ALBUM REVIEWS!; New Music From Edenbridge, Famous Underground, Huntress, Darkane, Sanktuary, Månegarm, Squash Bowels, Rebellious Spirit, Autopsy, Oliva, Max Pie; July 02nd 2013
Not a lot of high-profile releases this week, but still plenty of good ones nonetheless from the likes of Autopsy, Max Pie, Huntress, Squash Bowels, and more!
We've even got a hold of the first official solo album from Jon Oliva entitled "Raise The Curtain", the same man previously known for his work with Savatage, Doctor Butcher, and Jon Oliva's Pain! Its pretty damn good!
“The Bonding” by Edenbridge
Symphonic Metal/Progressive Metal
On this 9th studio album, Edenbridge does what they do best; pump out fluffy symphonic metal. Get ready for lots of strings, subtle progression, and a very friendly aesthetic. But hey, if this is what you like, you’re in like. The solo’s are pretty cool, the choir vocals add some mystique, and the orchestration is really nice from time to time. However, I still don’t like Sabine Edelsbacher on vocals. She just doesn’t pack any punch at all, as her always soft voice floats on top of the music like a half-assed Lady Godyva impersonator. She simply isn’t interesting as a singer, and despite the bands best efforts, they lack punch and impact as well, often settling for lighter chords and generic chord patterns to back up the orchestration with. And of course, some of these lyrics and hooks are just plain bad, falling into the realm of generic ballad hooks and pop simplicity. If you like Edenbridge, there’s a good chance you’ll still like this, but for me, “The Bonding” is boring, bland, and forgettable.
“Famous Underground” by Famous Underground
Alas we have here a supergroup of sorts called Famous Underground, a band that revels in hard rock and 80’s metal. They’re not full-on glam or metal, they fall more along the lines of a bare-bones Guns N’ Roses, but with a Sebastian Bach impersonator on vocals. In some aspects, this works really well. The band plays really tight, the riffs have a decent groove to them, and the lyrics are pretty good too, delivered through some varied hooks and gang vocals. But unfortunately, that’s about it. This is a bare-bones rock band that loves their stuff, but doesn’t have the creativity to back up that love. It makes me wish the band went all the way with either glam or metal, because the foundations are in place for either sound to work really well, especially with the riff-heavy arrangements. As it stands, this self-titled album from Famous Underground is a generic and fairly short rock album with a few good parts, but not enough to keep you invested. Hopefully they flesh out their writing with the next album.
“Starbound Beast” by Huntress
Despite Huntress’s best intentions, “Starbound Beast” is actually a step down from “Spell Eater”. Now that doesn’t mean it’s a bad album at all, infact there’s a lot of stuff to love on “Starbound Beast”. Jill Janus is a powerhouse vocalist just like before, and the band themselves have really stepped up musically, offering a barrage of thrash metal riffs, melodic solo’s, and dynamic harmonies, all well represented through the albums track, which range in influence without compromising the mystique and grace of Huntress, with the exception of one particular track; ‘I Want To Fuck You To Death’. It’s a track written by the legendary Lemmy Kilmister, and with all due respect to him, this song simple doesn’t fit the record. Its not a bad song by any stretch, but if feels really out of place as it ignores the intense power of the rest of the record, and opts for mindless sexuality. It’s the one misstep on the album, and it does leave an impact, contrary to what you may think. If you can ignore that one track though, the rest of the album is really good, even if it does miss the necessary spice to really wow us.
“The Sinister Supremacy” by Darkane
Thrash Metal/Melodic Death Metal
Darkane has always had a good knack for writing technical and melodic death-thrash, but here it seems they’re leaning toward metalcore influence, which to be fair is subtle, but still present, and the album as a whole suffers from inconsistent writing that unfortunately leads to other issues. To be fair though, things start off really good, with some really energetic thrash that takes influence from the vocal styles of Chuck Billy and James Hetfield for some added bravado, and some really cool moments that take influence from the likes of Metallica, Trivium, Dark Tranquillity. Unfortunately, the second half of the album delves a little more into metalcore, with some really formulaic writing and patterns paired up as a result. None of it is pure metalcore, but the influence goes from subtle to clear-as-day, especially when songs drag in the generic scream-verse/clean-chorus formula that plagues metalcore. The good half is enough to save it, and even the lesser stuff isn’t entirely bad, just repetitive, so thankfully there still is some good stuff to grab ahold of.
“Something Fierce” by Sanktuary
Retro-thrash is as common as reality tv nowadays, as it litters the metal scene with all its Exodus and Slayer worshipping speed metal. Perhaps what helps Sanktuary is that there’s a nostalgic aspect to the record, with a lot of influence from NWOBHM, Iron Maiden in particular, and the kind of energy that could only be channeled by the first few thrash bands in the 80’s. It doesn’t show off, it doesn’t gloat, it doesn’t compromise, it just thrashes. And it does that very well. The riffs are fast, the bass is rumbling, the drums speed away at lightning pace, and everything just feels heavy and good. Vocals are a bit of a letdown though, especially on the high notes, often sounding flat and struggled. But hey, that’s a very minor complaint in the long run, especially considering the pure nostalgia packed into the writing and execution. If you love your old-school thrash, and by old-school I mean before “Ride The Lightning”, this is totally for you.
“Legions Of The North” by Månegarm
Melodic Black Metal/Folk Metal
Ah yes, we’ve come across another band that I know very little about, Månegarm. From what I can gather, they’re a black metal/folk metal band that has gathered much critical acclaim, and even from having just heard “Legions Of The North”, I can understand why. The music simply has this grand atmosphere too it, guided by pummeling riffs and subtle but crafty folk instrumentation, and some insidious black metal vocals that add some bitterness to the sweet uplifting folk music. The end result, is simply beautiful. It may not be original in concept, but in execution, this formula kicks ass, exploring several different concepts and musical tastes within one confined setting, ranging from calm to raging and bold in a flash. As said before, I know nothing about Månegarm, but “Legions Of The North” is good enough to convince to download their entire discography, as it’s well written and simply beautifully executed.
“Grindcoholism” by Squash Bowels
With this being their sixth album, hopefully “Grindcoholism” will give Squash Bowels the praise they deserve, as they’ve fleshed out their take on grindcore into a meaty and violent slab of power. Some tracks have a death metal vibe that reeks of fun early 90’s death and grind in a fun way, some tracks dip into gore-grind for added doses of brutality, and some tracks delve into straight up crust punk influence, all while keeping true to precise and technically sound grindcore. The mix of extreme metal styles comes together incredibly well and never drags as it shifts in a second and as a whole, the album clocks in at 31 minutes, with lots of stuff to dig right into from the get-go. The writing is simple and flexible enough to let everyone blend just right, and its guided by the always smart Squash Bowels and a heavy sound mix that crushes at every chance. If you love grindcore, you’d be a fucking fool not to pick this up.
“Gamble Shot” by Rebellious Spirit
Here come’s a group of kids who clearly love their 80’s metal, as Rebellious Spirit reeks of classic Ratt, Poison, FireHouse, and many more. With that in mind, you could easily write this off as just yet another glam metal revival band along the lines of The Treatment or H.E.A.T., but these guys have a few tricks up their sleeves. First off, they’ve got creativity. At points in any one song, the speed and time shift and new riffs are brought into the fold, all of which glam-soaked without sounding the same and delivering some really great hooks alongside the main chorus and harmonies. Second, they know their stuff. They revel in the kind of pop fluff and sleaze that made their genre so successful in the 80’s, and they’re not scared to take advantage of those tropes without coming across as dated or cliched, thanks to a clean and modern sound mix, even if it does lack originality. Overall, it’s a surprisingly solid album from a band that has a lot of potential to expand on this sound. As a longtime fan of classic glam metal, I’d feel bad not recommending this album.
“The Headless Ritual” by Autopsy
“The Headless Ritual” see’s a return to form of sorts for Autopsy, as they go back to their death/doom slightly Motörhead influenced sound, and god damn, is it killer. The riffs, are crushing, taking from grind, death, doom and more to make a punishing mix of guitar playing, and the vocals are approached the same way, completely beserk and varied but rooted in classic death metal aesthetic. The rhythm sections backs it all up with great grooves and patterns, and the end result is a frantic and abrasive mix of death metal, delivered at break-neck pace. Some of the riffs aren’t as rewarding, but there’s so many of them that it hardly makes a difference, and the writing that comes with it all is not only gruesome and fitting, but hilarious, especially with song titles like ‘Slaughter In The Beast House’. This album revels in dumb, classic death and doom, executed with all the insanity of Autopsy, and I can’t imagine any metalhead not enjoying every bit of that insanity.
“Raise The Curtain” by Oliva
Heavy Metal/Progressive Rock
Savatage legend Jon Oliva is back with this solo album entitled “Raise The Curtain”. While this isn’t his very first solo album according to him and his fans, it should be noted that this is the first album where Jon Oliva actually plays most, if not all, of the instruments. Here, Jon revisits his classic progressive and opera rock influences and does it incredibly well, with compositional pieces that set the stones for a great concept album, despite the fact that there is no constant idea or story. That translates to the music, as the sound varies from track to track. Some will criticize that, which I understand, but I kinda like it, as Jon takes all his influences and uses them in heavy theatrical ways that showcase his great writing and performances. It’s also really cool to hear Jon tap into some old un-released music, and despite the varying ages, all the tracks pack a sense of emotion and weight that feels relevant, especially with the well-written lyrics. It lets Oliva paint a picture of his choice, and it’s a damn nice picture at that. Fans might not like the lack of focus, but the album makes up for it with great writing and a sense of feeling that only somebody like Jon Oliva could deliver.
“Eight Pieces – One World” by Max Pie
Power Metal/Progressive Metal
I’m going to get this out of the way because I don’t wanna mention this again; Max Pie is a fucking terrible name for a prog metal band. Ok, done, on to the review. Once you’ve skipped past that bullshit name, “Eight Pieces – One World” is actually a really solid album. Over the past few years the band have shed their beginning as a humble rock band and have fully embrace prog and power metal on this release, and that’s no more evident anywhere else than on the title track, as Max Pie unleashes a sonic barrage or riffs, chords, and rhythms. From there things move steady and well, from the grand and colourful balld ‘I’m In Love’, to the frenzied rage of ‘Vendetta’, and the djenty setpiece of ‘Earth Rules’. Each song packs warm harmonies, great guitar work, and some surprisingly smart writing, despite some of the less-than-impressive song titles. There’s a lot of passion that went into this record, and while I don’t personally think the album is great, it does have a lot of great moments, if of course you can look past that atrocious band name.
