Avoidant/Songbook Sines/Etched Traumas/2014 Full Length Review

  Avoidant  are  a  1  man  project  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  mixture  of  drone,  ambient,  and  experimental  with  some  elements  of  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2014  album  "Songbook  Sines"  which  was  released  by  Etched  Traumas.

  Soft  and  atmospheric  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  more  drones  and  dark  ambient  sounds  along  with  some  elements  of  noise  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  have  a  different  sound  to  all  4  of  the  tracks  that  are  present  on  the  recording  as  well  as  the  noise  sounds  getting  very  harsh  at  times  and  a  great  amount  of  the  music  is  created  on  a  laptop  and  all  of  the  songs  are  instrumentals  and  on  the  last  track  powerful  sounding  loops  are  added  into  the  music.

  Avoidant  has  a  very  dark sound  with  his  music  where  he  uses  both  synths  and  laptops  to  create  his  own  version of  experimental/noise  ambient./drone  along  with  a  dark  sounding  production  and  the  songs  bringing  in  a  dark  atmosphere.

  In  my  opinion  Avoidant  are  a  very  great  sounding mixture  of  drone,  ambient,  and  experimental  and  if  you  are  a  of  those  musical genres,  you  should  check  out  this  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Curtains"  and  "Bedroom  Community".  8  out  of  10.

Miracle Master Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Miracle Master was formed in early January 2013 shortly after our old band Pump lost its singer.

With Oliver Weers we found someone with a unique voice, the same passion for the music we love and a great person and friend too.

After starting the recordings we realized the style of the music changed very dramatically and we felt it´s time to move on and start something new.

Listening to the first recordings with Oliver’s voice was an awesome moment for all of us and we knew this is gonna be something complete different from the past.

The music sounded different, the spirit in the band is amazingly different.

So we decided to make cut from the past.

It was Miracle Master from the first moment on, when Oliver joined the band.

2.You have your first album coming out this spring, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the newer recording and what are some of the things that you are able to do with your newer band that you where not allowed to do with the previous ones you where a part of?

Its hard to describe your own sound. I don´t like to compare us with other bands but its kick ass heavy rock with metal influences and amazing melodies..

With this as our first album we had the chance to create a sound that represents everone in the Band 100%!

We wanted to make it sound honest and I think we did a good job on this topic. The Band is really happy with the outcome.

In the past with former Bands we had also to focus on the sound that was already there on former albums.

Due to LineUp changes it was clear some songs or sounds had to be used even if not everybody may have liked the particular part.

Now we were absolutly free to make it sound like who we are!

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

Our old Band Pump was a rockband focused on having fun booze girls and rock n roll.

We were often compares to glam metal bands even if we didn´t saw us in this branch.

With Miracle Master we have a little more serious lyrics and songwriting.

Oliver Weers lyrics are aware on whats happening in this world and society and go a lot deeper.

“Why religion” for example asks the listener why to believe in in churches that brought so much pain to humanity.

“Miracle Masters” is about what happened on the Wallstreet in 2008 when just a couple of ruthless buisiness people triggerd a global economic crises.

But anyway...despite the serious lyrics I think we managed to wrap these messages in very attractive songs.

Tattooed Woman the tile track is the only song with a little more party like spirit.

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

Like I told you the song Miracle Masters was written about the economic crises

about a fatal global IT crash where “Cities go all black” and Wall Street is under a cyber-attacked.

Actually he wrote the song for a friend of him he knows from the IT Buisiness.

We were discussing names for the band when Oliver mailed the song to us.

When I first heard it, the “Miracle Masters” line just struck me and I thought this could make a cool band´s name too.

So I asked Aki and the others about their opinion and everybody liked it.

Listening to the new songs having “Miracle Master” as our new name on our minds, seemed to make a perfect match for all of us.

5.The band members come from both Denmark and Germany, how does that work out when you are getting ready to record music?

Thanks to the Internet the distance is no problem at all. We recorded the music in germany and mailed the files to Oliver and he added his vocals in Copenhagen /Denmark.

He mailed the Vocal tracks back and the songs were mixed and mastered in germany at Studio 22 by Axel Heckert who previously worked with bands like Brainstorm and Symphorce.

We use skype discuss when important desissions thet had to be made.

The band is rehearsing in Stuttgart and Olive with the instrumental tracks in Denmark.

Bevore liveshows or for Photo- or videoshootings Oliver catches a plane and comes to Stuttgart.

When we are all together we use the time very intensivly.

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

Well, Miracle Master is a brand new band and we just released our first album “Tattoed woman”.

We just played our second live show together a couple of days before this interview. This band is a 100% honest rockband and I think we deliver this to the audience.

Of course Oliver Weers and Pump have shared stage with a lot of acts during their careers. Some of our heroes among them like: Mötley Crüe, Alice Cooper, Dokken, Harem Scarem, Pretty Maids, UFO, House of Lords and many others.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the album is releases?

We are about to do a little Spain tour this summer and more of Europe later this year.

But it´s our debut album and it is just about to be released these days on March 7^th  and April 23^rd in Japan, and booking has just started.

So there is a lot more to come and we are excited and hot to rock and bring Miracle Master to the stages of the world.

Hopefully there will be an opportunity to present the album live in Japan too.

Due to the release date a lot of summer festivals were already booked this year. But we hope to fill in for the one and other band that may cancle shows.

8.The album is going to be released on GolderCore Records and XYZ Music, can you tell us a little bit more about those record labels?

ZYX Music is one of the most successfull german record companies and was involved into mainstream music in the 80 and 90 and until today.

Our Label Golden Core is a pretty young department of ZYX Music. Its the companies new label for Rock and Metal music.

We are very proud and happy to have them as our partners and a world wide distribution of our debut album.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of hard rock?

We where overwhelmed by the good reviews we received from all over the world. Mostly we received  nothing below 8,5 /10.

We did´t expected such a good feedback for the album due to the circumstances it was made.

It was planned to become the 4^th Pump album. But after the record was completely finished Marcus decided to leave the band.

We had the instrumental tracks and so Oliver was forced to write lyrics and melodies on already existing music, which he never did before.

During the whole process we gave the songs a total makeover. The Influence of Oliver is huge on the record and we are all very satisfied with the result.

As you may imagine we had some hard times during the making of this album.

We started to record the 4^th Pump album and finally came up with a new band, a new sound and basically a new musical life for all of us.

It wasn’t a constant process due to the circumstances of the split of Pump and finding a singer.

We recorded the instruments at three separate sessions 3-4 songs each doing lead guitar fills and so on later.

Oliver recorded all the vocals in Copenhagen and we could download the files for mixing.

So it was a little surprise like opening a birthday parcel when another song was finished by him.

The result is more than satisfying for us. I love the album and so do the others.

Its really like the rise of the phoenix from the ashes!

So the good feedback is very much appreciated and helps the band a lot!

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

This band is made to play live. We want to play as much as possible to support the album and have a good time with the audience.

But nonetheless we already started to write songs for the second album of Miracle Master.

With Oliver being more involved in the songwriting it will be a different process.

I´m really looking forward to the bands future, Miracle Master has just started.

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

We are mainly influenced by the music we grew up with of course. Bands like Whitesnake, Dio, Skid Row, Kiss, Ozzy, Mötley Crüe and many others.

But also by youger artists. The Band members listen to all different kinds of music, Micha for example likes Lamb of god and I like Johnny Cash.

I think we managed very well to find our own style and sound like Miracle Master.

It´s one of the most important things for me not to be or sound like anyone else but Miracle Master!

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I like cooking and american BBQ a lot, also nature photography. And I plan to make my open water diver degree ethis summer.

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

I´d like to thank you for having me on this interview and suggest everbody to take a peek on Miracle Master if you like hard rock and heavy metal music

with great melodies. I promise you after listening to the album twice its hard to get the melodies off your mind again.

I hope to see a lot of you guys at a Miracle Master concert where ever. Just come by and have a beer with the band aftershow!

Interview answered by Andy minich (drums)

Existance Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Julian Izard (lead vocals and guitars): Existance was created at the end of 2008 by Tom Drouin (bass) and me, because we shared a common goal of keeping the musical spirit of the 1980s Heavy Metal alive. We released our first demo in 2010 and four tracks were recorded, which in turn enabled us to start gigging around France. Then in 2011 after many line-up changes we returned in the studio and we produced an 8 tracks demo simply called "Existance" which contains the 4 tracks of the first release.

In 2012, thanks to the demos being well received by both local and international media we played a lot of concerts across France, Belgium and Netherlands too. Then the "Existance" demo was re-released by High Roller Records in April 2012 on compact disc and vinyl and we also announced another line-up change in December with the arrival of Alex (drums) and Antoine (guitar) for the writing sessions of our first album.

After a year of hard working, we entered in the studio in September 2013 for recorded our first album "Steel Alive". Then we signed with Mausoleum Records in January 2014.

2. You have a new album coming out in April, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from the demo's that the band have released in the past?

"Steel Alive" will contain 11 tracks. It is heavier, faster and more melodic than before and the production is naturally better than the demos. It was mastered in Los Angeles by Maor Appelbaum who worked with Halford, Malmsteen, Sepultura, Dokken and many others!

There are also some variations in the album with a slower song and a very melodic singing and some songs have great chorus and good riffs. We stayed true to the style that we defend and this record sounds like a classic 80's heavy metal album with a more recent sound.

3. When I listened to the new album it had a sound closer to the early 80's but with a more modern take, what was the decision behind going into the more classic metal direction with your music?

We did not ask any questions about the musical direction. We all grew up with this classic metal which is so powerful and melodic at the same time. Every instrument has his place so it was natural for us to take this way. During the 80’s, each band had its own personality and they all brought something new. There have been so many hits written! So we try to keep the best of all those bands and we bring our touch and feeling when we write a song.

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

We take our inspiration in worst chapters of the History of the world like for « Slaughter » and « Close To The End » which is, for the first one, about the Columbine’s tragedy in 1999 and for the other one it tells a story about a young boy during the war. We have songs about real facts like « From Hell » who is based on a letter written by Jack the Ripper and some other songs are based on fantastic stories like « The Siren » or « Black Viper ». But the most important source of inspiration is about Life and our vision of it is explained in « Get Away » and « Steel Alive ».

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Existance'?

We do not have the same point of views and we have different ways of thinking compared to most people of our generation, and this difference is a strength. So the name "Existance" has a philosophical signication. We have the right to express ourselves and create things with the same conviction as anyone because we exist! In addition to this philosophical thought, our symbol is a star: she brings us luck and shows us the path to follow.

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

One of the best memories was the gig we did in the Netherlands. We played at 9 pm and 10 minutes before the show the hall was empty. We were worried but one guy told us that we should not and people will come. Two minutes later, metalheads on their bicycles came from all sides! It was impressive, trust me! Then the concert began and the atmosphere was awesome, the Dutch know how to party! More recently we come back on stage after two years without playing so we will keep a good memory of this return and the audience was crazy! We played the old songs and tried the new stuff and everybody was receptive and sang with us.

To describe our stage performance: we give everything we got. When you do this, your music comes alive and this is the best way to have a good time with the audience. If we play well, the crowd will be good and if they are good, the band will play better ... it's a wonderful feeling.

7. Do you have ant touring or show plans once the album is released?

We work with the booking agency "Rock City" (https://www.facebook.com/RockCityba). They find gigs in France but also abroad. Some are already programmed but some are yet to be confirmed. For more information you can go to the Existance's facebook page:https://facebook/existanceband

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

The feedback were very positive both locally as abroad! This is great because we feel supported by all these good things and it gives us the desire to always do better than before. We see that all our work is rewarded and it's really great.

9. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We will stay true to the 80’s heavy metal. We do what we love and Existance will always follow this way! For sure our music will evolve over time and maybe one day we will write a true power ballad, this could be an opportunity to discover a new part of the band. But it is not our priority yet, we must focus on what we are doing for the future.

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

Mainly, the bands that inspire us come from the NWOBHM but we are also influenced by many other styles more or less heavy as Glam Metal or Trash Metal and Hard Rock. All these kinds of music are using the same roots so we only have to do the same!

Nowadays we listen to the same olds vinyl but we listen to recent bands that play an old-school heavy metal like Skull Fist, Enforcer, Vanderbuyst or Cauldron.

11. What are some of your non-musical interests?

Apart from the music, we like jogging or everything you need to keep fit and work your breath. In the summer we love to do motorbike trips, it allows us to think about something else and of course, we like to make party with our friends!

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

Well thank you, thanks to the readers to have followed with interest this interview and I hope to see some heavy metal maniacs coming to our shows and make some fuckin' noise !And don’t forget: Heavy metal is "steel alive" spread the word guys!

 

Sons Of Death Valley/The Day Of Reckoning/2014 CD Review

  Sons  Of  Death  Valley  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  hardcore  form  of  rock'n'roll  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "The  Day  Of  Reckoning".

  A  very  dark  and  bluesy  desert  rock  sound  starts  off  the  recording  along  with  a  mixture  of  acoustic  and  distorted  guitars  which  also  lead  up  to  some  melodic  vocals  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  for  a  heavier  doom  metal  sound  along  with  a  mixture  of  melodic  and  aggressive  vocals  along  with  some  southern  style  guitar  leads  and  solos.

  After  awhile  the  album s tarts  to  go  into  a  faster  direction  and  bring  in  elements  of  hardcore  but  with  a  more  metal  style  heaviness  and  also  keeping  the  sludge  and  doom  elements  along  with  some  screamo  and  post  hardcore  traces,  the  bass  guitars  bring  a  great  amount  of  power  to  the  recording  along  with  a  good  amount  of  melody  and  at  times  spoken  word  parts  and  blast  beats  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Later  on  the  southern  style  sludge  sound  makes  its  way  back  onto  the  recording  and  mixes  in  with  the  aggressive  yet  melodic  post  hardcore  sounds  of  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock  being  utilized  in  some  of  the  tracks  and  on  the  last  track  acoustic  guitars  make  their  return  to  the  recording  along  with  some  harmonica's.

  Sons  of  Death  Valley  have  a  very  interesting  sound  with  their  music  combining  post  hardcore  with  the  heaviness  of  extreme  metal  along  with  the  more  southern  style  of  sludge  which  makes  the  music  sound  original  along  with  a  very  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  19th  century  cowboy/western  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sons  of  Death  Valley  are  a  very  great  sounding  hardcore  rock'n'roll  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sons  Of  Death  Valley"  "Making  My  Way  Back"  "Death  Suits  us  All"  and  "The  Day  Of  Reckoning".  8  out  of  10.  

Paranorm/The Edge of Existence/2014 EP Review

  Paranorm  are  a band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "The  Edge  of  Existence".

  Drums  and  guitar  leads  start  off  the  recording  before  the  thrash  metal  elements  kick  in  along  with  some  powerful  bass  lines  and  aggressive  vocals  and  the  music  starts  going  for  a  more  melodic  and  progressive  form  of  thrash  and  bring  in  a  mixture  of  both  heavy  and  clean  parts  and  there  are  also  some  back  up  shouts  and  power  metal  screams  being  used  at  times.

   On  the  other  tracks  the  band  finds  its  sound  mixing  the  heaviness  of  bay  area  thrash  with  the  technical  parts  of  European  thrash  along  with  the  melody  of  NWOBHM  and  updating  it  all  with  a  sound  that    fits  in  the  modern  days  with  a  small  amount  of blast  beats  and  death  metal  influences  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  a  few  seconds  of  synths  before  returning  back  to  a  more  aggressive  sound  on  the  last  track  while  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.

  Paranorm  bring  a  lot  of  diversity  to  their  songs  along  with  a  great  amount  of   talent  and  skill  which  will  appeal  to  both  modern  and  old  school  thrash  metal  fans  along  with  a  very  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover   philosophical  and  social  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Paranorm  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  technical  thrash  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,   you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Into  the  Unknown"  and  "Desolate  Worlds".  8  out  of  10.

King Dead/Self Titled/2014 CD Review

  King  Dead  are  a  bass  and  drum  duo  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  an  instrumental  form  of  psychedelic  sludge/doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled and  self  released 2014  album.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  starts  getting  more  heavy  and  retro  as  time  goes  on  by  as  well  as  bringing  in  psychedelic  sound  effects  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  post  rock  being  utilized  in  the  cleaner  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  the  other  songs  make  their  way  in  the  music  starts  getting  more  diverse  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  you  can  also  hear  a  heavy  Neurosis  influence  in  all  5  of  the  tracks  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  more  drones  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  King  Dead  are  another band  that  has  popped  up  in  the  last  few  months  that  uses  only  bass  and  drums  while  also  creating  a  very  dark  and  psychedelic  style  of  sludge/doom  metal  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  a  very  powerful  sounding  production  along  with  a  mixture  of  both  short  and  long  tracks.

  In  my  opinion  King  Dead  are  a  very  decent  sounding  instrumental,  psychedelic  sludge/doom  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  Ghosts  Among  The  Riverbank"  "Length  Of  Rope".  7/5  out  of  10.

Ice Dragon/Tome Of the Future Ancients/2014 CD Re-Issue Review

  This  is  the  final  review  of  a  recording  from  Ice  Dragon  which  shows  the  band  playing  an  occult  form  of  doom  metal  with  elements  of  psychedelia  and  drone  with  the  album  being  released  in  2012  and  called  "Tome  of  the  Future  Ancients"  and  will  also  be  re-issued  by  PRC  Music  in  the  year  of  2014.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  is  the  beginning  of the  recording  and  a  minute  later  melodic  vocals  start  to  kick  in  and  as  time  goes  on  by  spoken  word  parts  and  drones  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the main  focus  is  on  70's  style  doom  metal  which  also  has  a  psychedelic  feeling  to  them  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the music  is  also  more  experimental  this  time  around  and  they also  bring  in  more  influences  than  just  Black  Sabbath  this  time  around  and  after  a  few  tracks  acoustic  guitars  are  added  into  certain  parts  of  the  recording  as  well  as  a  few  seconds  of  almost  death  metal  like  vocals  on  one  track  along  with  soem  screams  on  later  tracks  and  the  music  also  gets  a  lot  more  psychedelic  as  times  goes  on  by  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  This  album  shows  Ice  Dragon  making  a  huge  progression  while  the  70's  style  Black  Sabbath  doom  metal  remains  they  also  get  a  little bit more experimental  and  bring  in  more  drone  and  psychedelic  elements  this  time  around  along  with  a  very  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  occult,  mythology  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  ice  Dragon  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  psychedelic  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Manuscript  408"  "Illuminations  Foretold"  "The  Black  Book  Of  Hours"  and  "Adoration  Of  Ra".  8/5  out  of  10.