Raum Kingdom/Self titled/2014 EP Review

  Raum  Kingdom  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  metal  and  doom  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  and  self  titled  2014  ep.

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  post  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  a  few  seconds  alter  aggressive  sludge  style  screams  start  finding  their  way  into  the  bands  musical  style  and  they  also  mix  them  in  with  some  melodic  clean  singing  and  you  can  also  hear  some  elements  of  the  post  genres  of  rock  and  hardcore  in  the  songs  at  times.  

  Clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  main  focus  is  more  on  a  dark,  melodic  and  very  heavy  musical  direction  and  on  the  3rd  track  a  small  amount  of  sound  effects  and  spoken  word  parts  are  brought  into  the  music  and  dominate  the  track  while  the  next  song  sees  the  band  going  back  to  its  more  regular  sound  and  the  alst  rack  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Raum  Kingdom  plays  a  very  melodic  style  of  post  metal  on  this  recording  that  also  bring s in  the  heaviness  of  hardcore,  sludge  and  doom  metal  to  create  the  5  songs  you  hear  on  this  recording,  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  despair  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Raum  Kingdom  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom,  sludge,  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wounds"  and  "This  Sullen  Hope".  8  out  of  10. 

1000 Mods/Vultures/The Lab Records 2014 CD Review

 1000  Mods  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a very  psychedelic  mixture  of  stoner  rock  and  proto  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Vultures"  which  was  released  by  the  lab  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  retro  rock  musical  direction  along  with  some  melodic  stoner  rock  rock  vocals  that  also  have  a  proto  metal  feeling  to  them  at  times  as  well  as  a  decent  amount  of  aggression  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  along  with  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  in  more  of  early  70's  heavy  metal/blues  rock  musical  direction  which  also  shows  up  in  the  guitar  riffing  at  times  as  well  and  you  can  also  hear  some  90's  grunge  in  the  bands  musical  style  at  times  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  getting  more  psychedelic  while  also  remaining  very  heavy  at  the  same  time  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  all  of  the  tracks  sticking  to  mostly  a  mid  paced  or  slow  musical  direction  and  on  the  last  track  the  band  bring s in  a  brief  use  of  spoken word  parts.

  1000  Mods  play  a  very  retro  and  psychedelic  form  of  stoner  rock  that  also  bring s in  the heaviness  of  metal  along  with  a  touch  of  grunge  and  blues  rock  to  create  their  own  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  1000  Mods  are  a  very  great sounding  psychedelic  stoner  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Claws"  "Horses  Green"  and  "Reverb  of  the  new  World".  8  out  of  10.               

Iron Command/Play It Loud/2014 CD Review

  Iron  Command  are  a  band  from  Columbia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy,  speed,  and  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2014  album  "Play  It  Loud".

  A  very  old  school  speed  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  powerful  drumming  and  a  few  seconds  female  power  metal  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  and  the  bands  musical  style  has  a  very  80's  orientated  sound  and  the  stuff  sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  during  the  time  frame.

  There  is  a  very  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  throughout  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  bring  in  an  early  83  era  thrash  metal  sound  to  the  bands  old  school  style  of  metal  while  also  having  some  of  the  more  melodic  NWOBHM  at  times    and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  raw,  heavy,  hard  and  aggressive  musical  direction  throughout  the  recording  and  there  is  never  a  soft  moment  present  anywhere  on  this  recording.

  Iron  Command  plays a  style  of  heavy  metal  that  is  heavily  rooted in  the  early  90's  and  they  also  bring  in  a  lot  of  power  and  speed  metal  elements  along  with  a  touch  of  thrash  to  create  a  very  true  and  pure  form  of  heavy  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  heavy  metal,  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Iron  Command  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  heavy,  power,  and  speed  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Iron  Command'  "Power  Abuse"  "Persecution"  and  "Play  It  Loud".  8  out  of  10.

  

Axe Crazy/Angry Machines/2014 EP Review

  Axe  Crazy  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  very  traditional  form  of  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Angry  Machines".

  A  very  heavy,  old  school  and  melodic  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  mixture  of  riffs  and  leads  and  a  few  seconds  alter  clean  singing  vocals  are  added    into  the  music  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  release d in  the  early  80's.

  Most  of  the  music  on  this  ep  sticks  to  mostly  a  mid  paced  direction  and  they  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  anthem  style  heavy  metal  songs  as  well  as  going  back  to  the  days  where  heavy  metal  was  just  heavy  metal  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  best  elements  of  the  mid  70's  and  early  80's  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  at  times  the  band  also  brings  in  some  early  speed  and  power  metla  elements  into  their  musical  style.

  Axe  Crazy  brings  in  a  very  pure  form  of  heavy  metal  on  the  4  songs  they  bring  onto  the  ep  and  they  can  play  this  genre  as  well  as  the  legends  and  originators  of  this  genre,  the production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction,  social  issues  and  heavy  metal  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Axe  Crazy  are  a  very  great sounding  traditional  heavy  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Angry  Machines"  and  "Sabertooth  Tiger".  8/5  out  of  10.

Savage Machine Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are a five piece band from Denmark. We play old school heavy metal inspired by the old heroes in Maiden, Motörhead and Priest.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is present on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff that was released under the name 'Momentum'?
The sound is primarily an updated version of old school heavy metal, with a modern twist. Melodic twin guitars and a heavy bottom of drums and bass. It has evolved from the sound of Momentum. But the music is more melodic and mature. We think it shows a progress in our sound. It’s old school, but it doesn’t have to sound old.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
The lyrics on Through The Iron Forest takes you on an epic journey through the moral, the psyche and the unavoidable destinies of the human experience. The starts of in the first track, Iron Forest and continues through out the EP and ends in the final track, The Final March.

4.The band was originally known as 'Momentum', what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Savage Machine'?
The primary reason of the change was that we discovered we weren’t the only Momentum. Actually there is three other bands by that name. Including an old british punk band, an islandic doom metal band and a american boy band. We needed to be more unique and recognizable.
Savage Machine comes from the same thinking that the lyrical universe does. The battle against the system.
… plus it works great when the crowd shout it out from the pit.

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 recently played an open air festival in Denmark. That was pretty cool. With Momentum we also had some great shows on Vega in Copenhagen and Voxhall in Aarhus. Our shows is energetic and loud. We usually have good interaction with the audience at our shows.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We are currently planning a series of shows to promote the new EP. We have been playing a lot in Denmark and are looking to, conquer the rest of the world. Starting with Germany, who has a huge metal scene that fits perfect to our music.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Some labels have shown interest and we are looking into them. We are also looking into some labels ourselves. But right now we are actually more interested in getting an agency to either promote Through The Iron Forest or help us book some shows in Germany or other parts of northern Europe.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of heavy metal?
We know that our music is played though out the western world and we have recieved reviews from most of Europe and as far away as Brazil. So far all feedback and reviews have been great. The comments we receive on Facebook and other social media has all been positive. So we believe there a some true metal fans out there.

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We are currently writing material for a full length album between the shows. Hopefully we’ll enter the studio next year.
The future? More power and more melodic but still within the same range of heavy metal you can hear on Through The Iron Forest. We are not about to morph into some prog-power-thrash hybrid right away.

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?
The obvious answer is the old heroes in Maiden, Motörhead and Priest. But a lot of bands have influenced us. And we listen to a lot of different bands. Artillery, Machine Head, In Flames, Helloween, Hell, Pantera, to name a few.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
A couple of the guys has kids … that takes up some time. Some enjoys running, other have their own companies, one watches a little too many movies and tv shows.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Remember to stay heavy. Check us out on Facebook or Spotify.
It’s old school heavy metal that you can bang you head to. We know you’ll love it!

Selene/Paradise Over/2014 EP Review

  Selene  are  a  band  from  Northern  Ireland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  symphonic,  gothic  and  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Paradise  Over".

  Dark  and  atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  symphonic  gothic  metal  direction  and  adding  in  melodic  guitar  leads  and  operatic  female  vocals  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  power  and  modern  progressive  metal  elements  into  the  atmospheric  musical  style  that  is  presented  on  the  recording.  

  All  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slow  to  mid  paced  musical  direction  throughout  the  recording  and  they also  mix  the  90's  symphonic  gothic  metal  sound  with  the  more  modern  day  version  of  this  genre  to  give  there  music  more  of  an  updated  feeling  and  after  awhile  the  band  also  brings   in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  ballad.

  Selene  creates  a  very  symphonic  and  melodic  style  of  gothic  metal  which  also  adds  in  elements  of  prog  and  power  metal  to  create  their  own  sound  and  I  feel  if  this  band  got  picked  up  be  a  bigger  label  they  could  easily  become  a  very  well  known  name  in  this  genre,  the  production  sounds very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  poetic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Selene  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  gothic  and  power  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Still  Dreaming"  and  "Fade  Away".  8  out  of  10.  

Shiran/Warm Winter Day/2014 EP Review

  Shiran  are  a  band  from  Israel  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  djent  metal  with  elements  of  jazz  and  blues  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Warm  Winter  Day"  which  will  be  released  in  November.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  djent  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  clean  singing  female  vocals  which  also  brings  in  a  gothic  metal  feeling  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  band  uses  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  the  music  sounds  almost  mainstream  enough  to  receive  radio  airplay.

  Most  of  the  music  sticks  to  mostly  a  slow  to  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  you  can  hear  some  elements  of  jazz  and  blues  in  the  way  the  vocals  are  approached  at  times  and  the  music  lacks  the  heaviness  and  aggression  of  most  bands  that  play  this  musical  genre  and  they  focus  more  on  a  melancholic  and  melodic  musical  style.  

  Shiran  takes  the  djent  metal  style  and  mixes  it  with  more  of  a  pop  orientated  melodic  hard  rock  sound  to  create  their  own  musical  style  and  while  this  is  not  something  I  would  regularly  listen  to,  I  still  feel  the  band  is  very  good  at  what  they  are  trying  to  achieve,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  melancholic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Shiran  are   a  very  decent  melodic  djent  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Remain"  and  "Glint  Of  Light".  7  out  of  10.