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From the deep, dark, gloomy history comparable to Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and the old Anathema, the Swedish doom formation Draconian has built a foundation on dark and heavy music topped off by two top class vocalists. With this different, fresh approach, the band came to their fifth studio album called ‘Sovran’. We went deep into a gloomy, damp and dark state of mind to enjoy this new doom release.
In the legacy of the famous reggae and hip hop nu-metallers of P.O.D., the Welch formation called Skindred went on combining root rock and nu-metal to create the ultimate mix. The sixth album by the band making “Reggae Punk Metal with a twist” is called ‘Volume’ and we took taken the time to try to sit still and see if we are supposed crank up the volume with this record.
Independent releases are sometimes a source of terrible production, of bad choices and unbalanced tracks. But there are these independently produced and released records that absolutely blow you away. Vly‘s first album ‘I / [Time]’ is a progressive album from the latter of those two. With the use of amazing progressive sounds and music, the band, united by guitarist and producer Karl Demata, takes steady aim at a high spot in the top ten of 2015. But how does working on a distance go with people from thee different countries? And is it possible to create an album entirely on your own?
One of the most amazing things of reviewing music is the discovery of new bands. The Red Bull Bedroom Jam is an initiative to ease our search by finding bands and making sure they’re heard by a greater public. We already had the pleasure to review Guilty As Charged, who didn’t make it into the RBBJ finals, but this band has. Temptations For The Weak went the entire way and actually dominated a stage at the 2015 Graspop Metal Meeting. Not long after ‘Black Vision’, the second album by the Antwerp formation, is released, they’re here to prove they’re ready for the real deal.
For me, as a symphonic metal fan of a different generation, Kari Rueslåtten is an unfamiliar name. It’s a shame that I never got to know about this lady earlier. She has been the inspiration for so many fantastic symphonic metal bands out there these days. She is also part of the female vocal three-piece called The Sirens, which I can fully understand. With a background in symphonic metal, but a future in Nordic folk music, miss Rueslåtten has a chosen the softer sound. ‘To The North’ proves, again, that the choice was absolutely a good one.
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When I hopped onto this bands wagon last year, the release of Amberian Dawn’s latest addition ‘Magic Forest’ marked the first studio album with vocalist Päivi “Capri” Virkkunen. At that time I was impressed by the high quality of the music, of the vocals and of the production. Most of the music was pretty catchy and the listener could easily be carried away by the beauty of Capri and her voice. Let’s see if ‘Innuendo’ can reach the pretty high standards the band put for itself.
It normally takes a lot of craziness to write an utterly amazing masterpiece. In music there are lots of eccentric musicians to be found, being member of quite a lot of famous bands. I name you Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Axl Rose (Guns ‘n Roses) and Timo Tolkki (Stratiovarius) as examples. Amongst them is Finn Zierler, the composing force behind his solo project Zierler. With his hands on the keys and amazing musicians invited to play the rest album, the result could only be an amazing record like ‘ESC’.
Weighed down by depressions and a couple of different mental illnesses, Huntress front woman Jill Janus has become a strong presence in the heavy metal community. With the band supporting the likes of Lamb Of God, Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy and Killswitch Engage, there is clearly something good going on in the Huntress camp. After extensive touring and promoting the band, they continue to express themselves with another album: ‘Shock’.
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You could say a lot about the pagan metal band Varg, but you cannot say they lack humor. Right before their 2016 release of the new album, the German wolf metallers recorded the ‘Rotkäppchen’ EP. It contains their original, German, little red riding hood track, but also an English, Norwegian and a beer hut version. Long live Oktoberfest, Varg, Germany, ‘Rotkäppchen’ and beer!
When the new album by Monster Magnet arrived at my digital doorstep, I was surprised by what I got to hear. Somehow, I imagined Monster Magnet to be way heavier, with grunts and aggressive guitars. But when the album started to play, there was a big surprise waiting for me. ‘Cobras And Fire (The Mastermind Redux)’ is nowhere near this aggressive sound. Therefore I gave it a little more time to sink in, but then I read something else that surprised me.
