Archive for the metal music ep’s Category

lacrimas profundere – “AGAIN IT’S OVER” EP LENDS AS A GOTHIC METAL MIND STORM

Posted in 1990's gothic metal bands, 1990's metal bands, 1990's metal music, album covers, current gothic metal bands, gothic hard rock bands, gothic hard rock music, gothic metal, gothic metal albums, gothic metal bands, gothic metal music, gothic metal songs, hard rock music, heavy metal music, metal music, metal music albums, metal music ep's, metal odyssey, Music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 4, 2010 by Metal Odyssey

lacrimas profundere is a Gothic Metal Band hailing from Germany. They trace their Gothic Metal roots back to the early ’90’s, with nine studio albums and three EP’s under their Gothic belts. Their third EP, Again It’s Over, was released in 2006 on Napalm Records. Christopher on lead vocals is the focal point in this band’s Gothic sound. He extols the doom and gloom and at times sinister vocals with a commanding tone. Metal truth be told, I find it difficult not to be entertained by this Gothic Metal vocalist named Christopher. There are moments where the creep out meter begins to rise, due to Christopher’s vocals, especially on To Love Her On Knees. The melancholy and nightmarish keyboards played by Christian also assist in the creepy department as well, To Love Her On Knees makes for a foggy nights drive theme song.

Supreme Surrender is a non-album track, without hesitation is my favorite song on this EP. The Metal riffs are attention grabbers and Supreme Surrender is just a strong and heavy song… period. Again It’s Over is just as heavy and riff infested of a song as Supreme Surrender. This song has every dire and gray attribute necessary to be considered a Gothic Metal head turner, both lyrically and musically. Gallowsong, (non-album track), is the most Gothic saturated song on Again It’s Over. The backing vocals behind Christopher’s sullen vocals are what drives this down trodden song into the depths of Gothic despair… it’s a very good song indeed.

To Watch Her While She Wipes Her Eyes, (non album track), puts me in this semi-dark and misty, run down warehouse, where I feel surrounded by a bunch of lost and forgotten night dwellers, all dressed in black. Hey, I do refer to this EP as a Gothic Metal mind storm for a reason… certain music I listen to, makes my mind wander into strange and make believe worlds, Metal be damned… I just cannot help it.

In a Metal nutshell, I like the Gothic Hard Rock and Metal of lacrimas profundere. This band can be labeled as either Hard Rock or Metal, it just depends on the song, either way it makes no difference to me. Fans of Gothic music of any genre should take an easy liking to lacrimas profundere. For those of you who like to dabble into different genres of heavy music, lacrimas profundere is a Gothic Metal Band I have no problem in recommending. Again It’s Over EP is a fine starting point, to sneak into the Gothic Metal world of lacrimas profundere.

lacrimas profundere, as they appeared on Again It’s Over EP:

Christopher – lead vocals

Oliver Nikolas – lead & clean guitars

Christian – keyboards

Daniel – bass

Tony – guitars

Korl – drums

Track Listing For Again It’s Over EP:

Again It’s Over (single version)

Gallowsong (non-album track)

Supreme Surrender (non-album track)

Again It’s Over (album version)

To Watch Her While She Wipes Her Eyes (non-album track)

To Love Her On Knees (album version)


ATROCITY – “COLD BLACK DAYS” EP RESONATES WITH GOTHIC METAL

Posted in cool album covers, current gothic metal bands, Extreme Metal, extreme metal bands, extreme metal music, extreme metal music albums, extreme music, gothic hard rock bands, gothic hard rock music, gothic metal, gothic metal albums, gothic metal bands, gothic metal music, gothic metal music 2004, gothic metal songs, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal bands, heavy metal music, Metal, metal music, metal music albums, metal music ep's, metal odyssey, Music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 23, 2010 by Metal Odyssey

ATROCITY – hailing from the grand Metal country of Germany, has their musical origins tracing back to 1985, while their Atrocity roots date back to 1989. The early years of Atrocity has them as a bona-fide Death Metal Band, with changes in their style taking them in the Industrial Metal and Gothic Metal directions. This brings me to this Atrocity EP – Cold Black Days, a bizarre and chilling track list of four songs. The bizarre adjective used prior, borders alongside haunting. Understandably, these are the adjectives one wants to hear when Gothic Metal is being discussed, it goes with the Gothic territory. To say the songs heard on this EP from Atrocity are a soundtrack to a vampiric slasher film, makes all the sense in the Gothic scheme of things. There are those times when one needs to take a nibble before they order the complete meal, lending an ear to EP’s makes sense… it’s sampling a band before an entire album purchase is made a reality.

I won’t tell a Metal fib… I like this Atrocity band and all of the Gothic nuances that go along with their music. From the articulate arrangements heard on the single Cold Black Days to the eerie atmospherics, with lead vocalist Alexander Krull narrowly hypnotizing my senses with his sinister delivery. I am not running for cover… I am now more intrigued by Atrocity than ever before. Antediluvian World is for all intents and purposes, Gothic in it’s mood and overall heavy appeal. However, this song plays out with some Thrash meets Symphonic, interwoven with a sliver of Hardcore. A wonderful blend of extremities I hear in Antediluvian World, while a dark Gothic cloud of mourning hovers over it. Atrocity has succeeded in welcoming me into their mysterious and melancholy world of Gothic Metal, thanks to this Cold Black Days EP.

ATROCITY, as they appeared on Cold Black Days EP:

Alexander Krull – lead vocals

Mathias Roderer – guitarist

Thorsten Bauer – guitarist

Chris Lukhaup – bass guitarist

Martin Schmidt – drummer

Cold Black DaysEP Track Listing:

Cold Black Days

Cold Black Days (Radio Mix)

Antediluvian World

Cold Black Days (Das Ich Remix)

Cold Black Days EP was released on Napalm Records/SPV in 2004.

EARLY MAN – “BEWARE THE CIRCLING FINS” EP IS CAN’T MISS METAL

Posted in cool album covers, Heavy Metal, heavy metal albums, heavy metal bands, heavy metal music, independent record labels, Metal, metal music, metal music ep's, metal odyssey, Music, old school heavy metal, rock music, speed metal, thrash metal album review, thrash metal albums, thrash metal bands, thrash metal music, thrash metal music 2008 with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 15, 2010 by Metal Odyssey

EARLY MAN. Beware The Circling Fin is an EP of 4 songs, only don’t be fooled, these songs are can’t miss Metal. I only wish Early Man had slapped down a few more tracks for this EP, their Metal is that good. Early Man is no newcomer to the Metal world, they released back on April, 5, 2005, the Early Man EP, which contained 3 songs. Early Man then signed on to Matador Records and released their first full length album – Closing In on October 11, 2005. Beware The Circling Fin was released on October 14, 2008, on independent label The End Records. I find Early Man to be quite the Old School Metal Band, (Traditional Metal, if you will), with total disregard for all things commercial… I like that very much.

Beware The Circling Fin was produced by Jack Endino, who has worked with Nirvana, High On Fire and Mudhoney, to name a few. Early Man hooking up with with a producer of this caliber is not too shabby, in my Metal opinion. Back in 2005, when Early Man first hit the streets with their debut EP, the Thrash Metal revival was heating up. Revival aside, Thrash Metal, (all Metal for that matter), never crawled under a rock… it has only grown stronger. With veteran Thrash Metal Bands making valiant returns, (hello Testament), while other veteran Thrashers like Slayer and Megadeth never relented, younger bands like Early Man can only solidify and bond the Metal cause all the more. (That’s another Metal opinion of mine).

Beware The Circling Fin EP has been my starting point… venturing into the Early Man brand of Metal. One characteristic of this EP that I like is the overall rawness that seems to creep around each song. I’m not talking demo raw here, just good ol’ Metal. Amongst this trio of Early Man, I don’t here one overpowering the other… the vocals and Metal Music seem to gather steam together… another good quality.

Suck Me Dry tends to sway away from total Thrash, this song borders on the Punk side… with it’s play time of 1:31, it’s aggressiveness wrapped with attitude and especially the vocals of Mike Conte. Is that bad? Uh, not for me. Beware The Circling Fin has Mike Conte reaching for the high notes vocally, sounding credible and reminding me of vintage Rob Halford of Judas Priest. The riffs, leads and all encompassing sound of Coiled Like A Snake has me feeling Early Man knows a thing or two about Metal’s founding fathers. Sinking The Blade is for me, the heaviest and fastest song on this EP. If Thrash is Early Man’s forte, they proved it with Sinking The Blade – in my Metal opinion. Early Man has shown they can intertwine their sound from Thrash to semi-Punk, what’s in between these songs is all the stuff I’ve always admired about Metal in the first place.

EARLY MAN as they appeared on Beware The Circling Fin:

Mike Conti – vocals, guitar & bass

Pete Macy – guitar

Adam Bennati – drums

* Tim Ramage is listed as the current bass guitarist, as seen on the Early Man myspace music page.

* Early Man’s myspace music page has their current location listed as Los Angeles, California. You can check out the Early Man myspace music page by clicking here: EARLY MAN – myspace music page

* An eagerly anticipated and forthcoming new studio album from Early Man is titled – Death Potion. This info can be found directly on Early Man’s official website: EARLY MAN ARMY.com – Official Website of EARLY MAN

* Lead singer and guitarist Mike Conte has his own blog, click the link below to check it out:

WHIPLASH HEAVY METAL – Early Man’s Mike Conte blog

CHILDREN OF BODOM – “Skeletons In The Closet” album devoted to cover songs

Posted in 1990's thrash metal bands, Alice cooper, cover songs, creepy album covers, current extreme metal albums, current extreme metal music, current heavy metal albums, current heavy metal music, current metal albums, current thrash metal, current thrash metal albums, current thrash metal music, Death Metal, essential metal music albums, essential thrash metal albums, Extreme Metal, extreme metal music, extreme music, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal albums, heavy metal albums 2009, heavy metal bands this decade, heavy metal cover songs, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 2009, heavy metal this decade, melodic death metal music, Metal, metal music, metal music ep's, metal music today, metal odyssey, Music, new thrash metal albums, scary album covers, spooky metal album covers, Thrash Metal, thrash metal 2009, thrash metal cover songs, thrash metal music, thrash metal today with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 5, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Children of Bodom "Skeletons In The Closet" small picI am Metal psyched about another great Metal album coming out in this month of September of 2009, Children of Bodom – Skeletons In The Closet, (on SPINEFARM records). This is an album totally devoted to cover songs. (See complete track list below). It is my Metal opinion, that Children of Bodom have blended together, the great Metal genres of Death Metal, Thrash Metal and Speed Metal… a unique fusion of styles that are heavily laden with keyboards, courtesy of Janne Warman. Alexi Laiho is as competent and skilled of a Metal guitarist as you can ask for, one of the best there is today. Alexi is as equally talented on lead vocals as well… again, this is my Metal opinion and this style of Extreme Metal is my preference. Three cover songs on Skeletons In The Closet have been previously released, (these are the 3 that I am aware of): She Is Beautiful and the Alice Cooper classic – Bed of Nails, can be heard on the Children of Bodom EP Trashed, Lost & Strung Out. The Billy Idol classic Rebel Yell was released as part of the Blooddrunk import single.

Children of Bodom group photo blueI cannot wait to get my hands on this new album and crank it up extremely loud, on September 23, 2009, I will. I am just very curious as to how the Britney Spears cover of Oooops! I Did It Again… is going to sound like. What about the Kenny Rogers song? Man, that should be a Metal hoot. Knowing the way Children of Bodom play their Metal, I am confident they will rage these songs into Extreme Metal bliss. Still, I cannot believe I am writing about Britney Spears, Kenny Rogers and Children of Bodom in the same post. One thing is for sure here, Children of Bodom can never be accused of not being diversified. The cover songs represent a darn cool list of bands here… Slayer, W.A.S.P., Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, Scorpions, Ramones – these are legendary bands without question. Thank you, Finland, for the fine Metal export they call Children of Bodom.

Children of Bodom are:

Alexi Laiho - vocals, guitar
Roope Latvala - guitar
Henkka T. Blacksmith - bass
Janne Warman - keyboards
Jaska Raatikainen - drums

Tracklist:

01 Lookin' Out My Back Door
     (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
02 Hell Is For Children
     (Pat Benatar)
03 Somebody Put Something In My Drink
     (Ramones)
04 Mass Hypnosis
     (Sepultura)
05 Don´t Stop At The Top
     (Scorpions)
06 Silent Scream
     (Slayer)
07 She Is Beautiful
     (Andrew W.K.)
08 Just Dropped In  (To See What
     Condition My Condition Was In)
     (Kenny Rogers)
09 Bed Of Nails
     (Alice Cooper)
10 Hellion
     (W.A.S.P.)
11 Aces High
     (Iron Maiden)
12 Rebel Yell
     (Billy Idol)
13 No Commands
     (Stone)
14 Antisocial
     (Trust/Anthrax)
15 Talk Dirty To Me
     (Poison)
16 War Inside My Head
     (Suicidal Tendencies)
17 Ooops!… I Did It Again
     (Britney Spears)
Children of Bodom "Skeletons In The Closet" large album pic

ARCH ENEMY – “Revolution Begins” EP – has a Queensryche cover song, Death Metal style!

Posted in Album Review, Century Media, century media records, cool album covers, creepy album covers, current death metal albums, current death metal music, current extreme metal albums, current extreme metal music, current metal albums, Death Metal, death metal 2007, death metal cover songs, death metal guitarists, death metal music, death metal music ep's, death metal vocalists, essential metal music albums, extreme metal music, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal vocalists, melodic death metal albums, melodic death metal bands, Metal, metal music, metal music ep's, metal music this decade, metal odyssey, Metal Reviews, Music, spooky metal album covers with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 15, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

25021-1Arch Enemy is one of my favorite Death Metal bands. Brutally heavy from every musical angle, yet still melodic, Arch Enemy needs no introduction to die hard Metal and Death Metal fans. For those new fans of Arch Enemy who are still looking to purchase a CD from their Death Metal catalog, a great starting point that will not set you back a ton of loot, is their EP “Revolution Begins”, (released on August 31, 2007). This EP was released in 2007 to promote their studio album “Rise Of The Tyrant”, (released on September 25, 2007). EP’s or CD singles, (as they are sometimes referred as), are a cool opportunity to own a few songs of a Metal band, (a Metal test run for fans, if you will). If you are like me, EP’s are a must to own – especially EP’s of my favorite bands. These EP’s more often than not, include studio and/or live songs that are not found on any regular studio or live album. “Revolution Begins” includes the cover of the Queensryche classic – “Walk In The Shadows”. This cover version from Arch Enemy, thrills me just as high as the original version from the great Queensryche. I am Metal serious about that. I revere the Queensryche original, still I revere this Arch Enemy version too. Arch Enemy gives “Walk In The Shadows” a darker, more creepy sense about it… Death Metal style.

Angela Gossow on lead vocals is nothing short of amazing. Angela is a Metal favorite of mine, she can sing Death Metal just as great as most of her male peers in this genre. In my Metal opinion, Angela Gossow raises “Walk In The Shadows” to an entirely new Metal level… an intensified and dark infested, Death Metal cover version it is. I can’t just listen to this version once, I usually listen to it multiple times and it serves me right. The legendary Michael Amott on lead and rhythm guitar, manifests his Death Metal sound all over the songs found on this EP. Christopher Amott, (the younger brother of Michael Amott), provides the second punch of Death Metal crunch, with his lead and rhythm guitar exploits. If a double dose of brilliant Death Metal guitar is what you are hankering for… the Amott brothers provide it on a Metal platter with Arch Enemy.

Daniel Erlandsson, the mainstay drummer for Arch Enemy, is always a treat for me to listen to, with his bombastic proficiency. Sharlee D’Angelo plays a formidable bass, rounding out the Arch Enemy lineup. The lead single “Revolution Begins”, “Blood On Your Hands” and a live version of “I Am Legend/Out For Blood” round out this EP. This Arch Enemy EP/CD can be found at Century Media Records online – CMdistro.com. For three bucks, it is one of the healthiest doses of Death Metal you can possibly digest for the price.

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IRON MAIDEN – “Cross Eyed Mary” 1983 cover song is a rare Metal Music treasure

Posted in 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal hits, 1980's heavy metal bands, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's heavy metal songs, 1980's metal music, Album Review, cool album covers, cover songs, essential heavy metal albums, essential metal music albums, essential progressive metal albums, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal cover songs, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal memorabilia, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 1983, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Iron Maiden, Metal, metal music, metal music ep's, metal odyssey, Metal Reviews, Music, old school heavy metal, prog metal albums, prog metal music, progressive metal, progressive metal albums, progressive metal music, progressive metal music eps, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage heavy metal bands with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 5, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Iron Maiden "The Trooper"  EP album artworkIron Maiden released their fourth studio album, “Piece Of Mind” in 1983. An amazing Heavy Metal album it was and forever will be. I bought that album back in ’83… stared at the front cover for hours, which in fact, probably equals out to actual days. I have always been mesmerized by artist Derek Riggs artwork of mascot Eddie. This album does not contain the cover song of “Cross Eyed Mary”, instead, it was released as a “b” side to the single “The Trooper”, taken from the “Piece Of Mind” album. To the best of my Metal research, “The Trooper” single was released on June 20, 1983. I frequented a small and independent record store on an almost daily basis back in the ’80’s, (I won’t divulge the name of this store for personal reasons), upon a daily stop there… there it was… Iron Maiden “The Trooper” Maxi Single on vinyl no less!! My Metal memory is very vivid about this moment… I stared this beautiful Iron Maiden rarity down, bought it and have kept it pristine ever since. Plus, this was the only copy this store had, I never saw this Iron Maiden single on vinyl again. (Certainly, there has to be more out there in collections or online today, I just never happened to come across one in person). This Iron Maiden Maxi Single as it is called, again, is on vinyl that is the actual size of an album -(an EP if you will), it plays at 45 rpm.

As for “The Trooper” it is and always will be an amazing work of Metal Music, this song no Metalhead could ever possibly tire from. An unreal great Metal song is “The Trooper”. Now, for the Metal juicy part of this important single… “Cross Eyed Mary”. I always have and will continue to give Jethro Tull a listen now and again… they are cool by me, despite what Metallica may think of them. The original Jethro Tull version of “Cross Eyed Mary” does not even come remotely close, to the prolific Metal power of Iron Maiden’s cover version though. I am talking extremely Metal prolific, when I mention this Iron Maiden cover of “Cross Eyed Mary”. Whoa, man, this Iron Maiden cover sends Metal chills up and down my spine. I am not sugar coating a thing… this Iron Maiden cover is the real thing, hands down it is my most favorite and cherished Metal cover song that has ever been recorded. Not to sound cheesy or lame here, the opening guitar leads sends me into Metal orbit… really. Bruce Dickinson is outstanding on vocals with this song, Iron Maiden took hold of “Cross Eyed Mary” and turned it into a Metal masterpiece. NO flutes or piano are on this Iron Maiden cover version of “Cross Eyed Mary”, no sir.

My copy of “The Trooper” vinyl single looks just like the above image, with the exception that my copy has “Maxi Single – super sound version” printed on the front cover, inside a red outlined circle. The bottom image shows what the Japanese import version of “The Trooper” looks like on CD, however, “Cross Eyed Mary” is NOT on this CD single!? The two songs on this Japanese import are: “The Trooper Live (2003)” and “The Trooper” (album version). Go figure that out, the same artwork, it is “The Trooper” single, yet “Cross Eyed Mary” is not included anymore. It would have been Metal genius, if Iron Maiden included “Cross Eyed Mary” on their “Somewhere Back In Time: The Best Of 1980-1989″ album, that would have been a perfect song to add into the historical Metal mix. I am just psyched that I still have this vinyl single of Iron Maiden, this is one Metal treasure I just will not part with – no way.

Some Metal extra notes about this Iron Maiden single, to benefit, guide and nourish your Metal mind: 

Iron Maiden, as they appeared on “The Trooper” and “Cross Eyed Mary”: Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals, Dave Murray on guitar, Adrian Smith on guitar, Steve Harris on bass guitar and Nicko McBrain on drums. * This 1983 “The Trooper” single was originally released on EMI records.

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Soulfly “Tribe” – an exercise in diverse Metal Music

Posted in Album Review, diverse metal music, essential metal music albums, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal this decade, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, metal music 2002, metal music ep's, metal music this decade, Metal Reviews, Music, Thrash Metal, tribal metal music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 18, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

To enjoy and appreciate Soulfly is to accept the fact that Max Cavalera presents his own style of Metal, both musically and vocally. “Tribe” is an awesome blend of studio tracks and live recordings, (8 total songs), that are pure Metal in all of it’s gleaming, diverse glory. You will hear thrash with “Bleed”, Tribal Metal with “Tribe” and constant aggressive guitar (Logan Mader), bass (Marcello D. Rapp) and percussion (Roy Mayorga) throughout. On the song “Tribe” the percussion gives the tribal sound that you will forever know as Tribal Metal. “Soulfly (Eternal Spirit Mix)” is an instrumental, Tribal Metal songscape, that will take you by cool, soothing surprise. Max Cavalera is a Metal Music innovator, uniting Tribal and Metal music, a singer that can change his vocal style in an instant and gives each song its unique vocal watermark.

Ever so often, there comes a time when a Metal Music album or EP eradicates the norm and transcends the expectancy of the listener. Here I was, the listener to this Soulfly “Tribe” EP and I was hooked after my very first experience. I will not fib here, I have been a Max Cavalera fan since his days with Sepultura, he has unquestionably distinguished himself from the pack, by fronting Soulfly. (This is my Metal opinion). Sepultura and Cavalera Conspiracy fans must own “Tribe”. For Metal fans who want to diversify and listen to a cornucopia of Metal styles on one disc, go for “Tribe” and you surely will not regret it.

* “Tribe” was released on March 5, 2002, on Roadrunner Records.

* “Tribe” also has the subtitle “Australian Special Tour Edition”

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