Nota Amara/At The Line/2014 CD Review

  Nota  Amara  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  progressive  and  symphonic  form  of  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "At  The  Line".

  Symphonic  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  a  few  seconds  later  operatic  female  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  classical  guitars  and  spoken  word  samples  which  then  leads  to  a  heavier  direction  as  well  as  the  bands  progressive  metal  sound  kicking  in.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  album  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  also  adds  in  a  good  amount  of  70's  progressive  rock  elements  into  their  musical  style  and  the band  also  brings  in  a  few  long  and  epic  in  length  tracks  and  the  prog  metal  elements  in  the  music  combine  both  the  modern  and  old  school  forms  of  the  genre  together  as  well  as  adding  psychedelic  sounds  into  the  keyboards  at  times  which  brign  a  mid  60's  to  early  70's  rock  feeling  to  the  album.

  A  good  portion  of  the  songs  have  an  opera  rock  and  gothic  metal  feeling  to them  at  times  while  the  music  is  a  lot  more  closer  to  progressive  rock/metal  than  those  genres  and  some  of  the  alter  tracks  have  a  more  dark and  poetic  feeling  to  them  as  well  as  the  music  being  very  diverse,  symphonic  and  heavy  all  at  the  same  time  and  you  can  also  hear  traces  of  thrash  and  speed  metal  in  one  of  the  genre  along  with  some  aggressive  drums  that  go  close  to  the  blast  blast  area  before  returning  back  to  a  prog  metal  direction  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  include  male  vocals.

  Nota  Arma  show  a  lot  of  diversity  and  originality  with  their  music  basing  their  music  in  progressive  metal  but  adding  in  symphonic,  gothic,  opera  and  classical  elements  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  poetic  themes  with  some  lyrics  being  based  on  Goethe's  Faust.

  In  my  opinion  Nota  Amara  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  progressive  metal b and  and  if  you , are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dorian"  "Beatrice"  "Faust"  and  "The  Dark  Tower".  8  out  of  10.

Pale Horseman/Mourn The Black Lotus/2014 Full Length Review

  Pale  Horseman  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  self  released  2014  album  "Mourn  the  Black  Lotus".

  Tribal  and  ambient sounds start  off  the  album  and  a  minute  later  the  music  starts  going  into  a  heavy  sludge  direction  along  with  some  vocals  that  combine  sludge  and  groove  metal  together  with  a  combination  of  aggressive  and  melodic  parts  and  the  music  also  starts  to  incorporate  more melody.

  On  the  other  songs  the  band  founds  its  sound  bringing  in  a  very  melodic  and  heavy  approach  to  sludge  metal  as  well  as  adding  in  some  doom  metal  influences  and  sticking  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  throughout  the  tracks  and  at  times  you  can  hear  clean  playing  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  melodic  guitars  leads  that  bring  in  old  school  metal  feeling  to  the  album.

    Traces  of  hardcore  can  be  heard  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  while  metal  is  still  the  dominant  part  of  the  recording  and  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  is  also  utilized  on  one  of  the  songs  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  towards  the  end  the  band  brings  in  a  very  long  and  epic  in  length  track  as  well  as  having  the  last  song  re-mixed  by  Justin  K.  Broadwick  and  you  can  also  hear  small  traces  of  psych,  ambient  and  industrial  in  their  sound  at  times.

  Pale  Horseman  remain  true  to  their  heavy  and  melodic  sludge  metal  sound  on  the  new  recording  as  well  as  showing  some  growth  and  maturity  from  the  last  album  I  reviewed  from  them,  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  this  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Pale  Horseman  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Evidence  of  A  Severe  Stoning"  "Whispered  Wings"  and  "Clairvoyant'.  8  out  of  10.

 

  

Orange Goblin/Healing Through Fire/Candlelight Records/2014 CD Re-Issue Review

  Orange  Goblin  are  a  band  from  England  that  plays  a  stoner  from  of  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of   their  2007  album  "healing  Through  Fire"  which  will  be  re-issued  by  Candlelight  Records  in  the  year  of  2014.

  Thunder  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  the  music  goes  into  a  heavy  stoner  rock/metal  direction  along  with  a  good  amount  of  melody  and  clean  singing  vocals  and  the  albums  has  a  retro  feeling throughout  the  tracks  along  with  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  and  the  catchy  structures  of  90's  alternative  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  guitar  leads  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  classic  rock  influences  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  psychedelic  vibe  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  the  energy  of  punk  rock  as  well  as  adding  in  traces  of  proto  metal  and  blues  rock.

  In  certain  sections  of  the  recording  the  vocals  start  utilizing  more  aggressive  elements  and  spoken  word  parts  while  always  keeping  the  melodic  singing  as  the  main  focal  point  and  when  acoustic  guitars  are  brought  in  briefly  they  bring  a  60's  folk  rock  feeling  to t he  recording  before  the  band  returns  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  songs  which  also  sees  the  band  adding  in  small  amounts  of  hardcore  elements  with  their  retro,  stoner  metal  sound  and  the  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  guitar  slides  and  harmonicas  along  with  a  song  that  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  last  2  songs  are  2  bonus  live  tracks  that  where  not  included  on  the  original  version  of  the  album.

  Orange  Goblin  remained  true  to  their  stoner  metal  sound  on  this  recording  mixing  in  a  retro  vibe  with  a  great  amount  of  heaviness  and  melody,  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  while  the  lyrics  cover  drugs,  space,  travel  and  relationships.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding recording  from  Orange  Goblin  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Ballad  Of  Solomon  Eagle"  "Cities  Of  Frost"  "Mort  Lake  (Dead  Water)"  and  "Beginners  Guide  To  Suicide".  8  out  of  10.

    

The Rough Boys Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new ep?
Tom: We finished tracking in March and since we’ve been writing tunes for the next one and getting ready for the summer shows.

2.You have a new ep coming out in June, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Tom: This one’s harder than the other ones…and faster. The other 2 EP’s we did had more of a Rock N’ Roll feel, where as this ones has more of the punk/thrash. We also used gang vocals in some of the chorus’ which we hadn’t done before.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Tom: Lyrical topics and subjects…well…let’s say 70 percent of the songs are about drugs, alcohol, partying and violence…and the other 30 are just about rocking out.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Rough Boys'?
Tom: The idea came from lyrics in the song “One of These Days” by Neil Young song. It went  “All those rough boys/playin’ that rock n’ roll.” We thought is it suited us and so it stuck.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Tom: We got called in last minute last February to play a Valentine’s Day show. Two American bands had been stopped at the border and the promoter called us 2 hours before we had to be onstage. We got there just in time to set up and we destroyed the place! That one and one we played in Montreal at a place called Fattal Lofts…that one got pretty crazy. Opening for Fuck the Facts in Barrie in March was pretty sweet too actually. I’d never played on the same bill as a grindcore band so that was really fun. It was awesome. As for our live performance, it’s very high energy, aggressive and at times very chaotic, hahaha! We’re soaked with sweat after everyone…even in the winter.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Tom: Summer shows are being booked now by our friends at Silver Wings Studios…for concert announcements and show updates, best to check out our facebook page.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Tom: Yeah we’re unsigned…we haven’t seriously looked for a label and unfortunately no, none have shown interest as of yet. But label support would be totally awesome.

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

Tom: World wide feedback has been a minimum cause we’ve never played outside of Ontario save for a dozen or so trips to Quebec. We have a few fans from Germany though! Haha! The feedback has been good all around by fans of heavy music; Punks, Metaheads, …you name it. Our style allows us to play with a variety of different genres and still fit on the bills. Probably wouldn’t fit on a Black Metal or Death Metal bill but what ever haha.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Tom: Definitely exploring more in the genres that we’re into already. Thrash. Punk. Heavy Metal. We’re all in agreement as to what we want to do, so we won’t be doing jazz or pop punk any time…just more cut-throat rock n’ roll.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Tom: Motorhead, the obvious one…Kyuss, Fu Manchu and thrash bands like Slayer for the speed and intensity. Those are some of the bands that influenced us in what we do. As for what I’ve been listening to lately…lots of Death Metal and Grindcore actually. Napalm Death, Autopsy, Carcass…Entombed…that kind of stuff.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Tom: Well….most of what we do is based around music so…partying I guess? Definitely the odd game of pool…and curling.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Tom: Enjoy “Blood, Booze and Gasoline” we’ll be be recording a full length early next year! Check us on Facebook for Rough Boys updates and concerts! RB 4EVER

The Cutthroats 9/Dissent/Lamb Unlimited/Reptillian/2014 CD Review

  The  Cutthroats  9  are  a  band  from  San  Francisco,  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  noise  rock  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2014  album  "Dissent"  which  will  be  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Lamb  Unlimited  and  Reptillian.

  A  very  slow,  dark,  heavy  and  doomy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  which  leads  up  to  some  powerful  bass  lines  and  melodic  noise  rock  style  vocals  which  are  also  very  aggressive  at  times  and not  in  a  traditional  musical  key  and  the  music  alos  has  elements  of  punk.

  When  the  band  finds  its  sound  on  the  album  it  sticks  mostly  to  an  80's  style  noise  rock  sound  with  some  of  the  early  elements  of  grunge  before  that  genre  went  commercial  and  they  also  add  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal  as  well  as  keeping  the  songs  in  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  throughout  the  recording  and  at  times  the  music  has  a  melodic  hardcore  feeling  to  it  and  on  a  couple  of  the  later  tracks  a  brief  use  of  slide  guitars  are  added  in  while  the  music  remains  in  a  heavier  direction.

  The  Cutthroats  have  a  very  heavy  and  dark  sound  with  their  music  while  also  having  a  retro  feeling  and  a  good  amount  of  melody  with  their  mixture  of  sludge  and  noise  rock,  the  production  sound s very  dark  and  powerful  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  everyday  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Cutthroats  9  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  noise  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Speak"  "Hit  the  Ground"  and  "We  Could".  8  out  of  10.
  

Hopeless Youth/Disgust/Candlelight Records/2014 CD Review

  Hopeless  Youth  are  a  band  from  Canada  that  plays  a  very  aggressive  form  of  hardcore  punk  that also  has  the  metal  aggression  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Disgust"  which  was  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melody  and  old  school  style  hardcore  vocals  which  also  use  a  mixture  of  melodic  and  aggressive  elements  and  the  music  starts  going  into  a  fast  hardcore  punk  direction  along  with  the  guitars  having  a  metal  tone  to  them  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Most  of  the  music  is  done  in  an  old  school  tradition  while  also  sounding  very  modern  at  the  same  time  with  the  songs  having  an  east  coast  hardcore  feeling  to  them  along  with  a  perfect  balance  between  heaviness  and  melody  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  there  is  a  few  seconds  of  symphonic  elements  and  as  the  album  progresses  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  sludge  influences  being  added  into  their  hardcore  sound.

  Hopeless  Youth  bring  a  very  aggressive  approach  to  old  school  hardcore  having  the  heaviness  of  metal  and  the  energy  of  punk  rock  as  well  as  updating  the  genre  and  making  it  sound  more  modern,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  hateful  and  everyday  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hopeless  Youth  are  a  very  great  sounding  hardcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ghost"  "Faithless"  "Burnt  Offering"  and  "Abomination".  8  out  of  10.  

Hollywood Monsters/Big Trouble/Mausoleum Records/2014 CD Review

  Hollywood  Monsters  are a  super  group  which  consists  of  metal  and  classic  rock  veterans  Tim  Bogert,  Don  Airey  and  Vinnie  Appice  with  their  musical  style  being  hard  rock  with  elements  of  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Big  trouble"  which  was  released  by  Mausoleum  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  for  a  more  hard rock  sound  along  with  some  elements  of  80's  commercial  metal  and  psychedelic  keyboards  which  leads  up  to  melodic  vocals  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  album  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a very  powerful  sound  to  them.

    As  the  album  progresses  more  catchy  chorus's  and  melody  finds  its  way  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  having  a  more  modern  feeling to  a  sound  that  is  very close  to  the  70's  and  80's  and  the  guitar  solos have  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  melody  to  them  as  well  as  the  band  adding  in  a  few  power  ballads  and  they  also  add  acoustic  guitars  in  at  times  and  after  a  few  ballads  the  album returns  back  to  a  harder  direction  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  track  that is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  still  bring  in  other  ballads  as  well.

  Hollywood  Monsters  create  a  very  decent  sounding  classic  hard  rock/metal  sound  with  their  music   and  these  musicians  have  close  to  50  years  experience  each  with  backgrounds  that  go  back  to  the  mid  60's  rock  scene,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  and  the  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hollywood  Monsters  are  a  very  great  sounding  hard  rock/metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Move  On"  "Th  Cage"  "Village  Of  The  Damned"  and  "Fuck  You  All".  8  out  of  10.