Rock – Page 29 – Wonderbox Metal

Convulsif – IV (Review)

Convulsive are an experimental band from Switzerland. This is their fourth album.

After the blackened mindfuck, (in a good way), that was CD3, Convulsif return with something a bit different that’s actually superior. It’s mostly instrumental, dark and surprisingly addictive.

Featuring bass, clarinet, violin and drums, this is an experimental foray into noise and unusual Rock. These instruments come together in a variety of ways to produce music that is always trying to push the envelope and always manages to be emotive, in one fashion or another.

Largely gone is the experimental Black Metal of their previous release, although stylistically and atmospherically we’re not a million miles away from it with some of he crawling Doom/Drone here; IV can still be dark and foreboding when it wants to, as well as displaying any number of other moods.

Instead, this release has an even more diverse approach than its predecessor. Doom, Post-Rock, Black Metal and Grind are all merely ingredients to be liberally sprinkled around during these 37 minutes, and Convulsif leave few stones left unturned in their quest for sonic excess.

Disturbing noises and unsettling vibes are frequently the order of business for IV, mixed in with Grindcore-level extremity and exploratory bludgeoning. Add in some Jazz and some sexy bass workouts and you end up with a compelling collection of twisted soundscapes that really succeed where such an eclectic, esoteric assortment of tracks could so easily fail.

If you’re in mind for something a bit different that has a lot to offer, check out IV; you won’t regret it.

Greenleaf – Rise Above the Meadow (Review)

This is the sixth album by Swedish Stoner Rock band Greenleaf.

Boasting the kind of album cover that you could lose hours staring at, Greenleaf return with 44 minutes of retro-themed Stoner Rock that’s as easy-going and as compelling as ever.

With a warm, well-rounded sound, Rise Above the Meadow is a very easy album to get along with. The band’s personalities seem to seep from every note and the songs effortlessly send out emotive vibes in a retro-friendly fashion that’s sure to light up many a classic Rock-fan’s eyes.

The singer’s anthemic, charismatic voice resonates with relaxed power and presence, complementing the analogue warmth of the music. Hearty melodies and hummable tunes are in abundance and the band really don’t sound like they’re native to 2016 in many ways.

There are so many good riffs on this album and the band are in no short supply of melodies and evocative catchy sections either.

This is good stuff. For someone who mainly listens to much more extreme music, I sometimes have to be in the mood for this kind of release. However, like a lot of things, when you press play and let the music comfortably roll out of the speakers, it’s all very nice indeed.

Somewhere between The Sword, Clutch, Rival Sons, and even The Beatles in places.

Top work.

Interview with Zlang Zlut

Zlang Zlut are an interesting proposition, as they are concurrently a traditional Hard Rock band and also quite unusual due to their use of cello. Either way, Crossbow Kicks is a riotous collection of instantly-likeable Rock tunes that get you moving whether you want to or not. I decided I needed to know more about this intriguing band…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

We are Zlang Zlut, a two-piece rock band with a cello/bass pedal player and a drummer/singer from Basel/Switzerland, we play rock’n’roll. Bite this bullet!!

Give us a bit of background to Zlang Zlut

The cello player (Beat) is in his late fifties, me (Fran), the drummer/singer, I’m in my late forties. We’re both classically trained professional musicians, loving rock’n’roll. We’ve known each other from jobs in classical music and teach at the same music school. We’ve jammed and gigged in other formations before, but this duo has been the most rocking version of our common efforts.

What are your influences?

I’d say it’s a wide range beginning from classical music to jazz and blues to pop, rock, hard rock and heavy metal. We’re really open, but of course the most direct influences are stemming from the great 70’s hard rock bands like Purple, Sabbath and Zeppelin, AC/DC or Judas Priest, to name but a very few. Me personally I’m into loads of ’90s bands too like Helmet or The Melvins, but the list is really endless.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

I really love the first Wolfmother album and Andrew Stockdale’s solo album, the first two Black Country Communion Albums, Billy Gibbons’ new solo album, all of Mark Lanegan’s albums, and a great duo from Nashville, The Black Diamond Heavies. And, oh yeah, Karma To Burn are phantastic, too.

Your use of cello in a Rock context is definitely outside of the norm. How did this come about?

It’s really not something we planned with any sophistication, it really just happened naturally. Beat truly HATED all existing attempts of using cello in rock music to date, so I guess when he plugged his cello through a distortion pedal into his bass amp, he was ready to make a different statement, or maybe less different, but purer, depending on the angle from which you look at it. We don’t think too much anyway, we just play, and we play what we love to hear.

Give us a bit of background to Crossbow Kicks – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

Most of the songs ending up on the album had been tested live in concert before, so the songwriting was a natural process of composing and performing. Because of the fact that our experience as a two-piece is growing, we get more security in what we do and what we can do. Still we’re trying to keep challenging us. I think we found a healthy mixture of adventurous and fun songs. I also like the fact that our music gets harder and more intense, but still keeps breathing. We’re pretty proud of this record.

How do you go about writing your songs?

It’s either Beat who comes up with a riff or two, we jam, record, I’m trying to find lyrics to the vocal lines in my head, we arrange, play, arrange, play, and at some point we try to have a version that we start playing live. There and later in the studio we might keep changing the arrangement, but even after recording it it’s not carved in stone and we’ll change it if we feel it ought to be. Beat’s songs are always fun to play. Whereas when I come up with a song I mostly come up with the finished song worked out on my computer, so then starts the whole process of trying to talk Beat into playing what I’d like him to play, which means tough night-long negotiations, haha. After several months of fighting tooth and nail, the song is there and slowly gets welcomed into the repertoire.

How did the recording process go?

We went into pre-production last may, recorded all the basics of the songs in one day, then I recorded all the vocals at home. Then we gave the files to Fredy, our label-boss. He gave us a severe and honest feedback, so then during the summer, we kept re-arranging the songs and I re-wrote half of the lyrics. A week before the studio we rehearsed day and night to get used to the changements and in shape and ready for the recording. The basics were done in three days, the lead vocals in two days, I did the all backings at home over two more weeks, then VO Pulver mixed the whole thing and we had two or three more sessions with him for adjustments.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

My personal favourite is “Now”, because it has everything I feel a Zlang Zlut song should have, a cool riff, a dramatic chorus, dynamics, space to improvise, a challenging arrangement and a great cello solo. No wonder it’s 8 minutes long! 😉

What does the future hold for Zlang Zlut?

Who knows? I mean, let’s face it, times are tough for this kind of music, and it’s a daily struggle to get heard in the global cacophony, but as long as we keep growing and loving what we do, there are plenty of rewards on the way.

Witchcraft – Nucleus (Review)

This is the fifth album from Swedish Doom/Psychedelic Rock band Witchcraft.

Playing the easy-listening proto-Metal Doom Rock so beloved in the 1970s, while also incorporating wider sounds from 60s psychedelia, Witchcraft have the retro vibe fully sewn up. It would be sickening if it wasn’t so damn good.

That’s the real central point about a band like this; they really are just that good. There’s a lot of music on Nucleus, but all of it is stamped with pure quality and it soars high over the heads of most bands that try their hand at this kind of thing.

Another interesting aspect of Nucleus is that even though it positively wallows in the past, and the production embraces this, it still sounds solid, professional and tight, despite an unashamedly old-school sound in many ways. Put simply, they manage to sound huge and polished without actually being overtly so. Impressive.

I like that there’s an exploratory sound to their music, influenced by the more progressive aspects of the 70s in some ways; it feels like the band are taking you along on their own personal journey and you’re not quite sure what you’re going to see. Which is another reason why they’re so good – this isn’t just your normal Trad-Doom-by-numbers release, as there’s a lot more going on here, hidden in plain sight.

There’s a wide range of song lengths on this release, from the short to the very long. Lighter, rockier moments share space with Doomier ones and the overall impression is of a well-thought-out album that has all of its bases covered for what it wants to achieve.

The singer’s voice is charismatic and easily-likeable. His performance is first-rate and speaks of a confidence of delivery honed through experience.

Very nice. Very enjoyable.

Zlang Zlut – Crossbow Kicks (Review)

Zlang Zlut are a Swiss Rock band. This is their second album.

So here we have something a little bit different for you. Zlang Zlut are a two-piece featuring a drummer/singer and an electric cello player. Unexpectedly, this isn’t some strange left-field experimental release, but a full-on hard-rocking bunch of songs for fans of AC/DC and the like.

The singer has a lot of charisma and injects the full force of his personality into these tracks. He comes across as one of those people born to sing in a Rock band, and this very much comes out in the music.

The songs are simple Rockers that are upbeat and instantly enjoyable. The cello is similar enough to a guitar to make the transition to Zlang Zlut’s music easy, but different enough to give the band their own sound. Some of the cello solos even give the songs a Country-twang, which is not entirely a bad thing, believe it or not!

This isn’t novelty music though, far from it; these are well-written songs that are chock-full of hooks and catchy melodies. Zlang Zlut clearly know how to write a good tune.

This is feel-good music and listening to this album does exactly that – it makes me feel good. The cello shows itself to be a very versatile and nuanced instrument, adding something special to these songs.

Very enjoyable and very recommended. Check this out.

The Great Curve – Something Grand Is Dying (Review)

The Great Curve are from the US and this is their second release. They play experimental/Progressive Rock.

The Great Curve play an interesting and richly-coloured form of Rock that involves a complex blend of technicality and emotion.

The music has a certain cinematic quality to it and could easily be viewed as a soundtrack of sorts. The tracks are synth, keyboard, strings and piano-heavy, featuring layers upon layers of instrumentation and vocalisations. This is Progressive Rock in the truest sense, sharing common ground with 70s sci-fi-influenced greats, albeit updated for the current era.

The singing on these tracks is used purely as another form of instrument that blends in with the overall musical framework. There are no “lead vocals” as you would expect from most bands, (well there are, they just blend in with the music so well). This leaves the band in the curious position of kind of being an instrumental band, but with vocals, (as odd as that sounds).

This is just one of many contradictions and juxtapositions that the band heartily embrace in order to get the sound that they have. Another example of this is that The Great Curve sound, in some ways, like a Djent band only without any of the Djent guitars. Yes, I know that also sounds odd, but it’s a strong impression; the band have the technical drumming, electronic enhancements and experimental mindset that good Djent can have, but without any of the Djent guitar riffs that mark the style so well as to make it an easily-stale sub-genre.

So, if you take a Djent band, (minus guitars), add a Devin Townsend influence, add a science-fiction-esque influence, add a touch of the instrumental, (maybe Russian Circles or Cloudkicker), wrap it up in Progressive music and frame it as a soundtrack…it’s a good start to understanding The Great Curve.

Or you can just give them a listen, which I heartily recommend.

There’s a lot to enjoy here, so much so that you’ll need a few spins to properly appreciate just how good this is. For all its initial impact, it’s definitely a grower too, like all of the best music really. Something Grand Is Dying worms its way into your head and stays there, subtly working away at its own agenda. Before you know it you’re returning to it again to revel in its sense of grandeur.

Hopefully, this grandeur isn’t dying; hopefully it’s just getting started. Hopefully, there’ll be more where this came from in the future.

Novallo – Novallo II (Review)

Novallo are a Progressive Metal band from the US. This is their second EP.

Well, there’s a lot going on here. At only 22 minutes long this features more creativity and ideas than most albums three times the length. This is Experimental Metal featuring elements of the Progressive style as well as Jazz, Funk, Djent and Electronica influences.

This EP is a like a bright, shiny beacon of exciting and interesting music. It’s like the proverbial breath of fresh air. Of course, it won’t be for everyone, (but then again what is?), but these groovy and imaginative tunes certainly can’t be accused of lacking ambition or flair.

The singer’s voice is smooth and slinky, fitting in with the ultra-modern delivery of the music with ease. He’s like a Rock version of Jamiroquai.

Try to imagine a Djent base mixed in with a Progressive edge, Electronica melodies and added Jazz/Funk. Periphery meets Incubus meets Jamiroquai? It’s not far off.

The music is like an unusual version of a Pop hit, only with added guitars. It’s quite rare these days to hear a band doing something so completely their own, but Novallo are doing this more than most others.

Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to freak out to music that doesn’t care what you call it, but just wants you to feel the groove and move.

A hit, to be sure.

Veil of Deception – Tearing up the Roots (Review)

Veil of Deception are a Metal band from Austria. This is their second album.

This is Groove Metal with a Thrash edge, in the vein of Pantera, Sevendust, Breed 77 and mid-phase Anthrax, mixed with a bit of an Alternative Metal approach.

Heavy riffs and lighter leads form the bedrock of the band’s sound. Their approach is a little different to the average Groove Metal band though, eschewing the more Modern Metal approach and instead incorporating elements of Classic and Heavy Metal into their sound.

The singer is a great example of this – he has a cleaner, more Heavy Metal style than you’d probably expect from a band of this ilk. It adds an authentic edge to the music, as well as a good Rock sensibility on occasion.

Well, this is quite an unexpected turn of events. There I was, expecting Metalcore, (based on the cover, logo and band description), when what I actually got has more in common with 90s Alternative Metal than 00s Metalcore. It’s a welcome change of pace and the band are to be commended for not taking a more obvious route with their style.

This doesn’t mean there aren’t any issues with Tearing up the Roots; overall the songs are enjoyable slabs of Metal, but the songwriting could do with a bit of tightening up in places.

All in all, this is an enjoyable release though; one that makes me feel a bit nostalgic in places too. Not many bands play this kind of thing any more, as it’s too Classic Metal for the Modern Metal crowds and too groove-laden for the Classic Metal crowds. It’s an interesting release and it certainly gets better with repeated spins as the riffs, melodies and vocals work themselves into your brain.

Not bad at all. Check it out.

www.veilofdeception.com
www.facebook.com/veilofdeception

Against Time – Against Time (Review)

Against Time are an Alternative Rock band from Canada. This is their début EP.

This is uplifting Alternative Rock with a pinch of Metal here and there in some of the riffs. It reminds me of the kind of style that was quite wildly popular a decade or so ago – somewhat of the time of a kind of Post-Grunge second wave, I suppose.

The singer’s voice fits the music and is kind of reminiscent of the big commercial US stadium rock style from the era, (Pearl Jam, Creed, etc.).

For the most part these songs are upbeat rockers, although on the odd occasion where they slow down I find I actually prefer these parts. Having said that though, there are some good riffs on this in places.

There’s a lot of promise on this EP and I think that if they refine their style a bit more, as I’m sure they will, then they’ll go from strength to strength.

For those times when you want a bit of simple Rock without anything too retro or too modern, there are worse choices than Against Time.

Have a listen and see what you think.

Favourite Track: Breathless.

HD live video here – http://www.omniumdurock.tv/2015/11/20/against-time-18-novembre-2015/

Christian Mistress – To Your Death (Review)

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.