Author Archives: Odyssey

About Odyssey

I have had a life-long love of music, but from the first time I heard Kiss and Black Sabbath with my landlord's son in Nicholasville, KY in the mid 70's, I have been hooked on Hard Rock and Metal. While my tastes in music have done nothing but expand since then, Metal remains closest to my heart. In addition, I have played bass, still play guitar and have literally 1000's of CDs/MP3s, so my knowledge is long steeped and honest. I don't buy the whole splintered, sub-genres thing and choose to like bands and music based solely on individual merits. Obviously, this is always colored by my mood, what I need at any given point and time and what is generally pleasing to my ear. I also don't like to rip any music or band, instead having an open mind and ear for it all because I have a passion for it all. It is completely subjective and in a constant state of flux. Consider me a music "nerd" not a music "snob". As an extension of this love, I hope to share this passion with everyone here and learn from your passion as well! - Odyssey -

Your Chance To Die Sign On With EMP: Underground!

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It has just been announced that Technical/Melodic Death Metal veterans Your Chance To Die have joined forces with EMP Label Group (EMP: Underground) and have released “Shadown and Flame” on EMP: Underground Volume One (Sampler). The new song was mixed and mastered by Jamie King with executive production covered by Thom Hazaert and none other than Megadeth’s David Ellefson! The sampler is available now at EMP. With a new album on the near horizon (Ex–Nihilo due out in Spring 2017), Your Chance To Die has a very promising future ahead of them!

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Interview With Poltergeist As They Prepare To Unleash “Back To Haunt”

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Poltergeist was formed in 1988 and released three Thrash albums that remain cult classics to this day: Depression (1989), Behind My Mask (1989) and Nothing Lasts Forever (1993). After over 20 years, Poltergeist has returned and are set to unleash their much anticipated Back to Haunt due out October 21, 2016 on the Pure Steel Record label! We here at MN have the pre-release and it is a serious kick in the ass! While Dragon staked quick claim on the album review (soon to be published) I got the true honor of an interview with this legendary master of old school Thrash! Freakin’ stoked about this one!

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Armada Gets Serious With Their Debut Release: “Of An Ocean”

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Unfortunately, good bands come and go no matter how big they become all the time. Personal conflicts, outside responsibilities, frustration with the industry, among countless other things all take their toll on performing musicians. While fans often lift them up as super-human, they are not. Most musicians I know, big or small, share a single, what should be obvious goal: to share a piece of themselves through their undying passion for music. The Hollywood glitz and glamor media crowd would have you believe it to be driven by money, fame, girls or whatever other vice fascinates the artist being the driving factor.

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Review Of Denmark Power Metal Gods: Iron Fire, ‘Among The Dead’

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Due out this Friday, September 16th from Demark’s premier Power Metal outfit Iron Fire is their release of Among the Dead. After sixteen years and seven albums, the authors of Power Metal’s cult classic Thunderstorm, On the Edge in 2001, Speed Metal inspired Revenge in 2006, Blade of Triuph (2007), To the Grave in 2009, Metalmorphosized (2010) and Voyage of the Damned in 2012 still have the hunger they had back at the turn of the millennium until today. After a number of line-up and sound changes over the years, original founding members Martin Steene on vocals and bass and Kirk Backarach on guitars are joined again by their original drummer Gunnar Olsen who rejoined the band back in 2015 after a fifteen year hiatus and are going back to their roots. The resulting CD is exceptionally good Power Metal that will be felt everywhere when this beast drops!

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State of the Art: Eternal Voyager

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*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*

This month’s State is Minnesota!

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Coincidence, fate or just good timing, it is funny how things work out sometimes. While we are having no difficulties finding good Metal in Minnesota, a band was brought to my attention just before the state was chosen for this month’s State of the Art series. Heavy Power Metal (which, incidentally, is one of my favorite types of Metal) analogous to legendary bands like Iron Maiden, Hammerfall, Blind Guardian, Amon Amarth and Iced Earth. This week I give you Eternal Voyager.

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The Hard Science Based Sorcery Of Helion Prime

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Well I’ll be damned! I have been listening to Graveshadow for quite a while now and reviewed them as has BloodRoseRed for our State of the Art: California series. Great minds I suppose. Anyway, MN has worked with Online Metal Promo for some time now and was offered an interview with Sacramento’s own, Helion Prime. After listening to them I grabbed the offer and decided to lead in with this review. Too good a band to interview without an introduction. After listening to them a few more times, it struck me where I had heard that beautiful voice before. That’s right. Heather Michele, lead singer of Graveshadow. I am nothing if not consistent!

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Soften the Glare: ‘Mission Possible Tour’!

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Awesome news! Our friends Ryan Martinie (bass player of Mudvayne), Bon Lozaga (guitarist extraordinaire from Gong and Tiny Boxes) and Mitch Hull (drummer for Gongzilla, Staxx, Chameleon, War 4 Peace) are again joining forces in Soften the Glare and are hitting the road on their “Mission Possible Tour” for the remainder of September! If you missed their last “The Funky Lady Tour”, be sure to watch for their trademark Instrumental, Prog Rock, Jazz, Rock, Funk, Chaos goodness if they land anywhere near you!

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Review Of Source’s ‘Return To Nothing’; Tour Schedule

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Produced by Scott Wilson, Sound Engineering by Jesse O’Brien, art by Sarafin Concepts

Release Date:

23 September 2016

Tracklist:

“Forgiveness”

“Memories of Yesterday”

“The Essence”

“The Word ‘Source’”

“Return to Nothing”

“Complaisance”

“Consumed”

“The Serpent”

“Quadrant”

“Veil of Doubt”

I am truly honored to be able to review what I would consider one of the best albums I have had the pleasure of listening to this year, bar none. Little did I know then just how significant my first State of the Art choice for Colorado would have on me some six months later. This gem has had me enthralled and engaged from first listen to, hell, I don’t know, a 100 or more times now. I know it inside and out; musically and lyrically and it never ceases to move me, often to tears, even to this day. It almost feels like it has become part of me now. An old friend that shares a little piece of my soul. I’ll stand today on my original statement of Return to Nothing being damned near perfect. I have seen Source play live (great show!), hung out with them, talked and joked with them offline, interviewed its members Ben Gleason, Dan Crisafulli and Georges OctoBous and would consider all three friends through their music and as individuals on a personal level. All of this from simply choosing to write about Source in my freshman days with the MN staff. An amazing privilege to have this platform from which to share my passion for music, especially from bands as good as Source.

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State of the Art: Aurae

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*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*

This month’s State is Washington!

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New month, new state. Minnesota was the 32nd state added to the United States in 1858. Known also as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, it is bordered to the north by Canada, North and South Dakota to the west, Iowa to the south, Wisconsin and Lake Superior to the east. With a population of about 5.5 million covering 86,939 square miles, Minnesota boasts one of the highest standards of living and among the best-educated and wealthiest states in the U.S. Definitely not necessarily snobby and uptight based on the overwhelming amount of good Metal bands available for this month’s spotlights. I would like to start with a band hailing from Woodbury, just east of the state capital of St. Paul called Aurae. This band gives us all a very bright hope for the future of our beloved Metal genre.

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The Instrumental Machinations of The Caveat

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All Logo Designs by Jason McBurney (Greeley, CO)

Here is yet another example of band camaraderie. For those that follow my articles, you are well aware of my absolute love of my SOTA band from Colorado, Source. Recently, they shared a song by another local band called The Caveat. Having respect for my friends in Source, I trusted that they would not drop anything less than great, so I gave them a listen. One song led to another and then to another. Soon enough, I had listened to all of their singles and started over. Instrumental, Progressive Metal with influences from damned near every genre? Oh yeah. Instant fan! “That’s my jam”, in the words of you young pups! I immediately contacted Ben Gleason with Source and asked that he put in the good word for me with The Caveat and was able to get in touch with Nik Schafer, the bass player out of this kick ass band that had grabbed my attention so tightly, to get all the good stuff behind The Caveat’s music. I would like to thank Nik and the rest of The Caveat for helping provide such an extensive explanation of what make them what they are. Good stuff that made this informative piece possible!

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