XII Boar/Truck Stop Baby/2014 7 Inch Review

  This  is  the  final  review  of  a  recording  from  XII  Boar  which  shows  the  band  continuing  their  southern  flavored  sludge/doom  metal  sound  with  the  the  7  inch  being  self  released  in  2014  and  called  "Truck  Stop  Baby".\
 
  A  70's  style  southern  rock  sound  starts  off  the  first  track  before  adding  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  metal  along  with  some  melodic  blues  rock  style  vocals  that  also  have  a  more  aggressive  feeling  to  them  that  reminds  me  of  Clutch  and  the  music  also  keeps  more  up  beat  and  adds  in  a  more  rock'n'roll  feeling  as  time  goes  on  by  along  with  some  early  60's  style  guitar solos  and  leads.

  On  the  second  track  the  music  starts  out  with  some  clean  steel  guitars  before  adding  in  a  heavy  proto  metal  style  bass  guitar  along  with  some  melodic  70's  style  classic  rock  vocals  and  after  awhile  blues  orientated  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  and  this  song  sounds  like  the  kind  of  music  you  can  expect  to  hear  in  biker  bars

  XII  Boar  lets  the  70's  rock  influence  dominate  the  music  on  these  2  tracks  while  still  having  a  great  amount  of  heaviness  in  their  musical  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  truck  stops  and  train  wrecks.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  soundign  recording  from  XII  Boar  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  classic  southern  rock  and  sludge  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  7  inch.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Truck  Stop  Baby".  8  out  of  10.


   

    

XII Boar/Split Tongue, Cloven Hoof/2012 EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  XII  Boar  which  sees  the  band  continuing  their  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal,,  southern  and  stoner  rock  with  the  ep  being  self  released  in  2012  and  called  "Split  Tongue,  Coven  Hoof".

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  goign  into  a  more  southern  and  stoner  rock  direction  along  with  some  vocals  that  are  rough  yet  aggressive  at  the  same  time  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  the  bands  musical  sound  along  with  some  powerful  soundign  bass  leads.

  There  is  a  decent  amount  of  90's  sludge  and  groove  metal  in  the  heavier  side  of  the  bands  musical  sound  along  with  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  and  the  guitar  leads  bring  in  some  early  80's  metal  elements  into the  recording  and  there  is  a  good  amount  of  punk  rock  style  energy  being  displayed  in  the  songs  and  as  the  ep  progresses  you  can  hear  some  heavy  parts  that  have  almost  a  death  metal  feeling  to t hem  at  times.

  XII  Boar  sound  a  lot  more  heavier  on  this  recording  with  their  sludge  and  doom  metal  sound  having  a  more  powerful  effect  this  time  around  while  southern  and  stoner  rock  are  still  a  very  huge  part  of  the  musical  sound  that  is  presented  on  the  ep,  the production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes  with  a  touch  of  darkness.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  XII  Boar  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom/sludge  metal  with  a  more  southern  vibe,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hellspeed  Viper"  and  "Triclops".  8  out  of  10.


 

XII Boar/XII/2011 EP Review

  XII  Boar  are  a  band  from t he  United  Kingdom t hat  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge,  doom  metal  and  hard  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2011  ep  "XII".

  A  very  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  and  the  energy  of  punk  rock  and  they  also  add  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  as  well  as  adding  in  solos  and  leads  that  bring  a  stoner  rock  vibe  to  the  bands  musical  sound  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Slow  doom  metal  guitar  riffs  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  sound  at  times  and  the  second  track  sees  the  band  bringing  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  along  with  some  classic  rock  elements  along  with  a  brief  use  of  bass  leads  and  the  band  also  brings  in  some  of  the  90's  southern  metal  sound  into  their  musical  style  at  times  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  instrumental  before  bringing  back  vocals  on  the  last  track.

  XII  Boar  brings  in  a  very  old  school  and  retro  sound  that  is  very  heavy  along  with  a  great  amount  of  energy  that  the  bring  in  their  southern  influence  sludge  metal  style,  the  production  sounds  very  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover real  life  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  XII  Boar  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  metal,  sludge,  southern  and  stoner  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should c heck  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Beg,  Borrow,  Steal"  and  "S.K.O.L.".  8  out  of  10.

Crystal Eyes/Killer/Massacre Records/2014 CD Review

  Crystal  Eyes  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Killer"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  A  very  old  school  power  metal  riff  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  solos  and  melodic  vocals  and  the  guitar  leads  the  band  uses  are  in  the  NWOBHM  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  along  with  some  anthem  style  chorus'es  and  the  bands  sticks  mostly  to  an  80's  style  of  metal.

  While  the  music  is  all  in  an  old  school  direction  it  has  a  more  modern  feeling  as  a  result  of  the  way  it  is  produced  and  the  music  combines  a  more  hard  rock  style  of  heavy  metal  with  German  style  power  metal  while  also  having  a  more  dark  and  less  happy  approach  to  the  genre  and  some  of  the  vocals  seem  to  have  a  Mercyful  Fate  influence  to  them  at  times.

  Acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  couple  of  the  later  tracks  being  a  power  ballad    one  of  which  also  sees  the  band  bringing  in  a  brief  use  of  growls  and  the  following  tracks  return  back  to  a  more  harder  and  old  school  style  of  heavy  metal  with  some  elements  that  border  on  the  more  commercial  side  of  the  genre  30  years  back  along  with  a  sound  that  reminds  me  of  Accept  during  that  era.  

  Crystal  Eyes  plays  a  style  of  power  metal  that  also  brings  in  the  melody  and  hard  rock  and  traditional  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  fantasy  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Crystal  Eyes  are  a  very  great  sounding  power  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Warrior"  "Forgotten  Realms"  "The  Lord  Of  Chaos"  and  "Dogs  On  Holy  Ground".  8  out  of  10.        

Reaper/An Atheist Monument/Massacre Records/2014 CD Review

  Reaper  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  traditional  form  of  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "An  Atheist  Monument"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  Distorted  clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodies  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  which  also  leads  to  guitar  solos  and  leads  becoming  a  part  of  the  bands  musical  sound  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  into  a  more  traditional  metal  direction  along  with  some  vocals  that  have  a  rough  and  melodic  sound  to  them.

  Blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  sticks  mostly  to  an  80;s  style  of  metal  but  with  a  more  modern  day  production  and  the  music  sticks  to  mostly  a  mid  paced  direction  while  it  also  has  its  fast  and  slow  moments  at  times.

  There  is  a  brief  use  of  growls  on  one  of  the  tracks  while  the  music  never  gets  heavy  enough  to  qualify  as  death  metal  an d  the  music  also  shows  elements  of  the  style  of melody  that  evolved  into  speed  or  thrash  metal  and  while  the  vocals  are  very  rough  the  singer  also  shows  he  get  signed  with  a  lot  of  talent  and  melody  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  shows  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  and  clean  playing  before  making  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  the  last  track  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals.

  Reaper  plays  a  very  traditional  form  of  metal  only  the  ways  that  veterans  can  play  this  genre  as  well  as  updating  their  musical  sound  for  the  modern  day,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Reaper  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Realms  Of  Chaos"  "Hail  The  New  Age"  "Taste  My  Revenge"  and  "Fields  of  Joy".  8  out  of  10.

Unisonic/Light Of Dawn/Armoury Records/2014 CD Review

  Germany's  Unisonic  have  returned  with  a  new  album  which  shows  the  band  continuing  their  hard  rock  approach  to  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Light  Of  Dawn"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Armoury  Records.

  Dark  and  epic  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  giving  the  music  a  feeling  of  a  fantasy  movie  soundtrack  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  a  more  80's  hard  rock  metal  direction  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  which  leads  up  to  a  more  German  orientated  power  metal  direction  being  added  into  the  music.

  Guitar  solos  and  leads  when  they  added  into  the  music  gives  the  music  a  more  old  school  hard  rock/heavy  metal  feeling  and  there  is  also  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  hard  parts  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  being  utilized  at  times  and  they  also  bring  in  a  few  power  ballads  and  some  of  the  tracks  have  a  more  anthem  aor  orientated    feeling  to  them  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  There  is  a  great  amount  of  diversity  being  displayed  in  all  of  the  tracks  while  the  music  always  remains  true  to  a  more  melodic  musical  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  a  little bit  more  faster  almost  close  to  speed  metal  and  synths  also  make  their  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording    

  Unisonic  remain  true  to  their  hard  rock  approach  to  power  metal  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  catchy  hooks  into  all  of  the  songs,  the  productions  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Unisonic  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "You  And  I"  "Blood"  "For  The  Kingdom"  and  "Manhunter".  8  out  of  10.  

Planet Of Zeus Interview

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?

One day after the release of the album we embarked on our greek tour, playing 16 shows in all greek major cities. We got the chance to play most of the album's songs live and the immediate feedback we received really helped us realize that we are on the right track. We also had the honor of playing at 4 european festivals. Heavy by the Sea in Athens, Glockenschlag Festival in Hamburg, Exit in Novisad and Rock im Ring in Bolzano.

2.Recently you have released a new album, 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?

All these years of playing together made us stronger as a musical team and gave us the confidence to record the album live in the studio. That was a big change for us. We established a more raw and groovy sound, that resembled the energy between us in our live shows. We didn't want to make the album vintage sounding, although our most beloved recordings come from the past. We had the songs ready and really believed in them, because we thought that we were getting closer and closer to establishing our own sound. A seamless blend between blues,hard rock and metal, genres which share some common values.Sincerity, groove and riffs.

3.The band has been around since 2000 but waited 8 years to release the first album and since then it has been 3 years in between releases can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps?

We could label the first 8 years, as our formation period. In 2000 we were 16 years old and played our first gigs, but as you know the distance from conceiving the idea of a band to actually having one , that has something to offer, is quite long. After the release of our first album, "Eleven the hard way", we started touring around Greece, with one purpose. To become a great live band, that makes people dance and have a good time. Just like the bands we admired. We rehearsed in a daily basis, trying to improve both our songwriting and playing skills as a team and not as individuals and slowly gathered the experiences, that would later become songs and make some people actually relate to them. When "Macho Libre" was released we had just become quite a big name in Greece and this fact led to our first European tour, which was a life-changing moment for us. It made us realize, that we're actually far more united and determined as a team outside of our comfort zone. We slowly started playing some European festivals, like Stoned from the Underground and Exit, shared the stage with many of our musical heroes, from Ozzy to Clutch and all this things led to booking our third and most lengthy European tour ever, which starts on the 28th of August and consists of 36 shows in 42 days.

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

"Vigilante" is probably our lyrically most diverse album. It starts with "The great Dandolos", which is a song about a famous Greek gambler, "Nick the Greek", who was said to have gone from rags to riches about 73 times. He had no respect for money, donated enormous sums in charity and his life was all about the game. There are songs like "Second Coming", "Tornado", "Vigliante", " Disappointment Blues" and "The Beast Within", which address sociopolitical matters in a quite aggressive manner. There are plain feel-good songs like "Burn this city down" and "Sky High Heels". And last but not least, there is one love song called "No tomorrow".

5.I know that the band name is related to Greek Mythology, what was the decision behind using it as a band name?

The name was actually conceived in a period, when we were listening to Jimi Hendrix's Experience and several other stoner-psychedelic bands. So, when we heard of Planet of Zeus(Jupiter) in our of astronomy classes, we immediately felt we had gotten ourselves a name.

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?

One of our most memorable shows was our first sold-out gig in Athens, at the historic "Aν club", a show that made us feel obliged to all these people who believed in us and gave us a mission of "keepin' it real" for them. One year later, in Athens again, at "Gagarin205" 1200 people attended our show and made us feel like local heroes. And last but not least all the shows we played around Europe, sharing the stage with bands that we love and admire, like Clutch, Hermano, Brant Bjork, Monster Magnet, Ozzy, Machinehead etc.

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

answered in question 3.

8.The new album was released on Ihaveadrum  Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Ihaveadrum records is an independent record label we founded in April 2014 after not getting the offers we wanted from several record labels. Ihaveadrum records from now on, will be a sanctuary for bands, that we love and have problems finding a record label.

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

Since we've tested our new album both on the road and through the stereo , we feel really blessed , that the people who listen to it, dig the direction we are taking and understand the reasons we felt the urge to do it. Nowadays, our audience has shifted more to rockers and metallers than stoner fans, because we also have moved to more straight-forward song structures and don't have enough nice psychedelic jams for them.

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

I can't specifically say, but I think we are getting closer to writing our best songs. We want to incorporate all the things, that made the songs we love from the past special. Freedom, ignorance of danger, not giving a fuck...But not in a vintage sounding way.

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

Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Band of Gypsys, Allman Brothers band, Muddy Waters,Wishbone Ash, AC/DC, Rage against the machine, Mastodon, Metallica, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Clutch. We enjoy listening an array of musical styles. From the history of Blues, to afrobeat, to Dj Premier's whole discography, to Jaga Jazzist.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

We are creatures of the night and so we enjoy everything that involves a bar playing nice tunes, beer and nice company. As we 're growing older we are getting fonder and fonder of tasting delicious food. We also watch tons of documentaries.

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

In a period of time, when  90% of mainstream music produced, seems to be aimed at children under 12, support the bands you love and treat you with respect.See you on the road...