Comments Off on ESHTADUR – ‘Mother Gray’ [Album Review]
Symphonic death metal holds a special place in my heart because it has so much atmosphere to it. It sets a mood that other genres can’t quite match. Eshtadur proves just that in their latest offering entitled ‘Mother Gray’ set to release September 8, on Bleeding Music Records.
Eshtadur was established in the fall of 2005 in Periera Colombia. They have been making waves since the beginning. They have toured through Colombia, Peru and Mexico and are currently preparing their first ever US tour dates! (I’ll be looking out for those!) Eshtadur has shared the stage with acts such as Vader and Cradle Of Filth and worked with artists such as Bjorn Strid (Soilwork), Per Nilsson (Scar Symmetry) & Allan Marcus (Arecibo) these guys are clearly getting attention that is well deserved in my book! Eshtadur is Jorg August – Vocals & Guitars, Mauro Marin – Drums, Sebas Patiño – Guitars and Victor Valencia – Bass Guitar. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Album Review: UNSANE – Sterilize [Track Stream]
Bone-crushing rhythms, heights of sordid cacophony and a relentless cult following are all important elements of what constitute UNSANE as a musical project. Formed in 1988, the group have proved themselves to be an indefatigable force in the development of noise-rock as a genre. Nearing their thirty-year anniversary, the group are set to release eighth studio album ‘Sterilize’ via Southern Lord Records on 29 September 2017. The line-up consists of Chris Spencer on guitar / vocals, Dave Curran on bass / backing vocals and Vinnie Signorelli on drums. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Review: A SOUND OF THUNDER- ‘Who Do You Think We Are?’ [Song Stream]
I must say it is always refreshing when a band can play a range of styles and still sound amazing. A Sound of Thunder, a rocking group of four from Washington DC, accomplishes just that. The band includes the three wicked talented musicians- Josh Schwartz on guitar, Jesse Keen on bass, Chris Haren on drums, and their self-proclaimed “secret weapon” vocalist, Nina Osegueda. ASoT consistently plays each song of now six albums with a high energy and intensity. Their latest release from this past December is a Kickstarter-exclusive cover album entitled “Who Do You Think We Are?” It effectively displays their talents as musicians through covers of the very bands by which ASoT was influenced.
The album starts with the perfect introduction, a cover of Alice Cooper’s song of the same title, “Who Do You Think We Are?” The front woman, Nina, sets the tone of the entire album in such a way that, if you didn’t know about A Sound of Thunder before, you will now. And if you don’t like them, well, they don’t care. They continue from song to song with covers of “Death Alley Driver” (Rainbow), “Pleasure Slave” (Manowar), ‘Stinkfist” (Tool), “The Last in Line” (Dio), and still many others. The best part is that ASoT not only meets the standards the original songs set, they exceed expectations entirely. A personal favorite is their cover of Mercyful Fate’s “Gypsy.” Nina’s vocal range and power are dramatically showcased within seconds of the song’s start. Jesse, Josh, and Chris aid in repainting the track with the energy a fan can come to expect from the band. Now, Nina’s vocal skills are present in every song, but there are definite songs where each band member shines individually. “Stinkfist,” as you’d expect from a song by Tool, has a clear focus on bass. Jesse shows off his abilities on bass in both “Stinkfist” and “Icarus.” He even adds a nod to their influence from Rush in “Icarus” with a bass line from “YYZ” and, as a fan, it doesn’t go unnoticed. Josh leads through the covers with the enthusiasm that sets the energetic tone of the album. His strengths as a lead guitarist are especially present in “Death Alley Driver” with its faster-paced guitar solos and riffs.
Lastly, if covers simply are not your thing, the band graced the album with a track of their own. “Walls” is an original from ASoT not released on any of their five previous albums. I don’t find that any of the covers put Chris on display quite so much as this song. He does well covering each song as a drummer, but “Walls” includes his own work, and I love it. It just is one of those songs where I’d love to have my ear buds in with the bass and volume all the way up. What can I say? I’m a sucker for double bass. But, anyone who hasn’t heard what this band’s got can get a good feel for them from the song.
The thing I love about this album, among everything else, is that due to the amount of bands ASoT has covered over one set, there’s a whole variety of sounds. There’s a notable difference between Tool, Dio, Rainbow, Manowar, Kansas, and Judas Priest, but A Sound of Thunder collected them together with their own personal touch fantastically. I thoroughly enjoyed “Who Do You Think You Are?” I bought it straight away, and I’ll be waiting enthusiastically for what A Sound of Thunder has to offer in the future.
Comments Off on Review: SPIRIT ADRIFT – ‘Curse Of Conception’ [Song Stream]
Spirit Adrift was formed in 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona. While Spirit Adrift’s vocalist/guitarist Nate Garrett and bassist Chase Mason also play in Gatecreeper, Garrett also recently filled in on vocals for Arkansas doomsters Pallbearer for a full show in Pittsburgh. Spirit Adrift recently released a split 7” with Khemmis through War Crime Recordings, where they covered the traditional folk song, “Man Of Constant Sorrow.” Fans are paying heed to the band’s entrancing riffs and quickly become life long fans. The band has recently signed with 20 Buck Spin to for their sophomore release ‘Curse Of Conception’. The album was engineered and mixed by Sanford Parker (Yob, Pelican, Eyehategod) and features artwork by Joe Petagno (Motörhead, Magic Circle, Autopsy), and will see worldwide release through 20 Buck Spin on CD, LP, and digital formats on October 6th. With widespread touring in support of ‘Curse Of Conception’ impending, Spirit Adrift has already booked two release shows for the LP. The first takes place on their home turf in Tempe, Arizona on October 7th alongside Atriarch, Take Over And Destroy, and Divine Hammer. The second release show invades Denver, Colorado a week later, playing October 14th with now-labelmates Khemmis as well as Abrams.
Comments Off on Review: MONSTER MAGNET – ‘Spine of God’/’Tab’ Reissues
In this day and age of the deluxe vinyl reissue, few releases are more deserving than ‘Spine of God,’ the debut album from New Jersey Stoner pioneers Monster Magnet. To whet our appetites for a forthcoming studio album later this year, on September 1st the good folks at Napalm Records are releasing ‘Spine of God’ (and its follow-up ‘Tab’) on glorious heavyweight vinyl for the very first time. Finally, this stone-cold classic of the genre can be appreciated in the same way as the Yes and Led Zeppelin classics mentioned in ‘Spine of God’’s Rock-and-Roll-as-Dark-Ritual stomper “Nod Scene;” with “seeds bustin’ up the spine.”
Comments Off on Album Review: BOBAFLEX – ‘Eloquent Demons’ [Official Videos]
Photo Credit: Cool World Photography
West Virginia hard rockers BOBAFLEX are back with their 8th studio album titled ‘Eloquent Demons’ available now from Thermal Entertainment LLC. BOBAFLEX long has a reputation for being one of the hardest working bands in the business and ‘Eloquent Demons’ is yet another step in the ongoing evolution of the group. The effort will be most remembered for the massive lead single, a cover of the PINK FLOYD classic “Hey You“. In which BOBAFLEX manages to maintain the spirit of the original all the while adding the groove that makes BOBAFLEX, BOBAFLEX.
Few bands have the ability to form the embodiment of an entire genre quite like Ensiferum, a 5 piece Melodic Folk Metal outfit from Helsinki, Finland. The band has released 3 E.P.’s since they formed in 1995, and 6 full length albums since they released their self titled debut in 2001. Ensiferum has undergone few lineup changes since their conception, now charging forward into battle with the current lineup of Markus Toivonen (Guitar/Backing Vocals/Clean Vocals), Petri Lindroos (Harsh Vocals/Guitar), Sami Hinkka (Bass/Clean Vocals), Janne Parviainen (Drums) and Netta Skog (Formerly of Turisas – Digital Accordion/Backing Vocals)- Netta coming in as a tour replacement for long time keyboard-player Emmi Silvennoinen in 2016, before becoming a full fledged member when Emmi (Silvennoinen) decided to part ways with the band. Continue reading →
Louisville, Kentucky’s nu-metal heroes Flaw have been dominating stages since before the release of their debut ‘Through The Eyes’ in 2001. The band is now revived and better than ever. Their comeback release last year ‘Divided We Fall’ proves the band hasn’t lost their touch. Chris Volz and Jay Daunt are the core of the band and have led the charge of a nu-metal resurgence over the past two years. Flaw have toured relentlessly playing both as a supporting act and as a headliner and even made numerous festival appearances including back to back performances at Louder Than Life in their hometown and also Ink In The Clink. Still on the heels of their full length release the band has now finished up a companion EP to ‘Divided We Fall’ and it’s titled ‘United We Stand’. The 6 track EP includes 4 brand new tracks and two live tracks. Both live songs are from the ‘Through The Eyes’ album and include “Payback” and “Only The Strong”. The EP will be released September 1st via Pavement Entertainment. Continue reading →
Comments Off on Review: GRAVEMIND – ‘The Deathgate’ [Album Stream]
Gravemind is a six piece Deathcore band originating from Melbourne, Australia. Having formed in 2015, the past two years they have been busy pushing out harsh, in your face content regularly and touring through Australia. Leaving what I can only imagine to be piles of rubble left over from any standing structures that were unlucky enough to have been ground zero for a Gravemind show.
Gravemind managed to get me interested right from the get go. Their music is enough to pull you in and keep you interested and the fact that they write concept albums is very cool if you ask me! Having this be their third release they have only gotten better at honing in on their craft. The Hateful One released back in 2015, featuring five slamming songs. The Death Of Teyolia which is a single song released in 2016. These are definitely worth checking out because they are solid releases and it will somewhat prepare you for ‘The Deathgate’. But trust me…. you won’t be ready for this monster!! Continue reading →
It’s cliche to designate a heavy metal album as “epic.” The raging guitar riffs, thunderous bass, thrashing drums, and high pitch screams all create a sound that’s larger-than-life both sonically and thematically, and this go-big-or-go-home mentality was present at the genre’s inception with Black Sabbath and has continued into modernity with bands like Ghost and Avatar because let’s be honest here, if a metal band isn’t “epic” in some capacity or another then it isn’t worth its salt.
With that said, “epic” is the only proper descriptor that encapsulates my feelings on the wonderfully named symphonic death metal band Septicflesh. Originating from Athens, Greece in the mid 1990s and currently consisting of Seth Siro Anton on bass/vocals, Christos Antonou playing the guitar and writing the orchestrals, Sotiris Anunnaki V providing an additional guitar and clean vocals, and Kerim “Krimh” Lechner on drums, Septicflesh is one of the very few metal bands that can gracefully blend the rough brutality of death metal with the awe-inspiring sound of a sweeping orchestra, and this dark yet beautacious sound is ever-so present on Septicflesh’s 10th and most recent studio album ‘Codex Omega’ which is a more than worthy follow-up to their 2014 LP ‘Titan’ due to it being stunning in its scale and punishing in its ferocity.
Symphonic death metal holds a special place in my heart because it has so much atmosphere to it. It sets a mood that other genres can’t quite match. Eshtadur proves just that in their latest offering entitled ‘Mother Gray’ set to release September 8, on Bleeding Music Records.
