Anckora/Extreme/Irond Records/2014 CD Review

  Anckora  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  alternative  and  industrial  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Extreme"  which  was  released  by  Irond  Records.

  A  very  electronic  orientated  industrial  style  of  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  which  leads  up to  some  aggressive  female  vocals  which  can  also  be  very  melodic  at times  and  you  can  also  hear  some  male  vocals  in  the  music  at  times  which  also  bring  in  elements  of  death  metal.

  Melodies  can  be heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  at times  and  the  band  also  brings  in  some  elements  of  nu  metal  while  they  have  more  of  a  heavy  and  almost  gothic  approach  to  their  musical  sound  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  band  never  adds  any  guitar  solos  or  leads  into  their  musical  style.

  Anckora  has  a  very  heavy  approach  to  the  way  they  combine  they  combine  alternative  and  industrial  together  and  they  add  in  some  nu  and  death  metal  influences  into  their  music  to  create  an  album  that  updates  the  industrial  metal  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Russian  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Anckora  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  alternative  and  industrial  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Midnight"  "Silence"  and  "Shadows".  7/5  out  of  10.      

TNT/30th Anniversary 1982-2012 Live In Concert/Indie Recordings/2014 Live CD Review

  TNT  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  a  very  long  history  and  plays  more  of  a  hard  rock  orientated  from  of  heavy  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their  live  2014  album  "30th Anniversary 1982-2012 Live In Concert"  which  was  released  by  Indie  Recordings.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  symphony  and  classical  orchestra  and  after  the  intro  they  keep  the  orchestra  but  add  in  more  of  an  80's  hard  rock  metal  sound  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  and  the  music  has  more  of  a  radio  friendly  orientated  sound  from  that  era  and  they  also  bring  in  some  solos  and  leads that utilize  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill.

  You  can  hear  the  earlier  traces  of  glam  and  pop  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  some  back  up  chorus  vocals  and  the  guitar  riffing  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  at  times  you  can  also  hear  a  little  bit  of  a  70's  metal  influence  on  the  bands  musical  style  as  well  as  the  vocals  bringing  in  elements  of  NWOBHM.

  As  the  album  progresses  you  can  hear  clean  playing  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  crowd  singing  the  songs  with  the  band  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  they  also  bring  in  a  few  power  ballads  and  a  few instrumental  guitar  solos and  symphonic  songs  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  hard  and  heavy  sound.

  TNT  sticks  to  the  sound  they  are  known  for  throughout  the  recording  while  also  having  the  back  up  of  an  orchestra  and  all  of  the  songs  are  in  more  of  a  pop  metal  orientated  direction  while  you  can  also  hear  a  bit  of  70's  metal  and  NWOBHM  in  their  musical  sound  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  TNT  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  live  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Invisible  Noise"  "As  Far  As  The  Eye  Can  See"  "Northern  Lights"  and  "10,000  Lovers  (In  One)".  8  out  of  10.    

        

Get SomeI/Self Titled/2014 EP Review

  Get  Some!  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  hardcore  form  of  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  and  self  titled  2014  ep.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  hardcore  style  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  elements  of  thrash  which  leads  up  to  some  aggressive  shouting  vocals  and  back  up  gang  shouts  and  you  can  also  hear  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock  being  mixed  in  with  the  bands  musical  sound  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful.

  At  times  you  can  hear  a  small  amount  of  solos  and  leads  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  they  are  in  more  of  an  80's  tradition  and  all  4  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  with  the  longest  one  being  over  2  minutes  long  and  they  band  also  avoids  the  modern  trends  of  hardcore  to  make  this  musical  genre  have  a  more  threatening  approach  which  has  been  forgotten  about  over  the  years.

  Get  Some!  plays  a  very  old  school  style  of  hardcore  that  goes  back  to  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  era  of  the  genre  as  well  as  sticking  to  a  very  heavy  and  aggressive  sound  throughout  the  recording,    the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  covered  dark  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Get  Some!  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  style  hardcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dreams"  and  "Liar".  8  out  of  10.  

Burn The Army Interview

 1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band? Well, our name is Burn the Army. We are trio from Indianapolis. The members are Corey Clark, Jordan Smith, and myself, Dyllen Nance. We all come from fairly different musical backgrounds, but have managed to construct a very interesting middle ground.  

2.You have an ep coming out in October, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording? I hate to use the word "epic," so, I won't. Peaks and valleys are what this band feeds off of. We like building things up then blasting off. The Tide to Sink the Summit covers a great deal of the aggressive musical spectrum. Think Isis, Tool, Converge, and maybe even some world music influences.

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

The Tide to Sink the Summit is loosely based on Greek Mythology. That was the idea from the get-go. The lyrics were collectively written about our own experiences. We derived inspiration from the mythology to make it a more interesting story: I.Sky II.Sea III.And IV. End. 

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

Answer 1) It is a lyric from the first song we wrote as a band that stuck out to us. 

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance? We had the honor of sharing the stage with Jucifer, as well as Author and Punisher, who was on tour with Phil Anselmo's band at the time. The performance is dramatic and energetic and we strive to engage those around us. We have worked hard to be able to put on a tight and solid show that causes unavoidable head bangs. 

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

We have plans to tour following the release. We also have some new material to record. As far as shows, we are playing with Wolvhammer and Mortals in Indianapolis on November 13th. Were also coming to Lexington, KY on October 12th to play a show at Al's Bar with our friends from Nashville, Black Tar Prophet and Kentucky natives Dirt Bag and Sonic Altar. We're definitely stoked about the upcoming shows. 

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

If it were the right label at the right time, sure.

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

The feedback we've received has been remarkable so far. I'm not currently aware of an international attention but that's definitely a goal. 

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

I believe it will always remain in the same realm, we will just continue to refine our skills and get better as a band. 

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? 

We are a melting pot of all of the bands that we came together over to start the band. To name a few Isis, Converge, Pelican, Russian Circles Deftones, Tool, and of course, Sabbath.   

Between the three of us, there is always a wide array of music. At the current moment, a collective list is as follows: Doomriders, Truck Fighters, Foo Fighters, Red Fang, Mastodon, Sleep, Isis, Sade, Earth, Yob, King Diamond, Black Sabbath,  Baroness, Melvins, Talib Kweli, Kendrick Lamar, Neurosis, Old Man Gloom and a lot of other stuff. We're eclectic.  

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Corey is a full-time tattoo artist out of High Caliber, Indianapolis. Jordan enjoys reading and collecting all physical mediums of music. I don't really have a life outside of work and music. I'm not complaining one bit though.

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

We have something for everyone in our music. One of my biggest goals is to convert those that don't typically enjoy the genre, while keeping it crucial for those that have cut their teeth on heavy music. Music from the heart. You can hear it.

Orange Goblin/Back From The Abyss/Candlelight Records/2014 CD Review

  The  United  Kingdom's  Orange  Goblin   have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  stoner  from  of  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Back  From  The  Abyss"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  very  retro  sounding  and  melodic  metal/rock  riff  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  and  the  band  also  brings  in  influences  from  both  the  70's  and  90's  which  they  update  and  make  the  music  sound  more  modern.

  You  can  hear  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  being  added  into  the  bands  musical  style  at  times  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  elements  of  punk  rock  being  added  into  some  of  the  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  which  also  gives  the  album  more  of  a  psychedelic  and  progressive  feeling  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  which  also  include  spoken  word  samples  at  times.

  Orange  Goblin  creates  another  stoner  metal  album  that  is  very  heavy  and  retro  at  the  same  time  but  done  in  a  more  modern  fashion,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  occult,  and  Lovecraft  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Orange  Goblin  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sabbath  hex"  "Demon  Blues"  "The Abyss"  and  "Blood  Of  Them".  8  out  of  10.

    

Will The Thrill Interview

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

We're Will The Thrill, from St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.  We play all original music that is influenced by 80's Heavy Metal and a few other things.  I'm Will and sing lead vox and play lead guitar.  Mojoe Murphy plays bass and backing vox, and Tony Pepper plays drums, keyboards and backing vox.  We like to play exciting shows with a party atmosphere.

2.So far you have released 2 albums, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?

I grew up listening to 80's Metal bands.  So both albums sound a lot like they came from 1984. But there is a little Power Metal, Punk, Rockabilly, Blues, and Thrash as well.  I try to listen to newer Metal sometimes, but I'm a child of the 80's!  Our first album is called "Thanks For The Support" and the new CD is called "Sorry To Disappoint Ya".  Both albums sound similar but the new one takes more chances with different styles.  On "Sociopath" I play a terrible-sounding Fender Stratocaster with strings that are 5 years old and covered in rust, and I played the whole song standing right in front of my amplifier!  And on "Little Miss Treater" I play an 80-year-old National resonator guitar as well as a bluesy slide solo on my electric.  But for most of both albums I recorded an Ibanez Jem through a Peavey 5150 or Peavey 6505.

3.Your music is very different from what is played nowadays and while there are plenty of bands that play more 80's style metal these days your style is different in the way that it goes back more to the radio oriented version of the style, what was the decision behind bringing this musical style back?

I've lived for 80's Metal since I was 4 years old.  It was almost the only thing I listened to growing up.  The music feels good, the rock stars looked like gods on stage, and the women in their videos were beautiful and loved the guys in the band.  There were lights, explosions, and 15,000 screaming fans.  But underneath it all, the music spoke to me.  It said, "Don't take crap from people, you're not alone, and if you stay true to yourself things will be okay."  Heavy Metal taught me to be strong when everyone else was trying to make me feel bad.  It is very important for troubled people to feel like someone out there understands them, and what they're going through.

4.On the fb page you show a dislike towards emo, screamo and brutal deathcore, are you against all modern forms of extreme and hard music?

I was a teacher for 10 years and some kids told me about bands like Waking The Cadaver, Between The Buried And Me, and Whitechapel.  I listened to the bands and their music didn't do anything for me.  I think those bands are made up of people who grew up in the suburbs, with nice houses, parents who rarely argued, food, clothes, money when needed, and a lot of love and encouragement.  They don't have any real problems to be angry about, so they create a fake rage because they're bored.  Nothing about them sounded good to me.

That being said, I'm not against extreme or hard music.  I don't hate people for listening to it; I don't hate bands for playing it.  If the anger in this music is what you feel inside, then it's okay to express that.  But many of these bands concentrate only on the negative.  Sometimes the world is ugly, frustrating, cruel, and sad.  But we must remember that the world is also a beautiful place, funny, and full of hope.  It's okay to listen to Cryptopsy if you want, but after that try to listen to something fun like David Lee Roth, or take a walk outside to get some sun and fresh air.  Don't perpetuate your misery!

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

Sometimes I talk about being pissed off at people who screwed me over.  Other times I write about something great.  I wrote "She's An Animal" after I saw Doro Pesch sing.  She is all Metal and wonderful!  Some songs are about letting go of relationships that aren't good for you anymore or dealing with death in your family.  But then there's a song on my first album called "Grind It Till Ya Find It" and it makes jokes about having sex in a car!

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Will the thrill'?

I'm Will, and my nickname is "The Thrill".  It suits the band because we're exciting, fun, and unpredictable.

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

Our band is a party just waiting to explode!  We give people thrills at our shows.  We make them scream, yell, get rid of their anger and feel good afterwards.  Our best show was our CD Release party at "Just Bill's Place" here in St. Louis two months ago.  All our friends came to see us, and it felt great to finally let everybody hear our new music.  We also played a show at "300 State" in Alton, Illinois where nobody knew who we were.  The room was almost empty when we started, and it was full when we were done.  We won them over!

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

We want to play shows in some of the neighboring cities during the Fall and Winter.  When Spring and Summer come, we want to play at Rock festivals all over the United States.

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

People who like Rock and Metal love our music.  We make the exact music that we want and we don't care what's popular or trendy.  They like our music because it is honest, based on real experience, full of personality and finely crafted.  Other people who are not fans of Hard Rock or Metal still enjoy my music because it's fun to listen to and a lot of hard work goes into it.  I don't care if my songs are in someone's playlist right after Britney Spears or John Coltrane, I just want to give them something fun to listen to.  And Heavy Metal is how I do it!

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

I want to do what is right for my band musically, financially, and emotionally.  If a record label wants to help us, then we'll work hard to make it worth their while so the relationship is mutually beneficial.  If a label jerks us around, then we'll do it ourselves.  Our goal is create, record, and perform music for as many people as possible so we can rock their lives and make the world a better place.  We would also like to get paid to do it!

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?

When I was a kid, I listed to Judas Priest every day for two years.  That's my band!  I've seen them play 8 times.  Before that I listened to Guns 'n' Roses every day for six months.  Earlier, I liked Pat Benatar, Scorpions, Ratt, Rainbow, Motley Crue, and Dokken. 

My favorite new band is Sonata Arctica.  I've seen them 5 times and I'm going again in October. I also like Children of Bodom, Amon Amarth, and Labyrinth.  Other bands I listen to are The Clash, Reverend Horton Heat, Black Flag, Riot, UFO, Saxon, Saga, Dire Straits, Hank Williams Sr., Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, Adam Ant, and even old school rap like Whodini and Egyptian Lover!

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I love Wrestling--College, International, and even American Pro-Wrestling like the WWE.  I wrestled in college and it helped make me a strong person with a good work ethic.  I also grew up on video games--Pac Man, Zork, System Shock I and II, WarCraft, StarCraft, all the way to Assassin's Creed.  I don't have a lot of time to play anymore because I'm working on music, but they're fun.

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

Cheers to you out there if you've read all of this!  Thanks to Undergroundmusickzine for listening to our CD, our friends at Against Magazine, and to JTW Music for producing both our albums with expert attention to detail.  You can find our music at our websitehttp://www.willthrillrocks.com/, CdBaby, Amazon, iTunes, and pretty much everywhere.  Hope you all check it out!

Sorrows Path/Doom Philosophy/Iron Shield Records/2014 CD Review

  Sorrows  Path  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  power  and  doom  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Doom  Philosophy"  which  was  released  by  Iron  Shield  Records.

  Dark  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  and  chants  and  after  some  spoken  word  parts  the  album  goes  pass  the  intro  into  the  first  real  song  which  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  and  melodic  old  school  doom  metal  sound  along  as  well  as  bringing  in  some  clean  singing  vocals.

  The  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  as  well  as  displaying  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  at  times  synths  are  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  riffs  which  also  bring  in  a  thrash  metal  influence  at  times.

  There  is  a  very  dark  and  haunting  atmosphere  being  evoked  on  some  of  the  tracks  on  the  album  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  being  used  at  times  and  after  awhile  aggressive  vocals  make  their  presence  known  briefly  and  they  add  in  a  bit  of  a  death  metal  edge  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  melodic  vocals  and  halfway  through  the  album  a  power  ballad  is  added  onto  the  recording  being  making  a  return  back  to  a  darker  and  doomier  direction  on  the  following  tracks  and  they  close  the  album  with  an  instrumental.

  Sorrows  Path  creates  another  epic  sounding  power/doom  metal  album  with  this  recording  while  also  having  more  of  a  dark  sound  this  time  around  along  with  a  small  amount  of  symphonic  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  metaphysical  and  sorrow  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sorrows  Path  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tragedy"  "The  King  With  A  Crown  Of  Thorns"  "The  Venus  And  The  Moon"  and  "Darkness".  8  out  of  10.