PALE CHALICE – Black Metal has it’s sharpened claws all over the globe. San Francisco, California is well represented by this Blackened and mightily determined genre, with Pale Chalice. This is a band that has been evolving since the end of 2008, honing and molding their Black Metal craft to the fantastical sound I hear on this four song EP – Afflicting the Dichotomy of Trepid Creation. This being a debut Blackened offering from Pale Chalice, it is nearly thirty minutes of intense sound that has penetrated my Black Metal corridor and staked it’s claim.
Music is all about vibrations and it’s those “vibes” that tell me when a band truly “feels” their sound they have created. Pale Chalice “feels” their sound, they convey Black Metal tonality with a welcomed air of vigor. This band is not an underground anomaly, instead they are embarking on a path that will most likely lead them to underground distinction, if they are not already there.
The overriding viciousness of the vocals spills out over each song, while the screams are factually bone chilling. Dark and mysterious are the lyrical content within all four songs, which prey on the extraordinary. This EP thunders along as heaviness is concerned, while the melodic nature of these songs is conclusive. Pale Chalice couples heavy and melodic in an impressive style, never waverering from their Black Metal mystique that sets all four songs ablaze.
The tempo shifts that Pale Chalice utilizes are essential in setting the blackened mood, at times creating melancholic and/or macabre swirls of cognition. When Pale Chalice plays at full speed, the perception is one of victory, that an army of darkness has indeed beaten down any luminous combatants. The quality of sound production is in place, with a raw tinge that blankets the entire auditory experience.
What Afflicting the Dichotomy of Trepid Creation has shown my ears, is that Pale Chalice is a convincingly equipped, underground Black Metal outfit, that wants to prevail. It’s as if Pale Chalice is now biding their time before a debut full-length of their Blackened Metal is unleashed upon the world, that this EP is a worthy teaser. I’m relishing this piece of Blackened work for now… and I’ll be in front of the line when Pale Chalice turns loose that anticipated second round of their Black Metal art.
BLUE ASIDE – This Underground Doom Metal power trio from Boston, Massachusetts, that call themselves Blue Aside are not bashful on laying down some potent, Earth rattling psychedelia. Blue Aside is one heavy band, as heavy and thick as an unopened can of Castrol motor oil from 1966. (Man, that sounded hoochie, yet my point has been made). This five song debut EP, The Orange Tree, was released on Hydro-Phonic Records in the Fall of 2010. If a band of any heavy genre wants to make an instant impression on me with a debut EP, then Blue Aside has without a doubt succeeded.
The Traveler of Time and Space begins with a synthetic intro that makes me feel like I’m helplessly floating in outer space without a cell phone or I’m being chased by Zombies that can’t run… take your pick. The riff is king here and it leads me down the path to all things spectacular about Psychedelic Doom Metal, bringing me to the realization that Iron Butterfly is indeed an influential band in 2010. The retrospective nature of Blue Aside is not a dominant force, however. They integrate such imagination into their sound, that it makes for a simultaneous vibe that is both now and futuristic.
The vocals change off from being dark and downright evil to semi-harmonious with echos. One well schooled Rockaholic can easily point the progressive finger, with certainty, at Blue Aside. Stoner Metal fans that are looking for songs that are not 15 minutes long can easily fall victim to what Blue Aside is banging out on The Orange Tree. Picture The Mars Volta deciding they want to get down on some Doom Metal and make their music more eye popping heavy, while maintaining a non-mainstream grip on avant-garde, minus any stretching vocals and this is Blue Aside. Adam Abrams (guitar), Matt Neto (drums) and Joe Twomey (bass) can play, making me feel as if this is their third or fourth album after ten years of touring. As anti-commercial as a five song EP can ever be, The Orange Tree never slips into passages of mainstream cow-towing.
Comparisons aside, this trio is hitting the bulls-eye on being unique. Each song has it’s own flavor, with Orange Eyes being a more guitar oriented song, with it’s melodic leads and slow motion Punk like vocals. Otis’ Sun is much more Doom laden with it’s riffs and vocals and marches on with a more apocalyptic feel, never compromising on it’s melancholic mood. Black Rays has a strong emphasis on drums, with a guitar driven attack that keeps the tempo on high, being the one song on TheOrange Tree that can be described as groove laden. Black Rays is my favorite song on this EP, I always fall over for the grooves… man, I dig that stuff.
The Inevitable Journey is a journey into one damn cool, hard and heavy tunnel of sound. The Tony Iommi inspired riffs are infectious, with the Doom infested tempo making this song worthy of repeated listens. Alright, this is my second favorite song on The Orange Tree and it proved to be extremely memorable for me after the very first listen. I could carry on more about this song, adding, that it’s muscular Old School-Stoner vibe meets present day Doom sound, is very close to Metal exhilaration.
Doom. Psychedelic. Stoner. Progressive. At the end of my Metal day, this is one very good, up and coming Metal band period. Smart musicianship coupled with smart lyrics that I hear on The Orange Tree, will take Blue Aside a long way down the Metal road. Fans of the heavy genres mentioned in this review should be able to wrap their ears around the sound that Blue Aside has created on The Orange Tree. Blue Aside has made a lasting Metal impression on me. I’ll be looking forward to Blue Aside releasing a full-length in the future… a band with this much talent, is going to be around for quite some Metal time.
In a year end message from Swedish black metal legion, WATAIN: “North and South America have now been left in ashes, and with that the Lawless Darkness Tour 2010 is over. Hail to those who made it possible, and those who made it even more triumphant; North: Watain Disciples USA, Goatwhore, Black Anvil, Decibel Magazine, Liz and Dave at Earsplit, Jimmy and the Duff’s crew, Josh at Dean Guitars, Engl Amps, Black Witchery, Negative Plane, Averse Sefira, Hod. South: Arma Productions, Hells Angels Antofagasta, Careloco and The Chilean Watain Militia, Kythrone, the mighty Mortuary Drape, the Tumba crew, and all those whose presence strengthened us along the long and winding road through hell and back. You know who you are. A special mention to S.L of The Devil’s Blood who took on the lead guitar duties in North America; hail brother! Finally, a thunderous salute to our iron crew, without whom none of this would have been possible.
To view a clip from Swedish TV (with English subtitles) about WATAIN‘s appearance at the Sweden Rock festival in June earlier this year, point your browserHERE. The concert was aired on the Swedish national radio program P3-Live on Thursday December 23rd.
And it is that time of the year again, when the media compile their lists and distribute awards. WATAIN has received the following awards and nominations for 2010:
#1 Album Of The Year – Close Up Magazine
#1 Album Of The Year – Sweden Rock Magazine
#1 Band Of The Year – Terrorizer Readers Poll
#1 Personality Of The Year – Terrorizer Readers Poll
#2 Album Of The Year – Decibel Magazine
WATAIN have also been nominated for:
“Hardrock” Category of the Swedish Grammy Awards
“Hardrock” Category of the P3 Gold Awards
“Nordic Album 2010” of the Nordic Music Price Awards
In light of all this, we would like you to contemplate upon the following lines:
“It is the magic combination of fierceness and beauty that makes the Wolf an exception even in nature. Revered outlaws, feared in their bestial nature, yet also objects of fascination and curiosity, of naturally inhabited and unreachable grace, that men love to hate, and hate to love. But regardless of what judgement the vox populi might pass on the nighttime predators, they remain just that; a rare breed of hunters; alone, aside, untamed, always hungry…”
DevilDriver – On February 22, 2011, DevilDriver will be seeing their fifth studio album release, all on RoadRunner Records. Since their 2003 self-titled debut, DevilDriver has been recruiting fans by the masses, luring them into their Groove Metal meets Melodic Death Metal barrage. Founding member and lead singer Dez Fafara has been quoted, in speaking about Beast: “It’s a sincere, pissed off street record… this album is about the daily fight that is life.”
DevilDriver is a Metal force to reckon with and I’m on-board with getting my head invaded by their new album – Beast. This band has never disappointed Stone with their full-on Metal aggressiveness and attitude, which comes smashing through their catalog of albums with a non-forgiving and blitzing momentum. Either get out of the way or raise the horns to the sky in Metal triumph… DevilDriver’s Beast is upon us!
* Mixing for Beast was done by Andy Sneap and produced by Mark Lewis.
DEVILDRIVER:
Dez Fafara – vocals
Jeff Kendrick – guitar
Mike Spreitzer – guitar
Jon Miller – bass
John Boecklin – drums
Track Listing For Beast:
Dead To Rights
Bring The Fight (To The Floor)
Hardened
Shitlist
Talons Out (Teeth Sharpened)
You Make Me Sick
Coldblooded
Blur
The Blame Game
Black Soul Choir
Crowns Of Creation
Lend Myself To The Night
The above cover is the CD/DVD edition of Beast, slated for a February 22, 2011 release. The threebonus tracks on this CD/DVD edition:
Lost
Fortune Favors The Brave
Grinfucked (live)
Bonus DVD Material:
“You May Know Us From The Stage” – full length film chronicling DevilDriver’s history from the very start.
ESKI OF MORPHINE KILLER – So 2010 has come and gone and that leaves me wondering – what is to become of this decade, music-wise? Will bands go and try to be “heavier” than any other band has gotten, or will we go back to a retro-pre-click track lo-fi days? It always seems like bands try to follow “trends” (if you want to call them that), instead of establishing a real identity. I always enjoy listening to what bands bring to the table, as opposed to listening to them because “they sound like so-and-so”. Here is my list for 2010:
#10
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA – ZOMBIE EP
#9
HELLOWEEN – 7 SINNERS
#8
THE CHARIOT – LONG LIVE
#7
OF MICE & MEN – OF MICE & MEN
#6
SOILWORK – THE PANIC BROADCAST
#5
HALFORD – HALFORD IV: MADE OF METAL
#4
DÅÅTH – DÅÅTH
#3
NEVERMORE – THE OBSIDIAN CONSPIRACY
#2
ESCAPE THE FATE – ESCAPE THE FATE
#1
AVENGED SEVENFOLD – NIGHTMARE
Honorable Mention (Non-Metal):
LIL WAYNE – I AM NOT A HUMAN BEING
Here’s to 2011 and hoping that Morphine Killer will be making everyone’s list next year!
* Below is a list of other great sites/bloggers that cover Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal and will be sharing their “Best Of 2010” lists and thoughts as well. It is well worth the trip to any and/or all of them!
Life is filled with surprises, sometimes good, sometimes lousy. This “thank you” post is about a lousy surprise that came through my email box this past Christmas weekend. My neighborhood f.y.e. store is closing. Closing. Could it be? Is this some sort of vile prank? No, unfortunately, this email came directly from f.y.e.’s online marketing department… just letting me know that there were to be closeout deals to be had, due to the Allentown/South Mall store being eventually closed. Deals. I think it is a RAW deal whenever any store closes, especially a store that is notoriously known for stocking the best assortment of Metal CD’s this side of the Atlantic.
Deals. What about the store employees? Their losing their jobs is no deal… and being notified on the Christmas bulls eye, right during the heart of the Christmas holiday, is no damn deal. Plus, this will now be one less store that record companies can have their CD’s and merchandise stocked at… no deal. Maybe for the “casual” customer, the one who buys two CD’s and/or DVD’s per year at f.y.e. will see this as a “deal”… where they can walk in and stock up on the six CD’s that they would have purchased throughout an entire year… at 30% off. This is NO deal for the customers, like myself, who spends quite an impressive amount of money throughout the entire year, on dozens of CD’s.
Factor in the relationships a customer like myself makes, with the employees of this f.y.e. over the years and this store location closing – is no damn deal. The employees of this f.y.e. store were and still are world class when it comes to professionalism and knowledge in their product. Never did I encounter a situation where any employee at this f.y.e. did not know what I was asking for… or talking about. Besides knowledge of music, these employees I dealt with here, also bestow something else that is not commonly found in retail this day and age… they were all (gasp) friendly.
It is a sign of the times, that CD sales are dipping and the mp3 is celebrating it’s dominance upon music fans. I can’t dispute any corporate entity for having to cut costs and make their bottom line look appealing to investors… it’s a cyclical force of capitalism. What I can point out, however, is the lack of vision that giant retailers have towards the music industry as a whole. There is a product out there to sell, CD’s and DVD’s along with entertainment merchandise will never go away, (unless CD’s and DVD’s are no longer manufactured)… some other retail location “somewhere” will have it for sale. In the meantime, with all of the “shrinking aisles” of CD’s and music store closings happening in realtime, I don’t want to hear anyone balk about Super Walmart carrying the goods… and having CD’s for sale at competitive prices too.
Where I live, there is no abundance of independent CD and record stores. There’s flea markets during the non-winter months. Then, there’s Super Walmart. Sure, Best Buy still carries CD’s and limited vinyl releases… only their aisles are shrinking with this product too. Forget Target… it’s the flavor-of-the-month when it comes to their CD aisles. Super Walmart never had an Extreme Metal selection as an f.y.e. does… and they never will. If there was/is any competition between an f.y.e. and a Super Walmart, it is for the Walmart “only” titles of CD’s and bubble gum Pop Music. When it comes to Metal, forget it… f.y.e. has the biggest selection. Apparently, having the biggest Metal selection is not enough, if your not selling at a level where the corporate profit margin is not making the rich happy… and richer.
I will miss my neighborhood f.y.e. and without question, miss the interaction I continuously had with their employees. Each one of them made Stone feel like he belonged in their store… each one listened to what Stone had to say. I wish I could say that about every store I frequent, only I can’t. I have to grin and shake my head, while realizing that f.y.e. has NO CLUE as to the quality people that have worked very hard for them at this location… working diligently to make f.y.e. rich. So, f.y.e., it’s no deal for me to save 30% on my CD purchases I made today… it is an important and sad deal though, to have to say goodbye to these following exceptional employees:
NATALIE
STACY
JOHN
ERIC
DANNY
Whenever a company or store closes it’s doors, PEOPLE are affected… and employees are people. I wish the above named employees of this f.y.e. store all the very best that life can bring them. They all made my shopping experience at this f.y.e. store worth my time and money, as well as memorable. Thank you, my Metal Buddies at the South Mall f.y.e., YOU ROCK!
AOL Noisecreep is currently streaming “Sacrament Of Buyan,” the eighth track from KHORS’ latest full-length, Return To Abandoned, released last month via Paragon Records. On their fourth long player, the Ukrainian black metal horde yield the harsher, brooding sounds of earlier works whilst mixing in the melancholy and atmosphere of 2008’s unsung blackened gem, “Mysticism”. “Sacrament Of Buyan,” is based in Slavic mythology — Buyan is reportedly the only place where you’ll find “Koschei the Deathless” soul buried inside a needle inserted into an egg that lurks in a magical oak tree.
(Earsplit PR, December 29, 2010)
To check out “Sacrament Of Buyan,” point your browser HERE.
CHILDREN OF BODOM – On March 8, 2011, Children Of Bodom will be releasing their seventh studio album titled: Relentless Reckless Forever, on Spinefarm Records. This new and highly anticipated COB studio album was recorded at Petrax Studios in Finland, under the famed guidance of producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Monster Magnet).
This Finnish Melodic Death Metal meets Power Metal band is led by lead guitarist & vocalist Alexi Laiho. With his patented Death Metal growls and bellowing, along with a unique guitar tone, blistering leads and awe-inspiring solo’s, Alexi has solidified his own right to be labeled legendary among the Metal landscape.
CHILDREN OF BODOM:
Alexi Laiho – lead guitar & vocals
Roope Latvala – guitar
Henkka Seppälä aka Henkka T. Blacksmith – bass
Janne Warman – keyboards
JaskaRaatikainen – drums
Relentless Reckless Forever Track Listing:
Not My Funeral
Shovel Knockout
Roundtrip To Hell And Back
Pussyfoot Miss Suicide
Relentless Reckless Forever
Ugly
Cry Of The Nihilist
Was It Worth It?
Northpole Throwdown
* Bonus Track:Party All The Time
Party All The Time (cover song) – This is a cover song of the 1985 Pop “Hit” from… famed comedian and actor… Eddie Murphy. Hey, this is not as shocking as the cover song Children Of Bodom had on their 2009 covers album – Skeletons In The Closet. Which cover song is this you query? Why, none other than Oops!… I Did It Again originally sung by Britney Spears back in 2000.
* For more info on CHILDREN OF BODOM, just click on the link below:
ACHREN – Formed back in 2003, from Glasgow, UK, comes the Extreme driven, Metal force of ACHREN. To take a passage from their bio, which best sums up their sound: “Crushingly heavy and uncompromising metal, filled with raw and razor sharp riffs, Death Metal growls, Black Metal screams and pounding drums, they create a unique sound forged as Blood Metal.” After listening to ACHREN’S streaming Metal on their myspace and Reverbnation sites, (see links below), I couldn’t agree more with this Metal description of their Extreme sound… this previous description took the Metal words right out of my mouth. How could Stone top that description? Eventually though, I will when describing ACHREN in the future.
Metal be thy name, it is always a glorious Metal moment when a band like ACHREN crosses my Metal path… this band embodies all the elements of Extreme Metal, that my ears and senses need to devour for Metalsurvival. After listening to ACHREN’S streaming songs, I didn’t hesitate and went straight to Itunes to purchase their EP and single from 2008, (see info & link below). Here is some very cool information about ACHREN that I’m sure any devout Metal lovin’ maniac will appreciate:
ACHREN is about to release a live DVD from Bloodstock Open Air 2010 and are the winners of the Bloodstock Open Air 2010 Metal 2 The Masses Initiative. ACHREN are now confirmed to play the Metal Battle Stage at Wacken 2011, plus they will be releasing their debut album in the Spring of 2011!
* ACHREN’S spell binding performance of brutal Death Metal proportions captivated the gathered masses in the New Blood Stage at this years festival!
Frontman Scott Anderson: “The Metal 2 The Masses Initiative has given us a great chance to take the band to a different level. The whole team at Bloodstock work so hard to make it the best Metal festival in the UK and we can’t thank everybody enough for providing us with this great opportunity.”
* ACHREN filmed their whole Bloodstock Open Air set, which is scheduled for release in January on DVD in January of 2011. Their yet untitled debut album is now complete and ready for a Spring release in time for further 2011 Summer festivals!
(Source: ACHREN press release, December 26, 2010)
* You can currently purchase the Extreme Metal of ACHREN, (released in 2008), on Itunes. Their 4 song EP Blood Metal and the single Blood Soaked Banner are there! I highly recommend both EP and single… amazingly Extreme and brutally saturated – Blood Metal! I bought these releases by ACHREN… and it served me right.
ONSLAUGHT – England’s legendary Thrash Metal ambassadors are back again! ONSLAUGHT will be having their new studio album Sounds Of Violence released in North America on February 8th, 2011! Sounds Of Violence will be released on Germany’s AFM Records. This new ONSLAUGHT album was recorded and produced in the renowned Hansen-Studios in Ribe, Denmark (Destruction, Heathen, Mercenary). ONSLAUGHT have already confirmed a headlining European tour, joined by Suidakra and Debauchery in April of 2011. Appearances on some of the biggest European Festivals throughout 2011 have also been confirmed.
* ONSLAUGHT released their first studio album, Power From Hell, back in 1985. Other ONSLAUGHT studio albums: The Force (1986), In Search Of Sanity (1989) and Killing Peace (2007).
ONSLAUGHT:
Sy Keeler – vocals
Nige Rockett – guitar
Andy Rosser-Davies – lead guitar
Jeff Williams – bass
Steve Grice – drums
* International release dates for Sounds Of Violence:
Japan – January 12th, 2011
Europe – January 28th, 2011
USA/North America – February 8th, 2011
(Sources: Earsplit PR and Onslaught myspace music)
* Bomber is a cover song of the Motörheadclassic, which features guest appearances by Phil Campbell (Motörhead) and Tom Angelripper (Sodom).
* This cover song of Bomber, was released on December 17, 2010. It can be purchased at Itunes, Amazon and HMV Digital. * On the ONSLAUGHT myspace page, it states: “All profits from this single release are to be donated to the Help For Heroes charity.” A gigantic Metal kudos goes out to ONSLAUGHT and AFM Records for this act of charity! Help For Heroes is an incredibly reputable charity that raises funds to help support wounded British Armed Forces veterans.
* To learn more about Help For Heroes, click here: Help For Heroes
(New York, NY) – CROWBAR have released another brand new song, “Let Me Mourn” from their upcoming release “Sever The Wicked Hand”, due out in the U.S. on February 8th, 2011, on eOneMusic. “This is one of my personal favorites on the record. Haunting vocals and melodies. Low tuned doom at it’s finest”, says front man Kirk Windstein.
The band will release their crushing, long-awaited new studio album, “Sever The Wicked Hand” on Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 via eOne Music. The full album is available now for pre-order on iTunes. Just go here to get it: http://bit.ly/faUOCI
The new album, produced by Kirk Windstein and mixed by Zeuss, is the band’s first new album of all new original studio material since 2005’s “Lifesblood For The Downtrodden”. Windstein recently told Decibel Magazine, “This is probably the most important record of Crowbar’s career”.
NOISECREEP.COM is debuting a the first new track called “The Cemetery Angels” recently which can be heard here: NOISECREEP
(Source: eOne Music press release, December 20, 2010)
* For more info on CROWBAR, just click on the links below:
Top Six Unsigned Metal Bands of 2010: There are countless unsigned bands in the world today, representing every genre of music. Metal Odyssey receives a fine share of demos and fully produced CD’s from unsigned bands. Many of these bands have potential to take their music to the next level, where there are those bands that should consider other career options. Then, there are the bands that are ready NOW for a major independent or major label to grasp onto what they are creating and playing. These are the unsigned bands that NEED to be signed NOW, to a major independent or major label.
I have chosen my favorite six unsigned bands of this past year and want to share them with the world, as a special edition of Metal Odyssey’s “Best Of” lists for 2010. A few of these bands I had the Metal pleasure to interview during 2010, while the other bands I’m sure I’ll cross Metal paths with one day soon. At the end of the Metal day, these six Metal bands are my favorites from the unsigned crowd of 2010. Here’s hoping that maybe one of these bands, if not all, will spark your Metal curiosity like they did mine!
Metal Odyssey’s Top Six Unsigned Metal Bands Of 2010:
MORPHINE KILLER
(Photo by: Stephanie Grant – imsteph.com)
From Southern California, there is the dynamic Metal duo of Brandon Ortiz, aka Eski and Belle Roka that make Morphine Killer… so damn killer to listen to.
What makes Morphine Killer such a tremendousMetal band is their quality songs, filled with quality vocals, lyrics and musicianship… the entire 100 yards of Metal. I reviewed their Nightmares EP with a posting back on April 23, 2010. Check it out for yourself by clicking that unreal looking header below!
Back on May 16, 2010, Eski and Belle Roka took the time to answer some questions I threw at them. You can read this very cool interview by clicking on the very loud header below!
Throw It All Away is the new single that Morphine Killer released earlier this year, it will be on their forthcoming full-length album – Sickening. You can purchase this fantastic song on itunes, along with Morphine Killer’s two raging EP’s: Unapologetic and Nightmares. For now, take a listen to Throw It All Away by clicking on that cool box below! I hope you dig this song as much as I have been!
* For more info on Morphine Killer, click on the links below:
Out of the Great White North… comes a Traditional Metal Band that brings Old School back with their very own supercharged Metal vibe and eye popping Metal skills… thank you Calgary, Alberta, Canada for – DERAILED. Led by founding member Dean Boland, the lead guitarist and a man of many Metal hats, Derailed is a big Metal deal to my ears. If you haven’t heard of Derailed just yet… your gonna.
On June 26, 2010, I posted the album review for the Derailed debut album Judgement Day. You can read all about it by clicking the huge header below!
On August 4, 2010, my interview with Derailed’s Dean Boland was posted. Check it out by clicking the gigantic header below… it will serve youMetal justice.
On both sides of the Atlantic, there is Metal aplenty. Metal is a worldwide phenomenon that will never say die. Austria can very well boast, they are the home country for – Sergeant Steel. Every neighborhood in every country should have a band like Sergeant Steel, their brand of Hard Rock colliding with Old School Heavy Metal is so damn contagious.
On July 1, 2010, I posted the album review for Sergeant Steel’s debut – Lovers & Maniacs. You can read about this Hard Rockin’ & Metal Thumpin’ album by clicking on the bloated header below!
Back on July 14, 2010, my interview with Phil Vanderkill, the flamboyant front man for Sergeant Steel, was posted. If you want to get an “inside” track on just what Sergeant Steel is all about, click on the hefty header below!
From Mammoth Lakes, California, VALDUR caught my Metal attention with a fiery blast of Black Metal whoop ass. Metal be thy name… VALDUR is for real.
On November 18, 2010, I posted the album review for VALDUR’S blackened Metal triumph which is called – Raven God Amongst Us. I highly recommend you take the time to check it out, by clicking that rotund header below!
NeuTrad Archon released their full-length album this past year, titled – Overture. With ten songs that more than smoke the Metal meter to a melting point. These songs on Overture have undeniable substance, both lyrically and musically, with an unrelenting ability to satisfy my Extreme Metal hunger.
Their progressive, blackened, momentarily Folk Metal and downright darkened with MetalExtremity. This band knows how to incorporate a melodic drive to their sound as well, utilizing the keyboards throughout Overture and on one track violins are introduced, which makes NeuTrad Archon not just ultra-diverse in their Metal style, it makes them a band to latch onto and brag about to your Metal peers. This band has all the right ingredients to be huge in the Metal world one day.
* Look for a complete album review of Overture in early 2011, right here at Metal Odyssey!
* For more info on NeuTrad Archon, click on the link below:
With New Jersey as their home base, the trio of M. Gonçalves (vocals, guitars, bass), Valcek (Violin) and JP Andrade on drums have created an album that mesmerizes my Metal senses with their full-length, eight song, album debut – Tribus. Windfaerer is such a band of Metal talent, it’s unquestionably scary. This is blackened Folk Metal at it’s underground finest, making me want to leap through the dark and foreboding fields of my neighborhood at night, in euphoric Metal glee, while raising the horns to the moonlit sky.
* Look for a complete album review of Tribus in early 2011, right here at Metal Odyssey!
* For more info on Windfaerer, click on the link below:
* Below is a list of other great sites/bloggers that cover Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal and will be sharing their “Best Of 2010” lists and thoughts as well. It is well worth the trip to any and/or all of them!
NIDINGR – The bells of inner Earth are tolling and the lava in hell is boiling, while NIDINGR is uncoiling their Blackest of Metal unto the suspecting and unsuspecting of humanity. Metal be thy name, is this band the keeper of the Darkest Black Metal core… they very well hold the key and secrets to the depths of infinite Metal Blackness. This is Black Metal, unleashed by NIDINGR at it’s most profound underworld greatest. Make no mistake, Wolf Father is an album where you sit down the Black Metal pupils and tell them to listen and learn. After a five year absence in making a new album, (the last being Sorrow, Infinite And Darkness from 2005), this Norwegian Black Metal band has created six new songs based on Norse Mythology themes.
If you find yourself straying about, wondering which bands new album can produce the heaviest and darkest blows of pure Metal, your answer lies within the songs on Wolf Father. Are there heavier and more Extreme albums that exist? Of course. Only don’t try to stay up all night searching for anything heavier. The constant on this album, is that all six songs carry out their sole purpose to devour whatever sounds of calm that may be in their atmospheric path. I do say with Metal certainty though, that NIDINGR wasn’t going to disappoint themselves or any dedicated Black Metal fan out there by creating this piece of Blackened work.
Fafnismol introduces the listener into the world of NIDINGR, with flamingly furious rhythms and breakdown riffs that are as haunting as they are original. Hellhammer on drums crushes down the beats with mind blowing speed. Cpt. Estrella Grasa belts out his torment laden vocals with viciousness that Black Metal loyalists come to expect, from one of the best this genre has to offer. Amidst the blackness there are many guitar parts that flirt on the melodic razor’s edge, all the while the all encompassing blanket of Black Metal stylings override this album as undisputed, darkened and pure underground.
If you are searching for that Black Metal curtain to lift up and reveal the extremity of sound that beckons you, Wolf Father will envelope your senses with it’s fortified blackness. Once you listen to Wolf Father you will undoubtedly listen again and again, trying to come to grips that a Black Metal band such as NIDINGR can be this unimaginably extreme. I recommend highly all Black Metal fans to catch onto this blackened offering from NIDINGR, new fans to this genre should, no, need to grasp what Wolf Father is all about.
* Below is a roll call of associated Black Metal bands attached to each band member:
NIDINGR – Cult Norwegian Black Metal unit NIDINGR return from a five year hiatus with their raging new album. The assassins that form this deadly unit have culminated their dark arts and aggression on their sophomore full-length Wolf Father, the uncompromising album sure to scathe listeners with its relentless whirlwind of black metal wrath. NIDINGR remain a mainly cult act, although some might conder them a “super group” of sorts when they discover the band is comprised of a long list of notable black metal artisans including bassist/guitarist Teloch (1349, Gorgoroth, Ov Hell, Orcustus, Umoral, Konsortium), bassist/guitarist Blargh (Gravferd, Dødheimsgard), vocalist Cpt. Estrella Grasa (Kort Prosess), and drummer Hellhammer (Immortal, Shining, Thorns, Umoral, Mayhem, Emperor). Wolf Father even features a guest appearance from Ulver’s Kristoffer Rygg (a.k.a. Garm), and features artwork by French visionary Valnoir of Metastazis, known for their work with Watain, Ulver, Peste Noire, Nachtmystium, Anteus and more.
* NIDINGR Wolf Father will be released on Vendlus Records, January 18, 2011.
KATAKLYSM – Released on August 24, 2010, on Nuclear Blast America, Heaven’s Venom marks the tenth studio album from Kataklysm, arguably the most brutally powerful Metal band ever exported from The Great White North. This new Kataklysm album is fully loaded with ten songs, which exceed the boundaries of what great Death Metal is supposed to accomplish… by mesmerizing your senses into a state of Extreme Death Metal delirium. It is a tried and true Death Metal band like Kataklysm that I cannot resist rooting for, their tireless effort to make their presence known as a Death Metal force, in the vast world of Metal, is an undisputed benchmark of their existence.
From the onset, Soulless God annihilates with it’s all encompassing and overpowering Death Metal fury. All ten songs for that matter, are an enormous listen into just how Kataklysm has evolved over the past two decades, with their obvious stamp of originality upon the genre of Death Metal, a genre which has become a behemoth in the annals of Metal Music. The melodic nature of Kataklysm’s sound is derived from guitar virtuoso Jean-Francois Dagenais, he can play the heavy while instilling an accessibility to this band from his diverse playing. Even casual Death Metal fans should easily adhere their ears to what Deganais plays here, with loyal fans knowing that he is one of the finest in all of Metal.
Without hesitation, Heaven’s Venom is one of the most engaging Death Metal albums I’ve ever listened to. Slivers of progressiveness will sparingly peer around Kataklysm’s corner, with the spoken word being utilized in the songs: A Soulless God and Hail The Renegade. Kataklysm has never been about fast food Death Metal, this band’s intricacies have always lied within their passion for creating songs that leap out at you with rage and then abruptly casting searing melodic turns without notice. Lyrically, Heaven’s Venom embarks on dark personal struggles and values, with revenge and triumph being touched upon in prolific style, which Maurizio Iacono conveys with undisputed domination. Maurizio is one of those vocalists… when Maurizio sings, Stone listens.
The themes of divide and conquer and good versus evil may seem cliche with their simplicity, only Kataklysm gives forth a larger story than that throughout Heaven’s Venom. The markedness of Heaven’s Venom is truly a carry over from the rest of Kataklysm’s catalog of albums, once again embarking on what I construe to be… thinking man’s Death Metal. Yes, contrary to any department of psychology misnomer, Death Metal can be smart, both lyrically and musically. Along with the forever legendary Death Metal pioneers the likes of Death, Kataklysm will unconditionally receive my Metal accolades for their artistic point style too.
My personal favorite song on Heaven’s Venom is As The Walls Collapse. I will survive all the demons you throw at me, I will deny all the weakness inside… these are lyrics that psyche-me-out beyond Metal belief. Combine intelligent and powerful lyrics with elevated Death Metal grooves and yes, this song is a masterful achievement that will not become obsolete for my ears. I could go as far by saying: As The Walls Collapse sounds superiorly delectable, when listened to ten times in a row, very loudly.
Without exception, is Heaven’s Venom relentless with the double bass and copious rhythmic blasts from Max Duhamel, holy mother of Metal does Max lock himself into a phrenetic groove on every song. Metal be thy name he is outstanding. The combination of Max Duhamel behind the kit and Stephane Barbe on bass makes for an earsplitting wall of Death Metal welcomeness. Heaven’s Venom is what I consider an undeniable right choice for any Death Metal, Metal or Extreme Metal fan alive today. An album such as Heaven’s Venom doesn’t just fall from the sky, this is as creatively heavy as it gets with Death Metal, while being fortified with the upmost intensity and Death Metal proficiency that I’ve come to expect from Kataklysm.
* For more info on KATAKLYSM, just click on the link below:
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA – From the initial sounds of an angry thunderstorm hovering upon you on the opening track Escape, The Devil Wears Prada proves there is no room for watering down a concept EP that revolves around… Zombies. Zombie EP, released on August 24, 2010, on Ferret Records, is for all Metal intents and purposes Extremely Heavy.
All five songs are about Zombies and the nightmare of having them take over humanity. Zombies… that’s Metal. The Devil Wears Prada makes it very apparent that they are Metal as well, based on their extremities of speed and heaviness, combined with vocals that quite possibly could bring Mount St. Helens down to its fiery knees. Metal be thy name, can Mike Hranica belt out the lyrics with the upmost Hardcore potency, while making me feel like I really should be scared about these damned Zombies.
If there ever was any doubt that a Metalcore band could pull off an amazingly Extreme Metal EP of the harshest degree, then the The Devil Wears Prada makes me a believer. This young band has given me every reason to believe they will be around for another ten or twenty years from now… while never lending themselves to being just another number on the long list of Metalcore star gazers. What makes Zombie EP so real for me, is it’s sheer intensity that never caves into a dull moment. Metal be damned, just try to fast forward through any one song on Zombie EP and you are short-changing yourself from the total relentlessly Extreme package.
I can completely embrace what The Devil Wears Prada has accomplished with this Zombie EP. Yes, their fusion of Extreme Music genres is worthy of raucous applause, only the haunting Zombie concept just seems to fit so perfectly with their ferocity of sound, that in turn envelopes the mind and senses so seemlessly well. All the key elements of Extreme Metal and Hardcore are ever apparent with The Devil Wears Prada. To lump this band into a Metalcore only bucket is a result of not listening to what they play. From the blast beats to a guitar tandem spilling out memorable heavy riffs while mixing up Death Metal caliber grooves, the melodic shades of this band do spill out onto their songs by some amazing miracle.
My recommending The Devil Wears Prada to Metal, Hardcore and Extreme Metal fans is an easy thing to do. Giving this band a listen and experiencing their fired up energy and Extreme sound on this EP might just serve many a Metalhead right… both young and old. Just the front cover photo of this Zombie EP gives off enough scary vibes to last an hour. There is something about those sinister power lines, amid the backdrop of a fog filled landscape and greying sky… that’s Zombieville if I ever saw it. The liner notes contain excellent creepy and macabre photography as well, along with the back cover to this Zombie EP, (see pic below).
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA:
Mike Hranica – vocals & lyrics
Chris Rubey – guitars
Jeremy DePoyster – guitars & vocals
Daniel Williams – drums
James Baney – keys & synth
Andy Trick – bass
Track Listing For Zombie EP:
Escape
Anatomy
Outnumbered
Revive
Survivor
* For more info on The Devil Wears Prada, just click on the link below:
OVERKILL – My fellow European Metalheads, Thrashers and Old School Metallers… whatever Metal label you go by, the European Killfest Tour 2011 looks to be your destination for the ultimate Thrash Metal experience. Thrash Metal Legends Overkill will be headlining, with fellow Thrash legends Destruction supporting! Thrash veterans Heathen will be on the bill along with After All. The month of March, 2011 is going to be a Thrashtastic one to remember… courtesy of Overkill and their European Killfest Tour!
The following are tour dates for the European Killfest Tour 2011:
(New York, NY) — Legendary Metal-Sludge giants CROWBAR will release their crushing, long-awaited new studio album, “Sever The Wicked Hand” on Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 via eOne Music.
* The full album is available now for pre-order on iTunes.
The new album, produced by Kirk Windstein and mixed by Zeuss, is the band’s first new album of all new original studio material since 2005’s “Lifesblood for the Downtrodden.” Front man and founder Kirk Windstein recently told Decibel Magazine, “This is probably the most important record of Crowbar’s career.”
(Source: eOne Music press release, November 23, 2010)
Kirk Windstein – Crowbar founding member, vocalist and guitarist.
EASTERN FRONT – Caution: Eastern Front will tear your eardrums inside out and use them for slingshots, while your eyeballs widen and thine jaw drops in utter amazement from their Extreme Speed, Heaviness and fiery Blackened intensity. That is just the beginning… and I was well convinced after listening to the opening track – Stalinorgel, that Eastern Front has taken an enormously serious approach to their Extreme Music. One must listen to all eight songs that Eastern Front has created here, then absorb them all into thine senses and realize this band is not of the cookie cutter variety. Metal be thy name, has Eastern Front made quite the Black Metal statement with Blood On Snow.
The title track, Blood On Snow, clocks in at 8:31 and it is over eight minutes of 100% Black Metal majesty. From the mind invading and senses pummeling blast beats to the vicious guitar leads… and everything else in between, this title track is a Blackened Metal ride of ferocious euphoria. Can this Eastern Front album get any better? It sure can. The very next song, Unleash The Panzer Division, is an introduction to just how melodic guitar leads can coexist with dark, Black Metal ferocity of sound. These two songs, back-to-back are like a double dose of Eastern Front whoop ass… straight to my skin rippling forehead.
At The Gates Of Moscow is a mini Black epic in it’s own right, with seven minutes of unrelenting and Extreme song writing precision. Nagant’s warrior strong vocals are overwhelming with excessive power on At The Gates Of Moscow. Where Warriors Once Fell, this album’s closer, is the answer to what Iron Maiden would sound like if they were to try their Metal hand at Black Metal. Then again, this is Eastern Front, a Black Metal band that has put forth their very own style with more than subtle confidence. This is a Black Metal band that is overflowing with convincing Metal skill sets. If Eastern Front intended to save their Blackest best for last, they surely have succeeded with Where Warriors Once Fell.
If there is to be one consistent adjective to describe Blood On Snow, it has to be… powerful. From Nagant’s vocals to Holocaust’s unreal guitar leads and every nuance in between, the muscularity of Metal explodes with this bands Blackened style and character. Krieg on rhythm guitar, Destroyer on bass and Destruction on drums all enrich this album to it’s dark and Extreme fullest. Eastern Front sounds razor sharp and very tight on this album, they sound ready to take on the world, with a skull splitting deliverance of their Black Metal power surge.
Listening to this album is like getting hit by that continuous storm wind, that malicious wind that comes out of the northern sky with an unnatural vengeance… and all you can do is respect it’s overall strength. Blood On Snow is swirling with melodic speed throughout each song, with tempo changes, string arrangements and sound effects that are not incorporated for listening convenience or sell out, rather they exist due to the realemotions that Eastern Front has built into this beyond entertaining Black album.
* Blood On Snow was produced by Anders Backelin at Andy LaRocque’s Sonic Train Studios in Sweden. The quality that Andy’s Sonic Train Studio brings to the cascading Black Metal sound on this album is blatantly obvious and arguably, one day in the future… legendary. From the onset to the last note of Blood On Snow, I can hear the painstaking attention to detail, amongst the layers of sound, that great producers like Anders Backelin and Andy are conscientious about. Andy LaRocque is an original member alongside the ultra legendary King Diamond. Andy plays guitar, keyboards and is a songwriter for King Diamond. Andy was also a guitarist for DEATH, appearing on their 1993 studio album – Individual Thought Patterns.
* EASTERN FRONT lists Ipswich, United Kingdom, as their land of origin, on their myspace music page. (See myspace link below).
* EASTERN FRONT – Blood On Snow was released in Europe, on Candlelight Records, on September 13, 2010. Blood On Snow was released in the U.S. on Candlelight Records, on September 21, 2010.
* For more info on EASTERN FRONT, just click on the link below:
(New York, NY) — CROWBAR will be hitting the road hard next week along side BLACK TUSK. Dates will span most of the eastern seaboard through the middle of December. All tour dates are below. For more info on CROWBAR, click the links below:
Dec. 02 – Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall w/ EYEHATEGOD
Dec. 03 – VA Beach @ Hangar 09
Dec. 04 – Trenton, NJ @ Championship Bar & Grill
Dec. 05 – New York, NY @ Santo’s Party House
Dec. 06 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary Coast
Dec. 07 – Providence, RI @ Club Hell
Dec. 08 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
Dec. 09 – Niagara Falls, NY @ Evening Star Music Hall
Dec. 10 – Columbus, OH @ Alrosa Vista
Dec. 11 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
Dec. 12 – St Louis, MO @ Fubar
Dec. 13 – Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
Dec. 14 – Little Rock @ Downtown Music
Dec. 15 – Tulsa, OK @ The Marquee
Dec. 16 – Amarillo, TX @ El Cien
Dec. 17 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
Dec. 18 – Shreveport, LA @ Riverside Warehouse (No Black Tusk)
Newly signed to eOne Music, sludge metal legends CROWBAR recently re-released three influential records, CROWBAR, LIVE +1 and TIME HEALS NOTHING on October 5th, 2010. These three records are the band’s core titles and have influenced many of today’s major metal acts including LAMB OF GOD and HATEBREED. With each title originally being released in the early nineties, this will be the first time all three records will be widely available in stores and online. A new CROWBAR record is planned for early 2011.
KIRK WINDSTEIN – Founding member, guitarist and vocalist of Crowbar.
Kirk Windstein formed CROWBAR in 1991. Since that time, the band’s sound has profoundly influenced a new generation of Metal acts the world over. Kirk Windstein is also a key member of KINGDOM OF SORROW (with HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta) and DOWN.
(Source: eOne Music press release, November 19, 2010).
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