REVIEWS ARCHIVE - T to Z |
||
 |
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TABOR, TY
"Rock Garden" (Inside Out / SPV - provided by Target) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
"Rock Garden" is the third solo album of King's X guitarist Ty Tabor, and not a bad one at all … Musically we're not too far removed from the style found on his main band, which basically means semi-progressive hard rock with lots of Beatles'que vocal parts and a touch of metal. I've always loved King's X and found them to be one of the most interesting bands in the metal/rock scene due to their extreme melodic touch (almost pop-like) and a superb understanding for creating wonderful vocal harmonies, and with "Rock Garden" it's easy to hear that Ty Tabor is one of the more contributing factors to King's X's sound (moreso than Doug Pinnick and Jerry Gaskill). My main problem with "Rock Garden" isn't really in the music, the production or the performance as such, it's just that most of the material has a poppier and smoother edge than the usual King's X material and thus becomes a little too "cheesy" and too "sticky" - it's almost an overkill in happiness and unless you've got a sweet tooth it's gonna be a tough one to sit through.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TAD MOROSE "Modus Vivendi" (Century Media - provided by Target Distribution) - 4½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Once again I face the horrible task of having to review a Tad Morose album…NOT. If I can use a slogan for the latest McDonalds commercial, I have to state, "I'm loving it"!!! This is the follow up to the fantastic "Matters Of The Dark" from 2002. I remember having given that one 4 out of 5, and this one surely tops the predecessor, so 4½ isn't one note too much. Urban Breed out-sings most of his colleagues in the business today. He does not overdo or kill the songs with exaggerated high-pitching or belly-vibrato. He just delivers a fucking fantastic journey through the art of singing. The music is diverse and saturated with cool riffs. It is almost a blessing these days, to hear real riffs blended into the songs, instead of the innerving pumping on one string, most of the so called Power metal bands today practise. The BIG winner here for Tad Morose is the mixing of the album. The band and Fredrik Nordström at the Fredman Studio's in Gothenburg did it and it really kicks major ass. If you turn up the loudspeakers on any given album, some bad things begin to happen. The volume takes over the album instead of enhancing it. On "Modus Vivendi", the sound only gets better by going to the limit of the speakers. What a pearl of an album here on the brink of passing into 2004!!! BUY!!!
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TAETRE "Divine Misanthropic Madness" (Mighty Music - provided by MNW) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Old school death metal … yes, this is some damn good stuff. I remember back in the late eighties / early nineties, when bands such as Morbid Angel, Grave, Death, Entombed, Obituary, Dismember and such stuff occupied my turntable all the time. Now 10-15 years later I must admit that it's very little death metal that appeals to me, so in some way I might not be the right guy to review this disc. Yet - this is truly old school death metal, so in some way it fits nicely in with what I've listened to in the past, and if all releases in this genre nowadays were as good as "Divine …", I might be listening to more of it again. There's definitely a retro-vibe in this disc, with it's thrashy riffs, explosive drums and bass pounding and some brutal growls - and the fact that the production is very raw makes it quite the authentic 1990 album (although it actually is brand-new!). I did like this band's two previous discs, "The Art" and "Out Of Emotional Disorder", but I actually never listen to them any longer. Will "Divine…" get lost in the pile of never-to-be-played-again CDs? The risk is there, but at the moment I'm digging the Hell out of this, so I don't really think so. It's a darn good death metal disc, and if you have just a small fondness for this genre, you should at least lend it an ear.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TALISMAN
"Five Men Live" (Frontiers Records - provided by Atenzia) - ? out of 5 points - |
||
|
I don't really want to put a rating on this disc, as it's very hard considering the following facts: 1) it's a live recording taken from two different concerts, so the sound quality isn't the same throughout, 2) the songs are from all the bands career, and thus differs quite a lot from each other, and 3) this album is a personal gift from the band to their fans, and therefore should be looked upon differently from fan to fan. I'm one of the big fans of especially the first couple of albums by Talisman, and that also makes the songs played from those discs my favorites on this double live album. Songs like I'll Be Waiting", "Break Your Chains", "Mysterious", "Ill Be Waiting" and "Skin On Skin" are fucking awesome, and represents all that this band is about; metal, rock'n'roll and having fun. Jeff Scott Soto has been one of my favorite vocalists (if not #1) for years and years, and this live album proves why … he is just one-of-a-kind and so damn brilliant. The album was recorded at 2 different gigs in Sweden during summer 2003, one of them at the Sweden Rock Festival, which I actually saw. It was a superb gig, and I loved every second of it - so of course that concert has a special place in my heart - as does this double album. Oh, a final note: check out the audience participation in "I'll Be Waiting" from the first disc - that's just too much fun, as there apparently wasn't one single guy in the audience able to hit the right note, when asked to sing directly into the microphone, hehe …
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TALISMAN "Cats And Dogs" (Frontiers Records - provided by Nordic Metal) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Marcel Jacobs and Jeff Scott Soto! Do I really need to say anything else? Naah, not really, cause these 2 guys represents the true spirit of hard rock better than most. From their glory days in Malmsteen's Rising Force, throughout their long career with Talisman, to their short stints as Human Clay and Humanimal - JSS and MJ have held the hard rock banner high. Marcel is one heck of a bass player and songwriter, and Jeff is without a doubt one of my very favorite metal vocalists ever. The music on "Cats And Dogs" is typical of the later-day Talisman style, meaning classic hard rock with a nice groove and some funky rhythms here and there, topped by a smooth voice-delivery of Mr. Soto himself. I'd take the first 2 Talisman discs over this one any day of the week, but it doesn't make "Cats And Dogs" come across as anything bad. It's a brilliant album for what it is - classic hard rock.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TAMPLIN, KEN and friends "Wake the Nations" (Mascot Records - provided by Target Distribution) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Ken Tamplin is what I will proclaim as a legend within White Metal/Christian Rock, a man who has helped most of the 80's and 90's Christian Hard Rock bands. Now Ken T. Is back with his new album "Wake The Nations" what I will describe as an outstanding guitar hero album, but also a great album vocally. Ken & Friends includes the basic line up: Glen Sobel, drums (Impelliteri), Ed Roth, keys (Impelliteri & Glenn Hughes) & Daniel Pearson (Coolio & Jennifer Lopez) the guest musicians includes: Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen/Talisman) / Doug Aldridge (Whitesnake, Dio & House of Lords) / Marty Freidman (Megadeth) / Richie Kotzen (Mr. Big & Poison) and a lot of others of course, but then I could go on of the people who has appeared on this album. "Wake The Nations" is to be described as a Rock N' Roll album with a lot of fantastic guitar solo's and some catchy choruses it has it all. The only thing missing is some creativity as the album is predictable, and he does a fantastic cover of Alannah Myles "Black Velvet" sorry my mistake that was the song "God In Heaven", the album is boring and if it haven't been for the fantastic guitar play of the various guest artists this would have been one big disappointment.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TANGENT, THE
"A Place In The Queue" (Inside Out / SPV - provided by Target) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
How come 99% of all progressive rock bands nowadays feel the need to have all their songs dragging on forever? I know Yes, King Crimson, Genesis etc. did it back in their hey-days, but all those "young" bands today creating their own 20 minute epics, just don't cut it the same way. There was something magical about "Supper's Ready", "Gates Of Delirium", "Moonchild", "The Revealing Science Of God", (or whatever those songs spanning from 12-30 minutes were all called), and that magic just doesn't seem to flow inside the prog-rock bands of today. I could keep on mentioning from here till judgement day how horrible a band like The Flower Kings really is, but since this is a review of The Tangent that probably wouldn't be fair (except that Jonas Reingold and Jamie Salazar also plays on this disc, hehe). Anyway, The Tangent seem to be recreating the 70's prog-scene in quite a nice manner. This is nowhere near the best disc I've ever heard in this genre, but it's far from the worst. "In Earnest" opens the disc with it's majestic 20 minutes, and although I love to complain about that fact once more, I'll just say that it's actually quite a good song, that reminds me of Yes with it's classical arrangements. The album continutes with a couple of shorter tunes, and ends on a high note again with the 25 minute long title track. The Tangent won't ever become my favorite band, but for those who like stuff such as Yes, Van Der Graaf Generator, Jethro Tull, Camel or newer bands such as Knight Area or the horribly overrated The Flower Kings, this should at least be checked out.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TANKARD
"The Beauty And The Beer" (AFM Records - provided by Target) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Aahh yes, put the pedal to the metal and let's drink'n'roll for the good old times. I was raised upon this kind of music, with Tankard blasting out the speakers at home while I was running around in my bermuda shorts trying to act all cool and moshing like a maniac at the same time. I'm sure I wasn't the only kid doing that, when "Zombie Attack", "Chemical Invasion" and "The Morning After" were spinning on the record-deck back in the late 80's, right? Yes, you - the business man in the expensive suit and with the wife-2.1kid-dog-house-mastercard … I'm talking about YOU! Yes, now you remember it all, right? Well, then I've got good news for you, Tankard never disappeared, it's just you who grew up and forgot all about those days of joy. People like us don't become "responsible adults" for real, we just become boring with age if we don't tend to that little metal-kid inside. Luckily Tankard has the cure for that: You go out to the nearest record store and pick up a copy of "The Beauty And The Beer", go home and throw the kids and the mrs down in the basement, pop open a beer or two, turn up the volume and give the old skinny white legs some air … now … MOSH!!!! It's all coming back to you now, isn't it? Right, remember the fun you had back when you were a teenager - it's time to relive that. Aahh the memories…
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TARAXACUM "Rainmaker" (MTM - provided by Target Distribution) - 1½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
TARAXACUM is back with the their second album "Rainmaker". The band was founded back in 2000 by Tobias Exxel (Edguy) together with Frank Wolf (ex-Squealer), vocalist Rick Mythiasan (ex-Steel Prophet) and keyboarder Ferdy Doernberg (Rough Silk). The band is by their label being described as Melodic Power Metal, but that is just even more confusing than the music! I would describe it as a strange mixture between Rock and Melodic Power/Heavy Metal. Besides that there are some quite nice melodic choruses, but yet again that is just not enough to praise this album. Songs as "Make It Happen" sounds like poor Southern Rock, and the track "Dark Sunglasses" sounds like "TOTO" or bands similar to that! Nevertheless I find it quite amazing that such talented musicians chose to play such boring and un-inspirational Metal/Rock. One thing is clear and that is that they sure enough have they own style, despite the many overwhelming backlist of their own respective bands! No matter what and how much the other medias praise this album; this album will only be selling any copies because of the involved musicians and definitely not because of the music…
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
| ** DOUBLE REVIEW FEATURE ** | ||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TAROT
"Crows Fly Black" (Nuclear Blast - provided by VME) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
I've never been a fan of Tarot, and especially not of Marco Hietala's voice, but I guess I have to at least revise my opinion a little bit with "Crows Fly Black", as it's quite a good disc of groovy power metal. Not too far removed from later-day Tad Morose (dark euro-power metal with some Metallica-groove and Black Sabbath heaviness), is the closest comparison I really can come up with for Tarot's new album. Not that it really is important to compare the band to others, as Tarot now have existed for 20 years or so, but I guess people new to a band always would like to have something they know of to use as a guideline to what to expect. "Crows Fly Black" starts out on a high note with the really cool and dark-mooded title-song, then followed by the more up-tempo "Traitor". There's a couple of other really good tunes on the disc, such as the semi-ballad "Tides" that actually showcases Hietala as a good singer (I wonder why I've never liked him before), but it becomes a bit too redundant for my taste, and after a few songs I start to loose focus of the music. Let's face it; Tarot is not an earthshakingly innovative power metal band, nor are they capable of keeping up the quality throughout a full length disc, but you could do a lot worse than "Crows Fly Black", and with each listen my opinion on the band changes more towards the positive than the negative bias with which I entered into the first few listens.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
| ** DOUBLE REVIEW FEATURE ** | ||
|
||
|
||
|
|
||
|
||
|
TAROT
"Crows Fly Black" (Nuclear Blast - provided by VME) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
First up is a slap on the head to the record label, who calls the album "Crows Fly Back" on the CD. Hire professionals in the graphics department, please! But anyway, here we finally have it - the new Tarot album. It´s been three or four years since the last one, but time is probably a limited ressource for singer/bassist Marco Hietala since he joined Nightwish. On the other hand that very fact should hopefully bring more attention to this remarkable band. The last album was the first to be released outside of their native Finland, and even the new re-releases of the band´s backcatalogue are apparently hard to get. But this new album should hopefully change that - because it is very cool. The album starts with an atmospheric choir-effect before that voice of EVIL fades in. Enter the heavy-as-fuck bass of Mr. Hietala and we´re rolling!! From the catchy first (title)track, one great song follows the next and the band shows that they are still delivering the goods. Tarot is one of those bands that doesn´t follow any specific, time-typical trend. They play heavy metal the way it should be, without ever sounding dated or deliberately "old-school". The songs are well composed and entertaining without ever being silly or stupid. In that respect Tarot can be compared to Rage - and not to too many other bands these days, unfortunately. The music is generally riff-based, and the riffs are massive - in "Traitor" you almost expect the voice of Udo Dirkschneider to pop by. There are even a few of those classic shouting choruses. However the melodies are a bit more quirky than your typical "true-metal" band - more in the veins of Black Sabbath, maybe. The solos are wellcrafted and played with feeling, rather than being pure show-off. The other Hietala - Zachary - shreds it up Helloween-style a few times, but mainly he chooses to play tastefully and emotionally. That attitude really goes for the rest of the band as well. They are obviously good players, but their focus is not to show off, but to be solid and strong and just let the songs shine. The production is dry and in-your-face, which suits this type of metal well. Tarot use keyboards, but they are not overly prominent as this is mainly a guitar band. So, all in all, we have here a band who got their shit very much together. But what really lifts the whole thing is the incredible voice of Marco Hietala. His amazing charisma is present throughout everything and makes the album an intense listen. I was surprised at how good his voice sounds in some of the quieter parts as well, like in the super heavy anthem "Tides". This is not typical Tarot stuff, so this is clearly not a man who rests on his laurels. To me he really gave Nightwish the edge they needed and in Tarot it´s his attitude that really drives the music forward. So, to round things up: this is simply a great heavy metal album. It´s maybe not especially innovative or extremely brilliant, but it´s thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, without ever being corny. Great riffs, great choruses, great playing, fat sound and that demon voice - what more do you want? There´s nothing bad about this album at all, except that it´s a long wait until it will finally be out on January 19th, where you should rush out and buy it - and that it will be a long wait until I´m as cool as Marco Hietala!
|
||
|
Erik Ravn / guitarist in Wuthering Heights
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TAZ TAYLOR BAND
"Welcome To America" (Escape Music - provided by Zink) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
I've never heard of Taz Taylor before, but apparently he is a British guitarist raised on classic hard rock. On "Welcome To America" (which I believe is his first albums with vocals?!) he has enlisted none other than Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, Alcatrazz, MSG, Impellitteri) as vocalist - not a bad choice, as Graham's voice fits right in with the musical style. But, the problem with "Welcome To America" is that all the songs are too anonymous, and nothing sticks out - actually, the best song on here is the instrumental version of "Parisienne Walkways" which isn't even Taz's own composition (yup, it's the classic Gary Moore/Phil Lynnott tune) - and that one isn't exactly true to original, as it's played in a different key. Speaking of cover versions, the album ends with "Goodbye Mr. C", which is a medley of Ozzy Osbourne's "Goodbye To Romance" and "Mr. Crowley" - not really that well performed (Graham's voice doesn't sound good on those songs in my opinion - and the transition from "Goodbye to Romance" into "Mr. Crowley" at 4 minutes into the medley doesn't work at all … it sounds forced). "Welcome To America" is an album of classic hard rock songs somewhere between Rainbow, UFO and Thin Lizzy, but don't expect it to be of same quality as any of the abovementioned.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TEN
"The Twilight Chronicles" (Frontiers Records - provided by Zink) - 5 out of 5 points - |
||
|
I've said it before, and I'll gladly say it again - TEN is the best damn hard rock band in the entire world! I've loved the band since their debut album, and I doubt they'll ever release a disc I won't fall head over heals for. "The Twilight Chronicles" is the 8th album (not counting singles, live albums, best of's etc) of "Gary Hughes and his happy back-up band", and it starts out with an intro that just oozes of TEN. From that moment I (of course) was hooked and for the following 73 minutes I was enjoying the sound of another masterpiece. Allright, I'm in love with the music and voice of Gary Hughes (no, I'm not gay), so my opinion probably doesn't have as much weight as someone new (and more neutral) to the band, since I would adore this disc no matter what it sounded like … but anyway, this is godly! It sounds like Gary have added a new dimension to the music of TEN with lots of symphonic parts, and it really suits the band. In some way it reminds me of how he took TEN in a new direction with the folk-inspired "Spellbound" album (that ventured more in Thin Lizzy territory than any of the previous AOR-sounding albums) - this time he brings out those huge classical orchestrations and adds them to the typical hard rock tunes of the band. Now, if I'm to find (yeah, I've looked really hard for it) something to critizise with the disc, it's the production. Gary is a wonderful singer, a fantastic songwriter, but not the best-of-the-best producer in the world … his productions ends up seeming less "lively" than they should. Now, for the next album he should really bring back Mike Stone or find someone else, and then we'll have another total masterpiece on our hands. Aaaaah, what the hell, I'll give this the 5-rating anyway (tame production or not) as I just love TEN and I can't help it.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TEN
"The Essential Collection 1995-2005" (Frontiers Records - provided by Atenzia) - 4½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
I really love TEN. It's one of those bands that I simply can't get enough of. All their albums this far are pure classics in my little world here … from the selftitled debut album, over the great "The Name Of The Rose" and "The Robe", to the celtic influenced "Spellbound", the conceptual "Babylon", the back-to-basics "Far Beyond The World" and lastly the once-again celtic influenced "Return To Evermore" … all of the Ten albums have had their own merits, and all have been waving the flag of classic hard rock. There's something for every fan of Rainbow, Thin Lizzy, Magnum, Deep Purple, Whitesnake etc in there - and it's no surprise that the band (and their record label) uses this 10 year jubilee to release a double CD with the best of Ten's tunes. It's of course not easy to chose which 18 songs best represents the band, and there are a few of the songs on display I would think weren't among the best this British act ever did, and also a few tunes they left out, which I would have found worthy of inclusion. Nevertheless it's a really good introduction to new Ten fans, and for us who already own all the albums, the fact that the 18 songs have been fully re-recorded with the current line-up makes it interesting enough to rush down to the nearest store and buy the disc. One little issue though that irritates me; why did they put Gary Hughes' (otherwise awesome) vocals so far up in the mix? It's almost overshadowing the rest of the musicians, which is a shame. Well, it's not enough to ruin these great tunes, and this double disc of essential hard rockers and ballads shouldn't be missing in any rock-fan's collection. … it truly is essential!
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TENEBRE "Electric Hellfire Kiss" (Regain Records - provided by Nordic Metal) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Tenebre from Sweden plays a mixture of Paradise Lost, Type O Negative, The Cult and some newer Metallica - maybe a little less melodic. The music has an easy flow to it, and I'm pleased to be able to walk around, doing other stuff in the apartment, while enjoying the music as background noise. It's not one of those discs that you have to sit down and get deep into, as the compositions are nice and easy remembered. The lead singer has a tendency to overdo his semi growling parts, but it doesn't ruin the picture of a good and enjoyable CD. Most of the songs are in slow tempo. No double bass drums here. The production is thick and HEAVY as Hell, so there's a thumb up on that point too. Tenebre, however, grow a little bit monotonous in time and therefore it doesn't make it to the top in my rating. Good rock n' roll metal though (with a cool end-section, playing the theme from an old 70's series with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis).
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TERRA NOVA
"Escape" (Frontiers Records - provided by Atenzia) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Pompous (read: overly symphonic, hard-paced) AOR with a lot of hints to the 70's disco meets rock-musical style, is the best description I can come up with, when listening to the album "Escape" by Dutch band Terra Nova. In other words, this is what you would get if you put Journey, Meat Loaf and Boney M into one big pot and kept stirring for a few hours adding minor ingredients ranging from Skagarack to Phantom's Opera, from Queen to Toto, (wow, did I just write "to-to-to"? J). The funny thing about it is that it's actually really well-done and the strange combination works extremely well. Very cheesy, but at the same time done with expertise, from a band of superb musicians.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TESLA "Into The Now" (Sanctuary Records - provided by Target Distribution) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Jeff, Frank, Tommy, Brian and Troy are back together, and that is with such an impact that an old hard rock fan, such as myself, were literarily blown to the ground in sheer amazement. I had NEVER imagined that this old fave-band of mine would ever be able to create something as cool as "Into The Now" in 2004. Not since "Psychotic Supper" in 1992 have the band done anything worth listening to. Their last official disc ("Bust A Nut", 1994) was a very disappointing affair, and since then it's been totally quiet around the band. But now, 2004, comes along one of the most pure and honest hard rock releases of the decade, opening up with such an amazing set of tunes as "Into The Now","Look @ Me" and "What A Shame" - and ending the disc with the best ballad I've heard since the glory eighties in "Only You". Those four songs are Tesla at 100% of their game - it's just a shame that what's in between those tunes are only around 80% of the same quality. Man, if those guys could make a full disc of songs as good as the three I mentioned, I would have no problem seeing this band sell millions of discs … again!
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
THANATOS
"Undead . Unholy. Divine" (Black Lotus Records - provided by VME) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Anyone remembers Thanatos? Well, I do … it was one of those old school thrash/death metal bands from Europe that tried to break through in the mid/late eighties, but never really did, and then disappeared into obscurity. Apparently they are back now, and I must admit I didn't have high expectations for this album. But, as the story would have it so many times, low expectations can be met easily and once in a while the surprise of it all just comes and take you with your pants down, which is exactly what this disc did. Okay, I'm not saying that this is pure quality, but there's something cool about Thanatos' new disc that you can't neglect … At first, when listening to this disc, you're hit in the face with those extremely fast tunes, the furious Slayer-like solo's, the evil-sounding vocals, and the raw but great production. The band sure has more to their sound than just the afore mentioned, and the more you listen to it, the more the atmospheric keyboard parts, the highpitched back ground vocals, and the well-placed technical parts unfolds, and "Undead…" unfolds to become one of the more interesting death metal discs of later years.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
THEATRE OF TRAGEDY
"Storm" (AFM - provided by Target) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Having spent way too much time (yes, 4 months!) trying to find the urge in me to go back and listen to this disc, proves to me that it really ain't worth anything higher than a 2 out of 5 rating. First single and title track "Storm" is quite a good song, and works well as an opener / apetizer for the rest of the disc, but unfortunately that one and "Voices" are the only two songs on the disc that has any real relevance for me. Musically the disc is far from where TOT started out years ago - the so called "beauty & beast" style of goth-metal is nowadays just a shade of pop-goth with weak melodies and a way too "soft and sweet" girl voice in front. Raymond (the male singer) has very little to do on this disc, and although he's never been a good vocalist, his place in the band is now really pushed to the back. New female vocalist, Nell, is - as I've already hinted at - sounding like a caramel pudding topped with whip-cream … nothing exciting, and so sweet that my dentist would come running and telling me to shut off the album. Luckily he needn't worry, as there might easily pass another 4 months till I'll listen to "Storm" again.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
THE MORE I SEE
"The Wolves Are Hungry" (SPV - provided by Target Distribution) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Aggressive thrashy, yet melodic metal. The More I See sounds like a mixture of Metallica, Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Tool!!!! Strange mixture, but it actually works. There's everything in the music, and you can definitely hear that all riffs and ideas have been thought through, before deciding if they were good enough or not to enter the album. There are great melodies, effective harmonies, cool breaks as well as a very original voice as the topping of the cake. I must recommend this album to the fans of the 80'ies thrash metal, as well as the people that like the melodies to be short but very present in music. Check Out!
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
THEOCRACY "Theocracy" (Metal Ages - provided by Metal Ages) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
According to several webzines and message boards around the world Matt Smith has created a fantastic debut album with his Theocracy-one-man-project here - well, according to me he hasn't done anything I haven't heard several times before, and often much better. The music here is power metal with an emphasis on the long epic-kind of songs. Nothing more - nothing less! We all know how Kamelot, Sonata Arctica, Iced Earth, Stratovarius etc sound, so why do we need another one like that, and especially one with such a horrible production? In all fairness, Matt is doing this on his own, with noone to kick in money to give it a huge production, and no other musicians to make their input on the songs. Kudo's for that, and congratulations on having Mattias Norén create one of this years most beautiful metal cover artworks. But besides that, this disc doesn't deserve the praise I've seen it get. Those who rave about how good this album is must be either drunk or friends of the guy. Matt seems to be a nice guy, he is hardworking with this project, he has some good ideas (and a lot of boring ones too), and he is playing all the instruments by himself. But oh boy, the computer drums sounds so horrible that it makes me cringe each time I listen to the album, and that's enough for me to loose interest in the songs after just 10 seconds. I've done my best to like it though, cause when a young musician try this hard, we have got to give him credit for it, but … Sorry, for me this album is not more than an half-way okay power metal album in a scene full of albums way better than this.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
THERION
"Gothic Kabbalah" (Nuclear Blast - provided by VME) - 4½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
I have loved Therion since I first laid ears to the masterpiece Theli. Vovin stands as my favourite by theirs because of its commanding metallish yet very classical/symphonic sound. A thing I admire in Therion is that no matter what style they play, be it death metal, symphonic metal, folk metal whatever, they always succeed in maintaining their own signature sound. Gothic Kabbalah does in no way set off where any of their previous efforts leaves you, yet you are in no doubt that this is Therion, and nothing but. Gothic Kabbalah is no exception, because here Therion takes a new approach with leaving out much of the operatic voices, and then puts in wonderful vocal harmonies and duets with male and female. The music draws references to folk, prog, symphonic and melodic metal and nothing on this album is filler. As always the performance by the band is stellar and absolutely flawless. The compositions are mid-tempo, catchy and still there have been taken care of the small details. There are still grandiose tracks like Tuna 1613 (lame title), progressive tracks like Chain of Minerva and awesome very folky tracks, and especially the track Trul is a marvellous track, which reminds me of the glory days of Falconer. Gothic Kabbalah does lack one thing for a true Therion fan, and that is the use of the very heavy death metallish sound which adds that certain extra progressive and superior sound to them, this was one of the things I loved about their latest double album Lemuria/Sirius B. The biggest let down though, is the production, which sounds as if they have sent out the "not-yet-finished" version of the album for promotion. The sound is weak and not nearly as "thick" as wanted be. Fortunately I am no person that drags down a grade much because of this. To sum it all up then Therions latest effort; Gothic Kabbalah is a masterful release that has most of the trademark Therion about it, but still shows a band that keeps on evolving and has the balls to challenge the listener while still being "easy accessible". You do miss the daring and brutal parts such as the death metal vocals, but fortunately the other vocalists (whom I simply cannot hear who are, and since I never got an info sheet for this one I just don't know) are so stellar that this is a not a major letdown. The production is not good (for this promo at least) but still I cannot help but think that overall Gothic Kabbalah is an awesome album, and I am a bit sad to "only" give it 4½ points out of 5, but I simply cannot call something a masterpiece that I do not feel is 100% complete. This is a must have for any Therion fan, folk metal fan, melodic metal fan progressive metal… hell just any music fan who loves beautiful melodies and strong music compositions.
|
||
|
Mads
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
THINE "In Theory" (Peaceville - provided by Nordic Metal) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
This album falls into the alternative rock genre. Mix Saybia, Oasis and newer Katatonia, and you'll end up with easy listening, but really dull, music like this. Only very few parts of the album have its own spirit, but measured they are physically centimeters apart on disc.
|
||
|
Martin P
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
THORNE, STEVE
"Emotional Creatures - Part One" (Inside Out / SPV - provided by Target) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
This can hardly be described as metal or even hard rock - it's more like a typical singer/songwriter album with an emphasis on SONGS. Steve Thorne is an unknown songwriter (at least for me) from England, and this debut album is a nice little gem of personal songs with a message. Musically we're in the territory of Marillion, IQ and Fish, but with very little "hard rocking stuff" thrown in. Most of the album actually has an acoustic edge to it. Not that it's bad, on the contrary - this is one of those discs that brings out a peaceful mood on the listener, and I definitely will be finding my way back to it several times in the future. To make this album sell to the typical Inside Out audience (if there's a such), the album is filled with guest performances by such artists as Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard, Genesis), Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Liquid Tension Experiment), Geoff Downes (Asia, Yes), Martin Orford (IQ), John Jowitt (IQ), Paul Cook (IQ) and Gary Chandler (Jadis) … yup, it's almost a "who's who" on the prog-rock scene.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
THOU ART LORD
„Orgia Daemonicum” (Black Lotus Records – provided by VME) - 3½ out of 5 points – |
||
|
And now – the second album of the day of Greek black metal. Yes, Hellas apparently is the place to be right now if you fancy a bit of the old racoon-makeup around your eyes. Whereas Naer Mataron, who I just wrote a review of, tends to put their focus on the old school primitive/grim black metal style, Thou Art Lord chooses a more death/thrash metal approach (but of course their overly satanic lyrics gives them away, as yet another goat-worshipping black metal band). The first thing I notice about this album is the weird production. It sounds like they’ve got a really strong basic sound on this, especially the vocals are very well produced, but then the drum sound is so fucked up that it makes Lars Ulrich’s sound on Metallica’s “St.Anger” appear as a premium production job. Strange choice, but it appears to be done deliberately. Now, back to the music here – as said, it’s quite thrash-metal inspired, and it’s one of the few discs in the black genre that tends to aim more for the groove than the eerie atmosphere or fast-paced riffing/drumming. Kudo’s to the guys in the band for trying that route, even though the groove also becomes the bands biggest problem (quite ironic, isn’t it?). After a while the groovy’ness seem to take front-seat and the songs just doesn’t evolve any more beyond that point. A real shame, as I believe that Sakis and Magus are capable of pushing their song-writing a lot further. Less groove and doom, and more pace and energy on the next album, and I will officially declare one full day of the year as “Thou Art Lord Day” at my home!
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
THREAT SIGNAL
"Under Reprisal" (Nuclear Blast - provided by VME) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
The latest name on the modern-thrash-metal/metalcore scene is Threat Signal, a Canadian band that has just signed with Nuclear Blast for the release of their debut album "Under Reprisal". It's a really groovy album, that riff-like has more to do with the thrash metal of say Machine Head/Meshuggah/Fear Factory (and even a bit of Slayer) than the metalcore of today's scene. The way the band blends in the clean vocals and the extremely melodic choruses however, gets the reference to bands such as Devildriver, Soilwork, KSE, Into Eternity, Atreyu and the likes going, and thus it's safe to say that the band manages to cross over really well between the different styles. Occassionally the band ventures into technical, almost prog-metal, territory, and this brings the comparison with fellow countrymen Into Eternity straight to mind … not a bad thing. I like this disc, and I think the band has it in them to go much further, something that will become evident on their second or third album, and by then they are gonna be huge - trust me on this one.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
THRESHOLD
"Dead Reckoning" (Nuclear Blast - provided by VME) - 5 out of 5 points - |
||
|
"Dead Reckoning" is THE defining album for Threshold!!! What we have here is a band that always have had their own "semi-unique" way of presenting the melodic aspects of the genre progressive metal, but never really been breaking away from the genre-typical clichees. Then again, besides the archetypes of the genre (Dream Theater, Queensryche, Fates Warning and to a lesser degree of success Psychotic Waltz) no band within the genre have ever been able to combine new-thinking, technical musicianship with a commercially acceptable sound, yet still keep the focus on the song itself without falling into the trap of doing something too predictable. Threshold, however, knows the way to succesfully combine it all, and they walk that line with great balance. "Dead Reckoning" is the band's 8th studio album and it's by far their best disc ever. I've always loved their first 2 albums "Wounded Land" and "Psychodelicatessen" the most, but now introducing "Dead Reckoning" it's time for a new world order so to speak, and with songs such as "Hollow", "Slipstream", "Disappear" and "Pilot In The Sky Of Dreams", they've finally created instant hits that actually erases the sweet memory of older classics like "Paradox", "Sunseeker" or "Innocent". We're of course all aware that in 2007 you just don't sell as many albums with a progressive metal disc as you did in the last half of the eighties / first half of the nineties, but in our day and time Threshold is THE band able to actually sell albums and stay true to the genre, while at the same time having an undeniable identity of their own. I can't recommend this disc enough - it's brilliant beyond words!
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
THRESHOLD "Critical Energy - 2CD - Live" (InsideOut / SPV - provided by Scanbox Entertainment) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Threshold have grown with each release - from being a true underground act till nowadays being a band of such status that they are capable of releasing a double live album. How many PROGRESSIVE METAL bands can you say that about? Not many, I'm sure… Threshold is one of a kind. For a fan of mainly the bands older material, such as I, this live album is actually the best thing that could have happened to my "relationship" with the band. I did like the last disc ("Critical Mass"), but the two albums before that ("Hypothetical" and "Clone") just didn't do anything for me. With the live renditions of songs from those discs, I have now come to realize that they actually were good! Oh well, it's never too late to learn huh? But the very best thing about this disc is hearing the old songs, from before vocalist Andrew Mac McDermott were part of the band, being adjusted to the modern day style of Threshold, and being perfectly displayed by one of the most talented prog metal bands nowadays - songs like "Sunseeker", "Sanity's End", "Virtual Isolation" and perhaps most importantly my personal favorite "Paradox". This is just so damn good - I can now safely say that I forgive Threshold for that ridiculous live performance I saw with them in Holland in 1999, where Mac was drunk as hell. I'm definitely looking forward to soon seeing the band live again. I said SOON, so please Mac, Karl, Rich, Nick, Steve and Johanne … come to Denmark and play, now!
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
THRESHOLD
"Subsurface" (Inside Out / SPV - provided by Scanbox Entertainment) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
How I wish that Threshold would dare to take chances. This band has everything they need to be amazing - a great singer, fantastic guitarists, an amazing keyboard player and a really strong rhythm section. They also know how important a good melody is to a song, but somewhere along the line they forgot to challenge their listeners. I'm not sure they are deliberately playing it safe, because when they want to venture off into progressive metal territory, they sure can match the technical quality of Dream Theater, but it seems like Threshold 2004 is contend with playing melodic metal with only hints at the prog-scene. In that case, why the need for all those 6-10 minute long songs? A good melodic metal tune doesn't need more than 4-5 minutes in order to get the message of the song through to the listener. But okay, "Subsurface" is quite an okay disc, which graced by such good songs as "Flags And Footprints", "Stop Dead" and especially opener "Mission Profile", holds the flag high for UK's premiere band within the melodic prog metal scene. I just wish they'd give us something "more" in the future.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
THUNDER
"Robert Johnson's Tombstone" (Frontiers Records - provided by Zink) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
I've always had a thing for Thunder - they are one of the better exponents on today's hard rock scene of how blues-based rock'n'roll still is alive, stronger than ever, even if it's a genre that have been put down in the grave time and time again. Seriously, lots of us hard rock fans have thought this genre was dead-and-gone time and time again, only to be surprised by another newcomer kicking it back to life … right? I mean, we all started out with Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, then Whitesnake, then in the eighties came bands such as Kingdom Come, Black Crowes and Tesla (and of course Thunder, for that matter) and showed us it was still a genre alive and kicking all around the world, and in the 90's we've seen a few other new acts come out of the blue (no pun intended) to surprise us with another slab of back-to-the-roots bluesy hard rock (hey, even Gary Moore went back to the roots…). Now, as for this new album from Thunder (their 8th studio album … if I'm counting right), it's filled with one great blues hard rock tune after the other, opening strong with the title song as well as the superb "Dirty Dream". The cool rock'er "Andy Warhol Said" or the future live-classic "Don't Wanna Talk About Love" are also good examples of the songwriting qualities of this UK-band. But, "Robert Johnson's Tombstone" ain't all about rock-out-with-your-cock-out-bluesy-rock'n'roll, as there's also room for a few nice quiet songs, such as the absolutely wonderful ballad "My Darkest Hour" and the semi-ballad "It's All About You". There's a couple of songs that just doesn't get anywhere, (the Rolling Stones inspired "The Devil Made Me Do It" comes to mind), but hey, doesn't all albums have a filler or two? I can live with these, as it doesn't take away from the overall quality of this album. With "Robert Johnson's Tombstone" Thunder prooves that neither they (the band) or their kind of music (bluesy hard rock) are about to be laid to rest six feet under.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
THUNDERSTONE "The Burning" (Nuclear Blast - provided by VME) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Thunderstone is back with, what I believe is, their second full length album, and I must say they have improved much since their first release. The music seems much more organized and the structure of the songs are much more complete. Thunderstone manages to play very melodic power metal with progressive elements, and they posses a great amount of energy in their way of performing their songs. The melodies in the music are memorable, but I can't figure out whether it's because I've heard this kind of music so many times before (!) I must say, though, that what they do, they do to perfection. Thunderstone makes good use of keyboards - both as support for the guitar parts on verse and choruses and as a solo instrument, and to me that's what makes this album satisfactory rather than boring.
|
||
|
Martin J
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
THY MAJESTIE
“Jeanne D’Arc” (Scarlet Records – provided by Target) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
I recall this metal act from Italy as it was yesterday. And to be honest I do recall that they made a good solid debut album. And this time it is no different, in my opinion at least. Thy Majestie plays a mixture of Symphonic Power/Progressive metal, which they deliver in an interesting form. You could say that you are sick and tired of conceptual albums, of ancient war heroes, etc, but Thy Majestie, somehow manages to do a quite remarkable job with this “clichee” theme. I do believe that they have a slight tendency of overdoing some of the orchestral inputs on this album. And once more I do not know why the Italian band lacks so much a good sound on their albums, but this is another one of those. In my opinion a good production, and a superb producer, would do the trick for the band. This is, with all that said, an album which I could easily recommend if your into this blend of symphonic power metal and the more progressive edge.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TIERRA SANTA
"Apocalipsis" (Locomotive Music - provided by Target) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Hmmm, I guess we have them in all countries: the local hero-band, that can't really play that good and are in no possession of sublime skills, but still sell thousands and thousands of albums. This seems to be the Spanish one! The music sounds like a high-school band performing a title-track for a TV-series for young people. The lead-singer is irritating to listen to, and is out of tune a lot of times. The riffs are easy-rock riffs and belong in the early eighties with rock n' roll acts. I bet that if you are Spanish, a little bit drunk, like rock music and are attending a concert with Tierra Santa, you'll like this music. As an album that has to be critically reviewed by a Danish person, it's far from even getting close to the standards set up for quality (and it's no help that the band biography is written in such a bad English that I find myself having a hard time understanding what it says!!!!!!). Nonetheless I'll give Tierra Santa the benefit of the doubt coz maybe they really do have all the followers that like this kind of music, and for them (and the rest of you who want to listen to high-school metal), it's pretty ok tunes.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TILES "Window Dressing" (Inside Out / SPV - provided by Scanbox Entertainment) - 1½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
I actually liked the first 2 albums by Tiles quite a lot - the third disc didn't do much for me however, and this, their fourth album, can't really touch me in any way. Tiles is a Rush inspired (or should I say "rip-off") band, with a blend of progressive rock and progressive metal, leaning very much towards the sound of Lee, Peart and Lifeson. "Window Dressing" comes of as a very boring and totally emptied of own ideas disc, with the only good point being the strong and clear production by Terry Brown (yes, the Rush-producer!). The playing skills are "okay" for this style, but the vocals are nowhere in the class of Geddy Lee, and overall this disc just can't grab me at all. Sorry, but this is forgettable music.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TIME REQUIEM
"Optical Illusion" (Steamhammer / SPV - provided by Target) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Third album by Richard Andersson's "main" band, Time Requiem. Okay, "main" band might not be the word to use, as I guess this truly is where his focus lies these days, but considering how he once every year releases a disc under another name; be it Space Odyssey or R.A.'s Ultimate Collection and how people do probably know him best as the man behind the now-gone Majestic, I can understand why it's quite difficult to distinguish between his projects. Anyway, Time Requiem is (I guess) the logical continuation of Majestic, and especially "Optical Illusion" continues musically where the band left with their second disc "Trinity Overture" more than the previous two Time Requiem discs. The progressive style of "Time Requiem" and "The Inner Circle Of Reality" has more or less gone and instead we're treated to a really nice blend of powerful neocliassical metal and great hard rock songs. With vocalist Göran Edman taking over the microphone from Apollo, the band now really can't hide their Malmsteen-inspirations, but that doesn't really matter much when it's done this good. I find myself going back to this album again and again, and although I'll never love it as much as the first Time Requiem disc, I can honestly say that this is an awesome album of superb melodic metal songs.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TIME REQUIEM "The Inner Circle Of Reality" (Regain Records - provided by Target Distribution)) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
This album is somewhat of a disappointment to me - I truly loved the first TM disc, and found it to be the perfect missing link between Symphony X and Dream Theater. Well, "The Inner Circle of Reality" continues in the same genre, and perhaps even leans more into the progressive side of things, so at first glance this can't be a bad disc. And it is by no means a bad album - in all honesty, you'll have to search hard for any band in this style to come even close to matching the technical skills at hand here, and you'll probably also will find your search for more well-composed songs in the genre to be fruitless. Rickard Andersson is a brilliant songwriter, even though some might say he steals too much from Yngwie, Petrucci and Romeo, and he has a way of making the songs flow really well. With his amazing keyboard skills and especially Apollo's incredible vocal performance, "TICOR" has ALMOST everything it needs to satisfy me completely. But, but, but … I found the songs on the debut much more interesting and more instant, whereas I really have to struggle with this disc to be able to remember the tunes. Rickard is (as said before) as good composer - he just needs to find out if he wants to write melodic memorable songs or technical progressive tunes. Nevertheless, Time Requiem is in a class of their own, and you should definitely get this disc if you have any liking whatsoever for progressive and neoclassical metal.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TIME REQUIEM "Time Requiem" (Regain Records - provided by Nordic Metal) - 5 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Amazing - fantastic - WOW!!! I had not expected Rickard Andersson of Majestic-fame to come up with such a superb disc this time around. After he chose to end the band known as Majestic, and thus splitting from old record label as well as old management, the rumours of his new project (Time Requiem) began spreading. The music should be more heavy and more progressive than Majestic - yet it would feature all the Majestic members (with the exception of new bass player Dick Lövgren entering the picture). In other words, this would mean that Majestic now were leaning more towards 90% Symphony X and 10% Malmsteen than the 50/50 split from previous albums, and the only REAL difference would be a change of name. At least that's how I chose to interpret it. Oh boy, was I wrong … What this disc offers is pure delight for any fan of progressive metal, total enjoyment for all neo-classical metal fans, and a paradise for all melodic metal freaks. This is so incredible I actually don't know how to describe it. Main focus here is of course Rickard Andersson's beautiful and sometimes totally over-the-top keyboards playing. This man has the fastest fingers in the business … I swear, if his wife isn't satisfied after Rickard let's his fingers play, then that woman can NOT be satisfied by anything. Rickard is simply the coolest shred-keyboardist I've ever heard. Respect! The songs are based on fantastic melodies, somewhat reminiscent of old-school Malmsteen, Alcatrazz and Rainbow, but with so much more power and more technicality, that the comparison with Symphony X in unavoidable. Listen to a song like ""Watching The Tower Of Skies" and tell me that this one couldn't have been on Symphony X's "The Divine Wings Of Tragedy" disc, and I wouldn't believe you. But, surprise, surprise … a song like the 2 minute instrumental "Interplay Of Matters" is equally as technical and progressive as any Planet X song. And the instrumental part in the middle of "Visions Of New Dawn" could easily be taken off of any Dream Theater disc. Progressive neo-classical metal? Yes, you've got it! For those who might want something more along the lines of the two Majestic discs, there are songs like "Grand Opus" or the speedy "Milagros Charm". Personally, I loved the first Majestic album, but to begin with I didn't really like "Trinity Overture" that much. However, with time I came to love it, and today it's simply a killer disc in my opinion. The biggest surprise element on that disc was vocalist Apollo Papathanasio, who is one heck of a powerhouse vocalist. This guy can do it all (as he last demonstrated on the Meduza "Now And Forever" disc), and with Time Requiem he just reached a new high. I love this guy's vocals! Drummer Peter Wildoer deserves a mention as well with his nice intricate drumming when needed, but also for his great double-bass pounding. Guitarist Magnus Nord sure knows how to play some mean neo-classical guitar, but next to Rickard he kind of falls short - this is not a guitar disc, but definitely a keyboard based shred-fest. And I love it.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TIME SYMMETRY
"Fate In Gray" (Self Financed - provided by Time Symmetry) - 2½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Hmm, Spanish Prog Metal - well why not? This is actually some of the best I have ever heard from any Spanish Metal band, what does that tells us? My guess nothing? Well to be honest this band could develop into something, but at it is now, there is a lack of several things that makes a below top release: Where are the guitars? Why is the keyboard so dominating compared to the rest? Try computer drums next time or get a new kit! But beside all that, this is actually some talented musicians that we have here, well perhaps for one exception the singer, the only time you can hear that he is a part of the band is when there is backing vocals on various parts. But I do hope that a record have the guts to sign them and do something about the sound and to push the singer, so that he might be able to perform a little better than he does on this album. Don't get me wrong, because this is actually quite okay.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TNT
"Live In Madrid - DVD" (MTM Music - provided by Zink) - 1½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Once heralded as the next big thing in hard rock, TNT from Norway/USA had it all going for them, but unfortunately failed to really make it into the higher circles. However a steady fanbase kept on demanding for a return of the band, and a couple of years ago the band agreed to reform and released 2 "okay" hard rock albums. Now it's time for TNT to release a real live-DVD, and they've chosen a nice little venue in Madrid, Spain as the backbone for this concert. The fans are enthusiastic, the show however is very minimalistic and focused totally on the music of TNT - and this is where the band fails - the musicians simple all look too dull and boring for me to be able to sit down for 16 songs straight and watch the show. I'm sure it must have been fun for those there, but transfered into a living-room situation it just doesn't get out and grab me. So, even with such good songs as "Intuition", "Black Butterfly", "Seven Seas" and of course "10.000 Lovers (In One)", TNT live isn't an experience you've got to witness.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TNT "My Religion" (MTM Music - provided by Target Distribution) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
I had planned to write this long review of the new TNT album, explaining to you all how nice it is to see this band back where they belong, creating quality hard rock. But seeing that Ronni Le Tekro chose to reply to my email interview in the shortest fashion possible, I have now decided to just write this review with a "classic hard rock" comment - nothing more, nothing less!
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TNT
“All The Way To The Sun” (MTM Music – provided by Atenzia) - 3 out of 5 points – |
||
|
My previous review of TNT (“My Religion” 2004) was a real short one that basically just said “classic hard rock”. Okay, I’ve gotten over my anger with Ronnie Le Tekrø´s interview-attitude, and will on that subject just say that I’m done ever interviewing him again. Anyway, let’s get on with the review of “All The Way To The Sun”. This is (big surprise) classic hard rock, and it’s really good at that. TNT were big in the 80’s with their melodic hard rock anthems, and they are basically still stuck in that kind of style. However, let me add this; I get a feeling that several of the songs aren’t written as typical metal/hard rock tunes, but have some kind of almost avantgarde pop-like touch to the song writing. I can’t really put my finger on what it is, but if you listen to songs such as “The Letter” or “Black Butterfly” you might see my point …
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
T.O.C. "Loss Angeles" (Inside Out / SPV - provided by Scanbox Entertainment) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Being unique isn't always a plus, but in the case of T.O.C. (formerly Throne Of Chaos) it makes up for an exciting and very diverse disc. From melodic pop-rock, through progressive/symphonic pomp, to progressive metal and even hints of black and death metal in a few places - this album moves around the entire spectre, and surprisingly works really well. My expectations weren't that high, when I read that it was a former black metal band venturing into softer territory, but it was all put to shame after having listened several times to "Loss Angeles". Great disc, very adventurous, and extremely interesting. Even after 15-20 spins I still keep finding new things here, and that sure counts for a lot in my book. The biggest problem is that it's going to be very hard for the band to find an audience for it, since it's just not aimed at one specific group of listeners. Kudos for creating one of the most unique discs of 2004.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TO / DIE /FOR "Jaded" (Nuclear Blast - provided by VME) - 4½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Probably 3-4 years ago I lost my interest in the gothic metal scene - I was simply fed up on all the numerous bands appearing from out of nowhere, borrowing heavily on the sound of the big names in the genre, and basically doing nothing new or interesting at all. One of the bands coming out at that time was the Finnish band To/Die/For, which is one of those that I never got around to listen to, as I simply dismissed them as another "wannabe", and therefore didn't pay attention to. Since then they've done 2 discs, totally unnoticed by yours truly, but now their 3rd album "Jaded" landed on my desk, so I had better listen to it J I did, and oh my G.. - I am soooooooo impressed by this album that I can't understand I deliberately chose to miss out on this band. This is gothic metal, leaning quite heavily to the pop/goth/electronic side of things, and done so eloquently it makes no sense that this band isn't on MTV on a daily basis. Imagine a perfect mixture of Paradise Lost, The Cure, HIM, The Mission, Depeche Mode and Sentenced, and the end result is To/Die/For. Throw in some of the newer Metallica, just for the metal element of it, as well as some Duran Duran for the romantic pop elements and eighties feeling, and whoops, this is one phenomenal ass-kicker of a disc. Besides such awesome tracks as "The Unknown II" (which is a continuation of a song from their last disc … arghhh, I have to get a hold of all their albums now), "Jaded", "Dying Embers" or "Forever", the band also makes a superb cover version of "(I Just) Died In Your Arms" that Cutting Crew made famous back in 1986, and is a song that fits perfectly to the sound of To/Die/For. This band came like from out of nowhere, and have now entered my world, and is currently occupying my hi-fi stereo like noone else. I can't get enough of it … it's THAT addictive J If you care just a tad about this style of music, To/Die/For is the best on offer right now - it's head and shoulders about EVERYTHING else in gothic rock/metal/pop I've heard in years.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TOTAL ECLIPSE "Ashes Of Eden" (LMP/SPV - provided by Nordic Metal) - ½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
I don't know where to start with this album??? I could start by swearing throughout the whole review but that wouldn't be enjoyable for the reader's) Total Eclipse (TE) is the nightmare of the genre within power metal; never before have I heard such a poor release from Limb sorry. First of all the entire album is a cliché - like most of the power metal bands today, you can predict everything on this album! The vocals provided by Andrea Giardina are perhaps the worst vocals that I have ever heard, I rather wake up with a BIG hangover and listen to my girlfriend dry her hair with a blow-drier. But nevertheless I have never heard any singer being out of tune throughout the entire album. The only positive thing on this album is the fantastic guitar play provided by both guitar-players, otherwise I wouldn't waste my money on this crappy album.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TOURETTES SYNDROME
"Sicksense" (Armageddon Music - provided by Target) - 1 out of 5 points - |
||
|
I know absolutely nothing about this band, except that they are from Australia and have a female singer, who spends most of her time growling like an old school death metal vocalist. Musically we're talking about some kind of nu-metal/metalcore with strong references to Korn or perhaps Pantera, with a few softer stints into Marilyn Manson territory. As you can probably guess, the lack of melody is present throughout the album, and my patience is really being tested here. Michele Madden can't sing - period (no, I don't mean the "red-stuff") - her growls are horrible and her clean voice (which she doesn't use much) is simply put weak! "Sicksense"? Naah - NONSENSE!
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TOURIST
"The Relevance Of Motion" (MTM Music - provided by Zink) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Here we have the equivalent of a heavy metal U2. As I do like the older U2 material, I also tend to like this music, and Tourist as mixes in some Seattle influence that goes very well with the hard rock. Do I hear some Avril Lavigne in here???? The lead singer has a pleasant voice and he has composed really great singing lines that seem relevant for the music, and since the music is well composed, everything seems to go into a higher definition of the band's style. My only complaint is that the drums are horribly produced. High hat is much too edgy and toms are too muddy. However that doesn't ruin the overall impression of a very high quality album. I was close to a 4.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TOURNIQUET "Where Moth And Rust Destroy" (Metal Blade - provided by Nordic Metal) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
The masters within the genre of White Metal are back with their 11th album since 1990 with their debut album "Stop The Bleeding". Tourniquet is band that has a longer history then most of readers:o) Once again Tourniquet have had a line up change: out is Aaron Guerra (guitars) in is Steve Adino (Bass) still in the band is Ted Kirkpatrick (drums) and Luke Easter (vocals). Beside the line up changes there is some very interesting guest musicians on this album such Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth) and Bruce Franklin (Trouble) both guitar players to fill in the solo's. This is of course a big factor to put "Where Moth And Rust Destroy" up to another level, as it has been a while since Tourniquet had such talented guitarist in the band! Musically the album reminds me of a mixture of "Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance & Vanishing Lessons" which is not a bad combo. And for all Tourniquet fans out there who have requested that they should put out more material as the two tracks from their "Collected Works" album, well here you have an entire album with class act numbers! The only thing that makes the songs on "Where Moth…." Different from the songs on the Collected album is that the material is better written and produced! And once again the album is produced by Bill Metoyer who probably by now know the band better then themselves:o) Secondly Luke Easter has found his own self again, and I do mean the vocals that he performs on this album! And Ted is as always tighter then ever on this album, there cant possibly be more that this man can learn behind the drums! This album is without any doubt the best that they have made since the "Vanishing Lessons" album. For more information please check out the soon-to-be-online interview with Ted Kirkpatrick.
|
||
|
Benjamin
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TOXIC SMILE "Retrotox Forte" (Famous Kitchen - provided by Famous Kitchen) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Toxic Smile is here with a very poor produced, but a musically good, CD. These guys play progressive metal in it's purest form; technical and melodic and with the use of guitars and keyboards supporting each other. They make frequent use of poor samples as intros to their songs, and the only effect they accomplish is to get you think "why?" - but apart from that, "Retrotox Forte" is above average of what hits the progressive metal scene these days. The singer, though, could be better. It is as if he is not as "pure and clean" as the music, and that's a shame. He needs to dump some cigarettes and quit drinking - at least before recording CD's.
|
||
|
Martin J
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TRACEELORDS, THE
"The Ali Of Rock" (AFM Records - provided by Target) - 2½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
This product is the wave in the wake of the ship called American youth rock/metal (read Blink 182, 3 Doors Down, etc.). It's a very straight forward kind of music and I must say that I'm not the least impressed. The sound is ok, but that doesn't make up for the songs being too easy. I must say that there's room for improvement here.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TRAIL OF TEARS
"Free Fall Into Fear" (Napalm Records - provided by Target) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Norwegian Death/goth/symph act, that mixes these 3 styles and a lot more. I really don't know in what category to put them, and I guess that's good. Then again, it also doesn't make me able to describe by band-matching, so I'll just have to try in writing. It's my first encounter with the band, and I have to admit before getting too far ahead of myself, that this is DEFINITELY not my music! However, I think I am able to tell that within the genre(s), Trail Of Tears are doing a decent job. There are 2 vocalists on this album - a clean and a screaming/growling one. The clean vocals are very deep in tones, never really doing anything out of reach. It sounds like a Matthew Barlow mixed with a very deep James Hetfield. The growling/screaming vocals are hmmmm…I really don't know. I guess they are ok. The music reaches from anything like grindcore to deep melodic atmospheric tunes. In between are industrial-like structures (no, they are not sounding like Rammstein), female vocals (very few parts), samples (or keyboards, sounding like samples), odd patterns and a lot of breaks to make the music not so flowing. This might have been the most diverse and ambivalent review I have done in my live, but I actually don't know where I stand here. I think that I will give the benefit of the doubt to Trail Of Tears and praise this album as pretty fucking cool!
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TRAMP, MIKE
"Songs I Left Behind" (Frontiers Records - provided by Frontiers) - 1 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Michael Trampenau - aka Mike Tramp; the Danish rock'n'roller who went from teenie-pop (Mabel) in the early 80's, to stadium hard rock (White Lion) in the late 80's, to grunge-metal (Freak Of Nature) in the early 90's and ended somewhere along the singer-songwriter rock scene in the end of the 90's with his solo band. Mr. Chameleon, huh? Yup, and to confuse us all more, he has now released a disc called "Songs I Left Behind". Listening to this disc of songs that are filled with third-rate pop-rock/semi-acoustic ballads/bluesy rock makes me wish that Mike actually had left them behind for good instead of rubbing them in our faces. Seriously, I appreciate all of the abovementioned transitions mr.Tramp has led us through over the years, some more than others of course, but generally all of them have been of high quality. Now, there's a reason why he left these "new" songs behind for years, and there's a reason why he shouldn't have put them out on an album. The main reason should be to stop irritating those among us, who'd actually call ourselves fans of his voice and song writing.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TRIBUZY
"Execution" (Locomotive Music - provided by Target) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
Renato Tribuzy is a man with a vision - and apparently a big wallet. The Brazilian singer left his band Thoten 2 years ago to concentrate on his solo project, simply using his own name for the band. The project should involve the biggest stars within the power/heavy metal scene, and it's safe to say that Renato succeeded on that point. Bruce Dickinson, Ralf Scheepers, Michael Kiske, Mat Sinner, Kiko Loureiro, Roy Z and Roland Grapow … damn, what a line-up. Musically we're talking power metal somewhere between Helloween, Angra and surprisingly a good bit of 80's thrash metal as well (just listen to the first song "Execution" and you'll know what I mean). It's really well done, with good songs, memorable choruses, lots of power and great performances by all. The weak link however, is Mr. Tribuzy himself, who just doesn't have the same vocal abilities as the other guys involved, although he is far better than most of the power metal vocalists out there today - it's just too unfair competition he has set himself up against. Too bad though, cause there are really some high points here, such as "Absolution" (sung by Michael Kiske), the aforementioned title song and the cool "Web Of Life". The shining star on the album is however none of the vocalists at hand, but instead the amazing guitar work of Kiko Loureiro. That guy is in a league of his own. Overall a very good album, but I doubt that Renato will ever make back all the money he must have spent on making this project a reality. And that's a shame …
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TRIVIUM
"The Crusade" (Roadrunner - provided by Bonnier/Amigo) - 4½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
I've been going back and forth on this album, and couldn't decide if I should give it 4 or 5 points in my review. The disc is not "perfect", so it doesn't really warrant a 5 point'er, does it? Then again, it's simply put a brilliant album of pure thrash metal with tons of energy and great melodies, so why not go all the way on it? Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that with a 4½ I'm still leaving room for the next Trivium release to further kick my ass. Now, onto "The Crusade" itself; this is, as most probably know, the "IN"-thing in heavy metal right now. One of those albums that are climbing up to the top of the hitlists in most countries right now. An album that appeals to both the young MTV kids and us old geezers who've been listening to metal for several decades. Trivium has somehow managed to unite us all, and I applaud them for that. This is old school thrash metal (think: Metallica, Exodus and Slayer), modern day rock/nu-metal and brilliantly executed metal-core all convoluted into one. Perhaps I should just call it heavy metal, because that's ultimately what it is - and as such, it just doesn't get much better. To imagine such a young guy as Matthey Heafy creating these songs and delivering them with such a punch (not to mention his vocals, which have improved 100% since the previous disc), is just unfathomable, and I'm seriously impressed. Undoubtedly one of my favorite albums of 2006, and one of those that will always put me in a good mood. What more do we need from an album? Who cares if it's not "new" and truly original? It's the thought that counts, and with "The Crusade" we're presented some of the best thrash/nu-metal/heavy metal in years!
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TUNNELVISION "Tomorrow" (Massacre Records - provided by Nordic Metal) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Well, guess it's time for another prog-rock album from Finnish Tunnelvision. Although dark and heavy progressive rock ranks highly on my kicks-ass list, Tunnelvision just doesn't light my fire! I'm not saying they can't play their instruments on "Tomorrow", 'cause Tunnelvision delivers some hard thrusting bad-ass guitar-riffs, futuristic keyboard elements, and guitar solos that gives the tracks a bit extra energy, but still, Tunnelvision haven't been able to combine this with a good and catchy melody, and that's too bad. You tend to get a little tired of listening to the music. It's a bit boring and too predictable, and there's too little variation the songs in between. So, in general, there's nothing wrong with "Tomorrow", but the instance you take the disc out your CD-player, you forget most of what you've just been listening to. Oh, and by the way; if I have to say something about "Tomorrow" that really pisses me off, it's a "funky" bass-solo on "Time of the Hunter's Moon" - Jesus Fucking Christ that's annoying. But hey, maybe that's just me...!
|
||
|
Martin J
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TURGON, BRUCE
“Outside Looking In” (Frontiers Records – provided by Atenzia) - 1½ out of 5 points – |
||
|
Apparently Bruce Turgeon is standing outside my window and looking in – good for him. It’s cold, dark and rainy outside, and I honestly am not thinking about inviting him in. There was a time when his band Shadow King rocked mightly (1991) and his stint with hard rock / AOR legend Foreigner should be applauded as well, but since then I’ve heard absolutely nothing about Bruce, until he suddenly appears there outside my window, knocking and asking me to open up the door and letting him in. Well, the thing is Bruce, the stuff you bring along these days, just doesn’t appeal to me in any way, as it’s sounding too much like an old man playing bluesy hard rock with a good touch of AOR thrown in. On your new album you ask the question “Where Do We Go From Here”, and I really can’t give you a better answer than HOME – please, leave my window and stop looking in.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TURILLI, LUCA
"The Infinite Wonders Of Creation" (Magic Circle Music - provided by Target) - 4 out of 5 points - |
||
|
I can't help it, but Mr. Turilli has become a small favourite of mine. Not because he's an amazing guitarist of because he's in a really big band. No, because his refrains in the songs that he writes simply goes straight into the mind of the listener and get stuck there. On this, his 3rd solo effort, the concept evolves around mother Earth - quite a leap from the space concept of the previous disc. The lead singer is female, and though she has this strange voice that you wouldn't think of as a typical power metal voice, it amazes and surprises in almost all of the songs. The notes she is reaching sometimes are out of this world, and Turilli has found the perfect balance between aggression and melody in the music. Gone are the extreme and flamboyant choirs of Rhapsody (good for that band), and gone are the large orchestral arrangements of said band. In comes simplicity in a minor scale, and a feeling that Rhapsody (of Fire???) doesn't have. All in all, this is a very fine product that deserves to be heard now!
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TURILLI, LUCA "Prophet Of The Last Eclipse" (LMP/SPV - provided by Nordic Metal) - 3½ out of 5 points - |
||
|
There really aren't much to say about this disc that haven't been said a thousand times in reviews of Rhapsody; it's over-the-top symphonic power metal with a (neo-)classic edge to it, and some semi progressive breaks here and there. Well done, huge production, lots of fantastic melodies, and … nothing exciting or adventurous. It's damn good music to listen to if you're in the mood for an unchallenging listen experience, and if you'd like to know what comes next, even though you've never heard this particular disc before. But if you want something new and groundbreaking this is not it. Luca Turilli is a great guitarist and a fantastic songwriter, no doubt about that - and personally I like this disc a lot - but perhaps it's about time we ask Luca to come up with something more interesting and new? Oh yeah, I just have to mention that the description of his music that Luca himself provides us with in his biography-sheet is simply the most funny thing I've heard this year; "Symphonic Cosmic Metal" … Wow!
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
TURISAS
"Battle Metal" (Century Media - provided by Target Distribution) - 2 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Ahh - the Scandinavian wave of polka metal lives on. Not only do we get a new album by Finntroll (which isn't half as bad as I feared), but also newcomer Turisas is jumping the bandwagon and delivering a debut album that I don't know if I should be laughing about or crying over. It's not music I'd put on my stereo everyday, that's for sure - and it's not even something I find exciting in any way. What we have here is a band blending black metal with old school metal riffs and a lot of unnaturally forced folk elements. It's like someone said; "let's cash in on the success of Finntroll and create a copy of their albums - then we'll add a lot of keyboards to satisfy those who likes Nightwish - and to top it off we'll call it BATTLE METAL, because then people might think it's something original". Well, I for one am not buying into that, and Turisas to me looks nothing like a mediocre copycat with no sense of originality and no place in this scene at all.
|
||
|
Claus
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
TYRANT EYES "The Darkest Hour" (Scarlet Records - provided by Scarlet Records) - 3 out of 5 points - |
||
|
Power metal with a singer that's not screaming his balls off all the time. That suits my ears pretty well. Unfortunately, the singer also tends to be out of tune a lot of times and that drags this CD down a bit. The music is pretty good, with a lot of cool riffin in between the singing. It's just a pity that when the vocals are on, the music gets totally straight and uncomplicated, which is too easy a way to do it in my opinion. I have no info sheet on Tyrant Eyes, so I don't know if this is their 1st or 17th album, but I think the band need to work a little bit more with the vocals in order to get into the league of very cool bands.
|
||
|
Lars
|
||
|
||
