HOUSE OF LORDS - Big Money

The band was formed back in the late 80's and is active since then, except a hiatus taken the mid 90's to the dawn of the new century. The band, for those unfamiliar with their sound plays a mixture of Hard Rock enriched with tons of AOR elements, the kind of music meant to be played to big stadiums and venues. From the first listening the album shows that the band wants to create a sound back to their roots, and this attempt can be described as successful. Huge songs, full of the trademarks of the band, from the first to the last minute. Well written songs, full of nice melodies, excellent musicianship, parts to sing along, and memorable choruses. The vocals of James Christian are better than ever, the rhythm section is solid and tight, and the keyboards are simply excellent. The atmosphere of the album is pure 80's, and the help of long time friend Mark Baker helped in the creation of such a retro feeling. The production is great, crystal clear, and is a big plus for releases such as this. For a fan of this kind of music, an album full of such excellent songs, with the addition of a couple of killer radio friendly ballads, this album is a must have. And if you add the perfect performance of each of the band members, you get the whole picture.

10/10

SEBASTIAN BACH - Kicking & Screaming

Mostly known as a frontman of Skid Row, Sebastian Bach turned out to be a multi talented artist, who also checked his capabilities in acting as well. Following his debut solo album, Angel Down, which was released back in 2007, and changed record label to Frontiers Records, Mr Bach strikes back, or should I say, kicks and screams, with an album that will bring enough memories to the older of you. The first thing to notice are melodies, which are plenty, well arranged and used in every possible way to enhance the result. Another strong point, which was expected though, is that the album has the killer catchy songs that radio stations love to play, with parts to sing along, crunchy guitars and memorable rhythms. There are also ballads, maybe one too many for my taste but still well composed and performed. What's the most important thing here, is that almost every minute of it it's well worked, and the music combines all the good moments of his career but with a more modern approach. The production is as heavy as it should be for such an album, clear and powerful enough, and leaves space for all instruments to evolve. Music is still interesting with each listening, and grows on you, and this also another big plus for this record. If you are a fan of Melodic Hard Rock, then this is an album that you should check.

8/10

NIGHTRAGE - Insidious

Nightrage is a band that plays Melodic Death Metal, and has it's influences deep into the Gothenburg sound. This is their latest release, and like the previous one, the listener will find only the best of what Melodic Death has to offer. The album is based on two pillars, one is the complexity of the songs, that make it sound very close to Progressive at times, and the other is aggression. Both these things are combined in a very wise way, and you have songs that are both straightforward and melodic, but also have enough changes and hidden secrets waiting to be revealed. The guitar works performed by Marios Iliopoulos are excellent, full of melodic moments but also huge riffs, but so great are the other musicians as well. The vocals are very good too, and the singer not only can growl in the usual Death Metal way, but also can deliver equally good, when things slow down on some clear parts. Elements from various aggressive styles can also be found here, specially Thrash, which makes their sound even more catchy. The production is very good, and preserves all the details of their music. The guest appearances from Gus G, Apollo Papathanasio, Tomas Lindberg and Tom Englund, just to name a few, can only enhance the whole release, and give it an extra credit. If you are seeking for an album full of nice songs, melodic moments and tons of aggression then you will like the sound of the band. Give it a try and it won't disappoint you.

9/10

VADER - Welcome To The Morbid Reich

When someone things of the Polish Death Metal scene, one name comes in mind, and this is Vader. A band that exists for almost two decades, has seen various line up changes, but still continues to release works that are top notch, carefully prepared and wisely realized. This is also the case here, with their debut Nuclear Blast relase, and the devoted fan of their style of Death Metal, will accept it with a grin on his face. What is more enjoyable is that the band has created an album that is not only aggressive and brutal, but also groovy and catchy, with some nice melodies here and there, specially in the intros, and this enhances the feeling of each song. Another thing we liked is the plenty Thrash riffs and moments in the songs, that make this album even more catchy and fun to listen. Top class musicianship, excellent arrangements, and although there is not much variety in the song styles, the band manages to keep the listener interested until the end. The production is also very good, as clear and as powerful as it should be, without making the album sound too shinny. One might thing that there's no progression in their music, as time goes by, but Vader are having a very distinguished style in their music, which they only perfect with each release. So, if you are a fan of the band, or you like Death Metal in general, here's the best of what Poland has to offer. Enjoy.

9/10  

BRAINSTORM - On The Spur Of The Moment

This is the new album of the German Power Metal band, and release by release, they show that they set new higher standards on their works. Of course the band is playing Power Metal, melodic and groovy enough, but there's enough variety here so that the listener will find enough things to keep his mind busy. And if you count also the dark atmosphere you have an album that stands high above the average. The songs are well written, with many interesting ideas and the band is exploring them to the best way possible. Andy B. Franck is giving the performance of his lifetime, but so are the other members of the band, pushing Brainstorm to a higher level. What's more amazing is that they manage to evovle with each record, and this is also happening here. Melodies are plenty and well implemented through the album, and enhance the whole result without sacrificing the atmosphere. The production is also excellent, heavy and clear enough and is another big plus for the album. The album is full of well written songs, nice melodic lines, excellent vocals and musicianship, the well known German rhythm section, all wrapped up into a shinny and powerful pack. If you are a fan of the band, then this is an album you must have. Until their next one.

10/10  

ANTHRAX - Worship Music

I've always been a huge fan of this band, so this review might not be very objective, but then again, who said that reviews can't be a matter of personal taste? Anyway, I welcomed the fact that Joey Belladonna is back on the band, and this is their new album eight years after the release of their last studio effort. The new album sounds and feels as an Anthrax album should feel. It's full of classic moments and well written songs that will please all fans that were expecting this. Although they haven't forget the way to make crunchy thrashy music, this album is much more than this. Belladonna is in top shape, and so are the rest of band members, and the release is music that dives deep in to the depths of Classic Metal, but sounds as fresh and up-today as possible. Of course there are moments where the band is revisiting their late 80's era, which are also welcome and perfectly fitting. The production is top class, and completes the album in the best possible way. A new release from such a huge band, with almost the original line-up is a fact by itself. And if you consider also the quality of both the arrangements and their musical skills, you have another milestone on their career. One of those moments that the title couldn't be more fitting.

9/10    

EDGUY - Age Of Joker

It has been quite some time since Tobias Sammet and his crew surprised us with the release of their debut album, and the controversy about their music still goes on. Having left their Melodic Power Metal days in the past, at least partially, the band has chosen to explore new territories in music, but always with the trademarks of the sound of Edguy. Things here are more diverse, starting from vocals of Tobias Sammet and continuing to each instrument and every minute of the music. But, if you thing that there are no parts to sing along, think again, since as I said before, some of the trademarks of the music are still here. There are the great vocals, the catchy parts, well written melodies, and the superb guitar solos one should expect from an Edguy album. But what I liked on this album, and many of the fans will also do, is that the band is not afraid to experiment and explore new directions in their music, and is doing it with the same quality and ease that did it with their early releases. The production is perfect and was done by Sascha Paeth, and completes the album in the best possible way. If you were eager for just another Power Metal album with each song being based on the same form, then you might get disappointed. The band shows that every influence can find it's way to their music, so country style guitars, Progressive elements, pianos, Heavy tracks, slow ballad-like ones, and songs with specific references to the 80's, everything is here, all blended and implemented into an album that has no weak point. So open your mind, and let these guys explain their vision of music.

10/10    

LIVARKAHIL - TOUR OF DECAY 2011 - w/ HATE, VESANIA, AS YOU DROWN

"Signs of decay" new concept album based on religious autocracy. European release : 26 september 2011

Tour Dates
17/09 - MUSCADEATH w/ CENTURIAN
24/09 - METAL RUMBLE FEST III w/ HOUR OF PENANCE
26/09 - NANCY - TBA - w/ HATE & VESANIA
27/09 - LYON - WARM'AUDIO - w/ HATE & VESANIA
28/09 - MONTPELLIER - SECRET PLACE - w/ HATE & VESANIA
29/09 - PARIS - GLAZ'ART - w/ HATE & VESANIA
30/09 - STRASBOURG - LA CHARRUE - w/ HATE & VESANIA
01/10 - LILLE - TBA - w/ HATE & VESANIA
02/10 - NANTES - FERRAILLEUR - w/ HATE & VESANIA
05/10 - MARSEILLE - LE LOCAL - w/ HATE
07/10 - GEMBLOUX - MJC - w/ HATE
08/10 - ST DIZIER - EVENING OF METAL - w/ HATE
22/10 - TOURS - TBA -
26/10 - MARSEILLE - TBA - w/ AS YOU DROWN
27/10 - NICE - SEZAMO w/ AS YOU DROWN
28/10 - TBA - w/ AS YOU DROWN
29/10 - VERNOUILLET - WARM'UP - w/ AS YOU DROWN
30/10 - TBA - w/ AS YOU DROWN

COMMUNIC - The Bottom Deep

This is the fourth studio release of the Norwegian band, and I am sure that all fans of the band are already eager to reveal it's secrets. The band is playing a style of music that borrows elements from both Power Metal and Progressive, but combine them into a style than they can proudly call their own. First of all, this is not an easy album, although it contains moments that are catchy and straightforward. It will need more than just a listening or two to bring all the details of the music to the surface, and to explore the musical genius of it's creators. Whether slow and melodic, or more groovy and Heavy, everything is happening in a natural way, that will please even the listeners that Progressive is not their favorite style. The musicians are excellent, capable of delivering such a demanding task. A great work has also been done in the vocals, which cover a wide range and fit perfectly with the style of each song. The songs are well written, with no weak points, with a dark atmosphere spread around the album, and all the ideas that the band has, are explored to the maximum. A powerful production comes and completes the album in the way it deserves, and preserves all the details of the music. If you like Power Metal with a progressive touch, Sanctuary and Nevermore are amongst your favorite bands or you are a fan of Classic Heavy Metal, then this is a band you have to check out. Great work guys.

9/10

NIGHT IN GALES - Five Scars

What started as a promising band in the mid 90's, slowly faded away in the light of the new century, and the short hiatus the band took to explore it's musical horizons lasted about a decade. But they are back, with their fifth album so far, and their first, if I'm not mistaken in LifeForce Records. What the listener will find here, is a band playing Swedish Death Metal, with all it's pros and almost none of it's cons. There are tons of melodies, aggressive and clear vocals, crunchy guitar riffs, a solid rhythm section, and songs that are well written and catchy enough. There are enough Thrash elements in their music and this makes this album a bit more aggressive, something that is also welcome. The songs are well written, with a variety in influences that prevent them from becoming repetitive, with nice and well worked melodies, parts to bang your head and sing along, and with some interesting ideas that the band is trying to explore as much as possible. The production done by Dan Swano is great, not that we expected less from a man so familiar with the genre, and is another plus for the album. If you are a fan of the genre, a fan of the band, or both, then do check this album. With the majority of the songs standing much above the average, this release will establish the trademark NIG in the Metal map once again, and will open new opus in their career.

9/10  

ABSU - Abzu

The Texan band exists since the late 80's, although starting from a different style of extreme Metal, and this is their latest release, following their highly successful self titled release of 2009. This time, there are not as many guest appearances as with their previous album but this doesn't affect the music at all. The band is playing Black Metal if you want to tag their music, but there are much more to it, that will please fans of other styles as well. First of all, their music contains huge amounts of Thrash, from the riffs to the tempo, and this is something very enjoyable. What is more important here, is that the music has a variety in styles that prevents the listener from having the feeling that it's repetitive or boring. There are melodies here and there, that enrich the whole result, the vocals vary from screaming high-pitched Black Metal to slower and more ritualistic forms, and the music in general seems to adopt various elements and explores new territories. This is more obvious on the last track of the album, which is a 15 minute tune, with the band showing their performing and composing skills. The production is very good, it's clear and powerful enough, but also preserves the mysterious atmosphere that the band has created with their music. The album is a journey from Black Metal blastbeating to Thrash headbanding and mysterious places of the earth, with the transition being made so natural that the listener will be amazed.

9/10       

ALMAH - Trace Of Trait (2011) // Official Video

The new ALMAH album "Motion" will be released in Europe on October 14th.

MORBUS CHRON - Sleepers In A Rift

The story of this band starts back in 2007 in Sweden, and this is their first full length release so far. The band is playing Death Metal, but nothing close to what Swedish Metal sounds today. Instead imagine a mixture of old-fashioned Thrash music, with screaming vocals, that are a blend of Black and Death Metal, a very dark atmosphere and enough melodies here and there. The result is rather strange, raw and primitive, but addictive and catchy. I am not sure if they are experienced musicians or now trying to establish a sound of their own, but they have good things in their music, that fans of the extreme might like. Judging from the track titles, but also partially from the cover art, their song lyrics, or some of them, must have been inspired by the work of Lovecraft, something that I also find fitting with the atmosphere of the music. The production is quite good, clear enough, and manages to preserve the feeling. A band with potential, with enough good moments, enough nice ideas, and a very interesting approach in their music. If you put aside some less good moments, you have a raw album that gives them a promising future.

6/10      

PATHOLOGY - Awaken To The Suffering

Pathology is a band that exists from 2006, and this is their fourth release so far and their second in Victory Records. The band is playing a Brutal mixture of Death Metal with enough Grind and some Thrash elements, something that will bring chills to the spine of the fans. Pathology not only manages to deliver their music but to showcase their performing skills as well. The rhythm section is tight as a rock, the drummer is great, either on slower parts, or when the band is accelerating, and the guitar solos are melodic, technical and complex enough. The vocals are the kind of growls one should expect from such a style, low pitched, like coming from the depths or from a grave, and fitting perfectly with the music. Whats amazing is their ability to create groovy songs, catchy and full of energy, with a variety of tempos, without becoming boring, or repetitive. There are even some melodies here and there, that create a nice contradiction with the blast-beats and the growling. A very good and clean production completes the album in the best possible way, and gives some extra credits to the whole result. It's brutal, aggressive, and feels like a kick in the stomach. Not for the weak.

9/10  

House Of Lords - Someday When (Official Video)

Taken from the album "Big Money" out on Frontiers Records. Release dates: Europe: September 23rd 2011 / USA September 27th 2011.

Download the FREE 2011 Labor Day Sampler

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In honor of Labor Day weekend, Victory Records and VictoryMetal.com have unleashed a FREE sampler packed with songs from their reigning bands of heavy music. The sampler is now available for download on www.facebook.com/victoryrecords

Take 15% off of your next order at the Victory Records Webstore with a special discount code revealed once the download is complete. Go all out this weekend by head-banging and air guitaring to the heaviest metal around -- all for FREE!


Track listing
1. God Forbid- Where We Come From (DEMO TRACK)
2. Pathology- Media Consumption (In stores Sept. 13)
3. Jungle Rot- Rise Up and Revolt
4. Ringworm- Used Up, Spit Out
5. Within the Ruins- Invade
6. Carnifex- Scope of Obsession (from "Hell Chose Me," "Until I Feel Nothing" in stores Oct. 25)
7. Blackguard- Farewell (as seen on EA Sports NHL 2012)
8. OTEP- Atom to Adam
9. Design the Skyline- Crystal Swords Kill the Hordes
10. Emmure- Children of Cybertron
11. Dr. Acula- Party 2.0
12. Sister Sin- Outrage
13. Destrophy- Cry Havoc
14. ll Nino- Against the Wall
15. Counterparts- (You Think You're) John Fucking Locke (non-album track, The Current to Will Carry Us, in stores October 25)
16. Throwback MOSH- Snapcase- Typecast Modulator

WOLFPAKK - Wolfpakk

This is the first release of the collaboration of Mark Sweeney and Michael Voss. But this is more like a gathering of famous musicians since along with Voss/Sweeney in the vocals, there are numerous guest appearances by well respected artists. The result is an album full of Melodic Power Metal, fast and groovy the way Germans know how to create. But, there's also variety here, something that makes the album even more interesting. There are moments when things are more complex, with female vocals, and stronger keyboard melodies, there are the classic bombastic fast tempo songs, and there are songs with a more Epic feeling, ideal for performing live. The production is very good, as Heavy and as powerful as it should be, and helps the result very much. The album is maybe has a few cliche here and there, but it's so well performed, that the listener won't mind. There is also a 10 minute opus, Symphonic and catchy enough, that closes the album in the best possible way. An album full of great musicianship, with a lot of guest appearances, enough variety, catchy, groovy and with some nice ideas. If you like Power Metal in all it's varieties, then there's a lot of things to like here as well. It gave us some nice head banging moments on the road to work each morning. Check them out.

9/10  

CONSORTIUM PROJECT V - Species

This band is the brainchild of Ian Parry, also famous for his work with Elegy, Ayreon and Vengeance amongst others, and celebrates over 25 years of career and 21 albums released so far. This is the last of the Consortium Project series, and is a release that won't disappoint any of the fans. The music here has a lot of different elements blended all together into a powerful and intriguing mixture. There's variety here, something that works for the album, and makes it even more enjoyable to the listeners. Some songs are closer to Power Metal, others have a more Progressive form, but all have mighty melodies, and excellent musicianship. If you followed the previous four releases, you will find that this time things are notably Heavier, something that Parry wanted to do on purpose, and so are the female vocals, which used to emphasize the result of the pentalogy. As with their previous releases, the guest musicians are top class, and couldn't be done otherwise, consisting the demanding style of music. The production is perfect, heavy and clear enough, and brings all the details of the album to the surface. Despite the fact that there are songs straightforward enough, the whole album needs cautious listening to explore all it's details. And with each listening, you will find even more things to like.

10/10