California’s Dark rock quintet releases a fourteen track CD of turbulent screamcore.

For the crowd who love screamcore this is a must, 48 minutes of total earache explosion that would flatten any tower block through the verbal assault that progresses through the CD.

Those We Left Behind, is non-stop metal as the band batters the airwaves with ‘We dance With Monsters’, ‘Bone Garden’, ‘Burn the Bodies To The Ground’ and ‘Set Me Free’ to name a few.

The trouble with this CD and the Band is that it’s nothing new and so becomes very predictable and boring with the same guitar riffs, drum beats and vocal content. I think this is one for the new metal fans out there.

I Hate Kate got their name from a girl they really hated of course called Kate, but I would also say I Hate Kate too. This band is all that’s wrong with the rock scene at the moment. Bands like Kaiser Chiefs, Kasabian, and Razorlight should not be put in the same category of rock and should be kept in the indie pop category.

Embrace the Curse is your typical indie pop which doesn’t do it for me, there will be people out there who will think this CD is the best thing to come out of America this year and I can’t take that away from them, but I can say when you have a selection of bands all sounding the same it becomes very repetitive and boring.

I do feel this band will do well with the right publicity but I can’t really help with that.

BUT I HATE 'I HATE KATE'.

More Nordics turn on the charm and the style all in one fell swoop.

Sweden’s Illdisposed join in the popular Eurpean tradition of tailoring death metal to suit a more mainstream favoured customer as well as still applying the fabrics of an established brand.

Worded another way, guttural sonor-isms of the finest order paired up with guitar wok just as worthy of all the many symphonic/power outfits our great continent are what we are talking about here and I.D. have plenty to please both parties.

Mixing the tempos throughout the full course, all ten of the numbers can be in one way or more differentiated at least marginally aptly including in quality and the better bulk of the tracks as soon distinguished from the so-so factor and yes there are frankly some of such category, after one full listen. The twin guitars are both catered for in workload and nothing else is ruined ergo a worthy listen here, I think.

Not the most prestige of recordings but respectably close.

Invisigoth are slightly strange in the way they come across, there is a mixture of prog rock, 80’s pop rock, modern classical influences and opera.

Narcotica opens a world of complex rhythmic beats and interludes with a over estimated attack on prog rock.

It is difficult to actually say whom they sound like but if you had a bit of Marillion, mixed with Prince, mixed with Pink Floyd, Vangelis, Dead Can Dance and Jean Michael Jarre you might be close, but then again I could be way off. I think this could be down to yourself to guess and make your own judgement.

Overall this clever intricate CD is a little too much for me and I believe there is is just too much going on which, makes you a bit dizzy. In the end it may have a restricted listening audience, but I will leave that down to you.

Back from Beyond Fear & Demons and Wizards, Ripper & Schaffer are on the same path again – Iced Earth return and rightly so with a 4-tracker that is a welcomed item before the release of the forthcoming album.

This screams from the start with ‘Ten Thousand Strong’ to ‘The Coming Curse’. They sound as battlefull as ever as these songs charge at you at full throttle in every marching marathonic blast of metal. Everyone of the band is bang on form and its always good to hear the rasping of Ripper.

Rather essential EP.

Taking what could be acceptably described as a goth-grunge sidestep albeit with a lot of melodic rock smoothness where it fits, Ilid do reminisce a darker version of Frontiers-signed Dutch songstress Xoch (anyone heard of her?) and all four of these quite beautifully arranged numbers count for more or less every one of the aforementioned factors.

I hope these more from them in the pipeline soon as an Ilid was definitely given cause to bat here.... and an earlobe too, probably.

With France seeming to overtake Italy on the European extreme metal production line, the scene is ever more evidently undergoing something of a facelift with the aid of our friends on the continent, a change for the better as most of the bands that had come out the other end share a few less of the tedium factors of most Scandinavian acts.

Our latest cross-channel export Infest nearly fail to convince me that this is the case straight away and do take a song or two fro me to settle in to their intended format. Yes, they scream their way through the album, but along to some delightfully though almost familiar sounding enough Bay Area rhythms.

Think a hashing up of Testament and Metallica (circa Kill ‘em All/.....Lightning’ and you’ll find a match for the middle-high noted intervals intertwined in traditional speed metal guitar aggression. Good try guys - and more-or-less a successful one again.

Keep it up.

A follow-up release from "Colony" and well I esteem this release over their predecessor. Even though it has a more "Happy" tone to each track I still think that the riffs are awesome. I would still consider it to be Melodic Death Metal.

There's a mix of vocals on here clean and high-end screams that Anders displays here. It suits the music quite well. The guitar pieces are way melodic/"happy" but that doesn't take away from the greatness of a release that this is. There's actually a guest solo by Christopher Amott (Arch Enemy) on "Suburban Me".

The clean guitar parts are pretty sweet they tune way down on some songs even to I think A-tuning! I like the variety that this album has to offer. It just isn't straight Melodic Death the songwriting is quite diverse. If you listen to any track on here you'll hear what I mean (check out "Bullet Ride") for a sample.

For many they were turned off by this release because it isn't the heaviest In Flames to date but for me I think it's a great release. Not only is the production better than "Colony" but the mix of all instruments/vocals dominates thanks to Charlie Storm (programming and synth) and Fredrik Nordström (additional programming and synth) who was also the producer.

This was recorded at the infamous Studio Fredman where many Melodic Death acts record. Some individuals would give this release a negative rating because of the "happiness" to it but I esteem it quite highly! I still think "Whoracle" and "The Jester Race" are their best albums but "Clayman" is third on that list!

Like I said check out some tracks first to get the aura of the album check out "Brush The Dust Away" and "Pinball Map".

Track listing:

1. Bullet Ride
2. Pinball Map
3. Only for the Weak
4. ...As the Future Repeats Today
5. Square Nothing
6. Clay Man
7. Satellites and Astronauts
8. Brush The Dust Away
9. Swim
10. Suburban Me
11. Another Day in Quicksand
12. Strong and Smart (Bonus Track)
13. World of Promises (Bonus Track)

Musicians:

Anders Fridén - Vocals
Jesper Strömblad - Guitar
Björn Gelotte - Guitar
Peter Iwers - Bass
Daniel Svensson - Drums
Chris Amott - Guitar Solo On "Suburban Me"

"Whoracle" to me is the best In Flames release. It is considered to be a "Concept Album" "which describes the past, present, and a hypothetical future of the planet Earth" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whoracle). There isn't really a track on here that I dislike though I think the production could've been a bit better than what it came out sounding as. That is one of the only real "beef" I had about it besides the drum efforts.

The lyrics to this release are highly esoteric and intellectual then of course they cover Depeche Mode's "Everything Counts" which has a killer use of the wah-pedal played by one of the guitarists. "Whoracle" is an astounding portrayal of Melodic Death Metal played to perfection. This album was extremely well thought out very much like the melodies in "The Jester Race" which was their previous release in which I am dubbing as their second best album.

As far as the vocals are concerned they are primarily high-end screams to these awesome lyrics with some variation but not much. The rhythm and lead guitar is impeccable well worthy of praise. I especially enjoyed all of the leads/melodies which fit precisely into the rest of the band in synchrony and to me virtually flawless. I can't stress that enough because the guitars had me captivated. I'd say the least effective parts on "Whoracle" are the drums. Though well in synchrony also there isn't anything spectacular about the drums on this release. I think that if they had a solid drummer here it would've been even more to my liking of "Whoracle".

Tracks that I would advocate downloading if you've never heard this release are: "Jotun", "Gyroscope" and "Episode 666". These in my opinion are the best tracks even though I view all of them to be phenomenal. This album remains to be one of my favorite Melodic Death Metal releases ever. Check out those tracks and if you're not convinced then I'd suggest you hear the songs more than once. You can download some of these tracks here: http://www.secret-face.com/id20.htm. Just scroll down and you'll see "Whoracle" on my Playlist.

Track Listing:

1. "Jotun" – 3:53
2. "Food for the Gods" – 4:21
3. "Gyroscope" – 3:26
4. "Dialogue With The Stars" – 3:00
5. "The Hive" – 4:03
6. "Jester Script Transfigured" – 5:46
7. "Morphing Into Primal" – 3:05
8. "Worlds Within The Margin" – 5:06
9. "Episode 666" – 3:45
10. "Everything Counts" (Depeche Mode Cover) – 3:17
11. "Whoracle" – 2:44
12. "Man Made God" (Bonus Track From 2004 Deluxe Edition) - 4:13

Musicians:

Anders Fridén - Vocals, Percussion, Engineer
Bjorn Gelotte - Drums, Percussion, Lead And Acoustic Guitar
Johan Larsson - Bass Guitar
Glenn Ljungström - Rhythm Guitar
Jesper Strömblad - Lead And Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion
Ulrika Netterdahl - Female Vocals On "Whoracle"

A band that features members of Immortal, Enslaved and Sahg – so funnily enough this is very much metal – in your face at that.

8 powerful slabs are up for grabs here from ‘The Storm I Ride’ to ‘Cursed we are’ – thunderous musicianship and throaty swamp beats vocals can be found throughout.

Wonder if they will release a second effort.

An incredible group that combine various forms of Power and Heavy Metal together in a truly atmospheric style – it’s scary, moving and fully mesmerizing and extremely captivating throughout the entirety of this album.

Vocally it’s decent high and mid register with some good rawping too – both male and female with a good example of this being ‘Of Masques and Martyrs’. Other song highlights include ‘Our Friend Lazarus Sleeps’ & the choral orchestral ‘This is Home’ and much more on offer on this CD.

Opener ‘Different World’ is a bright and breezy rocker that sets the ball rolling with Steve Harris’s unmistakable bass thumping away behind Bruce’s even more unmistakable throat, though Mr. Dickinson begins the song a bit more his subtle self, storing it all till the chorus. More of the best comes with ‘These Colours Don’t Run’, a typical Maiden epic with one of the bloke’s head-back-and-yell choruses that you just can’t help knowing is coming.

‘Brighter Than A Thousand Suns’ brings us to the first of these so-called prog tunes, and while there’s little for any Yes or Marillion follower to get excited over, there’s still one hell of a song to hear, the superbly structured number still a discernible departure for the lads and a chorus line very little unlike ‘Out of the Silent Planet’. ‘Pilgrim’ and ‘Longest Day’ are simply Maiden as Maiden fans want them, belting tunes with the human air-raid siren at his best, messrs Gers Murray and Smith’s solo’s not making a too dissimilar noise themselves. Recent single ‘The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg’ is a trademark stomp-along, a little in the vain of earlier classic ‘Run Silent, Run Deep’ and while the chorus and verse sound too dissolved to distinguish one from the other, some serious headbanging is in line for those by their speakers.

‘For The Great Good Of God’ is the first of two 9-minute plus numbers and another stab at their attempt to sound all arty which is again almost non existent but leaves a stunning Maiden epic in its wake with one of my favourite choruses on the disc. Unlike most of Metallica’s tunes of such duration, at least their British counterparts don’t have us waiting two or three minutes in before the vocals finally kick in - Bruce is there from the start and this makes their longer tunes a lot more digestible at first spin. ‘Lord Of Light’ is another that takes its time to reach the chorus, though again, a brilliant one in true Maiden form with Dickinson hitting off the tune again in his more huskier tones. One tune left, only an epic will do in this position, ‘The Legacy’ failing to disappoint as everything Iron about the Maiden boys takes full force, long verse, long…. chorus, (oh yeah), and seemingly endless solo break making totally un-wasting use of its nine-minute twenty-second time allocation.

And so another seventy minutes of pure bonafide Britsh metal is brought to an end. ‘Dance Of Death’ had just the very occasional moment when I was thinking of reaching for the skip button but ‘A.M.O.L.A.D.’ doesn’t even have that, the chemistry having taken that little rightening in the getting of since last time. Elements of Maiden styles and tunes from all ages past - including when one Mr. Bayley stood behind the mike – all get their turns, some more than their share of them, and the result is ten incredible tunes that put this album up there with ‘Powerslave’ and ‘Number Of The Beast’ as the pride of their arts. This is without doubt their finest release since Bruce’s return to the band in 1999 as well as one of their all-time potential corner stones with astronomical reviews the world over. And hey lads.

Here’s another one for the collection.

The Rebel Yeller’s current studio album that bounds off with some brash punk rock that he presented to us well over 20 or 30 years ago – these tracks being ‘Super Over Overdrive’ and ‘World Comin’ down’ that will definitely wake you up if you start to doze off after a hard days graft.

I like the Southerness of ‘Plastic Jesus’ on the car dashboard, the country Cashiness of ‘Lady do or die’; the scratchy, catchy ‘Evil Eye’ and the gorgeous acoustic come electric closer ‘Silent Running’ .

The blonde spikey haired one will make you realize what you are missing on the rock n’n roll front – forget the ten a penny emo sh*t – this is where it’s at.

This album is essential.

Crackin’ combination of two rock legends who have both served their time in Sabbath – well of course, Tony has always been there but that’s besides the point. Ten numbers in all of ballsy hard rock with the thunderous guitar sound of that Gibson SG mixed around some high wailing vocals.

Highlights include ‘Saviour of the Real’; ‘Dopamine’; ‘Grace’ (with its drivin’ instrumental to improvised section); ‘Deep inside a shell’ and ‘The Spell’.

Good album.

What? Yep that’s right – your eyes are not deceiving you.

Out of the ashes of Phantom Blue came ‘The Iron Maidens’ who present a nice, no that’s wrong - a neat collection of songs from the band who have that large monster character ‘Eddie’ on stage with them and on many of their record sleeves.

They bear humorous names as well of Bruce Lee Chickinson (Vocals); Steph Harris – Bass; Adrienne Smith – Guitar; Mini-Murray also on guitar as well and Nikk McBurrain on drums but there ain’t no Janick Gers equivalent tho – oh well, ya can’t win ‘em can ya.

These girls have got it and you can’t fault the way they tear into tracks like ‘The Trooper’; ‘Run to the Hills’ and ‘Hallowed be thy name’ and many others. Like to see ‘em over in ole blighty.

Recorded on their late ’03 Dance Of Death jaunt, the host city this time is Dortmund in Germany, and we all know how much THEY love their ‘evvy metal don’t we. Playing a more or less identical set to that I enjoyed from them at Sheffield Arena those two years ago, the legendary cockney sextet have opted for somewhat shorter sets nowadays, though I have to be frank in saying they could use their set capacity a bit more effectively. When you’ve got only 16 songs and 95 minutes to go at and thirteen albums to pick material from, having as many as six off a new record only released a few weeks before hand is taking an almost grade-A liberty, even if the tour is to promote the release in question, and too many of their established staples suffer for its cause.

Roof rupturing opener ‘Wildest Dreams’ is thankfully wisely separated from subsequent ‘D.O.D’ faves, by those three ol ‘gems ‘Wrathchild’, ‘Trooper’ and ‘Can I Play With Madness’ which scatters old and new amongst each other well and the set’s only Blaze-era cut ‘Lord Of The Flies’ gets a stunning improvisation from Mr Dickinson. It’s just a pity that while further faves like ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’, ‘Fear Of The Dark’ and ‘Iron Maiden’ plus the lethal closing dual assault of ‘Number of The Beast’ and ‘Run To The Hills’ follow later in the set, that they don’t also prioritise time for ‘Sanctuary’ ‘Evil That Men Do’ or ‘Two Minutes To Midnight’ any more.

I myself do rate ‘No More Lies’, ‘Paschendale’ and ‘Journeyman’ amongst the best tunes Maiden have penned but as I’ve stated hereinto, not many punters in the same room as me would crave for new material at the expense of their anthems. One wonders if their current tour, plugging purely 80-83 material, is to do with it at all.

More swinging chugging and grinding rather than set purely to sound-barrier-singeing speed percussion – Shawn Whittaker observes some convincing Metallica/Testament inspirations as he assaults with the axe and fails to vapourise such vibes with his Jabba-the-Hutt like grumblings although those are only to be expected on the…er, ‘dark side’…of metal.

If not credit enough, the songs stay short thoughout, though the lengths of most of the titles seem to want to make up for that. You try repeatedly shouting out ‘Rancid Cesspool of Unimagineable Splendour By Ritualistic Butchery’ or ‘Horrendous Lust for Psychopathic Purity Through Self Immolation’ when calling out for your favourite songs during gigs.

Anyway, not bad at all and a likely grower on the scene.

Fronted by Russ Climzak who sounds little short of as direct tie in between Bruce Dickinson, Blaze Bayley and Geoff Tate, I.V.’s approach to metal is good ol’ fist pumpin’ no-compromise trad noise that trend-suckers will love to hate. Chris Lotesta and John Malufka, our two men on six strings here, blend it together with a healthy hint of classic Megadeth, Metallica and Annihilator axe mongery that escorts us smoothly through all twelve numbers, allowing us to savour all the solos and other resident nostalgic hallmarks of a neglected genre that Ion Vein loyally doff their cap to.

If you’ve already checked out the Ivory Knight review, or better still even got a copy of that, it should serve as an appetite whetter for this belter. With Priest and Maiden still getting in at arena venues in this country, there’s still hope for the scene so these lads’ efforts aren’t necessarily in Vein, actually.

Enjoy, in the though that the glory days may still return soon.

Canadian quartet Ivory Knight have only two words on their mind, heavy metal, and great, old fashioned, big drippin’ lumps of it. Though only a single-guitar act, they fulfil all the essential tasks of a twin-axe machine, and our friend Rob Gravelle chops away with the best of ‘em, givin’ a summary of everything good about the genre 87-92.

Blaze Bayley fans may do themselves favours checking out the bloke who sings fro this lot – his voice is close enough to be mistaken for the former Maiden/Wolfsbane man. Ringing of fist-in-the-air riffs and rhythms, and classic-style epic choruses, and with Annihilator’s Jeff Waters handling mixing duties, this album comes top of their menu for those who like their metal kept tasty and traditional.

Just a shame bands like these don’t sell like they did twenty years ago.

RECOMENDED IF YOU LIKE
Maiden, Blaze, Megadeth, Ion Vein