Divine Side/Entity/2014 CD Review

  Divine  Side  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  thrash,  heavy  and  progressive  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Entity".

  A  heavy  bass  line  starts  off  the  album  before  the  music  goes  into  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  direction  along  with  some  fast  parts  and  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  before  adding  in  some  clean  singing  vocals  which  also  leads  up  to  prog  metal  elements  being  added  into  the  bands  musical  style.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  thrash  elements  in  the  more  aggressive  and  fast  parts  of  the  music  and  they  also  add  in  a  few  seconds  of  growls  which  brings  in  a  death  metal  influence  and  the  guitar  solos  the  band  utilizes  has  a  more  hard  rock/80's  metal  feeling  to  them  and  when  the  album  finds  its  sound  it  is  a  more  melodic  style  of  progressive  thrash  metal  with  some  more  mainstream  metal  and  hard  rock  elements  being  added  into  their  musical  style.

  Vocals  at  times  start  mixing  in  aggressive  shouts  with  the  melodic  clean  singing  along  the  guitars  adding  in  a  more  heavy  groove  metal  sound  at  times,  as  the  album  progresses  the  band  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  and  acoustic  playing  on  a  couple  of  the  songs  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  show  the  band  adding  power  and  technical  metal  elements  into  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  and on  of  the  later  songs  the  band  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  ethnic  musical  instruments    before  returning  back  to  a  more  metal  orientated  direction  and  the  last  2  songs  are  symphonic/classical  music  pieces.

  Divine  Side  create  a  very  melodic  mixture  of  thrash,  heavy  and  progressive  metal  along  with  a  few  touches  of  groove  and  death  metal  in  the  heavier  side  of  their  music  to  create  their  own  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Divine  Side  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  thrash,  heavy  and  progressive  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those   musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Entity"  "Sad,  Angry  And  Blind"  and  "Phoenix".  8  out  of  10.  

Henric Blomqvist Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with your musical activities these days?
Hi,Yes,I.ve lately been busy promoting the new album and I've also been working with
the release shows that we've had and also some upcoming shows. I've also been rehearsing with Solid Faces for some upcoming shows this summer, otherwise, I take it pretty easy and enjoying that the album is finished and reading/listen on all comments/reviews coming in.

2.Recently you have released your first solo album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction you have taken with the new recording?
Yes,I'd say that it represents a fairly wide taste in music and it was probably the idea in the first place that it would contain all the genres that I enjoy(Classic Rock/Hard Rock/AOR/Prog and so on).The risk was of course that the album could feel scattered but I think that if you make a solo album, you can take the risk.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?
The song I've written lyrics to are "Place Of Fear","Perfect Dream" and Co-writed "Thunderbrigade" and "Lonely As I Am". I would say that they are about pretty everyday things,for example Place Of Fear is about a prison and on survival and fear.Perfect Dream is about dreams and life/hope,Thunderbrigade is about a great ancient army and Lonely As I Am is about the lives many of us live,large cities with lots of people but full of loneliness.

4.You took a break from 96 to 06  can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during those years?
I had come to a point where my music making seemed to not going forward,the band was about to be dissolved, we were left without rehearsal place when the city teared down the house we rented.My "dayjob" took more and more of my time and we decided to build a house,the years went by and I didn't have much time for music...so it was many different reasons contributing to a nearly 10 year break, of course, I played guitar for my own use during the time. In 2006 came a rewakening with the launching of Solid Faces

5.You have a decent amount of guests on your new album, can you tell us who all participated on the album?
Yes, I have been fortunate to get to know many singers and musicians around Finland but also from abroad, I think the decision to start with a solo album was when Doogie White was interested to participate...
So i have 4 singers on the album,Doogie White (UK) known from, among others Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen and now participating with Michael Schenker and then we have Jari Tiura (Fin) who also have been singing with MSG and Jukka Nummi (Fin) a well known singer from the local music scenes around Finland and Johan Mattjus (Fin) known from (i.a.Stormwing and Altaria) and now lead singer in Solid Faces.
On bass we have Jonas Kuhlberg(Fin),a bass teacher and bassist in the Finnish Melodic Death Metal band Mygrain,on Hammond/keyboards we have Sven Wannäs(Fin)known from (i.a. Stormwing) and now keyboardplayer in Solid Faces.Drums are handled by Roger Snellman (i.a. Tinderbox)also the drummer in Solid Faces.

6.Have you done any live shows as a solo project?
Yes we did three shows around Ostrobothnia(Fin) in conjunction with the album release and another is booked,there is also talk of trying to schedule a few more throughout Finland, the problem is of course to make it fit with all when everyone involved has their own projects

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your solos record by fans of hard rock?
So far, the feedback has been good, especially in Finland, newspaper feedback has been good and the album has been played in several radio stations.Of course, nobody knows who I am out in the world but almost every day there some feedback and requests, and so far, at least in Belgium,UK and Canada, the album has been played on Radio.

8.What is going on with your full time band these days?
Solid Faces released their first album in 2013 a "Tribute to Classic Rock" containing cover songs, so right now we are working to book gigs,and some gigs are booked for the summer.We have also discussed to start working on a theme concert and under own management spring 2015 organize some concerts in Finland.

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
I do not have any big plans yet, I've had a dream to be able to release my own solo album and now I have done that,playing live is the best thing I know so I continue whenever the chance is given.To play overseas is a dream too.. who knows maybe at some point another solo album will be released again.

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?
When I was growing up, I listened and played a lot of Jimi Hendrix,Frank Marino has made a big impression on me as well.At a young age, I studied classical guitar for almost 7 years so from there, I have probably received a portion of impressions.I listened a lot to all the Classic Hard Rock bands and of course Ritchie Blackmore but I listened to other genres also for example Rush,Toto...
Nowadays I like to listen to and discover new bands and artists.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
In the mid nineties, I became interested in American muscle cars, I had a Mustang -69 Fastback that I completely restored but I don't own the car anymore,but they still interests me.
When you own a house, there's a lot to do so I guess to fix things around the house interests me...not :)
I also like to read,books but also science/technique magazines.
My son who is 10 years old is also studying electric guitar so I spend time to accompany and help him also.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
First of all I want to thank You for your interest and for the album review.
It has been interesting doing this album and get an insight into how things work and I've learned a lot...contacts... contacts...
and I cannot believe what great musicians I got to participate on this album, beyond my wildest dreams, and who gave so much of their time, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I am forever in your debt.
for more info please visit www.henricblomqvist.com for more info.
Cheers!
Henric

God's Army A.D Interview

Questions answered by Ian O'Sullivan, guitarist. 

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

God's Army A.D. is a straight up, 'no nonsense' metal band that started 
about 9 years ago, took a little break and now we're back! Hope you 
missed us 'cos we missed you!

2/Recently you have released your first album, can you tell us a little
bit more about the musical sound that is presented on the new recording?

The album contains 8 songs which all derive from our live set from a few 
years back. A lot of reviewers say we sound like a NWoBHM band with a 
modern touch and we're ok with that comparison. We would describe our 
sound however, as 'f**kin' awesome'!


3.The band has been around since 2004 but waited 10 years to put out the
first album, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap?


I spent the gap drinking beer and playing my guitar. I didn't realise it 
was that long!
Seriously though, this album should have appeared in 2006 but we've had 
more than our fair share of bad luck to be honest. During the original
album recording sessions in '06, Mark, our drummer got the offer to join 
Firewind, which he accepted. That stalled things for a while and as we
were looking for a replacement matters took a turn for the worse in 
2007: John A.B.C. Smith, the band's founder, was involved in a car 
accident which took him out of action for a number of years. It was only 
in 2012 that he was ready to re-enter the rat race and get God's Army 
back on track. 



4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores
with the music?

First off, if anyone is looking for songs about dragons or crusaders Â
or any of that worn out nonsense, they won't find it here. Our music is 
hard-hitting, direct and to the point and our lyrics are the same. Some 
of our subject matter would deal with the human condition and the state 
of our civilisation as it stands. We like to question what's going on. I 
won't say too much because we'd like the listeners to interpret the 
songs for themselves. 



5.The band was originally known as 'God's Army' but recently you had
added A.D to it, what was the cause of the slight name change and also
what is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'God's Army A.D'?

Basically, we were advised by our record company to add the A.D. to the 
name to avoid copyright infringement. 
We picked the name 'God's Army' originally just because we liked the 
sound of it. It sounds strong and forceful. Some people when they heard 
of us first assumed we were a Christian Rock outfit but the truth is 
none of us in the band are religious at all. I myself am an atheist. 


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

I have great memories of the first show we ever played which was in 
December 2005. We were opening for Paul Di Anno so we didn't expect much 
reaction from the crowd as we were newcomers and everyone there  came
to sing along with Iron Maiden songs. We couldn't have been more wrong! 
The venue was packed for our set and the crowd went really wild for us. 
The atmosphere was electric and we gained a lot of fans that night!
I think we're a pretty intense band live. We enjoy what we do and we try 
to get that across to the audience. People want to be entertained and we 
like entertaining!

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


Definitely. The long awaited return of God's Army to the live front will 
happen very soon. All we can say for the moment though is 'watch this 
space! 


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

It's been fantastic so far. We've been very flattered by the reviews 
we've received and we are grateful to the heavy music fans for being so 
patient with us over the years. We just can't wait to start meeting 
people at shows again. 



9.What is going on with the other musical projects these days that some
of the band members are involved with?


Mark Cross has been kept busy with quite a few bands over the last few
years with Firewind and Outloud among them. He just finished a UK tour
with Tainted Nation at the end of May. 
John has been pretty busy getting God's Army back on track but he's 
always busy producing and composing with other musicians behind the 
scenes.Â
I've been fronting an Irish hard rock band called Mockingbird for the 
last three years. We put out a live album last year called 'Live Cuts'. 



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

I think the style of our music will remain pretty much the same. We 
already have a lot of new material written for the follow up album and
we definitely think that we've found our 'sound'. Our mission now is to 
bring it to the masses!



11.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/


Irish musicians like Phil Lynott, Gary Moore and Rory Gallagher have 
always had an influence on what I do. So have Maiden, Priest, Slayer and 
Metallica in the early days. 
Nowadays I listen to a lot of different styles but I try to mix it up.
It could be ZZ Top today and then Overkill tomorrow or maybe some laid
back blues the day after. It really depends on my mood. 



12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Beer and motorcycles. I try not to indulge in both at the same time. 

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

Yes. Go buy God's Army A.D,
Those are my final words. You can shoot me now!


Regards,

Ian O'Sullivan

October File/The Application Of Loneliness, Ignorance, Misery, Love And Despair - An Introspective Of the Human Condition/Candlelight Records 2014 CD Review

  October  File  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  rock,  extreme  metal  and  industrial  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "The Application Of Loneliness, Ignorance, Misery, Love And Despair - An Introspective Of the Human Condition"  which  was  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  Spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  some  distorted  yet  clean  playing  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  goes  into  a  more  heavy  post  metal  direction  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  that  also  have  a  melodic  tone  to  them  at  times  and  after  awhile  they  add  in  some  new  wave  post  punk  style  sounds  with  the  synths  while  also  keeping  around  the  heavier  parts.

  Guitar  leads  when  they  are  added  into  the  music  are  very  melodic  and  combine  the  post  genres  of  both  metal  and  punk  together  and  the  music  sounds  very  modern  but  with  some  elements  of  90's  industrial  metal  being  added  into  their  musical  style  and  a  more  post  punk  style  approach  to  singing.  

  Most  of  the  music  on  the  album  sticks  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  they  also  have  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  adding  in  a  few  seconds  of  acoustic  guitars  on  a  couple  of  the  songs  along  with  an  instrumental  that  also  utilizes  spoken  word  parts  and  then  the  music  starts  to  find  a  perfect  balance  between  being  heavy  and  melodic.

  October  File  create  a  very  heavy  and  modern  post  metal  sound  that  is  also  heavily  influenced  by  the  early 90's  industrial  metal  bands  but  focusing  more  on  guitars  than  those  early  bands  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  dramatic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  October  File  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  post  rock  and  extreme  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.   RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Fuck  The  Day"  "The  Water"  "Upon  Reflection"  and  "To  Be  Watched  Upon".  8  out  of  10.  

Spellcaster Interview

 

 

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

We played a few dates in mid April, One in Portland and two in California. Ventura and Fullerton Specifically. Those were really fun and we needed that after 8 months of being in town. When we got home we had made the decision to self-release and got on that. Editing the album cover/layout and what not. Our free time has been spent writing songs and we almost have a completed song for the next album. Which is nice, because with Under the Spell we did the touring thing for 2 years and didn’t write, which stretched the process out longer than we would have liked. Other than that we just did some filming over Memorial Day for our first music video.

2.You have a new album coming out in July, 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?

This album is a lot more melody and song driven. The speed/thrash influences that were prominent in our first album are still there, just toned down a bit. Our favorite bands have always been the ones with the best hooks. That’s what we were going for. This album is about the song as a whole, instead of ‘the riff’.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

The lyrics are dark, Everything is darker.

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

The band used to be called Leatherwitch. We were writing the song “Spellcaster” and someone suggested we used it as the band name. Everyone agreed and it just stuck. we all thought it sounded very powerful. 

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?

In terms of crowd attendance, Portland and Fullerton always blow us away. As for ‘best’ honestly some of the greatest shows we have played were in front of ten people. Its all about the energy and attitude of the band and crowd.  As for stage performance like big production stage shows so we try to mimic that as best we can with our resources. Fog, lights, strobes, ect.. we have fun.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

The dates are almost done being booked but yes we have some large U.S. plans for summer and possible overseas dates after that.

7.Your albums have been released on Heavy Artillery Records and Lone Fir Records, can you tell us a little bit more about those labels?

Heavy Artillery was based out of New York. They put out our Demo and first album back in 2011. They were later bought out by Earache records, who didn’t show interest in us and are now a hard rock label. To Quote their website “Indie Rock/Metal label noted for the earliest extreme metal recordings during the 90s nowadays releasing kick-ass Blues-Rock bands”.. so yeah they kinda went in a different direction. As for Lone Fir, That is just our band label we print our vinyl under. It’s a Cemetery some of us like to drink at in SE Portland.

8.According to the metal archives page the page is signed to Earache, is that a recent singing or did someone just add that on there, I have seen some incorrect things on there in the past?

Yeah, that’s outdated. We are currently independent but are working with a European PR company called ‘Against PR’ and are in talks with a Japanese label to help get our stuff out to the further off places in the world.

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

You know, it’s been great. We haven’t released anything in 3 years so obviously there’s only so far you can go with one album, but the future is looking bright and we are just stoked to have a stable line-up and anxious to see what people think of the new tracks.

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

The goal has always been to sound like Spellcaster. I cannot tell you what we may come up with because I don’t know. There’s no marketing plan, no ‘heavier’ or ‘softer’. Its all gonna be what we think sounds good at the time. The only thing I can say is we are working hard every day at becoming better songwriters.

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?

While we were writing we listened to a lot of Sisters of mercy, Journey, Queensryche, In Solitude, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, B.O.C., Black Sabbath, Dio ect.. I don’t know how much of an effect it had on our writing process but a lot of members have been listening to different kinds of rock/metal. The first one was straight forward Speed/thrash only. This one is a bit more dynamic

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

A few of us are into bicycling, cooking, camping, stuff like that but honestly being in a band eats up so much of our time and resources that it really is a full time job.

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

New Album is out July 1^st. All tour announcements and anything Spellcaster related will always be announced first on our Facebook. Thanks for the interview. \m/

Facebook.com/spellcasterpdx

Ransom Call/Creatures On The Loose/2014 Demo Review

  Ransom  Call  are  a  band  from  Slovenia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy  metal,  horror  punk  and  sleaze  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  demo  "Creatures  On  The  Loose".

  Horror  movie  and  haunted  house  sound s start  off  the  demo  before  going  into  a  melodic  metal/punk rock  direction  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  that  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  then  the  band  adds  in  clean  singing  vocals  which  also  have  an  aggressive  feeling  to  them  along  with  some  back  up  shouts.

  The  band  also  sticks  to  mostly  an  old  school  punk/metal  sound  on  all  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  adding  in  the  more  sleazy  side  of  hair  metal  into  their  musical  sound  and  they  also  have  a  mixture  of  slow  and  mid  paced  riffs  throughout  the  4  tracks  that  are  on  the  demo  along  with  a  small  amount  of  thrash  elements.

  Ransom  Call  play  a  style  that  is  very  old  school  mixing old  school  horror  punk  with  metal  and  sleaze  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sound s very  powerful  for  being  a  demo  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ransom  Call  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  heavy  metal,  horror  punk  and  sleaze  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Freakshow"  and  "Exorcist".  8  out  of  10.    

Tummler And Solomon/You've Worn Out Your Welcome/2014 CD Review

  Tummler  And  Solomon  are  a  band  from  Tacoma,  Washington  that  plays  an  organ  themed  form  of  doom/sludge/post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "You've  Worn  Out  Your  Welcome".

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  bass  guitar  sound  starts  off  with  the  album  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  organs  and  a  minute  later  clean  singing  vocals  find  their  way  onto  the  recording  and  the music  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  psychedelic  elements  in  their  songs  and  after  awhile  you  can hear  a  mixture  and  clean  parts  being  utilized  in  the  tracks.

  Most  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  doom  metal  is  the  most  dominant  style  on  this  album  while  they  do  add  in  some  sludge  and  post  metal  elements  to  update  their  retro  70's  style  for  the  modern  days  as  well  as  having  a  jam  rock  style  of  playing  bordering  on  improv  throughout  the  tracks  and  later  on  during  the  album  acoustic  guitars  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Tummler  And  Solomaon  plays  a  style  that  is  very  dark,  heavy  and  retro  and  reminds  me  of  Black  Sabbath,  Black  Widow,  Type O  Negative  and  modern  post  sludge  metal  all  being  mixed  together,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  paranormal  and  the  unknown  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Tummler  And  Solomon  are  a  very  great  sounding  organ  themed  doom/post  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "You've  Worn  Out  Your  Welcome"  "Climbing  Up  The  Curtains"  and  "Handfed  by  Ghosts".  8  out  of  10.