The second part in Maiden’s “Story Of” series, the Live After Death DVD not only features the live concert in which bears its name, it also contains a 60-minute documentary detailing the recording of the Powerslave album and the massive world tour that ensued. Now finally on DVD after years of bootlegging, this two-disc set is literally spews some cool odds and sods from Maiden’s glory years.

Shot live at the Long Beach Arena during a four night run from March 14th to the 18th of 1985, the Live After Death DVD shows the band at its arguable peak, although demonstrating obvious strain from a grueling tour schedule. This fact is none more evident in singer Bruce Dickinson, who struggles throughout the set to hit the soaring high notes in “Aces High,” “The Trooper,” and “Flight of Icarus.”

Set highlights include the epic-of-all-epics “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” a true testament of Maiden’s live prowess that still resonates as one of metal’s all-time classic songs. “Powerslave,” the ever-versatile “Revelations,” and the fun “Run to the Hills” and “Running Free” are spot-on, and given some extra energy courtesy of Steve Harris’ basslines. Of particular note is how fluent the guitar duo of Adrian Smith and Dave Murray are, who practically wrote the book on twin guitar interplay and shine throughout this set.

The documentary portion is the real treat, with all five members (Dickinson, Harris, Murray, Smith, and McBrain) telling their side of the Powerslavecomplete with stories of in-fighting (Bruce once secretly taped a Harris vs. McBrain squabble), McBrain’s quick dive in a swimming pool during a scorching set in Sacramento, producer Martin Birch’s propensity to get silly when drunk, and getting cabin fever in a bus criss-crossing the USA. It’s all here and then some.

Maiden has always had a way of doing things right and in comparison to other DVD’s that have hit the market of late, that certain air of quality abounds onLive After Death. This part of the story is great, but the real fun should begin when the band delves into the Somewhere in Time/Seventh Son era, a point in time that nearly broke the band apart, setting them up for their gradual downfall in the dreaded 90’s. What a story, up the Irons…

 www.ironmaiden.com

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Live, Biomechanical may be notoriously hit and miss, but on record they’ve never been known to under-perform. Cannibalised continues in that vein, this time offering up much more of a challenging, furious listening experience than on previous outings. Sound-wise, main-man John K, has upped the ante on all fronts and gone for a steep wall of sound approach, filling almost every possible corner with a sheer, sometimes impenetrable covering of noise. Basically you’re thinking along the lines of Strapping Young Lad to get an idea just how thick he’s managed to make this sound. While still retaining the shrieking, ball shrinking vocals and orchestral swirls of before Cannibalisedcertainly comes across as much harder and solid sounding.

The title track is a hulking behemoth, high-pitched vocals squealing out at you from under huge, caterpillar tread tracks of riffs and red hot machine gun, spit soloing. The SYL comparisons unmistakable in both the throttling texture of the music and in John K’s vocals, which also show a love for Judas Priest. “Slow The Poison” shifts from full on destruction riffing to a full tilt thrash approach with once again powerful vocals, while “Breathing Silence” takes a few hints from Pantera. The full, ferocious sound which fills the room throws out continuous, big, schizo, twisting, turning riffs and songs that it’s easy to get bowled over by and occasionally lost in. Ultimately crushing on occasion though you can’t help but feel they may have taken on a little too much. It’s rare however and more often than not they’re up to the challenge.

Throughout Cannibalised is a painstakingly put together piece of work that shows true dedication and certainly more than just a little talent. The SYL comparisons do dog it a little, but they drift off as it progresses. The cinematic orchestral and haunting choral elements call to mind Cradle Of Filth circaDamnation And A Day or Dimmu Borgir, especially on “Consumed.” An epic combination of terrifyingly scattered spoken word vocals cut through with well timed bursts of keyboards/strings and confounding, building drums. It’s like being chased blindly through the dark rooms of a haunted house, something evil quickly gaining up on you. Culminating with a full force tornado at the end of “Violent Descent,” things close on a suitably disturbing and abrupt note. You want non-stop face-peeling metal action, you’re not going to get much better than this.

 www.biomechanical.co.uk

Sheesh, it really was 10 years ago when Stuck Mojo were all over the place on WCW Wrestling? My God, where does the time go? Their Rising album was their arguable peak, the album that allowed the band to have some very minor crossover appeal, becoming Century Media’s biggest selling artist in the late 90’s. It would all come to a gradual crawl, as tensions between singer Bonz and guitarist/songwriter Rich Ward came to a head, resulting in the band’s breakup in the early part of this decade.

Ever the determined one, Ward has brought back Stuck Mojo with a new singer (Lord Nelson) and a new, but not very new album with Southern Born Killers. Said album has been completed for well over two years and has already made the rounds on those pesky download sites, so leave it up to Napalm Records to pick up the ball and put this out.

By all accounts, Stuck Mojo is still rap metal. Lord Nelson’s dirty rhymes flow quite well on “I’m American” and the very politically charted “Open Season” which is aimed at the terrorism problem both at home and abroad. In fact, it is Mojo’s political stance that carries this album – Ward and co. pull no punches and aren’t afraid to point the finger (see also the sampled “For the Cause of Allah”).

Those thick grooves are still present, Ward, a master of a Southern-fried Pantera barbecue doles out some pretty swift riffs in “The Sky Is Falling” and the ironic “Metal Is Dead.” Hats off to Ward for some well-placed clean vox as well in “The Sky Is Falling” and “I’m American.”

Stuck Mojo may never reach their popularity of the late 90’s, but Southern Born Killers is a rather up-and-tumble batch of down-home groove metal without any annoying street traits and hip-hop credo. For even better glimpse as to what Stuck Mojo is going for, check out the video for “Open Season” – it’s unabashed attack on extreme Islam takes chances few bands would, and for that, Stuck Mojo’s presence in the metal scene is justified.

 www.myspace.com/stuckmojo

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Matriden’s home state of Montana has about as many palm trees as metal bands, which is why Matriden is quickly earned a rightful position amongst the North American modern black metal scene. The band’s self-titled EP was a throttling blend of post-Enthrone Darkness Triumphant-era Dimmu and recent God Dethroned, so anticipation and desire was there for The Unsettling Dark.

At first glance, it appears the band has toned their melodic black metal approach, opting for a more basic blackened death approach, something more along the lines of say, Dark Funeral without the blinding speed. Album opener “The Enigma of Fate” has some callous grooves to it without nary a hint of melody, but the guitars ooze with caustic precision. The same bodes for “The Calling” which cues in some pretty nifty triplet work and dynamics in the chorus.

The Unsettling Dark runs into trouble at the halfway mark, as some of these tunes run right into a wall. Both “The Unsettling Dark” and “Prelude” are respectable in their own right, but serve some quirky chord movements that come dangerously close to resembling some of the antics hauled in by the current deathcore scene. Luckily, “Procession of the Hellfire Chariot” and album finale “Immaculate Perception” are just the epic, atmospheric tunes Matriden need to claw out of the box it comes closes to putting itself in.

More in the vein of melodic elements as first heard on the EP (especially the mammoth ending to “Blank Eye Stare”) would have been welcomed, but The Unsettling Dark is certainly with merit. The band’s geographic isolation probably has a lot to do in terms of their oft-kilter blend of blackened death metal, making their first proper album a keeper.

 www.matriden.com

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

A compilation of the best-of-the-best epic folk metal bands (sans Borknagar and Tyr), Pagan Fire is an excellent introduction into another one of metal’s niches that is only picking up steam.

Heading up the roster are luminaries Bathory, who are arguably the band who set the template back in the early 90’s with the Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods album, Enslaved who are coincidentally more prog than folk, Amon Amarth, Finntroll and highly underrated Primordial.

It’s hard to find fault with the song selection, with Amon Amarth’s epic battle cry “Victorious March” being one of the obvious standouts, along with Wintersun’s frenetic “Winter Madness” and Finntroll’s mammoth “Nedgang.”

Moonsorrow, who is probably the best band of the bunch gets a nod with “Kylan Paasaa,” although the entire V: Havietty album could serve as a reminder of just how cool epic metal can be. The aging Unleashed gets a turn with “The Longships Are Coming,” an otherwise stock track, while upstarts Ensiferum and Korpiklaani make an appearance to demonstrate just where this style is headed.

With so much to choose from, some bands had to be left off in lieu of more contemporary acts like Turisas who are no more than a fourth-rate Ensiferum and ever-nauseating Bal-Sagoth who have never failed to disappoint. Still, Pagan Fire is one of the better compilations to hit the market of late and for those in search of the bridge between power metal and melodic death metal would be best served to seek this out.

 www.nuclearblastusa.com

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

The promo copy of this comes with a blurb just under the band logo that simply states, “FEAT. Burton C. Bell.” A few small words which carry with them a lot of history and lumps Ascension Of The Watchers’ debut with a sufficient burden before the disc’s even come out of its sleeve. As the frontman with the influential, unique and once upon a time, massively popular Fear Factory, Bell has a lot of history behind him. His blending of harsh, rough vocals with melodic, semi-operatic ones was something that was rarely done at the time, especially in the industrial/metal genre in which Fear Factory flourished. It’s a burden that almost cripples The Watchers from the outset.

Having done away with all the metal elements that he’s famous for Bell has taken a much more atmospheric, mature stance with this release, one which may not sit too well with fans who were expecting more of the same from him. Opener “Ascendant” sets the tone for the rest of the record and, unwittingly for the listener lets it be known that there’s going to be few of the familiar elements here. A heartbeat-like rhythm slowly pumps, under a spoken-word sample, while airy, Vangelis style sci-fi sounds whistle past, like conversations caught in the wind, Bell’s voice eventually coming in, spoken and soft. The heavily textured, desert-like sounds, which hold court on the semi-acoustic ‘Evading’ reinforce that this isn’t anything like what you’ve come to expect from him.

Honestly, on the first listen I thought Bell had completely lost the plot. I thought the clean, sometimes strained vocals running the whole way through were at times poor, that his voice had changed and wasn’t as strong as it once was and that the cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sounds Of Silence” was a bad joke if nothing else. A few days later, one very late weary night, this was back in the CD player and it revealed itself for what it truly is – a very good, gentle, soothing yet sometimes, difficult record. Anyone’s whose into the less distorted, yet no less emotional end of the metal spectrum, think of the last Ulver record as a prime example, well those people will find much to enjoy here. The dusty, heart-on-sleeve “Canon For My Beloved” is a real open, straightforward lyric. Backed by gentle drumming and minimal guitar it’s a mature love song, acknowledging respect, support and ultimately, of course, love. As is the gentle, lullaby “Violet Morning,” a love song for Bell’s daughter that is run through with emotion, his voice not perfect but suiting the feeling perfectly.

By the time you’ve listened to it a few times the rolling ‘Moonshine’ is no longer a shock and you realise that a lot of the songs sound occupy a similar space to the quieter, more acoustic-based tracks which peppered Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness. It’s not all perfect, the droning, repetitive nature of the songs does at times lend to skipping forwards as they drag on, but no always. Numinosum is very much an album of the night. A record to spin when you’re up at 2 or 3 AM when you need something gentle to fill the emptiness of the house.

Although the name’s been around for a few years and they’ve had a CD which could be purchased through the bands website, they’re now safely tucked in on Al Jourgenson’s (Ministry/Revolting Cocks) record label, which he runs with his wife. This no doubt affords Ascension Of The Watchers a certain amount of freedom when it comes to doing what they want to do. A difficult album to initially get into (as mentioned above) due to the fact that it’s unexpected you get the feeling on a bigger label they’d have been pushed in a more immediately commercial direction. Thankfully they haven’t. This is clearly where Bell wants to be right now and given time (i.e., more than five or six listens) it actually worms its way inside.

The sample at the beginning of the delicate “Like Falling Snow” goes “I didn’t know how empty my soul until it was filled” and that, more than anything else, shows where Burton C. Bell is at the moment. This is the record he had to make, it’s going to divide opinion and not everyone is going to understand or get it, but those who do will get a lot out of it. It looks like The Watchers are indeed ready to ascend.

 www.thewatchers.org

(This article originally appeared on Blistering.com)

This one sat in the pile for a while, ignored probably because yours truly cringes whenever he sees a bunch of neo-metallers dressed to the nines in baggy, hip-hop clothing. Needless to say, when Corpus Delicti was popped in, expectations were about as low as Bret Michaels’ blood sugar. After one listen, that sentiment was completely reversed – this is one immensely memorable CD of gasp! – Canadian metalcore.

As indicated by their name, L’Espirit du Clan is French-Canadian ensemble. Lyrics are sung in French and singer Arsene does little to cover it up, which is fine – it’s not really that much of a hindrance. Musically, these cats are a mish-mash of modern metalcore and some oddball choices going as far as The Defaced and mid-90’s Pantera. Beatdowns are kept a minimum and there is little in terms of clean vocals.

Where L’Espirit du Clan succeeds where so many fail is in their melodies, which are both streamlined and unique. The band stays away from the sugary-sweet major-chord melodies that so many metalcore acts fail prey to, instead opting for a more ominous, haunting vibe which is oh-so satisfying on the excellent “Ailleurs” and album standout “Sextour” which employs a cool little speed picking run in the chorus that is merged with a smooth groove.

The guitar tandem of Chamka and Ben come up big on more than one occasion, most notably during album closer “1992” where a gorgeous solo is pulled off over a droning riff that is repeated ad infinitum. The duo are clearly in synch, even adding some weight to the otherwise heinous hip-hop tune “Un Message Du Pain” where a French-Canadian rapper is ushered in for whatever reason. It ends up being the only throwaway track on the album.

There is little legroom to experiment in metalcore and because of that, bands who go into clueless (read: 98% of ‘em) will come out clueless, unaware that their music is a carbon-copy of 80 million other bands. L’Espirit Du Clan falls into that 2%, able to add some dynamics and muscle to what has become the biggest cancer on the metal scene since glam. Very much recommended and dare I say essential, ‘cause it really might be.

http://www.facebook.com/lespritduclan

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)