Posted in Cd Reviews

Morton is a new band from The Ukraine. For most people, Morton are probably the first band they’ll have heard from The Ukraine – a country not well known in international rock and metal circles. The band was put together initially as a studio project by vocalist Max Morton who also runs his own studio and has produced many Ukranian rock and metal bands.
The band released an EP, ”Grimoire” and the tracks from that (Black witch, Oblivion, Werewolf hunt, and Grimoire) have been improved and included in this, their debut album.

”Grimoire” has a nice build up to the song which combines some quite gentle music with soft vocals which gradually build to a slow power metal track.

”Azrael” is another slower paced track, but its deep spoken introduction and a heavier guitar track make this song ha...

Posted in Cd Reviews

”The landing” is the seventh album from German heavy metal/power metal band Iron Savior (a name that really irritates me with its American spelling for Saviour). The band was formed in 1996 by Piet Sielck, Kai Hansen (Helloween & Gamma Ray) and Thomen Stauch (Blind Guardian), with Piet Sielck now the only remaining founding member.
The band’s sound is traditional power metal influenced by NWOBHM bands such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, and as is natural for a band founded with Kai Hansen there is also a Helloween influence in there too. Lyrically the band takes its influences from science fiction.

”Descending” is a nice intro, but for me it fails badly because the change from ”Descending” to the first real track, ”The Savior” is so badly done – instead of a smooth transition there is ...

Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

Tre låtar in är man halvt medvetslös av överdosering av ursinnig mangel!

Svenska dödsmetal-legenderna Arch Enemy med den tyska fanbäraren Angela Gossow i toppform, marcherar in på scenen och attackerar oss med bomber och granater från första ton. Mejeriet i Lund kokar och är nära på att explodera vid flera tillfällen. Känslan inne på Mejeriet är fantastisk.

Yesterday Is Dead And Gone från senaste alstret Khaos Legions inleder kvällens invadering. Scenen är riktigt snyggt utformad med Daniels stora trumset I mitten med två stora projektorskärmar där krig och död visas. Till Yesterday Is Dead gör Arch Enemy en W.A.S.P. och kör tillhörande musikvideo som dessutom är riktigt bra syncad med Angelas sång. Riktigs proffsigt gjort.

Värstinglåtarna avlöser varandra...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Roadrunner/Warner

MASTODON was formed in 1999 after meeting at a HIGH ON FIRE concert. The debut, “Remission” was released in 2002, and by now they have reached five albums. Apart from the first demo, featureing one Eric Saner on vocals, the band has always consisted of; Troy Sanders, bass/vocals, Brent Hinds, guitars/vocals, Bill Kelliher, guitars/Backing vocals, and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor.
This album has its flaws. As much as I enjoy the melodic depression of “Black Tongue” and the groovy SABBATH of the nonsensical “Curl of the Burl” I get totally fed up with the space opera rock of the spaced out “Stargasm”. The title track also has a way of making me reach for the fast fwd button, which also goes for the metal take on “Age of Aquarius” called “The Sparrow”...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Lion/Warner

This band or project includes the vocal talents of Göran Edman (ex. YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), Mark Boals (ex. YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), and Carsten Lizard” Schoulz (EVIDENCE ONE). But the band leader is a one Boguslaw Balcerak, a pole who started playing as late as at 16. Things seems to have moved rapidly in Warsaw since then but the difficult task of finding a suitable vocalist delayed them from 2007 onwards. The chosen chance invitation vocalists are apparently Boguslaw´s own favorites. To enhance their opportunities they got Andy LaRocque to master the album. The rest of the band is made up of bassists Kamil Wyzi and Tomek “Zawad” Dybalski, drummer Marcin “Kanclerz” Kwasny and keyboard player Lukasz Dybalski. Everything is described as killer, let´s check it out.

The declara...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Feedback Records/Doolittle Group/Sound Pollution

DANNY NEUBECKER started his career in his teens, but has settled for pop/rock with catchy hooks. He is still in an early stage but seems dedicated to his music, and very focused on social medias marketing. Is the music as digital as his other plans?

The tra-la-la factor of this kind of music is never to be underestimated. Opener “You Light Up My Life” ha a refrain in the vein of an old AOR stomper. The audience is potentially as big as can be, and Danny has a very light and gentle voice that will scare no one off. He sports a Swedish sound, of cause, but with a hint a British boy band of your choice. The authenticity of this kind of music is never easy to prove...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Lion/Warner

SONATA ARCTICA guitarist Elias Viljanen debuted as a solo artist with “Taking the Lead” back in 2002. An unknown at the time, Elias has had a lot of success with his main band, but a a solo artist he allegedly attracted the interest of the legendary STEVE VAI and chartered in the top ten rank of guitar9.com bestseller chart. This re-release is expanded with an unreleased seven track live DVD that has not been previously available.

The short opener “Evoke the Spirit” feels hampered due to its 35 seconds duration. “Evil Rock” is a nicely fast paced piece, a display of a sensitive player who aims for the arena style. I´d say that Elias surprises me on several occasions, but never as much as in “Axemaster”, an impressive track that shows his sensitive playing at its best...

Posted in Interviews

Grá har gjort den perfekta skivan! I alla fall om man får tro Andreas ”Heljarmadr” Vingbäck, sång och gitarr, som bildade bandet tillsammans med Dimman Ljungi, trummor, för drygt ett år sedan. Idag, 2011-11-11 släpps första och självbetitlade fullängdaren och i samband med den en video.
– Två av våra statister höll på att stryka med under inspelningen, berättar Heljarmadr på telefon från Stockholm. Vi hade arrangerat en inspelningsplats ute i skogen med hängsnaror och facklor där statisterna skulle ligga som lik i väntan på att bli nergrävda. Två av dem blev lite överexalterade och lekte för inlevelsefullt med hängsnarorna så de svimmade och spydde men allt gick slutligen bra och det mesta fastnade på film.

Videon illustrerar låten ”Kraft” och på skivan är ...

Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

Det hänger en mysig stämning över KB ikväll som är full av en faslig blandning människor. Här finns både unga som gamla, hårdrockare som skjortnissar. Alla har vi en sak gemensamt, Taj Mahal! För de som inte känner till Mahal så är han en legend inom bluesen. Mahal har haft ett stort inflytande när det kommer till formandet av bluesgenren som vi känner till idag. Under sin dryga 50-år långa karriär har han sammanfogat icke traditionella former inom bluesen, samt tagit inspiration från Karribien, Afrika och Stilla Havet.
Med sig på denna turné har han sina två följeslagare, Bill Rich på bas och Kester Smith på trummor, därav namnet; Taj Mahal & Trio.

Klockan blir 21 och scenen är fortfarande tom, förutom instrumenten då...

Posted in Cd Reviews

”How to get your love” is the second single from the debut album from Red Sky July.

The band are a new name to me, but when you look at the members you’ll see that there is a lot of talent and experience here – you have husband and wife team Shelly Poole (Alisha’s attic) and Ally McErlaine (Texas) plus Charity Hair (The Alice Band). In 2009 they wrote and recorded their album, but Ally suffered a major brain aneurysm and everything was put on hold while he recovered. Last summer the band got back together and wrote some new songs before recording the final version of the album live in Bristol.

This is a fantastic song that I must have listened to 30 or 40 times since it dropped through my letterbox yesterday...