A HERO A FAKE: HEADBANGERS BALL PREMIERE

A HERO A FAKE will introduce the video for Let Oceans Lie on Monday, February 1 at 3:00 am EST on MTV2’s Headbangers Ball.
View the new video for "Let Oceans Lie" HERE

IRON MASK - Shadow Of The Red Baron

This is the third album of the band, whose mastermind is Dushan Petrossi, a virtuoso guitarist from Belgium. The band is playing Melodic Power Metal, enriched with various other elements, creating a very interesting album that is fun to listen to. Melodies are the alpha and omega here, creating various soundscapes, and characterize the album. Catchy choruses, excellent Neoclassical parts, and perfect vocals, are what the listener will enjoy from the first to the last minute. What's more interesting is that the album has enough variety, with songs that are not copying each other, and this keeps the interest high. Neoclassical, Symphonic, Power, everything is here, with songs well written and full of nice ideas, and all the trademarks that one should expect to find in such a style. Of course the most dominant thing on this album is the excellent work on the guitars, but also a remarkable work has also been done with the keys, on the rhythm section and on the vocal area as well. The production is shiny and clear, and reveals every little detail of the music. Nice music, well performed, and with enough variety to keep you interested until the end. If you like this kind of stuff, check them out.

9/10

EXCALION - High Time

This nice quintet comes from Finland, and their story starts at the end of the 90's. What started as a fun project turned out into a serious act, and this is their second album, after their debut back in 2007. The band is playing Melodic Power Metal, fast, and catchy enough, with memorable choirs, and parts to sing along. On the other hand, some, few though, Progressive bits and bytes here and there, spice things up and make their music even more interesting. Fast and melodic songs, along with mid tempo complex ones, come to complete each other like the two sides of a coin. The band is quite talented, and this is obvious from both the way they compose and perform their music. A special mention also needs to be done for the vocalist, whose vocals fit the music in the best possible way. There are enough nice ideas on their arrangements, and along with some inevitable cliches, the band creates an album that will please all the fans of the genre. The production is clear and as heavy as it should be, and helps the music very much. Maybe not the most original album that you ever come around, but, it's well performed, has enough ideas, and comes from a young and promising band. If you are a fan of this style of Metal, check them out.

8/10

CARNIFEX - Hell Chose Me

So... what's inside this glitzy cover? Death Metal the American way... fast double bass drumming, sharp guitar riffs (but they forgot the solos) hi and lo pitched vocals and the job is (partly) done! The technical side of the band is bright and their controlled display of power and brutality is succesful. I'm not sure that they will rewrite the genre's history. But the signs of improvement they showed since their last attempt in 2008 promise more beautiful growling moments in the near future!

8/10