| OVERLOADED - HAIL THE KINGDOM (Indie) |
| Ever since the 80's hard rock/metal scene went out of style just before the here today/gone tomorrow grunge era took over, there had been many bands ever since who tried to keep that 80's true hard rock/ metal sound alive, and to be honest some have done a great job by either keeping the 80's sleeze rock n' roll and glam metal flame lit as they refuse to let one of the most important music decades die. Overloaded is a band who hail from Detroit, Michigan and have made it their mission in life to bring back the style, passion and attitude in hard rock/heavy metal again. If you are a fan of the 1980's heavy metal bands such as Skid Row, Dangerous Toys, Cinderella, Slaughter, Megadeth and Iron Maiden then please read on but don't expect Overloaded to sound like any of those icons as they have raised the metal level to create their own unique brand of hard rock. What you get is one of the most powerful and vocal Heavy Metal bands ever heard the past 16 years! Lead vocalist Chris Gillen belts out some of the best 80's metal screams anyone has ever heard since the early days of Sebastian Bach or Bruce Dickinson. Along with the killer axe work by Erik Kluiber and John Sullens, Overloaded has put the fun, creativity and groove back into hard rock & Heavy Metal again. Finally someone did and these guys are well ahead of the game as it shows on Hail the Kingdom. The time to respect bands like this who truly believe in real Heavy Metal is here. Overloaded will change not only the scene today but your life forever as well. With so much respect for the 80's and such a drive to survive this uphill climb, you can be sure to expect to hear from Overloaded very soon as getting signed with a major label will probably be the hardest part of their quest. Taking over worldwide will be the easy part. Metal Mike.......................................................9/10 |
| BOLT THROWER - THOSE ONCE LOYAL (Metal Blade) |
| It seems that the popular thing to do these days is get back your original lineup which you started with and tour and make an album. Some might argue that this is nothing more than a cash grab or stab at past glory which seems to be what bands like Anthrax and Judas Priest have done, yet Bolt Thrower had no choice (With Dave Ingram leaving due to personal reasons) but to go back in time and offer the vacant spot to Karl Willetts which the former BT vocalist was more than happy to fill once again. This put the finish on the original lineup from 20 years ago. Of course die hard bolt thrower fans were more than excited with the news as the release of Those Once Loyal hit the shelves. The music is nothing less than great as Bolt Thrower's Death/Grind sound has not left them after 2 decades of heavy metal. This is more of a vintage BT sound with of course the original band behind it all. Tradition always seems to lead the way in cases such as that of Bolt Thrower with a solid recording under one of the world's most prestigious Heavy Metal labels. It's always a killer ride with Bolt Thrower over the years but even though they made this comeback with it's original members a great success, the unfortunate part is that Those Once Loyal only runs just under 40 minutes in length. Overall whether your a long time fan of Bolt Thrower or even a new one you will respect what you hear from this band who has kept true to their roots as Those Once Loyal is a keeper for sure. Metal Mike.......................................................8/10 |
| HEADLESS CROSS - BURNING SANCTUARY (Indie) |
| Headless Cross is a Thrash metal band from the U.K. who give us a big reason to not only believe in the thrash metal scene once again but to never second guess a group who is still in their late teens/early twenties. Not only are they infuenced by the likes of Metallica and Megadeth but they also are starting things very young just like those juggernauts once did way back somewhere between 1981-1983. Headless Cross have a very catchy groove/Thrash type sound with speed riffs presented in killer fashion that will have you more than just astonished by the bands youth and lack of experience. Burning Sanctuary which is an E.P. (The bands first album as well) shows off this groups true talent as they are well ahead of their years and this will only help them get better as they thrash along these next few albums. The track "Blinding Sorrow" changes things a little as it sounds like it belongs on an Iced Earth album matching melodies with an album known as "Something Wicked This Way Comes". Lead guitar/Vocalist David Silver is the man behind this project known as Headless Cross as the four piece carve out killer circle pit thrash which has been sort of missing in the United Kingdom and could use something like this to expand the kingdom's genre past historic bands such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Headless Cross is a band to watch out for as they may be ready to Tour your area one day. Keep your eyes/ears open for them before they thrash you around first! Metal Mike......................................................8.5/10 |
| WARMACHINE - THE BEGINNING OF THE END (Nightmare Records) |
| What was once considered one of Canada's best kept secrets has now taken the Progressive/power metal scene by storm. After signing with U.S based label Nightmare Records, Toronto's Warmachine, who are led by founding member and truly committed vocalist/guitarist Joe Di Taranto have finally released their debut CD "The Beginning Of The End", a powerful, 80's heavy metal influenced, melodic, yet very much a sound owned and created by Warmachine alone as they tear through 11 dedicated tracks. Even after years of frustration as members have come and gone, Joe Di Taranto has been able to keep Warmachine together as they tour their local area and were able to record this CD which surprisingly also had some help from guest musicians such as Dave Ellefson (Megadeth, F5) and Harry Hess (Harem Scarem). Through the years as Warmachine has grown, they have also gained themselves a group of die hard Warmachineheads, a following of just a few of their loyal fans who look their way for something else as Death/black metal have taken center stage for over a decade. The Beginning Of The End takes the base of traditional heavy metal from such bands as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Megadeth with some of today's diverse imagination and rips it all into a sound only Warmachine can equal. There really can be no imitations. To some folks, this CD will take time to grow on you, but others will find that Warmachine's debut CD is an impressive fresh new piece of Power/traditional metal soon to be wanted by all. Nightmare Records has found a diamond in the rough/blue chip prospect in the heavy metal scene with a search not that far north of the border. Add this disc to your collection today! Warmachine has only just begun! Metal Mike..........................................................9/10 |
| BEYOND FEAR - BEYOND FEAR (SPV) |
| Say what you want about Tim Ripper Owens, the man came out of nowhere to take over Rob Halford's position in Judas Priest as well as the departed Matt Barlow of Iced Earth, he truly did give it everything he had and even though some of the critics weren't as kind as others during his years in Priest or even now with Iced Earth one things for sure, this side project called Beyond Fear will change everyone's minds in a hurry. This self titled album is the consummate release of the new millennium and beyond! Beyond Fear overpowers most any release in 2006 so far and will continue into the new year. When you think of Heavy Metal this very CD should come to mind as Ripper just puts to shame anything he's ever done in the past by also recruiting some of the best musicians to join him on this explosive Beyond Fear debut. Some fantastic fresh idea's but not to be forgotten classic heavy metal vibe added into this monster release. Beyond fear lies somewhere between Primal Fear and Blaze Bayley sound wise, while attacking you with Rippers awesome vocals to match some killer guitar riffs/ axe work proving that even if Ripper broke his ties with Iced Earth he would have a full time heavy metal supergroup which would compete with no problem versus others like Iced Earth, Testament and even the mighty Judas Priest. The only complaints here would be some songs seem unfinished and too short even though they rip your heart out like what Ripper says on lead off track "Scream Machine". Tim has finally found the band to call his own, and will most definately continue on with great success. Beyond Fear may start out as the underdog but in time we will all praise the band for this release and hope for more in the future. Heavy Metal has found the young lion to take over where Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and others have left off. Metal Mike........................................................9.5/10 |
| SODOM - SODOM (Steamhammer/SPV) |
| Being consistent in Heavy Metal seems easy for most every veteran band worldwide such as Destruction, Tankard, and Exodus. You can also add Sodom into that mix of bands which you know you can count on to release a quality disc of thrash metal, one that you can often recognize due to the bands standard sound for over 20 years. Sodom's self titled 2006 release gives fans catchy/modern thrash riffs which the trio pumps out but with more style and groove than say on the most recent release from thrash brothers Tankard or Destruction, yet unlike those bands Sodom finds the power of thrash to be in the groove of things as riffs chug along with even a little garnish of the Bay area thrash scene here and there. I'm not going to say the self titled release ranks up there with M-16 or Agent Orange, but when you hear it you'll know right away it's truly a Sodomized product by the guys. No one can deny what bands like Sodom, Destruction and Kreator have done for this business and they will always be an important part of Heavy Metal's history. Thrash metal might be non exsistent today if not for bands like Sodom keeping up with tradition for over two decades. Sodom is always on the same level you'd expect them to be, maybe ten years from now this album can be considered a classic, but for now it's a disc die hard fans will enjoy without forgetting Sodom's background and it's place in Thrash metal history. Metal Mike.........................................................7.5/10 |
| WILL OF THE ANCIENTS - WILL OF THE ANCIENTS (Northern Storm) |
| I'll be the first to admit that there has not been any real Toronto Black Metal bands that have peaked my interest, such as Eclipse Eternal, Detsorgsekalf etc.. But after reading and hearing so many good things about Toronto's Will Of The Ancients, I was now anxious to give them a listen because sometimes when a band has become the talk of your town, most days they are as good as what people say. From my first listen to the self titled CD I was instantly hooked onto this very well sounding, creative and sometimes technical Black Metal canadian artist know as Will Of The Ancients. Being creative, serious and a little tr00 at heart will always win the black metal hearts of fans everywhere. Will Of The Ancients is a heavier more technical version of Toronto brothers of eclectic metal Woods Of Ypres. WOTA is 6 members who's riffs (influenced heavily thanks to the norwegian black metal scene), solo's and other effects jump out at you in surprisingly interesting fashion. This band is ahead of the game and make it look too easy at times, though some of this album might not make it to your favourites list, but remember WOTA short career so far and expect the follow up to this impressive first full length release to be the same as or better, and with experience they shall reign supreme dominating the Toronto black metal scene and hopefully more in the near future. Metal Mike.............................................................8/10 |