Category Cd Reviews

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To celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release, the classic album by The Doors – L.A. Woman is being re-released. As well as the original album, a bunch of extras have been unearthed from the vaults for inclusion in this 2 disc package. The original album contains some of the best known songs by the band including title track ”L.A. Woman”, ”Riders on the storm”, and ”Love her madly”.
If you have never listened to the album then firstly – where have you been for the last 40 years?, and secondly, you’ve been missing out.

L.A. Woman was the last album recorded by The Doors with singer Jim Morrison, and was released just three months before his death due to a suspected drug overdose in Paris at the age of just 27...

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”Intersection” is the latest album from American singer songwriter Nanci Griffith. Nanci Griffith has a career spanning folk and country music and over the last 34 years has released nineteen albums, with Intersection being her 20th. Twenty albums now, and none before like this. “It’s emotional for me, and it’s personal, and it makes my heart pound, thinking I’m going to be totally exposed here,” says Nanci Griffith, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

The music is hard to categorise – it feels somewhere between country and folk without quite falling into either category. The songs are generally simple with the focus being on the acoustic guitar and Namci’s singing.

”Hell no” is one of the standout tracks...

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Helvetios is the latest album from Swiss folk metal band, Eluveitie. Eluveitie’s brand of folk metal is hard and heavy – at times almost thrash, but with celtic influences and plenty of use of traditional instruments including fiddles, flute, bagpipes and the Hurdy Gurdy – Eluveitie are the only metal band I’ve seen who play the Hurdy Gurdy live on stage. This use of traditional instruments adds depth and interest to the music and emphasises the folk and celtic elements.

The album starts with the prologue – a spoken introduction that sets the scene. A celtic voice speaking with the sound of waves in the background talking about ancient battles, this serves to set the mood for the album.

Title track ”Helvetios” opens the album proper...

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Requiem for the indifferent is the fifth album from Dutch band Epica. According to the band, the title refers to the end of an era. Mankind can no longer stick their head in the sand for the things that are happening around us. We are facing many challenges. There is an enormous tension between different religions and cultures, wars, natural disasters and a huge financial crisis, which is getting out of control. More than ever we will need each other to overcome these problems. As we are all connected; the universe, earth, nature, animals and human beings, this period in time will be the prelude to the end for those who still don’t want to, or simply won’t see it. A REQUIEM FOR THE INDIFFERENT but also a possibility for a new beginning with great new chances!

If you’ve got the last Epica...

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Craig Finn is an american singer and guitarist, and is best known as a frontman for the bands ”Lifter Puller” and ”The hold steady”. In 2011 Finn challenged himself to write a new song every day in his Brooklyn apartment. ”I had written a bunch of songs that were outside of the norm for The Hold Steady, a little quieter and perhaps more narrative,” says Finn. ”I wanted to gain some experience and insight into the process of making a record by working with new people.”. The result is this solo album, ”Clear heart, full eyes”.

Musically the album is a lot less rocky than THe Hold Steady, and varies style-wise considerably across the album. You’ve got slow laid-back songs (e.g. Not much left of us), more up-tempo stuff (When no ones watching)...

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Ringo Starr is one of the best known musicians in the world thanks to being a member of The Beatles. Since The Beatles split he has continued to make music and Ringo 2012 is the latest release. Having been involved in writing many of The Beatles songs and writing several of them himself including ”Don’t pass me by” and ”Octopus’s garden”, his musical influence is huge. As well as his music career he has also been involved in films and TV, including narrating the first two series of kids favourite, Thomas the tank engine.

Ringo Starr draws inspiration from a wide range of musical genres including classic blues, soul, country, honky-tonk and rock ’n’ roll and this gives his music a refreshingly different sound.

Guest performers on the album include: Joe Walsh, Benmont Tench, Kenny Wayne S...

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Lion Music/Digital

Venice, Italy, band THE MOOR releases a digital only EP prior to their forthcoming debut full-length album, due out later in 2012. The band seems consistent in incorporating prog rock, metal, death metal (guitars), seventies and alternative music in their own take on the metal genre. Or perhaps they are close to the likes of DREAM THEATER and OPETH, as the info states. Still developing and changing members the band might be on to something?

This is almost 4/5 from beginning to end. The heavy parts are balanced by soft(er) refrains, forcefulness and roughness meet with melody and fine arrangements...

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Artist: Battle Beast
Album: Steel (Nuclear Blast)
Genre: Heavy metal

Steel släpps för andra gången i Europa och denna gång under Nuclear Blast. Med ett högst tveksamt albumcover och en slogan som lyder ”The ugliest band in the world” så kan man ju inte annat än undra hur seriösa finska Battle Beast egentligen är.

”Ett till hjälte-heavy metalband med pipig mansröst”, tänkte jag när jag hörde plattan första gången. Sedan uppdagades det för mig – det är ta mig fan en brud som sjunger. En brud, som låter som en man, som piper utav bara helvete. Hon har tydligen blivit jämförd med Rob Halford. Jag är grymt imponerad. I alla fall under första halvan, för sedan orkar jag inte med det – men det kan ju å andra sidan ha att göra med mina icke objektiva musikpreferenser...

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Napalm/Sound Pollution

2010 marked the tenth anniversary of Danish band IRON FIRE. Now the band returns with their seventh full-length album to date, and apparently a steady lineup, which has not always been the case. Band leader and vocalist Martin Steene is the only remaining original member. This new album is said to be filled to the brim with genuine riffs, heavy drums and appealing melodies. Faith and conviction seem to be key words, well, convince me!

The nonplussed intro “The Dark Beyond” that opens the proceedings is not a sign of grandeur. Neither is the sampled vocal experiment “Enter Oblivion OJ-666”. What is this? The third effort, “Taken” raises the bar, and the keys are tastefully used...

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Stuka squadron are a London based band that combine World War 2 Germany with Vampires (seems obvious really doesnt it). They wear long German miltary leather coats, Iron Crosses, and Luftwaffe caps as well as displaying Vampire fangs to create a striking image. A striking image though is nothing without having the music to go with it, and Stuka Squadron aren’t lacking there either – they’re a damn good live band, so I was looking forward to listening to the album to see how they sound.

Well after a couple of listens I’m not disappointed – this is a great album.

Comments on a couple of the songs..

The intro – ”Into the breach” does a decent job of building up the mood ready for the first real song – ”Tales of the Ost”...