Eve to Adam are a US rock band and this is their latest album.
This is anthemic rock with big choruses and an electronic influence. It’s modern and addictive, bringing a passion and intensity to the performance that feels easy, natural and unforced. Continue reading “Eve to Adam – Odyssey (Review)”
Hark are a stoner/hard rock band from the UK and this is their second album.
Featuring rocking tunes, sludgy Southern vibes and progressive sensibilities, Machinations should easily appeal to fans of Baroness, Mastodon, Red Fang, Corrosion of Conformity and High on Fire. Continue reading “Hark – Machinations (Review)”
Mercy Isle are an American/Dutch symphonic metal band and this is their debut album.
Mercy Isle play their brand of melodic, symphonic metal with the core of a rock band and the catchiness of a pop act.
A frequent issue I have with a lot of Continue reading “Mercy Isle – Undying Fire (Review)”
Order of the Emperor are a hard rock band from The Netherlands, this is their debut album.
Influenced by old-school groovy hard rock, this is 41 minutes of rock bliss for fans of the old-school style delivered with a modern sheen. Continue reading “Order of the Emperor – Behold (Review)”
Brimstone Coven are a Hard Rock band from the US. This is their second album.
Brimstone Coven worship at the smoky altar of all things 60s and 70s. Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Led Zeppelin may be obvious reference points, but there’s more going on here than you might expect and Black Magic is a well-rounded release that is greater than the sum of its influences.
This album has a pleasingly authentic sound, both in the recording and the vibes that seem to come off the music in heady waves.
The main vocalist’s voice suits the music well and there’s lots of catchy singing going on here, which works well with the equally catchy music. The band also employ multi-singer harmonies and put these to good use.
The music is instantly familiar and it’s easy to get into this and feel a pleasant buzz emanating from it. The songs contain so many good riffs and warm melodies that every song has something pretty damn special to offer.
Black Magic gives us 55 minutes of music to entrance and captivate. If you’re in the mood for this kind of thing then it really is up there with the best of them. With top-drawer songwriting and a decent amount of variety and moods to explore, this is a very enjoyable release.
I’m not always a huge fan of music that takes its inspiration from this era, (although bands such as Witchcraft, Agusa, Ecstatic Vision and Greenleaf have been known to frequent my playlist from time to time…), but when it’s done well and with enthusiasm and passion as it clearly is on Black Magic, the result is infectious and hard to ignore.
Highly recommended.
Shotgun Justice are a German Heavy Metal band and this is their début album.
Shotgun Justice play a personable brand of Heavy Metal that incorporates elements of both Hard Rock and Thrash Metal into its upbeat delivery.
Despite a logo and album cover that might lead you to believe that the band play some form of contemporary Metal, this is music that’s resolutely Old-School and couldn’t care less. The songs reflect this, as does the low-key production.
Shotgun Justice have the feeling and attitude of the early-Metal era firmly nailed down, managing to reproduce the essence of the time quite faithfully. Although this can be slightly deceptive, as the Old-School swagger and production sometimes masks the more interesting and sophisticated elements of their sound, such as added female vocals and some nice moments of introspection, (such as The Scales of Justice), as well as some almost Progressive Metal influences, especially on the latter part of the album.
The male vocals have some presence and do their job nicely. On occasion these are joined by the aforementioned, and very impressive, female vocals, adding a different facet to the band; it’s a really nice touch.
If you’re in the mood for what is, (largely), a throwback to simpler times with some rocking good tunes then you could do a lot worse than this. Check them out and see if they hit the spot for you.
Christian Mistress are a Heavy Metal band from the US. This is their third album.
Taking influence from Traditional Heavy Metal and 80s NWOBHM, Christian Mistress play easy-listening, Hard-Rocking Classic Metal.
The singer has a smooth, charismatic voice that slips effortlessly out of the earthy music. Her voice carries feeling and depth without lacking in force and power where necessary.
In some ways this album really is like stepping back in time. Quite simply, they don’t make this kind of music any more. Or more precisely, they do, but only rarely as it’s just so hard to pull off in any form of meaningful, authentic way. The fact that Christian Mistress manage to do this well and have good songs at the same time is somewhat of a miracle in this day and age.
The warm, analogue sound, the duelling harmonies, the vibrant, galloping bass, the satisfying-yet-slightly-understated drums, liquid solos…it all speaks volumes for this kind of music, one that sounds both dated and timeless at the same time.
This is a strong collection of eight honest songs that just want to Rock out and unleash the primal Metal soul in the listener. Well, it works, and I’m certainly feeling the need to bang my head and raise my fists.
Recommended.
This is the début album from long-running Heavy Metallers Twilight Zone, who are from Italy.
As I’ve said before, one of the most important components of bands like this is the singer; the vocals can make or break the band for me. Twlight Zone have a very capable singer with a strong voice and an able set of pipes, so I’m happily placated. The vocals are easy to enjoy and the singer hits the various highs and the lows without issue.
The music is Classic Heavy Metal with plenty of bluster and verve. Colourful leads and emphatic riffs are the order of the day and they have a decent amount of variety so that it doesn’t become too repetitive or one dimensional.
The band have a very slight Thrash influence to some of the guitars here and there as well as a bit of a Hard Rock style to their sound in places. Mainly though, it’s pure Heavy Metal.
The Beginning has a rather underground production for this style of music, but it does add an earthy earnestness and honesty to their sound. I really like the bass sound – it has an Iron Maiden-like presence and adds to the songs a fair bit; particularly noticeable on Death Swarm.
The songs are enjoyable and well written, with a good few hooks to snag the listener. If you enjoy this style then you could do a lot worse than checking out Twilight Zone for some resolutely Old-School Classic Heavy Metal.
Give them a try.
Half Gramme of Soma are from Greece and play Hard/Stoner Rock. This is their latest EP, their second release.
Half Gramme Of Soma have a sound that rolls out of the speakers with earthen grit and a confident gait.
This EP has a warm sound that makes the guitars come alive with a glorious fuzziness. The production is top notch and thankfully the songs match the sonic quality levels.
The singer’s voice is all gravel and character. He has a powerful voice that’s like a slightly dirtier version of the singer of Disturbed. It sounds great and the performance level is always high.
These songs speak of a confident band who know what they want to do and know exactly how to go about achieving their goals. These are very mature compositions that may sit neatly in the Stoner Rock genre but also borrow from others, such as Hard Rock, Modern Metal and Doom.
This refusal to play entirely by the Stoner template works entirely in their favour and as such Marche au Noir has a lot of different flavours across its 5 tracks. From the upbeat opener Marche, to the jaunty/doomy juxtaposition of Hitch Hike and the crowning centrepiece Cage, this EP has more to offer in 5 songs than most bands of this ilk do in 10.
Marche au Noir is a decent length EP at 25 minutes that showcases the band’s ample talents.
Definitely a recommended listen.
Astrakhan are from Canada and play Progressive Metal. This is their latest EP.
This is powerful music with plenty of dynamics and personality.
Think Progressive Metal with a modern edge; kind of in the vein of what Mastodon do but without really sounding like them too much. Couple this with elements of bands as diverse as Alice in Chains, High on Fire and Metallica…
Hard Rock mixes with a Sludge feel and strong clean vocals dominate everything. Stoner simplicity and technical complexity merge together. They are at once cohesive and divisive; multiple influences congeal into a coherent whole and result in four very impressive songs.
The sheer force of charisma generated by the singer is draw-dropping. To further muddy the waters of genre-definition, he sometimes sounds like he could easily front an Avant-Garde band like Arcturus or Manes with ease.
The distortion feels alive and the riffs have a vitality to them. Each of the songs flexes its musical muscles and exudes feelings that are both epic and emotive.
Their music is textured and rich with riffs that propel the songs onward with real passion and vigour.
Top quality. If they can translate their obvious talent into a full length album they’ll be on to a real winner.
Wonderbox Metal 