…ideas as they are their songsmanship and keyboard flourishes. The soft ebb-and-flow that carries the album’s first two jams – “Satellite” and “Greed” are simply marvelous, particularly in how Votum clenches hold of various atmospheric elements that are subtly reminiscent of Mr. Devin Townsend. Vocalist Bart Sobieraj can often be found working it in the smooth, mid-range ville, although he’s got a bit of persuasiveness to his voice, hence the more…
…he Depths) to hit hard with Samsara. But this heavy-hitting comes from songwriting above all else. Mostly operating well within the melodic death metal framework, Samsara may not be the fastest, most technical, or (thankfully) the most melodic. What the band seems to really recognize is the art of “songs.” Just listening to opener “Rorschach” validates this, with some galloping, thrashy riffs with some real headbang potential occupying a good chun…
…some occasional bits of almost uptempo melodies that never come across as cheap or feel off-kilter with the harder edge of the band. One of the strongest songs of the album, “Forgotten Path,” mixes some killer, old school Gothenburg-y riffs with more ominous and glacial progressive riffs at the onset to solid results. “The Pest” takes a darkly rockish vibe and injects some cold melodies with a (mostly) galloping pace and sells it all nicely. “Shi…
…pectrum and pushed it to the limit, while trying to keep our own sound and writing-style. Also, we’re stoked on the fact that we actually have an official bass player who wrote and recorded his parts which really blends with everything and it sounds awesome. The four of us work really well together and the result is very satisfying. Also, working with Chris Donaldson was really a key element to making this album what it is. I’ve worked with Chris…
…a ten-year layoff, returned in 2013 with Boogie from Hell. The Swedish rock-on-metal crew have always been a bit of a working-class, no frills entity, something routinely displayed across a discography that goes all the way back to 1995 with Stallion Showcase. Hard to believe that was 20 (!) years ago. But to that point, Transport League have always done the dirty, sung about it, and played like it, which makes Napalm Bats and Suicide Dogs yet ano…
…ng, no frills black metal executed in a nasty crust/punk manner with a take-no-prisoners attitude. Mission accomplished. Beyond the Black To say that symphonic power metal outfit Beyond the Black is a young band would be an understatement, with their debut performance as a band having come at Wacken in 2014, but you wouldn’t know it, as they exhibit a prowess and energy well beyond their years and have an ability to instantly connect with the audi…
…r guitar tones, punchier bass and drums) sucks you right in from the Slayer-esque “Once Again” opener as Shallow Ground remind me of the more adventurous semi-progressive thrash acts during the late 80’s and early 90’s – aware of versatility and musicianship while adhering to the genre’s tenets and principles. Topics from metal pit etiquette to ancient emperors, the military and social/government struggles give the listeners thought provoking word…
…ws.” According to Victory, Spotify hasn’t paid publishing royalties to songwriters and composers related to thousands of recordings that U.S.-based Spotify users have listened to a total of 53 million times in the last few years. Said Victory in a statement: “Late yesterday, Spotify sent over a document giving them mechanical clearance to use our music. We could not sign said document for a variety of reasons, most importantly that it would put us…
…s provide pure fan service in regards to their appropriately located NYDM. Fast, crushing riffs with plenty of bottom-end to aid in their heaviness and menacing roars take the lead, but there is some nuance beneath. One of the most striking pieces of Despondent Death is how well-integrated the leadwork is. There are plenty of ripping solos from start to finish (see “Atomic Genocide” if you’d like an example) that keep an intense yet memorable tone…
…e need your help to realize that dream. We want to give you, the fans, the best possible product, always. – To help us achieve our goal, we’ve set up an bunch of unique perks. We want to show our gratitude by going the extra mile and offer our fans some spectacular perks alongside special merchandise offers and such. So take a look around! -Everything we make on this campaign will go strictly to keep this band up and running, so that you’ll get th…
…rom previous outings). It does separate the band from what much of the folk-influenced bands are doing, and keeps it classy. It’s a full-fledged force, and often takes over much of the melodic weight from the guitars and can enhance the range of emotions from haunting to ethereal to downright brutal. Check out the instrumental “Santeria” if you are looking for a good place to start. But the way the violin is incorporated into the blend of tempos i…
…ut with some more modern flair at points, which have an almost Randy Blythe-esque snarl to them from time to time. The emphasis is on the catchy, thrashy riffs that bring each track to explosive speed. Surprisingly, the tracks keep above the 5 minute mark, yet there’s never a moment when feel the tracks overstay their welcome – a testament to some solid writing chops, particularly in the very traveled waters that the band is catering to. Those loo…
…l someone will actually care about. Dead Rhetoric: Does it get harder, songwriting-wise, with each new album, in keeping things up to the Nile standard of what you want to see in an album? Sanders: No, I don’t think so. I don’t really know or understand what record we are making until we start making it. I think that the years spent doing what we are doing has given us a certain experience and wisdom hopefully. You don’t do something for 20-someth…
…of self-obsession in our distressingly myopic and increasingly entitled “me-now/now-me” culture; just like the couple in the video, many people can’t seem to look past their own relatively small problems to see the bigger picture: the world is in serious trouble. Having a bad day at work, or a fight with your significant other, or getting a crappy haircut or table service does not in any way shape or form constitute an emergency. Sometimes things…
…her in a lyrical or melodic context. The first song on the album is a three-syllable, three-note melodic phrase, and in the verses there are three references to three songs on the bands third album, The Divine Wings Of Tragedy. “There’s cool shit like this all over the record,” Romeo reports. For the Underworld cover art, SYMPHONY X went with their established illustrator Warren Flanagan (Watchmen, The Incredible Hulk, 2012) who similarly tapped i…
…her in a lyrical or melodic context. The first song on the album is a three-syllable, three-note melodic phrase, and in the verses there are three references to three songs on the bands third album, The Divine Wings Of Tragedy. “There’s cool shit like this all over the record,” Romeo reports. For the Underworld cover art, SYMPHONY X went with their established illustrator Warren Flanagan (Watchmen, The Incredible Hulk, 2012) who similarly tapped i…
…her in a lyrical or melodic context. The first song on the album is a three-syllable, three-note melodic phrase, and in the verses there are three references to three songs on the bands third album, The Divine Wings Of Tragedy. “There’s cool shit like this all over the record,” Romeo reports. For the Underworld cover art, SYMPHONY X went with their established illustrator Warren Flanagan (Watchmen, The Incredible Hulk, 2012) who similarly tapped i…
…of Tenerife with producer Charlie Bauerfeind (GOTTHARD, HAMMERFALL). My God-Given Right track listing: 1. Heroes 2. Battle’s Won 3. My God-Given Right 4. Stay Crazy 5. Lost In America 6. Russian Roulé 7. The Swing Of A Fallen World 8. Like Everybody Else 9. Creatures In Heaven 10. If God Loves Rock ‘N’ Roll 11. Living On The Edge 12. Claws 13. You, Still Of War The limited digipak (with special 3D cover) and the vinyl version will feature two bonu…
…of Tenerife with producer Charlie Bauerfeind (GOTTHARD, HAMMERFALL). My God-Given Right track listing: 1. Heroes 2. Battle’s Won 3. My God-Given Right 4. Stay Crazy 5. Lost In America 6. Russian Roulé 7. The Swing Of A Fallen World 8. Like Everybody Else 9. Creatures In Heaven 10. If God Loves Rock ‘N’ Roll 11. Living On The Edge 12. Claws 13. You, Still Of War The limited digipak (with special 3D cover) and the vinyl version will feature two bonu…
…of Tenerife with producer Charlie Bauerfeind (GOTTHARD, HAMMERFALL). My God-Given Right track listing: 1. Heroes 2. Battle’s Won 3. My God-Given Right 4. Stay Crazy 5. Lost In America 6. Russian Roulé 7. The Swing Of A Fallen World 8. Like Everybody Else 9. Creatures In Heaven 10. If God Loves Rock ‘N’ Roll 11. Living On The Edge 12. Claws 13. You, Still Of War The limited digipak (with special 3D cover) and the vinyl version will feature two bonu…
…ostal service, Posti, will release nine new stamp publications in September-November, with a total of 35 different stamps. The stamps will feature musical themes ranging from Sibelius to hard rock, including six internationally successful Finnish rock bands that got to where they are today through a great deal of determination and perseverance. The Finnish invasion of the global rock music scene began with HANOI ROCKS back in the 1980s. The other…
…lieve that’s even more aggressive than the last album. I started around mid-2010 with the writing – I think the first song I wrote was “Empire of Lies”. We wanted to challenge ourselves to see if we could write and perform on a record, a record that would be as equally as good as some of my favorite records like Van Halen, Blizzard of Ozz, Master of Puppets – and this is not meant to be arrogant in any way or form. Coupling the classical influence…
…d once again. The band, which is simply called DENNER/SHERMANN, calls into service a formidable group of allies who were capable of helping realize this menagerie of malice, was a task carefully orchestrated by these metal mad scientists. Shermann first called upon Marc Grabowski (DEMONICA) to handle the bass guitar, followed by the only drummer that made sense for many obvious aspects, the one known as Snowy Shaw (MERCYFUL FATE, KING DIAMOND, DRE…
…so completely analog. We haven’t done anything on a computer since our self-titled record when we had no money, and recorded it ourselves in my basement. But this new album is by far superior to our previous releases, the musicianship, the structuring, it’s faster, it’s heavier, it’s just all around a much better more advanced album. Dead Rhetoric: What the back story regarding “BC Trucker” and “The Little Sparrow”? Are you consistently looking at…
…of Tenerife with producer Charlie Bauerfeind (GOTTHARD, HAMMERFALL). My God-Given Right track listing: 1. Heroes 2. Battle’s Won 3. My God-Given Right 4. Stay Crazy 5. Lost In America 6. Russian Roulé 7. The Swing Of A Fallen World 8. Like Everybody Else 9. Creatures In Heaven 10. If God Loves Rock ‘N’ Roll 11. Living On The Edge 12. Claws 13. You, Still Of War The limited digipak (with special 3D cover) and the vinyl version will feature two bonu…
…tention-grabbing stories are a-plenty here, including some interesting back-and-forth regarding Behemoth’s controversial relationship to right-wing and facist black metal (claims Nergal denies), as well as his feelings toward America, a place that came across as a little strange to Mr. Darski. But there’s so much more, and it’s galvanized by excellent pacing, making Confessions of a Heretic the type of book one can jump to and fro on without havin…
…0s after all). Gore Metal Redux sounds wicked! Without resorting to squeaky-clean, super-polished sounds, it does capture the essence of Exhumed. To the un-initiated, one could easily be fooled into believing that this was a original new album. As far as the album itself goes, it still has a certain charm to it, regardless of production. Fast and furious tracks like “Necromaniac,” and “Casket Crusher” fit nicely beside more groovy numbers such as…
…a good music scene and it’s easy to be a musician here. The rent’s really cheap and there’s so many artists and musicians here. There’s a lot of service industry jobs too, so a lot of people will do that who are playing music. Then they tour, and if they have to quit their job it’s not that difficult to find a new one once you get in. And you can keep doing that. I think that’s a big part of it. Dead Rhetoric: Speaking of touring, Lord Dying is p…
…grow up on internet and has so much access to easy entertainment. Will there still be kids that will devote themselves to work hard on mastering a musical instrument? I hope so. Renkse: Yes, with globalization/internet even metal is turning a little bit into a fast food-culture, and some of the aspects that have been unique for certain scenes/areas/countries are being washed out, unfortunately. Swedish Invasion sale at Century Media Distro At the…
…s death metal! Relentless in its vision, lethal in its execution, and steadfast in its conviction, the album is also a refreshing, genre-enriching masterpiece. On this sophomore effort, HEAVING EARTH takes death metal into undiscovered and unconquered realms. While the band’s technical prowess is undeniable, every note is played in service to the song. Above all else, this is death metal with soul and character in all its blasphemous, dark, and vi…
