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DACIA + THE WMD
T.A.
4,5/10 |
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D:A:D
T.A. 7/10 (for the new music style) |
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DANGER DANGER
T.A. 8/10 |
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DANIEL J
A.S. 5/10 |
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DANNY DANZI
A.S. 7,5/10 |
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DANZIG
A.S. 6,5/10 T.A. 7/10 |
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DAME FORTUNE
T.A.
6/10 |
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DARGAARD
T.A. 6/10 |
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DARK FUNERAL
A.A. 3,5/10 |
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DARKSUN
G.K. 6/10 |
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DARIO MOLLO & TONY MARTIN
A.S. 8/10 |
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DARK ILLUSION
T.A. 7,5/10 |
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DARK-N
T.A. 6/10 |
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DARK NOVA
A.S. 7/10 T.A. 5,5/10 |
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DARK MOOR
G.K. 7,5/10 |
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DARK SKY
T.A. 8/10 |
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DARK SUNS
T.A. 8/10 |
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DARK TRANQUILITY
T.A. 8,5/10 |
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DARKTHRONE
G.K.4/10 |
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DARKTHRONE
G.K. 3/10 |
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DARKWELL
T.A. 5,5/10 |
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DAS ICH
T.A. 6/10 |
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DAS SCHEIT
T.A.
5/10 |
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DAWN OF SILENCE
T.A.
5/10 |
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DEACON STREET PROJECT
T.A. 6,5/10 |
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DEAD SOUL TRIBE
A.S. 9/10 |
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DEAFENING SILENCE
T.A. 6/10 |
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DEBASE
G.K. 7,5/10 |
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DECREPIT BIRTH
T.K. 7/10 |
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DEFENDERS OF METAL VOL. 1
G.K. 7,5/10 |
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DEF LEPPARD
K.P. 8/10 T.A. 8/10 A.S. 8/10 |
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DEFLORE
T.A. 4/10 |
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DEMON DRIVE
T.A. 8/10 K.P. 8/10 |
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DEMONS & WIZARDS
A.S. 7/10 |
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DEMONS OF DIRT
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DESTINY
G.K. 5,5/10 |
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DESTRUCTOR
T.A. 6,5/10 |
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DIABOLIC
T.K. 7/10 |
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DIE HUNNS
A.S. 5,5/10 |
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DIG JELLY
T.A. 7/10 |
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DIMENSION X
A.S. 6/10 |
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DIMMU BORGIR
G.K. 8/10 |
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DIMMU BORGIR / OLD MAN'S CHILD
G.K. 5/10 |
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DIO
A.S. 8,5/10 |
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DIONYSUS
A.S. 6,5/10 |
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DIRTY RHYTHM
T.A.
7/10 |
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DISBELIEF
T.A. 6/10 |
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DISBELIEF
T.A. 8/10 |
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DISRUPTION
G.K. 4,5/10 |
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DIVISION ALPHA
G.K. 6,5/10 |
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DOGFACE
A.S. 8,5/10 |
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DOKKEN
A.S. 5/10 |
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DOKKEN
T.A. 7,5/10 K.P. 8,5/10 |
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DOL’ AMMAD
G.K. 7,5/10 |
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DOL AMMAD
T.A. 8/10 K.P. 7,5/10 |
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DOMAIN
T.A. 8/10 |
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DOMINE
A.S. 7,5/10 |
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DONAHUE TIM
A.S. 5/10 |
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DOOMFOXX
T.A.
6,5/10 |
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DOOMSWORD
A.S. 7,5/10 |
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DORO
A.S. 7/10 |
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DOWN
T.A. 8/10 A.S. 7/10 |
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DOWNTOWN BROWN
A.S. 7,5/10 |
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DRAGONFORCE
G.K. 6,5/10 |
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DRAGONLAND
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Second
time that MTM Music started dealing with modern/alternative rock music,
through its sub-label Psycho Active. Sure there are lots of people out
there that like and buy such releases but unfortunately, in my case, I
really do not like this kind of music… I only listen to some nice songs
and that’s all. After all, this kind of music does not has that much to
offer... it’s not even inspired… simply ideas and (nice) chicks that
sing or males that sound like chicks… hehehe… Anyway, 
Do any of you still remember
D:A:D? And with that question, I'm referring to the "old" hard
rock/metal fans. Well to tell the truth, I used to listening very often to
D:A:D and especially I'm still listening to the incredible album that they have released back in 1989 and it was called
"No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims" (an album that all the fans of hard
rock/heavy metal music must have!). Anyway those things don't seem to matter
anymore. "Soft Dogs" is the new album of D:A:D, and in this album they play soft
(with many American elements) rock music, and in some songs like "What's The
Matter?" (Possibly the best song of the album) they becoming a little bit
harder. Unfortunately D:A:D can't (or they don't want?) play like they used to play back in 1989 and that is something that I'm still waiting
from the band to do
(may I'm a dreamer then…). Nevertheless, "Soft Dogs" is a very interesting album for those who like American
rock (a la Red Hot Chili Peppers) music. And the album has interesting songs
like, the homonymous "Soft Dogs", "So What?", the melancholic
"It Changes Everything", the catchy rocker "Un Frappe Sur La
Tete" and
"Human Kind". It is possible that D: A:D will want to sell more copies of their album and they are trying to become
more popular to the people. That's ok with me the. And that's the
reason, which I'm still listening to this album and also writing the
review. The good thing is that "Soft Dogs" ain't a bad album and for the music that
D:A:D play, is very catchy and good. If you are fan of D:A:D, listen first to the album and then
decide, but if you love American soft rock, then buy "Soft Dogs"
now!
Well “Coackroach” was meant to be released between 1992 and 1994,
but due to business problems that the band had with their former singer Ted Poley and with their record Label
Sony, didn’t allow
them to release this album. They also recorded it with another singer whose name is Paul
Lanne, but once again they
didn’t manage to release it. So, after almost 8 years, Danger Danger has overcome
those problems and they are now free to release the album, as adouble
cd. This thing happened because in the two cds are includingboth versions with the two singers of the
band. The differences
between those two versions are very few and the Paul Lanne’s version has one more song that the other version does not have and it’s an
acoustic ballad, which is called “Time In A Bottle”. “Coackroach”
has many great pure 90’s hard rock songs like the incredible "Coin Goin Gone" and the astonishing Walk It Like Ya Talk
It.
The fans of the band should buy this album right away and also all the people that once loved 90’s hard
rock/hair metal bands
should try Danger Danger’s new album out.
Well
this album is the perfect opportunity for me to give you the recipe to
make lamp compote. First you take the desired portion of lamp (usually 3-4
kilos) and leave outside under the sun for 6 days (when the sun sets, you
have to move the lamp indoors so that cats and dogs won’t eat). After
six days the meat will have rotten a bit and will have lost all its
juices. Then you take it and trample on it several times (as much as
needed to get rid of the remaining juices and blood). Afterwards you put
it in the launderette and wash it in 60 degrees so that it will come out
clean. Once done, put it in a fishnet, tie it tight and start using it as
a ball for the children (if you don’t have children lend it to the
neighbours). 5 days later you have a solid meatball that can be chopped in
small portions and placed within the jars. Be careful the jars should be
well sealed. Now, when eating this delicious meal you can accompany it
with this album, which is as absurd as the above recipe. No joking now,
the band here plays a funny mixture of many music elements... which
unfortunately do not bind together. You see the band tries to sound like
Dream Theater, then like Trouble, then like an AOR group, then a bit of
pop etc. Had all these elements been well-bound, then ok, but this is not
the case here. There are many good ideas and the skills of the band are
good, but first they have to clarify what kind of music they want to play.
I’m afraid I don’t have any information to give you about this one. Maybe the webmaster does, but he is hiding it carefully. What I can do is to describe what is the sound here. Well it seems that we have another effort to revamp the US-style sleaze sound - which is not necessarily bad. To be honest it is hard to shelve this album... as it balanced between AOR and straight hard rock. In this respect what we get is an amalgam of Skid Row and Poison, mixed with Magnum and Bon Jovi. Taking into consideration that the whole album is embellished with heavy guitars and wonderful solos you can understand that we are talking about a very interesting proposal. I can hardly distinguish the highlights of the album, as the whole of it stands in high levels, but I really liked “Let It Go”, “Wild And Dangerous” and “Eternity”. To be honest now that I give a second thought, I can tell you that in here you can find many elements from Motley Crue and Guns and Roses as well. I think you got the message already.
Glenn Danzig is a cult figure for our music
(and not only) scene. He has a long successful journey through the years and he is free to do whatever he
likes, without giving report to anyone. This is what he actually does all these
years. But I am not to say anything more about him, as this is a critique for his new
album. Those who are familiar with his former works, should not have any troubles guessing what he is playing
here: Darkness, horror, evil atmosphere, heavy (really heavy) riffs, psychedelic
songs, with his husky voice and growling leading the first role. Those who like his works and music will definitely be thrilled with this album - to be honest it is more or less one of the same with his previous
works. As for me, I'd rather listen to something else, as this album bores me and I doubt that I will listen to it many times in the
future. It is not that it is bad, but very monotonous...I have the feeling that I am listening to the same noise for almost an hour with extremely few changes in the
rhythm. Of course there are good songs like "Angle Blake" and
"I luciferi", but if all the songs resemble to each other to such a high
extend, I don't see any point in it. I know many people for what I write will blame
me, but this is my opinion. If you are a fan, go buy it. If not, try to listen to it first before you spend your
money.
Dame
Fortune is a new LA based band that released its debut EP back in 2002.
Since then the original singer left the band and the two guitarists have
split the vocal duties. The bands claims that play hard rock with gothic
rock elements... and I agree on the first part of the statement. Yes, they
are influenced from bands such as Kiss, Guns N’ Roses and in general by
the American 80s hard rock music but the very few gothic influences
doesn’t make a gothic rock band or something like that. They are moving in
the hard rock path and I would suggest them to stay there and not to mix
things up. The debut full-length album of the band is not bad at all but
they are missing something that most bands are missing nowadays... they have
no personal sound and they are lost inside their many influences. It’s no
bad to be influenced by other bands but I prefer when a band gives also its
personal stigma to its music. Anyway this is only the debut of the band and
if they keep working hard, I’m sure that they will present something more
personal and better in the future... after all they not in the wrong side of
the road.
This is the forth studio album of Dargaard, the band that was formed by Tharen (Abigor, Amestigon, Heidenreich, Dominion III) in 1997 and has also Elisabeth Toriser (Abigor, Antichrisis, Dominion III) as a vocalist. The band is moving among gothic roads and dark wave, atmospheric paths in order to offer us pure medieval, atmospheric and dark music. The result here is not bad; we listen to orchestral arrangements, choirs, melancholic piano melodies, dark sounds and ethereal vocals… although the production is rather good, the album does not has that strength and that purity and originality that will grab us right away. It is just good and dark but cannot touch me as other dark, melancholic bands have done in the past. But that’s my point of view and maybe someone will be very happy and delightful while listening to it… but I can only speak for myself. Perhaps listening to atmospheric music for about an hour will bore some of you and you are absolutely right. Well, to cut it short, this is not my album and it will not drive me crazy for any reason. It’s just nice dark, atmospheric music. If this kind of music is your forte, then give it a try.
Dark Funeral, the black metal band from Norway, have returned with a live album featuring material that was recorded during their tour throughout South America in September 2003. The CD contains 14 tracks taken from the band’s past albums since 1994. It really took me a while to calm down after I listened to the whole album for the first time. Old-school raw black metal songs in max-tempo that can only cause a terrible headache even to black metal funs. Unfortunately, all the tracks seemed more less the same to me with the standard, monotonous high-speed rhythm. Nothing to break the dull, warlike sound. Hopefully it’s a live album, so we can hear the voices of the crowd sometimes (thank God), otherwise my eardrums would be completely damaged right now. The only advantage of the whole work is the production, which is very clear for a live black metal album. However, albums like this one really ruin the reputation that bands, like Dimmu Borgir etc, have given to black metal…
Darksun is band coming from Spain. I haven’t listened to them in the
past and I could find no information about the band, because their
official website and the booklet are in Spanish… Anyway, the five guys
of the band play wonderful melodic power metal with catchy refrains and
progressive parts. Their great characteristic, because their music isn’t
very pioneering although that it is pretty good, is the great vocalist,
Dani G. (vocals and guitars), who has a very melodic and powerful voice.
The only problem is that he sings in his native language… Spanish. The
guitar work (Dani G. and Tino Hevia) is very interesting and you can
listen to some nice riffs and solos. Also the female keyboardist (Helena
Pinto) has done excellent work and the sounds she creates make the
atmosphere more epic and more fairy. The rhythm section (Pedro Junquera on
Bass and Dani Cabal on Drums) will remind you of the classical Italian
classical bands… Finally, the artwork and the production are very good.
The only problems I had with this album is that I could understand nothing
of what the vocalist was singing and that their music reminded me of other
power metal bands most of the times… If these guys manage to pass these
problems, I’m sure they will make a surprise with their next album!
When the Webmaster told me that he would send me a CD by Dario Mollo and
Tony Martin I said, "wow, this has the potentials to be a great
album", but then I thought, "who is Dario Mollo"? Unfortunately I wasn't aware of their first album
"The Cage" (with Don Airey on the keyboards). Well, Dario is an Italian guitarist with loads of years of experience on the scene something that becomes evident on the new
album, which is the follow up to the first "Cage". Except for Tony and
Dario, the rest of the musicians are Tony Franklin (Blue Murder, The
Firm) on bass, Roberto Gualdi on drums and Dario Patti on keyboards. The
result? Amazing!!! I hadn't heard such a rich album in a long time. Their music can be called as melodic heavy
metal, but it is confining. The songs present an unbelievable variety, jumping from pure heavy metal to hard
rock, to AOR, industrial (Terra Torria) to progressive sound (for example the main part of the amazing
"Life, Love and Everything" reminds me a lot of Queensryche's
"Disconnected" - but then the refrain becomes quite catchy!!!). The songs are based on the
guitars, as Dario Mollo's techniques and playing is quite impressive and so he has the ability to support and built amazing songs on his riffs and his
solos-like-nails. Special reference should be made to Martin's
interpretations, which remind me of the good old times of Sabbath's
"Headless Cross"!!! Fantastic vocal melodies in every song. It might be
unfair, but I cannot resist mentioning the powerful ballad "Wind of
Change" and the lyrical "Poison Roses". Yes this is an album that because of it's variety and quality can stick to your CD player for
long. Be prepared!
The
history of this band starts in the early 80’s where it was formed and
then call it a day in the mid-80’s. But in 2003 Tomas Hultqvist (guitar)
and Niklas Tengblad (acoustic guitar), two of the original members
reunited and began to work on some of Hultqvist’s songs of which 3
appeared on the 2003 “For Just Another Night” single. Then the guys
started working on “Beyond The Pale” which contains original songs
from the 80’and 90’s with Thomas Vikström (Talk Of The Town,
Stormwind, ex-Candlemass, Lion’s Share, Speedy Gonzales) on vocals. Also
the original 80’s bass player, Ola Jansson, has played on 3 tracks. The
band’s music is moving on heavy power paths along with some epic metal
(and hard rock) elements from song to song. Pounding rhythms, heavy
guitars, excellent melodic vocals, nice lyrical themes and a very strong
production... all those things give the stigma of the album. The songs of
course give you an 80’s – 90’s feeling but this is natural, ‘cause
they were wrote back then. This is not bad by any means ‘cause it
doesn’t sound retro and old-fashioned. Those songs have worked out and
have a today’s vibe. My beloved songs from the album are: “Night
Knight”, “Child Of The Night”, “Warrior” (great epic story!),
“Into The Depths I Stare”, “Secret Journey”, “Tragedy”,
“Sensational Walk” and “Warlord Of The Night”. If you consider
yourself as a heavy/power metal fan then you no excuse not to try out Dark
Illusion... they will surprise you nicely.
Dark-N are coming from France and they are not new kids on the block since
they exist for almost a decade. They used to be called Darken from 1994 to
1997 where they call it quits. In 2004 they returned with a 3 track promo
CD which led them to a deal with Manitou/Thundering records. The music of
the band has changed since its 90’s days and here they play gothic metal
music with many rock elements. They seem to be influenced from bands like
Katatonia, Paradise Lost and Sisters Of Mercy. The production is very good
and clear although their music is not very original. I mean we have
listened to this kind of stuff in the past even better. No, they are not a
bad group but they need to give a more personal stigma to their music. The
goth rock/metal fans will find many interesting songs like “Thinkin’”,
“Sorry”, “The Only Loving One”, “Halfwords”, Son Of A Dream” and a very
good cover on The Cure’s “Lullaby”, in this release and believe me Dark-N
are much better than HIM! All of you who love gothic rock/metal music do
not ignore them.
If I remember right this is the third official full album of the Greek
band, which returns after 6 whole years. The sound of the band has changed
this time in comparison to the previous album “1999: A Step Beyond?”, as
it is not anymore very close to the traditional European power metal. This
time the band returns with a “darker”, harder yet atmospheric CD. They
still play a kind of heavy/power, which however is closer to the american
sound - reminding me groups like Mystic Force. Although the album is
guitar oriented (based on riffs and solos) it leaves enough space for the
rest of the band to “grow” and especially to the synths, which play a
crucial role in creating a haunting atmosphere. The vocalist gives some
really good performances - especially in high vocals, while the group
manages to hold the balance between sharp/fast parts and melodic solos or
bridges. I can only distinguish a flaw, which is spotted on the
production, which unfortunately is not “shiny” enough and which eventually
does not allow songs to flourish in all their dynamic.
Most of the band’s fans must be wondering if the group can survive without the vocals of Elisa Martin. For the history I must mention that Dark Moor have already released three albums, and before the recordings of this one, Elisa Martin, Albert Maroto and Jorge Saez left the band! The female singer, Elisa, was for sure the highlight of the group and the reason that have become popular in many parts of the world. So, new musicians entered the band and their names are: Alfred Romero (vocals), Andy C. (drums) and Jose Garrido (guitars). Let’s get back to the question: Can Dark Moor stay alive without the members that left the band and especially Elisa? The answer is definitely yes! Not only can they stay alive but also seem to have been reborn, cause this album is full of wonderful melodies-ideas! Their music style hasn’t changed very much so all the symphonic, operatic, power and progressive metal elements are here. The new vocalist, Alfred, was the best choice for the band, because I believe that he is the appropriate vocalist for a band like this. Congratulations Alferd, you gave a new atmosphere to the band! The ideas sound fresh and seems that these guys have worked very hard in order to create such a wonderful album. The tracks that I spotted as best are: “A Life For Revenge”, “Philip The Second”, “Wind Like Stroke”, “The Dark Moor”. Give Dark Moor a chance, if you haven’t done it already. They won’t let you down!
Third
album for the German hard rockers Dark Sky under AOR Heaven this time. The
band has worked very hard all those years and it definitely deserved a good
deal with a bigger label. After two very good albums now they seem ready to
reach bigger audiences. No, you can’t call this album AOR rather than
melodic hard rock in the vein of Scorpions, Bonfire, Jaded Heart and Fair
Warning. Dark Sky has been influenced by their com-patriots but they have
given a more sweet AOR feeling to their songs and each one of them stands
out very good. This album has many good songs like “Twisted”, “Save Our
Souls”, “Living & Dying”, “You Are My Life”, “Back Again”, “The Feeling Is
Over”, “Play The Game”, “Give Love To Everyone”, “Cute Little Lies” and my
beloved “Tonight” and contains no fillers at all. Also this release was
recorded with producer Markus Teske (Vanden Plas) and it has a very solid
and heavy sound. Those who have loved the band by its two previous albums
will be swept away by this album. Those who haven’t listened to them till
now, should better do a favor to themselves and “discover” this very good
German hard rock band. I just hope the third album along with the new label
will bring them the much desired success they deserve.
The
german band Dark Suns was founded in 1997 and since then it has released
three studio albums. The band’s previous album “Swanlike” was first
self-released and then after some time was released through a label... and
at the right time, in my opinion, Prophecy made the smart move and offered
them a deal. So, Dark Suns’s third album finds the band to have the will
and the strength to win the bet... I always believed that the third album of
a band is like a barometer for it and the same I believe for Dark Suns...
although they seem pretty cool and ready to make a bigger step in their
carrier. If I had to describe to someone the band’s music then I would
tell him to gather all his fears, hopes, dreams and melancholic thoughts,
under a gloomy rainy sky and then to feel the calm before the storm and
the rage of the storm in his dark cold paths of his mind. I do not know if
the above phrase seems a little “weird” to you, but thoughts like the one
above are coming on my mind while listening this album. If you have not
understood for what I’m talking about, just imagine the best mix of Opeth
and Porcupine Tree and then you have Dark Suns! Heavy guitars, melancholic
vocals, atmospheric synth parts along with a very onirical concept about a
journey through the dreamy emotional worlds of brittle existence. If music
to you is all about emotions and pictures then through this album you will
travel to other dimensions. The production is crystal clear and everything
seems to work great in every part of this album. So, what’s missing here?
Maybe people’s support to the band and some really crazy, die-hard fans of
the band... but this thing is on our hand. Some years ago I believed that
one of the aforementioned bands would become the next big name in
atmospheric metal music... but all that I can say now is that Dark Suns can
do it instead of them! Just see at the evening sky all the suns that
light, other brighter other not, and then imagine how you would feel if
those suns were dark?... what a “sweet” cold feeling!!!
Dark Tranquility's new album is not as atmospheric as their previous
one. But I don't think that this is absolutely bad. In the other hand
"Damage Done" is a quite heavy album with very few atmospheric
breaks and without any clean vocals. It seems that the band remembered
their past and heavier days. It is sure that you are going to like songs
like "Hours Passed In Exile", "Single Part Of Two",
"The Enemy", the very interesting instrumental "Ex
Nihilo" and in general all the songs of the album cause they all
are have killer heavy riffs! If you are fun of the band then you will
surely like, or you will have already buy "Damage Done". It is
a fact that Dark Tranquility is a very qualitative band that releases
only good or extremely good albums. I don't think that they ever going
to disappoint their fans. Also the production of the album is as good as
it should be for a band that respect itself and knows how to write
wonderful songs. It is useless to say how good band is Dark Tranquility
and what kind of music do they play and etc. If you are fun of heavy and
melodic music and you also like N.W.O.S.D.M. movement then you will
already know, that Dark Tranquility is a super band!
The old-school black metallers from Norway strike again after the “Hate Them” album. The fans of the band know exactly what to expect from them and this is what they will get! Frozen oldschool black metal in mid-tempo speed (and some fast parts) is here, together with an oldschool sound (as always…). I don’t think there are any changes in the band’s music so, the point is whether you are a fan of the band and still like what they are doing or
not...
I was once again asked to make a review of a black metal
group. I used to love black metal bands, but now most of these groups give on my
nerves! Darkthrone, as you all know, maybe better than me, belong to the
high-class groups of black metal in the metalheads mind. This is because they are true black metallers and they have offered two or maybe three landmark
disks. On the other hand, their last three albums were of very low quality and no one knows the reason
why. Their new album: "Hate Them" doesn't differ from their last three ones at
all. I can even say that it is worse than those ones! But that makes sense if you consider
that, as they claim to the cover of the album, they recorded this album within 26
hours. In such little time no one can have a good result no matter who he
is, so lets hope that they won't do that mistake in the future. Within these 26 hours they composed some slow
riffs, which are very mood, very monotonous vocals and very boring drums. The whole album shifts in low speed and it seems that they don't like the fast parts
anymore. Some lyrics are written in the English language and some are at the
Norwegian. The production, I believe it's the best thing from this boring
album, but it is good only if you consider that they play traditional Norway black metal
(although the guitars are behind the other instruments…) In my opinion, no track of this album should be mentioned by
me, because no track offered me anything at all! If you don't know the
group, don't buy this album for no reason and if you are a fan I recommend you to listen to it before buying
it. In any case, after this album I "Hate Them"… 
Dark Well is a gothic metal band that was formed in 1999 and since then it has released one full-length album and one mini CD. The band’s main characteristic was the beautiful voice of Alexandra. Now the new release of the band “Metatron” finds them with a new singer as they parted ways with Alexandra in 2003 for some personal and musical difficulties. The new singer of the band is Stephanie Luzie and her voice is very good. The band hasn’t changed its music style dramatically, so, if you have listened to the band in the past, then you know exactly what you are going to listen to here. Nothing really extraordinary or original but a nice release for the fans of gothic metal woman-fronted bands. I only think that the production should have been better and more dynamic but this is my personal point of view… maybe someone will like the album’s sound. Anyway if you are gothic metal freak and you listen to every CD of this genre then try out this one. But if you are looking for a gothic metal band that is gonna change your world then Darkwell is not that band for sure… so, try out something else..jpg)
Das
Scheit... well what the hell does it mean? Recently I was told that it
means “the shit”! What a weird phrase for a band to call itself! Do
they know something more than us or they are just a low profile band? To
get to the point Das Scheit plays a kind of gothic music, which has many
industrial, and darkwave influences. The production is good enough but
something is missing here. After several hearings I came to the conclusion
that the album lacks of inspiration. It has some good song like “Much
Deeper”, “Earth Stands Still” and “Until I’ve Been Forgotten”
but the rest of the album is very flat. No good melodies and no new ideas
in a music style that needs fresh elements to grab your attention. As for
the cover of Black’s “Coming Up Roses”, all that I have to say is
that the managed to murder one of the eternal rock diamonds! I do not like
so much “noise” in music and I do not like listening to an album that
has nothing new to offer at all. If I was a goth/industrial/darkwave
die-hard fan then I would appreciate this album more but I’m not and I
do not believe that it will impress so much the fans of this genre. Maybe
a couple of songs are good for some goth/darkwave clubs but not for me.
Dawn
Of Silence is a newcomer band from 
Deacon Street Project is a project, which formed by the well-known guitarist/composer Tommy Denander (Radioactive/Sayit) and his partner Chris Demming (AOR, Spin Gallery). They have written, all this time, many songs for various artists and finally they decided to release some of those songs under the name of Deacon Street Project and to invite some well-known artists to help them, as well. The artists that participating on the album are: Jan Johansen (Ignition), Jamie Meyer (Popstars), Bruce Gaitch (Richard Marx, Madonna), Marcel Jacob (Talisman, ex Malmsteen), Magnus Weinemo (Spin Gallery), Lars Chriss (Lions Share), Jeff Northrup (XYZ) and Sayit (Sayit). The songs of this album are in the classic melodic rock style of Journey, Toto, Giant and Survivor. The production is rather good, but I believe,
something missing that could make this album very good. The songs are in simple rock forms and to be honest if you are a fan of this genre of course you will like them, but if you also miss them it won’t be disastrous for you. For those who are not familiar with this genre, but like melodies and rock guitars songs like “Radio”, “Changes”, “Lost In The Moment”, “Before I Loved Just You”, “Love Got A Hold On Me”, “I Don’t Mind” and “Someday I’ll Offer You Surrender”, will surely please them. Personally, I was expecting something superb from Tommy but I believe that he will offer it to me (us) with the new Radioactive album. Let’s see…
Here we
are! This is the new band of the singer/frontman of the broken up Psychotic
Waltz, Buddy Lackey, who in fact has changed his name to Devon Graves. I've been waiting for this album for
long, as Psychotic is one of my beloved bands (it's a shame that they never got they breakthrough they
deserved), and I thought that Devon could prolong their music and
atmosphere. And I was right. We are talking about a great, intelligent
album, which although could have been released by Psychotic, is still a bit different and can reach a bigger
crowd. Mysterious harmonies, undergound melodies and haunting riffs is what you can find here and yes you should try
this. The sound is a mixture of Waltz (more of their "Bleeding"
album), Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Tool and...I don't know!!! It's Dead Soul
Tribe! You have to listen to it to understand, I only can say that they have adopted this magnificent Waltz
atmosphere, which works really well. The songs are short (average 5
minutes), which anables even the not experienced listener to follow and understand the
music. And yes, Devon's flute appears here again. The album gains you more after each listening and I am still not sure that I can appriciate it
properly. Waltz's fans
don't even thing about missing this album! As for the rest...try to listen to something really different from what has flooded the scene these
days.
“Edge
Of Life” is the debut album from the French band Deafening Silence,
which was formed in 1995. The band plays European heavy/power music, which
is influenced, from bands like Helloween, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius etc.
They have many and good melodies in their songs, but I have listened to
similar stuff (and even better) in the past. They do not copy from the big
bands of the genre and they have some very good heavy songs like
“Deafening Silence”, “Heavenly Dream”, “Edge Of Life”,
“Northern Star” and “Strong We Are”. Although they are not very
original they have the passion and the will to play the music that they
love most and they seem to enjoy it. The production is fine and the voice
of the singer is very good and melodic as well. The truth is that I’m
very bored in listening to the same things in heavy/power music again and
again, but there were moments that those guys really grab my attention.
This album is recommended to those who love this kind of music and they
want to have everything that is being released in this genre.
The five Swedish guys strike back with their third full-length album. After two albums in Roasting House Productions, some very important live appearances as a support group for Alice Cooper, Judas Priest and Annihilator and a new contract with Sanctuary/Noise Records this is the right time to record an album that will make the group more popular or stay at the underground scene. Their music has its roots to the thrash and doom metal and the American power metal. Combine all the above and add their personal sound and you will understand their music style! Most of the guitars (Jonas Karlgren and Sigge
Riesbeck) are very heavy (especially when they approach the doom metal sound) and the riffs are very nice. The rhythm section
(Micko Twedberg-bass and Johan Hellgesson-drums) sounds perfect and without being extremely technical they sound so fresh and exact. The vocalist, Micke
Hansson, sounds very experienced and has the ability to adjust his voice according to the music style of each track. The production is very clean and heavy and helps the group to emerge their fresh ideas. Generally, I think that this CD is the most important for the band, which has just found its personal sound, something that other groups can’t do even if they had nine lives! If you want to listen to tracks that you don’t want to wonder where you have listened this riff or this refrain again, this is a very nice buy! Best tracks: “Holy Caravan”, “Restrained”, “Elected”, “Symphony For The Unholy” and “The Blood Remains”.
This is the US death choice for this month. Decrepit Birth formed in mid 90’s finally release their debut featuring Tim Yeung on drums (Hate Eternal) and they are another speed-infected group. Morbid Angel’s satanic look, Nile’s chaotic play, a glimpse at Death, crazy speed drumming, triggers, rotten vocalist (Chris Barnes style). All the gadgets... but they are good. This is the debut? Oh yes, they are good. The sound is poor but the band is straight and hell brutal. 9 tracks, 30min. (know what they’re doing) respect to past and future, nothing tricky, just early 90’s death. I love this school, they grow like mushrooms though they are very dedicated to their play. Definitely the best combination for US underground tours this year Decrepit Birth, Severed Savior,
Diabolic… Hail!
This CD is a collection of metal bands that are not really famous now. The groups are coming from around the world (Sweden, Italy, U.S.A, Poland, Austria and other countries) and their major priority, through this album, is to become more known to the metal community. All the groups that are participating in this compilation play heavy, epic, power metal and this is a chance for us to listen their aspect about our favorite music. Most of the songs are really nice and the only wick moments are the vocals in some trucks (for example: Hell Candidates- “Dead Keep Dyin’”) and the very visible influences of some bands (for example: Antares- “Shutting The Door”, which reminds me of Metallica very much…). The best tracks of this album, which, by the way, contains eighteen tracks and almost 78 minutes of pure metal music are: Moonlight Agony - “Moonlit Horizon”, The Prowlers- “Incubus”, Madog- “Heart Of Dragonsteel”, Still Life “Illusions” and Stairway- “Under The Gun”. In general, if you want to listen to true heavy metal from bands around the world or you want to listen to groups that in the years to come will become more popular, this is the right CD for you all. Do not also forget that metal compilations like this one, in the past gave the opportunity to many people to listen for the first time bands that afterwards became truly famous. For all the rest this is simply a nice buy…
After
their long absence of the hard rock scene, Def Leppard are finally back
with "X", a new album, which shows that no matter how long,
some things are always the same! The band seems to be in a good shape
and the 13 new songs will definitely satisfy the fans of Def Leppard. I
would range the album between hard rock and rock genre with some
pop/rock elements (in songs like "Gravity") and that seems to
be my only "objection" in the whole result. Highlight of the
album is definitely "Now" (which is also the first single)
Even if "X" is far away from "Hysteria" or
"Pyromania" there are some songs that have a similar...taste…like the very nice "You're so beautiful" or
"Four Letter Word". The Leps also improve once again their
talent in writing incredible ballads. Listen to "Let Me Be The
One", "Long Long Way to Go", or "Everyday" and
you'll see what I mean! I don't know what you may think if you get this
album, but as far as it concerns me, I think that Def Leppard know very
well the recipe of making damn good albums
This
Italian duo presents in their debut album a mix of industrial with noise and
with some heavy distorted guitars. Although that I’m not fan of noisy
music in general, I like some bands of this genre but this duo has not
anything new to offer at all. The other minus of the album is that you will
found no singing in it… but you will only hear to a guy whispering or
something, sometimes in the songs. The atmosphere is dark and claustrophobic
but once again you will get bored very quickly especially if you are not a
fan of this genre. I should advice them to find a good “psycho” singer
ala Rob Zombie and to go on with some real songs… if you can, please,
reduce the noise in your songs.
The German hard rockers Demon Drive released their new album with the very
"playful " title "…Four Play" and the very
"smart" artwork, which has the shadow of a woman! Well, what a nice way for someone to start listening to an
album. As you can imagine Demon Drive do exactly what they know to do! They play
fuckin' great rock music, which "speaks" right to the heart of the
true, genuine vagabonds listeners and fans of the band or even the fans of the great band
Casanova! In "…Four Play" you can listen to truly melodic hard rock music in the vein of Casanova and to really hard rock songs that comes straight from the heart without any
fal-fal!!! Highlights of the album are the opener rocker "Roller Coaster
Ride", the refreshing cover "Devil Woman" which is an oldie song of Cliff
Richard, the catchy rocker "Dance Into The Music", the memorable and
radio-friendly "Because Of You", the mid-tempo "Remember Where You Heard It
First" and my personal favorite "Here Comes That Feeling
Again" which is a remake of an old Casanova song which was only available on the
"One Of These Days" maxi-CD as bonus track! This song actually
kills!!! Also the production of the album is what exactly a hard rock band
needs. Clear and powerful production and let the band rock! The only bad thing that I've read
lately, is that the band has split up and Michael Voss the vocalist will go on as a producer for Biss and Silver and that the other three guys are trying to find a new
band! If that thing is true, then it is such a pity for a very good hard rock band to end up like
that. I will search things out and I will inform you as soon as possible about that
issue. Let's hope that all those things are just rumors. Or else then
"…Four Play" is the last album of the band, and I don't want to think about that
contingency…(note: Unfortunately Demon Drive split up)...
I
seriously don’t understand this trend: why some musicians keep on
releasing “solo” albums or “projects” that contain music they could
initially play with their original band... Anyway, I hope that the motives
are related to music and not to profit. What we have here is the famous
collaboration of Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth) and Hanschi Kursch (Blind
Guardian), who return with their second seed after five years. Ok, for power
fans and especially fans of the two groups the release has much to give.
Don’t expect much surprise here. In fact it sounds like Iced Earth with
Blind Guardian’s melodic lines (both leading and background ones). In
essence the album is the perfect amalgam of “The Glorious Burden” and
“A Night At The Opera” (Blind Guardian’s album and not the monumental
Queen classic). Despite the cliché of the effort, I can’t resist writing
that at times the CD is interesting and will basically satisfy all pure
heavy metal fans. “Beneath These Waves” for example is a magnificent
sample of the good music that runs out of the speakers. The major advantage
of this second album of the two musicians is that we find some guitar solos
that give breathing space to the songs. The major disadvantage is that they
use the same drum machine that Iced Earth do. Anyway, in general this is a
safe choice for heavy metal fans.
The music style that Demons Of Dirt are playing is very
weird. I say so, cause their music can be described as a mixture of Swedish
death/thrash metal with Pantera and some rock 'n' roll elements!!! Many parts in their songs will remind you the
super-band Pantera (especially the mid-tempo parts) but fortunately this
album, in general, is unequal cause doesn't have good many musical
compositions, and the good ones are very few. Songs like "Devil By The
Horns" (death 'n' roll!!!), and "Disrespect" are representing the music style that Demons Of Dirt must follow in the future if they want to be more interesting as a
band. Let's hope that they'll work it out well in the next release.
Destiny are back with their new full-length album and most of the hardcore fans will have already been pleased. This is the second full-length album for the band, which was formed in 1997. I don’t know many things about the group and the hardcore in general, so my judge is suitable only for those who have listened only few hardcore bands. These guys have very aggressive metallic background guitars and a strong-tough rhythm section. The vocalist is singing violent most of the times, although that this album includes some clean and melodic vocals (very few). The very heavy guitars have some melodic parts and some nice riffs that are really interesting for a group that comes from the hardcore scene, because the guitar sound will many times remind you of the melodic death metal group of Sweden... I must also mention that the production is excellent, for a hardcore band, and very strong. My favourite songs included in this album are: “Skies Dressed In Black”, “To Embrace Beauty”, “Kiss Us Goodbye” and “Passing Moments”. The last track I mentioned is accompanied with a nice video, which was included in the promo CD… The fans of the band will surely find this album interesting, but the fans of hardcore in general will not find something really interesting here, except the clean and melodic vocals. The decision belongs to you…
Destructor is another band from America, which comes from the mid-80’s period. Although they begun with a lot of power and their future seemed to be very good, some tragic facts inside the band (like the murder of their bassist) pushed the band back. So, after that incident as it is logical, the band took much time to overcome from that bad situation. Finally on 2002 the band found a new bass-player and reunited. The result of that reunion was “Sonic Bullet” which is an E.P. that has 9 songs and lasts 46 minutes! Five of that songs are new recordings (“Sonic Bullet”, “Heavy Artillery”, “Silent Enemy”, “Blackest Night”, “Master Of The Universe”), two tracks from the previously unreleased 2000 sessions (“G-Force”, “The Triangle”) and two “live” tracks recorded in 2002 at the Classic Metal Festival (“Pounding Evil”) and at the band’s opening set for Slayer in Cleveland (“Iron Curtain”). In this point I must say that the Destructor plays American heavy/power/thrash music and if you bring on your mind bands like Hallows Eve or Agent Steel you will surely have a better view of their music style. Who knows? Maybe if they haven’t so many problems back in 1985 they would have become very known group like the two aforementioned bands or even better but… that did not happen back then. This E.P. is for sure a good release for the nostalgic fans of that mid-80’s power/thrash sound. The good thing is that the band is currently finishing up writing new material and plan to release a full-length album in 2004.
Another brutal-hyper-speed Death/Black band. This promo comes with no information, but I found some things about them on their label’s site. “Infinity Through Purification” is the third album of Diabolic but as well, is the first album that the band recorded, after 1997 where they were formed, with having two new members, - Eric Hersemann on the guitars and Gael Barthelemy on the drums - after the original ones left the band Also to mention here that the band has toured in the U.S. with bands like Amon Amarth, Cryptopsy, Dimmu Borgir, Enslaved and Krisiun. As it concerns this album it has very good songs, well performed and with a good sound and an appropriate production. They successfully combine Cannibal Corpse’s brutality with Behemoth’s satanic mystery and Deicide’s technique. An also talented vocalist who can switch between death grind to black screams easily. Fans of extreme metal should check this one out on November 17th. Don’t expect something completely new but a neat record with great music from a group who definitely has a bright future on the extreme scene.
I don’t have many things to write about this album. What we get here is the collaboration between Corey Parks (Nashville Pussy) and Duane Peters (U.S. Bombs) in 15 tracks of punk rock. Although their original groups kick ass, here the outcome is poor. Second class punk / rock and roll, which is supposed to come “straight from hell” but in essence comes from nowhere and goes nowhere. Same old ideas, loads of attitude (this is the good part of the album) and 15 tracks that just don’t seem to work. Sorry, but I didn’t like it. It is only suggested to stuck punk rock fans that like anything the genre has to offer.
Dig
Jelly is an LA woman fronted band that was formed in 2000. The third
independent album of the band “For Your Inner Angry Child” was released
in 2003 and after that it was fully edited and repackaged by Centerline
Entertainment and re-released after almost 2 years. So, “For Your Inner
Angry Child” is the first official work of the band which is currently
working on the new album. Here we find elements from many music styles such
as modern rock, hip-hop, metal and punk and I must admit, although I’m no
a very big fan of nu-rock/metal, hip hop music that the result is more than
good. The fans of this kind of music have finally found a new very promising
band. Do not be surprised if this band makes a big carrier in US the next
years. The female mastermind of the band the cute Rayko (vocal / guitar /
keyboards) has a wonderful voice and some very smart ideas as it concerns
the songwriting. If you are tired of listening to the same bands again and
again and you love modern rock/hip-hop/punk music with attitude then try
without any fear a very good newcomer band.
Yes, indeed this is earth. I don’t know which universe this band comes
from but someone has to inform them that (at least here) on earth we are a
bit fed up with prog/power releases that try unsuccessfully to distinguish
themselves from the crowd. Ok the intentions might be good and to make
yourself distinct is also good. Troubles begin when the outcome is
controversial. I can listen to a mixture of hundreds of influences here,
from Dream Theater, to Queensryche, to Rush, to Conception etc. However
the outcome is so confusing for the listener. The songs lack a clear
structure, rhythms change rapidly - or better say the ideas are abruptly
interrupted, with result that you cannot follow the evolution of band’s
ideas. I cannot undermine the skills of the band, some really good ideas,
the exceptional rhythm section, which forms a solid wall and some
interesting melodies. But again the whole structure is so anarchical! If
they decide to put their thoughts and ideas in order... we will be here.
There are many black metal fans that they don’t like groups like Dimmu Borgir or Cradle Of Filth. On the other hand, there is the phenomenon to love black metal and to hate one of the above two groups and of course there is the minority who likes both of them. That is because, as it is said, groups like them have made black metal music to enter the charts, something that those “fans” probably don’t want at all. Dimmu Borgin, if you want my opinion, is a big band. They are very good musicians, they have great compositions, powerful production and of course progress. Their previous album “Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia” was a real surprise for the metal community and I was almost sure that they would never manage to create something better than that. Now that their new album is released I think that they made something better or at least equal with their previous one! When you first hear it you will feel like hearing a dark soundtrack of the end of the world or the soundtrack of a horror movie! Their music is influenced by black, death and thrash metal along with some orchestral soundtracks. They also hired a symphonic orchestra for once again, in order to give a magical, more realistic sound and deeper feeling to their songs. In this album you can listen to great and extra heavy riffs, dark, evil vocals, great melodies, very tight rhythm section and an incredible drumming from the familiar, to most of you, drummer, Nick Barker, the one with the unlimited abilities! The production is for once again magnificent and that is ought to Fredrik Nordstrom. Now, don’t wait me to tell you which tracks to listen to first, before buying the album because I can’t pick out any. This album must be listened to as a whole because it’s like a theatrical work, where you cannot see only a part of it, if you want to understand and to feel everything the creator wants to transmit. The last thing I need to say to those who believe that Dimmu Borgir and Cradle Of Filth are in conflict is that their, so-called, warfare gives us great albums from both sides and that the ones who don’t follow the bands will surely loose…
Another interesting reissue, after the tribute to Euronymous, is released by Karmageddon Media. Dimmu Borgir recorded the MCD “Devil’s
Path” in 1996 and the other MCD, “In The Shades Of Life”, is the debut CD of Old
Man’s Child back in 1994. In 1999, Hammerheart Records decided to release a split album that contained the above MCDs. The Dimmu Borgir tracks are the following: “Master Of
Disharmony”, which is included in their later album “Enthrone Darkness
Triumphant” in different version, “Devil’s Path”, and two different versions of the Celtic Frost track “Nocturnal
Fear” (from “Morbid Tales”). The Old Man’s Child tracks are “St.
Aiden’s Fall”, “Seeds Of The Ancient Gods”, “The Old Man’s
Child”, which have english lyrics, and “Manet Sorgfull Gjennom Skogen”, “…Og Jeg Iaktokk Dodsrikets Inntog”, which have norwegian lyrics. The Old
Man’s Child tracks are much better than the Dimmu Borgir and include many acoustic guitars, some clean vocals and folk influences! This CD is important only for the fans of the above groups, cause here we have the first recordings of Old
Man’s Child and the first steps of Dimmu Borgir, which have very few common elements with their later recordings! All the other fans of metal music
won’t find anything really interesting here… The booklet is very interesting, because it contains the story of the two groups until the year 1999, the line-up of these recordings and also all the
tracks’ lyrics. Finally, in order to avoid any misunderstanding, I must say that this split album, when it was first released, had the title: “Sons Of Satan Gather For
Attack”.
Dirty old Ronnie seems to be in great shape during the last few
years. Proof of that? After the very good previous album "Magica", he and his band return
with the magnificent new work "Killing the Dragon"! We are talking about a
huge boulder, casting a deep shadow on some kids who want to produce
"fantasy" stories and cover them with "epic" music. The godfather of
mystic, majestic, fantasy metal is here for good. Doomy songs (Throw away the
Children) are mixed with fast dynamites (Better in the Dark) and
mid-tempo
hymns (Scream - Rock and Roll) and I believe this is the best album of the
short guy in a long time. It might be needless to say that his voice is in
perfect shape: he manages to sing high and low fluently, but the most amazing thing is his
expressiveness, as he narrates (not only sings) his fantasy stories. Astonishing is the variety of the album which seems to
combine something from every step from Ronnie's big carrier - don't forget
that he was behind albums-monuments like Rainbow's "Rising" and Black Sabbath's
"Heaven and
Hell". It might be unfair to mention some songs from
the album as all of them are original diamonds. However I cannot resist mentioning the monumental opus
"Throw Away the Children" with the children
choir at the end...maybe among his best songs ever. I don't think that you
expect anything else to be convinced that this is a damn good new
release. Congratulations!
Here we are once more with one more euro-power metal album. I’m not quite sure but this must be Dionysus second or third album... and the band still plays the same things. It’s not bad, it’s not great, just one more time around of the same things. It seems that the same review can be given in any of all those euro-power groups. They don’t play bad and the songs are easy-listening and amusing, but the variations are small... if are any. Kiske (or for the younger ones) Kotipelto-like vocals, double bass drumming, clear production, hymnical guitar melodies and harmonies and marching refrains. However I have to say that Dionysus in this album present some really good and catchy vocal lines and refrains, which set them one level above the crowd of similar groups. If you are new into the genre, then you can try it and maybe for you the album deserves much more than the grade I give here.
How
many of you do you remember this Canadian band? Hmm… I have forgotten of
it already but that’s the good thing with the releases of SunCity records.
They are not only givin’ you some unreleased songs of he band but they
remind you of the band as well and you have the chance to go all over the
specific band again as I did with Dirty Rhythm. In truth to be told, the one
and only album of the band “Hard As A Rock” is an excellent hard rock
album of the 90s in the vein of Skid Row, Heaven’s Edge and XYZ. I’m
sure that those who have heard of this album and probably liked it, they
were waiting something new from this band that it never came out. So, now
you have the chance to listen to the 6 songs that the band has written after
its debut album but they never saw the light of the day. They have the same
vibe as the songs on the debut although now sometimes things getting
harder… they have a more Skid Row edge. The sound is very good and the
album was re-mastered by Gregg Fulkerson. Ahh just to add that if you get
this album you will have as a bonus the video clip of the hard rock hymn
“Feel The Fire”… can you easily bypass such a gift?!
The
“sick” Germans are back with album number six almost two years after
their excellent previous “Spreading The Rage”. “66Sick” musically
is not far away from their previous albums but to my ears is not as good
as “Spreading The Rage”. On the other hand I really think that the new
album will satisfy all the fans of the band because it’s well produced
(this time the production was done by 
To be honest with you, I still cannot find a good reason why I decided to listen to this album. Maybe it was the bizarre artwork that it has; maybe it was the name of the band, or maybe it was the title of the CD? Maybe I don’t even know why! The thing here is that although I do not listen to extreme metal music for many years now (I listen to only a few albums per year of this genre), I wanted to listen to this album. So, when the play from the CD player was pushed it came out of my speakers…the wrath, the rage and the fury!!! Do you think that I’m joking? No, in any way… absolutely no! Disbelief’s new album is one of the sickest and paranoid albums that I have listened to, for many years! Therefore let’s took things from the start. “Spreading The Rage “ is the fifth album for the Germans and the second album that they release for the Massacre records label. I have only listened to their last year’s album and although it was a good one it didn’t grab my attention. Maybe that was because I’m not anymore an extreme metal fan, but maybe it was not as good as “Spreading The Rage”. The music of Disbelief has not change very much from their previous works but this time the paranoia and the insanity that they offer us is much better and darker than before! The vocals of Karsten, I think that, are sicker and more possessed in this album and for sure the songs are very good and they are in the same death/extreme/dark music path of Disbelief. Even though their music style has been described as death metal meets the paranoia of Neurosis I can also say that there is something more to that. The unique brutal voice of the singer can “haunt” your ears! As for the production of this album I think that the name of Andy Classen says many more things that I can! The songs that will “disturb” you for good are: “To The Sky”, “No More Lies”, “Spreading The Rage”, “Ethic Instinct”, “Death Will Score”, “Drown” and “Democracy”. The fact is that I liked this album (although I am not an extreme metal fan) and that means that the fans of this genre will surely love this “sick” work! Now I understand that Disbelief are not only spreading the rage but also the mania and the anger… let’s join them!
Disruption was formed in 1999 and it is coming from 
“Replika” is the new album (the third release of the band, if I’m right…) for the electro-metal band named Division Alpha. Their music is a mixture of plenty kinds of music, such as industrial, gothic, ambient, nu-metal and extreme metal. Their sound may remind you of Rammstein but when you first listen to a few songs from the album, you will realize that these guys use more electronic sounds and more extreme- strange vocals. Now that I referred to the vocals, I must admit that the vocalist creates a paranoiac atmosphere with his voice that changes very often from gothic to more electronic. The production is very good, although that the mix of so many different kinds of music is not an easy work at all. Some of the tracks that worth to listen to are: “Inside Replika”, “Intenebrity”, “Revelation” and “Suspended Lives” (there is also a video clip for this song which is really sick!). The artwork is not something really interesting but it is suitable for their music style. The limited edition double CD includes remixed tracks and the video clip mentioned above. This CD is a nice buy for those who like bands like Rammstein and listen to more electronic and gothic sounds very often. For the rest, and for me, this is something different from the usual albums, so the grade may not be representative for some of you.
Hmm
this band is a very pleasant surprise for me! To be honest I don't have
much information about them...in fact I only have their CD in my hand! I
don't know if this is their first effort (I think so though), or where
they are coming from. But who cares??? The album is pure hard rock
dynamite!!!! And by hard rock I mean really hard...not any AOR elements
or blues traces here!! I might be sacrilegious but in moments they
remind me a lot of Deep Purple during the Mark II and especially Machine
Head album! Exaggerating??? Not really, at least you all know what I am
talking about now. The songs are characterised by the heavy guitars and
the melodic solos, the extended use of old-fashioned keyboards (sounds
like a Hammond!!!) and are embellished with multiple voices contributing
to the creation of a great atmosphere. The singer is really good:
although his voice doesn't resemble Ian Gillan's, he is directly
influenced by him and sings in the same way (with extended vowels - and
loads of "auch", "oh-oh" and things). Especially in
the ballad "Look into my Eyes" is as if I am listening to Deep
Purple. But please don't think that they are just cheap imitators!!!
They have enriched their music with more elements and the production is
modern. Just try to listen to "Not Wanted" and you will
understand what I am talking about. Good work! Congratulations!!!
Whereas most of the old school rockers presented and keep
presenting great albums in the last couple of years, Dokken with this new release make an exception. Not that “Hell To
Pay” is a bad CD, but it is for sure not equivalent to the similar releases of the last months (Scorpions’ for example)
and for sure beyond the high standards of the band. If the album came from an unknown band the review here would be more
lax, but from bands like Dokken we expect much more. Dokken here present their usual music approach, but the songs are
very similar to each other, the riffs are weak, the solos are chatty and the music in general a bit nerveless and boring. I
cannot distinguish a hit that would save the album. Of course there are some good songs like “Better Off Before”, but are
not enough. It would be a shame to search for a couple of songs in a Dokken album to name it good. Even the ballads are
soooo common here. I think that only the inveterate fans of the group might like this album. Try your luck elsewhere.
Dokken are finally
back! This is very good, cause I really like Dokken and I know that I'm not the only
one. So let me, frst of all, inform you about the line up of the band. Just see who is who without
comments: Don Dokken (vocals/guitars), John Norum (guitars), Barry Sparks
(bass) and Mick Brown (drums). Well I think that the names above have their own great story in the hard rock
music, so there's nothing more to add. And what more we can expect from Dokken than excellent hard rock songs and superb
ballads? "Long Way Home" has everything that you want! Hard rock dynamites like
"Sunless Days" (this song will be the first single of the
album), the eastern "Little Girl" (where you can listen to the cymbals and the eastern rhythm in the middle of the
song!), the very listenable "Heart Full Of Soul" (pay attention to the cymbals that playing in the
song), the melodic "Magic Road" and the divine "There Was A
Time" (simply one of the best songs that Dokken have ever
written!). Also the album has two great ballads, the sentimental "Goodbye My Friend" and the magnificent
"I've Found" (with the very good lyrical concept). I'm convinced that the almighty hard rock music has returned and every month we listened
to, so many good releases and that is very encouraging. The fans of hard rock must be very
glad, especial when great bands like Dokken are releasing new albums. 
Dol’
Ammad is the band that the Greek keyboardist Thanasis Lightbridge, created
at the end of the 90’s. The band has already released one demo in 2001 and
another one in 2002 with a choir taking part in the recordings. Their
music has some classical and a few electronic influences and it will
remind you much of Therion (after the Amazing “Theli” album)… The rest of
the band’s members are: Jimmy Wicked on guitars, Nick Terry on bass and
Alex Holzwarth (Sieges Even, ex- Rhapsody) on drums. This album is an
instrumental one, except some choir vocals, which were recorded with the
help of a 12 male and female choir! The leading instruments here are the
keyboards, which create some wonderful classical and electronic sounds and
a very nice atmosphere. I believe that listening to this album, feels like
listening to a soundtrack… The music sometimes is fast and chaotic and
others it becomes mid-tempo, melodic and majestic. The production was,
made by Thanasis and Andy Stream and it is good, although I think it could
have be done better, especially as it concerns the sound of the guitars
and the choir. Generally, this is a remarkable album and I think that
Thanasis can do even better in the future, if we consider that this is his
debut album...
Dol Ammad is another great band that comes from Thessalonica - Greece. The man behind the band is the talented Thanasis Lightbridge, who writes the songs, the lyrics and he has also made the production of the album. Well, you might wonder what kind of music Doll Ammad play. To be honest you can't easily describe the kind of music that they're playing. Thanasis seems to have many influences as a musician and particularly from many other kinds of music and not only metal music. The result proves that is not something bad at all. So their music can be described as a mixture of metal and electronic music with a few effects. From the very first listening of the album I noted that the main influences of Dol Ammad are Therion, Bal-Sagoth and Jean Michel Jarre. I also must not forget to mention the very clever and magnificent way that the choir is being used. Songs like the "Eclipse (Corona Of The Sun)", "Vortex 3003" and "Boxed Daylight (Part I) shows that Dol Ammad knows how to compose beautiful, clever and melodic music. The album has 6 songs and it will demand many listenings from anyone to catch the feeling that every song has. It is true that Dol Ammad play a strange kind of music that will surely travels you through many places by listening to it. I don't know how many bands will follow the music way that Dol Ammad have opened, but I'm sure that this album will be loved from all the fans of high-quality and tuneful music. I hope that Dol Ammad will manage to sign to a lusty record label, actually cause they deserve it. Also it will be a pity if the people don't have the chance to listen to such an enormous album like "Electronica-Art-Metal". I'm sure that if everything goes right, then Dol Ammad will make many brilliant things in the future. A very good
job!
The truth is that I was longing to listen to the new Domain album so, when I got the CD in my hands I keep it for myself without telling the others any word! Afterwards they figure it out but that’s another thing… Well as it concerns the new (sixth in a row) work of Domain I
am quite impressed. The band as you all know exists from the late 80’s, it split up after 1991 and it came back to music scene in 2001. It is a fact that Domain have made their sound heavier and that’s due to the changing of their rhythm section, the new members are Stefan Kollner (ex-Symphorce) on drums and Sandro Lo Giudice (Circle Of Pain) on bass, and also due to the touring with bands like HTP (Hughes Turner Project) and Shakra. So, “The Sixth Dimension” is the heaviest album of the band till now, but it remains in the hard rock/heavy metal path of Domain. The difference is that this time I noticed some power metal and also epic metal elements in their songs. Fast guitars, thunderous drumming, excellent vocals and melodic hooklines! It sounds pretty good huh? Ii will be much better when you’ll listen to the opener “World Gone Crazy”, the heavy up-tempo (and my favourite one) “Your Favourite Curse”, the epic “King’s Tears”, the melodic hard rocker “Young Hearts Can Fly”, the heavy “Talk To The Wind”, the powerful guitar driven “Warpath”, the rocker “Time Machine”, the heavy/power “Skylighter” (which has a very smart atmospheric break in the middle of the song) and the emotional ballad “One Perfect Moment”. Domain released a very fresh and heavy album, which I’m sure it wont’ disappoint any fan of the band and maybe even get some new fans to them. I do not think that it is a disadvantage, cause the album is rather heavy, but on the other hand personally I like a lot the new heavy sound of the band. Axel Ritt once again impresses us with his guitar skills and Carsten is definitely in a perfect shape! His vocals are more powerful than ever before! Moreover the production of the album is very strong and clear, as it should be for a heavy album like “The Sixth Dimension”. Just to add that the album will be released as well in a limited digi-pack edition, which will include a very interesting heavy, fast cover to Aerosmith’s “Rats In The Cellar” and a video clip of the last year’s album opener “Charade”. The fans of the band and in general the fans of hard rock/heavy metal music, should at least listen to Domain’s “The Sixth Dimension”.
Fourth album for the Italian band... time flies. I can still remember the buzz around their debut album that introduced the cult figures to larger audiences. Domine have evolved since then and their releases turned them into steady values in the contemporary power arena. To be honest sometimes I feel that the band is still underestimated, in comparison at least to other similar bands. This new album finds them sounding more up-tempo with less epic elements, something that is not coercively bad. In fact it is a bit of change for the sound of the group. Although this works well for the time being, it contains a danger if the band follows this approach: Domine can become one more euro-power metal band. I think that a song like “True Believer” which bows to the German power metal scene is not the best approach that Domine should follow. Anyway, the good thing is that the band does not seem confined. Stories about Elric of Melnibone, ascending melodies, burning riffs, excellent orchestrations, epic feeling, and this known feeling of spiritual ascension are present here in vast sums. Domine, Doomsword and Rhapsody, although being totally different among them, are the holy triad of Italy's power metal scene. And to be honest all three bands belong to the elite of
European heavy metal... and we will just follow them.
Another side-project... my goodness, we are talking about a menace here! Well to be honest this is not entirely a side-project, rather the solo album of Tim Donahue. For those who don’t know Tim, I can say that he is a very talented guitar player, whose style owes much to Devin Townsend and Steve
Vai. Anyway, in this album we also run into James LaBrie and Mike Mangin (Drums). The three virtuosos here present a hybrid of prog metal, electronic sounds and doom feeling. The first thing that comes to mind when listening to the album is Dream Theater, not only because of
LaBrie, but also because of the music (however I have to mention that it sounds like second class Dream Theater). The musical capabilities are given and in technical terms the album is complete. But the outcome is wordy, aimless, without clear target and to be honest at least to my ears it sounds a bit tiring.
Sorry...
Well,
this self-titled debut album really made my day! The Australian band may be
a newcomer but its members are not any new kids on the music block. So, take
a look at the wonderful artwork of the album and keep in mind that one of
the two guitarists, Mick Cocks, is the original Rose Tattoo guitarist and
then tell what kind of music do you believe that Doomfoxx play? Yes,
you’re damn right... they play party hard rock n’ roll music with AC/DC,
Rose Tattoo and The Cult influences! I like this CD because it’s full of
energy and nice rocker tunes. The production is very good and clear and
songs like “Piece of Me”, “Boyfriend”, My Beautiful Friends”,
“Drugs”, “Abandon All Hope” and Rock N’ Roll Show” will rock you
to the ground. If you bow to the above bands and all that matters to you is
rock n’ roll, whiskey and beautiful women (what a superb artwork!) then do
not waste any time, go out and grab this album right away!
I think this is the first effort for the
band...and it's not bad at
all to be honest. The cover of the album introduces you to what you are going to listen to
hear: epic/power metal. And this is it my friends. Pure epic metal they way we like
it. The whole package reminds me a lot of the old mid-80's days, when Manowar's eagle
dominated the horizon. Bloodthirsty warriors are ready to invade your room and the feeling of the battle is present
throughout the album. Don't expect to listen to European power metal
here. We are
talking about epic-power in the path of the American way. They remind me a lot of Manowar
(of course), Manilla Road, Omen, Trouble (sometimes). The atmosphere of the album is similar to Domine's first record
(Chamipon Eternal), but their sound is quite close
to the cult legend Heavy Load, although Doomsword's songs are much more
doomy. By the way I should mention that most of the songs here
are mid-tempo, creating this feeling of intellectual uplift. If you are a fan of this kind of
sound, then this record might calm your thirst. My only objection is the length of the
songs. Almost all of them exceed the 7 minutes of duration, without any obvious reason
for doing so. The result is that towards its end, the record becomes a bit
boring. But what is that in comparison to the battle
feeling weget from the album? Grab your swords!
Here
is the return of the lady who proves that heavy metal is not only a
"man's thing" during the last two decades. Doro Pesch strikes
back with a good album full of energy. After all, the German singer
deserves our respect for all her contribution to the rock/metal scene.
The new album is close to her usual sound: straight, on-the-road heavy
metal with guts. No it isn't as good as the "Doro" album, but
it surely deserves your attention. There magnificent moments here like
"Untouchable" and the "weird" "Salvaje".
However one of my favourite songs is "Descend" where she makes
a duet with Type O Negative's Pete Steele..really dark touchy song! I
don't know what else to write about this album. If you don't like Doro
(either in her solo carrier or with Warlock), then I don't think that
this CD will conquer you. Nevertheless, if you are open enough you can
realise that there are still ladies with guts out there! Give it a try.
Down is a
super-band that comes from New Orleans (Is a dying whore?!), consisting of Phil Anselmo on vocals
(Pantera), Pepper Keenan on the guitar (Corrosion of Conformity), Kirk Weinstein on the guitar
(Crowbar), Jimmy Bower on drums (Eyehategod, COC, Clearlight), and the recently added Rex Brown on the bass
(Pantera). This is their second release after almost 7 years, and it is very
complicated. What do I mean with the word complicated? Well this not an album that you're gonna love it from the first time that you will listen to
it. You may need to listen to this album many times to catch the feeling and the atmosphere that those five
"crazy" guys want to give you and have in my mind. The music of this album is a combination of 70's
blues/southern/rock music with the heavy riffing of the 00's. Phil's vocals become aggressive only when they have to and the vocal melodies that he sings are coming straight from the 70's! The
highlights, of this album, are "Learn From This Mistake", a heavy
slow tempo, with a great lyrical concept, hymn, "Landing On The Mountains Of
Meggido" a psychedelic (full of 70's prog-psycho feeling) song with a very clever
orchestration, the heavy-blues diamond "Lies…" and the southern
"Where I'm Going". The fans of Down have already bought this album and many of them have understood the quality and the heaviness that Down and this album
hides! The rest of you, give yourself a chance and try at least to listen to an
album, which in many years from now might be considered from lots of people as a cult classic
release. Only time will tell…
We
are talking about a complete madhouse here! The Detroit trio must be
totally transcendenced. The mixture of sounds, musical genres and styles
has one certain result: complete psychedelia. This is the third full
length album of the band (although the first one had only limited
distribution) and one thing I can say about the musical identity of the
group is that, they play a mixture of so many things that makes them hard
to be shelved under one musical style. The thing here is that DTB do not
grind their influences together to create one solid (yet variable) sound.
On the contrary they choose to play in a different style in almost every
song. Consequently you can jump from a funk song, to a nostalgic
pop-rock-cabaret (like the wonderful “Mangina”) hybrid, from
Motorhead-like thunders (“Welcome To The Acropolis”) to lyrical
instrumentals (“Free Charlie”), from heavy metal to punk rock and then
again to a kind of nu-metal!! I seriously am at a loss of words about this
and very hesitant to grade it. That’s because on the one hand the band
manages to meet the demands of each style, providing us with really good
songs. On the other hand I feel as if they haven’t yet decided what
style they want to stick to, composing thus a mixture of everything.
However I cannot underestimate the obvious capabilities of the band and
some excellent songs (of various styles). I think that once what we listen
to is good, it doesn’t really matter what it is. For those who can
handle changes...
The
super-fast band from London strikes again with its second album “Sonic
Firestorm”. Their first album (“Valley Of The Damned”) didn’t
manage to impress the power metal audience although that their abilities
are more than good. This new CD is musically similar with the previous
one, so their fast melodic power metal with the speed metal parts is here
once again. The band right now consists of Herman Li (guitars), Sam Totman
(guitars), ZP Theart (vocals), Vadim Pruzhanov (keyboards), Adrian Lambert
(bass) and David Mackintosh (drums) and all of them come from different
countries! The guitar playing is for once again very fast and melodic and
evokes everyone’s admiration. The rhythm section is extremely fast in
some parts and gives a speed metal feeling in the whole album. My only
complaint is for the vocals, which I believe they could have been much
better… Lets go now to their composing abilities, which in the recent
past were weak. Now they seem to have been improved, although that you
will not find many interesting parts in this CD except the extremely
technical and fast playing… Anyway, the guys seem to get improved in
every new release and that is very good. Finally, Karl Groom (Threshold)
made the production and it is heavy and clean. If you like melodic power
and speed metal, technical and fast playing, then check them out without
any second thought!