Ravenheart Music: Album Reviews
REVIEWS G-H
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HYBRID TREND..SELF TITLED 4 TRACK EP
(Self Release) Reviewed 22nd February 2012
Hybrid Trend fronted by Kirsten Chamberlain, is an alternative rock band from Leicester here in the UK, currently gigging around the Leicester area. The band offering up a blend of soft, melodic vibes of alternative rock with the power and ferocity of heavy metal. This EP is simply rather infectious, with opener 'Yellow Walls' having you bouncing of the walls of your living room - hideously catchy. 'Rage Quit' starts with a slow kinda vibe, but you know the song will explode, and it does, in a wall of metallic guitars. 'The Rhythm's Burning' is a good melodic plodder, and this is becoming a fave of mine - damn cool and another bouncy number. Another cool track, 'Lost In The Shadows' closes this awesome little offering from a band that I feel has a future, and perhaps should be looking at gigging across a wider area to extend their fanbase. This is good, check them out here and get this EP from iTunes. 8.5/10 (Dave)
GRAI..'OUR NATIVE LAND'
(Sound Age Prod) Reviewed 17th January 2012
Tell you what, this 10 track cd is good! This album from Russia appeared a short while ago, and when I was told that the album was basically Folk Metal, I wondered as to what percentage would be Folk and what percentage would be Metal. Indeed, most Folk Metal these days seems to incorporate an aggressive element. However, if you are looking for some of the "aggressive stuff" within 'Our native Land' then this may not be for you! This is happy go lucky catchy stuff, but with enough crunch to give it that 'metal feel'. Let us imagine shall we a nice camp fire on a warm summer's evening, everybody enjoying a carefree drink or whatever, linking up with what nature has to offer and listening to this album. With me so far? I think I have summed it up. There are also three ladies involved in the vocals department - the flutist and keyboardist accompany the primary vocalist on occasion, plus the odd growl from bassist Yuri. This is a solid record and is a very listenable package indeed. To be honest, this has come as a pleasant surprise. Check their Facebook out here! 8.25/10 (Dave)
HYBRID RESOLUTION..EP
(Demo) Reviewed 14th December 2011
I thought I would review this 5 track demo from Italian Band Hybrid Resolution that has been sent my way. Fronted by Monica Auditore, what we have here is 5 tracks of up tempo Symphonic Metal, the kinda music that Italy seems to be churning out by the bucket load at the moment. This is pretty good stuff nonetheless, with Monica's vocal style fitting into the Operatic mold quite nicely. The instrumental 'Ex Lux Est' kicks things off, which then is followed by the heavily orchestrated mid paced 'Free Me'. 'Passion Lost' keeps the symphonic momentum going, with the closing duo of the guitar driven and rather catchy 'Soul Reborn' and 'Wait For Me' keeping the music on track. Indeed, if you are after music that merges orchestral with symphonic metal, then take a trip to their Facebook and have a listen for yourself. Well worth checking out, 8.5/10 (Dave)
HEAVEN THE AXE..'SEX, CHUGS & ROCK N ROLL'
(Self Release) Reviewed 10th October 2011
Heaven The Axe hail from Australia and they are fronted by the rather attractive and sexy (if I may say so) Phoebe Pinnock. And this their debut cd is now officially available to anybody that wants a copy! Here we have the voice of an angel adorned in sexy leather underwear that can belt them out as good as any vocalist that I have heard for a while now, and all in the space of this 8 track CD! Imagine Cyndi Lauper goes metal, got the idea? There are not many bands that I can recall that come from the land of Oz that are fronted by a lady. Temujin springs to mind, just recently Divine Ascension too, plus another band whose name escapes me - I paid a sum of money to them some while ago for a cd, and they never mailed me one, despite further emails to them that went unanswered. Anyway, that is another story. I am sure there are other bands from down under that I have blatantly missed from the two mentioned above, but whatever, lets now add Heaven The Axe to that list. This is dirty rock n roll at it's finest, but let me assure the reader, that this is very likeable dirty rock n roll, from a band that means business from the opening bars of 'Enemy', to the closing moments of ballad 'Tails To You'. There are 8 tracks on this album, when there are copies around that only have 7, so I assume I have a bonus track on mine (presumably the aforementioned closin' track 'Tails To You'), but 7 tracks or 8 tracks, this is damn fine awesome stuff. This is top drawer from a band that looks set to stamp their authority on the music scene in their native land, and if I had my way, elsewhere too. Go to their website and get a copy of this record! 8.75/10 (Dave)
HYPOTHESIS..'NEW BEST FRIEND'
(Self Release) Reviewed 4th October 2011
'New Best Friend' is the new EP release from Midlands based rockers HYPOTHESIS featuring the dual vocals of Chris Munday and Tess McTigue. This is a pretty cool release, featuring five tracks of what I would call Alternative Metal that would certainly go down a storm live. They list their influences as Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, Perfect Circle, Tool, Dream Theater, Nightwish, NIN, Velvet Revolver and Alter Bridge, but I would myself tend to look at a Velvet Revolver and Tool type of sound. Two of my fave tracks are 'Blameless' with it's kinda 70's Led Zeppelinish Middle Eastern feel and the catchy 'My Angel', but they all plod along rather nicely with cool guitars from Carl Foster and Dylan Mathias. No ballads within the five tracks here and upon repeated listens, I do start to pick up a retro 70's feel with the music on offer. Check the band out at here, get your hippie clothes on and start dancing around the fire, this is pretty cool...8.5/10 (Dave)
GATES OF DAWN..'LUCID DREAMING'
(Sonorium) Reviewed 4th June 2011
These German gothic rock metallers fronted by Matthias and Martina cite the great British gothic bands like Paradise Lost, Sisters of Mercy and Depeche Mode as their influences, but I believe this does them a disservice. On this their third album they remind me of fellow Germans Regicide who also featured a dual vocal attack and a violinist (they were a great band, well worth checking out), as well as 80's electronic heavy rock Jethro Tull, Matthias does sound like a gothic Ian Anderson, Ayreon space prog, modern industrial metal Gary Numan, and Theatres des Vampires, especially as Martina has one of those terrific dark, deep, dulcet, deadpan, dismissive gothic voices that chills and thrills you to the bone. It's a joy to have two superb perfectly matched clean singers instead of a guy yelling his head off like so many similar bands, especially from Germany, such as one of their other influences Adversus whose male vocalist's shouting really gets on my nerves, and the English lyrics are most intriguing. Production is tremendous, suitably deep rich and powerful but crystal clear, with lots of super synth sounds. You get an amazing 16 songs weighing in at a whopping 72 minutes for your hard earned bucks, and not only is every one a cracker they are all diverse and distinctive, there is no rehashing the same formulae. The tracks often segue into each other carrying you smoothly from the catchy to the rocking to the anthemic to the darker to to the lighter to the atmospheric, so it never drags or tires, the time will fly by. They range from the soaring symphonic Crystalline', to the awesome rousing 'For You' (video on Female Voices blog), to the subtly funky title tack 'Lucid Dreaming' with its bed of boinging bass synths and Arabic violin courtesy of Tina, to the moody, tribal, rumbling 'Nobody Returns', to the strutting sexy 'Neolovers', and not surprisingly 'Treasures of Satan' brings to mind Therion. The instrumental sections show off the virtuosity and versatility of the band and are totally fascinating, there's no noodling here, plus although nothing to do with Pipers, there is also a touch of Floyd'ish' psychedelia here and there. This is a band that will appeal to a diverse cross-section of rock, metal and prog fans in addition to their traditional gothic audience. You can enter their gates at their Facebook, a most impressive 9/10 (Phil)
HIGHLAND GLORY..'TWIST OF FAITH'
(FaceFront) Reviewed 14th May 2011
The band's name conjures up images of hairy Scotsmen with nothing under their kilts tossing their cabers, but in fact they come from Scotland’s old enemy Norway far further to the north. The links are far closer than you might think, Norway held parts of Scotland throughout the early medieval period culminating in the Battle Of Largs (SW of Glasgow) in 1263 that ended in a score draw that favoured the Scots (Norway needed a win to qualify for Euro 1264), and the Norwegians retained control of the Orkney Islands until 1471, the famous Viking festival Up Helly Aa is still held there. This is their third album, the last released in 2005, but their first with a female singer leading the notorious Highland charge. Although Norway is not noted for its power metal, musically you have to draw comparisons with early Nightwish from across the border in Finland, with an injection of Iron Maiden and Power Quest. The suitably massive sound hits you like a force 10 gale blowing in off the North Sea, it's a good job that bóidheach Trine Elise Johansen possesses a pair of mighty rock lungs with crystal clear diction so that you can hear her over the tempest, she also has a perfectly glorious operatic voice as well, they have certainly found a top class singer. They open with the nuclear powered rocker 'Holocauster Ride', then comes a couple of claymore wielding anthems 'Limitation of Life' and 'Highland Temptation' (about Sharon den Adel enticing you up the trossachs ..........only joking). The next pair head into Nightwish territory, the awesome 'Sleeping Sun' esque 'Without You' with Trine in superb operatic mode, and the immense symphonic title track 'Twist of Faith' (live video on Female Voices blog). It's back to full gallop with the more folk metallish 'Far Cry From Freedom' which hurtles along faster than Bonny Prince Charlie being chased by the English with his kilt on fire, followed by the terrific powerful shuffle 'Earthbound Spirit' and the outstanding power ballad 'Diary of the Dying'. The last two are the thundering epic 'Blood of the Innocent' and a cover of the Heart ballad belter 'Alone' which showcases Trine's voice. One of the great joys of this album is the variety and moments of subtlety achieved within a consistent style and sound which elevates them above the plethora of bands who plough a single furrow. This means that I must admit that am rather impressed and pleasantly surprised by this release, I was expecting a one dimensional metal band and got something far more interesting. You get a good value 55 minutes of music that's well worth delving into your sporran for, so highland fling to their clan gathering at this location, a braveheart 8.75/10 (Phil)
GUAHO..'JOURNEY TO IXTLAN'
(Self Release) Reviewed 7th May 2011
Russian's Guaho are a cerebral symphonic metal band whose name, which means 'Secret Power' or 'Secret Ally', comes from the books of the late Carlos Castaneda, a Peruvian born American anthropologist and author of a series of books that describe his training in sorcery under the tutelage of a Yaqui (native American) man of knowledge that have sold over 8 million copies worldwide. The album title comes from his third book of the same name published in 1972, Ixtlan is a metaphorical homeland which a man with great knowledge is instinctively drawn back to but cannot because they have elevated themselves above ordinary people onto a higher plane, their wisdom has changed them changed them so much it has become almost impossible to return home and to a normal simple life. The album is in Russian and I have endeavoured to correctly translate the titles, but some are in Sanskrit and based on Buddhism, philosophy, spiritualism and mysticism which Google translate just cannot cope with, you can tell by now this is not your average Neanderthal metal band! If you are expecting it to be rather left-field, don't panic, this is highly melodic gothic metal similar in style to Delain, Apparition, Hanging Doll and perhaps some Therion but with their own unique sound featuring loads of keyboards by Andrey Petukhov Andrezz, and topped by delectable Daria 'Mau' Ivlickaâ's strong expressive semi operatic voice that veers into operatic at times. They pack a lot of variety and instrumental interest into each song with plenty of drama, tons of different keyboard sounds and a very good production sound. I particularly like the way on songs like the dynamic eponymous 'Guaho', the rampaging 'East' and the thrilling 'Pralaja' they can break into quite a gallop, creating a lot of forward momentum throughout the album. This creates a nice contrast with the more stately moody songs such as 'When the Sunsets' and 'The Age of Aquarius' (no relation to the Hair song). On the building ballad 'Twilight' and reflective 'Lullaby' composer Erewma Nagual shows that he too has a deep rich sonorous voice, the latter song with its flanged guitar arpeggios reminds me of The Damned or The Mission in their moodier moments. There are also a few narrations by Sergei Kalugin of quotes from Castaneda and Solveig Siren from the band Fear of Insomnia guests on 'Behind Some Lights (or Fires?)'. If you have reached a higher state of symphonic, gothic and prog metal consciousness but still hanker after a catchy melody then take the path of enlightenment to their website , where you can use your powers of telekinesis to download copy or teleport a CD. After much meditation, I will endow this a transcendental 8.5/10 (Phil)
GUANO APES..'BEL AIR'
(Columbia) Reviewed 9th April 2011
Guano Apes, fronted by glamorous Sandra Nasić, are back and firing on all cylinders, they did after all supply the music for the Japanese Grand Prix. This German alternative rock quartet were formed in 1994 and released three highly successful albums, hitting number 1 in their homeland and top twenty across Europe, the last being 2003's 'Walking on a Thin Line' before splitting in 2005 after a 'final' tour. Strangely, but mainly due to record company problems, this American sounding band never broke the USA. They reformed in 2009 to perform at a string of Europe's biggest outdoor festivals. They describe their music “as a heavier and more explosive version of No Doubt's ska-influenced rock”, I would call it classic alternative rock with an edge, topped by Sandra's outstanding voice that veers from soft and sweet to ferocious and forceful. They don't monkey around as they belt through a dozen groovy infectious driving rockers with massive choruses that will have you bouncing around doing the Funky Gibbon. They range from pop rockers like opener 'Sunday Lover' and lead single 'Oh What A Night' (on Female Voices blog) to the thrashing punky 'Trust' to the touch of dub in 'Fanman' to the melodic 'Fire In Your Eyes' to the dance floor filling 'She's a Killer' to bonus track 'Carol and Shine' which reminds me of Toni Basil's 'Oh Mickey'. There is certainly no guano in sight on this is a hyper commercial all killer and no filler collection that will go down a storm with old fans, as well as attracting a whole new legion of fans who were not around the first time because they stand head and shoulders above the current morass of alternative rock wannabes. Their planet can be found at here, a high octane 8.75/10 (Phil)
hAND..'BREATHING'
(Femme Metal Records) Reviewed 10th March 2011
I saw hAND fronted by Kat Ward live at the Femme Metal Fest in 2009 and I was bowled over by the band's maturity in the short set that they played. Their music was very progressive and very intense, that in turn belied their young years. I even sold a few hAND cds at that gig when their merchandise stall was for some reason left unattended for a wee while, and I just so happened to be standing by there. I did give them their rightful money by the way :) Now due for release in May, is album number 2 from this West Sussex based rock band. And it really begins where album number 1 (Deadroom Journal) left off. An interesting listening experience but very enjoyable too, with more time changes than Network Rail on a bad day! Indeed, don't expect catchy choruses and glorious hooks with this band, but the music they do play, they play very well indeed. And although they do list Within Temptation as ONE of their influences, this is no WT, this is a far more complex little cookie. Nine tracks hitting the 50 min approx mark in total, and a release for the more Progressive Rock Fan out there. Opener 'Song No B' is the shortest track on the record, while the 8 minute + 'The Neon Hero' is an instrumental, that is pretty cool to sit back and just relax too. 'FSO' starts with a cool electro beat before the progressive elements kick in. No one track really stands out here, but give the album time, and many more intricate layers will be revealed. Check them out at hAND Myspace...8.25/10 (Dave)
HYPERSONIC..'FALLEN MELODIES'
(Underground Symphony) Reviewed 8th March 2011
Speeding onto the melodic metal scene at Mach 5 is this new Italian formation fronted by lovely Alessia Rapisarda. The burners are turning red, so let's get this platter flying. The grand orchestral intro 'The Last Apocalypse' makes me think I'm in for a thrill ride and the opener 'Spirit Free' doesn't let me down, an up-tempo super-catchy mix of Sonata Arctica, Kiske/Somerville, Europe and T'Pau (the band, not Spock's grandmother), with Cher on vocals. They keep this pace up, not quite hypersonic but certainly at a fair lick with bags of enthusiasm, as they belt through a succession of number that are Infectious with a capital I, if you're not tapping your foot, then check that your leg hasn't fallen off. Alessia can really give it some welly, and joining her on a number of tracks is the perfectly complimentary voice of Jo Lombardo (Metatrone/Orion Riders). It's all ornamented by some cracking solos by keyboarder Dario Caruso and guitarist Emanuele Gangemi. The only let up is the classic power ballad 'A Beautiful Dream', and even this puts a move on. Other faves includes the first single 'Rebirth' that sticks to you brain like glue, 'Wheels of Fire' which would make a good Bond theme, the terrific 'A Lovely Creature' and the rousing 'Diamond Hope'. It's almost impossible not to like this splendidly produced and performed album, 47 minutes of highly entertaining melodic rock/metal that will leave you shouting for more more more. Jet along to their Facebook for more info and it's available pronto in the Underground Symphony's eBay shop, a racey pacey tasty 8.75/10 (Phil)
HEART OF GOLD..'BURNING WEST'
(Self Release) Reviewed 19th February 2011
Heart of Gold, or Hog for short, unofficially the band that lunches, are a Los Angeles melodic prog group featuring Tiffany LaBarbera Palmer on vocals and keys. If you start with Caravan, then add some Jellyfish, Gentle Giant, Stackridge (bash your rhubarb!), They Might Be Giants, Simon and Garfunkel, Carol King and Jamie Cullum, sprinkle generously with lashings of superb harmonies, then you might have some idea of the smorgasbord this band serves up. On the menu are 14 mini magical musical adventures, full of twists, turns and surprises. Scott Emerson's guitars veer from delicate acoustic picking to clanging discordant electric, Tiffany's piano ripples and flows, Ed LaBarbera twangs a range of acoustic upright and electric bases, and Christopher Spilbury's skilled jazz drumming holds it all together. It's almost impossible to pick out faves, but I will mention the gorgeous 'Clyde', the lovely 'Cruise to Nowhere', the sublime Simon and Garfunkel esque 'Pale Midnight', and the bluesy jazzy 'I'll See You In Hell' with Tiffany smouldering like Julie London (ask your granddad). Listening to music sometimes throws up stark contrasts. In my recent review for major label Patricia Tapia I called it 'efficient' because the backing band turned up, tuned up, they played, got paid and went home, job done. Heart of Gold have put their heart and soul into this album, the product of countless hours of individual and collective endeavour with every note carefully crafted, they would have to sell millions of copies to repay their time and effort, this is truly a labour of love. It is so refreshing to hear a young band ploughing their own furrow and creating something so original and different to the mainstream, and all done with consummate skill and professionalism. If you nodded sagely (and bashed your rhubarb!) at the list of bands I mentioned you will already be on CD Baby ordering a copy. If you were nonplussed, then give them a listen, you might be pleasantly surprised, but don't expect the conventional, and certainly not Britney Spears. Join them for lunch at Heart of Gold Facebook, a golden 8.75/10 (Phil)
HIGHLIGHT KENOSIS..'GLOWING'
(MHO RECORDS) Reviewed 30th January 2011
Romanian prog metal doesn't sound too appetising, but wait, this turns out to be a curious brew of Delain, Muse, Dream Theater and Paramore, this might sound like a strange concoction, but in the hands of this bunch it seems the most natural thing in the world, producing powerful rock/metal with extra lashings of gothic, alternative, pop and prog. Added to that sultry siren Oana Maria Stoica's vocals range from Rachel Cohen to Hayley Williams to Matthew Bellamy to Gwen Stefani to all-sorts, she's like a walking jukebox, it is no surprise she was first discovered singing karaoke in the style of her favourite singers. They were formed only two years ago by Oana and guitarist Matei Damian-Ulmu, who have both now moved to Germany, with keyboardist Alexandru Berehoi, bassist Dragos Serbanescu and drummer John Ciurea completing the line-up. They get under-way with 'Empty Dreams' which lies somewhere between Delain and Muse with it's terrific “boom boom aargh” riff. Then title track 'Glowing' starts in a similar vein before before fading into a delightful piano and guitar interlude and it ends with a superb instrumental climax. Matei's guitar work is truly remarkable, there's no aimless noodling or archetypal racing up and down the scales, instead there is purpose, variety and melody in his solos, more like Brian May, Mike Oldfield, and Matthew Bellamy. The catchy 'Final Warning' is packed with attitude and leans towards alternative rock/metal, and 'It Wasn't Love' (on Female Voices blog) combines a gorgeous gentle verse with an awesome anthemic chorus, and features more lovely piano. The Mike Oldfield esque intro to 'I Found Myself In You' gives no warning of what is about to come on this and following track 'A Drop of You', funky, groovy, jazzy, heavy, catchy, proggy, poppy, rocky and everything elsey monsters featuring fantastic solos that call for some serious air guitar. There's no rest for the wicked as they fire up the stomping strutting 'Flying Machine' with yet another cracking chorus and finally the atmospheric melodic 'Thank You For Leaving Me' brings you gently back down to earth. It is all finished off with a brilliant production job. This is awesome stuff that is bound to appeal to a diverse audience, in fact anyone who likes great rock and metal. I had better highlight their website Highlight Kenosis, and where to grab a copy to fill your kenosis, Bestial Records and Musea Records, a glowing 9.5/10 (Phil).
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HYBRID TREND..SELF TITLED 4 TRACK EP
(Self Release) Reviewed 22nd February 2012
Hybrid Trend fronted by Kirsten Chamberlain, is an alternative rock band from Leicester here in the UK, currently gigging around the Leicester area. The band offering up a blend of soft, melodic vibes of alternative rock with the power and ferocity of heavy metal. This EP is simply rather infectious, with opener 'Yellow Walls' having you bouncing of the walls of your living room - hideously catchy. 'Rage Quit' starts with a slow kinda vibe, but you know the song will explode, and it does, in a wall of metallic guitars. 'The Rhythm's Burning' is a good melodic plodder, and this is becoming a fave of mine - damn cool and another bouncy number. Another cool track, 'Lost In The Shadows' closes this awesome little offering from a band that I feel has a future, and perhaps should be looking at gigging across a wider area to extend their fanbase. This is good, check them out here and get this EP from iTunes. 8.5/10 (Dave)
GRAI..'OUR NATIVE LAND'
(Sound Age Prod) Reviewed 17th January 2012
Tell you what, this 10 track cd is good! This album from Russia appeared a short while ago, and when I was told that the album was basically Folk Metal, I wondered as to what percentage would be Folk and what percentage would be Metal. Indeed, most Folk Metal these days seems to incorporate an aggressive element. However, if you are looking for some of the "aggressive stuff" within 'Our native Land' then this may not be for you! This is happy go lucky catchy stuff, but with enough crunch to give it that 'metal feel'. Let us imagine shall we a nice camp fire on a warm summer's evening, everybody enjoying a carefree drink or whatever, linking up with what nature has to offer and listening to this album. With me so far? I think I have summed it up. There are also three ladies involved in the vocals department - the flutist and keyboardist accompany the primary vocalist on occasion, plus the odd growl from bassist Yuri. This is a solid record and is a very listenable package indeed. To be honest, this has come as a pleasant surprise. Check their Facebook out here! 8.25/10 (Dave)
HYBRID RESOLUTION..EP
(Demo) Reviewed 14th December 2011
I thought I would review this 5 track demo from Italian Band Hybrid Resolution that has been sent my way. Fronted by Monica Auditore, what we have here is 5 tracks of up tempo Symphonic Metal, the kinda music that Italy seems to be churning out by the bucket load at the moment. This is pretty good stuff nonetheless, with Monica's vocal style fitting into the Operatic mold quite nicely. The instrumental 'Ex Lux Est' kicks things off, which then is followed by the heavily orchestrated mid paced 'Free Me'. 'Passion Lost' keeps the symphonic momentum going, with the closing duo of the guitar driven and rather catchy 'Soul Reborn' and 'Wait For Me' keeping the music on track. Indeed, if you are after music that merges orchestral with symphonic metal, then take a trip to their Facebook and have a listen for yourself. Well worth checking out, 8.5/10 (Dave)
HEAVEN THE AXE..'SEX, CHUGS & ROCK N ROLL'
(Self Release) Reviewed 10th October 2011
Heaven The Axe hail from Australia and they are fronted by the rather attractive and sexy (if I may say so) Phoebe Pinnock. And this their debut cd is now officially available to anybody that wants a copy! Here we have the voice of an angel adorned in sexy leather underwear that can belt them out as good as any vocalist that I have heard for a while now, and all in the space of this 8 track CD! Imagine Cyndi Lauper goes metal, got the idea? There are not many bands that I can recall that come from the land of Oz that are fronted by a lady. Temujin springs to mind, just recently Divine Ascension too, plus another band whose name escapes me - I paid a sum of money to them some while ago for a cd, and they never mailed me one, despite further emails to them that went unanswered. Anyway, that is another story. I am sure there are other bands from down under that I have blatantly missed from the two mentioned above, but whatever, lets now add Heaven The Axe to that list. This is dirty rock n roll at it's finest, but let me assure the reader, that this is very likeable dirty rock n roll, from a band that means business from the opening bars of 'Enemy', to the closing moments of ballad 'Tails To You'. There are 8 tracks on this album, when there are copies around that only have 7, so I assume I have a bonus track on mine (presumably the aforementioned closin' track 'Tails To You'), but 7 tracks or 8 tracks, this is damn fine awesome stuff. This is top drawer from a band that looks set to stamp their authority on the music scene in their native land, and if I had my way, elsewhere too. Go to their website and get a copy of this record! 8.75/10 (Dave)
HYPOTHESIS..'NEW BEST FRIEND'
(Self Release) Reviewed 4th October 2011
'New Best Friend' is the new EP release from Midlands based rockers HYPOTHESIS featuring the dual vocals of Chris Munday and Tess McTigue. This is a pretty cool release, featuring five tracks of what I would call Alternative Metal that would certainly go down a storm live. They list their influences as Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, Perfect Circle, Tool, Dream Theater, Nightwish, NIN, Velvet Revolver and Alter Bridge, but I would myself tend to look at a Velvet Revolver and Tool type of sound. Two of my fave tracks are 'Blameless' with it's kinda 70's Led Zeppelinish Middle Eastern feel and the catchy 'My Angel', but they all plod along rather nicely with cool guitars from Carl Foster and Dylan Mathias. No ballads within the five tracks here and upon repeated listens, I do start to pick up a retro 70's feel with the music on offer. Check the band out at here, get your hippie clothes on and start dancing around the fire, this is pretty cool...8.5/10 (Dave)
GATES OF DAWN..'LUCID DREAMING'
(Sonorium) Reviewed 4th June 2011
These German gothic rock metallers fronted by Matthias and Martina cite the great British gothic bands like Paradise Lost, Sisters of Mercy and Depeche Mode as their influences, but I believe this does them a disservice. On this their third album they remind me of fellow Germans Regicide who also featured a dual vocal attack and a violinist (they were a great band, well worth checking out), as well as 80's electronic heavy rock Jethro Tull, Matthias does sound like a gothic Ian Anderson, Ayreon space prog, modern industrial metal Gary Numan, and Theatres des Vampires, especially as Martina has one of those terrific dark, deep, dulcet, deadpan, dismissive gothic voices that chills and thrills you to the bone. It's a joy to have two superb perfectly matched clean singers instead of a guy yelling his head off like so many similar bands, especially from Germany, such as one of their other influences Adversus whose male vocalist's shouting really gets on my nerves, and the English lyrics are most intriguing. Production is tremendous, suitably deep rich and powerful but crystal clear, with lots of super synth sounds. You get an amazing 16 songs weighing in at a whopping 72 minutes for your hard earned bucks, and not only is every one a cracker they are all diverse and distinctive, there is no rehashing the same formulae. The tracks often segue into each other carrying you smoothly from the catchy to the rocking to the anthemic to the darker to to the lighter to the atmospheric, so it never drags or tires, the time will fly by. They range from the soaring symphonic Crystalline', to the awesome rousing 'For You' (video on Female Voices blog), to the subtly funky title tack 'Lucid Dreaming' with its bed of boinging bass synths and Arabic violin courtesy of Tina, to the moody, tribal, rumbling 'Nobody Returns', to the strutting sexy 'Neolovers', and not surprisingly 'Treasures of Satan' brings to mind Therion. The instrumental sections show off the virtuosity and versatility of the band and are totally fascinating, there's no noodling here, plus although nothing to do with Pipers, there is also a touch of Floyd'ish' psychedelia here and there. This is a band that will appeal to a diverse cross-section of rock, metal and prog fans in addition to their traditional gothic audience. You can enter their gates at their Facebook, a most impressive 9/10 (Phil)
HIGHLAND GLORY..'TWIST OF FAITH'
(FaceFront) Reviewed 14th May 2011
The band's name conjures up images of hairy Scotsmen with nothing under their kilts tossing their cabers, but in fact they come from Scotland’s old enemy Norway far further to the north. The links are far closer than you might think, Norway held parts of Scotland throughout the early medieval period culminating in the Battle Of Largs (SW of Glasgow) in 1263 that ended in a score draw that favoured the Scots (Norway needed a win to qualify for Euro 1264), and the Norwegians retained control of the Orkney Islands until 1471, the famous Viking festival Up Helly Aa is still held there. This is their third album, the last released in 2005, but their first with a female singer leading the notorious Highland charge. Although Norway is not noted for its power metal, musically you have to draw comparisons with early Nightwish from across the border in Finland, with an injection of Iron Maiden and Power Quest. The suitably massive sound hits you like a force 10 gale blowing in off the North Sea, it's a good job that bóidheach Trine Elise Johansen possesses a pair of mighty rock lungs with crystal clear diction so that you can hear her over the tempest, she also has a perfectly glorious operatic voice as well, they have certainly found a top class singer. They open with the nuclear powered rocker 'Holocauster Ride', then comes a couple of claymore wielding anthems 'Limitation of Life' and 'Highland Temptation' (about Sharon den Adel enticing you up the trossachs ..........only joking). The next pair head into Nightwish territory, the awesome 'Sleeping Sun' esque 'Without You' with Trine in superb operatic mode, and the immense symphonic title track 'Twist of Faith' (live video on Female Voices blog). It's back to full gallop with the more folk metallish 'Far Cry From Freedom' which hurtles along faster than Bonny Prince Charlie being chased by the English with his kilt on fire, followed by the terrific powerful shuffle 'Earthbound Spirit' and the outstanding power ballad 'Diary of the Dying'. The last two are the thundering epic 'Blood of the Innocent' and a cover of the Heart ballad belter 'Alone' which showcases Trine's voice. One of the great joys of this album is the variety and moments of subtlety achieved within a consistent style and sound which elevates them above the plethora of bands who plough a single furrow. This means that I must admit that am rather impressed and pleasantly surprised by this release, I was expecting a one dimensional metal band and got something far more interesting. You get a good value 55 minutes of music that's well worth delving into your sporran for, so highland fling to their clan gathering at this location, a braveheart 8.75/10 (Phil)
GUAHO..'JOURNEY TO IXTLAN'
(Self Release) Reviewed 7th May 2011
Russian's Guaho are a cerebral symphonic metal band whose name, which means 'Secret Power' or 'Secret Ally', comes from the books of the late Carlos Castaneda, a Peruvian born American anthropologist and author of a series of books that describe his training in sorcery under the tutelage of a Yaqui (native American) man of knowledge that have sold over 8 million copies worldwide. The album title comes from his third book of the same name published in 1972, Ixtlan is a metaphorical homeland which a man with great knowledge is instinctively drawn back to but cannot because they have elevated themselves above ordinary people onto a higher plane, their wisdom has changed them changed them so much it has become almost impossible to return home and to a normal simple life. The album is in Russian and I have endeavoured to correctly translate the titles, but some are in Sanskrit and based on Buddhism, philosophy, spiritualism and mysticism which Google translate just cannot cope with, you can tell by now this is not your average Neanderthal metal band! If you are expecting it to be rather left-field, don't panic, this is highly melodic gothic metal similar in style to Delain, Apparition, Hanging Doll and perhaps some Therion but with their own unique sound featuring loads of keyboards by Andrey Petukhov Andrezz, and topped by delectable Daria 'Mau' Ivlickaâ's strong expressive semi operatic voice that veers into operatic at times. They pack a lot of variety and instrumental interest into each song with plenty of drama, tons of different keyboard sounds and a very good production sound. I particularly like the way on songs like the dynamic eponymous 'Guaho', the rampaging 'East' and the thrilling 'Pralaja' they can break into quite a gallop, creating a lot of forward momentum throughout the album. This creates a nice contrast with the more stately moody songs such as 'When the Sunsets' and 'The Age of Aquarius' (no relation to the Hair song). On the building ballad 'Twilight' and reflective 'Lullaby' composer Erewma Nagual shows that he too has a deep rich sonorous voice, the latter song with its flanged guitar arpeggios reminds me of The Damned or The Mission in their moodier moments. There are also a few narrations by Sergei Kalugin of quotes from Castaneda and Solveig Siren from the band Fear of Insomnia guests on 'Behind Some Lights (or Fires?)'. If you have reached a higher state of symphonic, gothic and prog metal consciousness but still hanker after a catchy melody then take the path of enlightenment to their website , where you can use your powers of telekinesis to download copy or teleport a CD. After much meditation, I will endow this a transcendental 8.5/10 (Phil)
GUANO APES..'BEL AIR'
(Columbia) Reviewed 9th April 2011
Guano Apes, fronted by glamorous Sandra Nasić, are back and firing on all cylinders, they did after all supply the music for the Japanese Grand Prix. This German alternative rock quartet were formed in 1994 and released three highly successful albums, hitting number 1 in their homeland and top twenty across Europe, the last being 2003's 'Walking on a Thin Line' before splitting in 2005 after a 'final' tour. Strangely, but mainly due to record company problems, this American sounding band never broke the USA. They reformed in 2009 to perform at a string of Europe's biggest outdoor festivals. They describe their music “as a heavier and more explosive version of No Doubt's ska-influenced rock”, I would call it classic alternative rock with an edge, topped by Sandra's outstanding voice that veers from soft and sweet to ferocious and forceful. They don't monkey around as they belt through a dozen groovy infectious driving rockers with massive choruses that will have you bouncing around doing the Funky Gibbon. They range from pop rockers like opener 'Sunday Lover' and lead single 'Oh What A Night' (on Female Voices blog) to the thrashing punky 'Trust' to the touch of dub in 'Fanman' to the melodic 'Fire In Your Eyes' to the dance floor filling 'She's a Killer' to bonus track 'Carol and Shine' which reminds me of Toni Basil's 'Oh Mickey'. There is certainly no guano in sight on this is a hyper commercial all killer and no filler collection that will go down a storm with old fans, as well as attracting a whole new legion of fans who were not around the first time because they stand head and shoulders above the current morass of alternative rock wannabes. Their planet can be found at here, a high octane 8.75/10 (Phil)
hAND..'BREATHING'
(Femme Metal Records) Reviewed 10th March 2011
I saw hAND fronted by Kat Ward live at the Femme Metal Fest in 2009 and I was bowled over by the band's maturity in the short set that they played. Their music was very progressive and very intense, that in turn belied their young years. I even sold a few hAND cds at that gig when their merchandise stall was for some reason left unattended for a wee while, and I just so happened to be standing by there. I did give them their rightful money by the way :) Now due for release in May, is album number 2 from this West Sussex based rock band. And it really begins where album number 1 (Deadroom Journal) left off. An interesting listening experience but very enjoyable too, with more time changes than Network Rail on a bad day! Indeed, don't expect catchy choruses and glorious hooks with this band, but the music they do play, they play very well indeed. And although they do list Within Temptation as ONE of their influences, this is no WT, this is a far more complex little cookie. Nine tracks hitting the 50 min approx mark in total, and a release for the more Progressive Rock Fan out there. Opener 'Song No B' is the shortest track on the record, while the 8 minute + 'The Neon Hero' is an instrumental, that is pretty cool to sit back and just relax too. 'FSO' starts with a cool electro beat before the progressive elements kick in. No one track really stands out here, but give the album time, and many more intricate layers will be revealed. Check them out at hAND Myspace...8.25/10 (Dave)
HYPERSONIC..'FALLEN MELODIES'
(Underground Symphony) Reviewed 8th March 2011
Speeding onto the melodic metal scene at Mach 5 is this new Italian formation fronted by lovely Alessia Rapisarda. The burners are turning red, so let's get this platter flying. The grand orchestral intro 'The Last Apocalypse' makes me think I'm in for a thrill ride and the opener 'Spirit Free' doesn't let me down, an up-tempo super-catchy mix of Sonata Arctica, Kiske/Somerville, Europe and T'Pau (the band, not Spock's grandmother), with Cher on vocals. They keep this pace up, not quite hypersonic but certainly at a fair lick with bags of enthusiasm, as they belt through a succession of number that are Infectious with a capital I, if you're not tapping your foot, then check that your leg hasn't fallen off. Alessia can really give it some welly, and joining her on a number of tracks is the perfectly complimentary voice of Jo Lombardo (Metatrone/Orion Riders). It's all ornamented by some cracking solos by keyboarder Dario Caruso and guitarist Emanuele Gangemi. The only let up is the classic power ballad 'A Beautiful Dream', and even this puts a move on. Other faves includes the first single 'Rebirth' that sticks to you brain like glue, 'Wheels of Fire' which would make a good Bond theme, the terrific 'A Lovely Creature' and the rousing 'Diamond Hope'. It's almost impossible not to like this splendidly produced and performed album, 47 minutes of highly entertaining melodic rock/metal that will leave you shouting for more more more. Jet along to their Facebook for more info and it's available pronto in the Underground Symphony's eBay shop, a racey pacey tasty 8.75/10 (Phil)
HEART OF GOLD..'BURNING WEST'
(Self Release) Reviewed 19th February 2011
Heart of Gold, or Hog for short, unofficially the band that lunches, are a Los Angeles melodic prog group featuring Tiffany LaBarbera Palmer on vocals and keys. If you start with Caravan, then add some Jellyfish, Gentle Giant, Stackridge (bash your rhubarb!), They Might Be Giants, Simon and Garfunkel, Carol King and Jamie Cullum, sprinkle generously with lashings of superb harmonies, then you might have some idea of the smorgasbord this band serves up. On the menu are 14 mini magical musical adventures, full of twists, turns and surprises. Scott Emerson's guitars veer from delicate acoustic picking to clanging discordant electric, Tiffany's piano ripples and flows, Ed LaBarbera twangs a range of acoustic upright and electric bases, and Christopher Spilbury's skilled jazz drumming holds it all together. It's almost impossible to pick out faves, but I will mention the gorgeous 'Clyde', the lovely 'Cruise to Nowhere', the sublime Simon and Garfunkel esque 'Pale Midnight', and the bluesy jazzy 'I'll See You In Hell' with Tiffany smouldering like Julie London (ask your granddad). Listening to music sometimes throws up stark contrasts. In my recent review for major label Patricia Tapia I called it 'efficient' because the backing band turned up, tuned up, they played, got paid and went home, job done. Heart of Gold have put their heart and soul into this album, the product of countless hours of individual and collective endeavour with every note carefully crafted, they would have to sell millions of copies to repay their time and effort, this is truly a labour of love. It is so refreshing to hear a young band ploughing their own furrow and creating something so original and different to the mainstream, and all done with consummate skill and professionalism. If you nodded sagely (and bashed your rhubarb!) at the list of bands I mentioned you will already be on CD Baby ordering a copy. If you were nonplussed, then give them a listen, you might be pleasantly surprised, but don't expect the conventional, and certainly not Britney Spears. Join them for lunch at Heart of Gold Facebook, a golden 8.75/10 (Phil)
HIGHLIGHT KENOSIS..'GLOWING'
(MHO RECORDS) Reviewed 30th January 2011
Romanian prog metal doesn't sound too appetising, but wait, this turns out to be a curious brew of Delain, Muse, Dream Theater and Paramore, this might sound like a strange concoction, but in the hands of this bunch it seems the most natural thing in the world, producing powerful rock/metal with extra lashings of gothic, alternative, pop and prog. Added to that sultry siren Oana Maria Stoica's vocals range from Rachel Cohen to Hayley Williams to Matthew Bellamy to Gwen Stefani to all-sorts, she's like a walking jukebox, it is no surprise she was first discovered singing karaoke in the style of her favourite singers. They were formed only two years ago by Oana and guitarist Matei Damian-Ulmu, who have both now moved to Germany, with keyboardist Alexandru Berehoi, bassist Dragos Serbanescu and drummer John Ciurea completing the line-up. They get under-way with 'Empty Dreams' which lies somewhere between Delain and Muse with it's terrific “boom boom aargh” riff. Then title track 'Glowing' starts in a similar vein before before fading into a delightful piano and guitar interlude and it ends with a superb instrumental climax. Matei's guitar work is truly remarkable, there's no aimless noodling or archetypal racing up and down the scales, instead there is purpose, variety and melody in his solos, more like Brian May, Mike Oldfield, and Matthew Bellamy. The catchy 'Final Warning' is packed with attitude and leans towards alternative rock/metal, and 'It Wasn't Love' (on Female Voices blog) combines a gorgeous gentle verse with an awesome anthemic chorus, and features more lovely piano. The Mike Oldfield esque intro to 'I Found Myself In You' gives no warning of what is about to come on this and following track 'A Drop of You', funky, groovy, jazzy, heavy, catchy, proggy, poppy, rocky and everything elsey monsters featuring fantastic solos that call for some serious air guitar. There's no rest for the wicked as they fire up the stomping strutting 'Flying Machine' with yet another cracking chorus and finally the atmospheric melodic 'Thank You For Leaving Me' brings you gently back down to earth. It is all finished off with a brilliant production job. This is awesome stuff that is bound to appeal to a diverse audience, in fact anyone who likes great rock and metal. I had better highlight their website Highlight Kenosis, and where to grab a copy to fill your kenosis, Bestial Records and Musea Records, a glowing 9.5/10 (Phil).
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