Metal – Page 89 – Wonderbox Metal

Nero Di Marte – Derivae (Review)

Nero Di Marte are from Italy and play Progressive Metal. This is their second album.

This is complex and dense music. There’s a lot of substance here, a lot to take in. Nero Di Marte are not your conventional band; they do things differently.

Rather than catchy riffs or hooks, instead they play riffs that merge and flow with each other to build up a complex tapestry over time. As the songs progress it becomes clear very early on that a lot of thought has gone into these compositions.

This is modern, heavy Prog; more akin to Gojira, Mastodon and Memories of a Dead Man than Dream Theater. This isn’t Post-Metal, but the band borrow the sense of dynamics and momentum-building that Post-Metal does so well and fuses them into their own sound.

These are masterfully crafted tracks that are as engaging as they are entrancing. The low-key vocals almost get lost in the churning maelstrom of guitars and percussive treats, yet they’re there, they add a lot to the already busy music and they help the band connect to the listener in a very visceral way.

Derivae sounds very warm, with the drums in particular having a very satisfying feel to them. This feels like real music, not just something pieced together and let loose with minimal feeling.

Overall, this is a thunderously strong album.

A rewarding and entrancing listen.

Arcturon – Expect Us (Review)

Arcturon are from Switzerland and this is their latest EP. They play Melodic Metal.

With this EP they give us 4 tracks lasting a total of just under 17 minutes.

This is upbeat Metal with a modern slant and added keyboards/effects. Think Dark Tranquillity as well as bands like In Flames, Arch Enemy, Soilwork, Darkane, etc.

These four songs are well-written and well-presented tracks that are on the more commercial side of Metal but if you don’t mind that then there’s a good amount of enjoyment to be had from them.

The singer has a good voice and switches between shouting and singing with ease. It’s designed to promote emotive responses and as long as you’re amenable to the genre it does the job.

This is the kind of band I could imagine getting a good degree of success if they have the right backing/are in the right place at the right time/etc. They have this particular genre of Metal down pat and inject enough variety and personality into the formula to make it work.

Give them a listen and see what you think.

Heroes of Vallentor – The Warriors Path Part I (Review)

This is the début of Heroes of Vallentor. They’re from Sweden and play epic, heroic Heavy Metal.

It’s starts with an intro to end all intros, one that’s so full of heroic themes and fantasy imagery that it’s quite staggering.

When the music itself starts it’s no let down as it’s just as theatrical and heroic as I was hoping for. This is big, bold and brash Metal that owes as much to Manowar and Conan, (not the band though), as it does to European Epic Power Metal.

However; although the Power Metal aspect of Heroes of Vallentor’s sound is there, it’s not that large compared to the gritty and unpolished Heavy Metal that makes up the main part of their music. This is real Metal made my men who carry swords and axes to the supermarket.

The music is solid and played well. Leads and solos come and go and the riffs are Metal to the core. There are some catchy moments and lots of hooks to ensnare the unwary.

Each of the songs has clearly had a lot of thought put into it with the music the backdrop for the epic saga the band are spinning. The musicians attack their muse with passion as the tale unfolds.

The sound is warm and satisfying; gritty and raw but well-rounded and full nonetheless.

The singer tends to alternate between rough cleans and histrionic wailing. It does the job and ticks all of the right buttons for this kind of music.

At 56 minutes in length this is a long album, but if you’re in the mood for bravado and epic, heroism then these are the men for you.

It’s a very rough and ready album and certainly won’t appeal to everyone as this is a very niche form of music really. I can’t help but find it endearing however, and if you aren’t completely adverse to this kind of thing I suggest you check them out and make your own mind up.

Today is the Day – Animal Mother (Review)

Today is the Day are from the US and this is their tenth album.

A new Today is the Day album is always a bit of an event and it’s always interesting to hear what they come up with because you’re never quite sure what it’s going to sound like. The only thing you can be sure of, or course, is that it’s going to be nasty.

Animal Mother is no exception. It is, however, probably their most complete and well-rounded album to date. Animal Mother combines elements of all of their previous albums to either a greater or lesser extent, from the psycho aggression of Kiss the Pig, to the Sludge heaven of In the Eyes of God with even a touch of the experimental harshness of Sadness Will Prevail.

This is further enhanced by acoustic and melodic flourishes that act as bridges between the more usual caustic noises and abrasive sounds that the band create.

The songwriting as a whole is dynamic and complex. Today is the Day have never shied away from unusual rhythms, sounds, etc. but Animal Mother takes this willingness to experiment and explore and manages to shape it into a cohesive package without ever losing its edge.

The production is solid and tight, and similar to the album as a whole it’s a lot fuller than Today is the Day normally sound. This allows all of the songs to really impact on the listener with full force.

Their singer sounds as venomous as always, although his performance is more varied as well. His is a unique, piercing roar and this is complemented with other vocalisations that allow for nuance of delivery.

To me this album sounds like the culmination of everything the band have been building towards over the decades. It sounds utterly complete and very, very good. The creative energies have been focused just right and the resulting heavy nastiness is without peer.

I’ve been a fan of this band since 1999 and this is the album they’ve always threatened to make. A dark revelation and an apocalyptic realisation of intent.

Essential listening for any Extreme Metal fan. Get this now.

Dawnbringer – Night of the Hammer (Review)

This is US band Dawnbringer’s seventh album. They play Heavy Metal.

Night of the Hammer has a strong 70’s vibe and mixes Heavy Metal with a good dose of ancient Doom to create something that’s drenched in the past yet remains potent today.

The brittle-sounding production lends the proceedings a proto-Blackened aura and enhances the feelings of authenticity and sheer audiophile-esque pleasure that this record gives off.

The important thing about a band like this is the quality of the songwriting and Dawnbringer are not found wanting in this regard. These are simple songs that are all the more powerful and effective for it.

Each track is stripped-back Heavy Metal as raw and emotive as when the genre was born. The rocking riffs and solid drums breathe life into the songs. The bass provides a firm bedrock for the band to build on and the solos and leads add colour. The odd Black Metal influence raises its head, mainly on Not Your Right, and strangely only sounds a little out of place.

The band play upbeat, downbeat and all kinds of mid-paced riffs in-between. The songs have plenty of darker moments but Dawnbringer are not afraid to sound chirpier on occasion also. True, it never reaches Power Metal levels of happiness or Folk’s sometime’s jauntiness, but they can certainly sound brighter than a lot of Metal when the need arises. Xiphias is a great example of this.

The music and exceptional vocals definitely have a 70’s vibe but the album also transcends this to have a certain timeless quality about it.

This is a most enjoyable album when you want a Classic Metal sound that harkens back to the time when Metal was born.

Undermine the Supremacy – Ashes (Review)

Undermine the Supremacy are from Australia and this is their début EP. They play Metalcore.

After an atmospheric, expectation-building intro the first track, (and title track), starts and it’s actually heavier than I was expecting. It’s almost Deathcore in places. Almost, but not quite.

It’s groove-based and relies on heavy riffs and melodic interludes to propel the songs forward, as is common in Metalcore, but it’s more extreme than a lot of the more commercial-edged bands that populate this scene. It’s less Killswitch Engage and more Lamb of God; less concerned with anthemic choruses and more concerned with flattening everything with heavy rage.

The vocalist is quite the beast, with his voice being much more extreme than the norm for this style. It adds a layer of real bite to the tracks.

The constant level of aggression on display here is good to see and the band are clearly into what they’re doing. Also pleasing is their avoidance, (mostly), of some of the more obvious riffs that usually make up Metalcore. Okay they’re never going to be described as innovative but they don’t fall into the trap of being generic either, which is no mean feat for a genre such as this.

Fans of Lamb of God, Chimaira, Hatebreed, etc. take note.

Check them out and see if they can reduce you to ashes.

Kattah – Lapis Lazuli (Review)

Kattah are a Power Metal band from Brazil and this is their second album.

This is Power/Heavy Metal with varied and exotic world influences and an Iron Maiden flavour. Mix in a bit of Kamelot and Queensrÿche and you have a good idea of the area Kattah inhabit.

The singer does his best Bruce Dickinson/Geoff Tate impression and for the most part pulls it off admirably. It allows him to have an instantly recognisable charisma without sounding like a clone.

Kattah have an ear for a good chorus, with plenty of the songs having decent hooks and catchy melodies. The band obviously have well-developed songwriting skills and they put these to good use.

The songs are able demonstrations of the Power Metal style with the Heavy Metal influence reining in the more extravagant tendencies that Power Metal seems to have. The songs are not devoid of ostentation, however, and the musicians are definitely a capable lot.

There are lots of good riffs and more than enough leads and solos to appeal. I’m very partial to some good shredding and this album features enough to satiate.

Another strength of this release is that it’s certainly no one-dimensional affair; it may stick within the Heavy/Power Metal template but it’s a much more varied release than most offerings from similar bands.

At 56 minutes in length there is a lot of material here and the band obviously have both ambition and talent. Given the right exposure Kattah have the potential to make quite a mark on the Metal scene, as they have both extravagance and accessibility in their favour.

Overall it’s a good collection of songs and Lapis Lazuli is a strong album.

Have a listen and see what you think.

Prayed and Betrayed – The Abundance of a Sickened Mind (Review)

Prayed and Betrayed are from Finland and this is their second EP.

With a striking cover that screams New-School, this is modern Melodic Death Metal with a healthy dose of heaviness.

The Abundance of a Sickened Mind has a very good recording that allows the band to sound punchy and fresh. This EP sounds confident and bold, which is what you want for this style of music.

There are three songs on this release and each of them boast a strong sound and a good grasp of melodics and songwriting. They’re quite good for instant gratification but also for a bit of longevity as the songs themselves are pretty decent and can last the course.

The melodic side of the band is constant but not overt, meaning that you don’t get swamped with overly-melodic riffs or sickly-sweet sounding passages. This is because the band offset it with a core of heaviness that relies on thick riffs that are rooted in modern Metal.

The combination of modern Metal rhythm guitars and more traditional Metal leads mean that Prayed and Betrayed have a foot in both camps; while this could in theory lead to a muddled identity in reality it works well with the band coming off as a firm hit rather than a floundering miss. In this sense I’d compare them to Dead Earth Politics who also effortlessly combine the old and the new into something fresh.

Prayed and Betrayed have created a very enjoyable calling card. Now all we need is a full album to really see what they’re truly capable of.

Orange Goblin – Back From The Abyss (Review)

Orange Goblin are from the UK and this is their eighth album. They play Stoner/Heavy Metal.

At this point Orange Goblin are pretty much a UK institution in their own right and their storming new album will once again seal their status as one of the best this country has to offer. When you want good, honest, balls-to-the-wall Heavy Metal with swagger, groove and attitude; accept no substitutes.

Mammoth riffs and thick grooves are once again tirelessly thrown out by the band with reckless abandon, heedless of the hordes of lesser bands that they show up by simply existing.

Orange Goblin have always excelled at writing just good, old-fashioned songs. The type of songs you can either sit back and enjoy or actively get involved with. They’re as catchy as bag of hooks.

The shocking thing is that pretty much every song here is a stand-out track. Although the taster songs are The Devil’s Whip and Sabbath Hex, they could almost have picked any song at random and had it be a single.

That’s not to say they all sound the same, however. If anything, the band have introduced more variety onto this album and it makes for a very complete sounding collection of songs. From the shorter, more upbeat songs to the longer blues-infused pseudo-jams, to Classic Metal-infused anthems and everything in between; Back From The Abyss hits the spot.

The album is backed up by a warm, gritty recording that pulses with vitality and life. The guitars sound huge, the drums are deeply satisfying and the singer’s voice is on top form.

Orange Goblin have always released top quality albums and Back From the Abyss is one of their best. Be sure to check it out.

Northern Crown – In the Hands of the Betrayer (Review)

Northern Crown are from the US and this is their debut EP, although at 31 minutes in length it’s the same length as some albums.

The band play Heavy/Doom Metal in its original guise and with added organ accompaniment. Although the band play slow on occasion, this is more on the Heavy Metal side of things than Doom, although there’s a fair amount of crossover in the genres anyway.

Played well and with obvious enthusiasm; Northern Crown are a very likeable and personable band. Choruses ring out and juicy melodies are used. Guitars unleash sonic hell with evocative leads and molten solos. The rhythm guitars are nicely chunky and tasty, emotive riffs are the bedrock of the songs.

These tracks span varying speeds from the up-tempo to mid-paced to straight Doom Metal. All the while the organs add that extra layer to proceedings.

If you like the heavier works of Black Sabbath and Ronnie James Dio then Northern Crown should be right up your street. The inclusion of a Candlemass cover should seal the deal and rounds out the influences.

This is Metal through and through and a very promising start to what will hopefully be a long and productive career.

Recommended.