Rock

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    Useless Concept – Mysterious Impact (2012)

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    Led by the strong vocals of Sandrine Humbert, today we have Useless Concept and their latest release “Mysterious Impact”. Combining Hard Rock with some Metal and Progressive elements and a few jazzy/funky hints, this release delivers twelve tracks of excellent and catchy music. Being originally and instrumental, and then a Progressive Metal band, Useless Concept has come a long way to their current shape, but it sure works for them and to the advantage of the listeners.

    Opening with “Emphatic Experience”, the band starts on a high note thanks to Sandrine’s vocal and the excellent music behind this track. The heavy Rock vibe is quite enjoyable, but the little progressive elements are what makes the music standout even more. The riff centric “Live and Learn” keeps things rolling, but the atmospheric elements of “Amy” really give the band that extra depth that many inexperienced bands are lacking.

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    Crucified Barbara – The Midnight Chase (2012)

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    Delivering an excellent hard rocking release, today we have Sweden’s Crucified Barbara and their third full-length release “The Midnight Chase”. Featuring eleven songs of Hard Rock with some Metal elements, this release is very well written and extremely catchy. The band’s attitude since the opener “The Crucifier” is very determinate and quite effective in delivering powerful Thrashy riffs with more traditional drum structures.

    Mia Coldheart’s vocals are raspy enough to have that early Motorhead vibe, giving the band’s sound that old-school vibe that other bands would kill for. The melodic aspect of the band’s music is also quite excellent, on tracks like “Shut Your Mouth”, and “Into the Fire” there are very cool melodic passages that add diversity to the band’s sound. The tempo changes like on “Rules and Bones” add depth to the band’s musical arsenal, but ultimately the killer guitars and catchy lyrics are what make the songs an excellent listening experience.

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    Lita Ford – Living Like a Runaway (2012)

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    Delivering the first ‘Lita Ford’ album, as she has claimed, since her return back in 2008, “Living Like a Runaway” is an excellent musical journey to the past of Heavy Metal / Rock. Featuring ten super catchy and well-crafted songs, this release is probably one the few albums that we can say has no filler tracks and only features high-quality music.

    Taking a very ‘back to the basics’ approach, the opener “Branded” delivers high-octane guitar riffing and catchy vocal lines. The structure of the music is very basic, and this makes it work even better by having that nice old-school vibe that traditional Heavy Metal fans like in their music. The guitar work is top notch and nicely enhances the overall sound with some subtle solos. In a more Glam-like approach, “Hate” has a super catchy chorus section that will have you humming it in your head for the rest of the week.

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    Jess and the Ancient Ones – Jess and the Ancient Ones (2012)

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    With the current boom of Psychedelic Occult Rock/Metal bands like Ghost, Year of the Goat and The Devil’s Blood, it is not surprising that the next excellent band we listen to in this genre has to be from Finland. Jess and the Ancient Ones are finally delivering their debut full-length self-titled release this May and it features seven tracks spanning around 53 minutes of pure musical greatness.

    Jess and the Ancient Ones sound is timeless and it evokes countless greats like Merciful Fate, Black Sabbath, Yes, and the more contemporary Jex Thoth and Sabbath Assembly. Opening with the extra catchy “Prayer for Death and Fire”, this release is off to a great start thanks to the band’s playfulness and excellent abilities to craft old-school sounding music but not sounding like a re-hash of any other band.

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    Trioscapes – Separate Realities (2012)

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    In the category of musical porn, today we have Trioscapes and their ridiculously technical (and equally intoxicating) debut release “Separate Realities”. The band formed by Dan Briggs (of Between the Buried and Me), Walter Fancourt on tenor saxophone/flute, and Matt Lynch on drums, is out to conquer audiences with their intoxicating mixture of Prog Rock, Fussion, and Psychedelic Rock, all packed into a funky sexy package that will get you laid guaranteed.

    Open with the Yes-esque “Blast Off”, the trio delivers a pretty impressive dance between instruments since the first second. The percussions are outstanding and they are very precise to offset the sexy saxophone lines. The bass line is nothing short of extraordinary, making us wonder with is Dan playing with Between the Buried and Me, and not a better band ($$$).

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    Superchrist – Holy Shit (2012)

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    Promoted under the moniker of ‘Beer Metal’, Superchrist’s latest released titled “Holy Shit” falls a bit under the expectations generated, but still delivers 10 hard-hitting rock and roll tracks. The party atmosphere is definitely present in this release and while most of the songs are quite catchy, the band fails to deliver beyond their one punch approach.

    Delivering punches since the opener “Run to the Night”, this release starts with a very upbeat tempo and a nice atmosphere of debauchery. The riffing is pretty solid and the drumming nicely follows, however the best thing is the raspy vocals that reminded us of a younger Lemmy from Motörhead at some points. As the tracks: “Take me To The Graveyard”, “Hot Tonight”, “Get Lost”, and “Burn Again” follow, it is quite evident that the band does only one thing, but they do a hell of a job at it. While this takes away from the band a bit, it will surely not bother other people.

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    Furze – Psych Minus Space Control (2012)

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    Making its way from Norway, today we have Furze’s latest deconstruction of Black Metal titled “Psych Minus Space Control”. In this release, this one man band delivers 43 minutes of brilliant music perfectly split in five intriguing tracks. Furze’s ability to create trippy space rock tracks with infused Black Metal elements is just outstanding.

    The minimalist opening sequence of “Occult Soul, With Mind” has a very funky sci-fi vibe that we haven’t heard since Angst Skvadron “Sweet Poison” release. The very rudimentary approach to music that Furze opts to use is quite interesting to listen to and on tracks like “Psych Mooz Space Control”, it is evident that the man behind this band is brilliant. With very retro sounding guitar work and an ever-present mellow bass guitar lines, these first songs nicely set the mood of this fine release.

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    Portfolio – Reason Outside Nature (2012)

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    With all the lines between Art Rock, Alternative Rock, Post-Rock and so on getting blurred, it is quite refreshing when we get releases that actually offer more than your average album. Portfolio’s release “Reason Outside Nature” is one of those albums that nicely blends many influences into a very well-crafted palette of sounds. Featuring six tracks, this EP will ease you into tranquility with its very relaxing music.

    Opening with the playful “Gringo, Portfolio are dead”, the band nicely establishes a Jazzy Post-Rock foundation that is very catchy and engaging. The trumpet nicely gives depth to this band’s sound and the way it’s carved into the music separates them from the rest. There are some heavy guitars in this track, but they are mostly used to speed things up. With even more class and determination, “Frassica” fills up the room with a sexy and intoxicating atmosphere.

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    L’Alba Di Morrigan – The Essence Remains (2012)

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    Arriving all the way from Italy, today we have a very mellow and atmospheric release with L’Alba Di Morrigan’s debut full-length album “The Essence Remains”. Combining elements of Art Rock with some Progressive and Post-Rock hints, the band delivers nine tracks of solid music that will nicely relax you after a hard day of work.

    The album opens with the very Katatonia-esque “Snowstorm”, a piece that had the participation of Frank Default (of Katatonia fame) on percussions and keyboards, giving this track a nice ethereal sound to it. The band continues with more Katatonia worship on “The Fairies’ Circle”, mainly on the distant vocal sounds and the overall depressive vibe. Frank Default makes another appearance on “Silence”, our favorite track of this release thanks to its very moody passages.

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    Edge of Paradise – Mask (2011)

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    Delivering one of the most diverse, chaotic, and yet very interesting albums we have received this year, today we have Edge of Paradise and their debut full-length “Mask”. In this release the band features influences from anywhere between Industrial, Heavy Metal, Gothic Metal, Shred Metal and tons of things in between. If you are not confused by now, then you can’t really be prepared to open the bag full of surprises that “Mask” is.

    Opening with some dub step/Static X intro, “Falling Down” delivers the first punch in a 9 track rollercoaster ride through almost all genres of Metal. This opening track does a great job to set the stage for a very weird and diverse release that is very catchy and strongly lead by the band’s charismatic vocalist: Margarita Monet. Her vocals are quite unique in Metal since she is all over the place and has a lot of raw power behind her. “Tall of the gun” steers you into a different direction with a more Modern/commercial Metal with very heavy guitars.

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