Posted in Cd Reviews

Steamhammer/SPV/Playground

FULLFORCE entered the scene in 2009 as a vehicle for vocalist Mike Andersson (CLOUDSCAPE), guitarists Stefan Elmgren (ex. HAMMERFALL) and C.J. Grimmark (ex. NARNIA), bassist Tommy Larsson, (ex. HEED) and well-travelled drummer Anders Johansson (ex. YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN, HAMMERFALL). Their debut “One” was unleashed in 2010. Now CJ has left and is replaced by Stefan Rosqvist, has that caused any changes?

Opener “Broken Dreams” has a whiff of CLOVEN HOOF´s riff to “Laying Down the Law”. The ensuing melody is alright and there is force…if not quite full. The craftsmanship of the guitar pattern in “Break It, Crack It, Destroy It” is tangible, but the song never really fulfils its potential, in spite of a fine refrain...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Napalm/Sound Pollution

The need for more genres and new ground to break leads to both digestible and indigestible results. Back in the year of your choice during the days of the Roman Empire they never foresaw this! Fronted by Kataklysm front man Mauriozio Iacono EX DEO devotes yet another album to the rather unbroken territory of Epic Roman Metal. Emperor Caligula gets full focus here, and their brand of heavy metal gets a touch of the many enactments that can be seen in the Mediterranean when you go there in the summer.

What else than an opener called “Caligvla” embellished with pomp in every possible way of that age meeting with modern recording technique and layers of choirs could open up this album? But the next track, “The Tiberius Cliff (Exile to Capri)”seems very elaborate, gloomy...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Napalm/Sound Pollution

Californias newcomers HUNTRESS are contenders to the envious spot of the newcomer of 2012. Power and force can be found in most albums I review, but Jill Janus and her female approach to the chartered country of KING DIAMOND sure is interesting enough. The info says it´s epic and timeless, I´ll settle with “like King but without balls”…let´s hear them out!

Opener “Spell Eater” wastes no time and displays itself as a speedy track with an arrangement for maximum effect. The well-known voices of the KING are there, backed by real heavy metal. “Senicide” has more of MERCYFUL FATE in its veins, and is augmented by a chanting voice. “Sleep and Death” may well be more KING than the Dane has produced in many a year lately...

Posted in Interviews

A short conversation about the connection of cold, north, traditions, and metal, with the voice of Sabaton, Joakim.

*Sabaton is already a sort of national symbol of Sweden- how do you feel that, as it’s a kind of mission, and also big responsibility, I guess..
I don’t really see it that serious way at all- I just think about us that simply, we have a metalband, playing music – in that case we chose to do it about the Swedish Empire, hundreds of our history. And of course doing that in combination with music must got a bit national effect, but not in a racist kind of thoughts- so I hope it’s a positive way what we do.

*You almost travelled around Europe, during years- so what do you think why people adore Swedish and Nordic metal music that much?
It could actually be the fact, that ...

Posted in Cd Reviews

German Power Metal legends Helloween are back with their fourteenth studio album.

The first track on the album (and indeed the first single – check out the video on Youtube) is Nabatea. A departure from the typical subjects of rock and metal songs, this seven minute epic tells the tale of Nabatea (a real place). The first real democracy over 3000 years ago, almost nothing remains of this peaceful kingdom in the desert, but one of it’s cities does remain and is well known – the hidden city of Petra with it’s buildings carved out of the rock (if you’ve watched films including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade you’ll have seen it). Petra was only re-discovered 200 years ago (in 1812)...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Greek singer/musician Tatiana Manolidou comes from a musical family, and has studied piano,vocal and theory of music from an early age. She has composed music for the Greek theatre and TV, as well performing many concerts across Greece and Cyprus. She provided vocals for the album ”Matricide” by Prog rockers La Tulipe Noire. Now she’s unveiled her latest work – Tatiana’s NIOVI – ”Breath of light”. Most of the lyrics were written by Cindy L Spear, a poet and lyricist who has written for Iona and Karnataka.

Brief comments on a few of the tracks…

The album opens with ”Intro: Breath of life” which is a lovely Celtic sounding track.

The album then moves quickly into ”When I’m lost” which is a rock song, but still quite delicate at the same time...

Posted in Cd Reviews

It’s been a long time since Wintersun released their debut album – eight years in fact. Jari Mäenpää appears to subscribe to the Axl Rose school of album making to take that long over an eagerly awaited album. So after eight years it would be reasonable to expect a superb album, but what Wintersun have delivered is somewhat surprising.
You get a whole five tracks – yes you read that right, just five tracks. It gets worse – two of those are basically intros (one four minutes long, and the other just over two minutes), so it’s down to just three proper songs...

Posted in Cd Reviews

”Lights out” is the follow up to 2011’s successful album ”Hisingen Blues” Since the release of that album they’ve seen their popularity soar and have toured and played festivals to capitalise on the album’s success. Expectations then for this new album, their third, are high.

The band’s sound is still heavily influenced by 70s hard rock, and stoner rock influences are also apparent. The music feels darker and a bit heavier than Hisingen Blues, but apart from that, little significant has changed between the releases – after all whan you’ve got a winning formula it would be madness to change too much.

Brief comments on a couple of tracks…

”The Suits, the Law & the Uniforms” has a real Deep Purple sound with a bit of sstoner rock thrown into the mix...

Posted in Cd Reviews

SPV/Playground

Legendary US metal band VICIOUS RUMORS has definitely not kicked the bucket. 14 live and studio albums on they still soldier on. Some might say that their heyday passed after albums like “Soldiers of the Night” and “Digital Dictator”, which was back in the second half of the eighties, others like me prefer the early nineties and albums like “S/T” and “Welcome to the Ball” etc. But the band has sure struck back with the triumphant “Razorback killers” in 2011. Guitarist Geoff Thorpe has been around since 1979 and drummer Larry Howe more or less since 1986. Bassist Stephen Goodwin came aboard in 2006, vocalist Brian Allen in 2009 and guitarist Bob Capka as late as 2012...

Posted in Cd Reviews

VAN Records/Sound Pollution

The three Dutchmen behind the moniker VANDERBUYST are probably never going to be as hip as now. As the word “fun” is more restricted than ever pure fun and hedonism guys guitarist Willem Vanderbuyst, drummer Barry Van Esbroek and bassist/vocalist Jochem Jonkman are the answers to most boring issues. Because this band are probably above such backlashes as the EU finances, government restrictions and general Western Europe Decline. Not with an opener like “Frivolous Franny”! The band has opened for SAXON and shared stage with the likes of BLACK COUNTY COMMUNION and DREAM THEATER, where will this end?

Opener “Frivolous Franny” can´t really go wrong, and the even classically tinged riff of “Waiting in the Wings” is an homage to the early heavy metal of the ...