Critical Update #3 for 2004
If this is your first time
reading my reviews you need to know that I am an opinionated old fart who
generally only reviews stuff to his liking.
The ratings below are based upon my general disposition after multiple
hearings of the CD’s in question.
CELESTY “Legacy of Hate” (9 tracks).
ARISE.
Rating: 9.
On the map of heavy metal land
Celesty should be located at a point halfway between Stratovarius and
Rhapsody. I was impressed with Reign
of Elements, their debut. It was a
solid album. But Legacy of Hate
blows it away (no sophomore jinx here).
For the most part, Legacy of Hate sounds like a less flamboyant
version of Rhapsody, though Rhapsody’s influence is clearly there. The CD even comes with a map to go along
with the album’s fantasy story! But
like Stratovarius, Celesty knows how to create excellent melodies that make the
listener want to sing along without all the overlay of Rhapsody’s bombast. The album ends with an excellent two-part,
more than 20 minute epic, “Legacy of Hate” parts 1 and 2. In short, while Celesty are another fine
example of Finnish classic metal, I think they have stepped beyond the
stereotype a bit and created something with a broader appeal.
HIGHLORD “Medusa’s Coil” (12 tracks). ARISE.
Rating: 8.
I would describe Highlord as
prog-metal with a lot of youthful charisma.
They are talented and well-endowed musically, but occasionally sound
overly anxious. The music is full-on
power/prog, but it is the vocals which really make this album. I wouldn’t be surprised if some reviewers
will compare them to Rhapsody, especially since they come from Italy, but that
would be a false comparison. While
Andrea Marchisio has some vocal similarity to Fabio Leone, his passionate
delivery is more like an 80’s era vocalist, especially on “Where My Hero
Lies”. Another important observation
about this band is their youthful vigor.
Some prog.-metal bands are too melodramatic for my taste; not these guys. They are all about metal. Overall it is a very good outing, but I
would have to say that Marchisio needs to back off on the vocals a little here
and there. Some times they are a bit
over-the-top.
KHOLD “Morke Gravers Kammer”
(10 tracks + video). CANDLELIGHT USA
Rating: 8.
If you are like me, your first
response to Khold is to think of them as a slow version of Mayhem. But after repeated listens, I am inclined to
think of Khold as a cold, black metal outfit with an emphasis on power rather
than speed. This puts them in a
category with other bands like Satyricon and Thorns. But even here, Khold plays on the slower side. For me this is a welcome point of diversity
with the aforementioned bands. It gives
you another great band to listen to without feeling like you are listening to a
clone band. At times it’s kind of like
listening to a modern day, Norwegian version of Celtic Frost. “MGK” is not a lot different from their
previous album, but I liked that one too.
Why tamper with a good thing? My
only complaint is that for some reason my disc did not have the video
track. Is this because it is a promo
disc?
KROKUS “Fire and Gasoline” (2
discs. 20 tracks). REALITY
ENTERTAINMENT.
Rating: 9.
One of the advantages of a band like
Krokus making this comeback is that they can do a double-live album like this
one and get better sound quality/production than they could have gotten during
their heyday. But there is always the
fear that after so many years a band may not be able to live up to their former
glory. Well, put your fears to rest
because Marc Storace and Fernando Von Arb have pulled off a highly convincing
performance. Whether it is Geritol or
Viagra, something has kept these guys from growing moldy with age. In short, if you are a Krokus fan from way
back, you’d be a fool to miss out on this one.
Two discs, twenty tracks, and about two hours of music; what else could
you want? ‘Nuff said.
For those of you who aren’t familiar
with this band, Krokus is the 80’s metal band from America with the vocalist
who sounds like Bon Scott. If you don’t
know who Bon Scott is, go back to listening to Lincoln Park, poseur! Seriously, Krokus is like America’s version
of AC/DC meets Accept with a little Quiet Riot mixed in.
MORIFADE “Domi-Nation” (14 tracks
+ video track). CANDLELIGHT USA.
Rating: 9.
A lighter, less aggressive band
would be called prog-metal. A less
progressive band would be called power metal.
Morifade’s “Domi-Nation” rewrites the book on classic/power/prog epic
metal. This is the kind of CD you play
to silence the fools who say that metal is just a bunch of loud noise with
cheesy lyrics. On the one hand it is
thought-provoking, melodic, and highly nuanced, on the other, it just flat out
rocks. Not surprising, considering the
fact that Andy LaRoque produced it. Lyrically,
“Domi-Nation” is a metallic epic through an Orwellian world where allegiance to
the “state” borders on religion. In
fact, credit is given in the liner notes to Orwell’s “1984” and Aldous Huxley’s
“Brave New World.” Musically and
lyrically, it is a unity within diversity appropriate for fans of Saga, Royal
Hunt, Gamma Ray, Iron Savior, and Into Eternity. It grasps your attention and does not let it go from open to
close. Again, I cannot tell you about
the video track since it does not exist on my promo disc.
The OUTPATIENCE “Anxious Disease” (tracks).
REALITY ENTERTAINMENT.
Rating: 7.
“A prophet is without honor in his
hometown” may be an apt biblical allusion for this band. Anxious Disease was released in Japan
several years ago, and in Switzerland/Europe back in 1999, but only now has it
found its way home to America. The shifting
sands of our pop culture meant that there was no room at home for this band,
but they haven’t given up on their own.
And thanks to Reality Entertainment, they hope to realize their dreams
of musical success at home. To me they
sound like a close cousin to bands like Guns and Roses, Warrant, Bon Jovi,
Cinderella, and Poison, but altogether have a lighter, more pop-oriented
sound. And if that little bit of news
gets you excited, then you will also be interested in knowing that Slash, Izzy
Stradlin, Duff McKagan, and Steve Stevens all make guest appearances on this
album. In my opinion, they have taken
the “Every Rose has Its Thorns,” and “I’m and Outlaw” formula and nuanced it
various ways for a majority of the songs.
But there are faster paced tunes like “Inbred” and “Black Eye” to provide
a little balance. You can imagine, then,
that the production is excellent and the 13 songs on this CD are carefully
crafted for radio appeal, and vocalist Mike Shotton has the right combination
of grit and sass to top it all off.
SKYFIRE “Spectral” (9 tracks).
ARISE.
Rating: 8.
After releasing two albums on
Hammerheart Records, Skyfire has now moved over to Arise Records. Arise is
proud to have them and have made this album a matter of top priority. I cannot speak for their first album, but in
my opinion Spectral is a notch above Timeless Departure. If you have never heard them before, just
close your eyes and you might imagine you are listening to early,
pre-electronic In Flames. This is, I
think, a fair conclusion. All the
elements are there: dual guitars,
keyboards, shrill vocals, and thick, excellent production—definitely
Swedish! But one could argue for
conscious imitation here. So we have to
ask ourselves a question: do we like a
band for having successfully patterned themselves after another really good
band, or decry their lack of originality?
I guess you have to decide that for yourself.
SCEPTIC “Unbeliever’s
Script” (9 tracks). CANDLELIGHT USA.
Rating: 8.5.
Though they are from Poland, they do
not sound like the typical low-end brutal death metal Poland is known for. Rather, Sceptic takes the aggressive
death/thrash route. Additionally, they
don’t sound like a Gothenburg clone band either. Instead, what we have here is pure agro-thrash death metal,
a.k.a., Carcass worship. In other
words, tight, crunchy riffs, with Bill Steer like vocals. While they may not be breaking any new ground
musically, they do what they do very well.
A CD like this is always a welcome addition to the year’s metal
releases. It is a solid, very
listenable album. Put it in and crank
the volume up to 11!
STATETROOPER “The Calling” (11
tracks). C.I.C. RECORDS/LAURA KAUFMAN
PR.
Rating: 7.
Anyone who grew up in the 80’s and
has watched The Wedding Singer will relate to the feeling of being
simultaneously nostalgic and somewhat embarrassed at the same time. Back in the 80’s bands like Statetrooper
popped up from everywhere like Britney Spears impersonators do today. Yes, those were the glory days of metal …
days when every trip to the record store brought some new musical
revelation. Back then we waded through
a lot of mediocre releases to get to the real gems. This band was one of those bands that popped up in the 1980’s,
but didn’t achieve their desired glory.
Despite the changes in musical trends, though, Statetrooper never fully
disappeared, and a loyal fan base has kept them alive. Now the band wants another shot at the big
time. My recommendation is that all of
you who are big into 80’s pop/glam/rock/metal check this band out. Fans of bands like Whitesnake and Night
Ranger especially. Those who have moved
on will not likely get into this band.
ST. MADNESS “We Make Evil Fun” (21
tracks). NASTY PRICK RECORDS.
The
side of me that loves Spinal Tap and Army of Darkness is tempted to laugh this
album off as a joke. It seems obvious
to me that much of what St. Madness does is intended to amuse; thus it is
referred to as “shock rock.” Even the
title, “We Make Evil Fun,” is clearly tongue-in-cheek. My complaint is that bands like this do not
seem to distinguish between what is parody and what is indecent. As an example, while bands like Kiss and
Spinal Tap have songs about anal sex, “You’ve Got Nothing to Lose” (Kiss) and
“Big Bottom” (Spinal Tap), St. Madness has songs that are graphic, overtly sexual. Bands like St. Madness may see what they are doing as in “good fun” or humorous, but in but I have to draw the line here.
SYBREED “Slave Design” (12 tracks). REALITY ENTERTAINMENT
Rating: 9.
This
album was an automatic love fest for me.
It is as heavy and brutal as Hell itself, yet beautiful and melodic at
the same time. Fans of such diverse of
bands as Nevermore, Iced Earth, Meshuggah, and Celldweller can all find common
ground with Sybreed. The combination of
brutal, bombastic riffs with electronics, and gruff vocals with melody make “Slave
Design” the perfect marriage of extremes in sound. The playing is tight and the production is crisp. I guess you would classify them as extreme,
electro-death metal. And let me tell
you, In Flames never sounded this angry!
Sissy nu-metal bands like Korn and Lincoln Park would wet themselves if
they heard this! Look for Sybreed on the
Harsh Reality tour this summer with Lyzanxia and Freakhouse. (I predict Sybreed will be the most popular
band on that tour.)
In preparation for next time …
Eldritch “Portrait of the Abyss
Within” Limb Music Products.
Icycore “Wetwired” Limb Music
Products.
Inner Wish “Silent Faces” Limb Music Products.
Magic Kingdom “Metallic Tragedy” Limb Music Products.