Posted in Interviews

German dark power metal band BRAINSTORM have been around since the late nineties, releasing no less than nine full-length albums, and a bunch of other outings, including a DVD and a Best of. I may not have been euphoric about the previous effort, ”Memorial Roots”, but as their forthcoming ”On the Spur of the Moment” arrived for review I positively shiverd.
The new album has that something that is so hard to describe but is crucial to succéed in th music business. What is the secret formula…the headline may be a spoiler… Who better to describe the band, and their rejuvenation than guitarist, founding member and interview caretaker Todde. Bitte sehr meine Herr!

FP: How would you describe the new album? Not least in comparison with its successful predecessors...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Frontiers/BAM

To the discerning AOR fan, WORK OF ART needs no introduction these days. But in 2007 old school friends Herman Furin, drums, Robert Säll, guitars, convinced Lars Säfsund, vocals and keyboards to finally help them finalize an idea from back in 1982. The ensuing debut album “Art Work” was hailed as a comet on the AOR sky, all quite rightfully. Comparisons to giants like… GIANT and TOTO were plenty, so I guess expectations have skyrocketed in the wait for this outing. So, what has been achieved?

A 4/5 review I believe. Opener “The Rain” was exactly to my liking, which also goes for “The Great Fall”, but that was that in terms of five star material. Most of the time WORK OF ART produce well-sounding highly enjoyable stolen goods from a previous decade...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Massacre/Sound Pollution

Cardiff band HUNTED have been hard at work touring the UK, and marketing themselves. Not least with their 2009 demo “Alone”, which has been instrumental in hailing them, as one net site put it, “…the next DREAM THEATER”. They´ve played Bloodstock, featured on the official ProgPower USA promo CD and now this full-length, which had an original limited release in 2010. Their influences range from DREAM THEATER via IRON MAIDEN to OPETH. So…impress me!

After the soon to be obligatory intro the power thrash of “The Silence of Minds” display the mark that IRON MAIDEN has set on the genre, plus the fact that Chris G possesses a very powerful voice. The lack of focus on refrains, as in “Aria (In Memoriam)” is not to the band´s advantage...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Napalm/Sound Pollution

Russian band ARKONA dates back to 2002, when two local bands joined forces, or parts of the bands, and HYPERBOREA was born. Most of the members are not still in ARKONA, but vocalist Marsha “Scream” remains. The others are Sergej Lazar, guitars, Ruslan “Kniaz”, bass, and Vlad “Artist” on drums. The last few years have been good to the band, earning them a place among the best in the Pagan genre. The EP teaser “Stenka Na Stenku” promised good for this album too, is it all that good?

The frequent use of intros may not be according to the success formula of the previous EP, it´s something that strikes me after a few spins. To me it´s mostly a loss of pace, something that is not to the advantage of the band...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Opeth kliver helt och hållet över till den snälla sidan med denna fullängdare som är helt i progressiv rock.

Liksom på Damnation är inte låtarna lika långa som vanligt, här finns bara två spår över åtta minuter. Den ”hårdaste” låten skulle väl vara Slither, vilken mer för tankarna till AOR än till någon av de tidigare föredömena i bandets repertoar.

Musiken som Opeth gör har aldrig varit simpel, men med Heritage gräver de kanske ytterligare ner sig i det tekniska i musiken. Tyvärr får jag säga, för personligen är det här lite för mycket för mig. Det finns liksom en gräns för hur mycket jammande jag orkar med, och det här blir lite som att komma in i ett improvisationsrep. Och gå därifrån för att man blir uttråkad.

Jag brukade bli fångad av Opeth’s m...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Haven Denied are a metalcore band from Portugal. Formed eleven years ago, ”Illusions” is their third album.

The album is packed full of powerful thrash metal guitar work and lots of raw power – listening to the album I can imagine the band going down well with some serious moshpits.

I have to say I really dont like the vocals on the album and for me they turn the album from one with a lot of potential into an album I wouldnt consider buying. The music is good and the power of the crushing guitar riffs works well, but the vocal style just doesnt appeal sadly.

Track listing:

1. Our lives are gone
2. Are you really a man
3. Ego crisis
4. Of illusions we will die
5. Fathers of the same son
6. Mind rapists
7. Deadly memories
8. You used to like
9. Times of waste
10. terminus

Posted in Cd Reviews

Massacre/SP

Celtic warriors prepared to die to defend their country and people. That is the translation of the title FUROR GALLICO, that the Roman´s gave the ancient warriors. The band´s 2008 demo, “390 B.C. – The Glorious Dawn” marked the start of an ambitious gig campaign. The new line-up, that does not entirely perform on the album, consists of founding members Ste (guitars) and Becky (harp), plus Pagan (Voices), Oldhan (guitars), Fabio (bass, laura (Violin), Paolo (Whistle, Bouzouki) and Simo (drums).

The chosen style is folk and the metal parts are almost equal to the use of ancient instruments and elder melodies. FUROR GALLICO is at their best when they are as catchy and refrain oriented, at least to my ears...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Napalm/Sound Pollution

Danes SVARTSOT really blew me away with their previous album “Mulmets Viser”, so my expectations are sky high for this their third full-length album. No line-up changes or other dangers, only catchy and spirited pieces of mediaeval metal…or?

Opening intro “Staden…” sets the stage. The album hovers on the subject of the Black Death´s arrival in Denmark in 1350. The atmosphere is there, the place is lively and…doomed. What follows is a pretty even history with standout tracks like the in the info sheet strangely unmentioned “Farsoten Kom” the closing tracks. The gloomy ballad, with clean vocals, “Spigrene” is a welcome change among all the growling...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Makaki Music

SOFIA TALVIK har ett rockprojekt tillsammans med I hemlandet England uppskrivna Battle of the Bands-vinnarna BALL OF MAYHEM. Ett hårdrocksband gör alltså om mjuka låtar till tyngre varianter, inte tvärt som. Fler recensioner på kommande delar följer.

Fyra spår med engelsk touch av mjuka svenska poplåtar, kan det bli lika bra som SWEDISH HITZ GOES METAL? Nej, tyvärr måste jag vara glädjedödare. Den publikfriande tuggummimetall som BALL OF MAYHEM gör borde ha strukit med redan på tidigt 80-tal, när QUIET RIOT slutade förslosa RANDY RHOADES talang på musik för japanska tonårsflickor. Enkla komp, billigt skramliga refränger, och inte minsthalvfalskt sjungit, eller värre...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Cornerstone are an Austrian band who were formed in 1998. In 2008 they released their album ”Head over heels” through Atom records, and after touring for that album, recruited their new singer Patricia Hillinger. Now the band are ready to release ”Somwehere in America” and it’s an album worth the wait.

The Press release with the album describes the band as ”Modern AOR pop rock”. I’m not sure I’d agree with that description really though – when I think of pop I tend to think of mindless lyrics and a total absence of guitars, and this is far too good to be classed as pop. The AOR description is more accurate and the Rock description is definitely accurate. I’d describe the music as melodic rock or soft rock, in a similar vein to bands such as Heart...