Heavy Metal – Page 35 – Wonderbox Metal

Thoughts Factory – Lost (Review)

Thoughts Factory are a Progressive Metal band from Germany, and here we have their 8 track album Lost, which contains 65 minutes of accomplished music.

It’s instantly apparent that this is a superior release. Superficially all of the Progressive Metal boxes are ticked, (bright keyboards, technical playing and leads, soaring vocals), but the quality of songwriting is plainly above average.

An ambitious release; the band know what they want to achieve and do everything in their power to achieve this. The musicianship and production is faultless and the songs are clearly in skilled hands.

This is quality Progressive Metal with plenty of variety; heavy, light, slow, fast, ostentatious, minimalistic – it’s all here. The songs are complex and show good structure and pacing. They have an ear for a catchy riff, and the guitars work with each song as a whole instead of trying to be the focal point as some bands make the mistake of having them as.

The singer has an extremely capable voice capable of belting out the powerful sections but also capable of frailty and nuance as necessary. His vocal lines are generally effective and emotive, and he knows when he’s onto a good melody.

The album is based around a central concept and accordingly the lyrics are more personal and emotional than the subject matter that a lot of Progressive bands deal with, and this further differentiates them from the pack.

Lost is likely to be one of the best Progressive Metal albums we’ll hear in 2014. A bold claim I know, especially as it’s only just turned February, but I’m confident that Thoughts Factory have what it takes to compete in the big leagues.

A top quality Progressive Metal concept album – time to add it to your collection don’t you think?

A Breach of Silence – Dead or Alive (Review)

This is the début release from Australian band A Breach of Silence.

The band play a nice line in modern Melodic Death Metal combined with the huge sweeping chorus-style Metalcore that bands like Killswitch Engage popularised.

The singer has a very good voice; his growls are deep and enthusiastic and the clean vocals are passionate and a bit different from the usual of this type as they incorporate a little bit of Power Metal into their delivery, giving them a bit more of an edge.

The music has plenty of bite and aggression with the band playing their hearts out and preforming with gusto. Although they do have breakdowns and whatnot, they don’t completely abuse and over-use them as a lot of these kind of bands have a tendency to do; they seem to have struck the right balance. The songs are largely both heavy and catchy.

Ultimately this does fall into the more commercial end of the Metal spectrum, and won’t be to everyone’s taste. I haven’t listened to a new band of this style for some time and I think A Breach of Silence are very good at what they do. If you’re a fan of heavy modern Metal and don’t object to more commercial melodic clean choruses then check them out.

Thalion – Dawn of Chaos (Review)

Canadian Power Metal with a liberal sprinkling of Speed Metal for good measure.

This won’t win any awards for innovation but it is highly melodic and highly infectious; the band can play, write songs and have a singer who can actually sing. What more is there to say?

Also; solos. Always important to note.

I enjoyed this album, especially as the band throw in a few more modern touches and riffs, (in To Hell and Back for example), thus showing they’re not completely bound to the rule book laid down by the likes of Helloween and Judas Priest.

With the double bass flying, the guitar licks licking (?) and the vocalist singing his heart out it’s hard not to smile and get carried away by their enthusiasm.

A very good début album, and with some small refinements to their songwriting the next one could be great. If you like Speed-influenced Power Metal this is recommended.

SystemHouse33 – Depths of Despair (Review)

Indian band SystemHouse33 play a forward thinking brand of Metal.

After a typical perfunctory intro we get a nice brand of heavy modern Metal with speed, bounce and vocals that sound like they’re going to jump out of the speakers and beat you to death.

There are some good riffs on this album that take some of the best parts of modern Metal but manage to avoid all of the riff-recycling and At The Gates-pillaging that a lot of modern Metal bands end up doing. The drums underpin everything with a relentless backdrop of pounding and punchy beats.

Across the album the band use tools from the Metal, Thrash and even Death Metal toolboxes to build their sound. This is then combined with quasi-Industrial sounds and effects to spice up their music, meaning that a lot of the time there’s more going on than just the Meshuggah-heavy guitars trying to alternately flatten or slice you to death.

A diverse and effective album that is over far too quickly at only 22 minutes. The band seem to have plenty of ideas and no shortage of inspiration in how to apply them.

A quality release that promises bright things for them in the future. For a good blast of non-cliché Metal you can do a hell of a lot worse than this. Listen up.

Tothem – Beyond the Sea (Review)

Italian Gothic Metallers Tothem have released their début album Beyond the Sea.

This is a stirring and spirited album, with angelic female vocals layering a solid Metal base. Sometimes with this type of genre, with so much focus on the vocals, the underlying music can seem left behind a bit; the guitars especially can be left to sound quite weak. Not so for Tothem; thankfully they have kept the guitars nice and loud and pleasantly thick.

Musically we have a modern Power Metal foundation with liberal keyboards and sweeping feminine harmonies soaring over the top of everything.

If you have heard bands such as Within Temptation, Evanescence, Nightwish, et al then you know what kind of songs are on offer here. Of course it’s easy to say that we’ve heard this all before, but if you like this kind of music then that’s no barrier to enjoyment. The differentiation comes of course from the nicely heavy music and above all from the songs themselves.

This is an enjoyable album with good songs and where the music doesn’t play second-fiddle to the, (admittedly impressive), vocals. Try them out and see if they can win you over.

Eclipse Prophecy – Days of Judgement (Review)

This is Canadian Power Metal from Eclipse Prophecy and Days of Judgement is their début album.

This is proper Power Metal in the epic, heroic vein in which it is experienced best. Traditionally I think of Europe when I think of this kind of music but Canada seems to be holding their own in this arena these days.

This is not going to be to everyone’s taste, but as an avid fan of Freedom Call I’m a sucker for this kind of fantasy Metal. I particularly enjoy the added keyboards and effects that Eclipse Prophecy use to add extra flavour to what are already flamboyant songs.

Speed, double bass drums, soaring vocals; it’s all there, only with heavier involvement from the aforementioned keys.

I feel compelled to mention once more that it won’t work for everyone, but for me…what can I say? I like this a lot. Sometimes Brutal Death Metal or scathing Black Metal just won’t cut it; sometimes you want something heroic, positive and larger than life! For times like these Eclipse Prophecy hit the nail squarely on the head.

Bang. Great fun.

Our Last Enemy – Pariah (Review)

Our Last Enemy play Industrial Metal and this is their second album.

Coming off as a modern Metal band with industrial elements and keyboards the band peddle their aggressive brand of music with passion and fortitude.

If you take all of the heavy bits of early-noughties bands like Spineshank, Slipknot, Downthesun, etc. and take out pretty much all of the clean singing you’ll have a reasonable starting point for Our Last Enemy. Plus guitar solos.

The industrial and atmospheric parts of these songs are more subtle and understated than you might think, the main emphasis instead on the heavy guitars and scathing vocal attack. With enough double bass and blasting drums to ensure the listener knows they mean business, the guitars churn and turn their way through the songs while the singer barks out vicious diatribes.

Each song contributes to the whole and on the final analysis this is an enjoyable album that has a perhaps surprising amount of depth to the compositions.

Halahkuh – Desecration (Review)

This is the first EP from Indian Thrash band Halahkuh, and they must be putting something in the water over there as this is another quality Indian Metal band it seems.

I was first drawn to this by the album cover – it veritably screams LISTEN TO ME NOW THERE IS METAL HERE! So I did, and there is.

At only 15 minutes this is a short EP but it ably showcases the talents of the band. It starts off slow and atmospheric with the first track Ordeal that builds expectation and then the release comes in the form of first song-proper Sacrilege. Furious drumming and rabid vocals propel the song along at a good pace and the singer sounds more like he’s barking than making actual human sounds.

This is heavy modern Thrash with a Melodic Death Metal edge to it, and even the odd-blastbeat makes an appearance.

The band are to be commended for their passion and the songs are clearly written and performed by a band that loves to play and knows how to, (with solos!).

A thoroughly Metal and thoroughly enjoyable release. Here’s to a full-length sometime soon. Ones to watch.

Sceptre – Age of Calamity (Review)

Age of Calamity is the second album from India’s Sceptre. It’s a concept album about societal attitudes towards women delivered via the medium of a harsh brand of Thrash Metal.

By Jove there are some good riffs on this album! Wrath of God is a perfect example. Storming and crushing. The entire album is full of quality songs though, so it’s no surprise.

The vocals are raw and unadulterated, ranging from grunts to shouting to dirty-cleans. The singer is clearly passionate about the subject matter and nearly lets his enthusiasm get the best of him on occasion, but not in a bad way; this merely increases the authenticity of the feelings involved.

The music is clearly Thrash Metal, but with more of a modern tinge to the sound that might have some people surprised. This is the real deal though, with serrated riffs flying left, right and centre and high velocity drums leading the charge the entire way.

Sceptre may not be the most prolific band in the world but they have been around long enough to know their stuff, and this album is testament to that.

Quality Thrash from a quality band.

Megascavenger – At the Plateaus of Leng (Review)

The latest Megascavenger album, (a project of Rogga Johansson), contains quite the list of guest vocalists – just have a look at the line up, (taken from the promo blurb) –

1. At The Plateaus Of Leng (Vocals by DAVE INGRAM of Bolt Thrower/Benediction)

2. The Festered Earth (Vocals by KAM LEE of Massacre)

3. And Then The Death Sets In (Vocals by AAD KLOOSTERWAARD of Sinister)

4. The Mucus Man (Vocals by MARTIN VAN DRUNEN of Asphyx/Hail of Bullets)

5. Like Comets Burn The Ether (Vocals by DAVE ROTTEN of Avulsed)

6. When Death Kills The Silence (Vocals by FELIX STASS of Crematory)

7. The Hand Of Bereavment (Vocals by ILKKA JARVENPÄÄ of National Napalm Syndicate)

8. Back To The Ancient (Vocals by BRYNJAR HELGETUN of Crypticus)

9. Night Of The Grand Obscenity (Vocals by ROGGA JOHANSSON)

If that’s not enough to get expectations running high I don’t know what is.

This album is full of melodic Old-School Death Metal goodness, but also a few unexpected turns such as the clean vocals/keyboard side of The Festered Earth, or the cleans of The Hand of Bereavement. Variety is a good thing however and these little flourishes and touches just enhance the album as a whole.

At the Plateaus of Leng is crushing and without mercy, stomping and stamping on all who oppose. But more than brutality these songs are surprisingly melodic and succeed well in hooking the listener. The tracks march along easily enough, propelled by the mid-paced barrage of the drums and carried aloft by the tuneful guitars. Each song is well-written, being identifiable from the last and not just because of the different vocals. This is an album of songs rather than just a collection of tracks, and there are catchy moments in great supply.

All of the vocalists do a sterling job and add their own personality and character into each of the compositions. Each song may have a different vocalist but the album flows nicely and doesn’t sound disjointed or like a compilation album, even when they veer into more Heavy Metal territory with clean singing it still holds together well as a package.

A very accomplished release, chock full of classic Death Metal songs, each one as enjoyable as the last.