REVIEWS ARCHIVE - S |
||
 |
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SABATON
"Attero Dominatus" (Black Lodge - provided by Target) - ½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Yeah I remember this band!! The opening track is a carbon-copy of Nightwish "Wishmaster". No, I'm sorry it is the world poorest attempt to just be close to a band like Nightwish. I remember the previous album I reviewed, and I clearly stated that this could be an okay band if they got a new singer, but it appears that some people just doesn't listen, so let me try to say it one more time: GET A NEW SINGER!!! I can not say anything positive about this untalented crap. How old are those guys in the band?? 16 and below? Okay I'll tell you why; "Be prepared for nuclear attack, extermination, fight back!" I guess that this speaks for itself, otherwise I suggest that you buy the album if you want to expand your wisdom. Sorry I shouldn't be so harsh, the music is more than old school than Twisted Sister, and makes Hammerfall appear to have reinvented the wheel. The production sounds like somebody have forced them to use an old tape recorder, okay maybe not, but hahahaha damn this is awful.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SABATON
"Primo Victoria" (Black Lodge - provided by Target Distribution) - ½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Sabaton is what I can describe as standard Power Metal with the vocals of Lemmy (MotorHead). I do not know how I can be more specific about this kind of music, nor can I find out who that will enjoy this kind of Metal??? Even though the music doesn't stink that much, the vocals performed here makes me sick and very irritable, which unfortunately destroys everything good there might have been on this album!!
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SABU, PAUL
"Heartbreak" (MTM Music - provided by Zink) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Usually these re-issues of old so-called-classix of the eighties that MTM have been releasing the past couple of years holds absolutely no interest to me, as it's either a totally obscure band only 5 people in the world have heard about, or one of those discs that shouldn't even have been released in the first place 20 years ago let alone remastered and put out these days. It's usually cheesy hard rock albums of low quality, and besides a few good ones (Fate being the only one I can actually come to think of right now that I personally loved of the re-iussues MTM have done), nothing stands out. However, with SABU (the band of former Only Child frontman) and the re-issue of the 1985 album "Heartbreak" MTM have gotten hold of quite a little gem. This is old school hard rock with some very good melodies, somewhere in the line of Van Halen, Alice Cooper and Pandemonium, but with a touch of AOR to it here and there. In reality, time might have run out for this kind of music, but for those who still like to listen to the occassional soft-hard-rock disc, you could be far worse off than going with this one.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SACRED HEART
"Lay It On The Line" (Self-financed - provided by Sacred Heart) - 1½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Classic melodic hard rock from the UK - hmmm, not a bad thing I'd say, considering that this is the country that has given us such bands as Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Ten, Magnum, Dare and a lot more of quality acts within that style. Sacred Heart is now trying their best to become the next in line, but in order to do so, they need a record label willing to push their music forward to the masses. "Lay It On The Line" is the latest offering from the 4 guys - and let me say right away, that if this is the best the band has to offer, then they might have to wait quite awhile before any label executives are ready to pick them up. Seriously, Sacred Heart sounds like a garage-band trying way too hard to emulate a style that isn't particularly "in" right now, and which is done much better by a lot of other bands out there. The choruses are extremely cheesy (come on, listen to the title-track and you'll know what I mean), the production is definitely lacking, and the drums sounds like they are always missing a beat or a step behind the rest of the band. It's not good - but I do applaud the band for at least trying to come up with their own take on classic hard rock in 2005. If you're interested in this album, you can try to contact the band through www.sacredheartband.com and see if they have a copy you can buy.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SACRIFICIAL "Autohate" (Mighty Music - provided by MNW) - 2½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
The Danish band Sacrificial is out with their 3rd album within the 10 years from their first release. It is nice to hear that the Danish metal-scene is not lost entire behind the footprints of the Swedish bands such as "In Flames" & "Soilwork". But yet again it seems like Danish bands has the tendency of being 2-3 years behind scheduele if we compare the material of the before mentioned bands. This would easily have become a bit hit for 2 or 3 years ago. The music provided by Sacrificial is quite okay but could never maintain more then that mostly because the music is to predictable, and the vocals within the genre is experimenting with clean vocals and it seems like that Sacrificial isn't aware of that! Nevertheless there are some great tunes of this album such as "Victimized" & the great melodic song "Away With Skies". If Sacrificial wants to enter the big league they have to consider the vocals and keep writing material such as "Away With Skies".
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SAGA
"Trust" (Inside Out / SPV - provided by Target) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
This has got to be the best studio album Saga has done since ... well, since forever. I can't remember a Saga disc I've enjoyed this much since "Security Of Illusion", and mind you, that's 13 years and 8 albums ago. Starting out with the three--in-a-row attack of "That's As Far As I'll Go", "Back To The Shadows" and "I'm OK", the album takes off on a high note. These 3 songs alone are well worth spending your money on this disc for. "Time To Play" is a little too "funky" for my taste, but from there on it's just one great Saga tune after the other: the ballad "My Friend" (sung by keyboardist Jim Gilmour), the powerful titletrack "Trust", the up-tempo rocker "You Were Right" and the wonderfully quirky "Footsteps In The Hall". With this album Saga has managed to create a brilliant disc, that will satisfy all the old-time-fans and hopefully bring in a new bunch of rock fans to the magic world of symphonic prog-rock.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SAGA
"The Chapters Live" (Steamhammer /SPV - provided by Target) - 4½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
The album all fans of SAGA have been waiting for forever - the collection of all their "chapter"-songs on one double disc … and even in a live setting. For everyone who knows just a bit about Saga, the "chapters" are an integral part of the mystique of this band. Ever since the 1978 and up till today they've been lifting the veil a little bit with each album throughout their career for what this is all about, by recording one or several parts of the long-spanning concept … and mind you, the chronologically of the chapters were never logic (i.e. the debut album in 1978 had pt4 and pt6, "Images At Twilight" in 1980 had pt3 and pt1, "Full Circle" in 1999 had pt9, pt 13 and pt10, and so on). When listening to this double live disc, with the songs played in numerological order, you can't help but think that these guys either had an amazing plan at hand when they started out, were lucky as hell, or just damn good at adapting to a theme, 'cause the flow of these tunes makes this one heck of a conceptual disc, that stands right up there with the "Tommy"'s, "The Wall"'s or the "Operation Mindcrime"'s of the past 30 years of rock'n'roll. This live album is an essential part in the collection of any self-respecting prog-rock/pomp-rock/symphonic-rock or even prog-metal fan.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SAGA
"Network" (Steamhammer / SPV - provided by Target) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Starting out with the brilliant "On The Air", Saga on "Network" immediately restores the interest I've lost in them over the past decade. "Marathon" was a boring album, which didn't do much for me, but when they start out their latest disc with such a great tune as "On The Air", that draws references to all their old classics, I'm right away hooked again. Unfortunately the second tune, "Keep It Reel" is too plain, and I'm sitting here quite bewildered. Oh well, keep it playing … and luckily they soon find their way back with the aptly titled "I'm Back". It's also by now I come to realize how incredible and unique Michael Sadler's voice is and always have been - I used to love Saga when their first 6 or 7 albums came out, and Michael's voice was a central piece in my affection for the band. It's amazing to think that he still sounds like a young man in his prime. Cool. "Network" continues with some ups ("If I Were You", "Believe") and downs ("Don't Look Now", "Live At Five"), but overall this is a much better album than "Marathon" and my faith in Saga has been partly restored.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SAGA "Marathon" (SPV - provided by Nordic Metal) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
I really used to like Saga - or, should I rather put it this way, I still like Saga, but only their older albums. I loved the bands early records, from the debut and up to the end of their symphonic/semi-progressive phase in the mid 80's. Then I more or less lost sense for their pop-sounding "Behaviour" and "Wildest Dreams", but refound my love for them with "The Beginner's Guide To Throwing Shapes" (which a lot of people actually find one of their weakest discs) and "Security Of Illusion". From then on I not only lost interest in them again, but also stopped paying any attention to their releases, and I'm sorry to have to say that I haven't even listened to "Full Circle" or "House Of Cards". With "Marathon" I'm ready to give them another shot, and just to get into the right mood, I brought out all my old vinyls and gave them some good spinning-time. Hell, those old discs still rules surpreme, and easily puts Saga on top of the symphonic pomp-rock scene. Keyboard avant-gardism mixed with warm melodies, pop-like choruses and some hard rock anthems here and there … now, this is what Saga is all about. So, is this what's to be found on "Marathon" as well? Not really, I'm sorry to tell you … instead it's a halfway interesting disc, which in it's best spots reminds me of why I originally liked the band, but in the other 50% of the album bores the hell out of me. Boring, long-winding pomp-pop tunes with little originality and no power at all. Oh well, I guess I didn't make that huge a mistake when I cast off the band those 10 years ago.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SALEM
"Strings Attached" (Raven Music - provided by Raven Music) - 1 out of 5 points - |
||
|
I always thought that Salem was the name of a Danish singer, but I guess I was wrong, since there also exists a Israeli black metal band by the same name and they have even released 4 albums before this… I am most confused. Strings Attached is the first black metal album with a real symphonic orchestra, which I guess is quite impressive for such a not well known band. Anyways… the black metal part is absolutely horrid. I mean, I have heard 12 year olds play more interesting metal. The classical part however is very good, but far from good enough to save the horrible bunch of black metal that is going on. All I can hope for is that Salem splits up, and that the ICSQ String Quartet releases a solo album without metal, because that would be truly thrilling to hear, as long as they get a proper production and not this bunch of BS. At first I actually thought that this was a live album due to the bad sound, but then I found out it was a real album. How can anyone in their right mind release something like this?! Let me end this review now, and just forget about this Salem and just remember the Danish one (even though he is no good either… haha)
|
||
|
Mads
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SAMAEL
"Era One" (Century Media - provided by EMI) - 1½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
It's been a long time since I actually listened through a whole disc by Samael - I believe it was back in 1996 when they released "Passage", which I thought was quite interesting. But after seeing the band put on an uninspired live-performance with the main-focus on industrial sounds, they kind of lost me. I really liked "Ceremony Of Opposites" and "Blood Ritual" though - the albums they made before "Passage", as they had the right mix of black and death metal with an interesting touch of goth. But as mentioned, the industrial parts of later day Samael have bored me so much that I've totally neglected the band over the past decade. "Era One" is therefor my first venture into the "new" Samael sound, and I must admit that I don't like it at all. Industrial goth with way too much synth and a huge slab of Rammstein bullshit and even trip-hop parts. This music doesn't appeal to me at all, and except for the "Diamond Drops" song, that occassionally sounds interesting, I'm sorry to say that Samael were way better 15 years ago than now.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SARACEN
"Vox In Excelso" (Escape Music - provided by Zink) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
I've never heard of this British band before, but apparently their debut was released way back in 1982, which would make them part of the NWOBH style I guess … although musically they aren't "just" heavy metal, but also pomp-rock, AOR, symphonic metal and classic hard rock … all roled into one. I'd say you can hear parts of Ten, Iron Maiden, Magnum, Thin Lizzy or even Marillion in the music of Saracen - impressive huh? However, the concept behind this disc tends to annoy me (I mean, who cares about listening to a "metal" version of Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code"??? … or at least something reminding thereof), and the constant interruptions of a narrator explaining the storyline is just plain irritating. Also, the album, although filled with great songs and lots of interesting parts, never seem to find it's crescendo, and when the album is over, you're left with an unfulfilled felling. Without the aforementioned concept behind this album and a bit more "on-the-spot-action", "Vox In Excelso" would have been close to perfect, but for now it's a very good disc that just doesn't go all the way.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SAURON
""For A Dead Race" (Neurotic Records - provided by VME) - 1 out of 5 points - |
||
|
From Holland of all places, comes a new black metal band (well, at least "new" to me) called Sauron. Stupid name and ridiculous corpse-paint aside, the music of Sauron isn't half bad, if you like old school black metal in the vein of Carpathian Forest, Dark Throne and Marduk - grim, blasphemous black metal! Unfortunately for Sauron, and this review, I don't like that style. It's all been done so many times before, and often way better than what this album has to offer. And clad in a lousy production, and played by musicians who can't really play that well, "For A Dead Race" is born to loose out when compared to 99% of what else the heavy metal scene has to offer right now.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SAVAGE CIRCUS
"Dreamland Manor" (Dockyard1 - provided by VME) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Some would say Rip off! I'd say yes. They'd say, "Not even Blind Guardian sounded this much as Blind Guardian". I'd say, "You're absolutely right, but doesn't it sound cool"? See, there are many for and against in this case. I have compared a lot of bands with BG during the last 6 years, amongst them Persuader, but this just beats them all in sounding nearly as a copy of the old power metal masters. It should be natural, as the drummer is no less than Thomen Stauch and guitarist is Piet Silck, who has been around with that bunch of metallers that have defined the German power metal scene since the 80'ies. When you add a couple of guys from aforementioned Persuader, the success should be complete. Not only have Savage Circus copied their music entirely from Blind Guardian, they have also "borrowed" the exact same guitar sound, be it the rhythm (which is sadly no longer present on BG's own releases) or the lead, which is exactly like hearing Andre Olbrich using his fingers on the small bends and scales. The drums are of course bound to be a copy, as it is the same man playing, haha. Overall, Savage Circus lack the songs that go right to the nuts and which you remember after 1 spin of the album, but they are a refreshing new band that has seen a small niche in the fact that Blind Guardian has obviously abandoned the rhythm guitar for grandiose guitar tones. Savage Circus doesn't make things more complicated than they are, and if they can write that hit material in the future, they could actually steal the place as Germany's leading power metal band.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SAXON
"The Eagle Has Landed III" (Steamhammer/SPV - provided by Target) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
You can't take away from Biff Byford and his merry men that they always deliver a prime live-show! That's one thing you always can count on from this British NWOHM band - another thing is the fact that the audience will go crazy when all the classics are being played. And, as this double live disc proves, Saxon together with their audience makes up for one great experience. Okay, we've already been subjected to 2 previous installments in the "The Eagle Has Landed" live album series and a few of the songs are repeated from these discs, but who cares… Naah, my biggest problem with this disc is not the choice of songs, but the fact that Saxon decided to use 9 or 10 shows for the compilation of these songs, which makes the recording quality and the "atmosphere" quite different from song to song. However, if you want to hear yet another rendition of songs such as "Crusader", "This Town Rocks" or "Never Surrender", then this disc delivers in plenty.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SAXON
"Lionheart" (Steamhammer / SPV - provided by Scanbox Entertainment) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Biff Byford has been releasing albums with Saxon for more than 25 years now - quite an accomplishment, huh? "Lionheart" is the latest offering, and it is without a doubt the best I've heard from this band since the late eighties. This is real HEAVY METAL with lots of power (yes, it's almost power metal in places), great melodies, and the voice of Mr.John Cleese-lookalike Biff Byford is still very strong. From the opening notes of "Witchfinder General" to the last song "Flying On The Edge" this is undoubtedly classic Saxon - favourites of mine has got to be "Searching For Atlantis" and "To Live By The Sword". The thing with Saxon is that you know what to expect, and sometimes it's better than other times - "Lionheart" definitely belongs to get good stuff!
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SAYIT "Louder" (MTM - provided by Target Distribution) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Sayit is apparently not a hip "artist"-name, but actually the real name for a Swedish guitarist and songwriter … my guess is that the guy have Middle-Eastern origins. Anyway, the nice play on words "Say It Louder" aside, this album actually is really good and entertaining. What we have here is classic hard rock somewhere between Deep Purple's "Slaves & Masters" and Toto's "Kingdom Of Desire", and that of course means great rocking anthems with lots of focus on the melodies and a powerful attitude. Mr. Sayit sure plays great and his solo work is very nice, but he ain't really what we've come to expect from a guitar-hero kind of guitarist - I'd rather characterize him as a team-player J On vocals we find Geir Rönning, who some might remember from Radioactive and Prisoner, and I was really impressed with his performance on "Louder" … strong voice, somewhere between Joe Lynn Turner, Bobby Kimball and Jorn Lande, and lots of passion. His voice is 50% of what makes this album for me, however, I do wish that next time Geir gave himself just a bit more, because he for sure have what it takes to reach the top-level of singers. All in all, "Louder" is a cool disc, where I can't put my finger on anything and say that it's bad, but at the same time I'm not really going crazy about the release. "Louder" have lots of the great elements to make it a strong hard rock album, but the small details just needs to be brought forward and refined.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SCARIOT "Strange To Numbers" (FaceFront Records - provided by VME) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Ooooooops. Did anyone mention Nevermore? Scariot plays music that sounds like Nevermore. I believe I don't need to say anything further. Brand that kind of music yourself (monkey-throwing, or what? - hehehe). Having stated that this is obviously semi-rip-off, I have to say that Scariot do it well. The Norwegian guys are definitely talented on their instruments, and could with a little more expression of themselves go much further, instead of using 80% copy music. Well, if you're into that fantastic band from Seattle, beginning with an N, you won't be disappointed by Scariot. There are absolutely moments on this album that rocks your ass off, and it's all very well produced.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SCAR SYMMETRY
"Pitch Black Progress" (Nuclear Blast - provided by VME) -5 out of 5 points - |
||
|
I remember the first time I heard Scar Symmetry with their debut "Symmetric In Design" I was sold completely. So when I found out that they were in the studio recording their new album, my expectations was sky high! First time I listened to the album, I was a bit disappointed, second time I found it more interesting, third time I thought that this wasn't that bad.. But afterwards "Pitch Black Progress" have just grown for each time that I hear it. The melodies on this album are extreme melodic, the choruses are ear-catchy as hell. The way to do it is quite simple, listen to ABBA, and build the tracks up exactly the same way, and you are on the first step on your way to success. Ok, so everybody knows that there is more to it than that ... the guitar solos on this album, just melts in your ears, this is the extra topping on your pizza that makes it complete. This is without any doubt the best release of the year so far (except from all the Intromental bands hehe). If there should be any critique on this album it would be the clean vocals, which has become a bit higher toned compared to the previous album, but it DOESN'T ruin anything at all.. For the creation and brilliancy of this album, I give all my thumbs up, or what might get up.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SCENES
"Call Us At The Number You Provide" (Escapi Music - provided by Target) - 2½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Scenes are a German band that is moving inside the lines of progressive rock/metal and heavy power rock. The band is trying out a lot of ideas, but all the ideas sound more or less the same and even if the abilities to play well is present, the band has chosen a production that is muddy and which makes all the songs sound the same. I have tried numerous times to find the ONE thing that would make this album worthwhile buying, but I keep thinking that it sounds like a superior demo-band or an inferior professional one.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SEARING I
"BloodShred" (Black Lotus Records - provided by VME) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
I'm really beginning to get tired of the Swedish death-thrash wave, that's become so "in" after the success of bands like The Haunted and Terror 2000. The new band Searing I is taken right out of the mould of the aforementioned two acts, and it doesn't move me one bit. There are actually only 2 positive things to say about it: good production and (luckily for us listening to it) short songs.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SECRETS OF THE MOON
"Antithesis" (Lopus Lounge / Prophecy Productions - provided by Prophecy) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
This is quite a strange album to review, and I'm not sure if I've been spinning it enough to really make my mind up about it, but here goes … At first listen, we're not "that" far from later-day Satyricon. Meaning that it's dark (very dark) black metal with a touch of melody and some industrial overtones here and there. The vocals aren't just the typical BM style (well, at least not all the way throughout the album) as they are deeper and less screaming. What sets this band apart from most other BM bands is the constant changes in pace and mood - from soft acoustic parts to fast-paced grind drums furore and then back to a more laidback atmospheric part, followed by a pure doom metal break. In some way I can't help thinking of the Greek band On Thorns I Lay's earlier offerings (when they were doomish), when I hear those changes from doom to death and into more atmospheric stuff - it's done with the same kind of simplicity in weaving these different elements together. Although, Secrets Of The Moon is definitely a totally other kind of monster with their black metal basis. There's some interesting things hidden in the music - such as some horns (trumpets?), a bit of epic chanting in the background and a couple of places where the guitars have that droone sound we know from Celtic Frost's earlier releases. Well, I think this is quite a good album (with a nice production), but I also believe it's one of those albums that won't really open up unless you listen to it several times ... so, I might as well just go back to it and listen again :-)
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SECRET SPHERE "Scent Of Human Desire" (Nuclear Blast - provided by VME) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Another round of reviews where I get all the boring stuff. I LOVED the first Secret Sphere album and I pretty much liked the second one as well, but this time the band has tried to blend in some old rock 'n roll crap from the late 80'ies. It sounds as if they want to be a mixture between Secret Sphere and Guns 'n Roses!! On the first spin of the album, I actually thought that they had changed the lead singer, but the only thing that has happened is that he has begun singing horribly! The drumming is as boring as that of Missing Link, Metallica or Madonna. The sound production is awful, with a snare drum that is WAY too loud for the picture. I believe that S.S. has come to a stand still, where they have run out of old tracks and suddenly needed to compose new stuff in a hurry, thus offering us their new and more mature style. Well, it doesn't do it for me, sorry. Oh yeah, cool cover! One last thing: STOOOOOOOOOP using cowbells in Heavy Metal!!!!!!
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SECTOR 16 "Identity Crisis" (DCA Productions - provided by DCA) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Goddamn this is a hard album to review. My problem is that when I put on the CD the music is actually quite good and the vocalist is really great, but 5 minutes after taking it off, I can't remember a single song! The funny thing is that I don't know the exact reason why. Are the tracks too much alike? Are they too boring, do they lack the ever so important melodies, don't they have enough punch and energy? I really can' tell. So what is there to tell about Section 16? Well, the band features former members of power progressive metal band Psyco Drama, and of course that is an asset in itself, in terms of musicianship. With "Identity Crisis" they have come up with a more groovy and crunchy album than we know from Psyco Drama, and with the great vocals by Corey Brown this is a debut album that should be hard to ignore. That's why it irritates me so damn much that music and melodies disappear in the thin air minutes after turning the CD-player off.
|
||
|
Martin J
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SENCIROW
"Perception Of Fear" (AFM Records - provided by Target) - 2½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Debut'ing metallers Sencirow is a mixture between Iron maiden and Running Wild. No doubt about that. The question is if this 4 piece holds water all the way through a 45 minutes album, and the answer is unfortunately no. The first couple of songs are interesting, but then the repetition shows its ugly face. 7 out of 9 songs simply sound so much alike that it is annoying - even after 3 spins of the album. It's straight German powermetal with a melodic edge, but without the special nerve that should take a band higher than just the "debut" syndrome of not having thought about the details in the music. Working hard in a rehearsal room for 10 years does make you a better performing artist but doesn't make you better at writing songs. When all those songs sound the same, you might as well just release a mini CD. I hope that Sencirow will think a little bit more about details and diversity on their next album, because the foundations for something bigger is definitely present in the band…they just don't know it yet!
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SEVEN SERAPHIM "Believe in Angels" (Scarlet Records - provided by Target Distribution) - 1½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Seldom have I heard more boring Neo-classical progressive metal. The music completely lacks intensity and feeling, and it's very obvious that every single guitar riff and solo is performed with 100% routine and therefore is completely without personality. Sure, Seven Seraphim are quite talented musicians, but without soul, the music means nothing ….. at least to me. And what's with the vocalist? Suddenly Jim Carrey's famous "most annoying sound in the world" from the movie "Dumb and Dumber" doesn't sound annoying anymore. Neo-classical metal is about musical experiences uniting with vocal melodies in perfect harmony - not a lesson in what it would sound like if you were being raped by 12 camels at the same time (I don't know how I got to think of camels!!) Anyway, Seven Seraphim should spend some more time making their music personal and give it the nerve and intensity that is so vital to most of us metal lovers.
|
||
|
Martin J
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SEVENTH AVENUE "Between The Worlds" (Massacre Records - provided by Nordic Metal) - 2½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Seventh Avenue (SA), the German Melodic Power Metal band, was founded back in 1989, and have several releases behind, but the one that most will recall is "Southgate" which was released back in 1998, about five years from now. The band has gained a lot of fans, but mostly in Brazil and Japan, and now they are ready to strike in Europe. I would describe SA as a mixture between Blind Guardian and Edguy just without the same melodic touch as the before mentioned. The music is very straightforward Power Metal and occasionally they break with some classical influences. The guitar solos does not always follow the rhythm guitar. The vocals provided by Herbie Langhans reminds me of a mixture of Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske but only on clean vocals. I don't know if SA are good enough to conquer the European market yet, but one thing is sure that this is an album for all the Power Germans of there.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SEVENTH KEY
"Live In Atlanta" (Frontiers Records - provided by Atenzia) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Let me begin of expressing how ridiculous it is to hand me this album for a review. I am not familiar with Seventh Keys' music…actually I have never heard one single song before, which makes this a review of the sound quality of the album rather than a review of the musicians in a live situation (where you can only judge if they are doing a good job, by having heard the music on the albums before). Well, if we just pretend that nothing has been done afterwards to make the music sound perfect in a studio, these musicians must be unique within this style….I'd call them perfect human beings, as nothing goes wrong anywhere. Let's face it: Everybody today fucks around in a studio after a live recording, adding a sweep here and a lick there and so has 7K done. I'm not going to make a big fuzz about it, just add: Why the hell didn't they put just a little more audience on in between the songs, so it doesn't sound like they are standing in the space shuttles' empty hangar, with the Marlboro Man in one corner and a dog with pimples on its ass in the other?? Hmm, I will probably never find out, but I do know that the music of this band is hard rock with an edge of melodic metal, performed pretty fucking well (if, bla bla…) and the sound of the album is also high quality, so if you are a fan of the band, you NEED to buy this album, if not for anything else, then just for hearing the Marlboro Man (together with the other spectator) rejoicing as if he had just found his first pubic hair in between the songs. The promo also features 3 studio bonus tracks that will appear on the live album as well (why call it a bonus track???). If you buy this album, you'll also get a DVD, but I can't say anything about it, since I didn't receive that one. Anyway, Check this album out.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SEVENTH ONE "Sacrifice" (Massacre Records - provided by VME) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Seventh One is a newcomer band from Sweden whom supposes to be throne followers to Hammerfall?? I think not!!! There is no doubt that they are trying to create a new thing within the genre of hard beating power metal, by not having chosen a high pitch vocalist. It is a great attempt but could never sustain a place in the big league of Power Metal bands - first of all the music is too hard beating, without any breaks to fill in any melodic tunes - therefore the music has a tendency of becoming easily boring without the fill inns. Besides that, the (Norwegian!) vocalist becomes easily annoying with his poor imitation of Henning Basse (Metallium). I know that Seventh One has been lavished by many medias, but this is not the case here. But one thing there is absolutely great on this album is the production, they have found a perfect sound for this genre; clear and raw, creating a perfect harmony. But that is not enough to make this album more than it is: boring.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SEVEN WITCHES
"Amped" (Regain Records - provided by Target) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Holy Crap, you think…..what happened to Mr. Frost and this normally boring band?? And then you realise that the only thing that changed in the picture was actually the lead singer (ohh..and a new bassplayer). Out went James Rivera, and in came Alan Tecchio (ex-Hades), and what a difference this guy makes. Suddenly, Seven Withces is an interesting band where you expect the next song to be even better than the one you just put your ears to. It's American slow tempo power metal that really rocks in the first couple of songs. Unfortunately for this album, it loses intensity and the last 3 - 4 songs are back in the pile of "boring songs". Anyway, 7W has definitely taken a step up in quality, and I think that if the band could incorporate another composer, be it guitarist or keyboarder, into the band, we'd have an interesting line-up. This disc is not in the top of this years' releases, but it has passed the test of decent quality metal.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SEVEN WITCHES
"Year Of The Witch" (Sanctuary - provided by Target Distribution) - 1½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
AAAArgh, this is horrible. Seven Witches releases yet another album, where they try to sound like a modern Judas Priest. The only positive thing I can say about this disc is, that Jack Frost and team have succeeded in creating a fantastic sound on the music. It really is crystal clear and pompous. That just doesn't satisfy my critical ears in a time, when I have to review 7259 albums per month. Jack Frost is involved in all too many bands, and you can't help thinking that he might actually get a cool band going, if he took the best from each band and put it together on one album, instead of spreading his efforts on various releases, without any punch or nerve. Having to write that much material will eventually make you take the easy road, and that's why all the bands with Mr. Frost involved sound like crap!
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SEVEN WITCHES "Passage To The Other Side" (Sanctuary Records - provided by Nordic Metal) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
I must say that I have a negative angle from the beginning to write about this album, as I don't like the previous stuff, coming from Mr. Frost. I think that his guitar skills are very poor and just copies of old 80'ies metal a la Judas Priest, and others in that style. It doesn't make it better that the band has chosen James Rivera as their new singer. This man is beginning to get on my nerves, as he seems to be appearing in every American band nowadays. He's a good singer, but his voice gets annoying, when listening to it for more than 3 songs, and therefore I'd never be able to like an entire album with him on the vox. The music of Seven Witches is a mixture of Judas Priest, Judas Priest and …hmm…take a guess. The funny thing is that they are actually doing better, sounding like Judas, than Judas them selves are doing at the moment! SW is not boring, it's just not interesting enough to keep me hooked for an entire album, and I can't point out one single song, where I have grabbed my air-guitar or my imaginable drum-kit and begun playing. This album should not go far, but I guess it will anyway, due to heavy promotion. Well, let's see what happens.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHAAMAN
"Reason" (AFM Records - provided by Target) - 4½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
I know I'm going to get hammered for this review, but so be it. The other guys here at Intromental seem to hate this disc, and they claim that this is a boring follow-up to the great debut album of Shaman (now with 2 "A"'s - go figure!!!). But I strongly disagree! "Reason" is a much more mature effort, and an album that shows us just how good a songwriter AND singer André Matos really is. Where the debut album felt like a return-to-the-roots of his early work with Angra, "Reason" much more chooses the path laid forward on the final album he did with Angra, "Fireworks". The strange thing about it is, that I actually never really liked "Fireworks". Hmmm … No matter what, on "Reasons" André and the gang of Brazilian samba-freaks venture into the more melodic and elegantly progressive territory, where the emphasis is on the melodies and less on power and symphonic elements. This is a brave choice on André's behalf, but I fully applaud it. Especially when the album is crammed up with beautiful tunes such as "Scarred Forever", "Born To Be" and the superb "Turn Away".
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHADE EMPIRE
"Intoxicate O.S." (Dynamic Arts Records - provided by DAR) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
This is second album from Finnish Shade Empire, but my first encounter. I have never been a big fan of Finnish metal, so my expectations towards this band were self said not very high. But they quickly made me realize I was very wrong in my prejudices. The band practices a style that combines Children of Bodom, … And Oceans and Dimmu Borgir combined with some electronical influences. The vocals are black metallish with occasional clean vocal parts. The instrumentation is challenging and the entire filled with daring tempo changes and bold compositions. There is something happening all the time, thus making sure the listener is never bored. The track Rat in a Maze is perfect example of this (I actually think I have heard this specific track so many times by now that I will dream about it tonight… it ROCKS). You do miss some solos once in a while though, because there are none to find on the entire album. All in all this album just kicks ass, and if this band manages to evolve a bit more I predict them a very prosperous future in the metal scene. I am not in doubt that I here have a very solid piece of work.
|
||
|
Mads
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHADOW GALLERY
"Room V" (Inside Out - provided by Target) - 4½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Have I been expecting this album for some time now??? I Think SO, Mr.! I was dragged into the Shadow Gallerian universe on "Tyranny", and the more I play that album, the better it gets - even after 5 years. I must admit that I didn't buy "Legacy", since I am a poor man. Having heard it several times at friends' places though. Big was my joy, when I heard that SG would make a sequel to "Tyranny", and greater was my joy of hearing them make an album that is almost as good as "Tyranny". You can always expect that the sequel never works, compared to the original one, but it seems that Shadow Gallery is not a band that leaves coincidences as open possibilities for mistakes to sneak in. Everything on their albums is SO professionally and wit fully created. I can't put a finger on anything that could drag the album down from the pedestal I had put it on, already before listening to it. GREAT guitars, POUNDING drumming, ROLLING bass, ATMOSPHERIC keyboards and a UNIQUE voice to cream the pie. One of the things that make the vocals so extremely worthwhile listening to is the fact that Mike Baker never does anything that he doesn't seem to be able to handle. It makes his voice sound like this smooth creamy surface on top of a roaring beast underneath, being the unique patterns of music, and he stands out as one of the top 3 front-men in the progressive world of today. Brendt Allman and Gary Wehrkamp are duelling on the guitars as if they had done nothing else in their lives but watching "Deliverance" and studying the retard boy's banjoing (yepp, I know it's a bad metaphor, but I think it serves its purpose). I had a problem in the beginning with Shadow Gallery's sound in general, but now I think it stands out as original and it's something that other bands can't copy, unless they want to be called copycats of this incredible ensemble. If you liked "Tyranny" or anything else that Shadow Gallery created in their 15-year career, you are hereby ordered to go out and buy this album, or I shall call down Heaven and Hell's wrath upon you. It is my sincere hope that Inside Out puts some tour support up for this band, so we can finally see them on stage, where all music should be seen in the first place. And now you might ask why I didn't give a "5" instead of "4½"? Because "Tyranny" just kicks 5% more ass, and that would have been a "5". However, BUUUUUUUUUUUUY!
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SHADOWKEEP "A Chaos Theory" (LMP / SPV - provided by Nordic Metal) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
ShadowKeep is back with a new album "A Chaos Theory" which is the bands second album. The English band was formed back in 1999 to follow the footprints of "Helstar" & "Queensryche", and they do a pretty good job. The band has a great touch of melodic tunes and rawness to fulfil the missing parts of the nowadays-metal scene. Most of the songs on this album are followed up with great choruses and cool breaks. "A Distant Paradox" is a song with fast beats and great melodic fill in, "Seventeen" is a well-written song with perfect harmony between the guitars and the vocals. Regarding the vocals provided by Rogue M. Vox it takes a lot of time to get use to his voice but yet it is not good enough compared to the guineas of the music. This album would have been a 5 out of 5 if it haven't been for the vocals, which easily has the tendency of becoming annoying. If you want great melodic guitar playing and songs to remember, then ShadowKeep could be the one.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHADOWMAN
"Different Angles" (Escape Music - provided by Zink) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
There's something "special" about the sound of British melodic rock bands - think FM, Thunder, Heartland, Dare, Gary Hughes and you'll know what I mean. It's the sound of the working-generation, the coalmine workers, the roots firmly planted in a long generation of people listening to folk music at the pub, yet still with a love for all things rock'n'roll. I like this sound - it's soft, it's gentle, yet it has something deeper inside that wants to get out and say "top of the hat to you old friend, let me show you how to have a good ol' time". Fair enough, Shadowman is here to rock in the English style. Not much metal or even heavy rock to it though, but some really nice hard rock with lots of melodies, and that typical fat voice we're used to from the bands mentioned above. By the way, it's no coincidence that I meantioned FM, Thunder and Heartland first, as it's members/ex-members of those 3 that makes up the core of Shadowman", and it shows. Very good album, but don't expect a full-on hard rock disc - just a soft and extremely well-crafted melodic rock disc.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHADOWS FALL
"Fallout From The War" (Century Media - provided by EMI) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
On the biography, it states that Shadows Fall has sold more than quarter of a million albums! I don't know what kind of mass psychosis those album buyers have been through. I'll take the discussion anytime, if this band actually has the most boring lead singer in the metal scene today? The music is pretty cool and aggressive. Kind of a mixture between American Power metal and Nu-metal when it's best. Then comes the lead singer and ruins the whole album with his nasal chanting, that makes all the songs hard to differentiate. This whole album is a mix of older re-recorded material, 3 cover songs and some new material. It's good, musically, but it's not up there, where it hurts. Fire the lead singer and hire a guy that can sing.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHARK ISLAND
"Gathering Of The Faithful" (Frontiers - provided by Zink) - 2½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Do you remember the Shark Island album "Law Of The Order" from 1990? No? Hmmm, how about the Contraband album "Contraband" from 1991? Ahh, that might ring a bell, right? Well, I remember both and although I still have 'em both in my vinyl collection I honestly haven't listened to any of them in quite a good deal of years. Richard Black is the connection-point between the 2 bands - with his cool voice, he was the perfect frontman for the bluesy hard rock project Michael Schenker (MSG) formed together with Tracii Guns (LA Guns/Guns N Roses), Bobby Blotzer (Ratt) and Share Pedersen (Vixen) in 1991 called Contraband, as he was with his own band, the LA based heavy rock band Shark Island. History shows us that both bands never really made much impact on the scene while delivering those 2 solid hard rock albums. Now Shark Island have reformed, trying to get another shot at stardom, but although Richard's voice is just as strong as 15 years ago, and eventhough the songwriting is quite okay, I seriously doubt there'll be any big interest surrounding this release. Musically okay, but unfortunately also really outdated.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHATTER MESSIAH
"Never To Play The Servant" (Dockyard1 - provided by VME) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Shatter Messiah is a new band that I had no expectations towards. Then I put on the album and immediately my mind thought. Nevermore….Annihilator…Exumer…! I read the bio and then I found out why: Curran Murphy, who previously played in both Nevermore (tour guitarist) and Annihilator is the main man behind this new band. The band features other semi-known musicians, such as the absolutely brilliant singer Greg Wagner (Ex-Archetype). After having heard the 2 first songs I was on the verge to begin finding out ALL the large letters and syllables + an album of the month title, but after having been shred to pieces by incredible guitars, pounding bass and drum rhythms and a vocal performance that is in the top 5% of this world during the 2 first songs, the album silently slides downhill in intensity and nerve. The main reason for this is that Greg begins growling instead of what he does best (singing). He of course returns to the singing later on in the album, but keeps on growling here and there, and it is devastating to this product. Most of the verses are kept in an E-based riff, and that's where thrash has its own biggest enemy. It gets irritating for the ears to keep on listening to the same ground base, and it is so hard for any vocalist to get anything interesting out of only 1 note. I could also complain about the sound on the album as I find it a tad overproduced. The bass drums are sterile and sound much too triggered, whereas the guitars/bass are right where they should be - namely in your face. Last thing is that the album is far too long. 14 songs from a debut band is too much, and it's really hard to keep the attention for so long. Having enlightened all these negative things, I still need to say that Shatter Messiah is not a real debut band. These guys have been in various bands before starting this new one, and it really is to be heard that they can play their instruments to perfection and know what they do. Big plus for that!
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHERINIAN, DEREK
"Blood Of The Snake" (Inside Out / SPV - provided by Target) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Take away the songs "Phantom Shuffle", "On The Moon" and "In The Summertime" and you would have a 5/5 review from me. I really appreciated Derek Sherinian's last album, and on this one it really seemed that he stepped even further up in the hierarchy, with guest musicians such as (hold on): Billy Idol, Zakk Wylde, Slash, Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci, Brad Gillis a.o.!!!! What a bunch of truly amazing musicians. It's funny, coz you can actually hear who is playing which solo on the album, as all the guitarists different styles are so distinct and perfect that it doesn't make sense. On top of this, Derek has an ability to make music so adequate and arousing that even my living room plants have begun growing faster. Everything is really perfect with this release, EXCEPT those 3 songs I mentioned. 1st one is Jazz, and it stinks like a lawyer from a big tobacco company, hiding something under the carpet. The other one is a spaced out strange song that is also jazzy in the approach, and I'd rather eat my own guts than listen to it again. The last one is a cover song, and it doesn't make sense to do such one, when you are as big a name as Sherinian is. I still make it a 4/5, as the rest of the music is just so goddamn perfect.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHERINIAN, DEREK
"Mythology" (Inside Out / SPV - provided by Target) - 4½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Whoooa. Stop there…I think I gave a pretty positive review to Derek's last album as well, but this time it's REALLY over the top! What was that mistake with "Falling Into Infinity" all about? Maybe Dream Theater didn't really give this guy a chance to unfold himself on this cool instrument. Derek Sherinian might be pretty jazzy sometimes and if you know me, you know that I hate jazz "music" more than Tom hates Jerry, when he gets help from that stupid bulldog Butch, but in Heavy metal, Sherinian rules with his extremely melodic jazzy style. You'll find constant melody chases between keys and guitars (with guest appearances from a.o. Zakk Wylde, Steve Stevens, Steve Lukather and John Sykes), and more than worthy solo's from several of these guys. The reason I'm not going all the way to the top is the last song. I was sitting there, hoping for Sherinian to incorporate some lyrics/a vocalist into this music once in a while, but he had me convinced otherwise now. The last song has vocals on it, and it really sucks. It sounds like a mixture between the late Alice In Chains singer and Eddie Vedder…not the kind of vocals you'd expect for this fantastic music album.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SHERINIAN, DEREK "Black Utopia" (Inside Out - provided by Nordic Metal) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Former Planet X and Dream Theater keyboardist is back with his third solo album, an entirely instrumental album, setting a new standard for virtuosity with an assemblense of prominent names like Yngwie Malmsteen, Zakk Wylde, current Steve Vai bassist Billy Sheehan and drum legend Simon Phillips, just to mention a few. And with a crew like that, what else to expect than a masterpiece by this fantastic keyboardist. It all starts out really well with "The Sons of Anu". A great progressive song with very cool guitar- and keyboard solos and chases - a heavy song as well. Unfortunately the level drops a bit each song from there. As an example, Sherinian has put two prog rock ballads on "Black Utopia" you could easily do without. Ballads without vocals get too boring too quickly because nothing exiting in the music happens - at least in both these cases. To our luck, Sherinian shows what he is capable of on his instrument. "Star Cycle" is a song dedicated to the keyboard, and Sherinian show exceptional skills, but in the long run, this song actually get kind of monotone. There are no rhythm guitars, at all, on this track, as the rhythmic sections have been replaced by a keyboard sequencer, which doesn't make the song any better than if it was done by a guitar, so why do it? Speaking of guitars, I must not forget the song "Axis of Evil". Not only have Sherinian recruited both Zakk Wylde and Yngwie Malmsteen to play on the same album, they are even chasing each other with their fantastic guitar solos on the same song. An excellent clash between two of the most eccentric guitarists on the metal scene. So in conclusion, almost each of the tracks on "Black Utopia" beats the spread, but as a whole album, instrumental songs just gets too boring in the long run to listen to.
|
||
|
Martin J
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHINING FURY
"Another Life" (Metal Blade - provided by Target) -1½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
So here it is the second release of Shining Fury. And you could have hoped that this band would have developed further and listen to the criticism that have been given, but no instead, they continue to play another whole album of meaningless Power Metal. Even though that over half of the band has been replaced, doesn't make any chances in the music unfortunately. Okay a track as "Neither Words Nor Kisses" that the band has a bit of talent, as it shows that they know how to write a track, that doesn't become boring as the rest. I'm sorry to put it is this way, but the band hasn't progressed since their debut album, instead I would be so bold and say, that they have taken 2 steps backwards. And please mark my words, I'm not tired of Power Metal, but this is just to boring, and heard like a billion times before "sorry guys".
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SHINING FURY "Last Sunrise" (Metal Blade - provided by Target Distribution) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Shining Fury is (sorry to say this) just another Italian power metal band! Nevertheless Shining Fury is to be proclaimed as the band that should lift up the era of Power Metal, with their fast and melodic Power Metal with some technical influences. The band even has Francesco Netti (vocals / Athena) and Oleg Smirnoff (keyboards / ex-Eldritch) but once again I'm sorry to inform you all that this doesn't change a thing of how the music is to be described Italian power metal. There are some moments on this album, which are worth being mentioned "Sleepin' Coma" has a really great guitar - keyboard chase. And of course there are some other parts that are quite listen able. But once again this album is to be described as Italian power metal, and is very classical the genre within. Did I mention that this is an Italian power metal?
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SHIVA "Desert Dreams" (MTM Records - provided by Target Distribution) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
This band was really a big surprise when I heard it the first time! And you might ask your self why? First of all the album starts as thunder and lightning with great performance from the singer! And it took me like 3 tracks before I realized that it was a female vocalist! Her appearance reminds me of the old singer from Nocturnal Rites - Anders Zackrisson. The three opening numbers are definitely quite listenable, and I really hoped that they would have carried on the same performance throughout the whole CD, but unfortunately it all stops! The rest of cd is a really poor performance of old school hard rock. I really hope that Shiva would take it to consideration and make some more tunes like the three opening ones.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHOOTING STAR
"Circles" (Frontiers Records - provided by Zink) - 2½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Talk about ancient history, hehe ... okay, perhaps not "ancient", but this band has a history that dates all the way back to 1960, when two of the bands originators met for the first time (they were 5 at that time, haha). Shooting Star apparently had quite good success in the late 70's and early 80's (with a shortlived reunion taking place in 1989), but for some reason they slipped under my radar back then. In 1999 they reunited yet again, and to this day the band continues on, but now with Van McLain as only original member. Musically we're safely in the AOR meets pomp-rock territory with a very melodic edge, imagine bands such as Kansas, Journey, Foreigner and (due to vocalist Kevin Chalfant) a good deal of The Storm. Some of that pomp-rock (Kansas, Balance and Boston) were great, whereas others just bored the hell out of me back in the early 80's, and today I'm still not convinced that this genre is right for me - "Circles" isn't really bad - just a bit too laid back for my taste.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHOWDOWN, THE
"A Chorus Of Obliteration" (Century Media - provided by EMI) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Just like Natalie Imbruglia I am torn over this release. The musicianship is tight as hell, and The Showdown really knows how to play interesting music. Unfortunately they just don't manage to do this all the time. The inspirations for this band are so broad, that I really don't know where to start. The obvious ones for me are In Flames, Extol and Children of Bodom. Not bad bands if you ask me, but it is when they try to put in the melodic clean vocals choruses that they fail… and fail fatally. The growling is nothing to cheer for either, but neither is it in Children of Bodom. On the other hand we have some twin guitar harmonies which are superb, and they really create some awesome parts. The grooves delivered by the entire band are great, and you can really feel the energy. It saddens me that so great musicians don't know how to get vocal parts to match with the rest. And this is where I am so torn, because the instrumental parts work for a near 5 out of 5, but then the vocal parts come in and pretty much ruin it all. I will be very much looking forward to hear their next release, because this band shows some true potential. The Showdown is raw power and energy, but unfortunately this is (in the words of Natalie Imbruglia) an illusion that never turned into something real. Pretty corny, huh?
|
||
|
Mads
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SHY
"Sunset And Wine" (MTM - provided by Target) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Do you remember this British hard rock band from the 80's? Well, I do! Quite okay hard rock back then, and I guess you could say that they also are quite okay for this style nowadays. However, the problem lies within the fact that this style isn't really "in" any longer, and most of it sounds outdated. There are a few bands who are capable of creating hard rock which is interesting even today, but Shy isn't one of them. Musically this is a recap of what hard rock was all about 15-20 years ago, and I'm not getting any good vibes out of it, except for the fact that vocalist Tony Mills (ex-Siam) has one hell of a beautiful voice and quite a big range to it. An unnecessary album that I'm sure we've forgotten all about in a year's time from now.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SICK OF IT ALL
"Death To Tyrants" (Century Media - provided by EMI) - 1½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Punk and hardcore never really appealed to me, and after having forced myself to listen to The Accüsed for last review update, I'm now finding myself hard pressed to even give "Death To Tyrants" the time of day. However, seeing that Sick Of It All is one of the hardcore giiants I do need to get around to it … a few spins later my opinion on the hardcore scene hasn't changed at all (not even considering Sick Of It All here and there are including a few modern day metal core elements in their music), and in all honesty, I hope it'll take a good while till the next hardcore disc comes my way.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SIEGFRIED "Eisenwinter" (Napalm Records - provided by Napalm Records) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
What we have here is a German band singing in German!! That sounds hilarious, so I won't get further into that. What I will get into is, of course, the music. Siegfried, although the band don't agree with us critics, play what you could call Epic gothic heavy metal. They make frequent use of underlying keyboards to set the mood and atmosphere, and it actually raises the musical experience a bit. The band themselves prefer to avoid the word "gothic" when describing their musical genre, but I think it's unavoidable. Furthermore, Siegfried are switching between 3-4 different types of vocals performances. "Eisenwinter" opens with the title track, a somewhat aggressive without being a power metal or thrashy track, with an aggressive male voice. The next song is a mix of female vocals, clean male voice and black metal like growling, and so it continues throughout the album. It gives good variety to the music which tends to maybe a little too boring and monotonous in the long run.
|
||
|
Martin J
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
S.I.N. "Somewhere Into Nowhere" (MTM - provided by Target Distribution) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
SIN is a new band on the market founded by guitarist Deddy Andler and singer Jason Marks, back in 2002. SIN plays melodic hard rock with superb catchy choruses, but yet again something is missing? Each and every track on the entire album has the exact same build-up, which makes it hard to tell one song from the other! This is a pity, as the band has a lot of potential to become one the best artists within the genre, but this is just not good enough. Even though there are some nice tunes here and there with superb guitar play, but that is not enough to be among the best. I hope that I will hear more from the band in the years to come.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SINNER "There Will Be Execution" (Nuclear Blast - provided by VME) - 2½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Mainstream old style HM CD just barely worth lending an ear. Quite an old band from the mid 80'ties with Mat Sinner on Vocals - rusty old man style, reading his way through the lyrics. Well, it reminded me of the Thunderhead CD I got a few years ago .. its just soooo predictable mid tempo HM ... dagadagadagadagadagada, and then the ever present guitar vibrator is used "randomly" on all tracks .. close to being a joke. Well, there is actually one track I like "Finalizer" .. almost like a good old Priest track.
|
||
|
Erik
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SIRENIA "An Elixir for Existence" (Napalm Records - provided by Target) - 1½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Sirenia is a Norwegian band (I think!) who are out with their second full length album on Napalm Records. "An Elixir for Existence" is a mixture of gothic-, black- and death metal with a distinguished melancholic touch. They make use of very powerful drums and bass, which gives the music a very dramatic expression supported by atmospheric keyboards. Sirenia also make use of many different vocal performances that range from growls, screams, female vocals, clean male vocals, choirs to whispers. And combined with the music, Sirenia ends up with a grand, theatrical album. Still, I think it gets boring after listening to it for 15 minutes, and I can't remember the songs - even after hearing them several times.
|
||
|
Martin J
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SKELETOR
"HellFireRockMachine" (Go-Nuts Music - provided by Target Distribution) - 2½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
First song is ok…..second song is a little bit boring….third song begins with cool melody intro, but becomes boring….get the picture? This is rock 'n roll, the bad way. Skeletor sounds like a mixture of The Cult, DAD, Motörhead and UDO (vocals). In the info sheet, it says that Skeletor is influenced by Elvis Presley. Well, I'll be damned! All I hear is, a vocalist, struggling to sing, a bunch of boring drums and some screaming guitars, who actually produces some cool riffs once in a while. It's just not enough to make me go crazy for a release like this. There's pretty much energy in the production and it sounds as if everyone's been trying to give his best for this. Their best is just not good enough.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SKYCLAD
"A Semblance Of Normality" (Demolition / Dream Catcher - provided by Target Distribution) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
It's somewhat of a legacy that the Brits in Skyclad has bestowed upon themselves - something really heavy and almost impossible to lift, and just like Sisyfos who struggled for eternity to pull the stone all the way to the top of the mountain only to see it roll down again, so will Skyclad forever be struggling to come out of their own shadow of past creations, just to find it impossible to do. With "A Semblance…" the British fivesome has created an album of more than acceptable proportions, but also an album that more than ever makes it clear just how good the band used to be when Martin Walkyier was behind the microphone and more importantly behind the lyrical pen. While Kevin Ridley - long time producer and friend of the band, now vocalist - sure has got a nice voice, that ain't too far from Martin's, it all seems too forced and unnatural. Kevin is not the POET that Martin was, and that's the biggest problem here. I miss Martin's quirkiness, and his way of making words matter. Kevin tries hard, but there's no flow in his words, and it becomes so darn irritating to read and listen to. With that said, the music is really good; from the straight ahead heavy metal songs to the folk rock anthems, it's all here, just like we're used to from Skyclad. But this time they added a sense of technicality and pompous symphonic rock, that makes some of the tunes sound like a mixture between Jethro Tull and a laid back Dream Theater (without overdoing the progressive metal thing in any way, because this is much more bare). It definitely suits the band and is what makes "A Semblance…" more than just a band rehashing their old material. Also, the use of The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on several songs is a clever idea that fits right in there with Georgina Biddle's violin playing. Georgina has half of the songs to her own, and TRPO the rest - good move! I'm partially happy for the evolution Skyclad has taken with this disc - it's a band that definitely wants to keep their foot in the game, rather than one in the grave - but the lyrical content is what made Skyclad so unique and wonderful in the past, and the not-so-talented Mr. Ridley's home-grown lyrics just doesn't touch the tip of the inkpen that Walkyier used to write his now classic poems with.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SKYLARK
“Fairytales” (Scarlet Records – provided by Target) - 1½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Ohh my what is this crap? Sorry to be so harsh in the beginning of a review, but this is where my review starts and ends, hehe. Well, okay, let’s get to the bottom of this “music”; first of all I know that SKYLARK have been existing for more than a decade now. And back then when they came out with their debut album it was a bit interesting as they were a part of the Italian Symphonic/Power underground scene. But come on, this is now the new century, and you could expect more than a keyboard that sounds like something that you have stolen from Toy’s R Us? The production on the whole album stinks, all the way through the entire album. The singer; where have they been digging up that old fossil?? I would dare to say that the neanderthal women from the cave-age, had a more beautiful voice than this, and even her high pitch is performed a 1000 times better by most men (take my boss Claus as an example, hehe). Only a fool would end up with this album, as it is simply not good enough to be part of any quality CD collection. And believe it or not they have dared to destroy a great track originally performed by Mike Oldfield and Maggie Reiley - “MoonLight Shadow” – totally spoiled by this untalented band!! They should be ashamed of themselves.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SKYSCRAPER
"T.V.Lization" (Hellion Records - provided by Hellion Records) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
The Brazilian progressive/power metal scene is one of the fastest growing ones in the world these days - it seems like there's a new band every second day down there playing this style. I guess we can thank the success of Angra and Shaman for that. Skyscraper is another band in this style, but also a band adding more "special" touches to their music (especially some weird keyboard/guitar sounds), making them quite unique in approach and delivery. Unfortunately unique doesn't always mean commercial, and the problem with "T.V.Lization" is without a doubt, that it takes a lot of listens to warm up to, but once you've got the hang of it, you'll stop seeing Skyscraper as just another copy of aforementioned Angra/Shaman style, and a band equally as good. Vocalist Ricky Ricci has a very cool voice that works extremely well in high pitch, drummer Fabio Elsas is very tight and yet also nicely progressive in his playing, and overall this band is among the best I've heard from South America in many years. Unfortunately I don't see this band getting their music into the European market - it seems to be much more fitted (melodically and production wise) for the Japanese and South American fans, than what people here in Europe (or in USA) would appreciate.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SLAMER
"Nowhere Land" (Frontiers Records - provided by Zink) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Let's forget about the band name reminding very much of the old 80's UK thrash/power metal band Slammer, this Slamer (with only one "M") is in fact the solo project of Steelhouse Lane/Seventh Key guitarist Mike Slamer. Musically we're in AOR meets melodic heavy rock territory … kind of like a mixture of Toto, Pretty Maids, Kansas and Ten. Perhaps a bit of a weird mixture, as it sometimes seems like the band doesn't know if they want to be symphonic AOR or more rocking heavy (with hints at real Metal here and there), but overall it works quite nicely and there's a certain flow to the album. My biggest problem with the disc is the a bit too many ballads. But that aside the disc is really cool, and in-between the two awesome tracks (opener "Nowhere Land" and ending-tune "Superstar) there's actually a few quite impressive songs to be found.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SLIPKNOT
"9.0 : Live" (Roadrunner Records - provided by Bonnier/Amigo) - 1 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Let me put it this way; I think it is unfair to place an album like this on my desk... First of all I have never been able listen through any of their records, and now I get a double live one?? How cruel is life to one? Well okay I could imagine worse thing than this … or could I?? As I see a band like Slipknot, is that I'm glad that they exist, since they have dragged a lot of youngsters into metal. Well that's about it, can't find any other praising words for this band ... I have only bared to listen to the 1st cd, and I must admit that the production for a live record it is quite good - and it's the only reason I'll even give the album a 1-rating! But believe me, to listen to a jerk, whose every second word is "fuck, mortherfucker, fuck, fuck, fuck", makes me really pissed ;-)
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SNAKE CHARMER "Backyard Boogaloo" (MTM - provided by Target Distribution) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Listen to this: Göran Edman (Yngwie Malmsteen), Anders Johansson (Hammerfall) and Jens Johansson (Stratovarius). Who would have thought that these guys, some of the more prominent musicians within the scene of power- and neoclassical heavy metal, would ever wind up playing in a band like Snake Charmer who play the kind of AOR that was so damn popular in the early 90's. Actually, come to think of it, the band was formed in 92/93, so who can blame them? Anyway, Snake Charmer successfully give you a journey back in time with catchy choruses, hard rock vocal melodies, lyrics about love and heartache and the kind of guitar riffs that would bring a tear to the eye of any of today's hard rock and AOR fan. But that's all there is to it. Personally I think the music is boring and I just can't stand it. My philosophy is that all who perform hard rock are, or would really like to be gay! By the way, did I mention that Snake Charmer has a cover version of David Bowie's "Life on Mars"? Well there is.
|
||
|
Martin J
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SOLACE "13" (Listenable Records - provided by VME) - 2½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
There is no doubt that very early Black Sabbath is the first thing that comes to mind playing this thing. This has been done before, and created its own "stoner rock" genre, with some of the best knows as Kyuss and Cathedral that comes to my mind. Solace hasn't anything special to offer beyond that, but delivers what can be expected... groovy slow and heavy with pretty aggressive vocals. Skulls are dominating the cover art, both outside and inside, and tracks like "King Alcohol", " Loving sickness" and "In the oven" pretty much sets the standard of what poetic treats you are in for.
|
||
|
Erik
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SOILWORK
"Stabbing The Drama" (Nuclear Blast - provided by VME) - 2½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
A greatly expected album from Soilwork since their brilliant "Figure Number 5" album. The music in itself hasn't changed much since they 3 years ventured into this melodic style on "Natural Born Chaos", (their first 3 albums being more aggressive), which of course has been predicted ever since the enormous success with the before mentioned. This doesn't means that the album is boring in any sense, it is just a pity that such a gifted band doesn't try to unfold their talent a bit more. The new album contains 11 songs, but only half of them are what I would describe as high-class material, and the rest unfortunately are a bit below. I would describe this album as a standard release, and would have hoped for a bit more from these Swedish metal heads.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SOLEFALD
"Red For Fire - An Icelandic Odyssey Part I" (Season Of Mist - provided by VME) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
When Solefald released their last disc, "In Harmonia Universali", I said that the band unfortunately was commercially limited, and to prove my point right, the band is no longer on Century Media. Apparently the sales weren't big enough, so now they've decided to sign with the smaller (but probably more fitting) Season Of Mist. "Red For Fire" is the first part of the conceptual-set based on Icelandic Saga's, and as such it does a good job at uniting Norwegian black metal with more viking-epic atmospheres. But of course, this is Solefald, and they wouldn't be that without their sick and twisted parts of everything from heavy metal to jazz, from bosanova to thrash - and yes, those touches are still here. Overall this album however is the least interesting of all Solefald discs, as there seem to be a bit of holding back on the chaotic avantgardism we've become accostumed to from Lazare and Cornelius. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is about this disc that feel more restrained than previously, but it just doesn't kick with me as all their other discs did. My favorite of theirs is still "Neonism" and I am sorry to say that I will rather go back and listen to that one, than to give more chances to "Red For Fire". An okay album from a band that has it in them to be so much better.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
SOLEFALD "In Harmonia Universali" (Century Media - provided by Nordic Metal) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
These guys seem to be on a quest for creating the weirdest music ever … yet still with a perfect ear for melody and "the good song". Cornelius and Lazare (well, that's what they call themselves) have once again delivered a surprising album, that demands several listens to even remotely make us (the listeners) comprehend what's going on here. It's by far more progressive than 99% of what the so-called progressive metal bands of today are doing. This is an album full of technical twists and turns, full of huge soundscapes, filled with aggression and brutality, and with a stellar compositional strength that makes one sit and look totally stunned by what these guys are capable of doing. Just listen to the first song on the disc, "Nutrisco et Extinguo", which lasts for 7 minutes … this might as well have been 4-5 different bands writing short songs. And this is both the strength AND the weakness of Solefald - their ability to blend all their influences into one song. It simply becomes too much for the inexperienced listener. Their debut album "The Linear Scaffold" was a good disc, with lots of typical black metal influences. The second one, "Neonism", is by far my favorite, as it is sooo weird and fucked up, it makes no sense. Yet, that disc also includes their best and most memorable songwriting ever. Mr.Bungle meets Dimmu Borgir? With "Pills Against The Ageless Ills" Solefald ventured into more straightforward heavy metal songwriting, and it didn't impress me that much. Now "In Harmonia Universali" includes the best elements from all their discs, but it just isn't enough. Or should I say, it's too much. I would like to hear Solefald just a bit more controlled and relaxed on their next disc, and instead of writing 10 songs with 4-5 different songs within each, they should instead focus on finding a read thread through 'em all. Then they might be able to reach a larger audience, than what they will be doing with their music as it is now. Progressive and impressive - hell yeah! Commercial limited - unfortunately yes!
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
SONATA ARCTICA
"Reckoning Night" (Nuclear Blast - provided by VME) - 1½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Too easy!!! Sonata Arctica are undeniably one of the very best at their trade - melodic metal with a touch of symphonic power, a bit of neo-classical solo'ing, lots of cheesy choruses and nothing else of any interest. When they began 5 years ago they were quickly labelled a Stratovarius copy, but now that SA have achieved quite some success on their own, I guess that's not really how we should label them anymore. Actually, the biggest difference to my ears is that Stratovarius is still capable of writing good songs, whereas SA just doesn't appeal to me in any way. First song on "Reckoning Night", "Misplaced", actually starts out quite okay; up-tempo, and with a really good solo part where keyboards and guitars duel nicely. But the second song, "Blinded No More" simply stinks - boring hard rock! And honestly, from there on it just goes downwards, with very few parts as the exception to prove why SA is a big-seller these days. Worst part about this album is actually not the songs though, because if people really want this kind of music, then by all means SA writes this style better than a lot of other hopeless bands out there - no, it's the fact that the production is so damn anonymous and uniform that the dynamics we all associate with heavy metal is completely lost here. Seldom have I heard a more dull drum sound - all the toms sounds exactly the same. The guitars hold no crunch, and the vocals lack power. Blaaah, this album was way too easy for a band riding on the waves of success, that they don't even deserve.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
