Metal

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    Atrocity – Die Gottlosen Jahre (2012)

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    Celebrating their 25 years in the Metal music scene, today we received a copy of Atrocity’s epic DVD/CD set “Die Gottlosen Jahre”. Featuring 300 minutes of video content, this two DVD package delivers one of the most in-depth and comprehensive documentaries about Metal music with a particular focus on Atrocity’s revolutionary trajectory since the early days of German Thrash/Death Metal to their latest incursion into the Ethno/Folk of “After The Storm”.

    The documentary DVD lasts around 3 hours and features a plethora of interviews with the main players of the Metal scene during the times Atrocity was revolutionizing and breaking boundaries. Starting since the good old days of tape trading when Atrocity first came into the picture, it is quite interesting how they interview people that have been there for the band since the very beginning and have some of the craziest stories about them.

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    Liv Kristine – Libertine (2012)

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    Delivering her second solo release for Napalm Records, today we have Liv Kristine with “Libertine”. Utilizing her ‘gap’ year between Leaves’ Eyes releases, Lik Kristine and company (husband Alex Krull and Thorsten Bauer, both band mates from Leaves’ Eyes), manage to squeeze in eleven tracks of catchy Pop/Alternative Rock music that showcases Liv’s sweet vocals and knack for keeping busy writing songs all year round.

    Opening with the very mellow and folk-ish “Interlude”, this release is off to a very solid start, unlike her previous 2010 effort “Skintight”. The power ballad “Silence” is a clear example of why most Metal heads that like female fronted metal love Liv Kristine, her vocals are angelic and with a simple combination of piano/cello/whatever string instrument, they are greatly highlighted and sound like a million dollars. Featuring very powerful and engaging guitarwork, we have to give a nod to the very entertaining but somewhat repetitive “Panic”.

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    Klogr – Till You Decay (2012)

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    Arriving from Italy, today we have Klogr and their very dynamic and intense debut full-length “Till You Decay”. It is instantly evident that huge amount of work (and money) has been put into this very well crafted release. The production is as good as it gets and everything sounds as if you had the band playing in your living room (or car). Featuring eleven tracks of a hybrid between alt-rock and Alternative/Modern Metal, the songs presented here are very well balanced between the genres and deliver a very rich aural experience.

    Opening with “Live Dying”, the band uses a melodic approach to lure the listener into their highly diverse sound. As the pounding guitars make their presence felt, that alt rock/Metal vibe is immediately present. The band’s vocalist (and guitarists) Rusty has a very strong and engaging voice, that while very commercial sounding, it gets the job done and nicely leads the songs in this release. The highly melodic “Silk and Thorns” shows a different side of the band, and a very catchy one indeed.

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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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    Noisebazooka – Humped World (2012)

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    Delivering one of the most intense and brutal aural onslaughts we have heard this year, today we have Noisebazooka and their latest full-length “Humped World”. If you ever tried to picture what somebody on bath salts would sound like when trying to make music, Noisebazooka is the first thing that comes to our mind.

    Opening with a very weird sample intro, the album fully comes into full bloom with the deranged “Jaded Pleasures”. Piercing drums and hellish screams is pretty much the perfect way of describing this band. The bass guitar line is sick and twisted, adding an extra layer of weirdness to the overall insane atmosphere. The fragmentation of songs is something that we don’t really enjoy in Grindcore releases, and “Humped World” is not the exception, the band pummels through 32 tracks and delivers less than 45 minutes of music!

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    Meshuggah – Koloss (2012)

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    After the excellent “ObZen”, Meshuggah returns with their latest epic “Koloss”. In this the release not only the band builds on previous work, but it also improves their sound in a manner that makes it more accessible to people and still equally technical and brilliant. Pummeling through 10 tracks of brilliant music, this is a release that shows how well the band has matured and how much better they are than the rest of their clones.

    Opening with the ‘slower paced’ “I am Colossus”, the band makes their signature sound present since the opening minute. The brilliantly crafted drums, crazy rhythms, and strong vocals immediately identifies the band, and delivers a very strong opening track. Things start picking up with “The Demon’s Name Is Surveillance”, “Do Not Look Down”, and “Behind the Sun”, all songs filled with polyrhythmic structures and very interesting elements that makes the unique and different from each other.

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    Various Artists – Swine of Hades (2011)

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    Featuring a very diverse line-up, today we have a five-way split called “Swine of Hades”. Featuring tracks of Taake, Sigh, The Meads of Asphodel, Thus Defiles (with Sakis of Rotting Christ) and a track featuring Evo from Warfare and Algy Ward of Tank, this release is as diverse as they come, but all bands come together very well when played loudly over your speakers.

    With a very powerful dose of Metal with Punk elements and a pouncing Bass guitar line, Evo and Algy deliver a cover of Status Quo’s “Tune to the Music”. The cover is actually pretty good and the nasty and raw sound created is very suitable for this crushing release. Next up we have Taake’s cover of GG Alllin’s “Die when you Die”, in a very Punk-ish Black’n’roll fashion. Hoest’s vocals are as crazy as ever and the sound of the track is as raw as you can get.

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    Vomitron – No NES for the Wicked (2011)

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    Just as other people have indicated in the past, once we received a CD with a band named Vomitron and a semi-naked chick in the cover we expected the worst. However, we were quite surprised to hear that almost all tracks in this release are of extreme musical quality and very carefully crafted. Transforming old Nintento music into Metal tunes, Vomitron’s mastermind Peter Rutcho showcases his excellent musical abilities and delivers some of the best re-interpretations of these songs we have ever heard.

    Opening with a filler intro, the first real song of this release is an epic interpretation of the “Contra” theme. Showing Power Metal and Progressive Metal elements, this song will immediately get you psyched about the tracks to follow in this excellent release. “Blaster Master” is a nice combination of powerful riffing and trippy keyboard sections, a very enjoyable track for fans of futuristic Power/Progressive Metal. The song that almost everybody will be waiting for has to be “The Legend of Zelda” theme, and Vomitron does an amazing rendition thanks to Peter’s great guitar skills.

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    Van Canto – Break the Silence (2011)

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    Metal’s most original band in the last few years returns with yet another A Capella Power Metal release that will rattle your speakers since track one. “Break the Silence” marks the band’s fourth full-length album and also features a bit of a shift into more a ‘melodic’ sound. However, we are still treated to 40+ minutes of pure vocal brilliance and amazing melodic catchiness.

    Opening with “If I Die in Battle”, the vocal powers of Philip Dennis Schunke and Inga Scharf lead the way over the amazing ‘vocal instruments’ that back them. In a ‘slower’ and more melodic way we have plenty of mmmmm’s that keep an epic feeling to the song and give it a darker edge. “The Seller of Souls” delivers a more ‘traditional’ Van Canto sound and leads the way for some powerful vocal bass line and some excellent vocal guitar sections. With a nice Power Metal feeling this song has nice choir sections and a very perky pace.

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    Mystons – 3 (2011)

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    Almost one year since the release of the very solid “Alkaem”, Mystons returns with another nine hard-hitting songs that quickly show that their last album’s success was no fluke and they mean serious business. Dropping one band member, Mystons delivers a very powerful album that feels a bit more consolidated than the first one, and is full of catchy riffs and appealing vocals.

    Funneling a White Stripes vibe, the album opens with “Mammoth” and “Mourning Sky”, the second song in particular seems to have a very familiar riff that will surely be quickly identified by the listeners. In this two songs you can hear the traditional Mystons sound, but with a bit more of direction. The album’s catchiness continues and with “CrusHer”, we find a very hard-rocking song that immediately sticks in your head.

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