tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57726600287471666882024-03-05T11:09:45.729+00:00ParaReviewsReviews for new/upcoming/underground Rock & Metal releases/gigs from all sub-genres.ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-20131326054291661032013-11-09T15:48:00.000+00:002013-11-09T15:48:10.749+00:00A Quick UpdateHey there guys,<br />
<br />
This is an apology from me to all you readers out there for being MIA for around a month now. I've been super busy with my new job and keeping up with schoolwork deadlines. I've tried to have something out for the last few weeks but I've just had no time to either get through all the new music I've had, or get down to properly write anything, but now I have some free time I promise I'll do my best to get something out by Monday or Tuesday.<br />
<br />
Thanks for all being so patient with me, it means a lot.<br />
<br />
Stay metal \m/ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-50211641315495073092013-10-05T18:16:00.000+01:002013-10-05T18:16:37.502+01:00Gorguts - Colored Sands (2013)What's up guys, I'm back again (late as usual, I know, I'm sorry ok!) with a new article for all of you. This time round something I've been looking forward to ever since it was announced, the return of technical death metal legends Gorguts, and their new album "Colored Sands".<br />
<br />
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1. Le Toit Du Monde<br />
2. An Ocean Of Wisdom<br />
3. Forgotten Arrows<br />
4. Colored Sands<br />
5. The Battle Of Chamdo<br />
6. Enemies Of Compassion<br />
7. Ember's Voice<br />
8. Absconders<br />
9. Reduced To Silence<br />
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<a name='more'></a>There really must be something in the water up in Quebec (either that or the weed's out of this world), because for some reason Montreal and the surrounding area has churned out some of the finest tech-death bands in existence over the years, alongside the mighty Kataklysm and their Roman brothers Ex Deo of course.<br />
<br />
Gorguts are a band that anyone who knows their death metal will tell you to listen to if you want to appreciate technical heavy music. "Considered Dead" and "The Erosion Of Sanity" are landmark albums in the development of tech-death as a sub-genre, and while "Obscura" is widely considered a challenging album to grasp, it is also seen as an undervalued masterpiece. It was here that Luc Lemay and co began experimenting with their use of unorthodox rhythms and dissonant chords, and in the process changing the face of metal.<br />
<br />
This album was almost technical beyond comprehension at the time of its release and helped introduce bleak, post-rock soundscapes into death metal. This album helped influence many new school bands in a big way, from Germany's Obscura, who went so far as to name themselves after the landmark release, to New Zealand's Ulcerate, who have incorporated a similar style into their own music from the beginning. However, after following up Obscura with "From Wisdom To Hate" Gorguts ceased to exist in the aftermath of their drummer Steve MacDonald's suicide. Many thought this was the end of an era.<br />
<br />
Or so we thought... <br />
<br />
Last year rumours surfaced regarding a new release after a reunion took place in 2008 with Lemay drafting guitar virtuoso Kevin Hufnagel (Dysrhythmia), bass genius Colin Marston (Krallice, Behold... The Arctopus, Dysrhythmia) and extreme drummer extraordinaire John Longstreth (Origin, Dim Mak, Angelcorpse). This new lineup had many music nerds like me excited as to what they would produce, and the answer is this curious beast.<br />
<br />
This album continues Obscura's legacy in fine fashion, but has definitely been streamlined and includes some less dissonant passages to introduce new fans to the band, albeit in a better fashion than on "From Wisdom To Hate". Lemay has allowed his fellow band mates to take the reins to a degree as well, with Marston and Hufnagel contributing "Forgotten Arrows" and "Absconders" respectively.<br />
<br />
This album definitely took me a few listens to assimilate properly, Luc Lemay has written a very clever album that must be absorbed slowly to fully appreciate it. The first half of the album is based on the concept of Tibet and the selection of a new Dalai Lama, with softer parts to counter the atonal madness. "An Ocean Of Wisdom" has a wonderful clean bridge section before returning to the pounding rhythms of the track, as well as a wailing solo. The title track contains a strange yet surprisingly catchy clean-picked intro before the thundering bass and twisting rhythms. The dividing moment of the album is without a doubt "The Battle Of Chamdo", an instrumental piano driven track composed by Lemay and accompanied by several violins, showing a more melodic side to the album as a whole while still remaining dark and forboding in places. The second half of the album is dedicated to some of the tragedies that have befallen Tibet over the years, and also highlights the non-violent philosophies of the Tibetan people. Kevin Hufnagel's track "Absconders" really throws its weight around as possibly the most expansive track on the album. Hufnagel's droning playing style and spacious chords really fit well with Luc's vision for Gorguts future. Lemay is a truly understated genius in terms of progressive/technical death metal. His talent for atmosphere and dynamics alongside clever note groupings and rhythms is truly astounding at times.<br />
<br />
This is a triumphant return for Gorguts. Many people (probably those unfamiliar with Gorguts) will doubtless make comparisons to Ulcerate among others, and while Ulcerate have no doubt taken inspiration from Luc Lemay and co., this is the master showing the students that there is still much for them to learn about crafting mesmerising atonal soundscapes and combining it with crushing death metal. While you may not necessarily absorb all of this album (certainly not on the first listen), and this album is definitely not for everyone, there is something to surprise you every time and this expansive new release can be a very rewarding experience indeed. Please don't make us wait another 12 years Luc.<br />
<br />
8.8/10<br />
<br />
For fans of: Ulcerate, Cryptopsy, Immolation<br />
<br />
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<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/GorgutsOfficial?fref=ts">Facebook</a><br />
Colored Sands is out now on Season Of Mist Records<br />
<br />
So after 3 weeks of nothing I've finally resurfaced, I've found some form temporary employment and I start uni again in a matter of days, so now I have some routine in my life again I will try to have another review that's already in progress done by the end of the week. Until then, stay metal \m/ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-46798486005013475012013-09-10T22:24:00.000+01:002013-09-10T22:25:12.827+01:00Autopsy - The Headless Ritual (2013)Hi everyone, I'm back again with another review. I know this album's been out a while and I should really have written about it ages ago due to it being a new album from one of my favourite bands but I've had a lot on my plate with festival season and other things. However I've finally got round to it so enjoy.<br />
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1. Slaughter At Beast House<br />
2. Mangled Far Below<br />
3. She Is A Funeral<br />
4. Coffin Crawlers<br />
5. When Hammer Meets Bone<br />
6. Thorns & Ashes<br />
7. Arch Cadaver<br />
8. Flesh Turns To Dust<br />
9. Running From The Goathead<br />
10. The Headless Ritual<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>In the beginning, death metal wasn't the sprawling metropolis of sub-genres we know today. Back then there was simply just, well "death metal". However there were still several distinct styles floating around in the relatively small scene, mostly centered in Florida. There was the fast, thrashy, occasionally technical style (Deicide, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse), The jazzed-out, progressive as fuck style (Atheist, Pestilence, Cynic), mid-pace, groovy death metal (Obituary, Six Feet Under, Bolt Thrower) and finally the doom-laden end of the genre (Asphyx, Disembowelment, early My Dying Bride). But California's Autopsy are a different musical beast entirely, mixing thrashy sections with long drawn out doom riffs, tortured growls and gory imagery all topped off with some excellent drumming and squealing solos. This excellent melding of styles is why I consider Autopsy to be one of my all time favourite death metal bands, and when I heard they were recording a follow up to 2011's excellent comeback "Macabre Eternal" I couldn't wait to review it.<br />
<br />
Chris Reifert and the boys are still on top form, and opening track "Slaughter At Beast House" proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Starting off nice and thrashy (fast, punky, 4/4 drum beats with plenty of cymbal chokes, just how I like it.) before descending into madness midway through when the doom kicks in and a marvellous wailing solo shows off the bands grimy side.<br />
<br />
"Mangled Far Below" is a nice mid-speed death metal romp with another wailer of a solo that keeps the record plodding along nicely, but it's "She Is A Funeral" that really gets things going nicely. Moving from a feedback ridden intro to a lumbering dissonant verse, and from there into a surprisingly melodic doomy chorus. Chris Reifert's raspy, death gurgles are on point and as horrifying as ever, and after nearly shrieking the song's title, another fantastic solo kicks in, one that wouldn't sound out of place on a hard rock album. The song abruptly changes once again into doomland, and comes to a very sudden halt, decimating your senses and then disappearing like a phantom into the night.<br />
<br />
Coffin Crawlers has a nice slow arpeggiated riff, and as this album goes on it becomes apparent that Danny Coralles and Eric Cutler haven't lost touch in the slightest. Joe Trevisano, despite being relatively new to the fold, provides some excellent basslines and helps keep the rhythm section tight but sloppy at the same time. "When Hammer Meets Bone" has a great harmonised guitar section before a chaotic as fuck slayer style solo kicks in. The contrast of doomy restraint and thrashy madness all wrapped up in gore and horror sounds as great as ever. "Thorns & Ashes" makes for a nice melodic interlude before "Arch Cadaver" kicks it up a notch and doesn't let up throughout. Chris Reifert's vocals will probably be a large dividing factor, especially among new fans, but I think his voice sounds as good as ever and it fits the tone of the music perfectly. "Flesh Turns To Dust" shows off the scope of his vocals nicely, along with a nice amount of variation in the music, resulting in one of my favourite tracks on the album. "Running From The Goathead" embraces thrashy death metal a la Deicide in style, complete with harmonies, cymbal chokes up the ass and a wailing atonal solo, meanwhile Chris' vocals are slightly lower but every bit as raspy as the rest of the album. The title track, "The Headless Ritual" rounds things off nicely, with a couple of great riffs that slowly bring the album to a close.<br />
<br />
This is yet another triumphant release for Autopsy since their return. While not quite as long as "Macabre Eternal", this album packs just as much of a punch, if not more. Like I said, the vocals may put some people off, but in my opinion Chris' vocals are part of what ties the whole package together and the sludgy, bloodsoaked horrifying mess that is Autopsy wouldn't be the same without him doing vocals. Plus the fact that he can drum and do vocals at the same time when playing live is hella impressive.<br />
<br />
In summary, if you like Autopsy already you'll fucking love this album so what are you waiting for? If you've heard Autopsy but aren't sure, it's better than "Macabre Eternal", which was pretty fucking impressive. And finally if you somehow haven't listened to Autopsy yet, this is doomy gore drenched death metal, with some truly disgusting lyrics and a fuckload of atmosphere. Get on it!!<br />
<br />
9/10<br />
<br />
For fans of: Asphyx, Bolt Thrower, Obituary, Coffins<br />
<br />
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<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Autopsy-Official/162194133792668?fref=ts">Facebook</a><br />
The Headless Ritual is out now on Peaceville Records<br />
<br />
So now I'm back after fucking about and not blogging for a couple of weeks, I already have another review ready to post tomorrow so stay tuned till then. \m/ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-68739172640506576792013-08-24T13:17:00.001+01:002013-08-24T13:17:36.346+01:00Born Of Osiris - Tomorrow We Die ∆live (2013)Once again I'm back with some new knowledge to drop on your collective asses. And once again I know it's been a while but I've been busy trying to get my shit together, including sorting out uni for next year, trying to find paying employment, dealing with post-festival depression after coming home from bloodstock and then trying to sort out some personal shit. However, fear not. I'm now back to save you from boredom for all of the 10 minutes it'll take you to read this article (who knows, you may still be bored as fuck. I do have that effect on people every so often). Anyway, I digress. Read, share and enjoy. Or don't, I'll still be here either way.<br />
<br />
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1. M∆chine<br />
2. Divergency<br />
3. Mindful<br />
4. Exhil∆r∆te<br />
5. ∆bsolution<br />
6. The Origin<br />
7. ∆eon III<br />
8. Im∆gin∆ry Condition<br />
9. Illusionist<br />
10. Source Field<br />
11. Venge∆nce<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>Deathcore is currently one of the most prominent sub-genres in metal. While loved and hated by many (not at the same time obviously) many bands have not done much to allow deathcore to be taken seriously. Pointless repetitive chugging, high shrieks and bass drops are better left to slam death metal bands in my opinion.<br />
<br />
However, there are a select few bands out there seeking to make deathcore more credible as a sub-genre. Along with Thy Art Is Murder and After The Burial (to an extent anyway), Born Of Osiris is one of those rare talents in a sea of generic shite. This is their follow up to 2011's excellent "The Discovery". Mixing spacey/spiritual themes with their music, while still maintaining a predominantly deathcore-esque musical style has set them apart from the pack and helped elevate them to one of American metal's rising stars.<br />
<br />
Opener "M∆chine" starts with an ominous orchestral section before all hell breaks loose. Cameron Losch and David Darocha still provide an excellent driving yet technical rhythm section, while the vocal duo of lead vocalist Ronnie Canizaro and keyboard player Joe Buras still provides a fantastic contrast. Deep growls from Ronnie and high shrieks from Joe, all the while being completely comprehensible. Since the departure of Jason Richardson (under slightly hostile circumstances, depending on the source), Lee McKinney has handled all guitar work on this album, and he does admirably.<br />
<br />
Track 2, "Divergency" starts off with a catchy djent themed riff which repeats throughout before a Ronnie growl's the album's title in lyrical form and a thunderous breakdown kicks in, mixing seamlessly with dubstep style electronics to create a very interesting and altogether different breakdown entirely. However this is not crunkcore or any other shit like that in any way whatsoever, the band stay on theme all the way through the section and by the end I feel dizzy from headbanging and stomping around my room to the breakdown like a teenager.<br />
<br />
"Mindful" and "Exhil∆r∆te" carry on from the record's strong start, "Exhil∆r∆te" in particular having an excellent closing verse,"This is endless power, coursing through our veins. Triumphant in this hour, you will never look at us the same." Powerful lyrics that fit the theme of strength and spirituality inherent on this record.<br />
<br />
<br />
"∆bsolution" and "The Origin" both allow the synths to take centre stage at one point or another but keep the album plodding along at breakneck pace, while "∆eon III" and "Im∆gin∆ry Condition" (as you've probably gathered by now, ∆ replaces the letter a everywhere on this album) feature some excellent tremelo picked riffs, pinched harmonics and sweepy lead parts. However some of the best sweeps on the album are definitely in the mid section of "Illusionist". Truly superb. "Source Field" also adds some vaguely oriental themes through the use of synths and changes it up nicely towards the end of the album, however it's closer "Venge∆nce" that steals the show. Full of technicality, melody and ferocity. The album ends just how it began, full of atmosphere and fury before slowly fading out to a spacey electronic section that leaves a lingering mystery to the overall tone of the record.<br />
<br />
In summary, this album follows on nicely from "The Discovery", and while some more solos would have been nice the band still manage to do what they do extremely well, with a large range of sounds and styles and some thought provoking lyrics concerning the soul, metaphysics, space and religion. If you liked "The Discovery" you'll fucking love this so get on it!!!<br />
<br />
8/10<br />
<br />
For fans of: Aegaeon, After The Burial, Veil Of Maya<br />
<br />
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<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/bornofosiris?fref=ts">Facebook</a><br />
Tomorrow We Die ∆live is out now on Sumerian Records<br />
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</xml><![endif]-->ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-77109196406993794812013-07-28T19:37:00.001+01:002013-07-28T19:37:13.487+01:00Deeds Of Flesh - Portals To Canaan (2013)I'm back with my first review for a while, shortly after this I'll be posting my hellfest article. I know it's been a long time but I've been swamped recently, and when you're as lazy as I am you put shit off for as long as possible. But I promise I'll try to be more consistent from now on for those of you that read regularly. But anyway, onto today's review. This is for a band that I've been looking forward to reviewing every since I heard they were recording a new album last year, the mighty Deeds Of Flesh. When I heard this album was being made I found it extremely difficult to not lose my shit. "Of What's To Come (2008)" and "Reduced To Ashes (2003)" are two of my favourite tech-death albums. Ever. And as any of my friends could tell you, I'm a bonafide fucking tech-death fanatic. But anyway, to business...<br />
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1. Amidst The Ruins<br />
2. Entranced In Decades Of Psychedelic Sleep<br />
3. Rise Of The Virvum Juggernaut<br />
4. Celestial Serpents<br />
5. Caelum Hirundines Terra/The Sky Swallows The Earth<br />
6. Xeno-Virus<br />
7. Hollow Human Husks<br />
8. Portals To Canaan<br />
9. Orphans Of Sickness (Gorguts Cover)<br />
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<a name='more'></a>California's Deeds Of Flesh are an immensely important band in the worlds of technical/brutal death metal. Along with Suffocation, they have influenced an entire new generation of bands with their style of music and lyrical themes (aliens, aliens everywhere...). In addition, members of the band founded and still run one of my favourite death metal labels, Unique Leader Records, who currently have many highly regarded death metal bands on their roster in addition to Deeds Of Flesh (Acrania, Beheaded, Gorod and of course, Rings Of Saturn).<br />
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After nearly 5 years, I was starting to lose faith that Deeds would ever release another album, but when this was unveiled I felt my prayers had been answered. The only question remaining was "how good will it be?". <br />
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Thankfully, my prayers truly were answered and it's great, but now I'm gonna tell you why.<br />
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"Amidst The Ruins" kicks in and instantly I know Deeds Of Flesh are back. Lightning fast kick drums, chugging off kilter rhythms, Erik Lindmark's trademark raspy bark. Suffocation style stab riffs used in a unique configuration shows that the band has all their old elements and a newly revived ferocity. Some truly spacey sounding lead melodies on this track really do add to the atmosphere splendidly. "Entranced In Decades Of Psychedelic Sleep" is one of my favourites on the album, there are some great breakdown riffs on this track as well as some truly excellent jazzy basslines. Vocoder effects to provide "alien noises" means this track has some great ambiance to it along with truly excellent musicianship.<br />
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"Rise Of The Virvum Juggernaut" was the first teaser track released for the album, and while it may not be the best song on the album in my opinion, it still has a magnificent solo and carries on the concept started on "Of What's To Come" admirably. Next up, "Celestial Serpents" starts with some very spooky sounding alien noises before kicking off with a very fast riff and some excellent drumming from Mike Hamilton as usual. New guitarist Craig Peters (of Arkaik) does an admirable job of keeping up with Erik's riffing and sweeping, while current bassist Ivan Munguia (of Arkaik/Brain Drill) provides some of the best tech-death bass work I've heard in a long time.<br />
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"Caelum Hirundines Terra/The Sky Swallows The Earth" is a short ambient interlude (just under two minutes) that helps set the tone for the second half of the album, and while "Xeno-Virus" and "Hollow Human Husks" both have their moments and are each good in their own right, the title track is where it's at.<br />
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The title track starts off well and once again builds into some lovely sweeps and melodic leads, and a killer sample from "The Day The Earth Stood Still". Truly a spectacular amalgamation of everything fans love about these guys. Finally we have a Gorguts cover to end the album, which the band performs excellently. It really is nice to hear death metal veterans paying homage to another veteran band that has influenced them.<br />
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"Portals To Canaan" starts brutally, ends brutally, and has brutality throughout. If you're a fan of these guys then there's no reason why you shouldn't like this album. To be honest even if the music was terrible I would've given this a half decent score due to the kick-ass artwork (as usual) and the amount of joy I feel that Deeds Of Flesh are back. But this album is in my opinion one of the strongest of their career and should definitely be recognised.<br />
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If you like brutal or technical death metal, or death metal of any other kind, try this out. Hopefully you'll enjoy it. Now I've dealt with this I'll be finishing up my Hellfest articles. Catch you all in a day or two. PEACE!<br />
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8.5/10 <br />
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For fans of: Dying Fetus. Suffocation, Severed Saviour<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/DeedsofFleshOfficial?fref=ts">Facebook</a><br />
Portals To Canaan is out now on Unique Leader Records<br />
<br />ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-44929246371855397032013-07-17T15:30:00.000+01:002013-08-06T16:23:22.741+01:00Hellfest 2013 - Saturday & Sunday (22nd & 23rd June)...And here's part 2 of my excursion to Hellfest 2013. This covers Saturday, Sunday and a bit of Monday morning. Enjoy \m/<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><u><b>Saturday</b></u> <br />
Saturday morning I woke up (once again, hungover) around half past 9 and after breakfast and several cigarettes I regained my sanity enough to leave camp and venture to the arena in time to catch Skindred (8rontman Benji getting on a bit now he still knows just how to work a crowd and their half hour set (which should have been much longer) comes and goes in the blink of an eye and is enjoyable as always.<br />
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After a short break wandering around the extreme market (even bigger and better stocked than last year) I head to the death metal tent to catch Greece's Dead Congregation (6). Making a rare festival appearance the band plough through their doomy, raw death metal with style. Next up are Procession (7) from Chile (but now based in Sweden). Playing straight up epic doom with soaring vocals, these guys don't disappoint and the new songs (from recent release "To Reap Heavens Apart") sound great.<br />
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Monstrosity (7), the band famous for once having George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher as their vocalist (before his departure to front Cannibal Corpse) are an interesting sight to behold. After numerous lineup changes, drummer Lee Harrison is the only remaining original member. However this proves to be irrelevant as the band work together in near-perfect sync. Vocalist Mike Hrubovcak (ex-Vile) has the skill and vocal power to make the songs sound just as good as one record. Overall a very good performance.<br />
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Coal Chamber (6) power through their set and most of the crowd are finding it truly enjoyable to hear Dez and co. live. However, many people (myself included) are starting to think that Dez is a bit old to be wearing make up and playing nu-metal. The set's enjoyable regardless but I firmly believe nu-metal is finally dead and should really stay that way.<br />
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While they may be a complete chance of style from every other band I've written about so far, fuck it. 3 Doors Down (9) are the first band that really grab my attention throughout their entire set. They may be completely different to nearly every other band I saw over the weekend but I enjoyed the fuck out of them. Every song is catchy on and point, particularly a favourite of mine "It's Not My Time". They really get the crowd going at several point and just generally enjoyable all round. At this point I'd also like to point out that the weather throughout the day has so far been terrible. Nothing but rain clouds and misery. But a couple of songs into Parkway Drive's (8) set the rain is gone and the blazing sun is beating down as spirits lift and pits erupt left, right and centre. Byron Bay's heroes may divide opinion among "true metalheads" (whatever that really means), but I don't give a fuck. I fucking love those guys and they get mad love from the crowd. Well done lads.<br />
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Down (8) put on an excellent show as always and despite a distinct lack of material from Down 3, still drive the crowd wild. During their set Phil Anselmo announces that Clutch have cancelled their appearance due to the unfortunate passing of Vocalist Neil Fallon's father (my condolences), and that Down will be playing a second set the following day to make up for the absent slot. An unexpected turn of events, but not an unpleasant one. Meanwhile Sinister (7) manage to get the death metal tent moving with some good tunes new and old. One of several dutch groups appearing this year, they get as warm a reception as any other death metal band that's played so far, hence my love for this festival. Every style is embraced and shown off equally.<br />
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Rotting Christ (7) keep the crowd going but as I'm not familiar with a lot of their material I find it hard to follow at times. I enjoyed myself regardless so I'll definitely acquaint myself with them a bit better in future. I head to catch part of Unearth (5) and while the music is ok, the guitars drown out Trevor's vocals, and the amount of hardcore kids shoving me about makes it hard to concentrate, so I leave and check out Accept instead. Accept (10) are nothing short of phenomenal. Every song gets a great reaction from the crowd and current frontman Mark Tornillo really knows how to work a crowd. "Stalingrad", "Teutonic Terror" and of course fan favourite "Balls To The Wall" all come off well and I leave at the end determined to catch these guys again at bloodstock in August. Phil Anselmo even comes out to join the band for their hit track "Fast As A Shark" and it's nothing short of marvellous. One of the best bands of the weekend hands down.<br />
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After checking out Belphegor (8) and feeling impressed, I run to catch My Dying Bride (8). Yorkshire premier purveyors of doom and gloom are on top form. And while I'm not completely familiar with their whole setlist, the music is great and well performed so no complaints here. The same can be said for Manilla Road (8), while I may only know material from their latest album, they play brilliantly and I leave with a new found respect for them.<br />
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Now onto our mainstage headliner. Kiss (10) are simply superb. Pretty much every hit you can think of makes an appearance and after all these years the lads have perfected a stage show unlike any other. Flying, spitting blood and fire breathing are all featured alongside lengthy, highly impressive guitar and drum solos from Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer respectively. Everyone should see Kiss once in their lives. Because after 40 years these guys are still showing everyone else how to put on a real rock and roll stage show.<br />
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I regretfully decide to miss the last half hour or so of Kiss' set, so I can head to the tent and catch the black metal legends themselves, Immortal (9). Norway's finest once again never fail to impress, with songs from across their catalogue and a set full of pyrotechnics despite being confined to a tent. "Tyrants", "Withstand The Fall Of Time" and of course "One By One" all sound fantastic. However once again it's obvious that some people are losing momentum. So when Morbid Angel (6) take the stage, many people have left or are sleeping on their backs in the bigtop. And while David Vincent (hilariously dubbed "the Elvis of death metal" by a friend of mine) and co play well as usual, and the majority of the set is from masterpiece "Altars Of Madness", there is a distinct lack of many of the bands famous songs, such as "God Of Emptiness" and "Where The Slime Live" in favour of tunes from the latest album (which shall not be named for no other reason than the fact that many people, myself included, consider it a festering turd of a record).<br />
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All in all, Saturday goes well and after Morbid Angel finish I head to the campsite for drinking and merriment until the wee early hours.<br />
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<u><b>Sunday</b></u> <br />
Sunday morning I woke up, complete with hangover (by now you guys should be starting to see a pattern here...), and after breakfast booked it over to the arena to catch Leprous (8), who put on a good show, but I can see many people in a worse state than me who are having trouble grasping prog at such an early point in the day. After the first couple of songs however I wake up a bit and thoroughly enjoy the rest of the set. The new tracks off latest release "Coal" go down very well with the fans. Next, Haemorrhage (7) play a set full of thrashy, filthy goregrind that assaults my ears in a very pleasurable way. Guitarist Ana is pretty easy on the eyes as well. Moving on, I turn a quick 180 degrees to catch Svart Crown's (8) set. One of the newer band's carving out France's legacy in the world of black metal, Svart Crown plough through their songs with determination and songs from new album "Profane" sounds just as good live as one record. Well done Svart Crown.<br />
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Minutes later, I receive another sonic beatdown from Krisiun (8), Brazil's master of death metal play a good set but due to the long songs off "The Great Execution" time flies by and they get very few songs in. Regardless, Krisiun are a very good band who I would love to see at their own show one day. After this I take a break from the bigtop and head to the mainstages to catch Prong (9), a band I've always enjoyed seeing live. Tommy Victor is once again on great form and crowd favourites "For Dear Life" and the anthem "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" go down fantastically with the crowd. Once Prong finish it's straight back to the bigtop to catch Cryptopsy (6) who, despite playing well just fail to engage my full attention and the attention of most of the crowd. After a brief break for food and beers, I catch the end of Pig Destroyer's (7) set, and from what I can tell they appear to have torn the crowd a new one. However it's not until Ihsahn (9) takes the stage that I myself am torn a new one. With Leprous as his backing band as per usual, the man himself plays a great set (if a bit short) with songs from new age prog masterpiece "After" and new album "Eremita". Soaring choruses and wonderful off kilter uneven rhythms. New prog at its finest. Despite not playing as long a set as his slot at last year's hellfest I'm still thoroughly satisfied.<br />
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By the time Korpiklaani (10) come on, I'm pretty hammered, among other things. Watching these guys turns out to be possibly the most fun I've had all weekend. I'm so fucking pumped up I end up screaming the lyrics in the faces of people near me in the pit and when "Rauta" and "Vodka" come on I legitimately lose my shit and dance around like a maniac. One of the best feelings of the weekend. After checking out the market and buying a sick "Blessed Are The Sick" shirt from Morbid Angel (my favourite album of theirs), I keep that good feeling going by watching Down's 2nd set in the doom tent. Packed beyond capacity, Down (10) play a set full unlike anything I was expecting. After 2 rare live tracks (Swan Song & Rehab), Phil switches to guitar and his wife comes on to do vocals for a couple of Eyehategod covers (Sisterfucker part 1 & Blank), then Kirk takes centre stage and the band bust out 2 Crowbar classics (High Rate Extinction & Conquering). As is inevitable, Pepper steps up and 2 of my favourite Corrosion Of Conformity songs get played (Albatross & Clean My Wounds) which causes me to go apeshit and instantly call my friends back in England to brag, because that's the kind of bastard I am. The final two tracks consist of a Robin Trower cover (Bridge Of Sighs), and then as if this set couldn't get any better, they play "Walk". FUCKING WALK!!!! To hear Down play "Walk" and have them all dedicate it to Dime is very moving and the cover would've done him proud. Well done guys.<br />
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Next is another one of my highlights of the weekend, Stone Sour (10). Corey and the boys play a fantastic set including hits from every album and a couple of surprise covers (Sabbath's "Children Of The Grave" and Alice In Chains' "Nutshell"). Corey Taylor really is a born performer and the crowd love it. Closer "30/30-150" causes the whole crowd to lose their minds and Stone Sour prove why they are among modern day hard rock royalty.<br />
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After Stone Sour finish I head to catch the rest of Marduk's (9) set. Mortuus, Morgan, Devo and Lars are all playing on fine form affter releasing the excellent "Serpent Sermon" last year. "Nowhere, No-one, Nothing", "Slay The Nazarene" and "Satan & Victorious Weapons" all sound evil and thrashy as fuck and in my opinion these guys are one of the best black metal performances of the weekend alongside Immortal.<br />
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After taking a couple hours break to eat dinner and drink more, I head back to the arena to see Napalm Death close the weekend in style. Napalm Death (10) are a band that you can always enjoy, despite knowing exactly what they're going to do. The band have never compromised their ethics and continue to play anywhere that will have them, putting on a damn good show no matter what. The band's setlist hasn't changed much for years, apart from the odd addition whenever a new album comes out, but nobody gives a fuck because a Napalm Death show is just too damn enjoyable. Barney bounds around on stage like a mad man barking at everybody with that terrifying voice of his and the rest of the band play with a degree of fury and passion few other bands can equal. This is my 4th time seeing Napalm Death (2nd time seeing them at hellfest) and once again they surprise me by including one of my favourite songs of theirs, "Greed Killing". Due to the fact that I was very out of it at this point my memory is a bit blurry but I remember Birmingham's finest having possibly the best pits of the weekend and overall absolutely killing it.<br />
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To end the weekend in style after Napalm finished I wondered back to camp and once again got absolutely shitfaced. I somehow wake up hangover free and we make the long trip back to England, after leaving Clisson at 10, taking a taxi across Paris (a moderately terrifying experience), nearly getting scammed outside Gare Du Nord, sweating on the Eurostar for over 2 hours, getting another train from London and then a further 2 hours driving I collapsed at home around midnight happy to be in my own bed. This weekend has left me exhausted, aching, sickly, beaten and bruised, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. \m/<br />
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And that boys and girls is my coverage of Hellfest 2013. I promise that next year I will have some good pictures for you once I've bought a decent camera. I will post the shitty pictures that I did take in a separate article. Also my apologies that this took so long I've been rather absent minded recently. But fear not, in a few weeks I'll have my Bloodstock Open Air 2013 review for you. Until then I'll try and keep as many reviews flowing as possible, stay metal \m/ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-88600216793920653642013-07-15T16:22:00.000+01:002013-08-06T17:42:15.609+01:00Hellfest 2013: Thursday & Friday (20th & 21st June)And now, it's finally time for me to share the crazy fucking times I had at Hellfest 2013. Sadly there is a distinct lack of photo evidence for most of it (due to me having a shit camera and/or being too out of it to think of taking pictures), but I did catch photos of most of the bands I saw. Fear not however, as I shall be purchasing a distinctly better camera and aiming to acquire a press pass for next year. Anyway, to business. This article will be covering my arrival and the first day of music and the following article will address Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>After a day of travelling to Nantes from London (roughly 8 hours train journey), my friend and I felt no need to hurry ourselves the next morning, after sleeping in, we made our way to Nantes train station so we could await the arrival of our companions from up north. Upon their arrival we boarded a train for our short journey to Clisson. To say I was excited for my second year at Hellfest Open Air was a massive understatement. Upon arriving at the gates via shuttle bus we were inside and camp was set up within 45 minutes, far better than the usual queues at Download from what I've heard. At this point we ventured to the local supermarket (3 mins walk from the campsite) where we were greeted by a massive sign saying "Hellfest 2013 - Welcome Headbangers!!" and the soothing sounds of Alcest playing throughout the store. Clisson's economy seems to rely on the annual influx of metalheads from all corners of the world. But anyway, I digress.<br />
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After spending close to 70 euros on alcohol and sandwiches for the weekend, we returned to our campsite and the evening's fun began. After wandering the campsite well into the early hours, meeting some of the most entertaining Irishmen I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, drinking with Scots, Russians, Frenchmen and more I collapsed and embraced sleep ready for the next morning's chaos.<br />
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I awoke, hungover (as you can imagine), and frantically searched for some money to purchase my breakfast, 2 glasses of cold OJ and a couple of Pain au Chocolat, which turned out to be my salvation for the first half of the day. Journeying to the arena for just before 1 I was able to catch Hate (8) in fine form. Essentially the older brother to Behemoth but never given the amount of recognition they deserve, Hate play a very good set filled with blackened death metal straight from their latest album "Solarflesh (2013)". Bassist Mortifer's recent death has no doubt dampened their spirits, but with his wife Alexandra stepping up to fill in on bass (a very touching gesture), the band are determined to fulfill their touring commitments before taking a step back and figuring out the future of the band. Closer "Alchemy Ov Blood" get the crowd going and honours Mortifer's memory in terrific fashion.<br />
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Next I rushed to the mainstages to catch Heathen (7) and their signature brand of bay-area thrash with David R. White's soaring vocals. Songs from recent effort "The Evolution Of Chaos (2010)" go down a treat, with "Dying Season" and "No Stone Unturned" really getting the crowd going despite the rain, however the closing number "Death By Hanging" fails to get as much of a reaction as their contemporary stuff. Shame.<br />
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Within 10 minutes Saxon (9) have surfaced on the adjacent stage and waste no time showing the crowd why they're still an amazing live act after nearly 35 years non stop playing and touring. Biff Byford still knows just how to work a crowd no matter where it is the band are playing and they have fans young and old singing along throughout, if anything I and many other wish they had a longer set.<br />
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After a brief break I return to the arena and catch Pallbearer (8), who make their first European festival appearance a memorable one, playing their particular brand of melancholic doom with style and flair. At the same time, Testament (8) give an admirable performance as always, mixing in their hits with future classics from last year's "Dark Roots Of Earth (2012)". Next up are Dutch death metal heroes Asphyx (9) who show that they can pull off last year's masterpiece "Deathammer (2012)" with ease. Martin van Drunen has truly excellent stage presence and it's no wonder why he's such a respected vocalist in the world of death metal.<br />
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Due to travel problems, Primordial are late so in the meantime I check out Kreator (7) and Black Pyramid (9). Kreator manage to get the crowd going with their new era material and a couple from "Pleasure To Kill" but the stuff in between doesn't get much of a response, whereas Black Pyramid, playing one of their first European festival appearances, churn out riff after riff and dominate the doom stage. The Northampton, Massachussets trio astound many people who are unfamiliar with their material and delight those who are. Considering these guys are a group I never thought I would have the good fortune to see live, I was in awe. One of my top 10 favourite performances of the weekend hands down. When Primordial (8) finally arrive, despite only having time for 4 songs I stay and watch all the same, because I would never turn the chance to see one of my favourite bands, regardless of set time.<br />
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After returning to camp to eat some dinner (and in the process missing Ceremonial Oath, something I shall be very disappointed in myself for doing for a long time), I head to the arena once more for the final wave of bands. Carpathian Forest (9) have surfaced from the darkness to play a rare show and don't let up for a second, Nattefrost and Tchort show us why their brand of dark, anarchic black metal has made them famous, whereas when Sleep (9) play, the atmosphere could not be more laid back. The tent is covered in a low cloud of weed smoke throughout the performance (which I must admit I was ok with, due to being high as a kite myself at the time) and Matt Pike and co act as if they were never away and just get straight to business, jamming out most of "Holy Mountain (1993)" as well as "Sonic Titan" and the ending portion of "Dopesmoker (2003)". Truly a sight to behold.<br />
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It's now 11pm (curfew for most other festivals) and the festivities are still going strong. A band I've been looking forward to seeing again for ages are about to play. At The Gates (10) play a set full of hits that every fan of the band has come to know and love them for. Even the band's Slayer cover, "Captor Of Sin" makes an appearance as a tribute to Jeff Hanneman (R.I.P.). Closing number "Kingdom Gone" (one of my personal favourites) is an excellent way to round off their set, a triumphant performance once again. These guys honestly never disappoint so if you haven't seen them before, what are you waiting for? Fucking do it.<br />
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It's now time for the last two bands, who also happen to be two of the bands I've most wanted to see this year. God Seed (9), the new band from ex-Gorgoroth members Gaahl and King Ov Hell, have been hotly anticipated by many this year. And they don't disappoint for a second. Several big songs from their acclaimed debut "I Begin (2012)" are mixed with some of Gorgoroth's finest songs during Gaahl's tenure as vocalist. Their performance provides an excellent forward thinking take on black metal. Nearby in the doom tent Neurosis (9) are playing to a packed crowd and every audience member is hanging on Scott Kelly's every word. Another band to definitely see live if you can. Finally Six Feet Under (6) begin their onslaught to round off the night. The result is satisfactory but not outstanding. Chris Barnes growls through every song perfectly well, but the lateness of the hour is clearly taking its toll on the crowd and many people are finding it hard to stay engaged in the music. Several people are asleep flat on their backs inside the death metal tent. Regardless Barnes & Co. put on a good enough show, and a surprise cover of "Hammer Smashed Face" is a good way to end the night in style. After that I wandered back to the campsite, found my Irish friends and proceeded to get royally fucked up. Stay tuned for more...ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-8087511387136174982013-07-04T14:50:00.000+01:002013-08-24T13:05:26.898+01:00Sounds Of The Underground: Murder Made God - IrreverenceHello there everyone, and happy 4th of July to my American readers (if there are any). I'm back after 2 and a bit weeks hiatus, in which time I've gone crazy several times over, drunk enough to pickle myself, and absolutely fucked shit up at this year's Hellfest. In the next week or so I'll be doing a complete feature on Hellfest 2013 but for now I'm here to say that I'm back with a vengeance and to review one of my most highly anticipated death metal albums of the year, and now without further ado, here it is...<br />
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1. Throne Of Derision<br />
2. An Ambiguous Era<br />
3. Hollow Skulls<br />
4. The Endless Void Of Human Hunger<br />
5. Reaching Ground Zero<br />
6. Aberrant Course<br />
7. Methods Of Humanity<br />
8. Let It In, Breathe It Out<br />
9. One Thousand Tongues<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Greece is one of those nations that, despite having some big names (Rotting Christ, Firewind, Septicflesh) and some good names in the underground (Sickening Horror, Echidna, Suicidal Angels), is constantly forgotten about by most people in the metal world. I can't deny that I'm one of those people that when learning about a new band from Greece will occasionally go "Greece has metal???". However with this band I have a feeling I won't forget again. Murder Made God signed to Brutal Bands (great label, check them out) recently, and I must say thanks to Bloodshot Dawn, (if you haven't heard of them check them out), because otherwise this is a band that would most likely have gone unnoticed by me, for a while at least.<br />
Straight away these guys show they mean business on "Throne Of Derision". Brutal tremelo-picked riffs paired with some brutal double-bass work to create a great track, crushingly heavy but full of groove at the same time, while also not skimping on the technicality. Then without a second to waste, the album segues seamlessly into "An Ambiguous Era". Grooves and fantastic off beat riffs are everywhere on this album, with many of the "stop-start" riffs adding to the overall brutality nicely. This is distinctly less technical than some similar bands (Decrepit Birth, Cytotoxin), lacking in sweeps and flashy solos but still containing plenty of rhythm, brutality and groove a la Hour Of Penance or Dying Fetus. The drumming on this album is particularly impressive, every blastbeat is on point and some of the fills are truly excellent. The vocals are raw and powerful and every has a great rhythm to it.<br />
<br />
"Throne Of Derision", "Reaching Ground Zero", "One Thousand Tongues" and "The Endless Void Of Human Hunger" are all tracks I've found myself coming back to again and again, and while this is not as instantly accessible or memorable as other bands in the genre this album has definitely grown on me.<br />
<br />
In summary, this is a promising first album from a band that has much to show the world of death metal, this will not be for everybody but fans of brutal/technical death metal will enjoy. These guys have shown once again that Greece is a force to be reckoned with.<br />
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<br />
7.5/10<br />
<br />
For fans of: Dying Fetus, Hour Of Penance<br />
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<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/mmgofficial?fref=ts">Facebook</a><br />
Irreverence is out now on Brutal Bands<br />
<br />
Now that I've dealt with this I'll have a couple of live reviews for y'all in the next couple days and then my feature for Hellfest 2013. Stay metal fuckers. Peace!! \m/ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-65357485697367837232013-06-14T11:19:00.002+01:002013-06-14T11:19:51.363+01:00Karnivool: New VideoWhat's up guys, trying to be a bit more frequent with my posts now, hence why I'm back after only a week.<br />
Just thought I'd share a bit of news I was very excited about with all of you. For any of you that like Progressive Rock/Metal, Karnivool will not be a new name to most of you. Australia's favourite sons have been recording their 3rd album, the follow up to 2009's spectacular "Sound Awake" for quite a while now. After releasing a new track called "The Refusal" a few weeks ago, which in my opinion was good but took a while to grow on me, the band have just released a new video for a song called "We Are", which I must say is absolutely magnificent. This song harks back to some of the more ambient, dreamier numbers on "Sound Awake" which is what caused me to fall in love with this band to begin with. The new album has now been given the title "Asymmetry" and will be released on July 19th worldwide. Check out the video and if you like it, get some of their stuff, you won't be disappointed.<br />
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<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/karnivool?fref=ts">Facebook</a><br />
<br />
That's all for now, I'll be back in the next day or so with a new review so until then, stay metal \m/ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-59577904140530818172013-06-07T21:16:00.000+01:002013-06-07T21:22:02.684+01:00Official Facebook PageS'up guys, I've put up a link to the ParaReviews Facebook page. Visit, like, comment, request, whatever floats your boat. Make sure to share the link and get us some more fans. Stay metal \m/ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-50614851965395018942013-06-07T21:09:00.000+01:002013-07-08T01:53:44.410+01:00Blood Red Throne - Blood Red ThroneSo, it's been over two weeks since I last posted for you guys. In that time, I've finished Uni for year, gone on a week long slam bender, and re-designed the page among other things. Now I'm ready to get back into a semi regular routine until the week after next when I'll be leaving to fuck shit up at Hellfest in the south of France. A full article detailing the weekend of carnage will follow when I return. Until then I bring you this, the latest album by Norwegian lunatics Blood Red Throne...<br />
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1. Soulseller<br />
2. In Hell I Roam<br />
3. Hymn Of The Asylum<br />
4. Primitive Killing Machine<br />
5. Deatholation<br />
6. Torturewhore<br />
7. Exoneration Manifesto<br />
8. Dødens Makt<br />
9. March Of The Undying<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">B</span>lood Red Throne hail from Kristiansand in deepest, darkest Norway. Being an OSDM (Old School Death Metal) band in the nation that put Black Metal on the map means that Blood Red Throne are unfortunately often seen as a needle in a haystack when it comes to being noticed, by people unfamiliar with the Norway scene and those uneducated in death metal in particular. The band's reputation for releasing allegedly "patchy" albums doesn't help either. However, after a change of vocalist, the band has come storming back into our lives with this new self titled offering, which in my honest opinion has redeemed them for any previous offences committed against my ears.<br />
<br />
After the departure of previous vocalist Vald, many wondered if BRT would be able to make a comeback, but new vocalist Yngve "Bolt" Christiansen has shown everyone that these guys are by no means down for the count. His lows are as impressive as anything Vald was capable of. And while his highs may sound slightly scratchy on occasion, they also sound absolutely ferocious and make the music sound truly deadly (pardon the pun).<br />
<br />
"Soulseller" begins ominously but soon kicks into a monstrous groove. Pounding drums couple with sludgy, Bloodbath-esque guitars, complete with soaring solos and squeals aplenty. "In Hell I Roam" features a nice groove midway through but the first song to truly grab my attention is "Hymn Of The Asylum", after a short sample, a groove comes in that fills me with rage and adrenaline, making me want nothing more than to beat the shit out of something. As the song fades out I feel amped up to fuck and hope that the next song doesn't disappoint. "Primitive Killing Machine" doesn't let me down for a single second. The riffs have so much groove and punch to them that each new riff feels like a new blow to the head. As soon as one song fades out another bursts into life as if from nowhere and pummels the shit out of you. This album just does not let up. Not even once. Granted most of the lyrics here aren't anything extraordinary, but then again most BRT fans don't want that anyway. This is pure unadulterated Norwegian fucking death metal. And to be honest, if you don't like that, fuck you.<br />
<br />
Anyway, continuing on with the music, whereas most albums tend to slow down around the half way mark, this album keeps the heat on with "Torturewhore", a song about inflicting pain on women (now that's original in death metal isn't it). Scathing sarcasm aside, this is a very enjoyable song with a very melodic bridge section that makes the song enjoyable to not give a fuck how cheesy the lyrics are. "Exoneration Manifesto" is the first song to actively showcase new bassist Ole "Bent" Madsen, proving that just because it's an OSDM album and not tech-death, it doesn't mean the bass just has to get lost in the mix. And then the grooves start again and I find myself windmilling uncontrollably. This album really is starting to become very enjoyable.<br />
<br />
"Dødens Makt" is, at 3 minutes even, the album's shortest song. But that doesn't stop it from beating the shit out of you sonically until you submit to its will. The riffs in this song sound powerful as fuck and never slow down or ease up.<br />
<br />
And now we come to closer "March Of The Undying", a monster of a track that truly blew me away the first time I heard it. The riffs, squeals, harmonies and grooves are fucking crushing in this song. And the samples really do compliment the atmosphere of the song. This song epitomises BRT for me, mixing groove and power with some sweet solos and "breakdown" riffs. I dare you to listen to this song without headbanging at least once. If you don't then you clearly shouldn't be listening to the album in the first place.<br />
<br />
In conclusion, fans of groove based OSDM will love this, and BRT fans will be happy. The demons from Kristiansand have return to claim their throne (again, pardon the pun) as Norway's premier death metal band.<br />
<br />
9/10<br />
<br />
For fans of: Bloodbath, Vomitory<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
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Blood Red Throne is available now on Sevared RecordsParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-28375271065324729182013-05-21T18:28:00.003+01:002013-05-21T18:28:55.969+01:00Bands To Watch: Strychnia - Reanimated Monstrosity (2013)Hello folks, I'm back again with some tasty new death metal for y'all. This time it's Dayton, New Jersey's Strychnia and their EP "Reanimated Monstrosity". Enjoy...<br />
<br />
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1. Reanimated Monstrosity (Feat. John Gallagher)<br />
2. War Sermon<br />
3. Killdozer<br />
4. Cephalectomy<br />
5. Slaughtered<br />
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<a name='more'></a>It's not very often that a band comes to my attention and ticks all the right boxes almost instantly, leaving me salivating at their very mention like one of Pavlov's famous dogs and craving more (if you don't know who Pavlov is, then I'm guessing most of you are grown up enough to look it up). This phenomenon has happened less than a dozen times in my lifetime (in terms of death metal at least), and in each case has led to me going on a fan bender for the band in question, and buying every piece of even vaguely cool looking merch/every album possible that they've released, Aborted, Exodus and Obituary being notable examples. But after over a decade of metal devotion and 8 solid years of being a disciple of all things brutal, I've become incredibly picky and not at all easy to impress. Anyway, I digress...<br />
<br />
That thing I just rambled on about for ages? This is one of those deals.<br />
<br />
Before I even start to play this EP I can tell I'm going to at least enjoy it in some way. Brutal-as-fuck artwork from one of my favourite death metal album artists (Marco Hasmann)? Check. Guest Appearance from a highly regarded death metal veteran (John Gallagher from the mighty Dying Fetus)? Check. On paper this sounds fantastic. So I bought the EP after hearing nothing but the title track once, I cautiously locate the album in iTunes and press play...<br />
<br />
Am I disappointed? FUCK NO!<br />
<br />
As soon as the main riff of the title track phases in and everything kicks off, I find myself pleasantly surprised. High quality production, solid drumming, headbang-able and rememberable riffs, it's all there. And then John Gallagher's part appears and the riff to accompany his vocals could not compliment his style more perfectly. This is then followed by an enjoyable solo and lots of groove. I find myself thinking "if this EP keeps this up I'll be very impressed.."<br />
<br />
And guess what, they do!!<br />
<br />
"War Sermon" keeps it brutal and causes me only to fall in love with this band more. The breakdown at 1:28 is absolutely fucking crushing. To me, the band seems to have taken the best parts of Dying Fetus and some of the top Slam band like Ingested and blended them seamlessly. Vocalist Kevin O'Laughlin's contributions are truly spectacular, from powerful mid-range barks to some brilliant high shrieks.<br />
<br />
"Killdozer" is much shorter in comparison, but at no point do the band show any signs of letting up, especially during the song's bridge, which contains yet another sick breakdown.<br />
<br />
However the crowning song of the EP in my opinion is "Cephalectomy" without a shadow of a doubt. Opening with some lovely Nile-esque harmonies lead into crushing slams and brutal chug riffs. This song for me brings together everything enjoyable about the EP into one catchy wonderful package.<br />
<br />
This stellar release comes to a close with the addition of a Pantera cover, "Slaughtered", which is only available as a bonus track for those who bought the EP in its entirety. The band manages to do exactly what most people hope for with a cover song - make it unquestionably theirs without detracting from the quality of the original.<br />
<br />
This EP has impressed me greatly, the high quality production and artwork as well as the incredible amount of thought that has gone into crafting these very enjoyable songs. My only wish is that it was longer. Fans of Dying Fetus will love these but conceivably any fan of death metal would find something to enjoy here. Check it out. The band has the EP up for streaming on bandcamp and considering it's only $5 (£3.30 or so to UK residents) it really is worth such a small price, plus if you buy the whole EP you get the cover as a bonus. These guys are going for it in a big way to get their name out there, so do them a favour and show your support by legitimately buying this magnificent S.O.B!<br />
<br />
9.8/10<br />
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Reanimated Monstrosity is available from Strychnia's bandcamp <a href="http://strychnia.bandcamp.com/album/reanimated-monstrosity">here</a>ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-45015214414532784022013-05-08T16:00:00.000+01:002013-05-15T20:46:00.062+01:00Sonic Obliteration 2013: London Underworld - 4th May 2013After being off the grid for a couple of weeks now, something I apologise to you guys profusely for, I'm back with a new live review, this time covering my jaunt to London last Saturday for 2013's Sonic Obliteration fest. On the 4th of May 2013 the Underworld played host to 9 extraordinary bands in an entire day of unparallelled death metal carnage. Despite not everything going to plan a good time was had by all and every band performed excellently.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Making a (relatively early) start a little after half past 2, the doors opened and a small crowd of people began to spill into the underworld. I've stated before that I'm not a great fan of the underworld due to the abysmal toilets and the extortionate prices for drinks, but at the same time I was eagerly awaiting a day of windmilling and generally fucking my eardrums up.Straigh away openers Anoxide (6) showed signs of getting the crowd going and had some decent thrash inspired death metal riffs, but with so few people in attendance at the start, their efforts have little effect. The small crowd watches enjoys them regardless. However when Oblivionized (7) take the stage the crowd has easily doubled. After previously hearing this band's EP and being very impressed I was looking forward to their set, and while musically the band is very tight and technical, the high vocals eventually began to grate on my nerves. Despite my personal views on the vocals Oblivionized played a tight set full of their signature "misanthropic deathgrind".<br />
<br />
The next band is a band that I've been a massive fan of since the self release of their debut album last year. Portsmouth's Bloodshot Dawn (10) are rapidly becoming one of the biggest names in the UK underground, and for very good reason, they're sick as fuck. Mixing technicality, brutality and plenty of groove, these guys own the stage for their entire set. These guys were a highlight of my weekend on the Sophie Lancaster stage at Bloodstock 2012 and I knew they wouldn't disappoint this time either. These lads deserve every bit of praise they've recieved in their career thus far, they've earned it all and more. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see what's in store for Bloodshot Dawn this year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEtfcUrM9S2bcQYaVP8q44uxVnq7qV_Gb1gh9aHB1ER54ZeUgEjkIaInqdOmEEPZ2NfiSamVH_CQHcxjEdYIKtL6COUXwWLbUhK8885vCAvTC2asi6ytfwP6HHLMl97vmJDFd8-yS5NM/s1600/DSC_1285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEtfcUrM9S2bcQYaVP8q44uxVnq7qV_Gb1gh9aHB1ER54ZeUgEjkIaInqdOmEEPZ2NfiSamVH_CQHcxjEdYIKtL6COUXwWLbUhK8885vCAvTC2asi6ytfwP6HHLMl97vmJDFd8-yS5NM/s320/DSC_1285.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
After a quick change over, Unfathomable Ruination (8) give us a blast of highly technical brutal death metal, with a special mention to drummer Doug Anderson (also of Bloodshot Dawn), who played 2 consecutive sets flawlessly. The one problem I was able to find with Unfathomable Ruination's set was the appalling work by the sound guys. Due to the bass and low frequencies coupled with the underworld's low ceiling and the lack of work by the sound engineers to counteract this, the vocals were almost completely lost in the mix. Regardless, the band gave an excellent performance and turned out to be really great guys. I ended up buying one of their shirts and I must say it looks sick.<br />
<br />
Belgium's The Last Shot Of War (5) were not as popular by a long shot. Playing a simplified beatdown based version of deathcore, there were very few who showed any real level of enjoyment in the crowd. <br />
<br />
Next up was Finland's Re-Armed (8), who impress the crowd with a few fierce tracks of thrashy death metal from their debut "Worldwide Hypnotise" as well showcasing a few tracks from their upcoming album. The set goes well but after a while people begin to realise the band's set should have ended. This is when things began to go wrong....<br />
<br />
After an extra 15 minutes of Re-Armed, my friend and I decided to go and ask the guys in Bloodshot Dawn if merch for the headlining bands would be available, only to be told that none of the headlining bands had arrived yet. This caused us to feel a wee bit uneasy to say the least. Re-Armed continued their set and most were none the wiser. However when Re-Armed left the stage nothing happened, and people gradually began to grow restless, some even leaving. Eventually, around half past 8 (the time Cattle Decapitation were due to finish), something finally happened. Decrepit Birth's frontman Bill Robinson came onstage to explain the situation (some absolute bullshit involving the tourbus company and travel arrangements), causing me to feel a great degree of sympathy. This was of course mixed with fury when he announced that Decrepit Birth <u><b>would not</b></u> be playing their first London date in over 5 fucking years due to time constraints. However after a brief discussion with Bill the guys in Decrepit Birth will hopefully work their way back over here soon.<br />
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Within minutes, Cattle Decapitation (10) were onstage and all was proceeding as if nothing had gone wrong. Despite clearly being angry at being fucked over, the band put on an excellent show for the 25 minutes they play. Travis Ryan truly lives up to the nickname my friends and I have so lovingly given him, "the man of 1,000 growls", showcasing some excellent power and control over his growls, screams and shrieks at all pitches. The entire set is chaotic and magnificent, but "The Carbon Stampede" is particularly memorable due to a spectacular stage dive from Decrepit Birth's Bill Robinson, along with "Forced Gender Reassingment", forever present in my mind due to the frankly gruesome-as-fuck video that was made to accompany it.<br />
<br />
At roughly 9:25 Cryptopsy (10) finally emerge and after a brief apology speech waste no time in fucking everyone up within a 100 foot radius of the stage. The set, while again heavily reduced (35 minutes or so) is brutal as fuck and the band fits in some excellent tunes, including a personal favourite of mine from "Whisper Supremacy", "Emaciate". Ending on a high note with the magnificent "Phobophile" from magnum opus "None So Vile", Cryptopsy assure us they'll be back soon and end the night positively.<br />
<br />
Summing up, despite the disappointment of not seeing my favourite band of the 3 headliners, and the vastly shortened sets of the other two, this was an excellent day full of death metal and I'm definitely glad I was able to witness this spectacle.<br />
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<u><b>Cattle Decapitation Setlist</b></u><br />
<ol>
<li>The Carbon Stampede</li>
<li>A Living, Breathing Piece Of Defecating Meat</li>
<li>Testicular Manslaughter</li>
<li>Lifestalker</li>
<li>Your Disposal</li>
<li>Forced Gender Reassingment</li>
<li>Kingdom Of Tyrants</li>
</ol>
<br />
<u><b>Cryptopsy Setlist</b></u><br />
<ol>
<li> Two-Pound Torch</li>
<li>Benedictine Convulsions</li>
<li>Emaciate</li>
<li>Worship Your Demons</li>
<li>Graves Of The Fathers</li>
<li>Blasphemy Made Flesh Medley</li>
<li>Slit Your Guts</li>
<li>The Golden Square Mile</li>
<li>Phobophile</li>
</ol>
ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-87625732605330569032013-04-21T16:13:00.000+01:002013-04-21T16:13:13.466+01:00Sound Of The Underground: Hacride - Back To Where You've Never BeenHello there everyone, after over two weeks of anger, confusion and near-insanity, I've returned from the brink to bring you a new review. Enjoy.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>While many countries have been well known for their decent quality metal, either predominantly from a certain sub-genre or just in general, France is a country that has only recently appeared on the radar for most. The scene in France has really developed over the last few years to include some fantastic prog, black and death metal bands, all with their own unique flavour unseen in the other regional scenes worldwide.<br />
<br />
"But Gojira are the only decent French prog band!" I hear you cry. Well I'm sorry but you're dead wrong there. As impressive as Gojira are, despite being moderately overhyped nowadays (especially in the UK thanks to Metal Hammer and other mainstream loving tools who ignore any small band with talent), there are many other technical/progressive bands of note from our cousins across the channel, notable examples being 7th Nemesis, Carcariass, Destinity and of course Hacride.<br />
<br />
This is Hacride's 4th offering and their first since the inclusion of two new members last year, Florent Marcadet and Luis Roux (taking over drums and vocals respectively). This album follows on from Lazarus and Amoeba, two excellent albums that showed France was a force to be reckoned with in the metal world, and while this band undoubtedly has some similarities to Gojira, there are far more differences to set them apart.<br />
<br />
Opening track "Introversion" starts out with a nice djenty-sounding clean tone and some off-kilter rhythms, sounding so far like a French Mnemic. However the main riff soon kicks in, bringing with a strong industrial flavour, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that it sounds fucking awesome. Track 2, "Strive Ever To More" leads in flawlessly with some nice octave riffs, and then coupled with the clean vocals produces a sound rather similar to some of Tool's more effect drenched passages. There is still that strong industrial atmosphere throughout but it doesn't overshadow the music, and thankfully Hacride aren't one of those bands that have given in and resorted to using 7/8 strings and polyrhythms in an attempt to stay progressive. These guys are managing just fine without all that. Not to say that some of the riffs on this album aren't still pretty fuckin' heavy, because they are, trust me. "Synaesthesia" for example, has one of the most crushing riffs I've heard for a while from a non death-metal band, and there isn't a seven string chug in sight. "Overcome" is the complete opposite end of the spectrum however, playing the role of the "typical heavy but outrageously catchy and accessible radio single". No complaints here though, it rocks.<br />
<br />
The album finishes on a high note with "Requiem For A Lullaby", mixing together everything you've come to like about the album during its duration and still sounding fresh and new. There really is no simple way to explain this, but Progressive Post-Industrial Sludge is about the closest I can get. This band takes inspiration from Neurosis, Mastodon, Gojira and several others to form something fresh and interesting. Prog fans should definitely check this one out.<br />
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9/10<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hacride/6875867967?fref=ts">Facebook</a><br />
Back To Where You've Never Been is out now on Indie Recordings ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-56151942287489620432013-04-05T16:30:00.001+01:002013-04-05T16:30:14.100+01:00New Video: Murder Made God - One Thousand TonguesGood afternoon people, I come to you today to share a new video I've had the pleasure of discovering. Murder Made God, a brutal death metal band from Greece are soon to release their first album "Irreverence" and have released a video for a track from the album, "One Thousand Tongues". In my opinion it's simply excellent for a brutal death metal track, well written, well produced, groovy, and heavy as fuck. Check this out and let me know what you guys think. Stay metal \m/<br />
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<br />ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-41718581426589733542013-04-04T19:01:00.001+01:002013-04-04T19:01:52.765+01:00Out Now: Thy Art Is Murder - Hate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello there everyone, just thought I'd check in and let you know that Aussie deathcore/tech-death heroes Thy Art Is Murder's 2nd album "Hate" has finally arrived on our shores, due to the wonderful people at Nuclear Blast records recognising this band's talent and finally giving them a record deal. Those of you that have been reading my <strike>opinionated rants</strike> reviews for a while now will that I have mad love for this band and have been raving about them since this album was released down under/leaked over the internet back in October, all I can say is it's about fucking time people heard this album as it's amazing. Sick drums, great breakdowns, shredding solos and growls so low they'll make your bollocks tingle. If you like death metal/deathcore of any kind you need to give this album a listen, you'll hopefully be glad you did.<br />
<br />
Until next time, I'm gonna leave you with the sick video these guys made for the first track from this monster, the titanic anthem "Reign Of Darkness", listen to those drums during the end breakdown (fucking insane or what?) and I defy you not to growl along after a couple of listens, it's that fucking good.<br />
<br />
For now, peace out! I'll have a new review for you guys in a day or two. Until then, stay metal \m/<br />
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<br />ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-2463926069806693712013-03-31T17:00:00.000+01:002013-04-01T00:32:17.228+01:00For Today - Prevailer E.P. (2013)Good afternoon everyone. In my live review on Wednesday I promised to return with a review of the latest Jungle Rot album. However, due to another blog author in my area presumably seeing that statement and purposely writing a review before me (albeit a rather terrible one giving the band waaayyyyy too much credit, when let's be honest it's just Jungle Rot, they're not world changing.), I have chosen to review something else as I'd rather not look like some kind of dick. So here we have a brief review of Christian metalcore group For Today's latest E.P., Prevailer. Enjoy.<br />
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1. From Zion<br />
2. Crown Of Thorns<br />
3. Flesh & Blood<br />
4. Open Heaven<br />
5. Fearless (Acoustic)<br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">F<span style="font-size: small;">or <span style="font-size: small;">Today are a band that <span style="font-size: small;">a few of you may not be that familiar with<span style="font-size: small;">, so I'l<span style="font-size: small;">l g<span style="font-size: small;">ive you th<span style="font-size: small;">e bas<span style="font-size: small;">ics. They're a metalcore band from Siou<span style="font-size: small;">x City, Iowa in the US of A<span style="font-size: small;">, they're fiercely<span style="font-size: small;"> Christian<span style="font-size: small;">, but also<span style="font-size: small;"> ver<span style="font-size: small;">y acceptin<span style="font-size: small;">g </span>of <span style="font-size: small;">fans who don't <span style="font-size: small;">share their beliefs. A<span style="font-size: small;">nd as <span style="font-size: small;">a<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">new age metalcore band, they're rock solid.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">After the release of their 4th album "Immortal" in <span style="font-size: small;">May of last year, <span style="font-size: small;">the band has gone through some line<span style="font-size: small;">-up change<span style="font-size: small;">s. <span style="font-size: small;">But they haven't <span style="font-size: small;">let that slow them down one bit on th<span style="font-size: small;">is new E.<span style="font-size: small;">P., where they've graced us with <span style="font-size: small;">4 new tracks and an acoustic reworking o<span style="font-size: small;">f their hit single "<span style="font-size: small;">Fearless" from the last album.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Despite re<span style="font-size: small;">placing two members the band is showing no sign of <span style="font-size: small;">being bothered in the slight<span style="font-size: small;">est<span style="font-size: small;">. New sticksman <span style="font-size: small;">David P<span style="font-size: small;">uckett is an ample replacement for David Morrison<span style="font-size: small;">, who departed to <span style="font-size: small;">do <span style="font-size: small;">missionary work in the middle east, and after rhythm <span style="font-size: small;">guitarist<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Mike Reynolds </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>left the band due to backlash from <span style="font-size: small;">a</span> wildly offensive homophobic rant<span style="font-size: small;"> on his twitter <span style="font-size: small;">ear<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">ly</span> this</span></span> year, <span style="font-size: small;">his replacement was found in former In The Midst Of Lions guitarist <span style="font-size: small;">Sam Penner, who <span style="font-size: small;">does an a<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">dmirable</span> job<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">But anyway, on to the actual content of this release...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">As well as sporting a cool cover (which onl<span style="font-size: small;">y needs some <span style="font-size: small;">blood and <span style="font-size: small;">it could<span style="font-size: small;"> pass for a new <span style="font-size: small;">Deicide re<span style="font-size: small;">lease)<span style="font-size: small;">, the new tracks the band<span style="font-size: small;"> have released are just as <span style="font-size: small;">solid as the<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">i</span>r <span style="font-size: small;">full-length</span> releases. Granted it's mostly <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">breakdown</span> based and the lyrics are <span style="font-size: small;">uplifting s<span style="font-size: small;">tor<span style="font-size: small;">i<span style="font-size: small;">e</span>s regarding <span style="font-size: small;">our <span style="font-size: small;">sa<span style="font-size: small;">viour (if you believe of course), <span style="font-size: small;">but the music is groo<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">v</span>y and well w<span style="font-size: small;">ritten<span style="font-size: small;"> and the lyrics are cat<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">c</span>hy even if you're not a devout <span style="font-size: small;">Christian. Vocalist <span style="font-size: small;">Mattie Montgomery is positively seething on <span style="font-size: small;">some <span style="font-size: small;">of these tracks, particularly furious opener "From Zion" and "<span style="font-size: small;">Crown Of Th<span style="font-size: small;">orn<span style="font-size: small;">s". <span style="font-size: small;">The <span style="font-size: small;">E.P. end<span style="font-size: small;">s with the new<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">l</span>y reworked</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> acoustic cover of "Fearless" and <span style="font-size: small;">it works surprisingly well<span style="font-size: small;">, I found myself <span style="font-size: small;">singing along quite happily within seconds.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">All in all, th<span style="font-size: small;">is <span style="font-size: small;">is a n<span style="font-size: small;">ice E.P. rel<span style="font-size: small;">ease and <span style="font-size: small;">I re<span style="font-size: small;">commend it to any fans of the band or <span style="font-size: small;">any p<span style="font-size: small;">eople who are starting to listen to some<span style="font-size: small;"> of the more modern metalcore. <span style="font-size: small;">Die-hard</span> fans of <span style="font-size: small;">old<span style="font-size: small;"> metalcore (Killswitch Engage, <span style="font-size: small;">God Forbid et al.) won't apprec<span style="font-size: small;">i<span style="font-size: small;">a</span>te this <span style="font-size: small;">that much, neither will people who are bother<span style="font-size: small;">ed by the band's <span style="font-size: small;">spiritual beliefs, but at the end <span style="font-size: small;">of the day <span style="font-size: small;">the music's good so who g<span style="font-size: small;">ives a fuck? Check it out and I <span style="font-size: small;">hope <span style="font-size: small;">some of you will be surprised.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">8/10</span></span></span></span><br />
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The Prevailer E.P. is out now on Razor & Tie RecordsParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-49502219721734974012013-03-27T18:52:00.002+00:002013-03-28T10:48:44.101+00:00Deicide - Norwich Waterfront - 18th March 2013And so today I have a new article for you lovely people, a live review of Deicide's triumphant gig at Norwich's Waterfront last week, and an album review of "Terror Regime", the latest from Midwest death metal mainstays Jungle Rot to come tomorrow. Comment, request a review, any feedback or suggestions are welcome. Enjoy...<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Deicide have long been considered one of the most important bands in death metal, in no small part due to frontman Glen Benton's well known anti-religious views and lyrics. However Deicide are so much more than that. Their speed and brutality have long been held in high regard, and since the departure of the Hoffman brothers on guitars and the addition of Jack Owen (Ex-Cannibal Corpse) & Kevin Quirion (Order Of Ennead) as well implementing some new found thrashier elements (particularly in their soloing), Deicide have arguably never sounded better. And after the cancellation of last years tour and the band's scheduled appearance at bloodstock, this tour was unmissable in my eyes.<br />
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<br />
Pouring into the Waterfront and journeying upstairs, I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't eagerly awaiting a chance to see Deicide in such a small environment. But of course first I need to mention the support bands...<br />
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Karnak (7), an Italian tech-death band didn't make the greatest impression on me to begin but as their set went on I found myself enjoying them quite a bit, sadly the 5 members had less than no room on the Waterfront's tiny stage. However the band possessed a lot of energy and determination, qualities which I must give them credit for. A worthy start to the night.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrklxd9xxHCKRgoVTLCkvcWoWBp0mr3NiA2C3fX39rhF6aHyH3ZQoTnFD5p-AFDRU1hNzbs1stw-8akkTC1Qwkl4o8xpSS2FvZvajcz5Lgv1PAfo9-0RsYmLkXNyTOvyOCsH0OxGf694Y/s1600/DSC_1052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrklxd9xxHCKRgoVTLCkvcWoWBp0mr3NiA2C3fX39rhF6aHyH3ZQoTnFD5p-AFDRU1hNzbs1stw-8akkTC1Qwkl4o8xpSS2FvZvajcz5Lgv1PAfo9-0RsYmLkXNyTOvyOCsH0OxGf694Y/s320/DSC_1052.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Next up were France's Destinity (8), and from the start their 7 string barrage of riffs went down very well, like a cross between Gojira and some of Nile's slower, chuggier riffs (fans of Nile will know <u><b>exactly</b></u> what I mean). However, sound problems began quite soon into their set and soon the vocalist was impossible to understand as well as his guitar cutting out intermittently. The brave Frenchmen battled on regardless and still managed to impress some of the crowd, including myself.<br />
<br />
Finally, when Glen, Steve, Jack and Kevin took the stage, the crowd's excitement was at its peak. Deicide (10) waste no time in tearing us all new arseholes by tearing into "Homage For Satan" straight away. Glen Benton is as dry and sarcastic as ever, providing some hilarious mid song banter, but the interludes are few and far between, as the band focus on providing the best setlist possible as a way of making good on their cancelled tour last year. Hits from almost every album make an appearance, with particular focus on <br />
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2011's "To Hell With God" and their self titled début. In my personal opinion these guys are as tight as I've ever seen, all 4 of them in sync, and it's very hard not to windmill like a maniac throughout. A friend of mine even did the Harlem Shake in the moshpit during Deicide's set, something which caused great amusement. This is possibly the finest gig I've ever attended in Norwich, and certainly one of the best death metal gigs. "Dead By Dawn", "Conviction" and "Lunatic Of God's Creation" are particular favourites of mine, and caused me to almost go hoarse growling along like Glen.<br />
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After the show we cautiously ventured backstage and managed to hang out with the band in the Waterfront's minuscule upstairs dressing room. We had some excellent banter with the guys in the band, found out why last year's tour was cancelled (issues with the promoter and promises being reneged on) and heard some very interesting stories from Glen and Steve regarding the Florida death metal scene and its beginnings. We all got signed tickets and I even got a picture with one of my guitar idols, JACK FUCKING OWEN!!! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYz8XGFVkDayLlLhCrgb3box81VB8aqQtawkcpzuxSPxoloHLqBAh5wtEAIg82lJyWYIrJMGR6nzecvzEu6J8lPIfdF7i21vlYASlAu7XPnf3B-cb_mORUzcgcrkvy8joDPxXRWOd1n0g/s1600/DSC_1096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYz8XGFVkDayLlLhCrgb3box81VB8aqQtawkcpzuxSPxoloHLqBAh5wtEAIg82lJyWYIrJMGR6nzecvzEu6J8lPIfdF7i21vlYASlAu7XPnf3B-cb_mORUzcgcrkvy8joDPxXRWOd1n0g/s320/DSC_1096.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Jack Fucking Owen!!</td></tr>
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This night was a complete success and I can recommend to anyone that's even a casual fan of Deicide to catch them live, you won't be disappointed.<br />
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Deicide Setlist:<br />
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1. Homage For Satan<br />
2. Dead By Dawn<br />
3. Once Upon The Cross<br />
4. Scars Of The Crucifix<br />
5. Serpents Of The Light<br />
6. When Satan Rules His World<br />
7. Save Your<br />
8. Oblivious To Evil<br />
9. Hang In Agony Until You're Dead<br />
10. Conviction<br />
11. Blame It On God<br />
12. They Are The Children Of The Underworld<br />
13. Witness Of Death<br />
14. Desecration<br />
15. Into The Darkness You Go<br />
16. How Can You Call Yourself A God<br />
17. Sacrificial Suicide<br />
18. Lunatic Of God's Creation<br />
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To Hell With God is out now on Century Media Records ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-67745200087104766892013-03-17T23:20:00.001+00:002013-03-17T23:20:23.251+00:00Suffocation - Pinnacle Of Bedlam (2013)I know what most of you are thinking, this album's already been out a month, why am I just reviewing it now? The truth is, I've had a hard time A. finding the time to properly sit down and write this review, and B. I wanted to make sure I did it justice. It may be late, but I couldn't resist voicing my opinions on this highly anticipated album from one of death metal's biggest bands. And just to appeal to other big Suffocation fans like myself I will be describing the album using some of the band's own lingo (this should be interesting...).<br />
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Enjoy...<br />
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1. Cycles Of Suffering<br />
2. Purgatorial Punishment<br />
3. Eminent Wrath<br />
4. As Grace Descends<br />
5. Sullen Days<br />
6. Pinnacle Of Bedlam<br />
7. My Demise<br />
8. Inversion<br />
9. Rapture Of Revocation<br />
10. Beginning Of Sorrow<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Suffocation have long been known as one of death metal's greatest innovators, due to their inventive use of blastbeats, outstanding technicality and brutal grooves along with vocalist Frank Mullen's signature stage presence. After releasing several brilliant album throughout the 90's and inspiring modern death metal (and certainly tech-death) almost single handedly the band split up and for 6 long years there was a void in the death metal scene that it seemed would remain permanently unfilled. However in 2004 Suffocation reformed and have been working furiously ever since. This is the 4th album since the band's reformation and after 2009's effort Blood Oath, an album some would call "lacklustre" (I'm a massive fan but even I must admit it was slightly patchy), plus the departure of mainstay drummer Mike Smith, widely credited as the inventor of blasting, many people, myself included, wondered how Suffocation would bounce back from these events.<br />
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Fear not, for Long Island's finest have done us proud yet again.<br />
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This album may just be one of the finest things Suffo' have ever released, certainly since reforming at least. This is classic Suffocation with a crisp, high-end production job. And my god it does wonders for them, former Suffo' soundman turned producer Joe Cincatto has once again done a magnificent job. Newly returning drummer Dave Culross, who appears on his first Suffocation release since the Despise The Sun E.P. in 1998, once again does a spectacular job of filling Mike Smith's shoes, Derek's bass is tight as fuck, Frank's voice sounds evil as hell and the guitar work from Terrance and Guy is nothing short of wonderful. But anyway, onto the actual music itself...<br />
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"What about the riffs???" I hear you cry. Well the riffs... My god the riffs. As a guitarist myself I feel an instant rush of jealousy upon listening to a Suffocation album, and none more so than this release. Musically this album combines everything Suffocation are famous for into possibly some of the best music they've ever written. Stabs, Slams, Thrashes, Blasts and Bombs are all here in ample amounts, along with some truly jaw-dropping solos. The solos that Guy Marchais & Terrance Hobbs trade off in the title track is some of the best death metal soloing I've heard this millennium so far. "Sullen Days" and "My Demise" also contain some great breakdown riffs. This is the first album in a while that's given me a bangover and an aching wrist the morning after. And some of the peddling that Derek Boyer churns out on the bass is extraordinary.<br />
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One thing I will note on this album however is a distinct change in lyrical content. This album moves away from the gore and religion fuelled songs of previous albums and focuses more on death and rebirth as explained by Terrance in the deluxe edition's "making of" documentary. This is due in part to the talented Mr Hobbs studying the tibetan book of the dead and taking the reins in terms of lyric writing this time around, and while it may be a tad <u><b>too</b></u> different for some, it works well and is a nice change of pace, helping show that Suffocation are new and rejuvenated. Also, while Frank may not be doing every date of every tour with the band now, he still performs every song on this album with as much dedication as ever. All in all each member gives a standout performance.<br />
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This album may well be my favourite release so far this year, and with a ticket to their London date already bought, it's safe to say that 2013 is the year of Suffocation in my eyes. This isn't just the Pinnacle of Bedlam, it's also the pinnacle of their career since reforming. Apart from possibly making it a bit longer Suffocation have done everything right with this release and I'm confident it's only a short amount of time before this pays off for them in a big way. Hail Suffocation \m/<br />
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9.8/10<br />
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Check this out if: you love the band already, want to check them out, or you're curious as to how tech-death got its start.<br />
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For fans of: Cryptopsy, Nile, Deeds Of Flesh, Origin, Gorguts<br />
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Pinnacle Of Bedlam is out now on Nuclear Blast RecordsParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-13608963038828925882013-03-14T20:41:00.000+00:002013-03-29T13:14:38.067+00:00Sound Of The Underground: Xibalba - Hasta La MuerteSo after 9 days of seclusion, essays and general insanity I come to you with a new segment I call "Sound Of The Underground". In this segment that I'll be trying to do every couple of months, I review something that will have definitely slipped under the radar for most of you out there, but at the same time something that most people would hopefully enjoy immensely.<br />
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Anyway, without further ado, my first new article...<br />
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1. No Serenity<br />
2. Soledad<br />
3. Laid To Rest<br />
4. Burn<br />
5. Sentenced<br />
6. The Flood<br />
7. Hasta La Muerte<br />
8. Mala Mujer<br />
9. Stoneheart<br />
10. Lujuria<br />
11. Cold<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Occasionally you hear about a band that tries to "break the mould" by mixing together two styles of music usually kept seperate, in this case the sub-genres in question being doom metal and hardcore. When I first heard about Pomona, California based band Xibalba and their 2nd album "Hasta La Muerte" I must admit I was sceptical and pleasantly amused at the same time. I was certain that this couldn't work properly due to the contrasting natures and natural speeds of the two styles.<br />
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Well let me tell you, I was fucking wrong.<br />
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In a single phrase, this album sounds like Madball, Entombed, and Autopsy coming together to form a supergroup. And it sounds cool as fuck as well as having spectacular artwork reminiscent of the Mayans and the end of the world. Never before have I heard a hardcore song stretched to 8 minutes and retain its message successfully throughout without getting boring or repetitive. This album for me could be the start of a new genre, doomcore, and I'm not gonna lie, if that was a genre, I'd be a big supporter.<br />
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This album just sounds nasty throughout, whether it's slow and downtuned, fast and thrashy or descending into madness with one of the many manic breakdowns present on pretty much every song. The choruses definitely lean more towards hardcore lyrics than anything else though. The first track is a great example, with vocalist Nate Rebolledo <span style="font-size: small;">barking "No soul, no identity, no peace, <span style="font-size: small;">no S<span style="font-size: small;">ERENITY!<span style="font-size: small;">".</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Despite the change of pace, this segues perfectly in<span style="font-size: small;">to <span style="font-size: small;">"<span style="font-size: small;">Soledad"<span style="font-size: small;">, which after a<span style="font-size: small;">n absolutely crushing <span style="font-size: small;">doomy intro breaks into an <span style="font-size: small;">fast<span style="font-size: small;">-pa<span style="font-size: small;">ced hardcore tune perfect for <span style="font-size: small;">2-stepping to.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;">The b<span style="font-size: small;">and seems to have no trouble trans<span style="font-size: small;">iti<span style="font-size: small;">on<span style="font-size: small;">ing <span style="font-size: small;">from crushing doom to blistering hardcore in a second fla<span style="font-size: small;">t, "Laid <span style="font-size: small;">To Rest" keeps this <span style="font-size: small;">up fan<span style="font-size: small;">tastic<span style="font-size: small;">ally with some great <span style="font-size: small;">double bass and <span style="font-size: small;">hardcore <span style="font-size: small;">drum fills. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">After <span style="font-size: small;">punishing <span style="font-size: small;">my e<span style="font-size: small;">ars with "Burn" and "<span style="font-size: small;">Sentenced"<span style="font-size: small;">,<span style="font-size: small;"> the next <span style="font-size: small;">track is a welcome change, "<span style="font-size: small;">The Flood" slows things down for a nice doomy instrumental before<span style="font-size: small;"> burs<span style="font-size: small;">ting into life ag<span style="font-size: small;">ain <span style="font-size: small;">with the album<span style="font-size: small;">'s title track<span style="font-size: small;">, <span style="font-size: small;">with <span style="font-size: small;">vocals completely in <span style="font-size: small;">Spanish<span style="font-size: small;">. And it sounds brutal as fuck.<span style="font-size: small;"> This track is <span style="font-size: small;">a highlight of the album for m<span style="font-size: small;">e, making me want to scream the chorus out <span style="font-size: small;">until my lungs bleed. And that fo<span style="font-size: small;">r me is the sign of a great album.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Moving on, we c<span style="font-size: small;">ome to "Mala Mujer<span style="font-size: small;">"</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>, <span style="font-size: small;">another <span style="font-size: small;">track that is very heavy indeed, while also containing some melodic doom sections punc<span style="font-size: small;">tuated with female vocals. A<span style="font-size: small;">n interesting change for sure.<span style="font-size: small;"> "Stoneh<span style="font-size: small;">eart" once again steps it up a notch and pummels you with <span style="font-size: small;">some inten<span style="font-size: small;">se hardcore<span style="font-size: small;">, complete with a<span style="font-size: small;">n<span style="font-size: small;"> absolutely let<span style="font-size: small;">hal breakdown near the end<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next we have the <span style="font-size: small;">album's longest track, the 8 minute monster "Lujur<span style="font-size: small;">ia". And this is where the band's doom side really forces itself <span style="font-size: small;">to the surface.</span></span></span> Some of the riffs on this t<span style="font-size: small;">rack couple<span style="font-size: small;">d with the overall crushing heav<span style="font-size: small;">iness <span style="font-size: small;">start to make me think after a while that the apocal<span style="font-size: small;">ypse is coming, so bleak is the sound on this song. The album<span style="font-size: small;">'s title (meaning "to the bitter end"<span style="font-size: small;">) really starts to seem appropriate at this point.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> This track sums up everything <span style="font-size: small;">Xibalba are about and it<span style="font-size: small;">'s fucking brilliant.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Finally we come to the end of the album with clos<span style="font-size: small;">ing track "Cold".</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;">A<span style="font-size: small;">fter a minute or so of static, all hell literally breaks lo<span style="font-size: small;">ose<span style="font-size: small;">. Dissonant hardcore riffs, chaotic sounding drums and <span style="font-size: small;">some of the nastiest hard<span style="font-size: small;">core vocals I<span style="font-size: small;">'ve ever heard in my life.<span style="font-size: small;"> This track pushes <span style="font-size: small;">everything over the edge, and ends <span style="font-size: small;">in the best way possible in my opinion, full of chaos and fury.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">All in all I'm finding it hard to fault this album. It's got doom, hardcore and <span style="font-size: small;">flat out death metal moments in equ<span style="font-size: small;">al measures, the production is very good but still sounds sludgy and full of character. The only <span style="font-size: small;">way I can imagine a metalhead not liking this is if you<span style="font-size: small;"> don't like the vocalist<span style="font-size: small;">'s voice, but there are a lot <span style="font-size: small;">wo<span style="font-size: small;">rse out there. <span style="font-size: small;">Check this out if you're looking for something new<span style="font-size: small;">, I'm confident you'll <span style="font-size: small;">find something about <span style="font-size: small;">it to like.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now that's over with I'll be back in the next couple days to review the latest<span style="font-size: small;"> Suffocation album<span style="font-size: small;">. Until then<span style="font-size: small;">, stay metal <span style="font-size: small;">\<span style="font-size: small;">m/</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">8.9/10</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Che<span style="font-size: small;">c<span style="font-size: small;">k this out if: you<span style="font-size: small;"> want to hear <span style="font-size: small;">a new spin on hardcore</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hast<span style="font-size: small;">a La Muerte is out now on Southern Lord Records</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-17151844025577901912013-03-05T10:50:00.001+00:002013-03-05T10:50:42.075+00:00Grand Magus + Primitai - London Underworld - 3rd March 2013And now I'm back with a new live review after a splendid weekend in Essex and London. Now I bring you a review of the final night of Grand Magus' 2013 tour, culminating in a packed headlining show at the underworld. Read on, and enjoy...<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Grand Magus are a band that in my opinion are hard to dislike simply due to the fact that they tick all the right boxes. Do they hail from a country well known for metal? Check (In their case, Sweden). Wicked riffs and shredding solos? Check. Pounding Bass lines? Check. Great drumming? Check. Powerful and soaring vocals? Check. Luxurious beards? Check.<br />
<br />
Especially when the high calibre of their last 3 albums is taken into consideration, it seems that JB, Fox and Ludwig can do no wrong. And after seeing them tear the Underworld a new arsehole last night I must say I stand by that statement 100%.<br />
<br />
Arriving at the venue I could tell this was due to be a big night for the band, this being the final date on the tour and people from all over London and the South-East pouring into the underworld to see Grand Magus bring the house down. I've been wanting to see this band again from the moment I saw them at Bloodstock 2012. And tonight I get my wish. But first, the support bands...<br />
<br />
Diesel King (6) are an upcoming sludge band from London and have been chosen as the opening act for the night. The band seem to play well as a unit, and while undeniably heavy and crushing, two very good traits for a sludge band, the music gets old fairly quickly as each song consists of only 2, perhaps 3 riffs at the most, becoming repetitive fast. Regardless of those points, they're enjoyable enough.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Guy from Primitai \m/</td></tr>
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Up next are a group of young hopefuls I've been following ever since catching them on the new blood stage at Bloodstock 2011. Berkshire heavy metal titans Primitai (9) have direct support to Grand Magus for the entire UK tour and seem to get better and better every time I see them. New guitarist Tom Draper can shred with the best of them and fits in brilliantly alongside fellow guitarist Srdjan Bilic. Vocalist Guy Miller is great at interacting with the crowd as always and belts out his parts to the best of his ability. Tracks like "Degeneration" and "The Line Of Fire" go down spectacularly with the crowd and I can definitely see a few new fans when the band leaves the stage.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with "Streetcat Bob"</td></tr>
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Between bands I decided to ascend to street level to enjoy a cigarette when I encountered one of the strangest things I have ever seen at a gig, even more strange than a homeless woman threatening to piss in my friend's face the last time I was at the Underworld. It was a man with a stray ginger cat perched on his shoulder like a parrot. And no, I'm not making this up. The streetcat was called Bob to top it all off, and as it happens he was rather a famous cat. I'm not going into any more detail though, I'm merely going to include a picture and say that if you want to know anything else you should check out his and his owner James' Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/StreetCatBob">here</a>. Safe to say it made the evening even more interesting than it already was, especially when I spotted the pair downstairs at the gig later, with Bob still perched on his owner's shoulders.<br />
<br />
Soon after, it was time for the evening's main event. As 3 hairy swedes wearing lots of denim and spikes took to the stage, we all knew exactly what was going to happen. After touring almost non stop through the UK and Europe for the last few months you would think the JB and the guys would have lost some of their steam, but I can safely say the following to anyone that might think that - Fuck off have they!!!<br />
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Grand Magus (10) are still kicking as much arse on the last night of their tour as the first. Tearing through tune after tune, the magnificent Swedes show no sign of letting up and are clearly on the form of their career. JB can riff like an absolute maniac and can still hit every high note flawlessly and with some admirable power. Fox is all too happy to play those rumbling basslines everyone loves, and Ludwig's drum solo in the middle of the set, featuring some wonderful jazz inspired crossover techniques, is awe-inspiring. In terms of songs, the set is full of new tunes mixed in with favourites stretching back all the way to 2005's "Wolf's Return", also encompassing tunes from 2008's "Iron Will" and 2010's masterpiece "Hammer Of The North". The crowd adore every song played and the evening is full of shouted choruses and fist pumping from start to finish. Every single person there is an avid fan and I don't fail to see a single person who isn't singing throughout.<br />
<br />
Particular crowd favourites seem to be newer hits "Sword Of The Ocean" and "Starlight Slaughter" along with old classics "I, The Jury", "Silver Into Steel", bass driven monster "Ravens Guide Our Way" and of course the band's signature hit "Hammer Of The North". That track in particular always gets an insane reaction from the crowd, and to get the reaction it did on this, the band's first headlining show at the Underworld, clearly made them very happy.<br />
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Completely satisfied, my friends and I began to make our way home, another gig over with and another night we would never forget. As well as getting a fucking cool signed tour poster for merch and a setlist, we met some rather interesting people from Kent on the tube home. Just goes to show that anything can happen at a metal gig in London on a Sunday night. \m/<br />
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<br />
Grand Magus Setlist:<br />
<br />
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<br />
1. Kingslayer<br />
2. Sword Of The Ocean<br />
3. I, The Jury<br />
4. Ravens Guide Our Way<br />
5. Silver Into Steel<br />
6. Starlight Slaughter<br />
7. Wolf's Return<br />
8. Like The Oar Strikes The Water<br />
9. The Hunt<br />
10. Valhalla Rising<br />
11. Iron Will<br />
12. Hammer Of The North<br />
<br />
The Hunt is out now on Nuclear Blast RecordsParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-18608510767886441882013-02-25T22:40:00.001+00:002013-02-25T22:40:26.574+00:00Exit Ten - Norwich Waterfront - 21st February 2013Now we have another live review, and even though I was at this gig, I've decided to let my friend Dave write the review as he wanted to give it a shot, so here it is, his review of one of our favourite bands, Reading metalcore geniuses Exit Ten!<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>It was a cold night in Norwich, and don't worry, I'm not going off into
story mode here.<br />
<br />
The Venue: the waterfront, right in the heart of
Norwich, and for tonight's entertainment, the band we call Exit Ten, if
you haven't heard of them, then you've been missing out.<br />
<br />
With no need
for scarfs and warm coats, we arrived in
Norwich, some of us needed to eat, so Subway it was. When arriving at
the venue, we encountered one of Norwich's many drunken hobos, I nicknamed him Gaahl (after the ex-Gorgoroth vocalist - ParaLegend),
but thats between you and me. He seemed to be singing nursery rhymes, so we
left him to it.<br />
<br />
As we walk up to the Waterfront, we all
knew that we were in for an interesting night, with Exit Ten, playing
upstairs, and with "hardcore band" Your Demise downstairs, we all knew
what was coming next...yup we knew instantly where to queue. Colourful
hoodies, tight as fuck jeans, shoes bigger than the titanic, hair
straightened to the max, in a few words, just embarrassing to look at. Yes that was the Your Demise queue.<br />
<br />
As we got into
the venue, it wasn't going to be a busy night upstairs, 150-200 people max turned
up, all waiting around to see how the night would occur, and this is
when we encountered our first band of the night, a local five piece band by the
name of Standing Tall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLIlt_395yxBVJ9kd79lsbhIw_PTnAGo8CP2B7P0JBXj15-vIxvEIUkG7fk2tmRHv8vQb-PorOVrZDkYFK0VFvpKuzz6rvp6glviQinUhDokqseym3OBrmncAHoFK2C6P9Qcnuw69s2iI/s1600/DSC_0891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLIlt_395yxBVJ9kd79lsbhIw_PTnAGo8CP2B7P0JBXj15-vIxvEIUkG7fk2tmRHv8vQb-PorOVrZDkYFK0VFvpKuzz6rvp6glviQinUhDokqseym3OBrmncAHoFK2C6P9Qcnuw69s2iI/s320/DSC_0891.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryan from Exit Ten, up close and personal</td></tr>
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They all had the looks of someone
dragged out of uni for the night, dressed quite geeky to be fair, shirts with the
top button up, but they looked like they wanted to get things going,
despite their constant shouts into the crowd, none of the crowd looked
impressed with what was going to happen. As they kicked off the music for
the night, still none of the crowd look enthusiastic with what was
going on. Standing Tall (3) were muscially tight, did they have nice
riffs? Yes they did. drumming on par? Yes i think so, but to be quite
honest with you, it went downhill from when the vocalist opened
his mouth. As he tried to "sing", it just sounded very generic,
we've all heard this whiney voice before, and experimenting with
vocal harmonies and the typical “whoa oh oh” choruses didn't quite work, you could tell
the crowd were bored, it got worse when he tried to scream and shout
down the microphone. Try harder and come back with a new vocalist yeah?
Despite his constant attempts to communicate with the crowd, no-one gave
a shit when he announced his cut his hand open cutting up an avocado.<br />
<br />
Support
act number two were next, My Preserver (8) had to do something to
impress the difficult crowd. And from the word go, they had WOW appeal,
if Enter Shikari were prog rock, this is what they'd sound like.<br />
<br />
To get
the crowd going, the vocalist had to jump into the crowd to get them to
move forward and make sure what they were hearing, was going to be
epically brilliant. Did they do this? HELL YEAH. Every band needed a
vocalist like this guy, his voice was exceptional, he kept the crowd
going throughout the set, it was kindly helped with the music that was
going on behind him, nice clean riffs, ravaged and angry drumming...and
weird synth parts every so often. A real crowd pleaser, if you need to see a
band live, I'd definitely check out their music, and see them live, you'll
be in for a treat.<br />
<br />
We all knew what was coming next...right?<br />
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The brilliantly talented 5 piece from Reading, also known as Exit
Ten (10) came onto the stage, and kicked things into gear with the
song “Life”. As usual, they had the stage presence which every band
needs, just knowing that they're playing to an awesome crowd, but trying
to get everyone involved at the same time. Ryan (vocalist) constantly
singing into the crowd, and doing some sort of funky dance at the same
time, definitely a sight to see. Ridiculously catchy and musically tight, these guys are just pure joy to watch. They played
all the classic songs, as you would expect, and at times, you could
hear the crowd singing louder then Ryan himself at times which was
simply brilliant. Yes the set was a tad short, which is upsetting, but
the crowd didn't really care due to it being filled with classic songs from each release. When the last song of the night was played,
“Lion”, everyone was stunned. Just a beautiful song in itself, it meant a lot to everyone in
the building, with someone getting too involved in the occasion by having
a little cry, but why not, with Exit Ten taking a break, we're not
going to be seeing them for the rest of 2013 so it was better to enjoy them while they were here.<br />
<br />
Tonight proved to
be a success, but Exit Ten never seem to fail, you need to hear their
songs, get involved with the lyrics and put a smile on your face. If you
havent seen them live yet, I suggest you do it, you'll be left
musically stunned and wanting to see more. Despite the poor first
Support act, it was a great night of great music.<br />
<br />
Dave White <br />
<br />
Exit Ten Setlist:<br />
<br />
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<br />
1. Life<br />
2. Curtain Call<br />
3. Godspeed<br />
4. Warriors<br />
5. Perish In The Flames<br />
6. Piece By Piece By Piece<br />
7. Suggest A Path<br />
8. Sunset<br />
9. Drama<br />
10. Resume Ignore<br />
11. My Great Rebellion<br />
12. Technically Alive<br />
13. Lion<br />
<br />
<br />
Hey guys, ParaLegend here. Just want to say for myself that these guys are truly amazing and you should check them out if you don't know them, I've seen them several times now, met them and have signed copies of all their releases. They're definitely a band I could never get tired of seeing. I'll be back tomorrow with a new album review. Stay Metal \m/<br />
<br />ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-50021195151645023722013-02-21T16:09:00.001+00:002013-02-21T16:09:04.931+00:00Cannabis Corpse + Ghoul - London Underworld - 9th February 2013Hello again everyone, and welcome to my first live review of 2013. Despite this not being my first gig of the year I decided that this would be my first gig to review, due to me only knowing half the setlist for Korpiklaani, and the fact that I was too fucked at Orange Goblin to even begin to remember the song order. This was definitely the best gig of the year so far though. So let's get to business...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXE6gx7l0nE6XgOsaDjjPgzcxqZxrrja6Me4JcDOsCKGRYnbGPi3bxdQEbcZWtHbfQ267CTU20LFJlt0aAsFoPBlnj1pfCRWlFDyUTSXFKPlDLizG66OX-y4VquslMdX5yGworcgMyMg/s1600/cannabis+corpse+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXE6gx7l0nE6XgOsaDjjPgzcxqZxrrja6Me4JcDOsCKGRYnbGPi3bxdQEbcZWtHbfQ267CTU20LFJlt0aAsFoPBlnj1pfCRWlFDyUTSXFKPlDLizG66OX-y4VquslMdX5yGworcgMyMg/s400/cannabis+corpse+logo.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Despite not being serious in any sense of the world, Cannabis Corpse definitely rank among my favourite death metal bands. So as soon as I saw they had a UK tour planned, my friends and I knew that an evening of "satanic reefer worship" was in order. However we foolishly decided to spend the day before in London as well with hopes to go to another gig, but as I shall explain below, all did not work in our favour.<br />
<br />
After being seriously delayed leaving to drive to London (I'm talking like 3 hours late or something due to some fucking stupid circumstances) we didn't get into London until around quarter to 7, and when we got to the Underworld we discovered that not only had the gig we wanted to attend that night (Vader) sold out, but that the band we wanted to see the most (Aborted) had already played nearly their pitiful 45 minute set. So with in mind we decided to do what we do best, and get fucked. Heading back to the hotel for the night we vowed that no matter what the following day would be better. At least we had pre-bought tickets for cannabis corpse so entry to the gig was no issue.<br />
<br />
However, I digress... <br />
<br />
Arriving in Camden bright and (fairly) early the next morning, we had a nice wonder around for while, desperately attempting to fend off packs of Turkish men trying to sell us cheap snapbacks and crappy smoking paraphernalia. After going for a smoke and having some rather excellent Thai food from Camden market, we went to The World's End pub to await another friend of mine, after paying nearly £4 for a pint of shitty cider (rip-off) we decided to be slightly reckless and bought tickets to see Carcass. FUCKING CARCASS!!! The day before, Carcass had announced that they would play a string of 3 dates at the underworld in March, and would be available only from the worlds end pub, for £6 each. So after buying tickets for myself and each of my companions, plus a couple as a special favour to a friend back home, we decided to descend into the underworld and check out what was going on.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three amigos and Cannabis Corpse \m/</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Spying the guys from Cannabis corpse at the merch stand we went over and made some nice conversation, my friends buying a shirt each (complete with hilarious designs), and after much deliberation I decided to purchase a vinyl. After quickly chatting to bassist/vocalist Landphil about his plans with Municipal Waste at Bloodstock, we enquired as to whether the band would appreciate joining us for a smoke at the end. They were such great genuine guys and were very appreciative of the offer. We even got a picture with them \m/<br />
<br />
Popping off for a cheeky smoke, we returned and were stood outside the Underworld having a cigarette when we were accosted by a homeless woman who tried to steal my mate's lighter, harassed me for money and then threatened to piss in my other friend's face. Just goes to show there are fucking lunatics everywhere I guess. Safe to say we thankfully didn't see her again.<br />
<br />
Soon after this strange turn of events, Ghoul (7) took to the stage and wasted no time bombarding us with their gore filled thrashy brand of death metal. Tracks like "Blood Feast" and "As Your Casket Closes" went down great. The stage antics and banter between songs was also very amusing, but sadly the poor sound teching ruined a lot of the fun for me, and especially for my friends (both of whom are music tech students). All in all Ghoul played well but a better sound engineer would have made the performance much better.<br />
<br />
Finally when Cannabis Corpse (10) take to the stage everyone is incredibly excited to see them. And within seconds of opening track "Lunatic Of Pot's Creation" everyone goes fucking crazy, Landphil has taken over on vocals after previous vocalist "Weedgrinder" departed last year, but he looks very comfortable growling and shredding on the bass simultaneously.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dudes in CC fucking killing it</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The band ploughs through track after track of brutal weed reverence, packing in tracks from all 3 albums and "Skull full of bong hits" from 2009's "The Weeding" EP. Landphil, along with drummer Hallhammer and Guitarist Brent Legion are in frightening sync. "Mummified In Bong Water" sounds just like what would have happened if Chuck Schuldiner had said "fuck the pretext, let's write songs about pot!", and it sounds just so good. Earlier songs such "Reefer Stashed Place", "Blunted At Birth" and "Staring Through My Eyes That Are Red" all from the band's first album, sound as brutal and cool as ever. The only tracks missing that for me would have made the setlist perfect are "Every Bud Smoken" and "Addicted To Hash In A Tin", both from 2008's excellent "Tube Of The Resinated".<br />
<br />
Finishing on the excellent "Immortal Pipes" the band begin to pack up, and once finished signal us to join them backstage. While enjoying a couple of joints, the band signed all our tickets along with my vinyl, and we managed to track down all the members of Ghoul to sign a piece of paper for us. Both bands were full of really cool guys and it was certainly an awesome experience.<br />
<br />
In summary, this was an amazing day, definitely my best gig of the year so far, and it definitely made up for the day before being so shitty. Definitely worth the trip and all the money we spent, plus I get to go see fucking CARCASS!!!<br />
<br />
I have a few more gigs in the next few weeks, and I'll be publishing a couple more album reviews in a few days but until then, I'm out. PEACE!!! \m/<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signed ticket and vinyl fuckers!!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Cannabis Corpse Setlist:<br />
<br />
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<br />
1. Lunatic Of Pot's Creation<br />
2. Skull Full Of Bong Hits<br />
3. The Chronolith<br />
4. Mummified In Bong Water<br />
5. Reefer Stashed Place<br />
6. Gateways To Inhalation<br />
7. Where The Kind Live<br />
8. Fucked With Northern Lights<br />
9. Sentenced To Burn One<br />
10. Blunted At Birth<br />
11. Dead By Bong<br />
12. Staring Through My Eyes That Are Red<br />
13. Immortal Pipes<br />
<br />
Cannabis Corpse's latest album "Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise" is out now on Tankcrimes Records<br />
ParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-73846990269157857992013-02-18T12:22:00.000+00:002013-02-18T12:22:51.424+00:00Black Veil Brides - Wretched & Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones (2013)So after a week and a bit of gigging and procrastinating, I've got a new review for y'all. I know what most of you are thinking, (Black Veil Brides are shit!!!, Andy Biersack can suck a dick etc.) but I felt the need to write this review to prove to you guys that I can write about stuff other than bands I enjoy. I've been feeling recently that I've not been very biased and want to keep my journalistic integrity intact. But at the same time I've not just chosen an album by a so called "controversial" band to slate. I want to be professional and review something out of my comfort zone without just trashing it and essentially saying "it's shite" but using lots of words to do so. And on that note, to business...<br />
<br />
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1. Exordium<br />
2. I Am Bulletproof<br />
3. New Years Day<br />
4. F.E.A.R. Transmission 1: Stay Close<br />
5. Wretched & Divine<br />
6. We Don't Belong<br />
7. F.E.A.R. Transmission 2: Trust<br />
8. Devil's Choir<br />
9. Resurrect The Sun<br />
10. Overture<br />
11. Shadows Die<br />
12. Abeyance<br />
13. Days Are Numbered<br />
14. Done For You<br />
15. Nobody's Hero<br />
16. Lost It All<br />
17. F.E.A.R. Transmission 3: As War Fades<br />
18. In The End<br />
19. F.E.A.R: Final Transmission<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>Black Veil Brides have certainly attracted a lot of attention in the last couple of years. Granted not all of it has been positive, due the band's image being slated by the press and the fact that the majority of their fanbase are seen as part of the subculture known as "scene" or "emo". However, like them or not, Black Veil brides have been taking the world by storm and when their new album was released I thought it was high time I saw what all the fuss was about, so to speak. But for this review I shall purely be focusing on the music and not the band's image.<br />
<br />
<br />
From the second the first real track, "I Am Bulletproof", kicks in, you know what you're in for. All the signs are here. An upbeat mixture of punk, metalcore and glam rock riffing? Check. Lyrics about confidence, acceptance and being proud of who you are? Check.<br />
<br />
Yes, it's that predictable... <br />
<br />
But in a weird way it seems to work. And musically, I can't deny that it's well crafted, with a couple of excellently written solos from lead guitarist Jake Pitts. "Resurrect The Sun" has a particularly nice lead break. However, most of the songs ultimately pass by forgettably or blend into one with zero distinction between.<br />
<br />
While Andy Biersack's voice may grate on me (always has, always will), the lyrics seem cliché as all hell, and the interlude tracks make this "concept album", and believe me I use this term loosely, seem pretentious as can be, most of the music and a few of the choruses are genuinely enjoyable. "Days Are Numbered", featuring a guest spot from The Used's Bert McCracken, is a song I could actually consider listening to on my iPod normally. However after peaking on this track the band then ruins the mood with an attempt at a ballad in "Done For You". Try as he might, Andy Biersack <u><b>cannot</b></u> croon, and shouldn't kid himself by thinking he can.<br />
<br />
Picking up the pace again, the band redeem themselves slightly with "Nobody's Hero" and "In The End", full of glam riffing and harmony guitars, all in all pretty good. Sadly the rest of the album from here on in consists of yet another average song, and two spoken word segues (courtesy of Wil Francis of Aiden/William Control). While it's great that a handful of tracks on this album are genuinely kinda good, when you have a 51 minute album consisting of 19 tracks (kind of excessive in my opinion, due to them not being a grindcore band and all...), 7 of those tracks are spoken words sections or pointless orchestral segues, and only a quarter of the remaining 12 are considered "good" in any sense by an impartial reviewer such as me then let's be honest, it's a bit of a poor show. The rest are either poorly executed or very forgettable, a shame considering the faith many people have in this band.<br />
<br />
At the end of the day, fans of this band aren't going to be listening to them hoping for musical virtuosity, complex song structures or highly relevant social commentary in lyrical form, they appreciate the messages of pride in individuality behind the lyrics, and good for them. If you're a fan of the band then you'll like this as with their other releases, if you've checked them out and don't really like what you hear, then I'm afraid this won't change your mind. A nice try though, but better luck next time if you're hoping to be taken seriously lads. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to cleanse my musical pallet with some Agnostic Front and early Darkthrone. \m/<br />
<br />
5.8/10<br />
<br />
Check this out if: you like the band, otherwise there's not really any need to bother<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/f0EQlIzPowM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
For fans of: Black Veil brides (duh...)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Blackveilbrides?fref=ts">Facebook</a><br />
Wretched & Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones is out now on Universal Republic RecordsParaLegendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376797264058926958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772660028747166688.post-43702034689013763222013-02-07T21:24:00.002+00:002013-02-07T21:28:33.913+00:00Phil Anselmo & The Illegals/Warbeast Split: War Of The Gargantuas (2013)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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1. Conflict<br />
2. Birth Of A Psycho<br />
3. Family, "Friends" & Associates<br />
4.It<br />
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<br />
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Few men have the musical chops to make a mere four track
split EP with one of their own label's lesser known, fledgling recruits and make it
into a highly noteworthy musical event, but then again are most men the one and only Phillip H. Anselmo,
pureblood metal royalty and one of the mosh pit's favourite agent provocateurs? </div>
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<br /></div>
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With his very first solo album set to hit us early this year like a fuckin’
mental metal train (imagine Thomas the Tank Engine on PCP), I like many others will
eagerly jump on the tracks with reckless, jovial abandon. Not meaning to take diminish Warbeast’s contribution to this
EP of course, which is astounding considering they are up against a man who literally helped
write the holy books of metal and has 3 decades of experience in nearly a dozen bands. Warbeast offer up belligerently heavy tracks,
reminiscent of aggressive metallers Black Breath or Goatwhore. They truly live
up to their bestial moniker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Opening with Anselmo track “Conflict” it becomes abundantly
clear "Big Phil" has chosen to leave out the melodic sections of some of his of
other work in favour of crushing, punishing heaviness, and it works. With
Anselmo’s trademark tortured screams punctuated with eight stringer Marzi
Montazeri’s dynamic riffs makes this my favourite track on the EP.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Warbeast’s first offering is up next and “Birth Of A Psycho”
keeps the brutality steam rolling onwards. With Slayer like
guitars combined with impressive vocalist Bill Corbitt’s rage filled snarls
this makes for fantastic listening, with the song paying homage to the old
school Thrash Metal of the 80’s. </div>
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Up next is Anselmo’s offering “Family, 'Friends' & Associates” and this one is a complete belter. With riotous monolithic riffage
meshing perfectly with Anselmo’s nazgul like howls as the catalyst for an
incendiary, titanic punch in the face, courtesy of the deep south. With a guitar
reminiscent of NWOBHM, it illustrates Marzi’s creative depth and capacity for
diversity even within the same record and I thoroughly believe he deserves huge
recognition for his role as he is a true virtuoso on this EP. Also an element
of terror is added with Anselmo’s frequent cries of “I’m calling you out!” what
a petrifying prospect… Oh and you wouldn’t piss yourself with fear? Really?
Thought so. Anyway I digress…</div>
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Concluding this audial assault is “It” by Warbeast. Making
sure this EP sounds off as savagely as it started, eviscerating airwaves as it
goes. Complete with guttural vocals and maniacal riffs not too dissimilar to
Anthrax in their prime. This ascertains that Warbeast are without a doubt a
band that shows huge promise and Phil’s Housecore label is onto a winner here. </div>
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My only complaint is brevity. Another song by each and it
would have been tantamount to the excellence of the Purple EP last year. But
Down’s work and this EP are two very different animals. This EP is a quick
savage assault, Ferocious and terrifying… then over as quickly as it had begun
and on the same leviathanic note… My advice? Acquire both Phil’s solo album and
Warbeast’s upcoming album “Destroy” by any means necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because from what this EP suggests, they’ll
be absolutely fantastic *read as Ken Barlow*. </div>
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8.4/10 </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/67093PsN7VM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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War Of The Gargantuas is available on Housecore Records </div>
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