MuzikMan's Reviews And News: Metal

Showing posts with label Metal. Show all posts

6/24/2015

Twisted Sister's Dee Snider Featured On New CD By Dual Female Fronted Power Trio TANG

“TANG Rocks!” - Dee Snider

NYC - One of the hottest releases of 2015 is undoubtedly the new album by dual female fronted alternative metal power trio TANG featuring a guest appearance by legendary Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider! Titled “Blood & Sand”, TANG's new CD features a duet with Dee Snider on the track “Reign of Blood”!

Says guitarist Denny Colt, “Bonnie knew Dee from back in the day when they both did the club circuit...I hooked up with Dee when I was in Van Helsing's Curse with him..so we have quite the connection. He's a really nice guy & did such a great job on the duet with Bonnie on 'Reign of Blood.'”

Hailing from New York, TANG features Bonnie Parker on Vox & Bass and Denny Colt on Vox, Lead Guitar & Keyboards, and have been trading phrases back and forth in their own ripping style since 1999. Mark Edwards, formerly of Criss Angel & Burning Star, now brings skull-splitting drum beats and a monster attitude. TANG has toured Europe, Canada and the US opening shows for such artists as Crucified Barbara, Girlschool, W.A.S.P., Dokken, Hammerfall, Helloween, Dee Snider, Symphony X and many, many other cool bands.

Denny played guitar, toured & recorded in Dee Snider's “Van Helsing’s Curse”, the gothic rock orchestra. Bonnie & Denny have currently played, toured & recorded, with Corky Laing from Mountain in his new band “Corky Laing & The Memory Thieves”. They are also working with Corky in Finland, writing, recording & performing on a rock opera called “Playing God” which was presented in Helsinki in 2014. The opera was presented in the US in April 2015 at Yale University & Hunter College.

“I love the total rock vibe of the new TANG CD! It’s real, it’s vital - it’s brilliant.” - Corky Laing

TANG is featured in the new Fred Carpenter film, “Charlie Mantle”, performing their song “Crashing”. The film debuted summer of 2014 and stars Armand Assante, Sean Young and Robert Funaro. Says Bonnie, “TANG was in the film performing the song in a Russian mob club as the lead character, Robert Funaro (of The Soprano's), is at the end of his dirty cop career & everything is 'crashing' down around him. Great concept by director Fred Carpenter!”

Watch TANG's new video:

Now much to the excitement of their fans worldwide, on September 1, 2015, TANG is releasing their new CD “Blood & Sand”!

Says Denny, “TANG is currently promoting the release of 'Blood & Sand' doing shows in the tri-state area. We are talking with promoters in Europe, Scandinavia & the US about setting up a tour. Our first CD, 'Mental Pollution' was on a Swedish label, Raw Power UK, and we toured Scandinavia to support it. The tours were very successful culminating with TANG performing at the Sweden Rock Fest.”

TANG:
Denny Colt - Guitar, keys & vocals
Bonnie Parker - Bass & vocals
Mark Edwards – Drums

To purchase TANG's “Blood & Sand”:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blood-sand/id978043771
http://www.tangnyc.com/merch

www.tangnyc.com
www.reverbnation.com/tangnyc
www.facebook.com/tangnycusa

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Twisted Sister's Dee Snider Featured On New CD By Dual Female Fronted Power Trio TANG

6/18/2015

Deadline Music To Release Anthology By Hard Rock Legends AXE - “Rock 'n' Roll Party In The Streets”!

Los Angeles - Much to the excitement of rock fans worldwide, Deadline Music will be releasing a 2CD blockbuster career retrospective from one of the unsung heroes of classic hard rock who toured with every major metal act from Iron Maiden to KISS to Mötley Crüe, the indomitable AXE! The anthology includes the band's biggest hit single “Rock 'n' Roll Party In The Streets,” plus select cuts from the much sought after first 2 studio albums and much more!

AXE was formed in 1978 from the ashes of a band called Babyface and began recording their first album, “AXE” in 1979 and started a tour that lasted until 1984. Their second album, “Living On The Edge”, followed in 1980. In 1981, AXE changed labels and recorded “Offering” for ATCO Atlantic featuring the hit “Rock and Roll Party In the Streets.” The song reached #59 on the Billboard charts of the most-played-songs in 1982, and became a nationwide rock anthem. After 19 months of touring with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, the Scorpions, ZZ Top and Motley Crue, it was time to record the fourth AXE album - “Nemesis”. Continued success meant more touring. Band leader Bobby Barth was seriously injured in a car crash that led to the disbanding AXE and later joining Blackfoot. After his stint with Blackfoot, Barth took his talents to Australia to join Angry Anderson (Rose Tattoo), hitting the Top 5 on the Australian charts.

The reformed 1997 AXE line up featured former Frank Zappa vocalist Bob Harris, Bobby Barth on guitars, Edgar Riley Jr on keyboards and original drummer Teddy Mueller plus bassist Blake Eberhard, and keyboardist Rob Lowe. To his credit, Bob Harris has performed with some of the greatest artists in the music industry. Covering vocals and keys for Frank Zappa, he proved his ability as an outstanding musician and writer. Blake Eberhard is one of Colorado's premier studio and live bassists. He joined AXE after being hired by Barth for several recording sessions, and added a new dimension to the AXE sound. In the interim period between the band's split and the reformation, Edgar Riley Jr had worked with Frank Zappa and had also played with several unidentified bands in the Southern states of America and Teddy Mueller had got involved in the publishing industry.

“AXE has been one of the greatest musical and personal adventures in my life. However, it was always bitter sweet, because the tragic death of Michael Osborne created the space that I later filled. I will always be thankful to my friend Mark Pinske for introducing me to Bobby Barth. From the start he (Bobby) mentored me into the band's style and graciously included me in the writing process, and became one of my dearest friends for life. AXE has always been about the music - not the hype - and I feel honored to be a part of it.” - Bob Harris

A brand new AXE album, “AXE (Twenty Years From Home)” was released in September 1997 featuring re-recorded versions of choice tracks from each of the first four AXE albums, plus two from the recently released V record. For their 2001 album “The Crown” the group inducted new personnel guitarist Danny Masters and drummer Christian Teele. AXE would release a limited edition mini album “Live In America 1981” to commemorate their European 2001 tour dates. In the mid-2000's, AXE reformed again including singer Bob Harris and adding new members, Brad Banhagel, David Landes. The band toured throughout the US and Europe.

Now AXE fans worldwide are rejoicing with the pending release of AXE's “Rock 'n' Roll Party In The Streets – The Best Of”!

DISC 1
1. Life's Just An Illusion
2. Hang On
3. Sympathize
4. Forever
5. Back On The Streets
6. Battles
7. Living On The Edge
8. Fantasy Of Love
9. First Time, Last Time
10. Carry On
11. Running The Gauntlet
12. For A Little While
13. Rock 'n' Roll Party In The Streets*
14. Steal Another Fantasy*
15. Jennifer*
16. Burn The City Down*
17. Now Or Never*
18. Holdin' On*
19. Silent Soldiers*
20. BONUS TRACK: Bad Sometimes

DISC 2
1. Heat In The Streets*
2. Young Hearts*
3. All Through The Night*
4. Eagle Flies Alone*
5. Let The Music Come Back*
6. Masquerade*
7. Magic (In Our Eyes)
8. Heroes and Legends
9. Burn Me Once Burn Me Twice
10. Where There's Smoke, There's Fire
11. Any Place On This Highway (Is Home)
12. The Crown
13. Good Times
14. Torturous Game
15. Foolish Deception
16. BONUS TRACK: No Heroes

*Re-Recorded Versions

To purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Roll-Party-Streets-Best/dp/B00W4L0O36

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.
11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703
Los Angeles CA 90025
www.CleopatraRecords.com

Symphonic Metal/Rock Review: Tarja-Luna Park Ride

Release Date: May 29, 2015

Label: earMUSIC

Website

Sometimes the right voice can make all the difference. The right voice can make everything just click into place and make a song that much more captivating and memorable. Tarja Turunen has this type of voice. Her powerful and lovely voice is one of the most dynamic and noticeable working in the genre today.

Known for her time as the lead singer of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish that she co-founded, Tarja has embarked on a solo career following her departure from the band in 2005. The soprano has released four solo studio albums to date, with 2013’s Colours in the Dark being the most recent. In addition to the solo albums, there have been three live albums. Luna Park Ride is her latest live album, recorded at Stadium Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The album gets off to an okay star with “Dark Star.” Tarja’s voice sounds good, especially during the chorus, but the sound of the music is not the cleanest sounding and this gets in the way of it from being a stellar start. The crowd screaming on “My Little Phoenix” is always unpleasant to listen at the beginning, but it dies away as the song starts and gets things flowing with some throbbing drums, and heavy guitars. “The Crying Moon” keeps the direction of the album going in the right direction with a real symphonic rocker.

The album really starts hitting its stride with “I Walk Alone.” It is one of the better songs on the album and the music has a great atmosphere and dark ambience. The vocals are on point, with a personal quality to them as if she is telling you a story by a campfire before she soars away during the chorus. “Falling Awake” is a real rocker. The guitar steals the show with a sweet sounding solo about halfway through the song. With a fairly serene opening, the sound of “Signos” is much lighter and low-key than the rest of the songs. The hard rocking “Little Lies” sports a heavy symphonic metal sound, completed by Tarja’s seductive and hypnotic vocals.

With “Underneath,” the album is right in the middle of its strongest section. The somber “Underneath” changes the tone, brings down the tempo, and puts Tarja’s powerful vocals on full display. “Stargazers” brings the tempo right back up and rocking with its manic and spacey sound. “In For a Kill” and “Ciaran’s Well” keep the quality tunes going, especially “Ciaran’s Well” and its kick-ass rock sound that bursts out of the gate and never trips up.

There is a blip on the screen with “Where Were You Last Night / Heaven Is a Place on Earth / Livin’ on a Prayer Medley.” I have heard other medleys like this before and I have never liked them that much. I particularly do not like it here because I think that these 80s songs do not fit well with the rest of the album and sound out of place. Thankfully, “Die Alive,” “Until My Last Breath,” and “Wishmaster” are here to end the album on a positive note. The energetic “Until My Last Breath” has an enticing opening, with seductive, rhythmic vocals, and a pulsating outro. “Wishmaster” is strong finisher with its wild and lively sound that carries the tenacity of a charging bull.

If you are looking for some sweet symphonic metal music with stellar vocals, then Luna Park Ride is a good place to start. Sure, there is a song or two that I do not particularly care for, but that does not take away from all the other quality songs on the album. Tarja’s main draw is her stunning voice and she does not disappoint on Luna Park Ride.

4/5 Stars

Key Tracks: I Walk Alone, Ciaran’s Well, Until My Last Breath, Wishmaster

Tracks:
01. Dark Star
02. My Little Phoenix
03. The Crying Moon
04. I Walk Alone
05. Falling Awake
06. Signos
07. Little Lies
08. Underneath
09. Stargazers
10. Ciaran’s Well
11. In For a Kill
12. Where Were You Last Night / Heaven Is a Place on Earth / Livin’ on a Prayer Medley
13. Die Alive
14. Until My Last Breath
15. Wishmaster

Brian McKinnon - Write A Music Review Sr. Staff

June 18, 2015

Review Provided By Write A Music Review

6/10/2015

Highly Anticipated Prog Metal album on the way from Deadly Circus Fire: ‘The Hydra’s Tailor’

12 track album due on June 16^th through Musicarchy Media

Described by Metal Hammer as “one of the most imaginative and formidable” prog bands currently plying their trade, Deadly Circus Fire are a London based band who thrive on getting stronger and stronger in their battle with the mainstream. Their sound has been compared to the likes of Tool, Mastodon and Deftones, mixing heavy guitars with melodious moments to create something special.

And it does take something special to turn heads at publications like Metal Hammer, as well as Classic Rock, who described Deadly Circus Fire as “one of the most striking young prog metal bands to come on the scene in the past couple of years". For a taste of what Deadly Circus Fire are all about, here’s the video for album track ‘House of Plagues’:

House Of Plagues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBOeSmIQkbk

It’s clear that Deadly Circus Fire are a band who will make a mark on the metal music scene. They’ve already supported huge cult band Skindred on a European tour, counting it among their career highlights so far. They also previously caused quite a stir by performing in zombie clown make up.

In time though, the music of Deadly Circus Fire has evolved to speak for itself, making a huge impact both live and in the studio without the need for such on stage histrionics.

For more on the album, check out the video link below.

Album Promo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEpnjB_bU0w

Links:

https://soundcloud.com/deadlycircusfire

https://www.facebook.com/deadlycircusfire

https://twitter.com/deadlycircus

5/23/2015

Progressive Metal Review: Native Construct-Quiet World

Release Date: 21^stApril 2015

Label: Metal Blade Records

Website

This is another release by a band that this reviewer hadn’t heard of, and consequently would not have come across. The band is called Native Construct and the title of their debut album is Quiet World.

The band is a collaboration between students started in 2011 at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where I’m informed, a certain Dream Theater, also originated. The album, Quiet World, is a concept album dealing with the tale of Archon and The Silence, the inhabitants of the Quiet World. The style of the band hints at Dream Theater, Pain of Salvation, Queen, Between The Buried and Me, and should suggest what is to be found on Quiet World. There is a musical amalgamation of classical with musical theater via prog metal.

Native Construct is made up of three members, Myles Yang (guitar, programming), Robert Edens (vocals) and Max Harchik (bass).

The album, Quiet World, clocks in at around 48 minutes, with 7 tracks in total. The longest track on offer is the final track, track 7, “Chromatic Aberration” which plays for 12:28 minutes with the previous track, track 6, “Chromatic Lights,” the shortest at only 2:14 minutes.

The opening track on Quiet World, “Mute” (6:34); I have listened to many times because of the range of styles present in such a short time. Starting atmospherically, it soon explodes into action with a full band blast, including a vocal that just about holds its own against the instrumentation. A twist soon sees the track head into jazz territory before 2 minutes have elapsed, with some very nice harmonies and a little show of guitar work from Myles. A further shift around 3 minutes brings in a sublime little passage of gentle instrumentation and harmonized singing. This is then a cue for the “strings” to enter the fray and add a symphonic tinge with some very subtle piano away in the background. This is an excellent little section which slowly builds, but then jumps into growled vocals and metronomic drumming, which unfortunately happen to be two of my pet dislikes, but also features some amazing guitar. Despite several listens, the music loses me at the, and lets not pull any punches, death metal growls. Call it by any other name, extreme metal, whatever, but I find that growling vocals are a total turn-off. This opening track encompasses, for me, the highs and lows of what Native Construct have to offer.

There is a very jazzy start to “The Spark of Archon” (9:09) which edges into the metal style very quickly with some great guitar. The vocals are more like a narrative to start but become “normal” by the 2 minute mark. There are several tempo changes early on, which serve to impede the flow of the track, as it seems to veer from place to place. The jazzy moments are very good, but at around 3:30 minutes, there is a switch to full on metronomic drumming and I start to drift. A moment or two later and we have entered a superb atmospheric melodic passage. Just after 6 minutes we again hit the metal guitar with “double pedal” drumming then the track dives back into the realms of jazz again. There is some superb guitar from the 7:30ish minute which drives the track along, with some low, and fairly indistinct, vocals. The track moves to a finale with simple instrumentation and a crystal clear vocal.

“Passage” (8:23), has atmospheric passages, superb “string” themes, variable time changes, great saxophone, and then the growling starts, this time in front of some superb symphonic sounds.

The final, and longest, track, “Chromatic Aberration” (12:54), has some scintillating guitar work at the outset with excellent vocals and it isn’t long before the time changes start to appear and the vocals shift towards the growl, leaving the track desperately searching for a direction to go in. Instruments vie for attention and the overall effect is, unfortunately, disappointing. As the track continues to veer from one passage to another, it simply starts to blur the track. Around the 4:30 minute mark, there is an oasis of calm, with very atmospheric music and superb vocals, giving a majestic snapshot of what Native Conflict can achieve. The track then moves off in another direction but maintains the listeners’ interest. The mid part of this track is by far the most amazing passage contained within the album. The staccato style which heralds the tracks’ exit seems to jar and the growls also reappear around 12 minutes.

This listener is certainly not leaping up to put the album on again. Quiet World is a very complex album to get into as it is seems to be trying to be all things to all people, sampling jazz, rock, metal, prog, folk, classical and more. Whereas there are great examples of skilled musicianship on show throughout this album, I found the speed at which shifts from style to style happen, didn’t work and although some passages were superb, the album seems to lack coherence and seemed unfocused.

I will stress again, however, that this is a very personal opinion on Native Construct and admit freely that the sound of growled vocals do absolutely nothing for me, apart from reach for the off button.

Having made that comment however, I will be very interested to see (or should it be hear) the direction that the band take with any follow-up release. I enjoyed many passages on this album, Quiet World, but the chasm between extremes was simply too great.

3.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Mute, Spark of Archon, Passage

Tracks:
Mute
The Spark Of Archon
Passage
Your Familiar Face
Come Hell or High Water
Chromatic Lights
Chromatic Aberration

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

May 23, 2015

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk

Progressive Metal Review: Native Construct-Quiet World

Release Date: 21^stApril 2015

Label: Metal Blade Records

Website

Native Construct is made up of three members, Myles Yang (guitar, programming), Robert Edens (vocals) and Max Harchik (bass).

“Passage” (8:23), has atmospheric passages, superb “string” themes, variable time changes, great saxophone, and then the growling starts, this time in front of some superb symphonic sounds.

3.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Mute, Spark of Archon, Passage

Tracks:
Mute
The Spark Of Archon
Passage
Your Familiar Face
Come Hell or High Water
Chromatic Lights
Chromatic Aberration

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

May 23, 2015

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk

5/21/2015

Progressive Metal Review: At War With Self-Circadian Rhythm Disorder

Release Date: 11^thMarch 2015

Label: Digital release

Website

At War With Self is a project led/conceived by Glenn Snelwar, a multi-instrumentalist, best known, although not by this reviewer, as one of the guitarists on the Giordian Knot debut which featured members of King Crimson, Cynic, Watchtower and Dream Theater.

At War With Self has previously released three albums, Torn Between Dimensions (2005), Acts of God (2007) and A Familiar Path (2009), and now, album No 4 has landed on The Ancient Ones’ desk for review. The title of the newest release is Circadian Rhythm Disorder.

To quote the press release that accompanies this album release, “Circadian Rhythm Disorderis the culmination of four years of writing, recording, re-writing, analysis, re-analysis, discarding, rebuilding, e-evaluation and final culmination of compositions based on the framework of a 51 minute drum solo performed in a single take by Marco Minneman (drummer, composer, multi-instrumentalist with Steven Wilson Band and Joe Satriani Band).”

I will admit at the outset of this review that the thought of a 51 minute drum solo filled me full of foreboding, but I was interested to hear how Glenn built Circadian Rhythm Disorder around this base point.

The musicians involved on this release are Glenn, who plays guitars, fretless bass, mandolin and keyboards, with Marco Minneman, providing the drumming and percussion.

Circadian Rhythm Disorder is a 24 track album with a total paying time of around 51 minutes. Fifteen of the tracks last for under the 2 minute mark, with “Slate Wiper Pt 2,” the shortest at only 53 seconds and the longest track on offer on Circadian Rhythm Disorderis “Seeds Of Doubt” which plays for 4:19 minutes.

The opening track on Circadian Rhythm Disorder, “Slate Wiper” (3:26) is an interesting piece of music based on the first section of the drum track. There is a fair amount of metal guitar riffing, interspersed with mandolin which draws the listener in, although the sudden change from acoustic to metal guitar can be a little jarring. This is a positive start to the album with a track that certainly hangs together very well.

“Seeds Of Doubt” (4:19) has a very atmospheric build-up to around the 2 minute point before the metal guitar appears in the background and takes over with bursts of machine gun like riffing, which unfortunately isn’t a style that keeps the interest of this listener.

“Seeds Of Love” (3:47) changes tack with piano and acoustic guitar setting the scene before the keyboards fill in the background. A good track, and indeed, I think the best of these early tracks without a doubt.

“Shards Pt 1” (3:21), “Shards Pt 2” (2:17) and “Shards Pt 3” (0:55) are based around the less metallic side of the music, with “Pt 1” using acoustic guitar and keyboards to provide a gentle, almost laid back, flowing piece of music, which does have a few tempo changes, but it is always satisfying. “Pt 2” has a superb piano to start and is again, in the gentler of the musical styles across this release. There are some excellent acoustic guitar themes on offer over the length of this track. “Pt 3” again highlights the piano, but at under a minute in length, is too soon gone.

Having listened to this album several times over the last few weeks, I am still not convinced that I like or dislike it. Overall I’m very happy with the gentler, more atmospheric tracks, but a little put off by the harsh metal thrashing. This is an album I may well dip into from time to time, but only some of the tracks.

As usual, this is a very personal view of Circadian Rhythm Disorder, and I would always advocate that people have a few listens before making their mind up.

4/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Slate Wiper, Seeds of Love, Shards Pt 1-3

Tracks:
Slate Wiper
Seeds of Doubt
Seeds of Love
The Mirror
Mirage
Stumbling To Sleep
Daydream
This Is Not My Reflection
Smash The Mirror
Shards Pt 1
Shards Pt 2
Shards Pt 3
Nightmare
Running From The Dream
N.D.E.
Tunnel Of Light
Re-Birth
First Breath
New Life Pt 1
New Life Pt 2
Slate Wiper Pt 2
A Day’s Death
Completion Of The Cycle
One And All

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

May 21, 2015

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk

Progressive Metal Review: At War With Self-Circadian Rhythm Disorder

Release Date: 11^thMarch 2015

Label: Digital release

Website

The musicians involved on this release are Glenn, who plays guitars, fretless bass, mandolin and keyboards, with Marco Minneman, providing the drumming and percussion.

As usual, this is a very personal view of Circadian Rhythm Disorder, and I would always advocate that people have a few listens before making their mind up.

4/5 Stars

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

May 21, 2015

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk

5/19/2015

Lucifer - Izrael (OFFICIAL PROMO) 2015

May 19, 2015-by Lars Gotrich • When one demon's light dims, another is illuminated. A collective "well, dammit," was heard throughout Rifflandia (not a real place, but stick with me) when The Oath called it quits, as the band's white-hot debut album barely cooled. Thankfully, vocalist Johanna Sadonis wasted no time assembling a crew rooted in the sounds of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Enter Lucifer. With songwriting and studio input from Cathedral and Death Penalty guitarist Garry Jennings, Lucifer follows the line drawn by The Oath into something leaner and more propulsive. Sadonis writes that "Izrael" is "a song about the angel of death that appeared to me in a dream." It plays with clean guitar tones struck hard, heightening the riff drama as Sadonis tames her own delivery until her wailing occult soul hits the chorus, at which point she cries out, "Ahhhh, Izrael." In the "Izrael" video, director Chris Koll has members of Lucifer drive a stylish Buick hearse through autumnal forests, wear sweet rainbow-logo Lucifer jackets in churchyards, and sport ritualistic metal masks. Basically, it looks cool as hell. Lucifer I comes out June 16 on Rise Above.

5/11/2015

Symphonic/Power Metal Review: Kamelot-Haven

Genre: Symphonic/Power Metal

Release Date: May 4, 2015

Label: Napalm Records

Website

Dark, heavy, powerful, and emotional are just some of the words that can be used to describe the music of Kamelot. They are power metal with plenty of symphonic and progressive elements fused into their sound. Formed in the early 90s, Kamelot has almost twenty-five years as band under their belts. Their current line-up consists of Tommy Karevik (vocals), Thomas Youngblood (guitars), Sean Tibbetts (bass), Oliver Palotai (keyboards), and Casey Grillo (drums). Alissa White-Gluz (vocals), Troy Donockley (tin whistle), and Charlotte Wessels (vocals) are also featured on their latest release, Haven.

According to Youngblood, Haven “Has an undertone of a world gone insane. There is a grey cloud that is forming over our world. We are here to find the silver lining with an album that is both dark and melancholy yet uplifting and giving the listener a Haven in a world gone mad.” Haven is their eleventh album and we find them in stellar form on it. This album is all you need to let your dark dreams come to light.

The opening of “Fallen Star” is pure beauty that is touched with a quiet lyrical sadness. This quiet does not last long before a brutal and crushing sound take overs. It is a fantastic display of talent and musicianship. “Insomnia” is the type of song that grabs your attention right away with its catchy and melodic sound. It will not take more than a listen or two for the chorus to get stuck in your head. A real gem of the album, the opening of “Citizen Zero” create a dark and haunting atmosphere. The following heavy and aggressive sound helps to further enrich the song with a gothic presence. There is a lot of power and emotion that exudes from this song that makes it really standout.

“Veil of Elysium” comes out hot with a catchy and melodic power metal sound that soars. Featuring Charlotte Wessels of Delain and Troy Donockley of Nightwish, “Under Grey Skies” is a departure from the heavy sound of the album so far, but do not let that put you off from this song, because it is full of beauty and emotion. It is just a fantastic song all round, but the soft and lovely vocals of Charlotte Wessels are a true prize. In a similar vein as “Veil of Elysium,” “My Therapy” is a catchy and melodic song that still manages to pack a hard hit with a dark edge. The short interlude “Ecclesia” leads into “End of Innocence,” another rich and dark song with a heavy and melodic sound that is done so well on this album.

“Beautiful Apocalypse” is a heavy and metallic song that is soften by its melodic chorus. A sweet guitar solo in the second half shakes things up. Featuring Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy, “Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)” is one of the heavier songs on album with a brutal and crushing sound. It is fast and unrelenting with a touch of menace. “Here’s to the Fall” is perfectly fine ballad, but does not leave much of a lasting impression on me and is my least favorite song. Now, “Revolution” is the type of song that leaves an impression. It is easily the heaviest song on the album that is almost overwhelming with its crushing power. Alissa White-Gluz returns to provide some killer growls. “Haven” is a pretty serene outro.

Kamelot’s Haven is a brilliant piece of work. It is the type of captivating music that once it gets its hooks into you, it does not let go. Not that you would want it to, of course. It is a phenomenal ride from start to finish and a great way to spend an hour. If you are looking for something that is dark, heavy, and melancholic, then Kamelot’s Haven is what you need.

4.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Fallen Star, Citizen Zero, Beautiful Apocalypse, Liar Lair (Wasteland Monarchy)

Tracks:
01.Fallen Star
02.Insomnia
03.Citizen Zero
04.Veil of Elysium
05.Under Grey Skies
06.My Therapy
07.Ecclesia
08.End of Innocence
09.Beautiful Apocalypse
10.Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)
11.Here’s to the Fall
12.Revolution
13.Haven

Brian McKinnon - Write A Music Review Sr. Staff

May 11, 2015

Review Provided By Write A Music Review

4/07/2015

Heavy Metal Review: Judas Priest-Defenders of the Faith 30th Anniversary Deluxe

Release Date: March 10, 2015

Label: Sony Legacy

Website

Defenders of the Faith is a Judas Priest classic metal album that is celebrating 30 years since its initial release. The 30^th Anniversary Deluxe Edition offers the original album remastered with two additional discs of live material. All the live recordings are from a show at The Long Beach Arena on May 5, 1984. The set comes in a cardboard fold out case with a slip cover the goes over the top of the demon on the cover. A booklet with some accounts of the band is included with several pictures of the time period. It is a quality package that music fans and collectors will appreciate.

The live material shows a band at height of their powers and in full command of their live set with the ability to energize a crowd, not to mention the Metal God had a full head of hair. The sound quality is excellent. I have heard some of these live tracks on previous reissues however this is the entire show all packaged together for this special release.

After going through their entire catalog over the years and having the opportunity review their box set three years ago, and then seeing how this album stood up against the rest I felt it was a good album but not great. Well I think after hearing it once again coupled with the two live discs I have a different viewpoint (of course that is ever changing and evolving with each passing year).

Defenders of the Faith does stand up there as one of their best and certainly they have several great albums that have been released in their long illustrious career, Screaming for Vengeance, British Steel and Nostradamus come to mind quickly. Having had the pleasure of seeing them three times now on a stage I can attest to their appeal to metal fans worldwide. I saw them on the British Steel 30^th Anniversary Tour and it was amazing. I don’t know if it’s in the cards to do the same thing with the Defenders of the Faith album but it would fun.

Of the ten tracks presented on the album most hold up well to this day. “Jawbreaker” still holds you spellbound with electricity and power while “The Sentinel” (albeit with some melodic guitar lines to kick it off) has always been a favorite and of course the tribute to the blood lusting vampire “Love Bites,” still can grab your attention and bring visions of horror and evil. “Heavy Duty” is just that, heavy metal at its very best. It has the perfect title and the term “heavy” is easily assimilated and envisioned through the music.

This is a strong album but not a 5 star affair as some of the aforementioned releases, however it is still very strong and given further recognition with this special anniversary edition that includes an excellent portrayal of the band in the 80’s. It is classic Judas Priest, what more can one say, it is without a doubt a must have for fans of heavy metal and a testament to their undying popularity and relevance in the metal community. The front cover should be adorned with the sticker “Gotta Have It!”

4.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Jawbreaker, Love Bites, The Sentinel

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-Write A Music Review Founder

April 7, 2015

Review Provided By Write A Music Review

Pages

6/24/2015

6/18/2015

6/10/2015

5/23/2015

5/21/2015

5/19/2015

5/11/2015

4/07/2015