Metal – Page 94 – Wonderbox Metal

Black Emerald – B.O.D (Review)

Black Emerald are from the UK and play gritty Metal with a Sludge edge.

The band have a Southern Metal/Sludge influence to their sound that adds some extra bite to proceedings. They also give us some solos, which is always welcome.

The sound is rough and raw but allows the spiky riffs to claw their way through. Rather than be held back by the primitive production the band make it work for them; they warp and distort it to their needs until it becomes little more than another sonic weapon in their arsenal.

The vocals are gruffly melodic with some harsher growls thrown into the mix now and again. They are assured and use interesting patterns and melodies. They are also confident enough as a unit to occasionally lay off the vocals for long enough to let the music do the talking and let the guitars lead the way.

There’s three songs here that act as a showcase for the band. Each song is a filthy juggernaut of underground Metal riffs and belligerent anger.

Blood Sport has a strong Sludge influence to the sound and is the audio equivalent of barbed wire.

The title track B.O.D features slightly higher vocals for some parts and has a bouncy, Southern feel to it that gives the track a Rocky edge, albeit one haunting the murkiness.

The final track Figure on a Barb Wire Cross is lumbering Rocker that crosses the previous two tracks to create a mutated rager.

Black Emerald have stumbled on a style that fuses Metal with an aspect of Sludge in such a way that it doesn’t sound done to death; it sounds quite fresh in fact. Hopefully this release will be the first of many, and I look forward to what comes next from this promising band.

Withem – The Point Of You (Review)

Withem come from Norway. This is their début album of Progressive/Power Metal.

It’s orchestrated, complex and obviously talented. This is melodic and colourful with frequent keyboard ostentation that recalls Pagan’s Mind at their sparkly best.

The songs make an impression with their enthusiasm and passionate Metal delivery. They’re well composed with lots to hold attention and frequent changes/alterations in the musicianship to keep things interesting. They do manage to keep this coherent enough to fashion into songs that have a direction though rather than just sounding like a mishmash of conflicting instruments.

The musicianship cannot be faulted and all instruments have the opportunity to shine. The leads and solos are represented well, as is to be expected with this style; the guitar riffs and rhythms are interesting and changeable; the drums are not just a backbone to the band as they seem to have a life of their own on occasion; the bass isn’t just going through the motions and is an audible enhancement to the tracks; and the keyboards…well they’re simply everywhere but manage to not get in the way at all. None of this would be possible of course if it wasn’t for the strong songwriting.

But what of the vocals? Well, the singer has the kind of voice that soars effortlessly and has no problem at all reaching the higher notes. It’s very fluid and sounds a treat.

This is a remarkable achievement from a band that are still relatively new. With this being their first release it’s an impressive one.

Tragodia – Mythmaker (Review)

Tragodia are from Italy and this is their third album of Progressive/Power Metal.

Featuring good songs and a strong sound, Mythmaker is an album that delivers the goods.

On the slightly heavier side of the spectrum, Tragodia recall bands such as Nevermore and Angel Dust with their thickened riffs and impressive vocals.

The band are melodic and tight, with some nice elements of Classic and Modern Metal finding a way into their sound on occasion. The Power Metal side of things is kept in check by the heavy guitars and the Progressive edge is felt in the musicianship.

The song structures themselves are the most important thing of course and this is an album that has all of the strengths of the genre but none of the weaknesses. This is quality Metal done right and played well. There are no slips into cheesiness or retro-worship. This is thoroughly state-of-the-art while dragging all of the essential classic elements of the genre into the here and now.

The singer is one of the best I’ve heard in a while. He has depth and range was well as being capable of full emotional delivery.

I’m just blown away by this album. Tragodia: Please receive your mark of A+ and go to the head of the class.

Kilmara – Love Songs and Other Nightmares (Review)

This is the third album from Spanish Heavy Metal band Kilmara.

Kilmara play Melodic Heavy Metal with good songs and good vocals. The band have elements of Classic Metal and a more modern influence at the same time. On paper this juxtaposition sounds doomed to failure but they manage to pull it off smoothly.

The singer has an accomplished voice that is relatively restrained compared to some in this genre, and is all the better for it. He works with the rest of the song and the music and vocals have a synergy that is unforced.

The strength of any album like this lies predominantly in the songs themselves; if these are weak then there’s not much to fall back on like there is with some other genres. Kilmara obviously take pride in their songs and have lavished considerable attention on them it seems. This has paid off as each song is slick and Rockingly good. The only slight misstep is Alpha which sounds out of place with the rest of the album; more like something you’d find on some substandard Euro-Metal cheese band’s release. It’s not an awful song but its standards are lower than the rest.

The performance of the band can’t be faulted and there are plenty of solos and leads to get your teeth into. The top quality sound allows them to do their thing with impunity; a crisp, punchy production shows the band at their best.

This is a very enjoyable album. The honesty of the songs and some quality songwriting combined with a nice, modern crunch results in a meeting of the Old-School and New- in a way that works well rather than falling flat in one of the countless ways that such a clash could do.

If you’re a fan of Traditional Heavy Metal and like a modern sheen to your music then seek out Kilmara, you won’t be disappointed.

The Parallax – Obliquity of the Ecliptic (Review)

The Parallax come from Canada and this is their début album of Extreme Progressive Metal.

The closest band for comparison would be the mighty Between the Buried and Me, although to the credit of The Parallax they manage to use the template but don’t sound like a rip off. Another good example of this would be a band like The Odious who also share the Between the Buried and Me influence but like The Parallax they have their own sound built onto it. Other bands that The Parallax are reminiscent of in places are the more recent Strapping Young Lad material and Lascaille’s Shroud.

Like Between the Buried and Me the band are hard to categorise as they have so much going on, but I suppose you could brand them as playing Extreme Progressive Metal, if you really wanted to pigeon hole.

The band have epic, sprawling songs full of high speed Metal and highly melodic riffing, where the solos and leads are plentiful and played better than most.

Keyboards and effects wash over the music in waves. Piano sections and 70-s style duelling synths are common.

Harsh vocals roar and clean vocals soar. The singer has a very good voice and ably manages the vocals whether they be Power Metal cleans, abrasive roars or anything else.

It’s all very well done and very proficiently played. As you can probably tell from the above the band are certainly not lacking in ambition. There are only 5 tracks but there is an hour of music here, including the epic 23 minute splendour of The Reformatting.

The sound is clear but my only slight complaint, (and it’s only a small thing really), is that it could do with a bit more depth to the sound; it sounds curiously compressed. It stops registering after a while, but when you first listen to this album after another band who, say, have a rounder sound to their recording, it stands out. Definitely not the end of the world, and it might not even be an issue for some people, but just a note for next time.

All in all this is a talented band who have produced a whopper of a début. I have no hesitation in recommending this album at all. If your tastes run to the Progressive and the interesting then Obliquity of the Ecliptic is for you. I fully expect this band to be snapped up by some enterprising record label soon, so get in on the action now.

Primitive Man/Hexis – Split (Review)

Primitive Man are from the US and play Sludgy Doom. On this release they have teamed up with Danish Crusty Black Metallers Hexis. Each band contributes one song, each about 8 minutes in length.

This is my first time hearing Primitive Man, but I’ve heard good things about them and am not disappointed.

When Getting High Is Not Enough starts off crushingly slow and heavy with vocals so deep and dark they seem to swallow all light. After a while the bass adopts a crawling pose while the guitars transcend to an almost Post-Metal ethereality before falling back to earth with a weighty riff. This soon breaks out into an unexpected frenzy of speed and the vocals become higher and much more vicious.

The band have this ability to play slow, fast or chuggy-as-hell while still retaining their own identity and a sense of filthy, Sludge-fuelled blackness pervades everything. The song is a victory and I am left wanting to hear more from this impressive band.

Hexis are a band who I am very familiar with as they have produced some very strong material over the years, particularly their recent full length Abalam.

Their track Excrucio is a weighty beast that has their trademark Blackened guitar walls with shredding vocals seemingly buried just underneath the enormous tide of distortion. Hexis manage to write very emotive songs where the guitars are the main stars of the show and the vocals and everything else are their to support them and help to accentuate how rock solid they sound.

Hexis have struck a winning formula with their sound and Excrucio is no exception.

This is a great showcase for two talented bands that offer a lot for the discerning metal fan who wants something a bit more from their listening.

Gomorrah – To the Depths (Review)

Gomorrah are from the US and play aggressive Thrash Metal with a minor Modern Metal influence.

This is heavy stuff, with a solid sound and production. It allows the riffs to come crashing around you causing maximum destruction.

And there are a lot of riffs, this is a veritable riff-fest of Thrash and caustic melodies. They know their instruments as well and can pull out some nice solos when they want to.

Their sound does have some modern influences to it, but I wouldn’t call them a Modern Thrash Band as they’re far too riffy, heavy and honest for that. Rather you can just hear some Lamb of God influence in some of the vocal inflections and they share some riff ideas with some of the more Melodic of Thrashers; but these are only minor aspects of the band’s sound as the core Gomorrah experience is based on Metal with a big fat capital M.

These songs, (and they are songs), are lively enough and even though there’s nothing innovative or new going on here the band manage to somehow avoid sounding tired and have produced an enjoyable EP. The key ingredient of course is passion; they clearly love what they do and this bleeds over into the instruments and song structures so that the listener can’t help but smile and start banging the old noggin along to it.

If I’m honest as well I think that the ever-so-slight modern influence to the band that I mentioned earlier also helps their cause. There are soooo many retro-style/Old-School Thrash bands around at the moment and a lot of them really do sound tired and stale. It’s nice to hear a band like Gomorrah who don’t fall into the retro trap but also don’t fall foul of trying to sound too modern or commercial either. They have the balance just right for me; it’s a precarious balance of course but at the moment they’re onto a winner.

The more I listen to this the more I like it. Give this a try, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with them.

Ghoul – Hang Ten (Review)

Ghoul are from the US and this EP is Thrash Metal with a healthy crossover influence; on this release their normal Death Metal influence is missing.

Ghoul have put out some good music over the years and this is no exception, although it is somewhat of a departure from their normal fare. This is feel-good Thrash-a-rama of the cinematic variety and with a bit of an old-wild-Western-crossed-with-a-biker-movie feel.

The songs each have that confident self-assured swagger to them and the bass is enough to plant images of run-down sleazy saloons in anyone’s mind.

The aural equivalent of a bar brawl in a seedy joint between rival motorcycle gangs; it’s ugly but you can’t help watch the spectacle unfold regardless.

Consisting of either instrumental tracks or tracks with spoken word on them, the traditional Ghoul vocals are absent and the music takes the front seat. As a showcase for the band’s ample musical talents this works fine and the emphasis is purely on the fun-time riffs and the driving tunes.

If you’ve never encountered the maniac ride that is Ghoul before then this is as good a stop as any to get on board with. But be warned, you may need a new set of underwear afterwards.

Memories Of A Dead Man – Ashes Of Joy (Review)

Memories Of A Dead Man are from France and play Modern Progressive Metal.

Here we have a band that merges Metal, Post-Metal, Hardcore and Sludge into one big compelling whole.

This is ambitious music that has the talent to back it up. This is Modern Progressive Metal in the style of Gojira or the excellent Eryn Non Dae – both also French; I wonder if there’s some strange conspiracy to inflict interesting, thoughtful music on the world…? Where do I sign up?

The songs meander and bruise, wander and startle. A pounding rhythm section backs up emotive guitar riffs and a voice like leather. At least that’s when the singer’s not softly crooning at you that is, which he doesn’t do very regularly but when he does it sounds very intimate.

The band will take you on a journey through melancholic atmospheres surrounded by walls of guitars and heavy riffs. The length of the songs work in favour of the band as they make the most of the freedom allowed them, irrespective of genre constraints or rules.

Music like this is full of ideas and quirks, whether it’s as simple as a certain riff in one song or the addition of female operatic vocals in another; the band create an impressive soundscape in which to dwell, and invite you to come join them and sample their world.

Memories Of A Dead Man have crafted a modern Metal treasure with Ashes of Joy. Let’s hope many people get to find it.

This is music for adventurers and explorers.

Sovereign Council – New Reign (Review)

Canadian band Sovereign Council play Power/Symphonic Metal.

Well, it’s happened again. Another band from Canada who fooled me into thinking they would be another Nightwish et al rip off, (due to lazy assumptions on my part from descriptions of the band), whereas in reality there’s a lot more going on here. They’re not female fronted for a start.

Along with the recent album from Merkabah, they must be doing something very right in Canada, as even though the two bands don’t sound massively alike they both come from the Power/Symphonic mould and the Canadian scene at the moment seems a hotbed of talent.

The band play their music competently and have the right idea with the music. The symphonics and keyboards are relatively subdued for this genre; you can definitely hear them of course but they’re not over the top. The band also have a bit of an electronica influence here and there which adds a nice touch.

The main male vocals are restrained and confident; no show boating here just quality emotive singing. The female backing vocals add a layer of texture and colour to the songs, and are not anywhere near as ubiquitous as the descriptions would have you believe. Mix this with a few harsher screams and growls and it all comes together as a package quite nicely.

Sovereign Council are also savvy enough to know that ultimately this is all about the Metal and don’t bury the guitars under the admittedly talented vocals. Instead the two walk side by side, with the guitars being just as prominent as the vocals, as they should be.

Check this band out and give them your support.