Dread Sovereign/All Hell's Martyrs/Van Records/2014 CD Review

  Dread  Sovereign  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  plays  a  very  traditional  form  of  occult  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their   2014  album  "All  Hell's  Martyrs"  which  was  released  by  Van  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  dark  sounding  synths  and  spoken  word  ritualistic  parts  and  after  the  intro  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  start  to  kick  in  before  going  into  a  more  old  school  and  traditional  doom  metal  direction  along  with  melodic  clean  signing  vocals  and  after  awhile  solos  and  leads  become  a  part  of  the  recording.

  When  the  album  goes  into  other  songs  the  music  starts  going  for  a  more  dark  epic  doom  metal  direction  along  with  the  vocals  getting  more  aggressive  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  at  times  traces  of  psychedelic music  are brought  in  at  times  as  well  as  bringing  in  more  ritualistic  sounding elements.

  As  time  goes  on  by  a  few  seconds  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams  are  added  into  the  music  before  returning  to  a  more  melodic  direction  and  at  times  they  also  bring  in  brief  intros  before  a  few  tracks.

  With  this  album  Dread  Sovereign  take  the  old  school  traditional epic  doom  metal  sound  and  and  in  more  dark,  occult  and  ritualistic  sounds  to  create  and  album  that  is  very  dark  and  melodic  as  well  as  bringing  in  an  evil  atmosphere.

   Song  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Thelema,  Lovecraft, Gnostic  and  Catharism  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark  and professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  most  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Dread  Sovereign  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  occult  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cthulu  Opiate  Haze"  "Pray  to  the  Devil  In  Man"  "We  Weild  the  Spear  Of  Longinus"  and  "Cathars  To  Their  Doom".  8/5  out  of  10.    

Shadow Host/Apocalyptic Symphony/Metalism Records/2013 CD Review

  Shadow Host  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  speed,  thrash  and  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Apocalyptic  Symphony"  which  was  released  by  Metalism  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy,  melodic  and  old  school  sound  along  with  a  mixture  of  riffs  and  leads  before  going  into  a  more  thrash  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  clean  singing  vocals  and  back  up  gang  shouts.

  When  the  album  goes  into  other  song s the  music  starts  going  for  a  more  speed/thrash  metal  sound  while  having  the  melody  and  vocals  of  power  metal   as  well  as  bringing  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  on  one  track  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  on  one  of  the  songs  they  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  which  also  leads  to  a  power  ballad  before  making  a  return  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  last  song.

  With  this  album  Shadow  Host  combine  the  heaviest  elements  of  thrash,  power  and  speed  metal  to  create  an  album  that  is  very  heavy  and  old  school  sounding  while  also  having  a  more  modern  day  sounding  production.

  Song  lyrics  cover  political  and  everyday  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  as  well  as  one  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  

  In  my  opinion  Shadow  host  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  thrash,  speed  and  power  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lunacy  Divine"  "Empty  Eyes"  "Divide  And  Rule"  and  "Seeds  Of  Sorrow".  8/5  out  of  10.

Shredhammer/Beyond Your Reach/2014 Demo Review

  Shredhammer  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  demo  "Beyond  Your  Reach".

  The  demo  starts  out  with  a  heavy  thrash  sound  along  with  some  melodic  groove  metal  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music.

  As  the  ep  continues  the  band  stick  to  more  90  to  91  thrash/groove  metal  direction  having  a  sound  more  close  to  Exhorder  then  Pantera  while  also  having  the  melody  of  Sacred  Reich  and  ''Times  Does  Not  Heal"  era  Dark  Angel  while  also  being  more  close  to  bay  area  thrash  in  terms  of  heaviness  and  at  time s they  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats..

  With  this  demo  Shredhammer  go  back  to  the  early  groove  metal  sound  when  the  music  was  still  a  bit  more  closer  to  thrash  than  the  mid  90's  nu  metal  crap  that  the  genre  evolved  into  and  this  is  a  very  decent  recording  for  this  genre.

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

  In  my  opinion  Shredhammer  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tyrant's  End"  and  "Bash".  7/5  out  of  10.  

Van Canto Interview

Extreme Underground Music Zine
Anwers by Stefan, February 27th, 2014

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

Yes of course. We started our Tour in Russia and had two fabulous shows in Moskau and St. Petersburg. And we already kicked of the first leg of our European Tour in France, Belgium and Germany. Next gigs will be Italy and Czech Republic. The tour is well visited, some locations are sold out, it’s great.

2.Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction do the new recording and also how does it differ from your past releases?

This time we had the time to work out everything quite detailed because we haven’t been on tour while writing the songs. It’s our most compact album and we have the feeling there are no weak songs on it.

3.The band does not use traditional instruments, do you feel this adds to the originality of the music?

Yes of course. It definitely helps to have a unique sound, and we are proud of having created something really special.

4.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your newer music?

Van Canto is a band to encourage people. We want our listeners to feel like a hero. So our songs deal with topics like inner strength, belief in yourself and in what you do. It’s hero metal a cappella!

5.On the new album you had some cover tunes, what was the decision behind doing your own version of these songs?

Covers have always been a part of Van Canto and we always try to make the covers our own songs. We have to like what we are covering and the originals have to offer some great melodies and harmonies so the songs can be translated into a cappella arrangements.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Van Canto'?

Canto is latin for “I sing” and the Van just makes the bandname look better, haha.

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

We have a very powerful stage performance and many people are surprised of how metal the show is. We had hundreds of shows so it’s hard to pick one, but Wacken 2011 surely was special. We put this show on the bonus DVD of our Dawn of the Brave album

8.What are the touring or show plans for the new release?

As I said, we are just about to tour Europe. After that we will play some selected festivals and then see what happens.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal and rock?
Great, and it get’s better all the time, especially with this release. We get a lot of response from all over the world, sell more albums and get in contact with more people. It’s great.

10.What musical direction do you see the band heading into during the future?

We don’t know. Currently we are in the “on the road”-mode. So after we played the tour and the festivals we’ll sit together and create some ideas what will be next.

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

Every bandmember would name different bands, so I can only give a personal answer. My faves are the bands we have been covering, as easy as it is, haha.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Again, a personal answer. I am interested in soccer and biking and of course in my family.

13.Before we wrap up this interview do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for your interest in Van Canto. It’s always amazing that there are people around I never met but that want to know about our band. Great!

The Cloudycators/Land Of the Cloudycators/Secret Entertainment/2014 CD Review

 
  The  Cloudycators  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  metal,  rock  and  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Land  Of  the  Cloudycators"  which  was  released  by  Secret  Entertainment.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  hard  sound  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem which  also  leads  up  to  melodic  yet  aggressive  vocals  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  after  awhile  solos  make  their  way  into  the  music  along  with  traces  of  progressive  music.

  As  the album  continues  the  band  starts  going  for  a  more  mainstream  rock  orientated  sound  while  also  being  influenced  by  heavy  metal  and  thrash  and  as  the  album  progresses  you  can  hear  traces  of  groove  and  alternative  metal  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.

  The  Cloudycators  stick  to  a  more  modern  mainstream  rock  sound  while  also  having  thrash  and  heavy  metal  elements  and  the  music  on  hear  would  hit  in  fine  on  a  radio  rock  station  while  having  a  little  bit  of  heaviness  to  it.

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  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  The  Cloudycators  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  modern  hard  rock  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Animal"  "Cuntkicker"  "Pennywise"  adn  "When  Rain  Comes  Down".  7/5  out  of  10.

Trigant Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Currently the band is writing new material and planning on shows for this year as well as organizing their own festival which takes place two or three times a year.

2. A couple of months ago you put out a new EP, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from the one you released in 2011?

It differs a lot from the material released in 2011. We put much more groove in it and added more complexity to our song structure. Also the guitar work came to a totally new level with our latest EP which cannot only be recognized   in the technique but also the melodic parts became more and more important to our music than ever before. We also have learned a lot since the last release when it comes to recording songs. Because of the fact that it is a self recorded and released EP we needed to learn a lot about how to use the equipment we have at the moment to make the EP sound like it does now.

3. Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

The lyrical topics are about many things. It's about inner feelings someone can have about the people’s behavior against each other and the reflection of it. About being hurt several times but still standing strong; sometimes even about destroying yourself for some reasons. Everything a human being can explore in his live.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Trigant'?

“Trigant“is a demons name. He is described with a screaming voice that enrages people against each other and once he has settled down in your house you can’t get rid of him anymore. In some way this describes music in our days. People always discuss about bands or artists which one is better who they like but if you have found a band for yourself you won't leave it aside for a long time.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years?How would you describe your stage performance?

The Band always has a powerful performance no matter how many people show up or how big the venue is. We simply have a lot of fun playing live and this can also be noticed in the audience. A little joke at the right time let everyone leave with a smile on their face. And what better reason can there be to go to a concert then having fun? We get a lot of positive response from the crowd wherever we have played. The young generation that likes our power and the older ones that like our heavy metal influences. The greatest show we have played were
“Smash Fest“and always our “Metal im Markt“ where it doesn't matter when we hit the stage: first or last it's always a big blast for everyone.

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

As mentioned before we are planning shows at the moment and are still searching for more. On our Facebook page we already have released one date in September where we will play at the “Charity meets Metal” festival in Belgium.

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

At the moment we haven’t received precise interest for signing us and it hasn’t been a main part of our planning for the moment. We are pretty much open minded when it comes to this part of business.


8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of thrash metal?

At the moment we didn't receive so much feedback from around the world. For that reason we are working together with Markus Eck from Metalmessage to get the people known to our music. But what we've heard has always been positive since now.

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

That’s a good question. We don't plan our music. We are writing it as we are going along. That is the reason that sometimes our rehearsals are more like jam sessions. This is how we create our sound. Four individuals taking their ideas together and making it sound what they believe is the right way to get it done. At the moment we think about a full length album for our next release and for the first time doing it in a studio. Those are the plans so far.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

You can name a lot of bands here for example Machine Head, Slayer, Metallica, Testament, Pantera, Crowbar or Black Label Society when it is just the metal sector but this is just a tiny bit of that what the band members are listening to. We all come from different directions of rock and metal music and also other genres so you can't say precisely it's just this and that.

11. Do you have any non-musical interests?

I think we are just pretty boring full time musicians. We all have jobs and girlfriends (even the drummer :D) so there isn't much time and money left for other things. Justjoking. It’s more like doing typical things like hanging out with friends going out partying and stuff like that.


12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
The only thing we have to say is: “get your ass up and do it!” and we hope to see you on the road!

Jizzy Pearl's Love/Hate/Crucified/2013 EP Review

  Love/Hate  are  a  band  from  California  that  had  some  success  in  the  early  90's  with  a  very  mainstream  orientated  form  of  hard  rock/metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Crucified".

  The  ep  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  hard  rock  sound  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  and  th e music  has  a  mid  70'  feeling  to  it  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  before adding  in  more  classic  rock  elements.

  On  the  following  track  acoustic  guitars  are  brought  into  the  recording  with  a  power  ballad  that  also  has  70's  style  keyboards  and  they  still  use  acoustic  guitars  on  the  following  song  while  also  returning  to  a  more  harder  direction  and  after  awhile  they  return  to  their  more  hard  rock  direction  while  also  having  a  good  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  a  blues  feeling  and  there  are  alos  more  power  ballads  added  to  the  recording.

  With  this  ep  Love/Hate  have  a  little  bit  more  different  sound  than  from  what  I  remember  with  the  music  being  a  bit  more  closer  to  classic  rock  than  the  more  mainstream  hard  rock/metal  sound  of  their  earlier  material.

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

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  decent  sounding  recording  from  Love/Hate  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  classic  rock/metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hanging  You  Out"  and  "Your  Making  Me  Nervous".  7/8  out  of  10.