Category Archives: Album Reviews

Animals As Leaders-The Joy of Motion

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One of the most talked about progressive metal bands in recent music history, Animals as Leaders, is back with another great album The Joy of Motion (Sumerian Records). The group is known for being musicians for the sake of making music. As such, they are a fairly accessible band and can appeal to listeners outside of the metal and hard rock genres. As the album title suggests, there is much movement to felt in the music.

 

Listeners are grabbed by the first track, ‘Ka$cade’ right away despite the possible allusion to Ke$ha in the title. One gets the sense that there is no disappointment waiting in this album. It is the type of album that one can jam to no matter the mood or circumstance.

In particular there is some great guitar work to be observed in ‘The Woven Web’. One can imagine a spider crawling around its web and catching prey just by listening to how the song changes from being on the quieter side to erupting into full metal mode about half way in. Another attention grabber is ‘Mind = Spun’. It starts off sounding eerie and recalls the 8-bit music used in classic horror videogames. Then the spinning begins and so does the journey.

 

Some who are listening to the band for the first time and have little experience with the progressive metal genre may be put off by the fact that there are no lyrics. No words are necessary however; the instruments speak for themselves. In each song, one can sense the thought and passion that went into making the album. Much of its value lies in the fact that it can be played on repeat without boredom. There is something new to observe with every listen.

Animals-As-Leaders-2014

 

8.0/10

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MELISSA CAMPBELL


King Dead – King Dead

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Aside from the dreaded Facebook page, there’s precious little information about Stroudsburg, PA trio King Dead. Yet another instrumental outfit, their self-styling as ‘spaghetti western doom sludge‘ isn’t too bad a description of this eponymous debut full-length (Self-Released).

Apparently consisting of two bassists, one of them six string and taking the place of a guitar, there’s nevertheless a remarkably mellow, dark indie-style melodic riff dappling through opener ‘Ghosts Along The Riverbank’ which seems to belie this fact. The melancholic doom pace is interspersed throughout by these elements of beauty, squalling a la Mazzy Star or Jesus and Mary Chain; while true bass notes, possessing a twang which supports the western edge, grow stronger and plough through the mind.

This, and the ludicrously titled yet gloriously emotive ‘As One Plows And Breaks Up The Earth…’, with its shimmering lead tone and shuddering bass evoking a solitary figure trudging a well-worn road, begin to lay the curse of the instrumental album to rest. Sadly the ghost is soon awoken: a rat-a-tat marching beat, bringing to mind to the worst excesses of 70s glam, ushers forth the stoner jam of ‘Length Of Rope’ which possesses little of the earlier heartfelt sadness. The eerie, brittle whistling does little to rescue a passable trundle through the motions, the kind witnessed on countless occasions during indulgent live ramblings. Whilst the bass-led ‘Drowning In Dust’ is heavy to the point of ponderous; only a rousing middle section and portentous coda showing any invention.

There’s a slight Shadows similarity to the opening chords of closer ‘God Makes A Lot Of Fucking Promises’ [Editor’s Note: great song title!], and the reintroduction of lead effects gives the required boot to the arse. A brooding undercurrent reminiscent of The Doors‘ ‘Riders On The Storm’ quietly throbs beneath the track, whilst that post feel reappears in the middle section to decorate a bruising, slow rhythm. As instrumental albums go, this is intriguing and, in parts, memorable. Fillers, however, are too easily exposed, and more is needed to make a lasting statement. Like a chilli lacking chilli powder, there’s not quite enough here to make you blow hard.

king dead band

6.5 /10

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PAUL QUINN


Allegaeon – Elements Of The Infinite

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Despite their relatively short existence, Death Metallers Allegaeon have proven to be a more than efficient, if not spectacular, outfit. Their brand of melodic and technical death metal is far from being an original formulation, but previous albums such as 2012’s Formshifter showed the quintet from Fort Collins, Colorado, do possess real song-writing prowess and formidability.

 

Latest effort Elements Of The Infinite (Metal Blade) follows firmly on this same path of dogged reliability bar some very subtle differences as the band marginally up the aggression factor at the expense of some of the melody. Elements… also shows a little less of that all too familiar Gothenburg sound in its DNA. These changes are minute however and will not catch established fans off guard by any stretch of the imagination, as the core of their sound is still founded on melodic flourishes and precision.

 

The continued persistence to their relatively strict formula is the album’s biggest drawback as EOTI is lacking both in spark and imagination. It is clear that these guys have musical talent by the bucket load, but proceedings here are uninspired, especially compared to the gems that are its predecessors.

 

Despite some tinkering, Elements Of The Infinite sees Allegaeon firmly sat in their niche bracket and when compared to previous outings it is clear that these guys have a lot more to give. Unfortunately, their latest offering is a bog-standard melodic death metal effort, which sadly bears the weight of unlived expectations.

 

6.0/10.0

Allegaeon on Facebook

 

CHRIS TIPPELL

 

 


Epica – The Quantum Enigma

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Epica - The Quantum Enigma

 

Once The Quantum Enigma (Nuclear Blast) has had time to work its way into your brain, it’s a highly impressive album. Due to the fact there’s a lot to it, it does require a few listens for it all to separate out, even though the song arrangements have been simplified compared to previous albums’ over-elaborations.

 

Streamlining serves Epica well, as they no longer get lost in an endless seam of parts. Instead, everyone knows their role and performs it excellently; the guitars are happy to act as a chugging metalcore foil to Simone Simons’ exemplary soprano vocals, or to dial it a down and sit under keyboards or softer chords for the more sugary moments, such as the earworm chorus of ‘The Second Stone’. Equally, with their roaring thick sound, they can step up and drive a song, such as the rhythmic pounding of ‘Victims Of Contingency’.

 

The whole symphonic metal shebang is nicely spiced up by a full chamber choir and live string ensemble both of whom embellish most tracks, but none so more than ‘Chemical Insomnia’, a mid-album track that starts with a dark riff, picks up pace with strings swirling over the double-bass drumming, a thrashy riff, into a staccato verse, a symphonic, orchestral pre-chorus and a sweet, softer poppy chorus.

 

There are two minor gripes. Firstly, the 12 minute closing epic is a touch underwhelming and doesn’t reach the standards of the rest of the album – an ‘Of Michael The Archangel and Lucifer’s Fall’ it ain’t… Secondly, at 70 minutes, no matter how well it’s delivered, Quantum is pushing its’ luck a little.

 

The above may all sound a bit kitchen sink, but the thought, effort and craft bear fruit as The Quantum Enigma is both an excellent album and a collection of great songs and it is churlish to pick when presented with such an expertly put together symphonic metal album. Expertly produced, and in a year when the poppier Delain and the slick machine Within Temptation have released strong albums Epica are more than holding their own with an album that stands alongside Design Your Universe as the best the band have released to date.

 

Epica2014s

 

8.0 / 10

Epica on Facebook

 

STEVE TOVEY

 


Teitanblood – Death

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It may not always seem the most sophisticated or progressive of genres, but horrible old Death Metal has been undergoing something of a late renaissance of late. With bands like Portal, Ulcerate and Gorguts (finally no longer alone in a field they’ve ploughed since the mid 90’s) bending the genre into new shapes while old heroes like Autopsy remind us of the strengths of playing it straight. Growling over a blast-beat hasn’t been this exciting in years.

 

Teitanblood’s latest contribution to this is more subtle and developed than it may initially seem, and opens up over the course of several listens into an album of surprising depth. Mashing old-school Death Metal with touches of Crust, Grind and Black Metal they create a noxious mess that lurches from Blasphemy-style chaos to blackened sludge, referencing classic Carcass and the occasional d-beat on the way.

 

The most glaring issue with Death (Norma Evangelium Diaboli) – initially a big one – is the sheer length. Weighing in at over 60 minutes, with songs averaging around 10minutes, this seems far too overblown for such an unambitious, chaotic sound. Persevere, though, and it starts to become clear that Teitanblood have got more going on than they initially seem to. Firstly, their sense of dynamics; songs catapult explosively through genuinely well-crafted structures, riffs and beats shifting effortlessly into shapes that prevent them from getting mired in the repetition that one might expect. Secondly, there is their use of ambient noises and samples in the background of many songs, comparable to that of AEvangelist, but deployed with a much lighter hand. Many listeners may not even hear them at first, but they add a depth and atmosphere to Teitanblood’s dense, organic music that genuinely helps the album justify its running time.

 

Not instantly the easiest of listens, then, and will likely be dismissed by many as too long or too chaotic, but an album of surprising depth which fans of the noisier end of Death Metal should find rewards repeated listens.

 

8.0 / 10.0

Teitanblood on Facebook

 

RICHIE H-R

 


Metsatöll- Karjajuht

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Do you like heavy metal? Do you like folk metal? Do you enjoy Estonian history? Do you find yourself playing The Elder Scrolls or similar RPG too much? If you answered yes to any of the above, then I recommend you check out the newest release from Estonian folk metal band, Metsatöll, entitled Karjajuht (Spinefarm)! Coming in just shy of 45 minutes, Karjajuht will impress any sort of metalhead. Metsatöll keeps the listeners engaged by keeping every track fresh but not so different that the listener loses focus. Having just seen them for the first time earlier this year, it was a no-brainer for me to pick up this album, listen to it just short of 3,000 times, and review it. For those new to this gem, they play with your typical metal instruments, but also incorporate other traditional instruments such as bagpipes and flutes among others. Karjajuht is, to my knowledge, the 6th studio release from the band, as they have been playing together since 1999 and are true work horses! This newest release proved to be a difficult task of deciding which songs were my favorite and which ones may have been a slave to the skip button.

The first two tracks, ‘Kulmking’ and ‘Loome Mesti’, showcase the traditional instruments from Lauri aka Valruven as I mentioned earlier as well as thrash elements from the rest of the group (Markus on guitar and lead vocals, Raivo on bass and backing vocals, and Marko on drums and backing vocals). The next three tracks I like to classify as “sing-a-longs” because they all tend to find their way back into my head daily and I catch myself humming them throughout my work day. ‘See On See Maa’ is the first of these tracks and actually features Valruven on vocals. This track is slower compared to the last few tracks with a very catchy chorus. ‘See On See Maa’ gives off a feeling as if you are part of the Estonian Armies and are at rest after a day of fighting, singing at a campfire with your comrades. ‘Terasest Taotud Tee’ is another catchy track that returns to the “thrashy” upbeat style previously seen on the album. The chorus in this song comes complete with gang vocals, always a plus for crowd interaction at live shows! (or even just singing along in your car on the way home from the day job) Another song that stuck out to me was ‘Torrede Kohtudes’ with vocals once again being fronted by Valruven mostly during the verses and Markus returning during the chorus. Valruven also busts out a mandolin of sorts for this track with a memorable riff that occurs during the intro, throughout the song, and in the outro as well. This song is certainly on the list of “circle pit” songs should it make the next tour’s setlist. For those who are big on the slow, heavy riffs, the next track is right up your alley, entitled ‘Metslase Veri’. If you were not head banging at any point in Karjajuht yet, you will be by this track for sure! Finally, if you were looking for that epic song that could close out a future set, look no further to the last track, ‘Talisman’. Slow, heavy, melodic, dragons…. ok there may not be any dragons. but this last track will make you feel like you are marching into battle against one for sure. Once the fade out begins in the last 20 or so seconds, you will realize two things: 1) You have been head banging for quite some time that it hurts and, 2) you are fairly upset that this album is coming to an end.

Overall I was very pleased by this newest release from Metsatöll. Having said that, I still don’t feel the same magic as I did when seeing them live but that could just be the listening atmosphere. Now becoming a fan of this band, I may need to start looking into Rosetta Stone for Estonian so I can start learning the song lyrics outside of the choruses! Karjajuht is quite a good album for those to start listening to this band (as it was technically my first time listening to them via studio release) and will get the new listeners to search for more. As good as Karjajuht was, I still feel like they still have not unveiled their true masterpiece to the world quite yet.

7/10

Metsatöll on Facebook

 

TIM LEDIN


Vader – Tibi Et Igni

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Vader - Tibi Et Igni

 

Vader have always upheld a mantra of consistency through their career. Though not as storied as countrymen Behemoth or Decapitated (having closely aligned themselves with the latter act even sharing the odd member), Piotr Wiwczarek has still turned out tried and tested death metal which is neither blackened nor augmented with overt technicality.

 

‘Triumph Of Death’ has an immediate chorus but something about the bands contentment in playing to the old school death metal fan rather than producing anything particularly challenging makes parts of this album feel somewhat safe. A crisp production allows for each instrument to be present in the mix with Piotr’s characteristic gritty bark helping give the songs more character, but this is an album of peaks and troughs. ‘Tibi Et Igni’ retains the feel of early nineties Slayer or Sepultura with the addition of symphonic textures to add variation. ‘Hexenkessel’ is an improvement; menacing riffs anchored by a sturdy backbeat of blasts and a blur of fast tremolo in the scything verse.

 

Certainly the more cinematic aspects of Tibi Et Igni (Nuclear Blast) raise the bar. Employing new aspects like spoken word sections and the odd classical intro, adds new depth to a couple of tracks, but aside from that It is the stick to your guns approach Vader have long favoured. ‘Light Reaper’ is clearly Vader by numbers and while none of the line-up sans Wiwczarek himself joined the group before 2009 you get a sense of “business as usual” throughout much of this release. ‘Armada on Fire’ is the benchmark of the album, churning guitars and a middle section which should drive moshpits into frenzied chaos, yet it only highlights how several of the tracks here are merely solid as opposed to outstanding.

 

Piotr has kept the song-writing tight and concise while adhering rigidly to the blueprint Vader was built upon and the heads down approach to old school thrash injected death metal has marked Vader out as a reliable workhorse of the genre famed for their consistency, but likewise it has been this attitude which has seen some of their peers leapfrog them in the notoriety stakes.

 

6/10

 

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ROSS BAKER

 

 


Channel Zero – Kill All Kings

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Belgium is synonymous with a lot of great things; beer, chocolate, the European Parliament (maybe) but it is not a country known for having stellar metal credentials. No wonder Channel Zero are local heroes. Having been around off and on for almost 25 years, they’re a big deal in their native land but haven’t quite had a same impact abroad.

 

Made up of Franky De Smet Van Damme on vocals, Tino DeMartino on bass and Mike Doling (Soulfly/Snot) on guitars, Kill All Kings (Metal Blade) is the Belgian outfit’s sixth album and first since the untimely passing of drummer Phil Baheux last year. Taking to the stool in his place is Soulfly/Stone Sour drummer Roy Mayorga. Produced by former Machine Head guitarist Logan Mader, the band mix the thick dirty riffs of Black Label Society with the kind of soaring vocals you find on Alter Bridge albums.

 

Although often labelled a thrash band, there’s little in the way of machine gun drumming or all-out shredding. ‘Duisternis’ has a later-day Slayer feel and there’s the odd crushing moment with the likes of ‘Digital Warfare’ , but the on whole it’s the radio-friendly metal that stands out.

 

When he wants to really cut loose, Van Damme’s vocals take centre stage, the huge choruses of ‘Electric Cocaine’, ‘Crimson Collidor’ and the anthemic ‘Brother’s Keeper’ really show off the impressive range and power he has. Doling’s guitar work also deserves special mention; his blinding Zakk Wylde-esque solos really grab the attention. It’s just a shame that there’s often too much of the bog standard growling over shredding and not enough of Van Damme and Doling doing what they’re good at.

 

For every stand-out track, there’s a very plainly average one. Opener ‘Dark Passenger,’ and closing track ‘Heart Stop’ couldn’t be more different; the former potters along without ever getting interesting while the latter starts as a creeping melodic number that builds to an epic finale.

 

If you like meaty riffs and soaring vocals, there’s enough on Kill All Kings that will satisfy your itch – it is a solid enough album that’s good for drinking and head banging to. But if you’re after an album with real depth and without any filler, look elsewhere.

 

6.5/10

Channel Zero on Facebook

 

DAN SWINHOE

 

 


Sworn Enemy – Living on Borrowed Time

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If there’s one maxim that will always apply to the world of hardcore, it’s that it will never let you down. Long tied to notions of unity and loyalty, both within the actual music and surrounding scene, the bands who live by this creed know how to deliver the goods and rarely make mistakes. New York quartet Sworn Enemy are one such band and with their new release Living on Borrowed Time (Rock Ridge) they are eager to remind everyone what hardcore is all about.

 

In case you were wondering, hardcore in this case seems to be about sticking as rigidly to convention as physically possible. The early Slayer influences that peppered the bands’ early work have largely been flattened out in favour of adherence to a rigid, almost militaristically enforced formula of racing Sick of It All style riffs n’ chugs, divebombs and of course the ubiquitous breakdowns that give all the tough guys in the pit a chance to show off their kung-fu skills. Make no mistake, it’s a largely effective formula as tracks such as ‘Broken Hope’ and ‘No Mercy’ push all the required buttons with ease; they’re catchy, full of beans and will have you up and two-stepping in no time at all. But is that enough in this day and age?

 

Put simply, Sworn Enemy is the archetypal hardcore band. They have no interest in variety or innovation, they invoke images of muscled neighbourhood toughs posing with pitbulls, getting inked, jumping around in the pit as seen in early Agnostic Front videos. The lyrics are all about respect, staying true to yourself and similar well-worn clichés. The truth, as so often is “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” and the only thing broken here will be bones in the pit when the songs from this record are dropped live.

 

7/10

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JAMES CONWAY

 


Annette Olzon – Shine

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Anette Olzon - Shine - Booklet (2-2)

 

Despite being a former vocalist for one of the metal world’s premier and beloved metal acts Nightwish, Annette Olzon’s voice has never seemed to get the recognition it deserves. Yes she may not have quite the “wow factor” of her predecessor Tarja Turunen, nor the dynamic range of Floor Jansen, but even just one play through of Imaginaerum is testament to her talent and beautiful tones. Now free to pursue a solo career, Shine (EarMusic) is her opportunity to remind the world just what she is capable of.

 

Much more stripped down compared to the music most people will know her for (especially compared to the eccentric Imaginaerum album), Shine appears very simplistic at first but does show some very subtle layers. Virtually stripped of metal traits, there are some restrained distorted guitars. For the most part this sits in the softer realms of prog rock fairly suited for mainstream radio, much like Anneke van Giersbergen’s last solo effort. Some of the album’s more delicate moments even show folk-like tints, like the emotional ballad ‘Invincible’.

 

Annette’s voice is certainly the star of the show, her gentle notes being especially suited to the tender parts such as ‘Invincible’ and ‘Like A Show Inside My Head’. The music behind her however at times is a bit too safe and forgettable to challenge the vocals for your attention; at times rendering this almost merely a showcase for Anette’s lungs than a full musical body.

 

With plenty to prove to a lot of doubters who have dogged her Nightwish career, Olzen sadly unshackles herself and goes to very steady sonic ground. Not too far removed from Nightwish’s more straightforward moments, Shine proves very familiar and comes across as more a vocal exhibition of Annette’s criminally underrated vocal prowess.

 

6 / 10

Annette Olzon on Facebook

 

CHRIS TIPPELL