Overcharge/Accelerate/Unspeakable Axe Records/2014 CD Review

  Overcharge  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  speed  metal  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Accelerate"  which  will  be  released  in September  by  Unspeakable  Axe  Records.

  Motorcycle  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  more  aggressive  punk  direction  along  with  guitar  leads  and  aggressive  crust  style  vocals  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  in  the  music  and  they  also  mix  it  with  old  school  speed  metal.

  There  is  a  great  amount  of  energy  in  the  bands  musical  sound  and  you  can  also  hear  a  bit  off  melody  in  the  rough  vocals  and  you  can  hear  the  Motorhead,  early  Metallica  and  Discharge  influences  throughout  the  recording  and  the  music  ticks  to  an  80's  style  of  punk  and  metal  while  having  a  more  modern  day  production.    

  Overcharge  brings  in  a  lot  of  energy  and  a  retro  feeling  with  their  old  school  mixture  of  speed  metal  and  punk  and  they  also  have  a  great  amount  of  catchy  riffs  throughout  the  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  real life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Overcharge  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  speed  metal  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dirt"  "Leave  Behind"  "Water  Of  Fire"  and  "Don't  Waste  A  breath".  8  out  of  10.     

1000 Dead/2014 Promo Review

  1000  Dead  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  an  aggressive  form  of   thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  promo.

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  promo  before  the  music  goes into  a  thrash  metal  direction  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  that  lean  close  to  death  metal  and  they  also  use  of  good  mixture  of  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  some  groove  metal  elements  and  melody  in  their  musical  sound.

  Blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  slow  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  the  band  combines  both  the  early  and  mid  90's  style  of  metla  together  while  also  being  influenced  by  more  modern  sounds  and  one  of  their  riffs  leans  close  to  black  metal  while  some  of  their  slower  riffing  gives  the  music  a  stoner  metal  vibe  and  on  one  of  the  last  track  the  vocals  also  have  more  of  a  hardcore  feeling  to  them  as  well  as  having  a  melodic  tone  to  them  at  times.

  1000  Dead  take  an  old  school  form  of  thrash  metal  and  add  some  modern  elements  to  give  the  music  a  more  updated  feeling,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  hateful  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  1000  Dead  are  a  very  great  sounding  extreme  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  promo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Post-War  Blues".  8  out  of  10.   

Dead Season/Dusting The Rust/2013 EP Review

  Dead  Season  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  an  extreme  and  progressive  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  ep  "Dusting  The  Rust".

  A  very  powerful  sound  along  with  drum  beats  starts  off  the  ep  and  you  can  hear  the  bass  in  the  background  which  leads  up  to  a  more  heavier  thrash  metal  direction  along  with  some  aggressive  screams  which  also  use  some  melodic  singing  and  you  can  also  hear  some  melody  in t he  guitar  riffing.

  The  music  is  more  of  a  modern  style  of  thrash  than  an  old  school  style  along  with  a  mixture  of  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  some  nu  and  groove  metal  elements  in  the  bands  musical  sound  along  with  spoken  word  parts  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and   the  band  sticks  mostly  to  a  mid  paced  direction  along  with  a  few  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

   In  certain  sections  of  the  recording  the  vocals  get  more  aggressive  and  add  an  influence  of  death  metal  to  the  band  musical  sound  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  add  an  even  more  melodic  side  to  the  bands  musical sound  and  after  awhile  the  band  also  brings  in  an  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  vocal  tracks  and  the  last  track  sees  the  band  adding  in  synths  and  orchestras  to  give  the  song  a  more  epic  feeling  as  well  as  addign  in  elements  of  funk,  swing  and  jazz.

  Dead  Season  plays  a  style  of  thrash  metal  that  you  can  call  modern  and  they  also  bring  the  perfect  balance  between  heaviness  and  melody  with  their  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dead  Season  are  a  very  great  sounding  modern  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "An  Inner  Battle"  and  "Zombies  Are  Swinging".  8  out  of  10.
 

  

Insaniter Interview

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

1. We are a greek thrash metal band which play true thrash for those people who want to hear something aggressive but without noise and without the usual vocals that we have used to hear at thrash bands. We have recorded 3 Eps and one demo "Alley of Fear" . At this time Peter is the only one member who records and write all the instruments .  We are against Politics , Posers and money. We are people who do not use the music like a way to make money . We only want to make good music! 

2.Recently you have released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

2. It is difficult to explain. At my opinion this is a kind o old school thrash metal Cd, which has a melodic sense. We play a weird kind of metal .You cant say , this is a thrash metal , but you can hear a melodic sound view with a lot aggressive riffs and some thrash drums.   

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

4. We write lyrics about death, but not with the usual sense. We try a more philosophical way to approach the topic of death and madness . We also try to make stories about monsters , deads , alleys and similar kind of staff. 

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

4. Insaniter is a word which means Maniacs! For us mean thrash maniacs , means the violence , the true thrash. If you search at dictionary , it does not exist , but you will find the word Insanity 

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

5. We played a lot of lives shows , at Music team of Rethymno , at some Bars ,and all of them was great! Our performance was really good, you know, if you have to organize the live show, to carry all the staff (monitors, amp , consoles etc) , and after you have to play thrash, yes it difficult because you dont have power, but we really play with our souls and really like what we have done.

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

6. We dont have plans for tour because at this time we will work to make Cds without lives shows. We have almost record 3 new Eps. At this time our band will be a kind like burzum or darkthrone , but at thrash music .

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

 8. It is really great! Thrash fans always want to hear something new! this is so great! Every day people write to me their opinions about Insaniter and the most of them are very good. That means a lot to us , their support is the best! A lot of people need time to use our vocals because this is not a usual thrash vocal type but the most of them at the end like it.  I can say that in Worldwide listen to us more than at Greece . Their comments are very important and help us to improve ourselves , so it is a big deal for us!

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

8. Yes, everyday i talk with labels, but we have some disagreements. First of all our attitude is against them, we want to give free music to people. Of course if we would find a good label which give us our recording charge and promote us in good way, yes we would think about it. Or if the label would give the money to charities , yes that would be great! But we like this current situation, because we are free to make music and tell our believe's!

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

9. Full length cd is difficult to make. We just want to make Eps which will contains six or seven songs. We want to make only good songs. You know if you make a full length maybe you should put some songs that you dont like it, and we dont want to do something like that. At September we will release our new Ep "Half faces" which contains 8 songs and one new guest vocal again!  At the second part, i believe that we will take a good place between the true underground bands . I know that is very difficult but we have already record 3 more new Eps , and we will not stop to write music. This is our drug and we will never stop thrashing.

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?

10. We listen to Slayer, Sodom, Exumer, Kreator, Voivod , Metallica ,Exodus, Watchtower, Iced earth and thousand of thrash and heavy metal bands, but we try to make something different , no to make a music similar like them . At this time we listen only underground staff. Unfortunatly at these days the metal gods play music only for money and the result sucks! The metal is not a kind of revolution for them . So we listen only good music.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

11 We love sports, like football and basketball, we also love Olympiakos and Manchester United(Peter is a big Fan) . We drink Beers ,this is a great hobby . And we like chicks and similar staff , i am sure you understand me!

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

12.  First of all i want to thank you!The support always means a lot to us! 

I want to say that Insaniter is not the best band ( but we hope to improve our selves ), but we love music and our music is Pure. If someone want to hear a thrash which is not similar with Classic thrash, lets give us a chance! Thanks for support us! You are InsaniteR! Thrash them all!

Insaniter/Initium/2014 EP Review

  Insaniter  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  'Initium".

  A  very  heavy,  melodic  and  old  school  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  goes  into  a  faster  direction  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  some  aggressive  screaming  vocals  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  tradition  and  after  awhile  back  up  gang  vocals  find  their  way  onto  the  ep  along  with  a  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts.

  A  good  portion  of  the  ep  sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  released  between  86  to  88  while  this  is  actually  a  younger  band  playing  an  old  school  form  of  thrash  and  after  awhile  the  vocals  and  guitar  riffing  start  incorporating  more  melody  into  the  music,  as  the  ep  progresses  the  band  start  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  solos  and  on  one  of  the  later  tracks  they  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  a  melodic  and  aggressive  thrash  metal  sound.

  Insaniter  has  a  very  melodic  approach  to  their  old  school  thrash  metal  sound  while  also  being  very  heavy  and  aggressive  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Insaniter  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Core  Inside  Chaos"  and  "End  Of  Insanity".  8  out  of  10.

    

Wyld/Stoned/2014 EP Review

  Wyld  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy  rock  and  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  release d 2014  ep  "Stoned".

  Am  radio  sounds  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavy  70's  rock  style  riff  along  with  some  fast  and  energetic  vocals  which  leads  up  to  some  classic  rock  style  vocals  and  the  band  also  takes  a  proto  style  of  metal  and  makes  it  sound  more  modern  and  after  awhile  blues  style  guitar  leads  are  added  into  the  bands  musical  sound.

  The  following  track  sees  the  band  adding  in  military  style  drum  beats  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  is  more  close  to  sludge,  stoner  or  southern  metal  which  they  also  mix  in  with  a  blues  rock  sound  and  the  following  track  starts  out  with  pot  smoking  before  returning  back  to  a  heavy  rock  direction  while  the  last  song  sees  the  band  bringing  in clean  guitars  as  well  as  being  a  short  instrumental.

  Wyld  plays  a  heavy  style  of  rock  that  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  metal  and  while  it  is  not  completely  original  the  songs  still  sound  very  great  and  contain  the  best  element s of  this  genre,  the production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  pot  smoking  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wyld  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  heavy  rock  and  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Venomous  Poison"  and  "Stoned".  8  out  of  10.  

   

     

Rise Of The Northstar/Welcame/Repression Records/2014 CD Review

  Rise  Of  The  Northstar  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  thrash,  manga,  metalcore  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Welcame"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Repression  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  melodic  guitar  lead  before  going  into  a  more  heavy  metalcore  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  aggressive  screams  which  leads  up  to  some  spoken  vocals  which  go  into  a  more  hardcore  direction  along  with  back  up  gang  shouts  and  breakdown's.

  All  of  the  musical   instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  melodic  guitar  solos and  leads  find  their  way  into  the  music  and   the  band  has  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  early  90's  style  of  hardcore  while  also  having  the  aggression  of  thrash  metal.

  You  can  hear  a  little  bit  of  hip  hop  being  mixed  in  with  the  hardcore  elements  at  times  and  they  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  clean  singing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  after  awhile  more  modern  elements  of  metalcore  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  sound.  and  as  the  album  progresses  you  can  hear  some  death  metal  influences  being  added  into  the  bands  musical  sound.

  Rise  Of  The  Northstar  takes  the  90's  style  of  New  York  hardcore  and  mixes  it  with  the  aggression  of  thrash  metal  and  adds  in  element s of  metalcore  to  give  their  music  a  more  modern  day  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  samurai  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rise  Of  the  Northstar  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  thrash  metal,  hardcore  and  metalcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "What  The  Fuck"  "Samurai  Spirit"  "Tyson"  and  "Blast  'Em  All".  8  out  of  10.