Critical Solution/Evil Never Dies/2013 CD Review

  Critical Solution  are  a band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy  and  thrash  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  album  "Evil  Never  Dies'.

  "God  Of  Anarchy"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffing  and  drums  along  with  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  melodic  riffs  before  going  into  a  more  fast  old  school  thrash  direction  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  that  also  have  an  aggressive  edge  to  them  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  mixing in  some  mid  paced  sections  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos and  leads  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song.

  "Sad Hill"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  also  lead  to  some  vocals  kicking  in  and  after  awhile  there  are  back  up  shouts  getting  added  to  the  song  and  as  the  song  moves  on  guitar solos  and  leads  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  along with  some  faster  guitar  riffing.

  "Crime Of  Passion" begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  thrash guitar  riffing  and  drums  and  after  a  few  seconds  vocals  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  and  a  minute  later  there  are  some  guitar  leads  that  come  in  and  out  of  the  song  along  with  some  technical  riffing  and  then the  song  starts  slowing  down  in  certain  parts.

  "Wallace  Green"  begins  with  some  guitar  leads  before  adding  in  some  old  school  thrash  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  up  to  some  vocals  making  their  way  into the  song  as  well  as  the  leads  kicking  in  and  out  along  with  some  powerful  bass  guitars.

  "This  Burning  Hate"  begins  with  some  melodic  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  guitar  leads  which  lead  some  to  some  drums,  bass  guitars  and  vocals  and  as  time  goes  by  the  music  gets  heavier.

  'The  Execution"  begins  with  some  drum  beats,  melodic  guitar  leads  and  spoken word  parts  and  serves  as  an  intro.

  "Dead  Man  Walkin"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  adding  in  some  fast  parts  and  vocals  and  then  the  song  focus's  more  on mid  paced  parts  as  well  as  mixing  guitar  solos  and  leads  in  certain  parts  of  the  song  and  towards  the  end  there are  some  back  up  gang  vocals  being  added  to  the  song.  

   "Evil  Never  Dies"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  starts  the  end  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads a re  added  into  the  song.

  "Soulmaker"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  old  school  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  then  the  vocals  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song.

  "Hell's  Warrior"  begins  with  some  old  school  thrash  metal  guitar  riffs  and  bass  along  with  some  drums  before  speeding  up  a  bit  and  adding  in  some  vocals    and  after  awhile  traditional  metal  melodies  are  added  to  the  riffing  before  the  music  starts  adding  in  some  guitar  solos and  leads.

  "War  Machine'  begins  with  some NWOBHM  style  guitar riffs  and  drums  before  going  into  a  more  thrash  direction  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  vocals  and  towards  the  end  guitar  solos  and  leads  make  their  way  into  the  song.

  "Speed  King"  which  is  a  Deep  Purple  cover  begins  with  some  hard  rock/metal  guitar  riffs,  classic  rock  vocals  and  drums  along  with  some  powerful  bass  guitars  kicking  in  shortly  after  that  and  after  a  minute  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song.

  'Killed  by  Death"  which  is  a  Motorhead  cover  begins  with  some  mid  70s  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  up to  some  guitar  leads  that  come  in  and  out  of  the  song  as  well as  vocals  that  are  alot  more  clean  sounding  than  Lemmy's  and  the  song  has  a  very  catchy  chorus  and  toward the  end  you  can  hear  the  bass guitars.

  "Seek  And  Destroy"  which  is  a  Metallica  cover  begins  with  some  guitar  riffs  and  leads  before  the  drums  and  bass  guitars  start  kicking  and  a  few  seconds  vocals  make  their  presence  known  in  the  song  and  towards  the  end  there  are  some  guitar  solos  being  utilized.

  Song  lyrics  cover  violence,  war  and  anarchy  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  old  school  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  album.

  In  my  opinion  Critical  Solution  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  heavy  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  ''God  Of  Anarchy"  "Wallace  Green"  "Dead  Man  Walkin"  and  "Killed  By  Death".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.      

Wizard Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since
the recording of the new album/

Snoppi: We prepared the live sets we are going to play now. We had a few
gigs in the Netherlands, one in our hometown and next week the second part
of the German Metal Attack (with Grave Digger, Paragon and Gun Barrel)
starts.


2. You recently put out a new album, what musical direction it is in and
also how it differs from previous releases?

Snoppi: It is, of course, heavy metal again. It is a little bit different
from the previous releases as there is a very wide variety of speed. So we
have very slow and soft songs with orchestral arrangements, true heavy metal
songs and also very speedy ones. We made some experiments and we are curious
what the fans think of it. I predict that not everybody will like all songs
on the album, but we, the band, really love the songs.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

Snoppi: The lyrics are all about death. How you can come to death, what
comes after death ... That's because the album is called "Trail of death"
(and the abbreviation is TOD, what means "death" in german).


4. In the past the band has done some concept albums about Norse Mythology,
can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic/

Snoppi: Yes, we did an album called "Odin" and one called "Thor". It is
Volkers (bass) religion. A few weeks ago he married his wife with the ritual
of the Asatru. I don't know very much about this all, for this you would
have to talk to Volker. All I can say is that he really believes in this
gods and that it makes him happy. So they are not just albums about north
mythology because it is modern or cool at the moment.


5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Wizard?

Snoppi: Oh, when I was young, about 25 years ago, there was a computer game
called "Wizard of Oz" (I hope I remember it right). And I liked the word. At
that point of time I never expected that anyone would hear about this name
outside my family
Other bandnames I had for us were "Purgatory" and "Black dust". Hahaha, yes,
I was young ...


6. The band has a long history going back to 89, can you tell us what it is
that motivates you to keep going after all these years?

Snoppi: It is very simple: Friendship! We are in the same lineup since then
and that's because we are friends. We have a lot of respect for each other.
Of course there are also difficult situations, like if you are married, but
we survived all this. It is a very strong feeling to be together with the
same guys for so long now.


7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how
would you describe your stage performance?

Snoppi: Oh, I can't exactly say, because there were so many of them. Great
was Wacken Main stage or Bang your head, or Keep it true, or Headbangers
Open air, but also the shows on tour with Grave Digger.
We always give all we have when playing live. For us it is important to make
a good party together with the fans. Everybody wants to have a great time
and we try to celebrate this time with the fans.


8. Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

Snoppi: As I mentioned above we are starting a few gigs for the second part
of the German Metal Attack. Also for next year shows are planned, but not
confirmed yet. We hope to play as much as we can, also outside from germany.


9. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the newer music by fans
of power and heavy metal?

Snoppi: I get feedback from all over the world what our albums concern, and
this is very great. Of course we also have some negative critics, but that's
quite normal. If you publish something you have to be able to handle this.
Music is a question of taste. And everybody has another taste, so not
everybody will like our style. But our fanbase seems to be not the smallest
one and that's great.


10.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

Snoppi: I guess that we will keep this style we are playing since 24 years
now. We cannot play very different, hahaha. So we will continue doing this.
But of course we try to vary songs within our style so that it not gets
boring at any time.


11.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer
music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Snoppi: We all listen to different bands. I like Slayer, Machine Head,
Trivium, Anthrax, other like Kiss, WASP, van Halen, Manowar ... Nowadays I
often listen to music during work. And because of this I have to listen to
more silence bands like Cat Stevens, Supertramp, Marilion, Fisher-z ... (to
not disturb the other people at work).
So Wizard is a mixture between all of this bands, I would say.


12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Snoppi: I do a little bit sports (fitness) and I love to read books
(fantasy).


13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Snoppi: Thank you for this interview and the chance to communicate to the
people who may be interested in Wizard.
Also visit us on facebook (facebook.com/WizardMetal) and perhaps we see us
live on tour some day.

We are bound by metal!

Snoppi
(Sören van Heek)

Blackout/We Are Here/2013 EP Review

  Blackout  are  a  band  from  new  York  that  plays  a  very  psychedelic  form  of  sludge/doom metal  and  this  is  a   review of  their self  released  2013  ep "We  Are  Here".

  "Indian" begins  with  some  distorted  sounds  which  then  lead  to  some  drums,  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  and  after  awhile  the  melodic  clean singing  chants  and  vocals  make  their  way  into  the  song  and  the  song closes  with  distorted  sounds.

  "Amnesia"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  sound  effects  before  adding  in  some  drums  and  after  awhile  the  melodic  vocals  start  kicking  in  which  also  lead s to  the  song  getting  heavier.

  "Smoker"  begins  with  some  heavy  distortion  before  the  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  kick  in  along  with  some  drums  and  a  minute  later  the  vocals  start  kicking  in and  as  time  goes  on  by  the  music  starts  getting  alot  more  darker  and  heavier  sounding.

  "Columbus"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  which  also  lead  to  some  drums  kicking  in  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  the  vocals  start  making  their  presence  known  in  the  song  which  also  lead s to  some  more  70s  metal  influences  being  added  to  the  riffing.

  "Anchored"  begins  with  some  noises  before  adding  in  some  dark  and  heavy  bass  and  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  a  few  seconds  later t he  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  then  the  song  goes  into  a  more  heavy  and  70's  direction  but  speeding  up  in  some  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  a  few  seconds  of  guitar  leads.

  'Seven"  begins  with  some  bass  riffs  and  drums  and  after  awhile   the heavy  guitar  riffs  and  vocals  start  making  their  presence  known  in  the  song  and  the  vocals  use  mostly  melodic  parts  while  also  adding  in  some  aggressive elements  at  times  and  mid  way  into  the  song  there  is  a  brief  use  of  psychedelic  sounds  being  utilized  for  a  few  seconds  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads.

  Song  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  pot  smoking  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Blackout  are  a  very  great  sounding  psychedelic  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Smoker"  and  "Seven".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

  

Cleanteeth/Pushing Rope/Dullest Records/2013 CD Review

  Cleenteeth  are  a  band  from  New  York that  plays  doom  metal  with  elements  of  noise  and  post  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of their 2013  album  "Pushing  Rope"  which  was  released  by  Dullest  Records.

  "Blame  Canada" begins  with  some  harsh  noise  sounds  before  going  into  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  then t he  aggressive  vocals  start  kicking  in which  leads  to  the  song  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  background  noises.

  "Can't  Stop  Till  The  Casket  Drops"  begins  with with  some  dark  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  before  adding  in  some  vocals  which  utilize  aggressive  and  melodic  elements  along  with  some  drum  beats  kicking  in  and  after  awhile  the  vocals  start  bringing  in  some  high  pitched  sludge  screams.

  "Shitbreather"  begins  with  some  distorted  noise  sounds  which  leads  to  some  drums  kicking  in  and  after  awhile  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  make  their  way  into  the  song  along  with  some  industrial  metal  style  vocals  and  towards  the  end  you  can  hear  some  noise  loops  being  utilized.

  "Stay  On  target"  begins  with  some  aggressive  screams,  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  after  a  few  seconds  distorted  sounds  make  their  way  into  the  song  and  as  time  goes  on  by  you  can  hear  the  bass  guitars  come  in.

  "French  Kissing  Alexander  Hamilton"  begins  with  noise  sounds  and  programmed  beats  which  bring  an  avant  garde  feeling  to  the  music  and  this  song  is  in  the  more  experimental  noise  direction.

  "Collision  Specialist"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  being t he  vocals  kick  in  which  utilize  both  aggressive  and  melodic  elements  and  as  time  goes  on  by t he  guitar  riffing  starts  adding  in  some  melody  along  with  some  distorted  noises.

  "Mermaids"  begins  with  some  soft  ambient  sounds  along  with  some  noise  elements.

  'Beardsly"  begins  with  some  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums which  also  lead  up  to some powerful  bass  guitars  and  a  few  seconds  some  melodic  vocals  start  kicking  in  before  going  into  a  more  aggressive  direction  and  a  couple  of  minutes  later  noise  elements  start  making  their  way  in  the  background  while t he  guitars  and  vocals  remain  heavier.

  "Sexual  Mustache"  begins  with  some  drums,  guitar  and  bass  riffs  which  lead  to  some  aggressive  vocals  and  a  minute  later  the  guitars  start  adding  in  a  few  seconds  of  clean  parts  along  with  the  vocals  getting more  melodic  and  the  song  closes  with  some  noise  sounds.

  "RVH"  begins  with  some  drums  and  dark,  melodic  guitar  riffs  which  start  adding  in  some  power  chords  along  with  some  bass  guitars  and  vocals  that  combine  melodic  and  aggressive  parts  as  will  as  mixing  in  noise  elements.

  "Hamme  Hands"  begins  with  some  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  adding  in  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  after  a  minute  the  song  starts  adding  in  distorted  sounds  which  also  lead  to  the  vocals  getting  more  aggressive.

  'Bedbugs" begins  with  some  noise  sound  along  with  some  screams  and  serves  as  an outro  for t he  album.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of t he  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

 In  my  opinion  Cleanteeth  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  doom  metal  and  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blame  Canada"  "Shitbreather"  "Collision  Specialist"  and  "Hamme  Hands".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.         

Canuck Metal Vol. 3/H.M.M.A.C/2013 Compilation

  This  is  a  review  of  a  compilation  from  of Canadian  metal  bands  called  "Canuck  Metal  Vol.  3"  which  was released  by  H.M.M.A.C  and  we  will review  the  songs  one  by  one.

  A  Scar For  The  Wicked  brings us  "We  Shall  Prevail"  song  that is  in  the  more  melodic  death  metal  direction  with  some  some  of  the  modern  day hardcore  elements  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  deep  growls  and  high  pitched  screams.

  Answer  With  Metal  brings  us  "Generations"  a  very  melodic   sounding  power/heavy  metal  song  that  has  an  80's  metal  feeling  to  it  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  speed  metal  elements being  thrown  into  the song.

  Alphakill  brings  us  "Rebellion"  a  song  that  is  the  more  old  school  thrash  metal  vein  with  some  heavy  and  aggressive  guitar  riffs,  drums,  melodic  guitar  leads  and  vocals  that  use  elements  of  both  thrash  and  power  metal.

  "Blasphemy  Reborn"  beings  us  "The  Rebirth"  which  is  in  the  more  atmospheric  and  melodic  death/black  metal  vein  with  a  mixture  of  deep  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  along  with  some  synths,  blast  beats  and  melodic  guitar  leads.

  BornBroken  brings  us  "Control"  a  song  that  mixes  melodic  death  metal  with  modern  hardcore  and  utilizes  growls  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  while  also  having  a  somewhat  mainstream  feeling  to  the   song.

  Buffalo  Theory  brings  us  "Monstro"  a  song  that  is  more  in  the  stoner/groove  metal  vein  with  some  70s  style  guitar  leads,  heavy  riffing,  and  vocals  that  utilize  both  aggressive  and  melodic  elements.

  Crimson  Shadows  brings  us  "Beyond  the  Mountain  Wasteland"  a  more  melodic  and  heavy  song  that  combines  melodic  black  and  death  metal  with  power  metal  along  with  a  mixture  of  high  pitched  screams,  deep  growls  and  melodic  vocals.

  D3athcharger  brings  us  "Forged  In  Steel"  a  more  melodic  and  old  school  sounding  death  metal  song  which  utilizes  deep  death  metal  growls  and  early  90's  style  guitar  riffs  which  have a  Swedish  feeling  to  them.

  "Darkness  In Aurora  brings  us  "Selfishly  Used"  a  song  that  mixes  melodic  death,  groove  metal  and  metalcore  together  to  create  a  heavy  yet  more  mainstream  sound  with  some  deep  growls  and  nu  metal  style  vocals.

  Edge  Of  Attack"  brings  us  "Forever"  a  song  that  combines  power  metal,  thrash and  melodic  death  metal  together  along  with  a  mixture  of  melodic  female  clean  singing  vocals  and  deep  death  metal   growls  and  screams.

  Entropia  brings  us  "Wolves  To  The  Slaughter"  a  song  that  combines  old  school  death  metal  with  groove  metal  and  thrash  along  with  some  hardcore  elements  and  the  vocals  range  from  deep  growls,  groove  metal  vocals  and  hardcore  style  gang  shouts.

  Gates  Of  Avalon  brings  us  "What  Hell  Have  I"  a  song  that  mixes melodic  power  metal  with  death metal  and  the  song  utilizes  both  melodic  clean  singing,  deep  growls  and  black  metal  style  screams  and  there  is  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  in  the  song.

  Ghoulunatics  brings  us  "King  Of  The  Undead"  a  song  that  is  more  in  the  death  metal  and  grindcore  vein  and  utilizes  some  powerful  guitar  leads  and  original  sounding  guitar  riffing  which  has  death  'n'  roll  feeling  to  it.

  Hell  Chamber  brings  us  "Bring  Me  Down"  a  song  that   is  more  in  the  old  school  thrash  vein  and  utilizes  some  vocals  that  use  aggressive  elements  as  well  as  some  melodic  elements  that  are  very  close  to  power  metal.

  Iddillicah  brings us  "Gone"  a  song  that is  very  symphonic,  melodic  and  progressive  sounding  while  alos  mixing  in  some  death  metal  elements  which  leads  to  a  mixture  of  melodic  vocals  and  deep  growls.

  Leah  brings  us  "old  World"  a  song  that  is  more  in  the  symphonic,  folk  metal  vein  with  some  clean  singing  melodic  female  vocals  and  there  are  no  growls  or  aggressive  type  of  vocals  being  utilized  on  the  song.

  Lost  In  The  Revolution  brings  us  "The  Go  Light  Stop Machine"  a  song  that  is    in  a  more  traditional  metal  and  heard  rock  vein  but  the  vocals  still  utilize  some  aggressive  elements  at  times  while  still  focusing  more  on  melody.

  Monobrow  brings  us  "Mordrake's  Revenge"  a  song  that  is  the  more  instrumental  doom,  sludge  and  stoner  metal  vein  with  no  vocals  being  present  and  the  song  is  more  like  a  jam  session.

  My  Own Chaos  brings  us  "Because  Of  Me"  a  song  that  combines  death,  groove  and  mainstream  metal  together  with  a  mixture  of  deep  growls and  clean  singing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Pronostic  brings  us  "Deviated  Inner  Spectrum"  a  more  melodic  and  technical  sounding  death  metal  song  that  utilizes  some  blast  beats  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  deep  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  as  well  as  some  acoustic  guitars being  used  briefly.

  Psychotic  Pulse  brings  us  "Obsession"  a  song  that  mixes  thrash  and  death metal  together  as  well  as  throwing  in  some  groove,  hardcore  and  melodic  elements  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  growls  and  screams.

  Reason  Prevails  brings  us  "No  Kings'  a  song  that  is  the  more  mainstream  area  of  extreme  metal  with  some  melodic  riffing,  metalcore  elements  and  some  hardcore  style  yells  and  screams  which  almost  border on  death  metal..

  Sanktuary  brings  us  "Raise  the  Flag"  a  song  that mixes  NWOBHM,  power  metal  and  thrash  together  with  some  old  school  style  guitar  riffs  and  vocals  that  utilize  both  melodic  and  aggressive  elements.

  Teach  Her  treason  brings  us  "Annihilation"  a  song  that  is  the  the  more djent,  groove  metal  and  metalcore  direction  but  utilizes  some  thrash  style  vocals  which  also  utilize  some  hardcore   elements  along  with  small  parts  of  melody.

  Through  Death  brings  us  "Orphaned"  a  more  melodic  sounding  death  metal  song  which  utilizes  both  deep  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  while  also  mixing  in  some  brutal  elements  in  certain  sections.

  In  conclusion  i  feel  this  is  an  ok  compilation  with  some  good  songs  that  I  enjoyed  but  also  alot  of  stuff  that  was  not  my  style  but  power,  thrash,  groove  and  death  metal  fans  might  find  some  stuff  that  they would  enjoy.    

Sinner Sinners/Excuse Our French/2013 EP Review

   Sinner  Sinners  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  a  very aggressive  form  of  punk  rock and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  2013  ep  "Excuse  Our  French".

  "Reckless"  begins  with  some  psychedelic  keyboards  before  going  into  some  punk  rock  rhythm  and  leads  as  well  as  some  bass  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  aggressive  hardcore  punk  style  vocals  and  the  guitar  leads  come  in  and  out  of  the  song  and  towards  the end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  bass  guitar  leads.

   "A.F.O"  begins  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffs  which  lead  to  some  drums  60s  style  keyboards  and  vocals  and  after  awhile  shouts  and  guitar  leads  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  as  well  as  some  metal  style  riffing   and  the  song  closes  with  some  leads.

  "Riot"  begins  with  some  heavy  metal/punk  rock  guitar  riffs  which  lead  to some  aggressive  hardcore  punk  vocals  as  as  well  as  some  back  up  shouts  and  the  song  is  under  3  minutes  and  closes  with  some  powerful  bass  guitars  coming  in briefly  before  the  guitars  take  over  again.

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  powerful  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  ep.

  In  my  opinion  Sinner  Sinners  are  a  very  great  sounding  aggressive  punk  rock  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Riot".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

    

Wizard/Trail Of Death/Massacre Records/2013 CD Review

  Wizard  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  an  epic  form  of  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Trail Of  Death"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  "Creeping  Death"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  which  also  sets  up  the  mood  for  some  melodic  power  metal  vocals  and  as  time  goes  by  the  music  starts  getting  alot  more  darker.

  "Warbutcher" begins  with  some  heavy  metal  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  which  leads  up  to  some  vocals  along  with  a  brief  use  of  speed  metal elements  before  the  song  goes  into  a  more  dark,  heavy,  and  slow  direction  but  also  speeding  up  in  certain  sections  and  after  awhile  the  vocals  start  utilizing  some  aggressive  elements  before  adding  in  some  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "Electrocution"  begins  with  some  dark  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  riffs  before  adding  in  some  power  chords  and  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  adding  in  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  a  minute  later  which  lead  to  some  spoken  word  parts  before  evolving  into  power  metal  vocals  and  speeding  up  in  certain  sections  and  towards  the  end  the  guitar  solos  start  making  their  return  and  there  are  some  heavy  bass  riffs  at  the  end.

  "Angel Of  Death"  begins  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  which  lead  up  to  some  power  chords  and  drums  then  the  bass  guitars  and  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  after  awhile  the  guitar  riffs  start  utilizing  some  melody  while  also  bringing  back  leads  in  certain  sections  of  the  song.

  "Angel  Of  the  Dark"  begins  with  thunder  sounds,  folk  instruments and  spoken  word  parts  which  leads  to  some  power  metal vocals,  guitar  leads  and  drums  before  going more  into  synths  and  after  awhile  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  start  kicking  in  while  also  having  the  solos  return  in  certain  sections.

  "Black  Death"  begins  with  some  fast  guitar  riffs  and  drums  along  with  some  power  metal  vocals  and  a  second  later you  can  hear  some  synths  being  utilized  in  the  background  and  a  few  minutes  later t here  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized  and  towards  the  ends  there  are  some  dark  demonic  vocals  being  thrown  in  the  song  for  a  few  seconds.

  "One  For  All"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs,  orchestra  style  synths  and  drums  and  a  few  seconds  later  the melodic  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  a  couple  of  minutes  later t here  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.            

  "Post  Mortem Vivere"  begins  with  some  classic  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  vocals  start kicking  in  and  use  a  mixture  of  melodic  and  aggressive  parts  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  the  song  starts  bringing  in  some  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "Death  Cannot  Embrace  Me"  begins  with  some  guitar  riffs,  synths  and  drums  which  leads  to some  vocals  and  powerful bass  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  and  this  song  also  utilizes  some  goth  elements.

    "Machinery  Of  Death" begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  which  leads  to  some  drums  and  bass  guitars  and  then t he  vocals  kick  in  and  the  music  gets  faster  and  after  awhile  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized.

  "We  Wont  Die  For  Metal"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  then t he  vocals  and  bass  start  kicking  in  and  towards  the  end  there  are  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized.

  Song  lyrics  cover  darkness,  fantasy  and  metal  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In my  opinion  Wizard  are  a  very  great  sounding  epic  power  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre, you  should  check  out t his  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS INCLUDE  "Creeping  Death"  "Angel  Of  the  Dark"  "Death  Cannot  Embrace  Me"  and  "We  Wont  Die  For  Metal".  RECOMMENDED BUY.

    

Mystic Prophecy/Killhammer/Massacre Records/2013 CD Review

  Mystic  Prophecy  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  mixes  power  and  thrash  metal  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Killhammer"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

 "Killhammer"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  which  also  lead  to  some  drums  as  well  as  some  thrash  elements  while  also  setting  up  the  pace  for  some  melodic  power  metal  vocals  which  also  use  some  aggressive  elements  in  certain  sections  of  the  song  and  after  awhile  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  making  their  way into  the  song.

  "Armies  Of  Hell"  begins  with  some  thrash  guitar  style  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  also  leads  to  a  brief  use  of  growls  until  the  melodic  vocals  start  kicking  in  as  well  as  the  guitar  riffing  utilizing  some  melody  and  a  few  seconds  later  thrash  style  gang  vocals  start  becoming  a  part  of  the  song  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  the  song  closes  with  some blast  beats.

  "To Hell  And  Back"  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitars  before  the  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  come  in  as  well  as  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  then  the  music  goes  into  a  cleaner  direction  and  ads  in  some  melodic  vocals  as  well  as  the  music  getting  heavier  again and  after  awhile  there  are  some  more  guitar  solos  being  utilized.

  "Kill  The  Beast"  begins  with  some  heavy  thrash  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  also  lead  to  some  guitar  leads,  melodic  riffing  and  melodic  vocals  which  also  utilize  some  aggressive  elements  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  traditional  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "Hate  Black'  begins  with  some  Arab  folk  instruments  before  going  into  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  also  lead  to  some  guitar  solos  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  as  well  as  adding  in  the  vocals  and  getting  heavier  along  with  some demonic  vocals  and  the  song  closes  with  the  Arab  sounds.

  "Children  Of  The  Damned"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums which  also  leads  to  some  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  and  then t he  power  metal  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  after  awhile  there  is  a  brief  use  of  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  some  faster  riffing.

  "300  In  Blood"  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitars  which  then  lead  to  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  then t he  rhythm  guitars  and  drums  kick  in  along  with  some  power,  thrash  and  death  metal  vocals    and  the  guitar  leads  come  in  and  out  of  the  song  as  well  as  small  amount  of  fast  riffing  and  blast  beats.

  "Angels  Of  Fire"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  melodic  vocals  which  also  utilize  some  aggressive  elements  in  certain  parts  of  the  song  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "Warriors  Of  the  Northern  Sea'  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  a  few  seconds  later t he  melodic  vocals  start  kicking  in  which  also  utilize  some  thrash  elements  and  towards  the  end  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  making  their  way  into  the  song.

  "Set  The  World  Afire'  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  as  well  as  some  \drums  and  then  the  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  after  awhile  the  guitar  riffing  starts  getting  more  melodic  as  well  as  the  vocals  getting  alot  more  aggressive  and  towards  the  end  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  kicking  in  for  a  few  seconds.

  "Crazy  Train'  which  is  also  an Ozzy  Osbourne  cover  begins  with  some  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  solos  which  also  lead  to  some  melodic  vocals  along  with  some  catchy  chorus's  and  riff's  being  utilized  throughout  the  song as  well  as  some  gutiar  solos.

  Song  lyrics  cover  darkness,  mythology  and  occultism  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful, heavy  and  professional  sound  while t he  bass  guitars  are  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mystic  Prophecy  and  if  you  are  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Killhammer"  "Kill  The  Beast"  "Angels  Of  Fire"  and  "Set  The  World  Afire".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

This Will Destroy You/Live In Reyjavik, Iceland/Magic Bullet/2013 Live CD Review

  This  Will  Destroy  You  are  a  band  from  San  Marcos,  Texas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  rock,  doom  metal  and  shoegaze  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2013  album  "Live  In  Reyjavik, Iceland"  which  was  released by  Magic  Bullet  Records.

  "A  Three  Legged  Workhorse''  begins  with  shoegaze  and  experimental  sound  effects  which  then  leads  to  some  clean  post  rock  guitar  riffs  and  drum  programming  as  well  as  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  you  can  hear  some  ambient  synths  in  the  background  which  also  lead  to  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  soft  and  heavy  parts.

  "There  Are  Some  Remedies  Worse  than  The  Disease'  begins  with  some  clean  post  rock  guitar  riffs  which  then  leads  to  some  synths,  bass  and  drums  and  as  time  goes  on  by  the  music  starts  getting  alot  more  diverse  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  heavy  guitar  riffs  being  utilized  before  closing  with  shoegaze  sounds.

  "Black  Dunes"  begins  with  Australian  ethnic  sounds  and  spoken  word  samples  and  after  a  minute  experimental  sounds  and  ambient  synths  make  their  way  into  the song  as  well  as  some  drum  programming  and  after  a  few minutes  heavy  guitar  riffs  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  and  towards  the  end  the  music  returns  to  a  more  clean  direction.

  "Burial  On  The  Presido  Banks"  begins  with  some  sound  effects  and  synths  and  a  minute  later  programmed  drums  start  coming  into  the  song  as  well  as  some  bass  guitars  in  the  background  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  heavy  guitar  riffs  being utilized.

  "Glass  Realms  begins  with  some  sound  effects  and  synths  and  this  song  is  more  in  an  ambient  vein  while  also  having  some  shoegaze  and  post  rock  elements  but  there  is  not  much  in  the  way  of  guitars.

  "Communal  Blood" begins  with  some  background  drone  sounds  and  synths  along  with  some  bass  guitars  shortly  after  that  and  after  awhile  heavy  post  rock/doom  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  make  their  presence  known.and  towards  the  end  the music  goes  into  a  more  soft  and  ambient  direction  along  with  some  soundscapes.

  "Quiet"  begins  with  some  ambient  sounding  synths  and  after  awhile  drum  beats  make  their  way  into  the  song  and  a  couple  of  minutes  later  heavy  bass  guitars  make  their  way  into  the  song  along  with  some  regular  guitars.

  "They  Move  On  Tracks  Of  Never Ending  Light"  begins  with  some  clean  guitar  playing  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  you  can  hear  some  synths  in  the  background which  leads  to  some  drum  programming  and  nature  sounds.

  "Little  Smoke"  begins  with  some  synths  and  after  awhile  drums  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  and  after  a  few  minutes  the  song  starts going  into  a  more  clean  direction  and  the  song  closes  with  audience  sounds.

  "The  Mighty  Rio  Grande" begins  with  some  drone  sounds  and  clean  post  rock  guitar  playing  and  a  minute  later  drum  beats  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  as  well  as  some  shoegaze  style  synths  and  as  time  goes  by  the  music  starts  getting  alot  more  diverse.

  "Threads''  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitar  playing  which  then  leads  to  some  synths  and  drums  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  the music  starts  getting  more  powerful  and  distorted  along  with  some  gutiar  riffs

  Song  themes  cover  existentialism, while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  album  with  all  of  the  songs  being  recorded  live  as  well  as  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  This  Will  Destroy  You  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  post  rock,  shoegaze  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check out  this  band. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Three  Legged  Workhorse"  "Black  Dunes"  ''Little  Smoke"  and  "Threads".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Sasquatch/IV/Small Stone/2013 CD Review

  Sasquatch  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  stoner  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album "IV"  which  was  released  by  Small  Stone  Records.

  "The  Message"  begins  with  some  heavy  classic  rock/metal  guitar  riffs,  powerful  bass  drums  and  melodic  hard  rock  vocals  and  after  a  few  minutes  there  is  a  brief  use  of  blues  rock  gutiar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized  for  a  few  seconds.

  "Eye  Of  the  Storm"  begins  with  some  desert  rock  guitar  riffs  which  leads  to  some  drums  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  some  vocals  kicking  in  shortly  after  that  and  the  song  is  mostly  in  a  slow  and  heavy  direction.

  "Sweet  Lady"  begins  with  some  heavy  psychedelic  guitar  riffs,  powerful  bass  and  drums  along  with  some  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  classic  rock  style  guitar  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song.

  "Money"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs,  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  vocals  kicking  in  as  well  as  some  psychedelic  sounds  in  certain  sections  of  the  song  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  some  powerful  bass  guitars  being  utilized  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized.

  "Smoke  Signal"  begins  with  some  melodic  and  heavy  70s  metal/rock  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  bass  guitars  and  vocals  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  along  with  some  psych  elements.

  "Wolves  At  The  Door"  begins  with  a  spoken  word  part  before  going  into  powerful  bass  guitars, psychedelic  guitar  leads  before  adding  in  some  rhythm  guitars  and  vocals  and  the  song  closes  after  3  minutes.

  "Me  And  You"  begins  with  guitar  leads  and  rhythms  which  then  lead  to  some  drums  and  bass  guitars  along  with  some  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  as  the  song  moves  on  the  leads  start  kicking  in  and  out.

  "Corner"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  which  lead  to  some  vocals  kicking  in  and  as  the  song  moves  on  heavy  psych  elements  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the song.

  "Drawing  Flies"  begins  with  some  clean  and  heavy  classic  rock  guitar  riffs  and  percussion's  which  lead  to  some  vocals  kicking  in  along  with  some  real  drums  and  bass  guitars  and  as  the  song  moves  on  the  guitar  riffs  start  adding  in  some  70s  rock  melodies  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads..

     Song  lyrics  cover  love  lost,  lives  wrecked  and  houses  trashed, while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on t his  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Sasquatch  are  a  very  great  sounding  stoner  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Message"  "Money"  ''Me  And  You"  and  "Drawing  Flies".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.