaiset 4. Nälkä, väsymys ja epätoivo 5. Huuto 6. Kuolleille 7. Kuolleiden maa Always interesting to review something that's not in English, and I often have found that some of my favourite bands (Sigur Ros, Tyr, Olafur Arnulds) have been languishing in the "foreign language" section of my brain, where I have seen the albums but passed over them because they were not in English. Now, with a somewhat broader outlook on music, I've managed to discover quite a few non-English bands and have enjoyed most if not all of them. Despite the annoying vocal here, the final impression I'm left with is of some very powerful and moving music, and a style that is in the end rather hard to categorise, and refuses to be neatly packed away into one subgenre or another. Read more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonsorrow
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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 04-15-2015 at 01:15 PM. |
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10-13-2013, 08:26 AM
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#1949 (permalink) |
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,996
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The Second Coming --- Eden's Curse --- 2008 (AFM)
 I was so impressed with the third effort from Eden's Curse, "Trinity", that I went right out and hunted down their other albums. Turns out they only had two, though with a new one out this year that makes four in all, but I thought it might be appropriate, this being Metal Month an' all, to have a listen to their second offering, rather cleverly called "The Second Coming". They've only been around since 2006, so three albums over that relatively short period is not bad. Though, was "Trinity" an exception? Can we expect quality of that sort to have been the norm for this band? Well very little is the norm for them really. They're a cosmopolitan lot, with an American vocalist (who gives the band their name), German keyboard player and guitarist and an Italian keysman who replaced the German one. I see that Micheal Eden, the original vocalist, has left this year and that in fact the replacement keyboard player has himself been replaced and the only original members left in the band are the bass player, drummer and guitarist. However I haven't yet heard their new album and so I can't tell you if the new lineup is any good. This album features the original crew, with original keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg, who had been replaced by Allessandro del Vecchio on "Trinity". As that album did, "The Second Coming" opens on a weird little atmospheric instrumental, kind of echoing in some ways Rainbow's "The eyes of the world", with a sort of orchestral sound that settles into what sounds like a Russian folk tune, with dogs, or maybe wolves or even coyotes, baying in the background. A shot, it seems, rings out and people begin to scream and run, and we plunge right into "Masquerade ball" on the back of powerful keyboard runs from Doernberg and punchy guitar from Thorsten Kohne, and then Michael Eden's clear strong voice comes through. You'd have to allow that Eden's Curse often cross over into near-AOR territory, and the opener typifies this, though it's still a powerful, upbeat and strong song. Great but short organ solo and some superb vocal harmonies, and we crash into "Angels and demons", on a thick little bass line and sweeping synths keys before Kohne's guitar breaks through and the whole thing takes off. I have to wonder how the band are going to sound without Michael Eden, as his voice really is the lynchpin this band hangs on, but as I say I have yet to sample this year's "Sin". Expect a report in due course: till now I didn't even know they had a new album, never mind a new lineup. A real hooky song, this rocks along with great purpose and really wouldn't be very much out of place on the radio, sort of reminds me of a heavier and less commercial Night Ranger. Or maybe Millenium, who you won't know. A great solo from Kohne, matched by Doernberg on the keys, and the song rocks along to its conclusion, Eden's voice pulling it along liek a steam locomotive. Things slow down then, but not for a ballad. "Just like Judas" is more a power rock cruncher, with driving guitar reminiscent of the darker, heavier side of Maiden mixed with an almost Bon Jovi "Whoa-oh-oh!" chorus. One thing Eden's Curse do really well is write very catchy songs, and I find myself singing the choruses of nearly every track so far. Of course, no metal band worth its salt fails to compose a decent ballad, and Eden's Curse are no exception. "Sail on" rides on a soft keyboard line and chimy guitar, and indeed ramps up after about a minute into something that is ... really not a ballad. Fooled me. Another catchy, energetic song with some great vocal harmonies and fine guitar solos, it features some great rolling piano work from Doernberg too, as well as another cool but short organ solo. Definitely more on the melodic side of heavy metal, Eden's Curse nevertheless rock as hard as any band you know, and in many ways they remind me of one of my favourites, Ten. But again you wouldn't know them. "Lost in Wonderland" is a great example of their harder, heavier side, mostly guitar-driven and with a more forceful vocal from Michael Eden, though the AOR feel leaks in at the chorus. It's no bad thing though: this is their style after all. Very progressive and atmospheric opening to "West wind blows" but it soon kicks into life with Kohne's guitar taking charge and Eden's voice rising above the music as he bemoans not having been able to say goodbye to a loved one who has passed away. Ferdy Doernberg's screaming keyboard joins in and a great soundscape results, the song full of anger and regret. In contrast a big guitar passage opens "Signs of your life" and it rocks along with power and purpose, and one of the best hooks I've heard in a chorus for quite some time. Great lyric too: "Chasin' the rainbow /With pots of gold as far as the eye can see /Here comes the rain." Doerbnerg then outdoes himself with a heartbreakingly beautiful piano intro as the longest track on the album by a few seconds, "Man against the world", slides in with soft acoustic guitar joining and you'd wonder is this the ballad we've been waiting for, expecting? More spot-on vocal harmonies, this time sounding like there's a female in there though who it is I have no idea. This is definitely the ballad, and very nice it is. Very much piano driven with a great and dextrous display on the ivories by Ferdy Doernberg, the lyric is perhaps a little trite -- "If we all join hands/ If we all join hearts/ We can make a change for/ The children of tomorrow" --- but that doesn't really detract from the beauty of the song. It's back to rockin' hard then for "Raven's revenge", with Thorsten Hoehne cranking up his guitar again and letting loose, while drummer Pete Newdeck and bassist Paul Logue lay down the rhythm. Another lovely little piano run opens "Lost soul" with a superb little descending organ and piano line, and I must admit to being wrong. Again. This is the longest track on the album; at six and a half minutes it beats out "Man against the world" by a clear minute. Very anthemic, very energetic with piles of hooks again, but nothing that wouldn't be at home in any metalhead's collection. One of the catchiest songs is in fact the penultimate, "Games people play", with its infectious but low-in-the-mix keyboard lines and its chugging, just-happy-to-be-playin' guitar allied to a thunderously addictive drumbeat with Eden's vocals adding a final layer of quality over this that makes you think "Christ! Why was this not on the radio and a big hit?" Yeah, it's just that good. It's impossible to keep your feet still while listening to this, and the album comes to end on the rip-roaring "Ride the storm", another just ridiculously catchy song with more hooks than a really expert fisherman, a grinding pounding guitar that goes all Lizzy for a while, a passionate and powerful vocal from Michael Eden, and just one hell of a curtain call that marks the second Eden's Curse album that gets the double thumbs-up from me. TRACKLISTING 1. Reign of terror 2. Masquerade ball 3. Angels and demons 4. Just like Judas 5. Sail on 6. Lost in Wonderland 7. West wind blows 8. Signs of life 9. Man against the world 10. Raven's revenge 11. Lost soul 12. Games people play 13. Ride the storm Metal purists and harcore headbangers --- Batlord, I'm looking at you! --- will probably sneer that this is not metal. AOR, they'll say. Soft rock. Anything else, just not metal. But I defy anyone to listen to the guitars of Thorsten Koehne and call him anything other than an overlooked metal god in the making. This album, this band may have more melody than your average metal fan would prefer, but me, I like my music to be heavy and melodic, so it's a winner with me. Like Shadow Gallery, Balance of Power, Threshold and of course Ten, Eden's Curse produce massive hooks, satisfying choruses and fist-pumping anthems while still keeping it hard and heavy enough to, in my book at least, qualify them as at the very least melodic metal. Come on, give these guys a listen. You don't want to miss the Second Coming, now do you? Read more here http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/...s_Curse/102073
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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 10-25-2013 at 12:52 PM. |
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10-14-2013, 05:07 AM
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#1950 (permalink) | |
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,996
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Quote:
Anyway, anybody can pick out the best albums. Don't you know by now I prefer to be a little less predictable? Now sit down before I have the bouncers request your departure... 
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