SPV / Steamhammer

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Axel Rudi Pell – Circle of the Oath (2012)

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    With a very long and extremely good discography under his belt, Axel Rudi Pell returns this 2012 with their latest masterpiece “Circle of the Oath”. In this release, Axel and the band rip through 10 tracks of very traditional and effective Heavy/Power Metal without ridiculous amounts of flair, but with a very well defined core and a timeless sound.

    Immediately after the intro, Axel’s guitar playing power is immediately present on “Ghost in the Black”. As one of the fastest tracks of this release, this song is filled with catchy guitar work, powerful keyboards and very solid vocals courtesy of Johnny Gioeli. The traditional Heavy Metal atmosphere is immediately present with the catchy choruses of “Run with the Wind” and “Before I Die”, a staple that Axel Rudi Pell has had over their whole career.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Sep7ember - Strange Ways of Going Home (2012)

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    Sometimes some albums that are quite not our cup of tea make it to our review queue and surprise us a bit. Sep7ember’s “Strange Ways of Going Home” is the latest entry in this category due to its super catchy guitar work and very solid songwriting. We are no experts on Alternative Rock or even Hard-pop but this album is pretty good since it kept us interested from beginning to end.

    Hailing from Frankfurt, Sep7ember opens this release with the very catchy (and pop-ish) “View into Blur”. The dreamy guitar work is pretty appealing and the bass guitar is super catchy in this piece. Sometimes we can even say that the band bleeds a bit into Post-Rock territory in songs like “Run”, “Remaining Days” and “So”, but with a commercial REM and Live touch. The vocals are very whiny, but in a good way since they deliver the emotion behind these powerful songs.

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    Evergrey – A Decade and a Half (2011)

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    Ever since the release of their debut album “The Dark Discovery” back in 1998, Evergrey has been one of the best bands in their genre and with their newest incursion “Glorious Collision” they have widen the gap between them and any other band. With “A Decade and a Half”, the band presents a double-CD release filled with most of their greatest songs and a few live versions that keep things interesting.

    As one of our friends pointed out, if you really wanted a ‘greatest hits’ release of the band, it should have been 8 CD’s long and feature every single album they have released in their years of existence. However, we can’t really have that, but this double-CD has enough to please most of the fans of the band. Kicking off with “The Masterplan”, the band delivers their characteristic guitar work and excellent vocals of Tom Englund. As the future has shown (in “Glorious Collision”) the band’s sound centers around Englund’s efforts and everybody else can be easily replaced.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Leningrad Cowboys – Buena Vodka Social Club (2012)

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    Featuring 13 crazy Finish musicians, today we have the very enigmatic and cult-worshiped Leningrad Cowboys and their first album with original songs since 2000. In “Buena Vodka Social Club” we are treated to 11 tracks of pure wackiness, but with excellent musical skills and a very festive spirit.

    While nowhere near the area of expertise of Infernal Masquerade reviewers, we still managed to appreciate and enjoy this very interesting release. Sakke Järvenpää, the band’s mastermind, has managed to bring back the Leningrad Cowboys and with such style and grace that you should keep an eye for them once they come close to your town.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    My Inner Burning – Eleven Scars (2011)

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    Jumping into the female-fronted Gothic Metal arena, today we have My Inner Burning and their second full-length “Eleven Scars”. Led by the strong voice of Rebekka Gaber, this band has a golden opportunity to get noticed by being with the label SPV.

    Being nothing revolutionary and just adding another different sounding vocalist to genre, we believe that My Inner Burning might not really make a break in the scene and most people will call them out due to their shortcomings.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    A Pale Horse Named Death – And Hell Will Follow Me (2011)

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    In the ‘meh’ column, today we have A Pale Horse Named Death and their debut album “And Hell Will Follow Me”. Even though the band features Sal Abruscato (ex-Type O Negative) and Matt Brown (Seventh Void), there is not much to enjoy (at least for us) with a lot of dull and repetitive riffs.

    Maybe some fanboys of Type O Negative will try to cope with the loss of Peter Steele and adopt this band, since it sounds a bit like earlier TON albums (sans the vocals of course). But for us it just feels like a very average mixture of Doom/Stoner Metal and Alternative Rock elements that falls short of the caliber of the band’s members.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Pagan’s Mind – Heavenly Ecstasy (2011)

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    While the quality behind today’s Pagan’s Mind is far from the times when they released their opus “Celestial Entrance” and “Enigmatic: Calling”, with “Heavenly Ecstasy” they still manage to produce 11 tracks of very solid Power/Progressive Metal that will surely entertain most fans of the genre.

    After a big WTF with “God’s Equation”, with this release they set a lot of wrongs straight and deliver a quality album that is both enjoyable and very well crafted. Singer Nils Rue takes the lead as the most recognizable feature of the band and soars in most songs making them very memorable.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Evergrey – Glorious Collision (2011)

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    With a revamped lineup, Tom S. Englund and company return with what is probably the band’s best release in a few years. With “Glorious Collision” the band reaches new heights thanks to the technical brilliance and catchiness of all the songs presented in this release. As we all know over the years, Tom is great at crafting very somber lyrics and bringing them to life with his gifted vocal style.

    “Glorious Collisions” feels like a much needed reboot in Evergrey to more forward with more progressive ideas and rediscover their dark and emotional sound. Since the opening track “Leave it behind”, a very mystical aura enshrouds this release and it’s never released until the end of the album, a truly magnificent accomplishment.

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