ABANDON- Time Served (Strength Records)
What a nice compilation album this is of ABANDON! The band has captured HALLOWEEN members Brian Thomas, George Neal and Bill Whyte in their previous line up, which was the main reason for purchasing these CDs. The music is groovy, capturing the metal sound of today, instead of the old true metal spirit of HALLOWEEN. Nowadays ABANDON exists without HALLOWEEN members, but the music still remains interesting. Like I mentioned before, we’re dealing with some kind of compilation album here, consistsing of various material ranging from 1993 to 2005. I don’t know, if it is the voice of Brian Thomas that I liked best in the first couple of songs on this CD. That’s the only reason I can think of, because the overall sound is quite the same. Especially the song “Religion” is very strong, in my opinion. It could very well be on one of HALLOWEEN’s demos. Don’t get me wrong. The other songs without Brian’s vocals are sure worth listening to also. “Reach” for example is very groovy and sounds a bit like BLACK LABEL SOCIETY jamming with PANTERA. Can you feel the groove already? The bonus tracks consist of a song from the “Embryo’s” demo and another song from 1995, re-recorded in 2004 by Brian Thomas and Shawn Moore. A great overview of what ABANDON is all about, eleven tracks and worthy of forty minutes of groovy US metal.
(8/10- Toine van Poorten)
ABANDON- Project Unreality (Strength Records)
This five tracker contains twenty minutes of groovy metal by this Detroit based band. Among these five songs, we hear a track, called “Reach”, which was also to be found on the compilation CD “Time Served”. Again, it’s definately one of the highlights on this MCD. “In Sorrow” has got the right groove and attitude, although with a bit more power, the song would be much better to comprehend for me. Bill Whyte performed all the drum tracks on these songs. His innovative drumparts stand out very well in opener “Awakened”. Whereas the vocal parts in “Unreality” sound like METALLICA (new style) to me, the song has got a great groove. Although this is not exactly the sound that I am looking for, it’s good enough to have a listen to.Visit their website at: http://www.abandonmetal.com.
(7/10- Toine van Poorten)
ABANDON- Abandon (Strength Records)
This the new full-length release of ABANDON, as it consists today. The band from Detroit has got a rich history and because of the connections they have with HALLOWEEN, I know they’re worth checking out. On this album are fourteen songs with a total length of a little bit over one full hour. I would describe the music of ABANDON 2006 as a mix between RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, METALLICA (new style) and PANTERA (groovy riffs). I like the mood and speed changes in a song like “Hide” a lot, and it’s these small things, that lifts the band up to a higher level. Same goes for the song “Monster”, which is another highlight on this album. “Gone Away” sounds a bit softer, but with last song “Sorry” we have another highlight on this album. Again I would like to say, that this is maybe not the kind of music that I prefer to listen to most, but it’s sure worth checking out, because of the link they have with the real monsters from Detroit; HALLOWEEN. Website: http://www.abandonmetal.com.
(7,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
ATTACKER- The Unknown (Sentinel Steel)
I prepare myself for the unknown, when pushing the ‘play’ button on my stereo set. Fifty minutes later, including two minutes to come to my senses, I know that ATTACKER did it again! They’ve recorded another old school US metal album, which comes close to their “Second’s Coming” release. Vocalist Bob Mitchell screams “This Is Power” in the opener of this fourth album by New Jersey’s pride of heavy metal, ATTACKER. From there on, I’ve got his point. This will become a real heavy ride for the listener, who dares to expose himself to the earsplitting power of the five attackers on your eardrums. Sometimes I hear some resemblance with OVERKILL’s Bobby Elsworth, like for example in “Anger Agression”. Bob’s voice has got the same anger and aggression, which explains the title perfectly. In some parts he also sounds like my all-time hero Brian Thomas of HALLOWEEN. In “Nail it Down”, drummer Mike Sabattini sounds like an uncaged animal. What a mean intro! Some drummers are invisible and they only keep the rhythm together. Mike however is very innovative and he constantly asks the listener for their attention with his fills. While the guitar players are in battle with each other all the time, like they are competitors. At the end we have two winners, in this uneven battle. The long “Devil’s War” is a true masterpiece. I like epic songs like this. It slowly builds itself up to a real classic. The guitarwork is absolutely mindblowing. The artwork for the CD is also very well done, and asks for some special attention. The clock we see is different than the normal time indication. And who’s this mysterious, ‘unknown’ person in front of the window, with the icely breath? Will this man, who desperately grabs his head in anger, survive the attack of the unknown? These are questions, that are running through my head, while listening to the music and reading the CD booklet. The CD contains three bonus tracks. One of them is the short instrumental track “Tieneblas”. ATTACKER can be really proud of their new album, which they will present in their homecountry during some live shows with HALLOWEEN (the true Gods of US Metal from Detroit) and ELIXIR (the true Gods of NWOBHM from London, England). And I still hear people say, that heavy metal is as dead as a doornail. I bet, they’ve never witnessed “The Unknown”, because it will change their opinion right away. Website: http://www.attacker.tv.
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
AXEHAMMER- Lord Of The Realm (Sentinel Steel Records)
Their album “No More Changes” sadly never saw the light of day. So we consider “Lords Of The Realm” as the debut of L.A. based U.S. metal band AXEHAMMER. The nine songs here have a total playing time of about forty minutes. “Princess” opens the album in an old Maidenesque way. While in “Lord Of The Realm”, we hear the icely high laughs of Bill Ramp, one of his characteristic horror outings. At least, when we saw him live at the Keep It True festival in Germany. After a balladesque intro, “Break Down The Walls” develops itself into a fast headbanger. In “Axehammer”, which opens with a spoken word intro, we hear the laugh of Bill Ramp once more. “Axehammer” was actually the first song to see the light of day on a compilation called “Satan’s Revenge”, released by New Renaissance Records in 1984. Jerry Watt plays several superb lead solos in this song and there’s a wonderful break near the end of the song, showing that AXEHAMMER is much more than just another average US metal band. They have a good singer and a great guitar player. The rhythm section consists of Joe Aghassi on drums and Kit Carlson on bass. The bonus tracks on this album are “Wings Of Fire” and “Sword And Shield”, both introduced by a radio commercial for a live show of AXEHAMMER together with MANGE, WANTED BREED and AGENT STEEL. These bonus tracks were recorded in 1984 with Mark Sky on drums, instead of Joe Aghassi. The last song is the 1984 demo version of “Axehammer”. Cult material and finally available on CD. Read on for more AXEHAMMER in the review of their new album “Windrider”.
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
AXEHAMMER- Windrider (Sentinel Steel Records)
The CD cover pictures the ‘Metal Giant’, which has been the mascot of AXEHAMMER for many years now. This album shows, what the release of old material can lead to. While “Lord Of The Realm” contained material, that was eating dust for a long time, this is their new material. However, I must admit, that it sounds like it was written in the mid-eighties. Powerful heavy metal enters my room, when listening to opener “Stand Up And Fight”. AXEHAMMER is back and for many old school fans, this sounds like a dream come true! It’s not some kind of a reunion either… On the contrary, this line up contains three out of four official AXEHAMMER members. We still have Bill Ramp on vocals, Jerry Watt on guitars, Joe Aghassi on drums and the new person in the band is Colin Sauers on bass. The band still breathes the well-known JUDAS PRIEST power, including some old school ACCEPT riffs and drum rolls. “Rise Up” opens with a short spoken word part. It’s good to hear, that the band succeeded in capturing today’s power on a silver disc. And what about the horror laughs of good ol’ Billy Ramp? Well, listen very carefully to the beginning of “Back For Vengeance” and “Dancing With Demons”, and you’ll definitely hear them. To me, they have become the singer’s trademark, who has got the voice of an opera singer, reaching many octaves. He focusses on the sound of a metal singer here of course, but he proved that he can do so much more with his voice during live shows. Bill uses his hoarse voice in a song, called “Power”. Quite remarkable in the sound of AXEHAMMER is, that their main influences are from European bands, and it is sometimes hard to believe that we are dealing with a US metal band. Fans of JUDAS PRIEST can’t go wrong, when listening to this material. Although the recognisable voice of Rob Halford is not there, their music shows some resemblance here and there. At least, they have got the same power as the metal Gods. Just listen to the riffs in “Dancing With Demons”. It’s like listening to the well-known riffs of “Screaming For Vengeance”. The ten songs have a total playing time of about forty-five minutes, and in fact I didn’t hear a weak moment at all on this album. An album, that was pre-produced by NEW EDEN’s Horacio Colmares, who also made it possible that the old demo recordings of AXEHAMMER got transferred to CD. Beware of the Windrider, because he will attack you soon, armed with axe and hammer!
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
BENEDICTUM- Uncreation (Locumotive Music/Rock Inc.)
The gossip is really true! That’s my conclusion after hearing these eleven tracks and fifty-five minutes of mighty fine heavy metal on this debut disc. BENEDICTUM certainly is the next hot band in the metal scene. The band started their career as BOUND, and they hail from San Diego, California, where bands like WARRIOR, ROUGH CUTT and the mighty PSYCHOTIK WALTZ are also from. The sound of BENEDICTUM is fresh and it contains some influences of SAVATAGE (“Benedictum” and the long and great sounding “Valkyrie Rising”) and DIO, but they gave the original sound of these bands a new, fresh boost. Raw riffs are mixed with pounding metal drums and chanting vocal lines (in the style of DIO). Taking their sound a little bit away from the traditional themes, you might expect. BENEDICTUM consists of Pete Wells on guitar, Chris Morgan on keyboards, Blackie Sanchez on drums, Jesse Wright on bass and Veronica Freeman on vocals. Veronica is not a new name in the scene. She used to sing in a band called MALADY. Pete Wells also played in MALADY, by the way. The band has been discovered by DIO guitar player Craig Goldy, and the album was produced by DOKKEN bass player Jeff Pilson. It’s always good to have some well-known friends in this business and they also look good on your CV. Not that they need this, because when it comes to creating good new songs, they still have to do everything by themselves of course. And that is something, you can definitely leave up to BENEDICTUM, if you’d ask my opinion. On “Uncreation”, you’ll also be able to enjoy two BLACK SABBATH (DIO-era) covers. Halfway the album, you’ll find a long version of “Heaven And Hell”. At first you won’t recognise this classic anthem, which proves that they have given their own twist to it. I would instantly recognise the original in the very first seconds, but this time I had to listen carefully, and finally when the vocals started, it became obvious that this was the SABBATH classic, that they were covering here. At the end of the CD, they do the same with “The Mob Rules”. They don’t make songs like that anymore in 2005, so why don’t you give this expensive heritage back to the youth of today with new versions (or covers, if you like). Good thinking, especially when you can say that you added your own vision to the song, and gave it your special mark, like BENEDICTUM did. This album is an essential buy for every metal fan of today, who has got a big place in his heart for traditional metal bands as well. BENEDICTUM brings the metal back to San Diego, and we love them for that. Brilliant release!
P.S. : If you want to read an interview with BENEDICTUM, go to the website of Metal Maidens at http://www.metalmaidens.com.
(8/10- Toine van Poorten)
BLACK STEEL- Hellhammer (Steelheart Records)
Maybe this second full-length album of our Australian friends BLACK STEEL is even better than their debut release. This is true metal to the max, without rudely copying every standard riff from the book. On the contrary, the band knows how to survive with strong riffs, great axework and a singer, who can sing ballads and powerful songs as well. The band asks for your attention all the time. For example, if you think, that “Relentless Force” is the second ballad off the album, you’re absolutely wrong. Okay, it starts out as a BON JOVI type of tearjerker, and just before you want to skip on to the next song, the tempo starts to go up and the power of another strong true metal song starts to grow. It reminds me of the way, that the mighty band PEGAZUS used to handle these kind of songs. They also constantly knew to surprise their listeners. It must be something in the water in Australia, I guess. Most other albums start to loose their power in the second half, but there are a few strong survivors to be found at the end of “Hellhammer” as well. I think about “The Holy Devil” here for example, which is certainly one of the highlights of the album. Again they start this song like a ballad, but soon they change it into a real heavy rocker! BLACK STEEL surprised me again with a great album. Please give some attention to the great artwork on the CD cover. Talk about true metal to the max here. BLACK STEEL has got it all, a great CD and the right attitude - and that’s final!
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
CHOZZEN PHATE- Chozzen Phate (Counter Attack Records)
Another band, of which we only know a line up. This time it’s in the US metal style. CHOZZEN PHATE is from San Antonio, Texas. Where else? Their five track LP is a real must for fans of bands like old style FATES WARNING, SA SLAYER, HELLSTAR, MILITIA and WATCHTOWER. The guitarwork is f*cking fabulous, and singer Paul Deleon regularly screams his lungs out. That’s the way, we’d like to hear it. The songs are longer than average, ranging from five to seven and a half minutes, and full with exciting speed changes. Especially their singer will quite atonish you, I guess. Besides Paul, we hear John R. Castin on guitar, Reno Ozzram on guitar, Ted Wawrzyniak on bass and Joe Anthony Cramanti on drums. I keep on asking myself, how the hell it is possible, that a band like this never got famous. Just listen to the magic sound of “Lost Forever” on the B-side of this album, and you’ll know why the rating of this rough diamond is so high. Closer “The Ing” is another classic tune, which never received the recognition of a bigger audience. A real shame, considering the high potential this band shows us here. John Castin played in SYRUS, before joining CHOZZEN PHATE. The band started off their career, and in 1994 they pulled the plug. Much too soon, in my opinion, because this is the stuff the Texas metal scene is so well known about in the underground scene.
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
CRESCENT SHIELD- The Last Of My Kind
(Cruz Del Sur Music)
CRESCENT SHIELD already exists for a while. They were founded in 2000. Back then, the band was still not much more of a project. But when ONWARD decided to split up in 2003, the project became a real band. CRESCENT SHIELD consists of Dan DeLucie (ex-DESTINY'S END) on guitars and backing vocals, Michael Grant (ex-ONWARD ) on vocals, Craig Anderson (ex-IGNITE / ENGINE) on drums and bass 'beast' Melanie Sisneros (ex-NEW EDEN, THE IRON MAIDENS, SINERGY) completes the line up of this pure true metal outfit. Fans of NEW EDEN, DESTINY'S END and ONWARD don't have to hesitate. They can dig in without any doubt. Other influences, that I hear are from HELSTAR, JAG PANZER, MANILLA ROAD, early MAIDEN and early PRIEST, and perhaps the Australian metal band PEGAZUS. "The Last Of My Kind" is an ode to true metal, containing eleven songs and it lasts about fifty minutes. When the epic metal songs enters my room, I slowly start to raise my fists in the air. CRESCENT SHIELD has released one helluva album, which will surely get the adrenaline flowing through your veins. No wonder, when you have such veterans in your line up, although this doesn't always tell you anything about the musical direction of the band. Covered in beautiful artwork, this CD is a real 'must have' for all true metal warriors out there. Let the CRESCENT SHIELD guide you through the battlefield in real life. I am sure, you won't be able to find a better protection, because it's made of some of the purest metal around. Website: http://www.crescentshield.com.
(8/10- Toine van Poorten)
CROSS- Metal From Above (Steel Legacy Records)
Yet another rough diamond appears on vinyl. This time, it is the heavenly CROSS, a white metal band, who recorded these songs already in 1986. I always considered white metal as high quality music. But I also must confess, that I’ve only been interested in their music and not really in their holy message. If they would have sung about satan, I probably would have liked it, too. The music on this album sounds just awesome! Starting off with an instrumental tune, called “Sign Of The Cross”, comparable to for example the IRON MAIDEN classic “Transylvania”. However, CROSS certainly develops a style of their own, which has some influences of the old FATES WARNING and very early IRON MAIDEN sound. Just listen to titletrack “Metal From Above” and “Deliverance” and you’ll know what I mean. “The Ascension” sounds a bit slower though and could even be categorised as doomy. The first five songs on the album are taken from their demo, while the last three songs were recorded live at the Palace in Alberquerque. Clearly, we are dealing with a very promising band here and they also like to show us the more heavy side of the band. “Black Death” is almost a speed metal track. The lack of money kept the band from releasing an official album. Twenty years later, Steel Legacy rediscovered this rough diamond and released it on vinyl, thank heavens. “Final Journey” is one of the highlights from the album. It’s a good example of how to write an exciting epic metal anthem with a message. CROSS consisted of Steve Cano on drums, Mike Cano on bass, James Sanches on vocals, Tom Salas on guitar and Henry Chavez on guitar. I must warn you though, that the quality of the live songs is not that great. You could even call it poor, but it’s the exclusivity that counts. Throughout the years, I discovered a lot of interesting bands by demo tapes/CDs, that sounded much worse than this, so I’m more than fine to check out the band’s live abilities here as well. CROSS is a band, that might have been remembered by their name only, if someone didn’t take the time to release their stuff on vinyl. Now we can also remember what they sounded like. People, who are also interested in the message of the band can read the lyrics on the sheet, that comes with the album.
(8/10- Toine van Poorten)
DEADLY BLESSING- An Eye To The Past (Hellion Records)
I stood there and watched with my mouth wide open, a couple of months ago at the Keep It True festival in Germany. Now, that same feeling grabs me again, when listening to “An Eye To The Past”. Opener “Search And Destroy” is a true classic already. Biggest trademark of the band are the high, pinching vocals of Ski, who shows us that he’s a wonderful singer. That the band is also capable of writing some great metal songs, is made clear to us in a long anthem, called “Demise Of Faust”, comparable to the PURGATORY classic “Dante’s Inferno” for example. “Queen Of Sin” is a great song to sing along to during their shows, and “Headed For Disaster” is another cool song with the great vocals of Ski. “Cry Of Medusa” opens with the icely screams of MR Ski. What a great throat! Not too many singers are able to impress me more by their vocal abilities, than this man. And I should almost forget these great twin solos too. A good example of the quality of the axemasters is also given in “Cry Of Medusa”. A lot of power gets unleashed in “Warrior Unknown” and perhaps even more in “Immortal”, which sounds real close to the old sound of ICED EARTH for me. The CD closes with great versions of “Still In Vengeance” and “Strange Twist Of Fate”. Man oh man, metal can be so beautiful. This CD is a must to every devoted US metal fan out there. It’s “An Eye To The Past” and a whole future still lies ahead of them! DEADLY BLESSING consists of Ski (who also sings in FAITH FACTOR, his Christian power metal band!) on vocals, Nick Douglas on bass (who also plays with DORO and BLAZE), Tony Sgro on guitars (who is also a singer in his new band INSEX & ANGELS), Tom Umba on guitars (who also performs in a band called SOUL BE IT) and Wayne Sigman on drums (who also plays in Philly based band LECOMPT). This CD is really a (deadly) blessing to your ears. http://www.deadlyblessing.com.
(10/10- Toine van Poorten)
GRAVEN IMAGE- People In Hell Still Need Ice Water (independent)
Very high vocals and a powerful beat. Okay, you have my attention. “Warn The Children” is a great opener on this compilation album of GRAVEN IMAGE. It captures some songs of the band, recorded in 1982 already, the picture disc version of “Warn The Children” / “No Rest For The Wicked” and “The Dungeon Demos”. All together worthy of twelve great old school US Metal songs and a playing time of about fifty-five minutes. The sound of the demo recordings is a bit stuffy and softer than the other songs, but it’s the exclusivity that counts with these kind of products. The big man behind GRAVEN IMAGE is Rob Griffin. He has put this all together. The underground sound, this band created, has got some influences of old school IRON MAIDEN (Paul Di Anno era) here and there. Just listen to the way “Wings Of War” is build up, for example. But then with a singer with a much higher voice. “Locked And Loaded” has a heavy drum sound and is build upon some strong, solid riffs. Most of the demo songs are instrumentals, but they still give you a good idea of the strength of this band. One of the highlights is “Graven Image” / “Fool’s Tomorrow”, a medley of two songs, that starts slowly and ends with an uptempo part in the second song. I wonder, what it would sound like with lyrics. Now it’s more like a long instrumental jam of about seven and a half minutes, yet still sounding very exciting. The CD, which is also available on vinyl, sold many copies at the metal market at the Keep It True festival last April. I think, we can talk about a real cult classic here, that is a must for every devoted US Metal freak out there. For more info, visit: http://www.rockhausrecords.com.
(8,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
HALLOWEEN- Evil Pieces 6/6/6 (MGM Records)
When the band starts off with “Angel Of Evil” on this twenty minutes six tracker, I am already gone! The sound of the Detroit based HALLOWEEN, in combination with their world famous horror show is simply unbeatable! And to me, they are one of the ultimate US metal acts out there. It’s a short song, which contains all the ingredients that you need for a good metal song. Great singing, a good guitar solo and played at full speed. “Hell” contains a bit more PANTERA like grooves, but the voice of Brian Thomas is so recognisable, turning it into another fine HALLOWEEN classic. After that we hear three ‘old classics’ in a stunning 2006 version. “Don’t Metal With Evil”, “Evil Nation” and “To Fight The Beast” get this treatment and I think, they all stood the test of time pretty easily. Last, but definitely not least, you can go to hell, if you don’t like these five songs already. Sorry, but then you’re definitely listening to the wrong band. The German band is spelled as HELLOWEEN. Oh, by the way, the last song is called “Go To Hell” and it’s a cover of the old ALICE COOPER classic, which matches very well to the sound and image of this Detroit US Metal outfit. Just listen to the voice of Brian. You can’t tell the difference between Brian and Alice, can you? And this is only the beginning, the review of the full-length album will be on next. It’s good to hear that the guys, who created ‘The Heavy Metal Horror Show’ are back with a bang!
(9,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
HALLOWEEN- Horror Fire (MGM Records)
After the spoken intro “I Am”, the band cranks out the dark “Wake Up Screaming”. Yes folks, this is the beginning of the new HALLOWEEN CD “Horror Fire”. Listening to this, it gives me the same feeling all over again, while listening to their debut album. The magical voice of mastermind Brian Thomas and the mindblowing songs are another treat for the fans. There is pain in his voice. It has the sound of an ominous curse that comes down upon you.You can hear, that the story does not have an happy ending. And it fits perfectly to the sound of the band. It’s all horror metal to the max. As you can see, this album is only suitable for people with strong nerves. The instrumental force on this brand new album comes from guitarplayer Donnie Allen, who is great in playing riffs and solos, that are as sharp as a dagger. George Neal is on the four steel threads, that music lovers mostly refer to as the bulldozer bass guitar. Rob Brug brings the thunder into HALLOWEEN’s sound with his exploding drum sound. “The End & The Beginning” is a short ‘song’, that resumes the ‘Amytiville Story’ in about two bloody minutes. Very well done, and pretty spooky! You won’t be very happy after listening to all the dark stories, that have espaced from Brian’s mind, but the music and the sound of the band will make up for that pretty easily. “Horror Fire” is the soundtrack to your worst nightmare. For all the weak-hearted I would like to say, pleasant dreams, you suckers! The diehards will have another listen to the album, before they go to sleep. Because there are also some backwards messages to be found on this new album of HALLOWEEN, I thought it’s wise to put my score for the album upside down on the bottom of this review as well. That’s the only way I can reward this album the proper way.
(66’6/01- Toine van Poorten)
HALLOW’S EVE- History Of Terror
(Metal Blade)
Wow! What a great overview of the history of HALLOW’S EVE. A remarkable speed metal band, based in Atlanta, Georgia. The band consisted of Stace Anderson on vocals, who lets out some high screams every now and then. He could be categorised as a metal singer rather than a speed metal singer. Furthermore, there’s Tommy Stewart on bass, Skellator or Skully on guitar, Ronny Appoldt on drums and David Stuart on guitars. “Tales Of Terror” is a cult album in my book. It contains timeless speed metal classics, like opener “Plunging To Megadeath”, “Valley Of The Dolls”, “Metal Merchants” and “Hallow’s Eve” (including “Routine”). It has got the excecutioner on the front cover of their debut album, in combination with the great fast songs, which turn this into a must have album in your metal collection. The first CD in this package contains a remastered version of this album. After that, there is a remastered version of the band’s second album “Death & Insanity”. Their music matured on this second album and maybe it even sounds a little less raw than on the debut album. There is one big highlight on this album and that’s the lengthy track Lethal Tendencies”. A short instrumental interlude like “Obituary” would never have been allowed on “Tales Of Terror”. Now it has become a nice, short piece of rest, efore the band sink into “Plea Of The Aged”. On “Suicide”, we hear that they have slowly developed their sound into a more thrashy style. In those days, Skellator had left the band to pursue a more theatrical and heavy direction. Exclusive on this first CD are the rehearsal tracks “The Mansion” and “Metal Prisoners” from 1984. Despite the poor sound quality, it’s a nice bonus for the diehard fans of the band. The twenty-one songs on this first disc have a total playing time of about seventy-five minutes. That’s what I call value for money. The HALLOW’S EVE story continues on disc two. This CD contains a remastered version of “Monument”, and is worthy of fourteen songs with a playing time of about seventy minutes. It contains a raunchy version of the QUEEN classic “Sheer Heart Attack”. What a classic! It can be heard after the CD opener and band classic “Speed Freak”. Title track “Monument” sounds very much like ANTHRAX in their glory days. “Madhouse” might come very close to “Monument”. However, the riffs in “Pain Killer” sound more like early TESTAMENT, very brutal and raw. Let me be honest with you here. I think, that “Monument” is a really good album, but their debut remains the highlight in their career so far. Listening to the two songs on their demo “Tales Of Terror”, I can only conclude that these two songs were maybe even better (read: rawer) than the songs on their debut album. The eight minute “Hallow’s Eve” is a rough diamond and “Metal Merchants” has always been one of my favorite songs. The second CD in this package closes with some rehearsals from 1984. Hear the band crank out nice versions of metal classics, like “Screams In The Night” (EXCITER) and “Eighteen” (ALICE COOPER), next to own penned material as “There Are No Rules”(very punky) and “Hallow’s Eve” with drum outtro. The third disc in this full package contains four different live parts. Together worthy of eighteen songs and seventy-five (!!!) minutes of live power, recorded in 1985 and 1986. Of course, the different sound quality is something to be aware of. The recordings are from different sources, but they give you a good idea of what a live show of HALLOW’S EVE sounds like. A valhalla for old tape traders like myself. On the first nine songs, recorded at CBGB’s in Manhattan, New York City, we find back the previously unreleased track “Evil Offerings”. The set closes with a blurry sound of “Hallow’s Eve”, but this is only for a single minute. This long set is followed by two songs, recorded in Essex, Maryland, which both have a fair sound. Five songs were recorded in 1986 at a place, called Swizzles in York, Philadelphia. They have a much darker sound, but these recordings are still a good listen. And they also mark a different time, containing some more material of the “Death & Insanity” album. The live CD closes with two songs recorded at the Montreal Palladium in Montreal, Canada. What more can you ask for? The CD booklets hold a treasure of information and there is a fourth disc included as well, which contains DVD material recorded in Poughkeepsee, New York, Middletown, New York, Swizzles in York, Philadelphia and Brooklyn, New York, where the band opened for CRUMBSUCKERS and ANTHRAX. What a great package for an underrated band. Their comeback on the European stages was not a big success so far. I do hope, that the band gets their shit together and will return to their sound in the glorious days, like we can relive on this magnificent package. A must for every devoted HALLOW’S EVE fan and the heavy metal fan in general.
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
HEATHER LEATHER- Princess Leather (independent)
It’s about time somebody here in Europe will write about this superb all-female heavy metal band from America. HEATHER LEATHER consists of Sylvia Garza on guitar and backing vocals, Sandy Garza on drums and backing vocals and Ruth Garza on drums and vocals. Opener and title track “Princess Leather” obviously has a very underground feel. This is not a perfect production, but it’s all-female heavy metal pur sang. The CD was recorded in 1988 already and now it finally sees the light of day in a very limited quantity of 250 copies. There are eight songs on this thirty minutes CD, including the seven inch single these leather princesses released in 1985. Some of the pictures show the ladies in an outfit that could have been worn by a MARIAH CAREY or CHRISTINA AGUILERA, but in general they are dressed in the well-known leather, chains and studs outfit, that you probably will know of bands like JUDAS PRIEST, TYRANT or DESTRUCTION. Same applies to their music, but here the differences are not that extreme. Opener “Princess Leather” is awesome, while “Angel Lover” sounds quite average. “Screaming Angels” makes up for that little mistake pretty easily. Great drum sounds, high screaming vocals and guitars that cry even more. Perfect! Same goes for “Let’s Rock”. These latino babies are so damn hot, it’s very hard to believe that they didn’t become real super stars in their days of existence. They sound incredible! The machine gun like drum fills are almost a point of recognition and turn the album into something really special. “Now You Return” is the obligatory ballad here. I think, every good metal album needs one. “Pretty Shy Boy” shows us the latino salsa origin (Mexico) of the band members. SANTANA fans may like this, but it’s not metal. Next we hear “We Came To Destroy”, which sounds like true metal again and contains a great guitar solo of Sylvia. You may recognise this song from their seven inch single in 1985. The CD closes with the song “Undercover”, which sounds very much like LITA FORD. But if you listen carefully, you might recognise the flipside of this seven inch, which was at that time called “Child Molester”. Literally, it has gone undercover now! Never thought, we would run into a full-length album by this sexy, all-female cult metal band, but I am glad we did anyway. If any former bandmember(s), relative(s), or other person(s), who reads this review and knows the ex-band members of HEATHER LEATHER, please be so kind to get them in contact with us, so we can finally find out what happened to these three hard rocking ladies, that sometimes looked like MARIAH CAREY, but sounded more like JUDAS PRIEST. I bow deeply for “Princess Leather”, because these three latino girls are HELL BENT FOR (HEATHER) LEATHER!!
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
HYDROGYN- Bombshell (DARecords LLC)
This band was recommened to us by TWILIGHT ODYSSEY's guitarist Ben Asaro. Thanks Ben, without your help, this review would not have been possible. And Ben did an excellent job here, because we're dealing with one of the very few new bands, that is not scared to play straight forward hard rock or classic rock. Rock to fill huge arenas and stadiums. Throwing me back in time about twenty years ago, where it was still cool to let your hair hang down and bang your head to the sound of AC/DC or any other famous band back in those days. I name AC/DC with a reason here, but more about that later on. Let's first introduce HYDROGYN a bit closer to you. We have Jerry Lawson on drums, Dave Moody on bass, Jeff Boggs on guitar, Jeff Westlake on guitar and Julie on vocals. Straight forward 'in- your-face' hard rock with influences of bands like WHITESNAKE, SKID ROW, GUNS 'N' ROSES, CINDERELLA, HEART, DEF LEPPARD and of course AC/DC. A song like "Breaking Me Down" would not have looked bad on any of the later WHITESNAKE albums for example. Yes, there is a little touch of "Still Of The Night" in there, but you will only recognise it, if you're 106 years old, like me. Young people, who dig this sound, won't even give it a moments thought. Most of the songs on this album will make your adrenaline level rise. And if the sound of the band doesn't take care of that, the looks of Julie will definitely do the job. I like her clear sound. She's definitely not a screamer, and you can easily understand what she is singing about. The album contains fourteen tracks, and has a total running time of about fifty minutes. Last but not least, the album was produced by Michael Wagener, who we may know for his work with million selling acts like OZZY OSBOURNE, SKID ROW and ALICE COOPER. Not a bad accomplishment, when you know that the band only consists about two and a half years now. There is still a market for bands like HYDROGYN, because their music is timeless. Perfect for long highways, a night in a bar playing pool, or at a festival with 200,000 people shouting and screaming, you name it. The sky is the limit for this band. It's a bomber, it's a bomber! Oh, and before I forget it: here's the link to AC/DC!! They do an excellent cover of "Back In Black", which should be an important reason of buying yourself a copy of "Bombshell". Julie's voice sounds a bit like P.J. of TWILIGHT ODYSSEY here. Great! HYDROGYN is a name to remember. Julie's 'naughty' picture (HEEEEEEEELP, this girl is on fire!!!!), signed with "Keep Rocking", is hanging above my bed now. Not that I need to be reminded to keep rocking, but it surely reminds me that hard rock is still alive through bands like this (nudge, nudge - wink wink - say no more!). Need I say more? I will definitely try to get in touch with Julie and this band, because they scream for more attention. To be continued. Website: http://www.hydrogyn.com (For an interview with this band, have a look at the Metal Maidens website at http://www.metalmaidens.com).
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
JADED- Jaded (independent)
Last year, it was SCARLET ANGEL, who rocked our world. This year, it is JADED! The press map they send us is quite IMPRESSIVE, to say the least. Their looks (high heels and lots of glitter, glamour, latex and looooooong hair), their music, the CD, the way they write their name, the pictures of the ladies, it's all too good to be true. From opener "Get Up" on, my fist goes straight in the air. This is the sound I would like to hear. Think about GIRLSCHOOL, think about WASP, think about KISS - it's all there. Catchy, yet still very heavy indeed. I hope, they will have a stable line up, so we can enjoy this band for a long, long time, because there is a lot of hidden talent in these four ladies, that go by the name of JADED. The line up of the band consists of Julie Steel on vocals, Britt Lightning on guitars and vocals, Abbey Dragon on bass and vocals and Hillary Blaze on drums and vocals. All together, they are a dream come true for every true rocker out there. Okay, sometimes a song like "Fire" may sound to modest for people, who only dig the hundred miles per hour speed monsters. But when I hear the opening riffs in "Tragic", then I know for sure we're dealing with some hot, well-talented ladies here. Just listen to a song like "We'll Be Strong" or "Fever" (is that Eddie Van Halen playing the solo??) and I bet, that you're dying to hear more from these four ass kicking ladies. The band has already shared the stage with great names like DAMAGE PLAN, GEORGE LYNCH, SKID ROW, STRYPER, TESLA and WASP. I guess, they even made Blackie Lawless look pale after their show. They are ANIMALS, they R*ck like a beast! I will sacrifice myself to enter the lion's den and I kindly ask for permission to do an interview with these four 'Metal Maidens Of Steel', as they call themselves. If you do not hear from me anymore after this review, dial 911 and ask for help immediately. I take the risk, because I urgently need to be JADED! Killer stuff, full score, no further questions please, for more information go to: http://www.jadedrocks.com (For an interview with the ladies, please go to the website of Metal Maidens at www.metalmaidens.com).
(10/10- Toine van Poorten)
KINGSCROSSING- Kingscrossing (independent)
Metal fans raise your swords, because the debut album of KINGSCROSSING is a true killer!!! Eleven songs with a total playing time of forty-five minutes, showing us that true metal is still very much alive. The band hails from Arizona, where they polished their best armour and sharpened their axes, before going to battle. The five warriors of metal can be proud of their album. No clichées, no GAMMA RAY or HELLOWEEN-like galloping beats, but powerful metal hymns is what you get, spiced up with some great twin axework. Just listen to a song like “Powersource” to get the idea what the two axemasters have in mind for you. “Brainwashed” starts off quite interesting and it will catch your attention right away. Get a load of riffage in this song, it’s great! “Nightmares” opens with a drum intro similar to “Run To The Hills” of IRON MAIDEN in 1982. The rest of the song could well be on any old SAVATAGE album. While “Reflections” sounds more like the old QUEENSRYCHE stuff in the early days. As you can see, there is plenty of variation in the sound of KINGSCROSSING, and they sounds like some of the best old school metal bands. In “Angels In The Night”, singer Michael Adams sounds like a Ronnie James Dio. The song shows some similarity with “Stars” of the short lived HEAR ‘N AID PROJECT. “Stalker” and “Bed Of Nails” can be categorised as great songs, but in my opinion “Rapid Fire” is one of the definite highlights on this CD. It’s not the JUDAS PRIEST cover, that goes by the same name, but it does have the same power as this metal anthem. ‘You live by the sword, die by the sword’, backed with an ultraheavy riff, yes that’s the shit I wanna hear. The CD closes with the short “Stuck In A Hole”. Just one last check. Was this album recorded in 1982 or in 2006? It was recorded in 2006 by a band called KINGSCROSSING, consisting of Michael Adams on vocals, Zack Grimm on lead guitar, Richie Pagan on lead guitar, Rob Shock on bass and D. Hying on drums. KINGSCROSSING, a name to remember, if old school heavy metal is your thing!
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
LEATHERWOLF- World Asylum (Massacre Records)
It’s weird, but I always like to compare bands with their early work. In the case of LEATHERWOLF, I have to turn back the time about twenty-five years. However, the mid-seventies until the mid-eighties are still so clear in my mind, that it’s really easy to compare this new stuff to their material from that given time. And I must say, that LEATHERWOLF never disappointed me. Their music may have undergone some changes, and it dwells with a more new fashioned sound here and there, but it still rocks like hell. Guitarplayer Geoff Gayer and drummer Dean Roberts are the ones who survived the battle. The other band members nowadays are Eric Halpern on guitars, Wade Black (ex CRIMSON GLORY) on vocals and Pete Perez (ex RIOT) on bass. The power metal on “World Asylum” sounds ultra cool and songs like “Live Or Die” will start you headbanging like a madman. Listen to the killer axe attacks in all the different songs, making you realise that this is just a very strong new metal album of the wolves in leather. “Institutions” is a dark song, which sounds a little bit different, including some sick, distorted vocals. Maybe it’s the odd one out, but to me it’s one of the songs that keeps this album in balance. Other bands use a ballad for that. LEATHERWOLF decided to use a dark, slower song. With “Derailed” though, they spit fire again. Then they start their search for the holy grail. In “The Grail”, Wade sings like Brian Thomas of HALLOWEEN. Not in the slower parts, but the parts in the beginning of the song. The CD closes after forty-five minutes with “Never Again”. But I think I will definitely give it another spin or two-three, because LEATHERWOLF proves there is still room for decent power metal. Check out the bands website at http://www.leatherwolfmusic.com.
(8,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
THE GREG LEON INVASION- Unfinished Business
(Invasion Music)
GREG LEON is a well-known name in the metal scene. WISHING WELL was one of the bands that he played in, with whom he recorded a great album. He also was in DOKKEN, before George Lynch and collaborated with Tommy Lee in a band, called SUITE 19. He was Randy Rhoad's successor in QUIET RIOT, when he left to play in OZZY OSBOURNE’S BLIZZARDS OF OZZ. But you may also know him from his work with bands like ROUGH CUTT and MARSHALL LAW (which is a quite impressive list, if you’d ask my humble opinion!). As a guitarplayer he sure knows to astonish people like me. His playing comprises several styles, from sensitive to fast and ultra heavy. “Unfinished Business” contains ten songs and has a playing time of about fifty minutes. The musical influences on this CD range from FRANK MARINO (“The Answer” sounds a bit similar to the FRANK MARINO song that has the same title!) to old VAN HALEN stuff (“In The Middle”, where the singer sounds like a mix between David Lee Roth and Ian Astbury of THE CULT). The more sensitive side of Greg can be heard in “Could Have Been In Love”. My personal faves though are CD opener/title track “Unfinished Business” and CD closer “Fever”. To hear them both, I played the whole CD again, because all the other songs contain some extremely hot guitarwork. And although the band only consists of three people, they really know to create a full and powerful sound. Next to Greg Leon on guitar and vocals, we hear Greg Stevens on drums and backing vocals and George Roelke on bass and backing vocals. Some people consider bonus tracks or hidden tracks (some people even like to call them ‘eastern eggs’) a waste of space or fillers. I won’t call the long nameless jam on this album a filler though. Greg likes to show his appreciation for the long instrumental parts of FRANK MARINO here in a great instrumental outing, that lasts for over fifteen minutes. I would say, they saved the best for last. Bring these guys over to Europe soon. They’ll make you relive the good old days again! Website: http://www.gregleoninvasion.com.
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
MOURNING SUN- The End Is Imminent (independent)
MOURNING SUN is a continuation of the horror metal band NIGHT CREATURES from Detroit. That’s only some information in a nutshell, before I’d like to review their CDs here. MOURNING SUN released two CDs, both under the same title. Why? Why not, there’s no punishment on that. One CD has the English title, while the second CD title is in Latin. Since my Latin is not that well, I took the liberty to listen to “The End Is Imminent” first. What we hear is very powerful metal. Opener “Fortress” already tickles my papillas, but the train gets rolling during “The Breath Of Charon”, with its ultraheavy, sludgy, BLACK SABBATH-like speed. Yes, this is the stuff I like to listen to. In “Emily”, we hear a very nice guitar solo, and I jump up again during “Broken Jaw Of Fate”, where strong guitar riffs open the song. “Night Princess” is another nice rocker, which starts with some grinding guitar parts. The CD closes with a song called “Evilize”, which bears some METALLICA elements. Later on though, it transforms into the old JUDAS PRIEST-like sound, especially because of the icy screams of Eric W Johnson. This makes my mouth water! Eight songs and forty minutes of solid heavy metal is what you get on this CD of MOURNING SUN. The band definitely knows to create a bridge between the old school heavy metal, which forms the foundation of their sound, and the metal of today. Knowing that most of the band members are from the old school generation, their sound especially leans towards that old style. Despite their frontcover (which I like very much) predicts a more black metal sound. And also the name of the band might point in that same direction, I am glad their music can be catagorized under pure US metal instead.
(8/10- Toine van Poorten)
MOURNING SUN- Omnium Finis Imminet (independent)
On this second CD, you can find eight other quality metal songs, worthy of forty minutes of high octane fueled, energetic headbangers. From opener “Acceptor” on, you are able to enjoy the furious guitarwork on top of the powerful beat again. “Axe To Grind”(great title, by the way!) is catchy, yet quite heavy. While “In The End” has got that same old PRIEST feeling again, I talked about in my previous review, mainly because of the vocals of Eric. This feeling is getting stronger, after listening to “More Than Mortal”, which is easily one of the highlights on this CD for me. I wouldn’t be surprised, if the song was inspired by METALLICA’s “Creeping Death”, and I mean this as a huge compliment. The band closes with some of their most impressive songs like “No Stone Unturned” and “Metal Wings”. Just listen to the guitarsolos and you’ll know what I mean. MOURNING SUN is definitely a name to check out. If you like a band, that has got its roots in the glorious eighties, and music which is powerful and still bears some melody, don’t look any further and check them out. And when the end is imminent, just reach out for the ‘repeat’ button on your stereo set, to make these two CDs last forever and ever.
(8/10- Toine van Poorten)
MÖTLEY CRUE- Carnival Of Sins (SPV)
These past few months I get the feeling more and more, that I underrated this band a little in the past. Especially when I have a listen to this two live CD set. All their hits, with the exception of “Smoking In The Boys Room” are included, and the band is in a perfect shape. It’s a shame, that they only play in America with their large show, and the European market is not really interesting for a million seller band like this. Anyway, we sometimes get a piece of the action as well. This double live CD is a good example of that. And recently the band has also released a double live DVD from the same tour, with lots of extras. Let’s focus on the CD set, that we have here though. It contains twenty-three rock classics. It looks like the more heavy songs are put on CD one, while the ballad like songs are presented to you on disc two.The show, which is recorded at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was recorded this year, and it proves that MÖTLEY CRUE still sounds ultrahot. For example, listen to my personal fave “Live Wire”, and you’ll get an idea of the power, enthusiasm and the heaviness the band plays these classics. Whatever the magazines made us believe in the righties, MÖTLEY CRUE is definitely not meant for wimps. This is so far away from their poser look and sound, for which we may know them from their MTV period, that I would highly recommend this double live set to the open-minded metalheads out there. At the end of their set, they grab back to their roots with two covers. First they play “Helter Skelter”, which is originally a cover by THE BEATLES, and they close this minute motherf*cker with “Anarchy In The UK”, made famous by the ultimate punk band THE SEX PISTOLS. When you put both discs in your DVD player, you get to see two live videos of “Too Fast For Love” and “Dr. Feelgood”, which can be seen as apetizers for the live DVD of this tour, which is also on sale now. A good marketing strategy of some damn fine musicians, who show us, that they are more than just another glam rock band.
(8,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
EDDIE OJEDA- Axes 2 Axes (Black Lotus Records)
We all know Eddie ‘Fingers’ Ojeda for his brilliant guitar work with TWISTED ‘f*cking’ SISTER. This is his first solo release, and I must say that I really like this forty minute eleven tracker. It contains a lot of variation in styles, just as the guitar playing of this true hero. Sometimes he plays with a lot of tenderness, sometimes he plays some cool riffs, while at other times he’s a real shredder. Eddie cooperated with some different vocalists here, and he also sings some songs himself. The opener of the album “Tonight” is recorded with RONNIE JAMES DIO on vocals. But we also hear DEE SNIDER (on a heavy version of the BEATLES classic “Eleanor Rigby”) and JOE LYNN TURNER on “Living Free”. Some stuff is a bit more commercial than you might expect from Eddie (for example “The Reason” and “Senorita Knows”), but sometimes he sounds really dirty and metal, like we want it. There are two instrumental songs on this nice release, title track “Axes 2 Axes” and “Funky Monkey”. Rudy Sarzo play some bass on the album, too. Given the fact that TWISTED SISTER won’t possibly make a new studio album soon, this is a nice replacement instead, but it definitely does not have the magic of a TWISTED SISTER album. Nice release though.
(7,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
OTHYRWORLD- Beyond Into The Night Of Day (Othyrworld Recordingz)
The name OTHYRWORLD may not ring a bell to the average metalhead out there. But when you have a good look at the CD artwork of “Beyong Into The Night Of Day” and you dig really deep into your metal memory, you may still remember a band, called SACRED BLADE. If you already liked the musical steps of Jeff Ulmer and Ted Zawadzki on the only album of this band, which is called “Of The Sun & Moon”, then you must have a listen to this album as well. If it was only for old time sake, because “Beyond Into The Night Of Day” is one big reprise of “Of The Sun And Moon”. The two brains behind SACRED BLADE actually re-recorded this fantastic album and added some extra tracks to it. Finally the rumour, that the album would be re-released in some kind of re-recorded version, has become reality. It’s very strange indeed, that a band existing for about twenty years, does not know to release more material than only one album. But this album has become a real masterpiece with a good mix of authentic US Metal and progressive influences. I ask myself, if their first album “Memory Cloudz” will ever be released. And if there ever will be a release of their album “Seven Moonz Of Xercez”, which is only available as a bootleg. For the fans, there’s now an opportunity to enjoy a digital version of “Of The Sun And Moon”, which I would quickly describe as a mix of old PINK FLOYD or THE MOODY BLUES with a US Metal underground. The songs on this album are played by mastermind Jeff Ulmer, together with his friend Ted Zawadzki, who handles the drums and percussions. Of course we are still waiting for other material to be released, but this is a CD that may not be missed in a good metal collection.
(8,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
OVERDRIVE- Remembering The Basher (independent)
There are many bands, that go by the name OVERDRIVE. The most important one (at least for me) being the Swedish band of Janne Stark. But this American band is definitely worth checking out, too. The band started out as DAMASCUS, renamed the band to CROSS BREED, and later on, they changed their name to HEAVEN QUEST. These recordings however were made under the monnicker of OVERDRIVE. The name of the CD is related to the nickname of drummer Bobby Collins, who was called ‘The Basher’. The music of the USA outfit OVERDRIVE can be described as melodic white metal. Think about BARREN CROSS, BLOODGOD, BELIEVER, WHITE CROSS, but also a band like KISS or VANDENBERG could come to mind here as a reference. The lyrics are sometimes a bit too sweet for the average metalhead, but when you’ve practised your ears to hear the things beyond the lyrics, than you will soon discover the beauty of their songs. Or you just skip songs like “Shelter And Strength” and “Light A Candle For Me” and you’ll end up with a great, white metal CD, worthy of fifty minutes of powerful Christian metal. The second CD in this package contains material of the early years. There is the “Sacred Heart” demo from 1987 and the “Damascus” demo from 1985. Alltogether, the eight tracks are worthy of thirty-six minutes of heavenly music. The “Sacred Heart” stuff sounds a bit symphonic to my years. Opener “Gotta Have Faith” gives me that feeling. “Shelter And Strength” can be found on the other CD as well. A ‘skip’ moment for the headbangers among us. While “Never Too Soon” contains more sweet lyrics and “Child Of The Father” has a bit of keyboards. In general, these songs are much sweeter and softer than the OVERDRIVE material, which is definitely more metal. The DAMASCUS stuff sounds rather amateurish and you probably won’t play this stuff a second time, once you’ve heard it. The CD closes with a five minute interview with the band. This double CD is a good overview of what this band is all about. Christian metal with a good, melodic sound. OVERDRIVE consists of Jimmy Prior on guitar, Stacy Puckett on guitar and keyboards, Doug Levy on vocals, Joe McLaughlin on bass and the sadly missed Bobby ‘The Basher’ Collins on drums.
(7,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
PHANTOM X- Storm Riders (Mausoleum Records)
This second album by PHANTOM X is a grower, whereas their debut overhelmed me with its power. Still, the band knows to come up with the most facinating metal riffs, solos and songs imaginable. Yes, Texas metal still rules, dear friends! Kevin Goocher is still one hell of a performer and his voice will remind you of Jon Olliva in his younger days. And opener “Storm Riders” could even have been a HALLOWEEN song, if you listen very carefully. Aggressive and mean, Kevin screams out his lyrics, backed up by an amazing band consisting of Glenn Malice on bass, Danny White on drums and Eric Knudson on guitar. And especially Eric has stolen my heart. He is a great guitar player, who knows to add some melody to this guitar playing. From opener “Storm Riders” on, the fantastic sound invites you to bang your head. This is old school heavy metal pur sang. Try to sit still, when the “Texas Death Squad” enters your room. You must be a zombie or just as dead as a door nail, when you don’t want to bang your head to this one! Or listen to the subtle speed change at the end of “Dark Divinity”, that strongly reminded me of a part of “Kill The King” by RAINBOW. A song like “Day Of The First Dawn” sounds like it was inspired by the earlier material of the SCORPIONS. “Ancient Anthem” is the odd one out for me. Okay, the title tells you already, that we’re dealing with an ancient anthem, but it sure sounds a little bit misplaced on a metal album. “13th Hour” breathes the old school SAVATAGE sound and contains some amazing axework again. The CD closes with “Road Killer” at full “Ace Of Spades” speed. A killer closer of a good, solid metal album, containing eleven songs and with a running time of about fifty minutes. After the release of the album, a lot has happened. Kevin had to undergo an hip surgery and had to cancel the European shows with PHANTOM X. Eric Knudson left the band and formed his own EKG (Eric Knudson Group). The music of his band is superb, and the songs on his MySpace site sound like the ultimate true metal to me, including some amazing axework. Danny White also left the band and returned to his former band mates of ASKA. I hope, this will not mean the end of PHANTOM X, because after releasing two killer albums, they really put themselves in the premier league of heavy metal bands for me.
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
RAPID FIRE- Brace Yourself (Villain Records)
Thirteen songs containing a high true metal level and songs, that rock your soul from A to Z. That’s what RAPID FIRE from the USA is all about in a nutshell. The songs are easy on the ear and have a playing time of about thirty-five minutes. Still, there is something about this band, I’d really like to share with you. Although their music sounds pretty cool, they are a bit over the top for me. The songtitles, the names of the bandmembers, and the songs itself, sometimes give me the feeling that the band is exaggerating their metal attitude. They’re almost becoming a parody of the metal scene, and I don’t think that was the general idea of the band in the first place. It’s all very much overdone, and it nearly turns out to be a SPINAL TAP kind of approach in my eyes. Nevertheless, I really had a good time listening to the warrior metal of RAPID FIRE. Their name doesn’t relate to the JUDAS PRIEST cover whatsoever. Their lyrics go more into the direction of the old MANOWAR, old HAMMERFALL stuff with a more US metal like approach. In general, the band plays their songs at very high speed, and the choruses constantly invite you to sing along. When I look at the picture on the CD cover, I give these guys the benefit of the doubt. They could possibly become the metal stars of tomorrow, and with a nice stage show they could definitely have a major breakthrough. If this is a SPINAL TAP joke, because of their overdone image, then I must admit it’s a damn good one. Swords up for these young metal warriors! RAPID FIRE consists of Ian ‘Battleaxe’ Walden on lead guitar, Brandon ‘Warhammer’ Kinchen on bass, Leith Walden on vocals and keyboards, Matt ‘Sweet Valley’ Reed on drums and Dan ‘Shredder’ Fox on lead guitar. “Brace Yourself” was made to play loud! Website: http://www.itsmetal.com.
(8/10- Toine van Poorten)
RIOT- The Tyrant Sessions (7” single) (Narita Records)
This is a very special single, that is limited to a seven hundred copies only. It contains two songs, that were recorded during the “Nightbreaker” rehearsals. We hear two songs of RIOT, with Harry ‘The Tyrant’ Conklin on vocals. It would have been stupid not to record this remarkable cooperation. All that I ask myself, listening to this magic combination, is why these two songs never showed up before. And were these the only two songs, that were recorded during this session? Anyway, as to be expected, the two songs on this 7” single, sound like pure magic. The ‘metal’ side is called “Medicine Man”, and the ‘steel’ side has “Magic Maker”, both food for about six minutes of JAGRIOTPANZER music. Listen to the duels of Mark Reale and Mike Flyntz, topped with the icely screams of Harry Conklin. A combination, that was doomed to last short, much too short, if you’d ask my opinion! But it can be relived by means of this limited single. Buy or die and you’re not worthy to be called a metal fan, and definitely not worthy to read these words!
(9,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
RIOT- Army Of One (EMI Japan)
This is the japanese version of “Army Of One”, which contains one bonus track. And I must admit, that I liked the album a lot. The sea dog is imprinted in the guitar on the front sleeve. This is definite prove to me, that they have returned to the more original sound of RIOT. If you like the sound of RAINBOW, then you may have the right album in your hands. The guitars however may sound a lot more heavy than RAINBOW, but the vocal sound of Mike DiMeo comes close to Joe Lynn Turner’s at times, which he can take as a huge compliment. It’s good to hear, that the holy fire still burns in the hearts of these New York rockers. Thirteen melodic metal songs with some venomous guitarwork fill this piece of art. Just listen to “The Mystic” for example. For me, this is definitely one of the highlights on “Army Of One”. The spirit of RAINBOW wanders around again, and it still has got that heavy touch to it. On this album, RIOT consists of Mark Reale on guitar, Mike DiMeo on vocals, Pete Perez on bass, Mike Flyntz on guitar and Frank Gilchriest on drums. There are no weak brothers on here. And I am especially pleased with the fact, that they added a live version of “Road Racin’” to the album, recorded at Club Citta in 1998. It brings the total playing time to almost seventy-five minutes. Another reason for being very positive about this new RIOT CD. “Army Of One” sounds like it can be beaten quite easily, but there is nothing wrong with the power and the strength by this army. It will easily destroy your worst enemy with one strike. It’s good to hear, that RIOT still stands tall after all these years, and they seem to have regained themselves. “Army Of One” is the definite prove of this statement.
(8,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
RUFFIANS- Desert Of Tears (Metal Heaven)
RUFFIANS are well-known for their great melodic power metal songs. With this most recent album “Desert Of Tears”, they are back with a vengeance. The masters of compact, catchy melodic hooks strike again. The riffs on this album are as sharp as a dagger and show some resemblance to Dutch bands like GILGAMESJ or VENGEANCE or a band like SAVATAGE. Their music is easy on the ear and still quite powerful at times. The perfect example of what RUFFIANS is all about, is a song like “I Will Fly”, which captures energy and power, topped with a melodic sauce. Brilliant in making such a catchy ball breaker, that is ready to sing along to and has the power of a whole army. While “Live By The Sword”already proved to be a good live track during their recent shows. The vocals of Rich Wilde, in combination to the music, reminded me of the SCORPIONS in their wildest days. “Darkness Of Light” contains some great powerful guitarsolos, and is therefore one of the outstanding tunes for me. But you can pick your favorite song yourself from this twelve song and fifty minutes disc. The limited version of “Desert Tears” contains a bonus track, called “Risen”, by the way. So go and find the limited edition version, if you’re willing to buy this one.
(8/10- Toine van Poorten)
SEPTER- Transgressor (Pulse Records)
Yes I know, this album is already available for three long years now. But it’s kinda tough to find out that it actually exists. The Christian rock scene is very rich, but it’s rather unusual to read about these bands in the so-called ‘regular’ metal magazines. Listening to the eight songs on this album though, it would be a shame to leave this for what it is, and enjoy it on my own. Songs like “Transgressor” and “Blood And Dishonor” are rough diamonds, and a real must for fans of JAG PANZER or WATCHTOWER. Great instrumental parts with many speed changes and a good vocalist, who screams his lungs out. SEPTER consists of Hawk on guitar, Paul Dailey on guitar, Kevin Truell on vocals, Jeff Kmiec on drums and Matt Weaver on bass. “You Better Believe” is a very balladesque song, but with “Tonight” they hit the nail right on the head again. While “Vesuvious” is another hot and steaming tune, as the title predicts already. Add to this the mighty powerful vocals, which makes it to another highlight. The only disappointment is that the album only lasts for about thirty-five minutes. But these were thirty-five heavenly minutes, if I may say so. “The God Key” is the title of the newest release by this band, and I am definitely going to check that one out as well, because after listening to “Transgressor”, I really want to hear more. “Slipping Away” and “Last Days” close this marvellous CD, which deserves to be reviewed in this section, even three years after its original release. Is it that good? Better judge for yourself!
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
SEVENTH OMEN- Majestic (Septagram Records)
This is a review of three CDs by a band, called SEVENTH OMEN. We didn’t know about this band, until we found them on the internet. We saw, they had released three CDs already in 1995, 1999 and 2001. While we have never read anything about this band before, we decided to write at least something about these releases, so nobody can forget them. After all, the band is playing some high quality heavy metal with a touch of progressive metal in their sound as well. SEVENTH OMEN consists of David Alsing on bass, Bob Behnke on drums, Damon Bernklau on guitars and Clay Yoksas on guitars and vocals. Their sound could be compared to bands like NEVERMORE, ICED EARTH, HEIR APPARENT, METALLICA (when they were still good!), QUEENSRYCHE and SANCTUARY. Many fast riffs dominate the sound and the vocals are strong and powerful as well. Vocalist Clay is not the screaming kind, and you can easily hear what he is singing about. The band sometimes uses samples to beef up their sound a little, like in the beginning of opener “MJ-12” and in “The Fall Of Mu”. Their music is definitely not for those, who only want it loud and fast. There are many different aspects in the music of SEVENTH OMEN and many speed and mood changes in the longer songs, which can easily last about seven minutes in some cases. “Blind” is the odd one out on this CD. It’s a slow ballad, and a bit too sweet for me. In general though, I like the music on this one hour CD from 1995 very much. In “Scraping Ground”, I also hear some uncommon sounds, which I don’t really like. But they fit very well to the rest of this experimental song. If you like the bands that I mentioned above, then you can definitely check out this CD and be amazed by the strength of this band.
(7,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
SEVENTH OMEN- Polarized (Septagram Records)
This is the second album by this band from Illinois. Again we hear thirteen songs with a total length of a full hour. The big picture remains the same though. Loads of riffs, loads of hair, high quality music with enough melody not to make it sound thrashy. The influences are still the same. So we’re dealing with an exciting metal album here. I like the artwork the band used on the cover. The front cover is divided into two parts, whereas the left part represents ‘hell’ or ‘the bad things in life’, and the right part represents ‘heaven’ or ‘the good things in life’. Songs like “Treading Water” are not really my cup of tea. I prefer a bit more power, but you can hear that we’re dealing with some high quality musicians here. “Clear Water” is more my thing. And I also count “Hate Breeds” to one of the better songs on this album. “Fear Feeds” is a short piece of about two minutes. “Blame” is another highlight for me, and this song also closes this second album. You can hear the progression of the band on this album. In 2001, the band released a third album, but this one contains early recordings of “Abstractions” and “Date With Destiny”. Watch http://www.seventhomen.com for more information about this band.
(7,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
SEVENTH OMEN- Abstract Destiny (Septagram Records)
This last CD contains the old stuff of SEVENTH OMEN. And like with many other bands in the US Metal scene, the older stuff is by far the best and most powerful stuff. Okay, there are some melodic parts as well of course, but the riffs are more unpolished and definitely rawer than the ones on “Majestic” and “Polarized”. The first five tracks on this nine track compilation are from the “Abstractions” demo, released in 1992. The last four tracks come from the “Date With Destiny” demo, released in 1990. What striked me the most is, that the band has never had any line up changes in their career. A remarkable fact indeed. Darrell Raap played second guitar in the song “Date With Destiny”, but he was soon replaced by Damon Bernklau, and from there on the line up of the band remained the same. These very last recordings are absolutely brilliant, and I am very glad that I’ve purchased these three CDs, which introduced me to this great melodic power metal band from Woodridge, Illinois. Check out http://www.seventhomen.com for more information about the band.
(8/10- Toine van Poorten)
STEELER- Metal Generation, The Anthology (Majestic Rock)
The first steps to success of YNGWIE J MALMSTEEN were made in this band called STEELER, when he was seventeen years old. STEELER is a collaboration of LUST and SNIPER, both bands from Nashville, Tennessee. His mentor was Ron Keel, who we also know from KEEL and FAIR GAME. What we hear is a nice compilation with fourteen tracks from different time frames from the band’s career. The first two songs are the original single version of “Cold Day In Hell” without Yngwie on guitar. He comes in the picture in the second and third (and most legendary) line up of the band. We hear a previously unreleased track, called “Ready To Explode” and my personal fave “Hot On Your Heels”. I was expecting most of the live songs on this anthology album, but the quality of the recordings are not really perfect. Like the liner notes in the CD booklet say, it’s more or less the exclusivity that counts here. Especially Yngwie’s guitar solo is a treat to your ears. The bonus tracks are recorded with the final line up of the band including Kurt James and Greg Chaisson (BADLANDS). The very last song is an acoustic version of “Serenade”, recently recorded by Ron Keel. STEELER supported bands like SOUND BARRIER, RATT and METALLICA and their album “Steeler” was the best selling independent product back in those days. This compilation is a good overview of what this band stood for: catchy, melodic heavy metal songs with good guitarwork, yet still heavy enough to become a cult name in the history of heavy metal for many fans. After the final line up collapsed, the band tried to continue with guitar players like Mitch Perry and Adam Bomb, but all without success. Forty-five minutes of good music for the old metal generation is yours with this release.
(7/10- Toine van Poorten)
TEMPLE OF BLOOD- Prepare For The Judgement Of Mankind
(Temple Of Blood Publishing)
After hearing this amazing CD by SEPTER from the Christian rockscene, I was flabbergasted again by a band from this underrated scene. TEMPLE OF BLOOD is definitely a name to remember, my friends, whether you’re a Christian or not. If you are a metal fan, you must have a listen to this one, if you want or not. The band plays thrash the way is was meant to be played. They sound like a mix between TESTAMENT and MEGADETH, with the melodic input of IRON MAIDEN. And they don’t limit themselves to the clichee thrash riffs on this record. Listen to the adventurous speed changes, that they put into their music. Lyrically, the bible takes a central place in their songs. And there is nothing wrong with that, as long as the music is good. And there’s no doubt about that. The ten songs on this debut album have a running time of about forty-five minutes. And the cherry on this thrash cake is at the very end of the CD. TEMPLE OF BLOOD covers DEADLY BLESSING’s “Deliver Us From Evil”, with DEADLY BLESSING’s Ski (now FAITH FACTOR) on vocals. Man, what a mighty tribute to true metal that is! Jim Mullis voice shows some resemblance to Ski’s, to give you a point of recognition here. Besides Jim, who also plays guitar, the band consists of Matt Barnes on guitar, Garth Lovvorn on bass and Lance Wright on drums. TEMPLE OF BLOOD delivered an outstanding album with “Prepare For The Judgement Of Mankind”. Enter the temple yourself and you’ll be positively surprised. Website: http://www.templeofblood.net.
(8,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
TWILIGHT ODYSSEY- Twilight Odyssey (independent)
Yes, it’s there: one of the most precious hard rock diamonds of this year. We were already blown away by their three track demo CD, but this release simply beats everything. Ten songs and a total length of a bit over a full hour, TWILIGHT ODYSSEY provides you with the best true metal imaginable. When the CD kicks off with “Plaza Del Torros”, we get a flashback of our one-day event with this band in their rehearsal room in New York City. The IRON MAIDEN like choruses are mixed with the flashing guitar work of Ben Asaro. And this is only just the beginning. I slowly start to raise my fist to the beginning of “Zero Hour”, again beefed up with early MAIDEN like riffs. “Near Dark” is definitely (Rita and I agreed on that!) our favorite song. Don’t ask us why. It’s the unexplainable magic that was there from the moment we heard the song in the rehearsal room. PJ’s vocals are clear and she’s not the screaming kind, thank God! Ben is a guitar hero pur sang, but the good thing is that his solos are in duty of the songs. He is not the MALMSTEEN-like big ego tripper, that starts a solo in the beginning of the song and ends it when the last notes slowly fade away. Wow, what a big punch on the face! With “Under The Black Flag” we finally get a little room to breath, after a great, almost overwhelming start. “Under The Black Flag” is a lengthy song with a lot of speed and mood changes. To me, this is sufficient proof, that the band knows to create a good song without stranding in too complex structures. It slowly builds itself up into a nice climax, in which drummer Sal Pellerito beats the shit out of his drum kit like he was chased by a seven-headed dragon. “Defiler” is another lengthy metal song, in which we hear the strength of PJ’s vocals very well. The icely scream at the end of this song will make the temperature drop a few degrees in your room, that’s for sure. In the beginning of “The Endless Days Of A Stranger”, the four legged and armed drummer is unleashed again. The chorus invites you to raise your fist and yell the words out real loud. This will be great, when they play this fantastic song in a live setting. Also Ben is warming up his fingers in this song. One of the highlights on the album, that’s for sure. After that, there’s again some time to take a deep breath during “Onward To The Games”. It opens with some relaxing guitar work of Ben, and it’s a little piece of rest with some great axework of the maestro himself. You’re gonna need it, because the band has got some more impressive pieces of art left for us at the end of the album. “The New Queen” is build upon a nice riff, and the speed goes up once more. “Gettysburg (The Blue And The Gray)” is from the demo. The riff is still magic and it contains just about everything that a good metal song needs. Just listen to the awesome guitar solo, and you’ll be flabbergasted for life. And the canonballs of destruction have just begun…..(remember WARLORD). Even MANOWAR would not have to be ashamed of themselves, if they would come up with a song like this. The CD closes with “Gift Of The Southern Oracle”, which is another, great, eight minute metal experience, written by one of the most fantastic US metal bands of this moment. Besides PJ, Ben and Pat, the band consists of bass player Gennady Khirich, who seems to be invisible, like a good bass player should. But without his input, the rhythm just wouldn’t be complete, believe me. TWILIGHT ODYSSEY went for the highest score available, and they have reached their goal with an album, that could end very high in our list of best metal albums of 2005. Congratulations! Website: http://www.twilightodyssey.com.
(10/10– Toine van Poorten)
VARIOUS- One Foot In Fire - A Tribute To CIRITH UNGOL (Solemnity Music)
If there is one heavy metal band, that deserves a good tribute, it must be CIRITH UNGOL, one of the biggest cult heavy metal bands ever. These guys made heavy metal pur sang and this was the reason for eleven bands to pay tribute to these kings of the undergroud. The “Cirith Ungol Overture”, a short instrumental piece, opens this CD. The Dutch band ROTTEN is a cooperation of Hans Kuurstra on drums, who has actually met CIRITH UNGOL several times, and Martin van den Bergen on guitar and bass. They put short excerpts of five songs together and created a new tune out of it. Very well done this mix of recognisable pieces. FALCON comes very close to the sound of CIRITH UNGOL, which isn’t strange, because Greg Lindström plays guitar in this band. They chose for “Shelobs Lair”, including a short spoken intro. Although their sound comes very close to the original, this is a song from their debut album “Falcon”, and it is NOT a CIRITH UNGOL leftover or cover. Can you get any closer to the original than this one? FALCON consists of Perry Grayson on vocals and guitars (who now lives in Australia) and Darin McCloskey on drums, next to Greg. Wonderful stuff! On with SOLEMNITY from Germany with “What Does It Take”. SOLEMNITY is well-known for their entertaining show elements during their stage performances. They introduced the keyboard sound nicely in their metal sound and also the icely high screams of their singer shows some resemblance to the great voice of Tim Baker. SOLEMNITY consists of Sven The Axe on vocals and keyboards, Ralf ‘Red Monk’ Gromer on bass, Nosferatu Kuba on guitars and Stefan Huber on drums. Italian metallers HOLY MARTYR took “Frost And Fire” to cover. They speeded it up a little to come closer to their own original sound. Okay, every band is free to do what they feel like, while covering these magic tracks. HOLY MARTYR consists of Alessandro Mereu on vocals, Carlo Oilia on bass, Ivano Spiga on guitars, Giacomo Macis on drums and Andrea Mucelli on guitars. DAWN OF WINTER is Gerrit P. Mutz (SACRED STEEL) on vocals, Joachim ‘Bolle’ Schmalzried on bass, Jörg M. Knittel on guitars and Dennis Schediwy on drums. And a true doom metal band chooses a true doom song of course. “Doomed Planet” is a good choice, because the pace is turned down low here. Great axework on this one. ASSEDIUM from Italy jump on their “Black Machine” for a short ride. The band consist of Marco on vocals, Drake on bass, Guido ‘Barbarian’ on guitars, Daniele on drums and Chicco ‘The Beast’ on guitars. The band chose this song, because it came very close to the guitar playing of their guitarist Guido. Therefore, the guitar solo is the most outstanding part in this song. “Heaven Help Us” is performed by the Swiss band EMERALD. It comes from the album “Paradise Lost” and the band thinks it’s a true metal anthem. EMERALD consists of Ivo Julmy on vocals and guitars, Anreas Bächner on drums, Alain Stucki on guest guitar, Michael Vaucher on guitars, Thomas Vaucher on keyboards and Stephan Kaufmann on bass. MONSTRUM is on next with “Fallen Idols”. The band turned this song into their own style. It was not their idea to stay close to the original version, but they still wanted to pay tribute to CIRITH UNGOL. As you can see, there are many reasons why people think they need to pay tribute to one of their favorite bands here. MONSTRUM hails from Poland and consists of Mariusz Waltoœ on vocals, Waclaw Dudek on guitars, Marcin Habaj on guitars, Tomasz Guzek on bass, Damian Zajac on guitars and Przemyslaw Rzeszutek on drums. Italian band ROSAE CIRCUS comes with “Death Of The Sun”, a song about the end of this planet. They also chose to rearrange the song a little, and gave it a progressive twist in the middle of the song. There’s a lot of power unleashed here, and also the vocal parts come close to the high screams of Mr. Baker. ROSAE CIRCUS consists of Giuseppe Cialone on vocals, Massimiliano Salvatori on bass, Andrea Magini on guitars, Piero Arioni on drums and Tiziano Marcozzi on guitars. BATTLE RAM from Italy, asks us to “Join The Legion”. Well, didn’t we already do that by buying and /or listening to this wonderfull tribute CD? BATTLE RAM consists of Danielle DiLoretto on vocals, Mirko Santini on bass, Davide Natali on guitars, Pierpaolo Sita on drums and Gianluca Silvi on guitars. You can only say ‘yes’ to this request. Yes, we do want to join the legion, my friends. When the end of the CD comes near, we’re in for a nice surprise here. The Polish metal band CRYSTAL VIPER cooperates with Paul Taylor and Phil Denton of ELIXIR. An unique cooperation, which also stands for a unique version of “Chaos Rising”, which lasts for almost eight minutes. A very worthy closer of this great tribute CD. CRYSTAL VIPER consists of Marta Gabriel on vocals, Pawel Szczubial on guitars, Adam Kowalczyk on guitars, Tomek Stanicki on bass and Mariusz Pawlowski on drums. The ultimate dream come true would be a reunion by the origianl band. Since that won’t happen, this is a great initiation to relive the wonderful, excentric music by this legendary cult outfit. The exclusive foreword, plus many pictures from the private collection of Robert Garven alone is already worth buying this silver disc.
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)
VICIOUS RUMORS- Warball (Mascot Records)
With an amazing line up, to good for words, VICIOUS RUMORS returns to the US metal scene. Armed with a new album, that will bring out the best of these true metallers. The line up consists of Geoff Thorpe (who else?) on guitar, James Rivera on sirens, Larry Howe on drums, Dave Starr on bass, Thaen Rasmussen (ex-ANVIL CHORUS) on guitar and Brad Gillis (ex-OZZY and NIGHTRANGER) on guitar. That this cooperation will lead to some exciting material will be no big surprise. And opener “Sonic Rebellion” is a good example of this all. It’s short, it’s catchy, it has got powerful vocals and lots of great guitar work. In the past few years, VICIOUS RUMORS sounded a bit industrial at times. Like they wanted to be part of the metal scene of the new millennium. This album sets them back in the mid-eighties again, which is a huge compliment. Gone are the slightly industrial elements and the band is ready to attack their fans with some true metal again. “Immortal” has got some Halford-like screams of Rivera, who proves that he is still one of the best heavy metal singers around. The whole song breathes the well-known PRIEST atmosphere, by the way. Title track “Warball” sounds a bit darker and slower. While “Wheels Of Madness” turns up the speed again. “Windows Of Memory” is an acoustic ballad and a short piece of rest, before “A Ghost Within” explodes in your face again. Together with the magnificent CD closer “Oceans Of Rage”, they bring back the PRIEST influences, especially vocalwise. “Warball” is a solid ball of rock and a good comeback album of VICIOUS RUMORS. It’s a shame, that this line up wasn’t going to last for a long time. Rivera went back to HELSTAR, and also Thaen Rasmussen and Brad Gillis left the band, to persue their own career. But as long as Geoff Thorpe pulls the strings, there will always be VICIOUS RUMORS.
(8,5/10- Toine van Poorten)
WRETCH- Reborn (Auburn Records)
WRETCH feels reborn, and the world has got to know. The eleven powerful metal tracks on this album have a running time of about fifty minutes and show us that WRETCH has got a lot to offer. The sound comes close to bands like HALLOWEEN (just listen to the vocal parts in opener “Mental Wars” for example) and other US metal warriors. Colin Watson is a great singer and frontman, which is extremely important for a band. In title track “Reborn” I feel being thrown back into time. That riff could be on any of the early SAXON albums. Sometimes we hear touches of today’s metal sound too, but they’re well-hidden fortunate enough. “The Winners” is the obligatory ballad on this album, which the band turned into a more power ballad, if you like, including a great speed change somewhere at the end of the song. While in “Till Death Do You Part”, some IRON MAIDEN influences appear, showing their European roots. WRETCH is absolutely a band to believe in and a great addition to the US metal scene of today.
(8/10- Toine van Poorten)
(9/10- Toine van Poorten)