Pirage Forsi's Metalopolis

Recommended melodic albums for 2011

2011-12-26T19:32:00.006Z

So here it is the final list of 2011! I was going to make a top 50 but realised I had to add two more so it's the top 52! At the end you will find my top 20 songs of the year in reverse order. 2012 will have to go some to match the brilliance of 2011 that's for sure cause it's once again been a fantastic year for fans of melody in metal and rock music.

52. Fergie Frederiksen - Happiness is the Road
Fergie is an old time AOR singer dude with countless singing slots and collaborations under his belt including solo albums and here is his latest after recovery from cancer. As a result the album is a triumphant return and his voice still sounds pretty much intact though slightly older or shall I say wiser than in his youth. The songs mainly written by his partner in crime Tommy Denander are full of brilliant musicianship and big choruses. An AOR gem and a must for any AOR fan worth his salt.

51. Reinxeed - 1912
Probably the best ReinXeed album yet from Tommy Johansson. Brilliant production and fast melodic Helloweeny tunes mean the fun factor is kept high. The Titanic theme is also quite interesting.

50. Lionville - st
Debut Italian AOR project from Stefano Lionetti hence the "Lion" part of the band name. The music is classy hook filled AOR with various name singers of the seen such as Lars from Work of Art, who happens to have a masterful voice for this style of music.

49. Wisdom - Judas
Hungarian power metal with surprisingly great vocals for a guy that doesn't have English as his mother tongue. The music is melodic and catchy power metal with quite epic songs.

48. Serpentine - Living and Dying in High Definition
The sophomore release from the English newcomer AOR band and the last to feature Tony Mills on vocals as they have a new singer now. This album is light years ahead of the debut release. Philadelphia is one of the AOR gems of the year as far as individual songs go. If you like AOR, you're sure to like Serpentine. Oh and watch out for their new singer that boy has huge pipes.

47. Edguy - Age of the Joker
I think this album reflects Edguy's complete abandonment of all things power metal. Mind you they can still broadly fit in with the other German power metal bands but those type of speedy guitar based songs are history as far as Tobi and co are concerned. Having said all that the album is still very melodic and has a few gems hidden inside as well as a few mundane songs. The Celtic feel is really nice to listen to but those blues experiments are not to my taste. Still a decent effort from them but I know longer go giddy like a schoolgirl at the thought of an Edguy which might have possibly been the case back in the day!

46. Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events
Perhaps the most melodic and song based set of songs that DT has delivered in a long time. I'm never going to be a huge fan but this album completely won me over with both the melodic content and the musically adventurous parts. Portnoy is not missed at all not that I cared either way since I'm not really a fan of the band nor drums in particular. I just expected high quality prog metal and that's what was delivered and then some.

45. Jack Starr's Burning Starr - Land of the Dead
This is a real quality release from ex Virgin Steele man Jack Starr. What we have is epic and bombastic true metal with powerful, chest beating vocals. If you are a fan of epic melodic metal you'll find plenty to enjoy here.

44. Evanescence - st
Didn't like The Open Door at all so I approached this album with mild curiosity but I must admit that Amy Lee and co have come up trumps this time. This is a wonderfully produced piece of modern melodic metal with Amy's beautiful enchanting vocals to the fore. In fact this could be her best performance on album yet and even better than the debut vocally speaking if not song wise. Her performance is really top class throughout and if you too were disappointed with the last Evanescence, I would lend an ear to this one and prepare to be blown away.

43. Liquid Horizon - The Script of Life
A German prog metal band that I'd never previously heard of, surprised the hell out of me with this release. The album is heavy, crunchy prog metal with thick manly vocals. The Coasts of Holland is also one of the prog metal songs of the year with an outstanding chorus. I'd give this one ago if you like your prog heavy, moody and melodic and are not after a speed fix.

42. Wildpath - Underneath
Another big surprise was the third album from french Nightwish wannabes, Wildpath. Sure they want to be like their Finnish heroes something rotten, but the thing is on this album they completely pull it off. The orchestral arrangements sound as good and epic as Nightwish's whilst the guitar riffs are not as heavy, they hearken back to the Oceanborn days which suits me down to the ground. The young girl's vocals are a touch accented and it's hard to pick her words a touch but the actual tone of her voice is absolutely perfect. They also released a complete orchestral version of the album which is pretty cool and I believe Nightwish did the same with Imaginaerum so another link with their heroes. If you love Imaginaerum but haven't heard Wildpath's new album then you really ought to as it's pretty close to being it's equal in my opinion.

41. Megadeth - 13
My Megadeth fanboyism knows no boundary and whilst this is not the best Mega album by a long chalk I still like it a lot. The production is especially amazing and credit must be given to producer Johnny K for a stellar job. Of course quite a few of the songs are re-records which is slightly off putting, but the thing is those are some of the songs I like best in this release. Songs like New World Order and Black Swan. The new songs take repeated plays before revealing their charms but if you have the patience to persevere with this 13th 'deth offering you'll be rewarded in the end.

40. Amaranthe - st
This modern melodic power death amalgamation caused some controversy earlier on in the year but in the end if the songs are catchy and good who can resist their charms even if they are slightly flawed. In this case Amaranthe had a pocket full of hit single ready songs under their belts and that could not be denied. A rather enjoyable album and I look forward to the follow up.

39. Iron Savior - The Landing
It was great hearing Piet's voice again after so long. I know he's been in a few project bands like Savage Circus but I liked Iron Savior more than these and was glad when I heard that they were coming back. Was it worth the wait? You betcha it was. This is like almost the best Iron Savior yet and it feels like they never went away. The songs are catchy as hell and Piet sings as well as ever. I hope to catch them live one day given the chance.

38. Ilium - Genetic Memory
When I first heard Ilium's new album I was a touch bowled over by the melodic tunes and Mike DeMeo's great vocal performance, however with the passing months I realised the album is not quite as brilliant as I first thought it was. Mind you this does happen rather a lot for me with over-excitement about certain releases leading on to the realisation that they were not quite as good as I first thought. This is the case with Ilium's album though it is still a rather worthy melodic metal album with some beautiful guitar playing and Mike on top form and easily makes it one of the best albums in their career if the not THE best.

37. Coldspell - Out From The Cold
The debut was good and the new one continues that trend. It's not a mind blowing release but the heavy crunchy guitar sound helps lift the album no end. The vocal melodies are well sung and the tunes are memorable making Coldspell a pretty enjoyable melodic metal band.

36. Royal Hunt - Show Me How To Live
This is Royal Hunt back in full neoclassical melodic mode with the return of DC Cooper on the mic. The only major downside of this album is the lack of length, although the fact that the album is short is also a plus in one sense, as you feel like quickly put it back on again after it's finished. The lush production alongside DC's smooth voice brings back the classic RH sound to the fore which is I think what the fans have wanted all along.

35. Nemesea - The Quiet Resistance
I had only previously heard of the band as a name before I listened to The Quiet Resistance and was very pleasantly surprised. Yes it's very typical European melodic goth metal like the Within Temptation's of this world, but it's done with such class and panache that you have to sit up and take note. Her vocals are perfectly smooth and lilting whilst the odd male vocal part is meticulously placed to counteract the female. In the end as my motto goes,"you have to bring the songs" and Nemesea do that with ease as this album is a pleasure to listen to from beginning to end.

34. Golden Resurrection - Man on a Mission
You have to admit praising the almighty can be a hell of a lot of fun when you do it with Golden Resurrection blasting in the background. The debut album only came out a year ago and Jesus can't be kept waiting too long for his next fix of praiseworthy symphonic power metal, so they quickly made the follow up and it was more of the same only even more over the top. There's praising the lord the way some Christian metal bands do it and then there's the way Golden Resurrection do it! Even though the lyrics are sometimes laughable I still find the band to be awesome and right up my alley in terms of production, vocals and songwriting ability.

33. Rhapsody of Fire - From Chaos to Eternity
Well now we all know the band has split into two but thankfully their last recorded output before the split showed no sign of any internal struggles at all. This album was Rhapsody of Fire at their almost best. I say almost because Symphony of Enchanted lands still remains by far the best Rhapsody album IMO, but From Chaos to Eternity was a worthy final chapter in the Emerald Sword saga. I look forward to see how both parties handle the split and which one delivers the better album. Let Rhapsodic power metal battle commence!

32. Ancient Bards - Soulless Child
I enjoyed the debut Ancient Bards album a lot but the new one blows it out of the water. The album is very close to being a Rhapsody clone but with a female vocalist of course. Musically the symphonic elements have been improved a whole bunch and the production values have also been turned up to the maximum. The songwriting is also pretty good but it's the fantastic orchestral arrangements which make this album a joy to listen to. The female singer has a very pleasant voice when staying in lower registers but has a tendency to go chipmunky when hitting the higher registers but it's a minor complaint. This album is an ambitious beast and a must listen for any symphonic epic power metal fan.

31. Lechery - In Fire
The previous Lechery album was so so but this album grabbed me by the short and curlies the first time I heard and didn't let go for a good while. Eventually I managed to release my delicates from it's shackles, but for a while it was touch and go for my nether regions! Musically this album is pretty heavy and yet still melodic with big memorable choruses. The singer is a slight draw back as his rather gruff voice is a little bit grating, but you will get used to his rougher style after a while. Altogether a really enjoyable melodic metal album.

30. White Widdow - Serenade
The Aussie boys delivered a classy slab of AOR magic on Serenade of that there is little doubt. The keyboard sound was especially fantastic to listen to as well as the tasty melodic guitar on offer. The only thing that held the album back a touch was the singer's tendency to whine a touch on some parts. The choruses however were pretty much perfect and Cry Wolf is easily one of the songs of the year. All in all a melodic AOR gem from the underground.

29. Astral Doors - Jerusalem
This band just can't do much wrong at all it seems. Even an average album by them is still rock solid. Ok the songs are starting to sound a little samey but it's still a joy to hear Nils Patrik Johansson powerful vocals over those crunchy riffs and this album was no different. A strong set of songs altogether with a few stand outs. In years past I placed AD albums in my top 10 but alas some of the novelty has worn off and they place lower these days. Still a quality release by the Swedes and to keep the run going of never having released a bad album is no mean feat.

28. Nightwish - Imaginaerum
Not being a fan of Annette's and nor the way Nightwish has moved away from the original sound in recent albums, I was not really looking forward to this album all that much. To my incredulity I was very pleasantly surprised upon hearing this album. I don't like all the songs by any means but the ones I do like are some of the best the band has penned since my fave Oceanborn/Wishmaster era so credit where credit's due to the band. The album is a triumph of orchestral melody and mastery in metal form with an enchanting saga behind it all.

27. Turisas - Stand Up And Fight
I've gone off Turisas a touch since falling in love with Battle Metal all those years ago but Stand Up and Fight was a huge turn around for me. The songs just sat better with me and the move into more orchestral and film score type background music was a welcome one as far as I was concerned. Once since this was released at the beginning of the year some of the novelty and longevity of the album has worn off but it maintains a healthy mid table position in my list for 2011.

26. Kimball Jamison - st
Two giants of AOR vocals collide head on in this Frontiers project and the results are exemplary. The usual suspects of the Frontiers production and songwriting are at force in this release doing exactly what you'd expect which is delivering the melodic goods. Of the two singers I think Jimi fairs slightly better overall as Bobby has the odd difficult moment although I must admit he does cover the harder vocal parts of the album. It maybe a typical manufactured Frontiers project but everyone puts their heart and soul into the songs and therefore it gets my stamp of approval.

25. Cage - Supremacy of Steel
Sean Peck's true metal mob make me laugh. They shit out true metal from every single pore and they make you believe it by the album's end. There is no subtlety at all on this album when it comes to delivering blistering heavy true metal anthems. The opening song even has a black metal blast beat which has you worried for a second or two but soon a regular thunderous power metal riff centers in the speakers and you're back in powerful heavy metal land. The album is not perfect cause the production is a bit raw and lacks finesse but I think this is probably intentional on their part. Oh and a mention for Mr. Peck doing his complete nuts on the vocals. One final point - Metal Empire is the true metal song of the year!

24. Grand Illusion - Prince of Paupers
Absolutely adored Brand New World from last year or so and they are back again with another great release. These Swedish old boys know how to deliver melodic pomp rock with massive sound like taking drinking water. The harmony vocals especially are fabulous and a real joy to listen to as well as the fantastic layered production. This band really deserves to be far bigger than they are because they have yet to make anywhere near an average album.

23. Ten - Stormwarning
Been a fan of Gary Hughes' melodic rock troop for a long time now and I had fears that Ten might be over but luckily Gary finally sorted out his problems and delivered the best Ten album since Babylon more than ten years ago now. The production problems of recent albums became mere footnotes as this album is blessed with a fantastic and thick warm production thanks to Dennis Ward, the in house Frontiers guy for fat sound. Gary also managed to gain inspiration to deliver a punchy set of tunes with his usual lyrical skill and smooth vocal delivery. If you are a fan of the band and melodic rock in general you should be pleased with this album.

22. Galneryus - Phoenix Rising
The Japanese boys are very prolific with barely a year between albums. This one was even better than Resurrection the first to feature the new singer. Now he's settled in and is a perfect fit for the band to completely go crazy and shred off melodic anthem after melodic anthem. Japan's best band quite possibly and at the moment I think a touch better than counterparts Versailles.

21. Iron Mask - Black as Death
Been a fan of Dushan Petrossi's for a good while and I wasn't expecting this album as he normally works quite slowly but this album is out quickly after Shadow of The Red Baron and it leaves that album clambering in dust. This really is the type of album Yngwie should be writing these days instead of the badly produced crap he's doing. The songs on this album, aided by the have mic will travel vocals of legend Mark Boals, are nigh on perfect examples of a marriage between musical shred metal wonder and vocal power. The production is also by far the best it has ever been on an Iron Mask. Mr Malmsteen - this is how it's done - take note!

20. Stargazery - Eye On The Sky
A newly formed melodic metal band from old hand Finnish metal guys with just a fantastic singer to top it all off. Not every single song is amazing but at least 3/4 of the album is high quality melodic metal with memorable songs and a crystal clear heavy production. Stargazery deserve their place in the top 20 and could easily have placed higher had the competition not been so hot this year. Another of those jewels from the melodic metal underground and I hope they follow up the success of this album with another that is the equal if not better than Eye On The Sky.

19. Within Temptation - The Unforgiving
It's hard not to fall in love with Sharon as soon as she opens her delectable mouth on every WT album and it's no different on The Unforgiving. This could very well be the best WT album yet for my tastes as they made the songs as melodic as possible and gave Sharon free reign to wow us with her beautiful, lilting, damsel in distress vocals. It's simple really as WT are probably the premier goth metal band in Europe playing to huge audiences that only Nightwish can hope to match and I far prefer Sharon to Anette so WT are easily my fave female fronted goth metal band in Europe today.

18. Iced Earth - Dystopia
Easily the best Iced Earth album since Horror Show and probably even better than that album. It seems like the band is re-energised with the presence of new singer Stu Block and his amazing Barlow sound alike vocals. Ok it's a bit odd at first to hear almost sound exactly like Matt, but once you've gotten over the shock you're left the best set of song Schaffer has penned in a long time. It seems like he thought let's be less ambitious, let's get to the meat of the song which is the riffs and the chorus and let's kick ass and give the fans what they want. The quality is of a pretty high standard throughout and it's hard to pick favourites and there in lies my slight criticism which is that the album lacks a centerpiece like in previous Iced Earth albums. Regardless of that the album is a triumphant fresh start with Stu at the helm and I hope future albums will build on the success of Dystopia.

17. Mastodon - The Hunter
I liked the last Mastodon album a fair deal though they will never be my fave band ever but the increased use of clean vocal melody helped no end and so The Hunter continues on from where the previous effort left off. I hear some people complaining about the dumbing down of the sound or the lack of metal but I really can't hear that much difference. This album is the logical follow up for me and although there are one or two moments which sound a bit messy, overall I find the album to be a blinding listen. I applaud them also on getting the best sound they've ever had. I am not a fan of their regular sludgy guitar sound and this album is more or less devoid of that. Some of the songs are truly mesmeric especially the rather odd Creature Lives and the awesome tune All The Heavy Lifting which is my fave song on the album. I think this is their most melodic album yet and by that definition alone becomes my fave album yet from their back catalogue.

16. Mecca - Undeniable
An AOR band that came out from hibernation to release a truly wonderful Westcoast/AOR record. Their debut came out in 2002 so it's taken Joe Vanna and co nine years to come up with the follow up but boy has it been worth the wait. This is destined to be a future AOR classic as the performances, song writing and production values will melt the heart of the most hard hearted believe me. The songs are beautifully crafted with super smooth melodies, which are not hard edged but not completely light either. There is just a perfect balance between melody and edge to make the album not far from perfection. The only one small gripe that I have is that the album could have had a couple of more rockers or upbeat numbers but it's a very minor complaint. As far as Westcoast, Toto influenced music goes this is about as good as it gets in the modern age.

15. Eden's Curse - Trinity
The recent news about Michael Eden's meltdown and departure from the band was untimely indeed as Trinity is probably the best Eden's Curse to date. Mind you if you're gonna leave you might as leave on a high and Trinity is one magnificent high by my reckoning. Ok some people won't be a great fan of Mr. Eden's vocals but I think they are perfect for the band. On this occasion it seems they worked very hard on the songs and production to make them the best that can possibly be and it shows in the final product. I also enjoy James LaBrie's backing vocals on many of the songs which add further depth and melody to the tunes. Not to sound like a broken record but in the end it's all about the memorable song writing and this album proved that Eden's Curse are melodic metal masters. What happens from now on is a bit of a dilemma for the band as they need a new singer and they'll also have to change the name you would think. I hope they continue and I hope Eden finds a new vehicle for his voice as he is a good singer and it'll be shame if he's not fronting any more melodic metal albums as good as Trinity.

14. Outloud - Love Catastrophe
Their debut album was good but to me the song writing wasn't quite there but they've totally remedied that problem on the sophomore release. The album is now chock full of catchy melodic metal songs with hooks galore both musically and especially vocally. I love the way the singer shapes his vocals so well to the music. The flawless thick production helps to lift the songs no end and we are left to enjoy this happy go lucky melodic metal album to the full.

13. Neonfly - Outshine The Sun
London based melodic power metal band with slight prog tendencies and also slight AOR lightness. I caught the band live twice before I got the album and I was very lukewarm to them to be honest. Their singer doesn't really sound like a power metal singer which was the main problem. he sounds more like an indie pop guy but thankfully the album is a complete corker. The guitarist especially is sizzling away on his axe with a few tasty riffs and super melodious solos to spice things up even further. There are a few amazing moments on this release that lift it up so high on my list such as the song The Enemy and it's massive hook. All in all an amazing debut release by this young band and if it's a sign of things to come we're in for a melodic treat on future albums from Neonfly.

12. Dragonland - Under The Grey Banner
Dragonland have been missing in action since the mid 2000s when Astronomy came out which was their best album by far up to that point. Then I got news of this release with the posting of the lead promo song and I was completely wowed by the spectacular sounds coming from the speakers. These guys went for the over the top symphonic power route and boy did they do it justice. The album is as a whole a concept story of the usual preposterous proportions dealing with a story of good fighting evil etc. The music is completely triumphant and features ambition beyond their earlier works. This is one of those albums that reveals it's glory and majesty with headphones. Any epic symphonic power metal fan should surely get hours and hours entertainment here. A triumphant and majestic return from Dragonland!

11. Rob Moratti - Victory
Unfortunately Mr. Moratti got kicked out of Saga because they wanted Sadler back which is understandable as he is THE voice for that band, however Rob was undeterred and when news of this solo album filtered through, the AOR community had to sit up and take note and then some. This really is a full and unequivocable 'victory' for Rob and a fantastic pure AOR record. Rob has a very high pitched but highly melodious voice that takes some getting used to the first time you hear him, but believe me as an AOR afficionado, the guy has one of the best voices in the business and this album proves it. There are countless AOR gems here and you'll be looking a long time for an average tune that's for sure. It's hard to even pick a fave tune from this bunch as the quality is that high and Rob gathered a stellar cast of underground AOR musos to help him make this awesome album. Next in the pipeline is the new album from Final Frontier his band before he left for Saga and I expect another classy AOR masterpiece judging by Victory. Rob may not quite be a household name in AOR circles folks, but you'd be a fool to miss out on this release!

10. Morton - Come Read The Words Forbidden
Probably the biggest and best surprise debut album of all this year came from the Ukrainian band led by Max Morton and his cohorts with their fantastically melodic debut. What an album this is with it's gloriously anthemic melodic power metal hymns and powerful vocals from Mr. Morton and to think English isn't his first language as his vocals are nigh on perfect. I can hardly find any fault with this album for a debut release and it all bodes well for future albums were they can improve matters even further not that they need to cause this is some record as it is.

09. Dark Forest - Dawn of Infinity
This band is as English as they come. They have this underlying theme of medieval Englishness to the songs with some really wonderful lyrical motifs about olden days English fortitude and endeavour. Having said all that you still need the tunes and Dark Forest delivered an album full. Three of my favourite songs of the year are by DF actually make that four come to think of it with the best of the bunch being Under The Greenwood Tree which is just a joyous romp of classic old school metal. Their new singer's vocals are also light years ahead of the previous guy as are the band's playing style. The guitars are rampant classic metal with thundering drums and songs about ancient classical times. My one and only major criticism is that the production is far too raw and lacking n bottom end for a really professional finish. Mind you I think it was their intention to sound as authentic and under produced as possible to reflect the mood and subject matter of the songs. Probably the biggest surprise off all the releases in my list and it's number 9 position is more than worthy.

08. Theocracy - As The World Bleeds
Just a wonderfully over the top adventurous symphonic power metal album with meaty musical passages galore. The ambition of this band knows no boundary it seems as they throw in everything but the kitchen sink into their music and they've probably loosened the fittings on that as well! There are wonderful passages of musical drama to wade through, going from a killer riff, a symphonic keyboard revel, or a vocal hook from heaven. The album takes a few plays to grab you but once it does then you're in for the long haul on this roller coaster. Strap in tight and enjoy a hell of a musical ride!

07. Symphony X - Iconoclast
I think this could be my favourite Symphony X album of all and I really mean that. I didn't expect it to be but having lived with the album for a long time now and going back to it again recently I can't ever remember enjoying an album of theirs as much as Iconoclast. Sure I am not the biggest Symphony X fan to begin with and I'm still not a huge fan I find this album to be very enjoyable indeed. It's also probably one of their heaviest efforts and some complaints centre around the lack of melodic content and smoother vocals but that note doesn't really resonate with me. Oh and When All Is Lost is easily one of the most brilliant songs of the year.

06. Myrath - Tales of the Sands
What a beautiful album this turned out to be. The oriental theme is just perfect and wonderful to listen to. The songs are very catchy. This is by far my fave Myrath album cause they got the songs just right, almost poppy in feel if you like which is right up my alley in any case. A great album overall and could have easily challenged for my top 3 I enjoyed it that much.

05. Power Quest - Blood Alliance
Chity's performance on this album made it the best Power Quest album ever released but unfortunately he's left the band now. Looking back at this album and it's No 5 position in my list means it has stood the test of time well, as it was released way back in early January. The songs remain the strongest Steve Williams and co have penned in their history and the production is also the heaviest and best on a Power Quest album. If you like your power metal on the happy side with wonderful memorable songs then you're sure to love Power Quest's Blood Alliance.

04. Work of Art - In Progress
There is genius at work in this band and this album proves it. A wonderfully melodic AOR gem from these fine Swedish gentlemen and you can better you bottom dollar there's plenty more to come. For now they have blessed us with their strongest set of AOR tunes yet and in Lars Safsund they have truly one of the best AOR singers in many a year. If you like AOR you love Work of Art it's pretty simple really.

03. Powerwolf - Blood of the Saints
This band is just a complete riot to me and they've yet to let me down. I had them on number one but in the end I went by the basis of plays and the other two had more and hence Powerwolf dropped to number 3. The album is still a monstrously catchy slab of heavy, tongue in cheek, quasi-satanic power metal with songs to remember till your dying day. I also love the humour and image somewhat in this band. I've heard people say that they don't like Atilla Dorn's vocals however I totally love his voice and he suits the songs to a tee. His big throaty melodic roars are a perfect fit for the band's heavy and melodic sounds in my book. I think I still slightly prefer Bible of the Beast to the new album but it's like splitting hairs really. A stupendously fun and epic power metal release. Hope to catch them live one day!

02. The Magnificent - st
A manufactured Frontiers project with Michael Eriksen of Circus Maximus and Torsti Spoof of Finnish melodic metal masters Leverage. On paper it sounds good but the reality was even better! This really is a magnificent release indeed and a phenomenal set of tunes by Mr. Spoof and brilliantly melodic vocals from Mr. Eriksen. There's absolutely no hope of a clunker anywhere to be heard although of course some songs send me into ecstasy a little more than others. The production is also a million bucks being edgy, chunky and crystal clear. The vocal melodies are pure ear candy and will be the musical equivalent of dunking your head in a vat of candy floss. I hope Frontiers books them for a follow up cause the debut is a monumental success.

01. Pagan's Mind - Heavenly Ecstasy
Finally my number one album of the year and it wasn't easy choosing between the top three albums as I love them all so much. All three have spoken to me immensely and given me many hours of enjoyment but if I have to settle for one then let it be Pagan's Mind. The band stripped back on all or most of their progressive chops on this release and went for melody as the focus for the songs which suits me down to the ground. I still enjoy their more rifftastic elements but this is an album about vocal hooks in the main with Nils K Rue allowed full reign to cut loose with his vocal acrobatics. The guy really delivered an outstanding performance on this occasion with more thought given to making the songs as accessible as possible which they achieved with ease. Some people may miss the instrumental acrobatics but instead we got songs that booked themselves into our brain hotels and not just for the weekend! A brilliant melodic prog/power metal album with less for the prog enthusiast but tonnes for the power and melodic metal fans out there to sink their teeth into musically but more importantly vocally speaking.

Top 20 songs of the year with only one per band and in reverse order.

20. Amaranthe - Hunger
19. Outloud - Waiting For Your Love
18. White Widdow - Cry Wolf
17. Grand Illusion - Gates of Fire
16. Mecca - Ten Life Times
15. Nemesea - It's Over
14. Cage - Doctor Doom
13. Ten - Endless Symphony
12. Stargazery - How Many Miles
11. Iced Earth - Anthem
10. Dark Forest - Under the Greenwood Tree
09. Neonfly - The Enemy
08. Rob Moratti - Jeannie
07. Symphony X - When All Is Lost
06. Myrath - Braving The Seas
05. Power Quest - Glorious
04. Powerwolf - We Drink Your Blood
03. Pagan's Mind - Eyes of Fire
02. Work of Art - The Great Fall
01. The Magnificent - Cheated By Love

Fave thrash metal albums for 2011

2011-12-23T09:00:00.002Z

27. Sabretung - Conquest
Unknown Aussie thrashers come up with a good album. It's slightly melodic but mostly very energetic, jumping rubber bean thrash metal with medium strength vocals.

26. Invection - Facet of Aberration
Another unknown underground band delivers some decent jumpy, riffy thrash with quite bad vocals but I can get by on them. The riffs are meaty and enjoyable so worth a bang for your buck.

25. Headshot - Synchronicity
Very heavy Finnish modern thrash here with blistering riffage and very harsh almost death metal vocals. I often find the bands that use death metal vocals with thrash backing less to my liking. However on this occasion the riffing wins the day.

24. Face Down Hero - Divisions and Hierarchies
Another new discovery for me. The band has industrial undertones or shall we call it slightly futuristic in feel but the playing and production are both very good. The songs are quite enjoyable too as are the shouted semi-melodic vocals which are powerful but not death metal level thankfully.

23. Crown the Lost - Cold Pestilent Hope
A top quality melodic thrash release with slight links to the heavy power metal scene but let's just call'em melodic thrash for now. These guys are skilled musicians and know a cool riff when they hear one. Not a world beater but enjoyable nevertheless.

22. Skirmish - Through The Abacinated Eyes
Another new discovery of mine and I forget where they are actually from. This is one of those borderline thrash/death albums which veers dangerously close to being brutal enough to be death but with one foot still firmly in the thrash camp. The band plays sizzlingly fast most of the time but the production is nice and heavy and the songs tear new assholes all over the place. Not a band for subtlety at all then and worth trying if you want your face removed in a thrashy deathly way!

21. One Man Army and the Undead Quartet - The Dark Epic
This band has been doing the rounds for a good while now without a whole heap of success but this is their best album by far IMO. The sound is thick, heavy and groovy. Ok it's not a classic styled rethrash album, but modern efforts can be good too. I think they toned down the growls a little bit as well to move away from death metal and the riffs got a bit more thrashy hence their inclusion here. Not a world beater but I found it good enough to include and the rather fat production helped me make up my mind.

20. Machine Head - Unto The Locust
I have never really liked Rob Flynn's vocals and a lot of times I find Machine Head's music to be a touch boring for my tastes however the last album pretty good and surprisingly I think I like the new one better. It sounds a little bit tighter and not so long winded as the last album. The music is pretty intricate for what I know about MH and their previous albums. The production is almost flawless. Mr. Flynn can still be a whiny bitch on occasion when he is trying to go all gooey and melodic but I'll have to get over it. Musically a very decent latter day MH album.

19. Injury - Unleash The Violence
Pretty vicious Italian thrash band come up trumps with a rottweiler of a thrash record. The bite and attack of the production renders the album a touch too aggressive but it's a minor complaint. The riffing is sharp as hell and the songs will soon have your head moving. If they could make the production slightly less acidic next time that would help matters no end. Still a really solid record.

18. Harm - Demonic Alliance
If I'm not wrong the band is Norwegian but I could be wrong. They play pretty evil catchy thrash metal with harsh vocals. If I'm not mistaken they have connections with the black metal scene, but the riffing in the band is straight up rip-roaring thrash metal with punchy clear sound. They sound very inspired on this release and it's by far their best album to date.

17. Dark Serpent - M.K.C
Another new band again with a cool rethrash release that hearkens back to late 80s early 90s tight trousered, white sneakered thrash sound. The production is lo-fi being a bit murky as I recall but it's heavy enough. The riffs are classic jumpy intricate thrash metal something like Death Angel mixed with Megadeth. They are also one of those slightly joky tongue in cheek thrash bands and don't take themselves that seriously I think. Worth a go for any old school thrasher.

16. Exeloume - Faiytale of Perversion
Never heard of them but Exeloume delivered an excellent almost melodic thrash metal album but with raspy growling vocals which is the only thing holding me back from placing this in the top 10 somewhere. The riffage in this band is just excellent, fully melodic and fully head bangable. The songs are a little samey but it's hard not to be in rethrash activities so I won't hold it against them.

15. Vektor - Outer Isolation
I see the thrash loving world and his wife going gaga over the new Vektor album but personally speaking there are some factors holding back my love. First of all how do you guys get over that dude's vocals? The guy is rasping, yelping and screaming his way through the album and is diminishing my enjoyment of the music. Secondly the production is a little bit flat and thirdly the songs are a bit long. And having said all that they album still has some great technical riffs to marvel at and fluid thrashy passages to enjoy. No doubt a good album but my personal taste holds me back from offering greater honours on this occasion.

14. Anthrax - Worship Music
Well who'da thought it - a good Anthrax album! This is really a good album with many positives and a few negatives. First the positives. The production is absolutely immense and crystal clear. Belladonna whips up a storm on vocals and sounds clear as a bell. The songwriting is also mainly pretty catchy however this leads on to the negative which is that they can't keep up the quality all the way through. Towards the end of the album the songs become a bit boring and some of the gusto and power of earlier tunes goes missing. Still Worship Music is a pretty unexpected and worthy comeback from a band I have never really been into in my life.

13. Megadeth - TH1RT3EN
Ok many people are saying this is not a proper Megadeth record cause so many of the tunes have been around for years and some even decades and it's a point I take, but a Megadeth record still should have the stamp of quaity on it and 13 does have that with some reservations. First of all the production is absolutely amazing. Whoever this Johnny K guy is he done an amazing job. The guitars especially sound punchy and powerful as hell. Some of the pre-hype was mentioning a more melodic affair than Endgame which is true to a point but not something I exactly concur with. Actually on my first few plays I was a bit disappointed with the new songs and their lack of a catchy vocal hook or guitar melody like I am used to with Dave's writing style. However I completely warmed to some of the songs that were lacking after repeated plays. This album is definitely a grower and after numerous plays you'll get into it more for sure. Having said all that of all the songs on the album i still find myself enjoying the older tunes more than the new ones apart from Public Enemy No 1 which is just has a great old school classic metal feel. Oh and note I placed this at No.13!

12. Martyrd - Maniac
This is an actual 2008 release reissued in 2011 but as no one gave a shit then they tried again and it has to be said they did the right thing! This is a really powerful melodic thrash record somewhere between Metallica, Megadeth and Iced Earth. The main influence is however classic Metallica around AJFA era with some Megadeth and Iced Earth circa Stormrider era. The singer in this band does a rather dodgy take on Hetfield but believe it or not he's actually rather good at it. The negatives for this album are that it's a bit too long winded and it takes them time to get going. The songs are a little samey as well but that's minor. The production is warm and fat but could be clearer and crisper if I'm being pedantic and finally the singer needs to be a little more powerful. So there is not any originality on offer but if you like to hear some classic old metallica then a listen to Martyrd is on the cards.

11. Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth
English band playing very tight and almost technical melodic thrash with unfortunately pretty savage hardcore vocals. Musically this band is through the roof but because they are originally from the deathcore scene the singing is of that variety. The production and riffing quality is completely ace in this band. The one slight problem they have is lack of focus to make the songs a touch shorter as they do tend to go on a bit and the album is very long. Even with all these criticisms, Sylosis can hold their heads proudly high with regards to playing ability. The singer/guitarist Josh Middleton really is a pretty amazing front man. How he plays all these intricate tight riffs and screams his nuts off at the same time I'll never know. Try Sylosis for amazing music but watch out for those vocals!

10. Demolition - Kill Zone
A recent discovery and a very impressive heavy thrash record. They don't really feel retro to me as the sound is thick and modern with punchy vocals and drums. Thankfully he doesn't scream his lungs out too much and sticks to understandable barks. The music is just great, in your face, thrash metal with cool tunes. The riffs never get too tech but they sound pretty involved and flow well from one to another, making the songs sound cohesive rather than disjointed.

09. Mortal Sin - Psychology of Death
Long running Aussie thrashers return with a quality release with simple headbanging riffage and a strong melodic edge. The vocals are also clear and melodic but not of amazing brilliance. It's the songwriting in the band that wins me over in the end as they are not so ambitious and make the songs concise and catchy. Some of the lyrics are a bit dodgy here and there but I'll over look it as I don't care too much it's the music that counts. I also enjoy the gang vocal sections quite a bit. A very good effort indeed by the Aussies.

08. Godslave - Into the black
Can't remember where Godslave are from but they make an almighty angry thrash racket on this release. The music is heavily produced, with razor sharp thrashy riffage to sink your teeth into. The vocals are very harsh evil rasps and take some getting used to but I have managed it over time. The riffs in this band will definitely win the heart of any thrasher out there. Give it a go and prepare for headbang armageddon!

07. Accu§er - Dependent Domination
The previous album from these stalwart Germans was terrible but they have realised the error of their ways and then some. This is a blistering, heavy thrash record with vicious almost death metallish growling for vocals. This is one of those album that removes your face from the word go and doesn't let up until the last note. there is zero subtlety in this band, no fancy acoustics, no smooth transition sections. They fire up the heavy piston guitars and blast you with one heavy riff after another until you get the message. Very samey sounding, but what a power packed neck wrecker it is!

06. Destruction - Day of Reckoning
Everyone knows Destruction and what they stand for as German thrash pioneers so they need no introduction. I have never been huge into them but I appreciate many of their songs and albums. Since their comeback which was actually many years ago now, they've done about 4 or 5 albums all of pretty much similar quality with the odd dip. Day of Reckoning however is not a dip at all, no sir. In fact it's probably one of their best if not THE best since they came back. I find Schmier's voice a touch abrasive and grating at times but riff wise they really shine on this release. If you enjoy Germanic thrash this is a no brainer.

05. Bywar - Abduction
A huge surprise to me as this release by pretty much unknown Brazilians came out of the blue one day and floored me. I was so taken aback by the melodic angle of the songs with lots of tasty riffage to enjoy. I liked their previous album as well but nothing like this album. This is a nice mix between melody and thrashiness and works a treat for me. The songs are simple in the main but on occasion get cerebral with a tech line or two to spice things up a bit. I even hear a little Death in their sound on occasion. An unexpected underground gem.

04. Cavalera Conspiracy - Blunt Force Trauma
I am a big supporter of Max these days with both Soulfly and CC providing me with great recent albums. There's something about the simplicity of Max's style that appeals to me a lot. The riffing is just simple, heavy and rocking and allows Max's barking vocals to provide you with their usual rhythmic bite. The songs on the latest CC album had their usual attack and catchiness and although I realise it won't be every one's cuppa, I found myself often reaching for CC when in need of a good head bang session and a catchy listen. I also found the production to be rather excellent with great crunch. Lastly Marc Rizzo is an excellent guitarist both in CC and Soulfly. The guy can shred his ass off and plays off well with max's simplicity.

03. Revocation - Chaos Of Forms
Are they thrash or death?; I think I lean towards technical thrash but with some death metal blasting as well but anyway here they are at number 3 in the list and that should tell you I liked the album rather a lot. These guys are just stupendous players. They can't always write a succinct song but what they can do is wow you with riff after riff amazing technical dexterity. The production on this release is also fantastic allowing all instruments to be heard clearly. The album sometimes sounds very adventurous as well and not so one dimensional. They really tried out a few cool ideas here and there to spice things up but in the end it boils down to how the riffs grab you and Revocation did a real solid job on this occasion.

02. Evile - Five Serpent's Teeth
English worshippers of all things Metallica came up with possibly their best album yet. I say possibly because I still find Infected Nations to be an amazing disk and need more time with Five Serpent's Teeth cause it is a very long and rather complex record. Not complex in a musical or technical sense, but in the sense that the songs are sometimes not as immediate as I would like. I say all that and still it proudly sits at number 2 cause it is no doubt a brilliant thrash record. The sound is masterful and the vocals especially on this album are immense. He sounds much more confident in his vocal abilities and delivers a more melodic vision than he was able to on previous albums. The riffage on this albums sways between fast to mid paced but always with a sense of foreboding or darkness. It sounds like quite a dark thrash album, there is not much happiness here and it's a bit gloomy all round. Not that it is a negative in my mind as it seems to give the songs added depth. Special mention of the ballad which is actually awesomely sung and played and is an ode to their deceased bass player - a great tribute on an intriguing and quality laden melodic thrash record.

01. Havok - Time Is Up
Finally we arrive at my favourite thrash record of the year with the American boys of Havok. I was supposed to see them a few weeks ago but the gig got cancelled for some reason which is a shame. Anyway what to say about this record. This is a huge turn up in quality from their previous album which was already good but everything's been turned up a notch or two. The production is crystal clear, heavy and precise. The instrumental skills are developed to the maximum. The songwriting is catchy, but in the end the thrasher in me wants to have amazing riffs and boy do the Havok boys come up with them. Not much more I can say other than any thrasher worth his salt needs some Havok in their life.

All 20 gigs in order

2011-12-21T16:10:00.003Z

Now that I've seen my final gig of 2011, I thought I would put them in order of preference. I never expected the top one to be that band but it's good to be surprised like that. Here is the list in reverse order:

20. Lazarus AD and Bonded by Blood - An ok thrash gig. I went for BBB in the main. They were fun. Laz AD were a little bit boring.

19. Paradise Lost and Ghost - Quite a disappointing gig. It was being recorded live for a DVD but the sound was completely lacking in balls although they did play the whole of Draconian Times which was good to hear. I'm not a fan of Ghost either. Don't get the hype.

18. Atheist and Exhumed - A good gig although Exhumed were boring for me. In the end it was worth it to finally see tech death giants, Atheist and especially their fantastic young bassist.

17. Redemption and Kingcrow - Not into Kingcrow but Redemption were really solid and played well and sounded tight.

16. Children of Bodom, Amon Amarth and Ensiferum - Strangely enough I enjoyed CoB more than AA on this occasion.

15. Symphony X and Power Quest - Enjoyed PQ a lot. Sym X were less impressive. The sound was unclear and Russell was sounding too brutal on the mic.

14. Cynic and Chimp Spanner - No interest in CS but Cynic were musically perfect even if they didn't play all of Focus like i had hoped.

13. Firewind, Breed 77, Primitai - Not fresh in the memory as it was in January but I always enjoy Firewind live and Apollo's vocals were ace as always.

12. Houston, Vega and Serpentine - AOR extravaganza. All 3 bands were cool. The new singer of Serpentine blew us all away with his amazing vocals that night and it was the band's first ever ever live gig would you believe. Houston were fun with very memorable if somewhat cheesy tunes.

11. Orphaned Land and Arkan - Both bands were cool and interesting to watch with OL being musically more compatible with my taste. The oriental theme of the night made it a unique experience and I would go to see OL again given the chance.

10. Power Quest and Neonfly - Neonfly were cool but PQ were excellent with Chity as their front man in their own headline gig rather than as support.

9. Saxon and Hammerfall - Just yesterday so fresh in the mind it was a great gig with both bands doing well but not a classic in the end.

8. Journey, Foreigner and Styx - Melodic rock overlords got together for a great gig although the sound could have been better. Foreigner probably stole the show.

7. Cathedral and Grand Magus - Cathedral's last gig and they went out with a bang and GM were also good.

6. Pagan's Mind and Neonfly - First time with PM and they did not disappoint despite Nils being injured with his broken hip. They somehow replicate the amazing sound of their records pretty closely in the live arena.

5. Sabaton and Hell - Sabaton were there usual amazing energetic selves and Hell were fun to watch.

4. Evile, Elimination and Mutant - This gig was fucking mental. Love Mutant and they killed it. Elimination were good but not great. Evile tore the place to shreds!

3. Iron Maiden and Trivium - Trivium were ok but not my cuppa. Maiden were absolutely fucking amazing! As good as I have ever seen them probably.

2. Iced Earth and Fury UK - Fury UK were average but Iced Earth were phenomenal and Stu made us forget about Barlow although the gig was pretty short. Even so the band was on top form and sound like a band reborn with Stu at the helm.

1. Accept and Wolf - Wolf were merely solid but not totally energised however what I can I say about the Teutonic Terrors. They completely blew the place apart! I think my ears are still ringing now from the sound that night! Their energy levels for a pretty old band were also amazing and when I left the venue I remember thinking holy shit did they kill it that night!

That's it so let's hope there's a few more great gigs to come in 2012. I've got a ticket for Edguy so far.

Saxon and Hammerfall Live at the Koko

2011-12-21T09:53:00.006Z

After seeing Sabaton there on Friday, I was back at the Koko once again to witness my 20th and final gig of the year with Saxon head lining and support from Swedish kings Hammerfall. can't say I am a huge Saxon fan but I have seen them live before and they never fail to deliver. Hammerfall I have seen numerous times and they are a fun band to watch. The venue was suitably packed though probably not a sell out as they were selling tickets at the door but not far off. This was the last night of the Call to Arms world tour so I think a lot of the fans made an effort seeing as it was so close to Xmas as well.

First up we had Hammerfall for a short but sweet 45 minute set. They got a very good response from the crowd, especially the younger members of course. They played 9 songs in all including two new ones from infected which sounded much better and heavier live than they do on record. The band hasn't toured the UK yet for Infected and Joacim promised that they will be back in 2012 with a proper headline tour in support of the album. What they did play last night was the usual Hammerfall classics like Let the Hammer Fall which got the best response and mass singing of the chorus. Like I said the new songs Bang Your Head and One More Time especially sounded much better live than I remember them being on record. They left after their short set to cheers whilst the roadies got the stage ready for Saxon.

At 8.45 sharp the intro music for Saxon started and the band finally took to the stage and even though it was the last night of a long long tour it seemed as though the band was ready to give it their all one final time. Biff sounded in fine voice as they tore into Hammer of the Gods before a mammoth set list was slowly played out in fine style. can't say I am massive fan of the early Saxon era but I recognise songs as they come along and enjoy them for what they are which is some classic NWOBHM. The new album Call To Arms is also a disappointment for me being a little too classic in style. I prefer the more up to date power metal version of the band which reared it's head from time to time last night but in the main this was a night for classic Saxon which is more than understandable. The band played all of the Denim and Leather album in full although not in order as Biff indicated from the stage. This really was a marathon set from the old boys of British metal and whilst they do look quite old on stage, they do still keep delivering true heavy metal song after song, like their life depended on it.

For the first hour of the set I was very close to the front, however a call of nature and tiredness set in and I made my way to the back and finally the balcony to watch the rest of the gig from a more comfortable setting. I didn't expect the moshers to be out in force so much for a Saxon gig but the pit was a little rowdy to say the least. Finally at close to 11pm and after more than 2 hours on stage, the band finally played the last song which was Strong Arm of the Law if memory serves me correctly which included full crowd sing along to it's memorable chorus. A great way to end the gigging year with a night of pure heavy metal from two veterans of the game.

Recommended Death Metal for 2011

2011-12-20T13:09:00.002Z

Here is what I liked and loved death metal wise in 2011.

51. Puteraeon - The Esoteric Order
Heavy as hell, rumbling old school death with massive sound and vocals. Works for me but the songs could and should have been stronger to lift it higher up the table. Good to put on when you just want to play something brutal, groovy and classic sounding.

50. Amentia - Incurable Disease
Deathbringer side band which is good but not quite as good as the main band. The riffing is nice and tech but the production lets them down pretty badly IMO. If they sort that out they could make a few small waves in the tech death field.

49. Pestilence - Doctrine
A disappointment compared to the previous comeback album which I must be the only idiot in the world to love. The vocals are completely stupid but there are some great riffs and bass playing which saves it from being dumped out of the top 50 on sheer talent alone.

48. Deviant Syndrome - Inflicted Deviations
Quality melodeath again from Russia or one of those ex Soviet states I forget which. They are very good at ripping melodic riffs out though and worth a listen for any melodeathster worth his salt.

47. Symbolic - Scarvest
Semi technical death metal band with clean choppy riffs and a pristine production which helps no end. They have the ability to write groovy succinct tunes that stay catchy and don't get too boring.

46. Incise - From The Crypt They Rise
Somewhat melodic chugging death metal with big riffs bouncing here there and everywhere. The production could have been a touch more polished for my tastes but the songs on this short album are more than enjoyable and very easy to head bang along to.

45. Charnier - Humanicide
Standard old school death metal with fat riffs that rumble along with a little hint of melody here and there. Not an amazing release but catchy enough for the likes of me or any regular old school death metal fan.

44. Arch Enemy - Khaos Legions
A decent and enjoyable Arch Enemy record with cool riffing. I'll never be a huge fan of her vocals but the riffing and solos are excellent as always.

43. Vallenfyre - A Fragile King
A vehicle for old school death rumbling with decent snappy riffs and typical Swedeath sound. I like it but don't love it, but it's very solid as the participants are all old hands at this game. If they make another album it should be stronger still.

42. Turbid North - Orogeny
Unknown band that caught my ear with their so called "mountain metal" which was pretty technical and interesting at the same time. The songs were a bit difficult and long winded but eventually I got a fair amount of joy from this album as they approached death metal from a fairly unique angle.

41. Trifixion - A Utopia For The Damned
Standard but well played death metal with tons of riffs thrusting to and fro. The good production as usual helps the band to move above average as far as I'm concerned plus they are from the UK and almost everyone plays deathcore here so when some one doesn't you have to give them the time of day.

40. Orpheus - Bleed The Way
An Aussie band playing super clean and fast melodeath with somewhat cheesy dance keys. The riffs are excellent and very fast and melodic all the way. Easily one of the year's best melodeath release for me.

39. Vader - Welcome to The Morbid Reich
A bit surprised by this release from the Polish Gods of classic death metal as I didn't expect to like it much. The sound is very pristine with clean, fast, catchy riffing and Peter's usual great vocals. However the best thing about this release are the wonderful melodic solos by the Esqariaal dude. Their best album since De Profundis.

38. Burning Casket - To Burn A False Prophet
Chunky well played death metal with heavy riffage from mid to fast pace. Regular death growls and cool grooving are prevalent to allow this band to reveal their catchy arsenal of death metal riffs. A good start for them to build on in the future as this is a long EP more than a full album. By the way the last song is a cover of Megadeth's Wake Up Dead with bad growled vocals and doesn't quite work IMO. It is quite fun to listen to though cause the original is so awesome.

37. Jungle Rot - Kill on Command
Swedish deathgrind machine with fantastic clinical sound. I like the way they switch with ease between a grind or blast to a chuggy groove within the same song. The vocals are also excellent. If you like your death metal to sound monstrous then Jungle Rot is the band for you.

36. Lock Up - Necroplis Transparent
Blistering grindcore from this supergroup of deathgrind merchants. I always found them too brutal in the past but this album is more palatable to my taste whilst right on the threshold of heaviness that my poor ears can take. Anymore brutal and it would do my head in! As it is this is gargantuan grind with mammoth earth shaking riffs and enough blasts to send you to hell and back.

35. The Rotted - Ad Nauseam
When they were Gorerotted they sucked bad. When they became The Rotted and learned how to play their instruments properly they became a half decent professional deathgrind band. On their new album they polish up all their skills pretty well and deliver a well produced nice mix between death, grind and some punk pretty similar to Lock Up or Napalm Death. This album has some very cool grooves and some rancid angry punk elements but overall it all comes to a pleasingly savage whole and works well IMO.

34. Demisery - Hive of Mutation
Surprisingly classic death metal effort from the djent guy. Good job he never included any djent riffs in this as that would have pissed me right off as I don't have any interest in that genre at all. So all in all this is some cool regular death metal with above average songwriting and loads of memorable riffing in each song. The cover of Death's Flattening of Emotions is also masterful at the end.

33. Revolting - In Grisly Rapture
Classic old school death metal with nice clean sound, great vocals and catchy tunes. Of course it's one of Rogga Johansson's countless death metal projects. The guy knows all about this style like the back of his hand and delivers yet again.

32. Undead Creep - The Ever-Burning Torch
Unknown cult old school death metal from Italy. The feel and sound reeks of pure Gothenburg from every pore. The songs are very simple but have a great evil feel and catchiness to make you feel like you're in a rotting cave while ghouls are clawing at your back. I find the production could have been a touch better but the songs are just perfect old school death.

31. Dim Mak - The Emergence of Reptillian Altars
Well played and tight semi tech death metal with the usual interesting historical and mythological subject matter from these guys. Nice growled vocals which are very understandable with almost a spoken delivery at times. The music is very cool with enjoyable fast riff patterns and some cool blast sections.

30. Archspire - All Shall Align
A new breed tech death band with immense quality and brilliance in their playing. It was not a full album to me though and more like a long EP as such, but the quality was so high that it had to place fairly high in my list. These guys could and should be huge once they get a full album released. For now they are a top class tech death band with whirling, jamming riffage that should have the tech death heroes of today looking over their shoulders for sure.

29. Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
A technical deathcore band that I'm loathed to include, but this one was just too good to ignore. I loved their clean sound and technical ability and they did not annoy me like many bands of this style with incessant breakdowns and stupid yelping vocals. A slight black metal blasty feel in some parts were not to my taste, however in the main I found them to be one of the best in this style I heard this year.

28. Last Chance to Reason - Level 2
A band that came out of nowhere with impressive Cynic worship on a more heavy level with some tiny core elements which I shall forgive. The riffing was excellent indeed and showed off the band's amazing abilities with their instruments. I need to play this more often!

27. Burning at the Stake - Nefarious Campaign
A new band with a very cool album indeed. Pretty technical whirling riffs, good solid production and decent songs made this album rather enjoyable for me. I look forward to more music from these guys as surely they can get better still.

26. Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising
The kings of marauding Viking death metal delivered yet again this year. Surely it wasn't their best effort song wise or production wise but you can rely on Amon Amarth to delivery quality, head banging music and then some. Could have been better, but even an average AA disk is worth it's weight in gold for head bangers and fist bangers alike.

25. Vile - Metamorphosis
The return of the American kings of straight up death metal was nigh on timely as we needed a good dose of classic death after a fairly barren run in the last month or so as I recall. Vile returned with a very interesting record with their usual sound with a slightly more relaxed take on things. They play fast but yet it's quite accessible and even melodic without being melodic death. The vocals are very good too. Overall a very cool death metal release.

24. MyGrain - st
Their past albums have been decent melodeath but this time round the inspiration was stronger with a wonderful shiny and layered production helping no end to lift the songs out of the mere mundane. The choruses were sung all melodic which helped with the memorability factor and the musicianship was at a high level enabling the band to deliver song after song of catchy powermelodeath music.

23. Ribspreader - The Van Murders
It's my old mate mate Rogga again with another of his death metal bands. This was Rogga delivering the classic death metal goods again. Rumbling catchy riffs, heavy vocals and rampant drums. What more could an old school fan ask for?

22. Lost Conception - Paroxysm of Despair
A quality tech death release from Russia I believe. Thanks to Mr. Miller for pointing this one out though I guess I would have got round to it eventually. However with his urgings and regular coreboy hype machine persuasion, I lent this an ear sooner than I was going to and was mightily impressed. These guys are experts at the tech death game and know tons of killer riffs. From memory I would say that they need to tighten up the production on future efforts to really make a name for themselves as they have the skills in abundance.

21. Origin - Entity
Probably one of the fastest tech death metal bands in history returned once again with a blistering album. Sure they slow down a touch from time to time but it's rare. These guys probably start playing fast in the studio and then halfway through press the record button! There's no build up or finesse, it's face removal from the word go but at least they have the technical skill to back it up. Entity was a fine return and sated my need for speed!

20. Nightrage - Insidious
Didn't really expect to like this melodeath band's album but I was completely won over by the guitar melodies and playing in general. Very catchy riffs flowed freely from the guitar players fingers making this album a joy to listen to. The odd part was a little bit slower or mundane but that was easily forgivable when the majority was of such beautiful melodic quality.

19. Neuraxis - Asylon
Canadian tech death merchants returned with an excellent album and by far their best in my eyes. The songs were well crafted and showed off their playing abilities to the full. A slightly more relaxed affair at times as well allowing the songs to breathe a little more rather being frenetic technicality 100% of the time. Great production also helped the album to easily be worthy of a top 20 spot in my list.

18. Alarum - Natural Causes
A really cool and quirky tech death metal release. The clean vocals are a bit difficult but in the main the music more than makes up for it. Very much like a more metal version of Cynic. A really positive and enjoyable come back disk.

17. Abraxas - Damnation
The true Morbid Angel album of 2011! If this album said Morbid Angel on the cover no one would have batted an eyelid it's that close to 'ancient ones'. The riffing is totally Morbid Angelish in style as are the vocals. A very strong release of classic death metal with room for improvement in production maybe. I was surprised I enjoyed this unknown band so much but you can never be sure when a band turns up with an album that far super cedes their main influence.

16. Illogicist - The Unconsciousness of Living
The Italian Death worshippers came back with a very strong effort indeed. It took a couple of plays to convince but it got there in the end. I am not 100% convinced by the vocals which are a bit harsh but I'll get over it. The riffing is pure Chuck to the bone but on a slightly less focused or song based level. The only thing that holds the album back slightly for me is the lack of memorability in the song writing. Everything else is top class Death worship. Better than their last album and a fine effort overall.

15. Nervecell - Psycogenocide
It can't be easy being a death metal band in Dubai but Nervecell show such immense quality that you can easily forget the struggles they have in their homeland living out the life of a death metal band. You'd expect the band to be struggling to deliver quality music and production, but not a bit of it. This is high quality ,precise, chunky death metal with catchy songs galore. The production is nice and fat allowing all instruments to be heard clearly. Their influences lie on both classic and more modern death metal bands but it's the song writing abilities that shine through most. Just an enjoyable slab of catchy, groovy death metal with no little technical ability.

14. Anterior - Echoes of the Fallen
Amazingly an English melodeathcore band makes my list and in a quite high position. Anterior really stepped it up many notches on this release. I don't like the vocals of course but I can tolerate them. The guitars are completely wonderful in this release though. The riffs are melodic as hell but it's the solos that really showcase their talent. Along with the solos in the new Vader album, these guys made my heart leap the most with their wonderfully fluid and anthemic solos. Top job!

13. Brought By Pain - The Dreamer's Will
Side project by Beyond Creation people showcasing a slightly less technical version of their main band. It's still pretty tech at times though with some brilliant passages of music. The harsh black rasping vocals annoys me somewhat and holds me back from placing this higher still cause the music is surely up there with the best. Some nice audible bass lines in this band too. Might go up in my estimation given a few more plays.

12. Vomitory - Opus Mortis VIII
A very surprise high entry by the long running Swedish death metal merchants. Their previous albums have been ok but fairly average affairs for me but their 8th album as neatly indicated by the title, is an amazing slab of punishing heavy death metal. The production is really something and easily one of the best I've heard this year on a death metal album. It's crisp and clean but heavy as lead to boot. The songs are fast to mid paced affairs with plenty of change up groove riffs along with the blast beats. The vocals are perfect for the band as well, being deep growls in a catchy rhythmic style. Their best album after so many years bashing away at this death metal game.

11. The Soulless - Isolated
The Ignominious Incarceration boys stripped away all the technicality of their previous incarnation and went to straight ahead melodeathcore on this release. The riffing on this album is just stupendous I must say. I love the way the guy can manage to pull out killer riff after killer as if it's a piece of cake. Only the deathcore vocals stop me from loving this more as the music is such brilliance to listen to.

10. Volturyon - Coordinated Mutilation
Their previous disk was excellent and I think they even managed to step it up a notch. This is the definition of great standard death metal beautiful fat chunky riffage and heavy vocals. The riffs pound you into dust and the songs are catchy to boot. Not too much more I can ask for as a regular death metal fan.

09. Obscura - Omnivium
The Necrophagist spin off band delivers on all accounts on this occasion. I am not sure their songwriting capabilities are still quite up to Muhammed's but everything else is. What more can I say other than if you like tech death then you like Obscura.

08. Entrails - The Tomb Awaits
I went nuts when I first heard this album let me tell ya! It was one of the best old school albums I'd heard in years. Their first album was good but everything had been turned up a notch on this release especially the production. The sawblade guitars were especially rabid and cut through the mix like vicious shards of cut glass whilst the singer gurgled away like a maniac and the drummer pounded like his life depended on it. Over a little more playing time, some of the novelty and brilliance of this classic old school death metal release was dampened a touch with the realisation that not all the songs were as fantastic as some, and hence the drop down the table. However this is still my fave classic death metal release of 2011 and boy does that guitar sound rule!

07. Ouroboros - Glorification of a Myth
An Aussie troop that came out of nowhere with this superb thrashy tech death release. Once again the sound is not heavy or crunchy but features a huge load of whirling, killing riffs that zip round your head like a swarm of angry bees. These boys are already at the top level and can improve further with a slightly fatter production in the future. A great release in any case.

06. Beyond Creation - The Aura
Fantastic Necrophagist worship from Canada. Since the real thing seems to have gone comatose, we have to see what the necro-worship bands can do and Beyond Creation fill that void nicely. The production is not heavy, but clean and warm as you would expect. The playing is just perfect. The catchiness of the songs is good but not amazing. A great start for this band and hopefully the follow up will be even better when they tighten up the songs a little more.

05. Blood Red Throne - Brutalitarian Regime
I have liked the last two BRT releases but they have improved even further since the last album. The production is comletely savage, being heavy as lead and yet with great sharpness and bite to the guitars. The songwriting is very catchy and succinct. They still have the odd black metal blast which is accepted with the roots of the band being in Emperor of course with Tchort. In the main they play chunky brutal death metal with great vocals and memorable riffing bouncing off the walls like a crackerjack! Love it!

04. Vale of Pnath - The Prodigal Empire
These boys have delivered a masterpiece of tech death on this album though this is about as frenetic as I can take, any more and it starts to grate on me. These chaps know how to shred like maniacs but still deliver catchiness or grooves to make the songs acessible and memorable. The production is also amazingly super clean allowing for all instruments to be heard to the minute detail. Probably one of my best full on tech death release of all time.

03. Sectu - Inundate
Another new comer Swedish thrashy death metal band with absolutely monstrous production and chunky crunchy riffing. This held the number one spot for a long before dropping slightly due to the other two having more plays overall. This is still a phenomenal debut release by this band. I am sure they can improve even further on the next album and deliver more of this fantastic death metal mastery that they willfully display on Inundate.

02. I Chaos - The Human Repellent
I loved this one and almost put it at the top cause it was very close. I often reach for this if I want to play something with class and a heavy production. The riff attack on this album is just very cool indeed. The riffs are full of chunky fatness and yet have a great groove to them. The album is a little samey sounding but this bothers me little as each song is blessed with countless killer riffs to enjoy. A very pleasant surprise and I hope they continue to develop and make a great follow up.

01. Anatomy of I - Substratum
I had this album placed a little lower in the top 10 a while back but then every time I had the urge to listen to some death metal I found myself wanting another dose of Anatomy of I. When I first heard the album the vocals were what pained me most. I felt they were far too blackened for the music and I still feel that way to a degree but I have become far more accustomed to them. However the music which I was initially pleased about has completely won me over now. There are so many wonderous riffs on this album. Chunky, technical and melodic with great flow from one section to another. The lovely thick fuzzy production also helps no end. The album doesn't sound too clinical or mechanical like in most tech death bands which is another plus in my book. It sounds less like a machine and more like actual humans playing the music. Mr. DiGiorgio's bass is also something special to behold. His lines give the music added warmth and propel this album to the top of my list for 2011. I do hope there is another album from these guys in the future although this could possibly be just a project, we shall see. For now Substratum is a joyous listening experience for any fan of melodic and technical death.

Some notes about albums that didn't make the list:

Morbid Angel's crap. Why go industrial when you are the kings of death metal. The album has 3 or 4 cool tunes but that doesn't make the album worthwhile. WHY??? And now they are doing an industrial remix of some songs which doesn't make sense to me as the songs are already industrial!

Paganizer - Into The Catacombs. Rogga's final death metal project of 2011 was a big let down. Very few cool riffs. Once too often to the well eh Rogga?

Hate Eternal - Phoenix Amongst the Ashes. I so want to like Hate Eternal but they continue to offer me nothing. Rutan is a great player but the guy can't write a memorable song if his life depended upon it IMO at least.

Deicide - To Hell With God. Where has the catchiness and memorability gone Mr. Benton?

Decapitated - Carnival is Forever. They could not capture the glory of old for me. Too industrial in feel. Some decent riffs but a disappointment for me.

Monumental Torment. Did my head in with blurry note filled tapping riffs. Just more than I can take.

Sabaton at the Koko

2011-12-17T08:25:00.005Z

Sabaton have come a long long way here in the UK over the last two years or so. I first saw Sabaton at The Purple Turtle opposite the Koko in Camden where you've barely got room to swing a cat. That was a great memory, but there were only 150 people there and now they are playing the sold out 1400 Koko as Joakim happily told us from the stage. This band is truly loved by all kinds of metal fans now with even death and black metal types being into them as well as your regular power metal fans. Quite a lot of old people are into them as well judging by the looks of some people as well as some people who are not really actually into metal seemingly. They just seem to have this universal widespread appeal in the metal community hence this sold out gig and their biggest show in the UK to date.

Before the war machine took to the stage we had support act Hell and I was looking forward to seeing them as I really like their album. To be honest they were a real spectacle indeed. Very interesting to watch with the star being the crazy satanic thespian of a front man! The guy is really something else. He's more like a demon Shakespearean actor gone wrong, taking the task of being a lunatic heavy metal front man. Their songs are rooted around heavy NWOBHM riffing with mystical satanic themes something like a more hysterical and heavier King Diamond. Their performance was spot on with a lot of energy and theatrical mischief even though they are men of pretty advanced years. Although songs were a bit samey sounding live, they were still great and were a more than suitable warm up act for Sabaton. As I said the front man is totally hysterical and worth to watch on that basis alone! Looking forward to a new album from these guys.

Finally at just before 8 o'clock the familiar strains of The Final Countdown started with the crowd singing along to every word until the end and the Saba boys took to the stage to a rapturous welcome from the very boisterous yet jovial, packed crowd though they did get rather rowdy at times which is understandable. After the intro the band launched straight into a blistering version of Ghost Division with full crowd participation of course. There was actually quite a crush at the front and to the side where I was and we had some difficult moments haha but it wasn't too bad. Getting decentish photos was pretty difficult and having my untrustworthy crapola of a camera didn't help but I got a few shots.

As this was their last gig of the year before going into the studio in 2 weeks time, the Sabaton boys were in full party mode and were playing with even bigger smiles than usual. Joakim was his usual nutty self leaping around the stage like a loon pretty similar to how Bruce runs round with Maiden. This was going to be a night for the fans to hear their fave tunes from the Sabaton catalogue and after the first regular 5 songs, Joakim tore up the set list and said he was gonna let the crowd choose what song they would play from an option of two each time. Whichever got the loudest cheer from the two songs he gave us the band would play. The funny thing is we missed some good songs because of this system as the second choice always seemed to get the loudest cheer! There was no Into The Fire, one of my absolute faves and The Final Solution, another very awesome song that I was desperate to hear live but it wasn't to be.

What they did play was however very awesome to say the least. The chant along, sing along parts sung by almost the whole crowd in unison were perfect and created the party mood to a tee. A couple of lesser known Sabaton songs were played which I don't actually recall such as Purple Heart which was again very cool. Need to revisit that track to reacquaint myself with it. There was no encore as Joakim said there's no point going off to come back again and they just kept playing song after song for around an hour and 45 minutes by my reckoning. Panzer Battalion is always a must for any Sabaton gig as is Attero Dominatus, Primo Victora, Cliffs of Gallipoli and you know the rest. White Death is a huge personal fave of mine and was finally played towards the end of the set thankfully!

Finally after a 20 odd songs set list the band ended with their famous medleys and said their farewells and left to huge cheers. As they left a backdrop dropped down and at first I didn't quite follow but I and many others soon realised that this was the album cover for the next album due in May 2012. A great way to keep the fans hyped and excited for the new album which will be entitled Carolus Rex with a nicely painted "classic 17-18th century war" theme cover.

I look forward to the next time I meet up with these heroes in 2012 and their new album. Until then here's a few photos from the gig.

Intro (The Final Countdown)

(Europe cover)
The March To War

(Over Speakers)
Ghost Division
Primo Victoria
40:1
Cliffs of Gallipoli
Screaming Eagles
Coat of Arms
The Price of a Mile
Wolfpack
Talvisota
Panzerkampf
Uprising
White Death
Wolfpack
Back in Control
Swedish Pagans
Panzer Battalion
Attero Dominatus
Purple Heart
Metal Ripper
Metal Medley

Cynic Live

2011-12-06T19:13:00.003Z

It has been a long held metallic ambition of mine, since I first discovered the band in 1993, to see these technical death metal legends in a live setting and finally I can say it's done! Actually I had always wanted to see the tech death triumvirate of Death, Atheist and Cynic and having seen Death in 95, I have finally managed to complete the triangle this year with having seen both Atheist and now Cynic.

Now was it worth the wait? Well hell yeah it was but with some minor reservations. The band has now moved on a little from the Focus era. The comeback album was good but not fantastic for my taste and the new EP is almost a complete departure. It seems Masvidal and co now want to be Eclectic dreamy prog metal and the metal word you have to use very loosely indeed. I guess they've grown old and their intellectual leanings have driven them further and further away from metal.

A little about the support band, Chimp Spanner. An English instrumental djent band to give them their due no less.. The lead guitarist spoke with a very posh English accent and was very polite which sort of pandered to my particular prejudice that djent is played by A-grade students from university who don't really actually like metal.

Any way Chimp Spanner played monstrously heavy syncopated djent with thunderous thudding and mind numbing riffs in the typical djent fashion. They also had some decent atmospheric arrangements interspersed with those mammoth riffs. Some people seemed to love them and others seemed to be tortured by the crushing noise coming from the speakers judging by their faces. I had my plugs in thankfully otherwise my ears would have been fucked and even with the plugs I could feel my ribcage rattling. Chimp Spanner were ok but not something I will ever listen to by choice. These guys are probably a metal musos dream, with constant guitar changes from 6 to 7 and even 8 string guitars for the boring tech freaks to wank over. I managed to get a few ok photos of Chimp Spanner but I could barely get close due to the rather packed crowd when Cynic were on and the back lighting didn't help me and I barely got a usable shot from Cynic.

Finally the Floridian legends took to the stage in their relaxed manner. I think it helps them no end that the second guitarist is able to do the growled lines whilst Masvidal does the cleans and improvises the computer voice. His voice is actually quite pleasant in all though can be a bit whiny. The set list was drawn more heavily from the newer material. However it was the Focus material which went down the best of course. Personally I wanted to hear all of Focus but I knew that wasn't going to happen though only three Focus tunes were played overall. A real shame indeed. However the Traced in Air tunes sounded much better and punchier live than I recalled from the album.

The sound was completely amazing with plugs on. The bass was crystal clear and both guitars played the multi-layered lines on the songs to perfection. God damn the band sounded tight and played with almost very little effort whilst the material was obviously beyond complex in reality. This made the stage spectacle very cool to watch although the drum location to one side made it impossible to see the drummer. However when concentrating on the sound the band created it was almost like putting on the albums on a big fuck-off speaker. Some would say this is not what they want from a gig and they want it to be personal however in the case of Cynic I want to marvel at their ability to recreate the records to the minute detail and this they did with seemingly precious little trouble. Really amazing to watch and hear to be honest.

I am not sure Cynic really want to be associated with metal any more, but they are still a very cool relaxed live act with wonderful effortless musicianship which will blow you away every time. Worth going to the gigs for that if nothing else.

Cathedral's last ever UK gig.

2011-12-04T11:40:00.005Z

Despite Machine Head playing to many thousands at Wembley Arena tonight, the final ever Cathedral show was suitably packed out with around 1500 people turned out to pay homage at the altar of Cathedral one last time. I used to be huge into Cathedral back in the early 90s when they got fully going with The Ethereal Mirror album and the great albums that followed. I was never into the first album though and some of the throwback albums that followed after in the noughties however I have lost count how many times I've seen Lee and co live although it's been many years since the last time probably in the late 90s early 2000s maybe. When this show was announced I thought I better make one last hurrah with the band. I am not a big fan anymore but who can resist a fat groove riff and Lee Dorrian's madcap lyrics and fun stage movements. One of the support bands namely Grand Magus was also a draw for me as I really like their recent output.

There were two other bands playing who I didn't care about. One of them, Comus, didn't actually play due to illness so a band called Cressida stepped in. I missed the first band Gentleman's Pistols altogether as they had finished as I walked into the rather packed out Kentish Town Forum which is a very nice sized venue. The turn out was very respectable indeed and a big send off for Lee and crew on what is billed as their last ever show in the Northern Hemisphere at least. They must have some gigs in the southern half of the world to come obviously.

Anyway I saw Cressida who were a bunch of old man playing prog rock like a mix between The Doors and psychedelia of some kind. They were not my cuppa but if you enjoy Doors-esque keyboard you could get something out of it. I think most of the Cathedral crowd were totally bemused by these gentleman!

The main support was of course going to be a treat although they barely played 40 minutes or so in the end. Grand Magus have been kicking ass for a good while now with their heroic manly songs and they make a hell of a noise for a three piece. The baldy guitar toting front man has the crowd eating out of his hand as he thunders slow and heavy riffs alike whilst the bass player head bangs for Sweden. Hammer of the North was the best song of the night with full participation by the very rowdy crowd. Final song Iron Will also killed. The crowd was a little too rowdy for my liking as a few drunkards were getting a bit too full of themselves a few rows from the front where I was standing. Having moved back a little I could enjoy the show a bit more and finally wait for Lee and co to take to the stage which they did do at 9.20pm to rapturous cheers from the excitable crowd.

Vampire Sun is a great way to start any Cathedral gig with it's insistent groove and thumping lyrical play with ample lines to sing along to. The sound was a little bass and drum heavy but Lee's vocals were surprisingly clear. In fact the band sounded in fine form. Gaz Jennings mammoth riffs were yet to cut through well in the mix but it wasn't too long before those heavy as hell groove riffs would get everyone banging grooving. Lee's legendary stage movements and face pulls are very fun to look at indeed and he seemed to be having a lot of fun. The set list was always going to be a crowd pleasing one with all the Cathedral hits that every one loves played to perfection.

The first five songs of the set were in fact my favourite of the whole night barring the encore song of which more later. Midnight Mountain has always been my favourite Cathedral song ever with it's fat grooving and it never disappoints live and it was good to hear it played to perfection one last time. North Berwick With Trials is a newer Cathedral classic and very catchy to boot. Cosmic Funeral was also amazing as it always is with it's slow melodic doomy build. The second half of the set featured songs which are less my cuppa and more doomy until of course the groovalicious final song of the set namely Ride picks things right back up and got a tremendous response from the crowd. For the last five or six songs I took to the balcony were the sound was actually much crisper and better funnily enough and I enjoyed the band as more of a spectacle from above where you can watch Lee's funny doom walking and dancing antics!

There were two encores first was Utopian Blaster a killer riffed up song with monster grooving. And finally perhaps the ultimate Cathedral anthem Witchfinder General without which no Cathedral gig is complete. The crowd was in full participation during that one and the band played with complete abandon like they didn't give a shit any more as this is it for Cathedral forever. A perfect song to end with and a funny and apt end which I will recount. On the last line of the song which Lee sings he garrotes himself with his mic cable and lies dead on the stage floor as if to indicate that yes Cathedral is finally dead. Whilst two red hooded men shuffle slowly on stage, check for signs of life and drag Lee slowly off stage as if to show that the band really has nothing more left to give. I'm sure it'll be on youtube sooner or later. It was a funny and understandable end to the band as live entity as the instrumentalists played out a final crescendo and left to rapturous cheers. Of course there will be a final Cathedral album as well though I don't hold out much hope that I will like it as I didn't like The Guessing Game at all. I think it's the right time for the band to go out though Cathedral remains a much loved, it's time for the Cathedral to crumble to dust...until the reunion that is!

Vampire Sun
Stained Glass Horizon
Voodoo Fire
Midnight Mountain
North Berwick Witch Trials
Funeral of Dreams
Cosmic Funeral
The Carnival Bizarre
Sabbadaius Sabbatum?
Ebony Tears
Melancholy Emperor
Autumn Twilight
Corpsecycle
Ride
----------------
Utopian Blaster
----------------
Hopkins (Witchfinder General)

Orphaned Land Live Report

2011-11-23T19:12:00.007Z

My first time with the Israeli kings of Oriental prog metal and when I saw that the support would be Myrath and Arkan, a ticket had to be purchased pronto. Even if it was for the tiny 250 and it's rammed, Borderline Club. Much to my disappointment Myrath could not make it into the country due to the promoter not being able to get them visas apparently. A big shame as their new album is totally fantastic.

Still we had 3 bands to get through. First up was a band called Artweg who I have not even heard of. They had two vocalists both screaming and barking. The music was heavy groovy modern metal or nu-metal if you like with a few funky riffs thrown in with rumbling bass. Some sections were full on double bass speedy thrash and then the songs settled into chugging grooves. The vocals were rapped or screamed in French. The band was not my cuppa but they weren't completely horrible either.

Next up were Arkan, a band I've somehow managed to ignore up till now. I had known that they were also Oriental death doom but had never given them the time of day or if I had done, the songs had obviously never clicked with me so I was completely unaware their songs going into the gig. The band mixes growls with lilting female vocals all backed by heavy slow riffs and beautiful middle eastern motifs and musical patterns. They didn't have a keyboard player so all those parts were relayed via tape. Now onto the beautiful girl fronting the band. She really was an Arabian princess to be hold. Not the best English but acceptable and what wonderful dancing. The mix was slightly off at times and I could barely hear her charming vocals but eventually it settled down. Like I said I don't know the songs at all so it's hard for me to judge but they were very good and the crowd loved them.

Finally at 9pm Orphaned Land took to the stage one by one to loud cheers and finally front man Kobi Farhi took to the stage in long Arabic under garment and bare of feet! Interesting indeed, I guess you might as well look the part and of course he himself made the Jesus joke pretty early on in the set. Yes he did look like Jesus but he promised us he wasn't the Messiah to much laughter in the pretty packed out crowd.

My knowledge of Orphaned Land songs and material is limited but that wasn't the case at all with the as expected diverse crowd. It seems they have a lot of devoted fans as a hardcore bunch at the front were singing or growling all the lyrics straight back at Kobi. The sound was much tighter and better for Orphaned Land than it was for Arkan. Great clarity and crunch to the mid paced riffing. The catchy parts in the songs when it gets all dancy and mystical were absolutely brilliant. I don't think Kobi has the best clean vocals I've ever heard by far but his slightly odd melodic voice suits the music down to the ground. He has great Messiah-nic hand gestures and pulls some funny Jesus Christ poses but it's all in good fun.

The band is very tight indeed and they all show great enthusiasm even when playing in a tiny but well attended show such as this. The sing along chant sections of the music were choreographed by Kobi so that everyone could happily join in which they did at the top of their lungs. Sapari off Orwarrior was catchy as hell and the song of the night for me. They played till more or less 10.30 with a acoustic section in the encore with just the guitarist and Kobi doing his light melodic vocals. Quite interesting but finally they finished with a sing along outro with the whole crowd chanting back at the Kobi and the band. The band left with huge cheers ringing in their ears and the Kobi and the band thanked us profusely for coming out.

An enjoyable spectacle and a cheap ticket price too making it a very worthwhile night of Oriental metal. It's a shame that Myrath couldn't play as well but I guess that meant and increased set from OL which the crowd loved from start to finish.

Iced Earth Live Report

2011-11-05T10:19:00.008Z

Well with the new Iced Earth album being so well received with new boy Stu Block at the helm, I wasn't going to miss this opportunity to catch Schaffer and co when they hit town last night. This is my second time seeing Iced Earth. The first was with Barlow back in 2003 when they played a near 3 hour solo gig which was one of those legendary gigs for all who were there. Of course they weren't going to play for 3 hours tonight but I've been looking forward to tonight since I got my ticket a couple of weeks ago.

Support acts were named as Fury UK and White Wizzard, however due to some reason WW did not play as indicated on a notice on the club doors as you walked in. I think there is some trouble in their camp with personnel from what I read on forums here and there. I wouldn't have minded seeing WW as it goes but I'll get over it as I haven't even played their new album yet even though I do like the first one.

As for Fury UK, well they are a decent band. Very tight trio playing trad metal with tons of solos from the lead guitarist/singer. The only problem with them was that their songs weren't nearly memorable enough or catchy enough to get me and most of the crowd too excited to be honest. The lead playing is pretty shit hot though if you fancy watching sparky fret action though. An ok warm up band that needs tunes to back up the playing skill IMO.

Finally after quite a long and painful wait of about 35 minutes( yes I was counting everyone!) Schaffer and co took to the stage and were greeted like returning war heroes from the pretty packed out Islington Academy. It was not quite sold out but I'd guess a good 500 or so turned out seeing as it was a Friday night and a great way to start the weekend for sure with this being the starter for many and Manowar being the main course tomorrow.

Anyway on with the show and let's see what this new boy Stu can deliver live for the Icy ones. Well to say he was perfect would be slightly over the top but he was as close as it's possible to being perfect right from the word go when they launch into the opening track from the new album. Schaffer was pulling more mean faces than you can shake a stick at right in front of me as luck would have it and hammering those triplets out like there's no tomorrow. Stu mixed up his vocals between Barlow and Halford/Ripper screams to perfection. His screams were truly ear bustingly good it has to be said. The only department where Stu cannot match Barlow for me is in the emotional parts of IE songs. He does his best but Barlow just has something in his voice that makes those parts sound more melancholy and Stu doesn't quite have that in him yet though maybe it will come with age.

A lot of the new album was played with songs as such as the glorious Anthem, the manic V and the epic Triumph and Tragedy all sounding might fine and played with utter conviction. It seems Iced Earth are now a band reborn thanks to Stu's arrival. The guy has brought genuine enthusiasm to the band and you can tell they are not just going through the motions this time round. There is fire in their collective bellies and they mean business.

The show continued to it's climax with the encore of Dante's Inferno which was absolutely monstrous it has to be said and created the first moshpit of the night. Finally they broke into their namesake song, Iced Earth and the show was over at the rather early hour of 9.30pm with the curfew set at 10pm with a club night being held at the venue after. They played for nearly 90 minuted which was probably a little longer seeing as White Wizzard didn't play but that's all the better for the fans I suppose. The only thing I can quibble about slightly is the setlist which is of course the usual problem with fickle fans who miss their favourite songs at live shows. Yes and for me there was the lack of Stormrider and Pure Evil was quite a disappointment but I'll get over it.

The band was on shit hot form and perform with the kind of vigour that I didn't quite expect to be honest and it's all pretty much down to the new frontman. All hail the new Stu-iced Earth!

Oh and for those waiting for a report about Manowar tomorrow, alas I won't be going. I would have loved to go but the ticket price of £50 is just too much right now and I had to give it a miss. I would have liked to have seen Joey and co but it's not to be. Maybe next time if there is one.

Man City

2011-10-24T18:37:00.001+01:00

I suppose I should utter a small word about the blue side of Manchester demolishing the red side. Ok here it is....TWATS!!

Redemption Live Report

2011-10-02T08:44:00.006+01:00

Finally it was time to break the lean gig attending days since I saw Maiden at the O2 3 months ago and what better way than with a bit of killer prog metal from Californians Redemption who are on a short tour of Europe with this being the opening night. I had my usual pre gig dinner of Chicken Shish opposite the venue which went down a storm as expected hehe!

Anyway let's get on to matters at hand and namely Redemption and support act Kingcrow. First up at 7.30 were Kingcrow who are not really my cup of tea to be honest. That kind of eclectic dreamy languid prog with latin influences doesn't do a lot for me though they were very competent live. They were confident in their ability and performed well but the songs don't have enough bite or attack for my liking though they did get heavy on occasion. They even had some reggae licks in one song which was quite fun. Not bad but just not my thing in the end.

A little word about the attendance last night with little being the operative word. There were barely 100 or so who made it to the show which is very disappointing indeed and the gig has been planned for many months although the ticket price may have had something to do with it. I guess Redemption have yet to reach the Dream Theatre crowd here and this clearly showed itself in the lack of bodies inside. Still Redemption are a pro band and they played their hearts out.

I am not yet fully enamoured with the new album mainly due to the production but the songs haven't caught my ear yet with their melodies as such but I was hoping one or two newies would be aired tonight and they surely were. Noonday Devil was played with hard paced thrashy riffing which sounded good. The band played for roughly 80 minutes all told and were in fine form. I especially enjoyed the progressive parts were Ray Alder left the stage and let the band do their metal thing and jam the riffs away. Ray's voice was pretty good. He seems to sing in a higher register live than on record which is quite interesting. i couldn't say what the setlist was or what old songs they played as I am not that much into the band to know individual songs but they were very tight indeed with both great riffing from the Van Dyk/Versailles axe team and cool bass from the hooded bass dude. The sound was a bit loud but pretty clear all night and the band seemed to enjoy themselves with Ray thanking those who bothered to turn up and smiling a lot. Tonight the band is playing Progpower Europe so last night was like the warm up show if you will and I'm sure they'll be even better tonight. Only thing I did notice was that Ray was looking at his lyric book rather a lot which is understandable but in the main he remembered the words perfectly well.

The gig had a low key feel to it but was nevertheless enjoyable and just about worth the money. Redemption are great musicians no doubt about it and put on a respectable performance even if the minute London prog metal scene proved to be just that on this occasion! Now I need to get my head round the new album which I haven't yet managed to do so but I'm sure it will come in time.

Latest Top 20

2011-09-08T17:06:00.002+01:00

Haven't posted for a while as there's been no gigs and not much happening. So to break the monotony, I will post my latest top 20 in reverse order in yet another year of amazing releases.

20. Stargazery - Eye On The Sky
19. Neonfly - Outshine The Sun
18. Coldspell - Out From The Cold
17. Liquid Horizon - The Script of Life
16. Amaranthe - st
15. Ten - Stormwarning
14. Turisas - Stand Up And Fight
13. Ilium - Genetic Memory
12. Within Temptation - The Unforgiving
11. Rhapsody of Fire - From Chaos to Eternity
10. Lechery - In Fire
09. Outland - Love Catastrophe
08. Symphony X - Iconoclast
07. Rob Moratti - Victory
06. Eden's Curse - Trinity
05. Morton - Come Read The Words Forbidden
04. Work of Art - In Progress
03. Power Quest - Blood Alliance
02. Pagan's Mind - Heavenly Ecstasy
01. Powerwolf - Blood of the Saints

Maiden at the O2

2011-08-07T09:37:00.006+01:00

My 13th gig of the year but debut gig at the O2 arena and no better way to break your duck than with the mighty Iron Maiden. First of all let me say that this gig very nearly didn't happen for me. A week or so before the gig my left ear started to get a clogged up feeling and to cut a long story short by Saturday morning it was touch and go whether I could go as I was feeling pretty miserable having almost no hearing from the left ear from the excess wax.

On Saturday morn I decided I had to do something to find a way to get that shit syringed out of my ears so I'd have souped up, turbo hearing in time for Maiden! It was difficult but I managed to find a place that would do it after first being turned down at the first place I went to. The lady nurse sucked two horrible balls of wax right out and she showed me them and yes it was disgusting but thank the devil, when I walked out of that place I was sort hearing more or less 100% ready to hear the beast sent with wrath! It was actually odd cause everything sounded vibrant and my ears tingled with noise but damn it was a relief and I headed to the O2 and the Maiden gig with renewed vigour and ready to actually enjoy myself even more than usual.

First up the O2 is just a huge damn place. This is the first time I have seen the Millenium Dome up close and personal and it really is a monstrous great dome with now a 20,000 set venue with floor standing in front of the stage. In fact I was a bit surprised how small the stage was actually. I was expecting one of those big runway type things with banks that lead into the crowd but in general the stage seemed pretty small for such a large venue though maybe other acts utilize a bigger set than Maiden.

Anyway on with the music. First up were Trivium a band who I mock quite vociferously I have to admit. These guys are just trend hoppers like you won't believe in my opinion. They are great at playing their instruments but I almost cannot stand Matt Heafy's stupid barking vocals and to me The Crusade is by far their best album. Musically the band is cool with some stupidly effective thrashy melodic riffs to get your teeth stuck into but in the end they just don't do it for me. Oh yeah and they didn't play even one song off The Crusade that I recall. One thing though, the sound in the o2 is pretty amazing. My vantage point in the upper tier was sheer nose bleed territory and they sure as hell weren't wrong when they said the seats are no suitable for those who suffer from vertigo. That's some steep angled seating they got going on!

Finally at 8.45pm after the last strains of Doctor Doctor had finished the video intro started up for The Final Frontier which the band insists on you hearing or watching even though I personally find it a complete waste of time but then finally there they are we're into the final date of The Final Frontier World Tour! The band sounds energized with the near perfect sound and Bruce sounds loud and proud as he belts out the opening lines. The crowd seems to be in a real party mood and there are lots of smiles and hi fives and then everyone belts out the chorus as loud as they can. Follow up song El Dorado does precisely zilch for me even though the chorus is sort of not bad.

The band and Bruce are just about hitting their stride now with the great iron Maiden song book being plundered again and again for classic after classic with new tunes interspersed in between. And it's the new tunes that sit best with me such as the already classic The Talisman and the epic Where The Wild Wind Blows which was performed magnificently by Bruce and the band. Going back a little we had a totally enchanting and slightly sped up version of Dance of Death which had everyone in the crowd doing little jigs even if they were in the nose bleed seats! A truly awesome song that one and a real highlight.

Another huge crowd favourite was of course Fear of the Dark which has always gotten the best response I have ever seen on every Maiden gig I've ever been to and it was no different last night. The crowd participation in that song is always unanimous and it has a wide appeal with Maiden fans of all ages. The Trooper was as exhilarating as it always is. Coming Home from the new album was brilliant with it's wonderfully emotional chorus ringing loud and true as it was the last night of the tour.

The Wickerman was perfect and the woah woahhh crowd chants was again done by the whole 20,000 no doubt. The same with Blood Brothers which Bruce dedicated to all the Maiden fans of whatever religion or race or colour. The Evil That Men Do was brilliantly sung and played with mass sing along on the chorus of course.

Encore time saw three Maiden classics that any Maiden show cannot be without I guess though personally speaking I am a little tired of Number of The Beast. I can never tire of Hallowed Be Thy Name though and yet again the crowd took over from Bruce a lot on this one with mass singing on cue. Finally it was time for Running Free with a lot of chat and band introductions by Bruce in between and finally it all came to and end for the ageing but never dull Iron Maiden machine and The Final Frontier World Tour.

Thanks to Maiden for a great night and thanks to the NHS and that nurse for getting me to the show on time! Maiden will be back in some shape or form next year no doubt. I don't think they know how to stop and why should they when they are still probably the best live metal band on the planet.

Some bad photos for you from my seat somewhere near Mars!

Last day at Lord's again

2011-07-25T18:13:00.005+01:00

Last day of the first Test between England and India and I went again after going to the last one with Sri Lanka. The ground was packed solid like it was the first day and I thought I might not get in but I got lucky in the end and got in just before the start. England managed to bowl out a very disappointing India just before 5.30pm and went one up in the series. The Injuns will be back but they'll have to lick their wounds before the second Test starts that's for sure. Here's some photos.

Top 10 in 2011

2011-07-12T12:50:00.002+01:00

Half the year is gone already and I'm scratching my head wondering where the hell it went so damn quickly! Here is my current top 10 in reverse order. It's been an amazing year already with so many brilliant albums released. Not sure if the second half of the year will be able to keep up. We shall see...

10. Rhapsody of Fire - From Chaos To Eternity
09. Liquid Horizon - The Script of Life
08. Ten - Stormwarning
07. Turisas - Stand Up and Fight
06. Amaranthe - st
05. Symphony X - Iconoclast
04. Within Temptation - The Unforgiving
03. Eden's Curse - Trinity
02. Power Quest - Blood Alliance
01. Pagan's Mind - Heavenly Ecstasy

Wimbledon

2011-06-24T09:13:00.006+01:00

Haven't been to jolly old Wimbers for nearly 20 years! Well finally I decided to make the trip and reminisce a little. So much has changed since I was last there it's really moved along with the times. Thankfully there wasn't much rain and interruptions were short lived. I managed to get a few photos. I saw old "nasty" Illie Nastase in the balcony. Tim Henman's parents of all people! Well not that surprising I suppose. Saw Richard Williams the father of the Williams sisters just standing in the grounds with his new girlfriend. Rather odd indeed but no photo cause it would have been a bit blatant. Oh and Henman Hill looks really big on TV but is actually really not that big. The whole of Wimbledon is a magnificent sight and the atmosphere is very posh in some respects and also the regular crowds also bring it down to earth somehow as well. Saw Nadal and Roddick in the practice grounds and a couple of other stars. Sharapova very briefy walked out but no photo unfortunately. She's actually very pretty in the flesh as well. Anyway it was fun and here are the photos.

Cricket

2011-06-11T18:32:00.003+01:00

Went to Lord's for the last day of the Test match even though it was a guaranteed draw between England and Sri Lanka. It was only 20 quid so I went a long for a laugh after I put a tenner on this horse that won enough for the ticket. Without that horse winning I wouldn't have gone at all no doubt! Took a few photos. Lord's is always a picture when the sun's out.

Journey with Foreigner and Styx at Wembley Arena

2011-06-05T11:27:00.012+01:00

It was my first time seeing any of these famous AOR and melodic rock old stagers and whilst the ticket cost me £50 which is a bit steep for my tight pockets but alas this is a big gig and when these guys come calling you've got to give them the time of day however hard it hits your pocket! First of all I should say I am not a huge or massive fan of any of these bands to be honest. My fandom for AOR and melodic rock is based around newer bands rather than the classic oldies. Of course these three are giants of the genre back in the day and have a huge old time following even now although the two supports less so here than Journey who are riding a crest of a wave thanks to a program on the telly called Glee or something and also some dude singing their anthem Don't Stop Believin' on X Factor a couple of years ago.

Must say the Wembley Arena was pretty much packed out for this all seater event which was must have been pleasing to see for all three bands as they came out for their sets. My seat was about as far away from the stage as it's possible to be but at least it was quite high up and head on, so I didn't need to twist my neck like the people sat at the sides. First up were Styx whose pomptastic style is somewhat different to the straight ahead style of the other two bands. Near enough the whole of the band either sang lead or backing vocals at one point during their set which shows their versatility off very well. Can't say I knew all the songs at all although I do know we didn't get the pretty bad Babe! The vocals were top notch from Tommy Shaw and Lawrence Gowan the keys guy. The songs are somewhat recognisable from my deep memory though it's been years and years since any Styx music passed my lugholes. They warmed the crowd up nicely and the Wembley Arena acoustics were for once on good behaviour as the band sounded pretty much crystal clear. Come Sail Away seemed to garner the best response from the crowd although I enjoyed opener The Grand Illusion most of all as it was very pomptastic indeed.

The Grand Illusion
Too Much Time On My Hands
Lady
Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
Miss America
Blue Collar Man
Come Sail Away
Renegade

After a 20 minute change around the lights went down and it was time for Foreigner and boy did they please this happy old time crowd. Their sound was once again pretty much perfect with with Mick Jones' guitar work the star of the show. They played pretty a much an expected greatest hits setlist which left every old time Foreigner fan happy. I wouldn't say I was a Foreigner fan but these guys really delivered. Sure the old timers would probably say it's not the same without Lou Gramm but I think the current singer Kelly Hansen does an amazing job on the mic to be honest. He hits exactly the same notes that Lou used to only with way more power. Although i must admit he doesn't sing I Want To Know What Love Is quite as good as Lou used to, but the rockers he nails. Urgent was killer as was Cold As Ice. Only song missing from their set was I've Been Waiting For a Girl Like You which was strangely omitted not that I cared but I'm sure a few Foreigner diehards did. their set ended with a rousing and a seemingly extended version of their hit anthem Jukebox Hero. These guys maybe old but they still know how to rock.

Video clip from Cold As Ice - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdYQKQ-TbJQ

Finally at around 9.30 or so the house lights went down again and it was time for every one's fave old time rock band to deliver the goods again. What a masterstroke they pulled in starting off with mine and probably most people's fave Journey song of all time! This is the way to start the show however there were a few slight sound issues which made the bass too loud and distorted a touch but the song was sung with amazing power by the little waspish frontman Arnel. The crowd at the front was mostly stood and going at it with full force and if the seats weren't down they would have probably started a little geriatric moshpit!

The sound soon settled down once the sound guy got the levels right and became a tour de force of power and melody for the band. The band sounded truly energised and happy to be playing for the thousands gathered and were keen to air new songs from Eclipse which I have found to be a rather disappointing album in truth however I will admit that i rather enjoyed the live rendition of songs such as Chain of Love and Resonate in particular as Arnel really outdid himself with his powerful delivery.

Having said all that this was a night of a million and one notes and all of them belonging to Neal Schon! The guy was literally spitting fire from his axe all night. In fact I though I was at an Yngwie show for a second or two he solo-ed so long and hard on most songs. His guitar cut through the mix like razorsharp shards of glass and he pulled more shapes than you'd believe! If you were a fan of Neal's guitar acrobatics you'd be in heaven however I do believe that most of these people were here for the classics and not a wankathon on the guitar.

However don't think I'm taking away from Journey's overall performance because it was pretty much flawless. In Arnel they have found the frontman of their dreams. The guy is like a little Tasmanian Devil come Whirling Dervish all rolled into one all topped with an amazing vocal delivery which is pretty much faultless.

A mention of Dean Castronovo on the drums, not only can he play wicked but his lead vocals on Mother, Father was great as well. He could have been the singer full time had they not found Arnel. My only gripe about the show apart from Schon's extended soloing was the lack of material from previous album Revelation. I love that album a lot and much more than Eclipse but hey this is the Eclipse tour and with so many classics to play as well there's only so much you can fit in so I had to accept this situation. The latter parts of the setlist was completely given over to the hits and the crowd really got into it having been a little bit restrained during the new songs. In the end Journey had to give them what they wanted in the end. A great show by three classic rock bands.

Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Only the Young
Edge of the Moment
Ask the Lonely
Send Her My Love
Resonate
Stone in Love
City of Hope
Lights
Mother, Father

(Deen Castronovo on lead vocals)
Open Arms
Chain of Love
Wheel in the Sky
Be Good to Yourself
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Any Way You Want It
Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

Separate Ways live clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvDNAjnICfY
Faithfully - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ASApzL98Rk

Champions League Final

2011-05-28T22:32:00.006+01:00

Unfortunately we were slaughtered. Rooney gave us hope but in the end Barcelona mullered us and then some. I went up to Wembley to soak up the pre-match atmosphere and took a few photos and videos.

Pagan's Mind Live Report

2011-05-21T09:59:00.004+01:00

My 11th gig of the year so far and I've missed a few I fancied as well but still a fairly productive year gig wise with over half the year left to go. Anyway it was my first time seeing Pagan's Mind so I had to make the effort. For once I didn't have a ticket pre-booked and paid on the night to get in. Normally I like to get tickets beforehand to save money and also the possibility of not getting in on the night but to be honest I knew that PM were not going to sell the Underworld out somehow!

They are not THAT big here basically in my estimation and so it proved. The Underworld was probably barely half full, about 250 if you're being generous although all who did turn up witnessed a great show by the Pagan boys.

I missed the first support band who went by the name of RIP Sanity. Quite like that name might have to investigate them a little. I saw most of Neonfly who played a 45 minute set. I saw these guys a few weeks ago supporting Power Quest. They are quite good. I find it hard to pigeonhole them actually. Sometimes they are power metal with an AORey sounding singer, then they have prog tendencies, then they go into complete AOR sounding tunes. There's something about them I'm not quite getting though. Maybe it's the singer. Anyway they are quite good as a support band like I said and they have an album coming out and the best way to judge them I think is on their studio output.

Finally the Pagan lads took to the stage at 8.30pm which is quite early for the Underworld but there was a 10.15 curfew because of some club running after I guess. Anyway plenty of time to listen to some killer prog/power based material from this great band. For a one guitar band they don't half pack some punch let me tell you. The sound in the Underworld last night was absolutely amazing as well last night. It was loud but crystal clear mostly. The band are quite an odd looking bunch. Two portly guys on bass and keys. A nicely hair-cutted shit hot guitarist and the small elfin screamer Nils on the mic. Didn't really catch what the drummer looked like!

As Nils explained between one song and we sort of realised after, he had broken his hip six weeks ago and they had toyed with the idea of cancelling the tour but he decided to soldier on in the end. He has walking very gingerly around the stage for sure though his showmanship and crowd geeing from the waste up was still tip top. The crowd themselves were well into what the band was doing and although this was the first night of the UK tour they were in tip top shape musically speaking if not physically. They played most of their famous hits and a couple of new songs as well of course. The new songs sounded amazing especially Intermission of course which was sung with great power by Nils especially that scream! Enigmatic Mission is also always gonna be great isn't it. Nils' voice is very powerful live although on the odd occasion he was struggling to be heard over the music. They played an awesome instrumental song whose name I don't recall I'm sure you PM fans will know which one. That was just immense.

The encore featured Through Osiris Eyes which is perhaps their most well known song and probably a song they will have to play on every live show they ever do from now until they decide to call it a day.

I'm glad I came to see these guys finally and they didn't disappoint one iota. Their live sound is not far from their amazing produced recorded output at all. They can definitely lay claim to being the best band of this style in Europe at least if not the world and they deserved a far bigger turn out as well but I guess not enough people really know about them which is a shame. Apparently the Snooty Fox gig in Wakefield in two days is going to be broadcast live on the internet. Well worth a watch I'd suspect if you have a good connection.

Champions???

2011-05-08T19:22:00.002+01:00

Don't often post about United anymore but dare I say it....CHAMPIONS!!!

Ok I am ever so slightly jumping the gun as one more point is needed mathematically speaking but even the most pessimisitic United fan must surely admit that number 19 is in the bag. Can you believe it United fans? 19 fucking titles!!! Liverpool well and truly knocked off their perch.

Roll on the Champions League Final. What an epic night that's going to be.

Power Quest LIve Report

2011-05-08T19:01:00.003+01:00

As you may or may not know The Purple Turtle is basically a pub with a stage at one end. Alas Power Quest as a band are not big enough to play a headline gig anywhere else and so it proved as the attendance was roughly 100 or so. I talked a fair bit once again with Chity Somapala the new singer before the gig. He's a very enthusiastic and likeable fellow plus he is great at fronting the band. I also very briefly met Alessio the previous PQ singer as he was also present.

Two support bands were on show. First were Primitai who I've caught supporting already this year at the Accept gig. They are ok and the heart is completely in the right place but the songs are just not memorable enough for me.

Direct support were Neonfly who apparently have a new singer though I didn't know they had an old one until Charlie my gig going pal told me so after the gig. The new singer has a very shrill and high pitched voice. The band's music is pretty cool with some decent melodies. When their album is released I will definitely check it out.

Finally at 9.45 the PQ guys were armed and ready for action and launched straight into the opening instrumental off the new album and then into Rising Anew. The band and Chity sounded very energised. The sound was a little on the loud side for such a small venue but was clear enough especially Steve Williams' keys which were pretty clear. Chity's vocals were very powerful and in pretty good shape for the first night of the tour. The band seemed to be having a lot of fun judging by the wide grins on their faces. They played a lot of songs from the new album including brilliant tracks like Crunching The Numbers and the title track Blood Alliance.

Of course they didn't miss out some older classics as well from their previous albums. One of the highlights of the set was Another World. I love that song. Better Days from the new album was also awesome with it's gorgeous 80s keys and vocals harmonies. Fun Stuff.

Just after 11pm the band played the final song of the night and the power metal diehards went into the mild night air happy. I saw Chity again at the end and wished him well for the rest of the tour. On a side note both Sam and Herman from Dragonforce were at the show as well and Sam was getting mega pissed as usual. Good to see them turn up to support their brother band though as Sam used to be in PQ along time ago.

A cheap and enjoyable night of power metal goodness folks.

Atheist / Exhumed LIve Report

2011-04-24T10:15:00.002+01:00

This gig was downgraded to the far smalled Islington Academy 2 after originally being booked for the Garage so obviously ticket sales were not exactly great and so it showed as I entered the venue. The crowd numbered around 150 or so at best and Exhumed were already on stage blasting away like there's no tomorrow. I don't have any real connection with Exhumed as a band and have never really followed their albums or career. Some people like that style of take no prisoners brutal gore metal and I have been known to like the odd band of that style myself but Exhumed has never been one of them.

The sound was loud as fuck and not very clear at all unfortunately. About 10 or 20 diehards were into what Exhumed were doing and they got a reasonable response from those people, but all their songs sound exactly the same to me. Just relentless brutal battery, with screaming vocals and 100 mile an hour drum assault. Turns your brains into mush if you ask me though their fans would argue that's a good thing!

Oh well I waited for Atheist and at the very early hour of 8.30pm the guys were getting ready and played the slow intro to Unquestionable Presence. The sound was much cleaner, tighter and less noisy than for Exhumed which helped no end. The bass player which we later found out was new, was a 20 year old bearded kid with long blonde hair which he through round furiously on occasion. But man did he nail the all important Atheist bass chops. It was worth going to the gig just to see that dude alone. A fair chunk of Unquestionable Presence was played thankfully including Incarnation's Dream and the classic Mother Man and Your Life's Retribution no less. However they did omit The Formative Years as I recall which was a damn shame if you ask me.

Of course we got a couple of songs from Jupiter as well which sounded ok but again not as good as the old shit to use a boring cliche if you will excuse me. They were so tight as a band though and both guitarists and bass were in perfect intense unity. Kelly on the mic has never had a voice I cared much about and to be honest it's a bit strange to watch death metal with a lead singer who doesn't play an instrument.

From Elements they played Air and Mineral which actually were far better live than I remember them being on plastic which is pretty cool. I must come back to the bass player. That kid was just too awesome and on the money. He played so sharp and right on note for note like the albums and the sound mix allowed him to be heard perfectly.

After an hour or so the gig was over and it was time to head home at the early finish time of 9.30pm. I am glad I got the chance to see Atheist finally after all these years and it's another classic band to cross off of my list of bands to see. Cynic still remains at the head of the list of the tech death bands I need to witness along with Necrophagist. I must rectify this someday when they come calling next. For now I give the thumbs up to the Atheist live experience though I still say they should play the whole of Unquestionable Presence from start to end damn it!

Children of Bodom / Amon Amarth Live Report

2011-04-10T10:11:00.005+01:00

Back to the Kentish Town Forum again after last week's rather average Paradise Lost gig and I was rather hoping for something more exciting and better but alas it wasn't to be. Either my ears are totally screwed or this venue just can't get the sound right at all. They just don't know how to mix the guitars properly. We come to metal shows to hear guitars Mr. Sound man. To be honest I really don't care about the bass and drums and as usual the bass and drums are hammering our ears into submission.

Anyway this was a way way sold out show and there was a rather large queue forming outside the venue though it was moving along well enough. I missed Machinae Supremacy altogether and they are just an OK band to me so no great loss. I had only managed to get a ticket for the upstairs seating and balcony standing for this gig and as I walked in I found the upstairs impossibly packed out already and Enisferum in full swing on stage. Luckily I managed to find a corner place to park my fat ass and start getting into these guys whom I've seen a couple of times before. I love them on record and live as well but the sound wasn't the best at all. As I've already bitched above I couldn't hear the guitars properly.

The Enisferum boys looked in good spirits and got a roaring response from the ultra packed downstairs from my vantage point. I caught about 4 songs from their set and they maybe played 7 or so. They were fun and the melodies from the guitars though hidden by mushy sound, just about shone through. Good effort but I think a smaller venue suits them much better.

Next up were the mighty Amon Amarth. They were the main draw for me attending tonight and I was eager to hear some new tunes from Surtur Rising in their set. These guys are seasoned pros but unfortunately the sound mix tonight rendered them completely devoid of the melodic aspect I was seeking. The songs were all played slickly and like a well oiled machine with their infamous unison headbangs in full effect which is a rather cool sight when you get to witness it from a high vantage point. However my enjoyment of their set was completely stifled by the muddy sonics which decreased the melodic riffing to sludge. They did however go down a storm with the kids downstairs and they have a rather large fan base in the metal community in London and basically they can do no wrong. On record I still love AA but this gig just didn't do it for me. I will have to think strongly about whether I will ever see them live again. Oh and one more thing, no Death in Fire! For shame lads, for bloody shame!

Finally it was time for Alexi's Finnish hatecrew to amble up and serve the kids up what they'd been waiting for. I think CoB is a bit of a polarising band in metal circles these days. They have a lot off fans and a lot of haters as well. The thing is a lot of the haters probably like them a bit in their heart of hearts as well however begrudgingly. They are just a fan band that makes you tap your toe and play air guitar however much you try to resist. Unfortunately I lost my seat due to attending a call of nature and on my return I had literally nowhere to sit, so I ended up in the gods of the Kentish Town Forum standing up, which was an area pretty packed out itself. For the first few numbers I was just listening to the music and not even looking as there was no hope, but luckily a few people left and I found myself right at the barrier on the balcony with a good view of the stage.

I am not a big enough Bodom fan to recognise individual songs but I remembered a few of their biggest hits such as Needled 24/7. The sound was much better than it was for AA with Alexi's guitar much cleaner though not perfect by any means. When the band plays fast songs at full blast it all turns a bit messy and you lose some of the songwriting sense. Still the band is shit hot tight after all these years and Alexi knows how to work the crowd alright, though his cursing gets tedious to say the least. I guess I'm just too old for CoB though and they are a youngster's band although there were people there who were far older than me so they do have a very wide appeal. Keyboardist Janne Warman had two keyboard risers with a set of keys on each and he swapped around between the two which was a bit epic hehe!

I can't say much about the songs, they were played well and melodic and the band went down a storm and even the haters probably enjoyed it a little bit.

To sum up the night:
Enisferum - Good
Amon Amarth - Disappointing
Children of Bodom - Professional

Overall it was an ok gig but nothing I will be waxing lyrical about in years to come. Accept is the best live band I've seen this year by far. They blew the fucking roof off the old bastards!

Encore:

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light - Review

2011-04-04T21:50:00.001+01:00

What a surprise this is for me. I've never been a fan of Mr. Nirvana drummer's alternative rock but this album is rather good. It's not magnificent but it's very melodic which suits me down to the ground. I also love the clean sound on the guitars and the standard of riffing is way up there with grooves and melodies everywhere you look. His vocals have improved a lot as well in my opinion with a more melodic and less angsty tone which suits me better. This album sounds quite close to Stone Sour's Audio Secrecy from last year but a little less heavy and more melodic even.

The first two tracks rock your socks off with cool heavy riffs and vocal melodies, especially opener Burning Bridge which is just an awesome way to start and hooked me right in to wanting to hear the rest of the album. I love the 3rd track Dear Rosemary with it's massive melodic hook which is possibly my fave track off the album. The following track White Limo has heavy metal influences with it's distorted vocals but very cool riffs though it does sound odd compared to the more melodic songs all round it. Arlandria has quiet verses before a melodic upbeat chorus comes into view. Not a brilliant song but catchy enough almost too sugary in fact and it reminds me of Weezer somehow.

These Days has quiet verses again before the chorus springs into life with heavy riffs and Mr. Grohl doing his more angsty vocals but still keeping the melody intact. This is in fact a great melodic song. Sounds like a softer Alter Bridge. Back & Forth is a midpaced rocking song with rocking riffs and a cool chorus. Perhaps one of the weaker tracks though it has a Nirvanaish feel to it especially the vocals. By the way Nevermind fans should really like this album, it's choc full of the same hooks and the guitar sound is very similar too. A Matter of Time uses the quiet verse/louder chorus formula. This one doesn't do a lot for me but it's still quite listenable. This one reminds me of Queens of the stone age being more melodic.

Miss The Misery is a slow stomping heavy song with a thundering riff. I get an Alice in Chains vibe from this one. The verses are once again sung quietky with minimal musical backing before the chorus is backed with heavy beats and the main heavy AIC sounding riff. This one is a little less melodic though features Grohl doing wooahh aaaahhhhs to the melody which usually makes it catchy but it doesn't seem to fit on this song IMO. The songs end on a heavy note with dirty solos and crunching riffage. An angsty tune as the title would suggest. Maybe needs more plays to grow.

I should Have Known is a ballad of sorts. This one reminds me of Oasis for some reason. No Dave doesn't sound like Liam but the vibe is Oasisy cause it's not heavy although the song soon builds to a heavier crescendo with a more aggressive end with very passionate vocals. To be honest this is not the kind of song I'm into. Too much passion and grit in the delivery. Oh and this song features a very prominent and loud bass line. Maybe my least fave song.

Finally Walk is back to what made me give this album the time of day. the vocals are very melodic with a quiet undistorted guitar playing a simple melody before the distorted riffing kicks into mid tempo in typical FF fashion. I like the double time drumming in this on the end of some lines. the song builds in intensity with Grohl cutting loose vocally and going shouty. This song will be a big hot for them no doubt though I don't really love it bit it's enjoyable.

Overall I would rate the album at 7.5/10 which for me is a very high rating speaking as a non fan bar the odd song. Mr. Grohl and his cohorts have come up with a cool set of melodic alternative rock tunes this time and if you're an existing fan, you're sure to be very happy and even if you're not, you may still find a few tunes to like here if you enjoy melodic rock music in general. If you've hated the Foos since the beginning then there's not a lot here for you, move along!

Listen to the whole album below if you are curious.
http://wastinglight.foofighters.com/

Paradise Lost / Ghost Live Review

2011-04-02T07:51:00.003+01:00

Well I so very nearly didn't make it to this gig with my fitness taking a turn for the worse. Even at the last minute I was close to giving it a miss but a sudden upturn in physical health and I somehow made it to the gig. Was it worth the effort? Well probably in the end no is the answer. Don't get me wrong though it was OK as a night out and at least I didn't let my ticket go to waste but the gig was merely alright in my opinion.

First up were the mysterious Ghost who keep getting rave reviews everywhere but have yet to convince me. Maybe the live setting would help them. Unfortunately it didn't me. Don't get me wrong they are cool to watch and the evil pope front man is very evil looking though slightly comical. The be-masked backing musicians are all fairly pedestrian and this band in general is very serene and fun to look at.

Unfortunately the sound at the Kentish Town Forum did not help them one jot. I could barely hear any guitars at all during the beginning and the vocals were delivered effortlessly but in an almost whisper making it hard to pick up the words. I don't know the album well apart from what I heard on youtube and it has moments of quirky melody that interest and is catchy to a point but I'm just not feeling it with Ghost. I think they could be quite good if they had more dynamic sweeps of sound. At the moment it all sounds so one paced and comically satanoramic and it doesn't do a lot for me.

By the way not one word is spoken by the Evil Pope in between songs which is quite cool and his hand gestures and sways in time with the music are quite cool and fun to watch. So my final thoughts on Ghost are that they are an amusing band to watch but the music is merely average to me but I'm glad to have seen them at least and seen what the fuss is all about.

Finally it was time for Bradford's miserable bastards of gloomy heavy metal Paradise Lost to play though perhaps their best album along with a few fan faves afterwards. This show was being filmed for a DVD and there were various cameramen dotted around the Forum along with a roving overhead crowdcam which swooped in and out. The sound was a little odd shall we say. The guitars for the whole gig sounded very high pitched and it lacked crunch and bottom end. It did improve as the gig went on but I'm sure this has something to do with the live recording of the DVD. They probably didn't want it to sound too bassy. I actually don't mind that cause normally metal gigs have way to much bass and drums but this was too much in the opposite direction. Also Nick's vocals were completely drowned out at times by the crowd singing the lyrics being far too low in the mix on many occasions. I'm all for crowd participation but I'd rather hear the lead singer's voice above every else thanks!

Anyway I must stop with the bitching and say a little about the gig. They started off with Enchantment of course the lead track from Draconian and like I said the sold out packed crowd was singing the words louder than Nick! It's been an age since I heard said album and it was good to hear those beautiful moody keyboard strains as the main riff kicks in. Nick was his usual sarcastic self with his between song banter from the stage. He sounded in fine voice when I could hear him. One of my favourite PL songs of all time Forever Failure was brilliantly played and sung followed by Once Solemn one of the heaviest and most upbeat songs from the album which got quite a pit going. Actually the Friday night neanderthals were in town and it got a bit rougher than you'd expect for a PL gig to be honest but I guess this is what pissed up metalheads do!

Finally they reached the final song of the album Jaded, which is quite a moody and cool song with which to end the main part of the set to rapturous applause. After a three or four minute break the band returned for the first encore with a few hits. True Belief is one of my fave PL songs ever if not THE best summation of the band's talents. The crowd loved this one with it's depressing dark atmosphere and epic chorus. One Second and Say Just Words both went down a storm too being two of the band's biggest hits and poppiest moments.

A second encore then followed which of course ended with As I Die which is now like the band's Enter Sandman of sorts. It seems the band just has to play it. It is a cool and catchy tune but to be honest it doesn't do a great deal for me but of course if the fans don't hear it they won't let them get out alive probably!

So in the end an OK gig but nothing that will live that long in the memory banks. PL are a hugely popular band amongst all kinds of metalheads from black metallers to gothsters and it showed by the vast array band shirts on view in the crowd and pretty much all of 'em went home pretty happy I would guess. I look forward to see how this DVD will turn out and at least I can say I was there even if it wasn't THAT great personally speaking of course!

Current Top 20 from this year

2011-03-31T16:56:00.002+01:00

In reverse order and subject to change of course but anyway here's my list as it stands. Shaping up to yet another killer year for melodic music.

20. TNT - A Farewell To Arms
19. Fireforce - March On
18. Evergrey - Glorious Collision
17. Jag Panzer - The Scourge Of The Light
16. Serenity - Death & Legacy
15. Symfonia - In Paradisum
14. Bloodbound - Unholy Cross
13. Stratovarius - Elysium
12. M.ILL.ION - Sane And Insanity
11. Bad Habit - Atmosphere
10. Emerald Sun - Regeneration
09. Appearance Of Nothing - All Gods Are Gone
08. Wizard -...Of Wariwulfs And Bluotvarwes
07. Liquid Horizon - The Script of Life
06. Turisas - Stand Up And Fight
05. ColdSpell - Out from the Cold
04. Within Temptation - The Unforgiving
03. Ten - Stormwarning
02. Eden's Curse - Trinity
01. Power Quest - Blood Alliance

Symphony X / Power Quest Live Report

2011-03-23T19:03:00.003Z

Oddly enough the main draw for me on this occasion was to witness the kings of English power metal, Power Quest. I have already seen them before but of course not with new singer Chitty and also not without such a stupendous album under their belts. Unfortunately there was a massive queue snaking round the Scala and the late entry time of 7.30 had fearing the worst about missing the start of PQ's set and yes by the time I rushed upstairs and in without getting my customary pint, I saw that PQ were already into their set in front of an already very well packed out Scala.

In fact the attendance was a bit surprising and I think Sym X could have probably filled a venue twice as large to be honest such is their popularity. Anyway I digress, as I want to say a little about the PQ guys and their great performance. The sound was nice and clean with Chitty sounding in perfect form on the mic. I must admit I had some reservations about Chitty in PQ but I was proved totally wrong in every aspect. The guy nailed his vocals in every aspect and even managed some of the highs and then some of the previous singer Alessio.

I am glad I made it in for Crunching the Numbers which is just an awesome song off the new record Blood Alliance. Another World was also a highlight with it's swirling keys and highly addictive melodic mid tempo. However it was the new songs that did it for me although I did miss Rising Anew at the start of the set. I just love the commercial aspects of the power metal that these chaps play. Their fairly brief set which I missed 2 songs of, ended with the supremely catchy 80s sounding melodic anthem Better Days with it's massive catchy hook and dreamy backing vocals. That song was just a great way to end the show. I am not sure if everyone fully got into what PQ were doing as there were probably quite a lot of people there for Sym X only but for me it was the other way round. Can't wait for Purple Turtle, a longer set and no missed songs.

Finally at 9.15 or so Sym X lumbered up on stage and started tearing it straight up like they do. Unfortunately the sound was not so hot from my vantage point next to the soundboard pretty much. I could hear tons of drums and bass, almost no keys and wishy washy guitars, though the vocals pretty loud. This situation lasted a couple of songs but slowly seemed to improve though I think with Sym X being a one guitar band also hinders them a touch. Oh and I don't think I really heard the keys much all night when others instruments were playing.

Anyway what of the band's live performance. These guys are sheer pros at this metal game. Russell Allen is a great marauding front man with a heck of a powerful voice and has the front rows eating out of his hand literally. The rest of the guys are less animated though they smile a lot and have their moments here and there but the band is completely led by Mr. Allen as he is a truly great showman and is the focal point of the band. The songs they played were all their hits plus a couple of new tunes which actually sounded very solid and heavy though it was hard to judge how catchy there were. We were also lucky enough to have a world premier of the song Prometheus which was a very heavy song indeed. I think if you like Sym X in heavy mode, then you'll like this new album a lot. The riffing is far more jagged and heavy sounding, almost grinding shall we say.

Towards the end of the show the crowd was completely won over by the band and were making a hell of a noise with a whole heap of lyric singing much more than I would have imagined actually. It's a surprise how many know the words to the songs word for word. Personally speaking I enjoyed the spectacle of watching them plying their progressive metallic trade to perfection even though the songs do not speak to me on a personal level. I actually quite enjoyed the fact that the band is SO popular and yet pretty underground even in metal circles.

Come encore time the crowd chanted loudly for Odyssey their monumental epic track but I knew there was no chance of that being played cause we'd be there all night but anyway they did come back of course to a rapturous welcome again and played a furious triumvirate of songs with which to end the show and once again getting a huge send off from the crowd.

As I was leaving I saw the ubiquitous London prog metal gig goer and promoter, Chazzy F chatting with Chitty and I said a quick hello and also had a chat as Charlie introduced me, though I'm not sure Chitty actually knew who I was from my web persona on various metal boards but he was very friendly anyway! I gave him and the band lots of compliments which I assured him was not back handed and I wasn't just kissing his rockstar ass hehe! I am mightily impressed with the band these days and all the new members and they have improved no end. Chitty is such an enthusiastic and likeable guy and very friendly to boot. I thanked him for the show and his performance and said good luck and promised to see him in May which I already have my ticket for. He said he would get me and Charlie on the guest list but we've both already bought tickets but he told us to sell them on. I wanted to say a quick hello to Mr. Williams the band leader but alas time was short and he was busy chatting so I left it at that, maybe next time at the Purple Turtle!

Here's the setlist for Symphony X.

Accept and Wolf Live Report

2011-03-18T20:45:00.004Z

Can't count myself as a fully fledged member of the Accept fan club but since the comeback album was so immense, I had to venture out to this gig in case the earth shook and boy did it shake! This gig clashed with Turisas down the road so there was competition alright as far attendance goes, however the Accept guys are a big enough draw in their own right now and the Garage was pretty solidly full with I'd guess around 500 or so metal hearted warriors.

First up were killer old school heavy metal heroes, Wolf. Been loving these guys since the first album and the new one is not too far away either. Seen them live before and they were pretty cool. These guys love galloping away in Maidensque fashion and then some of course and that they did for the duration of their 45 minute set. They played songs from their latest albums in the main plus a couple of older songs. The sound was clear enough for a support band although the vocals sometimes got lost. I think they went down well with the older Accept crowd and made for a great pairing. As the singer quipped from stage, "We even named our band after the guitarist in Accept!" which raised a few horns of course. I enjoyed Wolf's set a lot and it was fun to nod along to the cool riffs and gallops.

After they left the roadies got the stage ready for Accept and after a fairly long wait of around half an hour the lights went down and it was time for the old German warhorse to lay waste and what wasting! The sound was absolutely huge and yet crystal clear. It sounded 10 times louder than Wolf and much crisper and I thought the Wolf sound was actually good. This sound completely dwarfed that!

They started the set with new songs off of Blood of the Nations and boy did they rock like a beast. The band looks ultra lean and mean these days and in Tornillo they have a front man who I can stomach much more than Udo to be honest. I have mainly been unable to get into Accept as a band due to Udo's unique and nauseating snarls, but this Tornillo character I find much more palatable. Granted he's not a million miles away from Udo in gruffness but his voice just doesn't grate as much as Herr Dirkschneider does.

Anyway the band was in shit hot form all night. Crisp, groove-some riffs, mean and moody headbanging stares from Wolf and taut angular bass thumping from the bass dude. The bass sound was very tight and high in the mix and almost crunchy. There was a great guitar and bass duel in one of the songs, I forget which and it was very cool to witness that. The new songs sounded immense live as if they didn't already on plastic.

Accept had the crowd eating out of their hands basically and whilst some say this isn't really Accept without Udo, I don't really share that view since the real Accept never meant that much to me in the first place. The more familiar songs such as Breaker, Restless and Wild and the immensely catchy Metal Heart near enough blew the roof of the Relentless Garage. The band just sounds like a tight, well oiled machine with not a note out of place. Son of a Bitch with it's stupid lyrics had everyone singing along with venom and was hellishly fun. Princess of the Dawn was the melodic highlight of the set.

At the main set's end the crowd chanted vociferously for an encore of course and they weren't disappointed. Three of the band's biggest anthems and songs which I suppose are synonymous with the Accept live gig were played, ultimately ending with their most well known song which I actually have never really been a fan of hehe. But heck it was miles better live than it is on record. I still wouldn't call myself an Accept fan but I must admit that they really deserve all the praise coming their way with this comeback. Udo fucked up!

Lazarus A.D and Bonded By Blood Live Report

2011-03-10T18:55:00.003Z

First of all Chicken Shish and Chips must be had and then some! Pretty close t Islington Academy there's a nice junk food shop. He does a lovely Shish let me tell you!

Then it was off to the Academy 2 the smaller brother of the main venue. The attendance last night was pretty poor but the place barely holds 200 or so. I'd guess about 60-70 diehards turned up and I was one of 'em of course! Thrash or be damned!

Four bands were on the bill. First up were this heavy as lead groovy swamp monster band called Kill The Machine with a huge bloke on the mic bellowing away. Their riffs were drenched in mud and swaggered and grooved away like there's no tomorrow. They sounded a bit like Crowbar. They were ok for my taste but not that great but solid.

Next up was Abadden. I enjoyed their thrash throwback album from last year. T'was a good'un. They are a young looking energetic bunch and played rip roaring thrash. The sound didn't help them too much unfortunately. Lots of energy and mental head banging and a good response from the 5-6 man moshpit hehe! I didn't get into them that much for some reason. Better luck next time boys.

Next up were Hispanic LA crew Bonded By Blood, my main draw for tonight. They had a new frontman and a new bass player and the band seems improved all round. These guy are so fucking tight it hurts. They rip shred and groove like there's a fire in the house and they need to get out! The sound was crisper though not perfect which meant some of the more intricate and technical aspects of their riffing sometimes got lost in the mix.. These guys were still awesome though and got a good response from all the thrash diehards. This is the second time I've seen them and they just get better so hopefully their next album will be ever better still.

Finally it was time for Lazarus A.D. whose new album is so so for me. I like their previous album a lot but the new one has some modern groove elements which sit less well with me. The sound was ok though still a touch too loud and muddy for such a small venue. When these guys play fast I love it but when they groove and slow down it doesn't quite work for me. Their set was well played and pretty tight overall with a couple of stand out highlights that got some frenzied headbanging going on from most of the crowd. The lead singer and bassist thanked those who bothered to turn up profusely and got loud cheers in response. Lazarus A.D. were solid and got the job done on what is the first night of their European tour so I'm sure they'll get better and tighter as the tour goes on.

A cool underground thrash night with a small attendance but who cares cause you can't beat a dose of solid head banging thrash metal!

Bought 5 gig tickets

2011-03-08T20:54:00.002Z

Spent £93 on tickets for forthcoming gigs. An average of £18.60 a gig for a ticket delivered to the door. I can't quite figure out in my mind if this is reasonable value for 5 separate gigs or is it a bit too much. Anyway what's done is done.

Here are the gigs

Thursday, 17 March - Accept + Wolf. Accept for the first time. Seen Wolf before.
Tuesday, 22 March - Symphony X + Power Quest. If a band other than Power Quest had supported I wouldn't have gone I must admit.
Friday, 1 April - Paradise Lost playing Draconian Times + Ghost. Seen PL many times. Playing their best album in full makes this an event worth attending.
Saturday, 23 April - Atheist + Exhumed. Finally seeing the tech death freaks from Florida live.
Thursday, 5 May - Power Quest, Neonfly and Primitai. Two lots of PQ action within a month or so. This time of course their own headline.

Oh and tomorrow I am thrashing it up with Lazarus A.D. and the main draw for me, Bonded By Blood. Wreck necks!

Houston LIve Report

2011-03-05T10:09:00.004Z

AOR gigs are a bit odd. So many damn old people everywhere. Most of the gigs I go to I AM the old one but here I'm probably slightly below the average age of all the gig goers gathered for some good old fashioned AOR wimp rock. The funny thing is all three bands on tonight's bill were much younger by far than most of the crowd!

This gig was billed as a one off Houston gig with support from two up and coming UK AORsters in the shape of Serpentine and Vega. However since then a Houston tour has been confirmed with 3 more giants of the AOR underground for later on in the year which should be fun.

Anyway first of all we had a fun Friday night of melodic rock to get through. The Borderline is a venue I have never been to as of yet, so that's one more venue ticked off of my list. It's a rather cosy place that would be packed with 300 or so people in it and to my surprise it was packed to the rafters more or less. It was quite busy already as I walked in around 7.40 and got gradually busier and fuller as each band played and finally I'd say it was a sell out more or less.

Whilst the AOR scene is pretty minute, I'd say it's not completely dead either judging by the attendance here and the band's made no secret of their pleasure at the turn out and said so on more than one occasion from the stage.

First up was Vega who released one of the best AOR albums from last year in Kiss of Life. The band is made up of the Martin bros and Nick Workman. The sound was a little iffy at first but got a little better. The band sounded in fine form and got a good response out of the crowd and more than a few were singing a long. The songs aired were all pretty good and most of the catchier songs from the debut were aired ending with Kiss of Life which went down best of all.

Next up were Serpentine showcasing their first ever live UK gig it seems alongside their brand new singer Matt Black who took over from Tony Mills of TNT/Shy fame. I must admit their Touch of Heaven album from last year didn't make too many waves with me. It was a pleasant enough AOR record but it was a bit sterile and pedestrian sounding and I'm not a huge fan of Tony Mills' vocals but anyhow he was gone and now they had a new young buck on the mic. As soon as he started singing it was pretty amazing to be honest. This young guy had a huge set of pipes on him that's for sure. Sometimes almost shrill and giving our ears a good going over on the high notes but his tone and style in general were perfect for the band. The new song they played called Philadelphia sounded much crisper and catchier than their older material.

The guys played with big smiles on their faces and I think the audience were very appreciative of the band and they went down very well and much better live than what I remember them sounding like on record. The new album with Matt Black should be something special for AOR fans if this performance is anything to go by.

Finally it was time for Houston. Now I know the Swedes had two members but I was wondering how they were going to round out the band and to my surprise they took to the stage with two girl guitarists yes that's TWO one rhythm and one lead and all members provided backing vocals of course. The sound was the best of the night too. The singer and mainman sounded in fine smooth voice and the band were tight with the melodic guitars and catchy choruses galore. It's hard to pick a best song of the night as all the songs from the debut album are pretty damn catchy to be honest. Some typical slightly awkward Swedish humour from the stage as well and after about a 50 minute set it was all over.

It had been a very fun night of melodic rock goodness proving that this music can still be a draw and it ain't completely dead and buried. On a side note can I say that the most bizarre person was at the show. I couldn't quite believe my eyes to be honest. During the Serpentine set I noticed two girls standing opposite me at the far end, one was a blonde and the other was a brunette. Now I had to take a double take, and screw my eyes carefully cause the brunette stunner was a dead ringer for UK pornstar Lolly Badcock! Very very odd indeed. The blonde girl was also quite familiar to me and I had a feeling she might be in the same game so to speak but what in the hell were doing at an AOR gig??? Anyway I slowly cottoned on to the fact that the blonde one maybe in some way attached to some member of the band in some way and most probably the singer Matt Black. Lo and behold a bit later I saw the blonde girl and Matt smooching away and talking. Lolly and he friend actually walked right past me to get a drink and whilst she's around the same height as me she's as thin as a rake and make no mistake. I was almost gonna pluck up courage and say hello Lolly I've spilt mucho seed over you in my time and can I have a kiss and a picture but it was just too loud and she wouldn't have heard me! Yeah right as if I'd say that! Anyway the whole thing was completely odd and I wonder what she thought of it all. Obviously her friend the blonde one was married to Matt and she's come along for the night. I didn't see he again but she might have been out back blowing one of the guy's from Houston the horny minx!

OK enough about that. I'll probably go and see these guys again in May with Serpentine, Miss Behaviour and a mystery band.

Fave albums of 2011 so far

2011-03-02T18:12:00.002Z

First of all a small post about football. United got beat by Chelsea. The loss was a touch hard to swallow as we played very well for most of the match but we got done in the end by a very dodgy pen. All in all we can't complain that much as we've had plenty of luck so far this season so things even themselves out as the saying goes. Not that Fergie saw it that way - he let the ref have it both barrels and we United fans wouldn't have it any other way!

Anyway on to my fave albums from this year so far. The top 10 as it stands at the moment is listed below that. It's been a great start to the year music wise as per usual.

Abacinate - Genesis
Deviant Syndrome - Inflicted Deviations
Fetal Decay - You Have No Choice
Neuraxis - Asylon
Bad Habit - Atmosphere
ColdSpell - Out from the Cold
M.ILL.ION - Sane And Insanity
Miss Behaviour - Last Woman Standing
Presto Ballet - Invisible Places
Robin Beck - The Great Escape
Ten - Stormwarning
TNT - A Farewell To Arms
Voodoo Circle - Broken Heart Syndrome
Appearance Of Nothing - All Gods Are Gone
Bullet - Highway Pirates
Crowbar - Sever The Wicked Hand
Dalriada - Ígéret
Korpiklaani - Ukon Wacka
Liquid Horizon - The Script of Life
Perihellium - The War Machines
Turisas - Stand Up And Fight
Axenstar - Aftermath
Emerald Sun - Regeneration
Evergrey - Glorious Collision
Hibria - Blind Ride
Power Quest - Blood Alliance
Serenity - Death & Legacy
Skanners - Factory Of Steel
Stratovarius - Elysium
Titans Eve - The Divine Equal
Visions Of Atlantis - Delta
Destruction - The Eternal Battle

10. Stratovarius - Elysium
09. M.ILL.ION - Sane And Insanity
08. Bad Habit - Atmosphere
07. Emerald Sun - Regeneration
06. Appearance Of Nothing - All Gods Are Gone
05. Liquid Horizon - The Script of Life
04. Turisas - Stand Up And Fight
03. ColdSpell - Out from the Cold
02. Ten - Stormwarning
01. Power Quest - Blood Alliance

Uk Thrash Night with Evile, Elimination and Mutant

2011-02-14T18:50:00.004Z

UK thrash is doing rather well these days so I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity of seeing three of the best thrashers from our shores so a ticket was bought and my second gig of 2011 was attended.

First up was a young band called Bleeding Oath who had apparently won the right to open the night up in an online contest. These guys were barely out of their nappies but they seemed to have ideas well above their station. They played a sort of progressive black death metal with some melody and also rather flat clean vocals. They sounded like a mix between Akercocke and Morbid Angel but with weaker music and zero song writing ability. However their instrumental skill was actually quite good for such a young band. They got an OK response from the mostly very young crowd but since they weren't thrash the kids mostly tolerated them and waited for the head banging feast to come.

Next up were the UK's best kept secret as far as thrash metal goes. I can't figure out how these guys are not signed and releasing albums to be honest they are that good. I've seen them a couple of times already and I was hoping they were gonna do some new tunes and that they did. The new songs sounded completely immense. Technical jamming riffs with torrents of groove and a clean as a whistle delivery. Apparently they are releasing 2 new songs soon so I look forward to that but what they need is an album damn it! Anyway their 30 minute set went by in a whirl of stage divers and moshpit mayhem and I think they got the best response of the night. The last song "The Rauncher" which is their anthem so to speak got the kids into a total frenzy with it's rampant riffs and melodic grooves. These guys deserve to be BIG!

Next up were Elimination whose album I bought direct from the band last year. It's not a fantastic thrash album but it's really solid over all. In the live setting the crowd's response was a little more muted due to the songs not being quite as catchy as Mutant's. Still they know a solid head banging riff or two and wound out plenty of 'em for the healthy Sunday night crowd. The singer's voice was a touch annoying for my tastes but these guys were solid thrash mongers and got some nice wind milling riffs going on. They just need to work a little more on their songs to make them more catchy or memorable.

Finally it was time for head liners Evile. It is the first time I am seeing since the death of the bassist as I missed the tribute shows last back end. It's the second time I am seeing the band and they don't disappoint. The young crowd went pretty apeshit for Evile. Their songs have bounce, groove and thrust and memorability, all the elements required to make quality thrash. Their songs are pretty dynamic, lurching from manic thrash assaults to slower and groovier riff attacks. The sound was sometimes a bit muddy and Matt Drake's vocals got a bit drowned out at times but the band is still super tight and this with literally half the audience on stage either diving or head banging with the band!

Evile played for about 70 minutes and went down a complete storm. They played a new song which was mid paced and had a massive groove to latch onto and saw almost the whole of the Underworld rocking out within seconds of the main riff starting up. The title track from current album, Infected Nations, got a massive response with mass mosh participation.

As for tonight's gig - well it was a fitting tribute to the UK thrash metal scene and a very enjoyable way to spend an otherwise boring Sunday evening. Just goes to prove thrash metal is perhaps the most fun metal genre of all especially in the live setting.

Evile is now taking time out to record their third album and it should really be something special after the brilliant Infected Nations. I just hope Mutant can release a full debut album soon as it will be a monstrous effort and make no mistake!

Firewind @ the Garage

2011-01-08T10:00:00.003Z

Pretty soon into 2011 and one of my favourite power metal bands were in town to kick off the new year in style. Before the all conquering power metal geniuses known as Firewind blew us all away, we had two support bands to get through. Namely Breed 77 and Primitai. Actually Primitai who are a local band were not listed as being part of the show. I guess they are one of those local warm up add ons that aren't listed for some reason.

Anyway I missed the start of their set but caught about 4 or 5 songs in the end to get the picture. The band is merely ok in my book. They are not a horrible screamo band or a metalcore band thankfully. They are a modern heavy metal band with influences ranging from say Maiden to Pantera to some heavier power metal bands. The singer's voice is ok but he didn't have any great charisma about him or any really catchy melodies of note. The guitarist's are no slouches though and they played well. They finished at 8pm and got some "Primitai! Primitai!" chants from a few kids and quite a few headbangers.

Soon the stage was ready for Breed 77 - that's Breed Seven Seven and not Breed Seventy Seven by the way! They are a London based melodic modern cum nu-metal band from Spanish descent. They are basically like the UK's answer to Ill Nino or something along those lines. These guys have been around quite a long time in and around the London scene but I've never seen them not being a nu-metal fan but someone had obviously seen it fit to book them as support to a full on power metal band so here we are.

The sound was immediately much better for them than it was for Primitai which was a plus point. Their songs were built around jerky and melodic mid paced riffing with sometimes crooning vocals and other times Panteraesque screams. In fact to sum up the band they were like a more melodic Pantera with Spanish Flamenco influence with nice lurching grooves. The punters were sort of lukewarm to them. Some were totally getting it and headbanging and moshing furiously but the older power metal loving throngs were like yeah yeah get this nu-metal crap off.

I was sort of in-between to be honest. I thought they were quite good and had some tasty riffage which a power metal fan could enjoy but then they had the jump da fuck up nu-metal posturing to go with it which was like ok that's not good at a power metal gig is it lads! Anyway Breed 77 were in my eyes not too bad at all and their cover of the Cranberries Zombie was immensely fun and heavy actually and perhaps the most enjoyable song of their set. They played nearly and hour which is quite good for a support slot.

Finally at around 9.30 or just before the intro to Firewind's set started and the Greeks took to the stage fully revved up and raring to go. As you may know Bob plays both guitar and keyboards whilst on stage and he'd probably have you believe that he plays them at the same time but that's pushing it but on many occasions he has guitar hanging from his neck whilst tinkling the keyboards and switching quickly back and forth which is quite fun to watch. Gus G was wearing his privateer looking tunic or jacket as they burst into the opening cut from the new album, The Ark of Lies. Apollo ran on and he had much longer hair and looked much more metal than in the older days shall we say. They have a new drummer since the bald guy quit but good power metal drummers are probably ten a penny so no one really noticed the difference probably.

Appollo sounded in fine voice as second song Head Up High started up and it's familiar catchy chorus soon had the very healthy Friday night crowd bellowing along. I don't know what happened to the air conditioning in the Garage but that floor was wet and steamy last night from all the sweaty headbangers and song after incessant song of power metal bliss only made matters more steamy still. The new single World on fire was played ferociously by the band and sounded much better and heavier live than it did on record. Amazing performance on that one.

There was a slight lull shortly into the set were we had the all instrumental the Fire and The Fury followed by drum solos and Gus's guitar solo and basically no vocals for about 10 minutes or which I must say was a bit much. Is it possible to go to a gig and not have a drum solo please? It's fucking BORING!

Finally that useless skin bashing was over and we got back to the songs and what songs they offered up for the punters. The infectious Apollo vocal melodies were bursting out here there and everywhere song after song. I loved the new track Chariot - a pure highlight of the set. My Loneliness which followed slowed things down a touch but was nevertheless absolutely perfectly sung and played. Easily one of the best songs of the night as was Mercenary Man which followed.

Towards the end of the set we had the dance hit Maniac given the Firewind treatment which got the punters er flash dancing is it? Well anyway it was fun. At one point whoever was on the stage smoke generator got carried away a bit as well as the whole floor was swamped with smoke and you could barely see your next door neighbour never mind the stage. Bizarre! Tyranny was the last song of the main set and was greeted rapturously and played mightily fast by the guys.

They left but of course the encore was still to come. Firstly it was Into the Fire which is not a huge fave of mine but the following track is the ultimate Firewind song that I'd been waiting all night for and that's I am The Anger which was shredded from beginning till end and sung powerfully as always by Apollo. Finally at just gone 11pm they finished with one of their more melodic and less speedy hits Falling into Pieces which was a nice way to end.

I've seen Firewind 3 or 4 times now and they never disappoint in the live setting. Mind you when you have so many cool tunes how can it possibly go wrong eh? They played around 90 minutes and on a Friday night that's a great way to start the weekend and on the plus side the rain had stopped and it was actually mild outside! Bring on the weekend!

Top 50 albums of the year.

2010-12-19T10:56:00.002Z

So here it is again. My top 50 albums of the year in reverse order.

50. Fear Factory – Mechanize
Great come back album. Could be my fave FF of all time and Burton sounds the best he has ever done in my opinion.

49. Kiske & Somerville - st
Love anything Kiske does these days apart from his shitty solo albums. Great chemistry between the two for me although I have read this chemistry questioned by some but for me it's a delightful album.

48. First Signal – st
Harry Hess of Harem Scarem fame fronts a typical Frontiers melodic rock project. Works out just great for me.

47. Gamma Ray - To The Metal!
To be honest the Rays delivered just a solid melodic power metal album of the likes which Kai can probably write in his sleep. Helloween has you beat Kai I'm sorry to say. Still even an average GR album is enjoyable enough.

46. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier
Almost included by default. I don't like the raw production much but some of these songs are very good and I'm sure will sound a 1000 times better live. The Talisman is almost worth the admission price alone.

45. Reckless Love - st
Super cleanly produced glammy AOR with cheese montor dial set to eleven. But when you have the tunes to back it up who can resist?

44. Overkill - Ironbound
I think this is the first Overkill album I have liked from start to finish. Possibly their finest hour. Never been a fan of Bobby Blitz's vocals which is probably why this isn't higher in my list cause the music wrecks necks no doubt about it.

43. Virgin Steele - The Black Light Bacchanalia
I count myself as a bit of a VS fanboy. I liked Visions of Eden song wise but the production was cheap. This time the production is much clearer and better but not perfect by any means. The songs are regular VS fare however as many have noted Mr. Defeis does tend to under sing a little, he doesn't really belt it out like in the old days. Maybe his voice is shot who knows. Anyway I enjoyed this album.

42. Halford - Made Of Metal
The love it or hate it Halford album. The only complaint I have is with the production which really is not up to standard for this day and age. The songs are very fun and melodic metal with Mr. H in very good form.

41. Bonded By Blood - Exiled To Earth
A top quality thrash metal throwback with only the vocals being a bit painful but the dude has left now so we will see how the next one turns out. Musically they are on the money!

40. Magic Kingdom - Symphony Of War
Dushan Petrossi's other band finally released and it was worth the wait. I am not quite sure if I like it as much as his other band Iron Mask but this album is top quality melodic neo-classical metal.

39. Helstar - Glory of Chaos
I didn't like their previous album but the new one hit it out of the park with me. Great thrashy power with sizzling vocals from the main man James Rivera.

38. Human Temple - Murder of Crows
Typical Finnish melodic rock merchants deliver wonderfully catchy songs in the main, with lush production and sweet vocals. If you like the style, you'll love Human Temple, it's that simple really.

37. ReinXeed - Majestic
I have liked all the ReinXeed releases so far to differing degrees but Majestic is far and away the best. Lightning fast, airy melodic speed metal, with swashbuckling keys and high as a kite vocals from main man Tommy. Some would call it cheesy as hell but I just call it a whole heap of happy!

36. Wuthering Heights - Salt
The last two WH have been magical and Salt is more of the same from the band. The vocal performance of Patrik Johansson is of course teh main draw for me. The music is so dazzling and melodic that it takes a few plays to fully cement itself in your brain but once it does your in for a hell of a ride!

35. Rhapsody of Fire - The Frozen Tears of Angels
Finally they are back and with two releases this year no less! I think Luca finally realised that Rhapsody of Fire is a heavy metal band first and foremost which is what makes this comeback so good. The band were lost in the Joey created dark abyss but now they are fully back on track. Oh to one day catch them live - tis but a dream of mine! Oh and Luca please make that Keeper 3 album you promised us many moons ago with Olaf Hayer doing his best Kiske impression - you owe it to us!

34. H.E.A.T - Freedom Rock
The kings of AOR currently deliver a strong follow up to the stand out debut. The singer Kenny has gone now but the new guy promises to be just as good. They are due to release an ep with him with some new songs and re-records of early songs with his new vocals. We will see how it turns out but Kenny is mighty big shoes to fill as he delivers a stellar performance on these tunes.

33. InnerWish - No Turning Back
These guys were missing for year and years but they came back with a huge band this year. This is a real solid melodic power metal album with plenty of balls and memorable songs with plenty of fat choruses to get stuck into. Nice one by the Greeks!

32. Edenbridge - Solitaire
Been loving Sabine and co since the Shine album now and Solitaire is yet another fantastic release. The production on this album is just incredible being heavy as lead and yet crystal clear. I love Sabine's style of singing and the songs are very good for the most part. I know some have claimed the album is 'boring' but I hear only the opposite so I'm very happy with this album.

31. Issa - Sign Of Angels
Another one of those manufactured Frontiers releases, but when the quality of songwriting is this good then who can bith? Issa is a gal going places make no mistake, she can really sing and looks the part. Whether she makes it in melodic rock music is open to question but she could be really quite big in Europe if they tone down the guitars for her. However for the sake of us rockers let's hope they don't do that and she comes back with another top quality follow up. I'm sure the Frontiers team have a follow up in mind, they are not stupid, they know when they have a hit on their hands.

30. Wicked Sensation - Crystallized
Another melodic rock come back gem, this time from our Deutsch friends. The production on this album is near enough flawless. The songs are memorable and the vocals are super clear. Again if you enjoy melodic rock/metal you can't go wrong with Wicked Sensation.

29. Grand Magus - Hammer Of The North
This is grand indeed. Pounding true heavy metal to be sung loud and proud from cliff tops with wind in your hair etc. These guys have moved away from the real doomy stuff and remind me a little bit of Amon Amarth musically speaking only of course with those chest beating pounding riffs and magical calls to Valhalla reflected in the pwoerful vocals. Epic!

28. Volbeat - Beyond Hell Above Heaven
Sure the wonder of Volbeat has worn off and they've been making similar albums for a while now but it seems there is a slight change in the air this time. The songs sound much more melodic than before not that they weren't melodic then, but it somehow sounds even catchier now. One of those bands that's quite hard to put down to be honest and almost a guilty pleasure though there's nothing to be guilty about in loving da 'beat!

27. Degreed - Life Love Loss
A melodic pop/rock debut full of wonderfully catchy material. They are very young and sound it on record, but they are also very professional and when you have a debut of this much quality, it really bodes well for the future.

26. Suicidal Angels - Dead Again
Old school thrash doesn't get any better than this for me. A rip roaring, short, sharp ride through Slayer infested waters, made for people who like to bang their heads - a lot!

25. Sinbreed - When Worlds Collide
Another top class German band this time at the heavy end of the power metal spectrum. Carrying the torch where bands like Running Wild and Grave Digger to a lesser extent have left it behind.

24. Firewind - Days of Defiance
Been a Gussy fanboy for years now. Firewind have slowly evolved from a straight up heavy power band to more of a melodic rock direction which suits me fine as I love both styles. However this album sees a toning down of the melodic elements and a return to more of a heavy power metal sound. I don't think it's as good as The Premonition but it's a really good album in it's own right. Apollo sounds totally amazing as always.

23. Masterplan - Time to be King
Yet another really great come back although I guess some people will have other views. I for one think Jorn needed to sing for Masterplan and they did the best they could do. The songs were there and the sound was really heavy. I've read complaints about the production but I don't hear any major flaws myself. A very enjoyable platter and any time Jorn sings I'm listening!

22. Vega - Kiss Of Life
Another debut from the UK this time and it's pretty much flawless as you would expect from a Frontiers release. The production is tip top as are the songs. I am not a huge huge fan of the vocals which can be a touch thin on occasion but that's such a minor complaint as song wise the album can hold it's head up high with the best of them.

21. Versailles - Jubilee
An acquired taste in power metal circles shall we say, but the band never ceases to amaze with their music skills. The vocals will always be a major stumbling block for most but I must admit I have got used to the warbling buzzard with time and the music is always enough of a draw, especially the sumptious production values and spectacular playing ability.

20. Dark Moor – Ancestral Romance
Massive fan of the last Dark Moor and I looked forward to this follow up with baited breath and at first I wasn't so sure but then after more plays I realised this is a wonderful release in it's own right. It's majestic, has many troughs and valleys and a crystal clear production. The symphonic elements and the ambition of the band is also pretty breath taking at times. This one needs plays galore but you will be rewarded in time.

19. Galneryus – Resurrection
With a new singer on board I wasn't sure how the new Galneryus will sound, but I shouldn't have worried cause it sounds bloody great! The music is always sweeping melodic power with top notch sonics and the new guy on the mic has a much mroe pleasant voice to listen to and sounds less 'Japanese' hehe!

18. Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy
A shock entry from this modern rock Slipknot spin off band. I hadn't liked a single song from the band before the little that I had heard of them, but when i first heard the single Say You'll Haunt Me, I was haunted alright! The vocals for Corey are really good, the guitars, rock and the songs stay in your head for days. Only the production was a touch muddy for my tastes. Songwise it had it all as far as modern rock goes.

17. Signum Regis - The Eyes of Power
A recent entry but what an album from a little known guy from Slovakia who does everything by himself and has Goran Edman and a couple of guests do the vocals. This album is just pure pleasure to listen to let me tell you. Melodic power metal with a slight melodic rock edge and also a shred angle all topped off with Goran's crystal clear vocals. For someone with my taste this really is a no brainer.

16. Allen Lande - The Showdown
Well we've been waiting for the third Allen lande instalment from the songwriting sword of Magnus Karlsson and it doesn't disappoint one jot. Sure it goes over tried and tested ground but when you can listen through without feeling the urge to hit the skip button then your in melodic heaven with two of the finest voices in rock at the helm to boot. I have never been a big Allen fan but always a huge Jorn fan but this album made me an Allen fan.

15. Accept - Blood Of The Nations
Holy Shit this is good! I am not a fan of Udo's vox but I know his place in Accept is almost sacrosanct according to some, but damn this guy does a tip top job. The production courtesy of Sneap is what you would expect of course, being massively heavy and in your face, but you still need the tunes and Accept have outdone themselves. I would say it's the best Accept album ever by far personally speaking, having no great allegiance to the early days with Udo. I will catch them on the UK tour in early 2011 you betcha!

14. Pretty Maids - Pandemonium
Another band that I've never had a love affair with in the past that really shocked with the quality of their album. This is melodic heavy metal at it's very best and make no mistake. I haven't been into Pretty Maids much in the past but if they ever make it over to our shores, I'll be there in a flash judging by this album.

13. Helloween - 7 Sinners
Gambling with the Devil was awesome and 7 Sinners follows suit. Andi Deris is now at the heart of everything great about modern day Helloween and belongs as the lead singer of the band. The quality in this album remains at a high standard all the way. The production is very heavy and perhaps could have been a touch clearer if I'm being extra picky. Songwise the band is in great form though I am not sure if I like the album as much as it's predecessor.

12. Aeon Zen – The Face Of The Unknown
This young boy really has some amazing chops and is a top class songwriter to boot. This album is not perfect from beginning to end especially vocally as too many different people sing with various levels of success including Rich Binks himself. It would be wise to find one singer next time. Musically almost flawless in my eyes.

11. Astral Doors - Requiem Of Time
The band that can do no wrong. Album after album sounds exactly the same. Do I care? The hell do I! They just have the knack for writing cool tunes and when you have one of the best rock singers in the world on the mic you can't really go far wrong in my eyes. Hopefully they are working on a follow up quickly as I know these guys work pretty fast.

10. Grand Illusion - Brand New World
Wonderfully produced Svensk melodc pomp rock comeback. These guys had some cool albums under their belts in the past but nothing that I would go gaga over, but the new album did send me over the top when I first heard it. Some of it has worn off over time but it deserves it's position due to the number of times I played it earlier on in the year. The production on this thing is literally a million dollars. A joyous listen.

09. Dream Evil - In The Night
The most fun heavy metal band out there. Some don't get it but I think most metal fans have a soft spot for da 'Evil in their hearts. In The Night was almost as good as United but maybe a touch below. That still gives it easy top ten status for me. They rock live too!

08. Axel Rudi Pell - The Crest
Love Axel's style and album after album he delivers the same high standard of melodic metal. The Crest is an all round solid record and with Johnny Gioeli in top form on the mic.

07. Rage - Strings to a web
Loved Carved in Stone the rpevious effort but I know many didn't but Strings to a Web is even better in my eyes. I love the guitar play from Viktor Smolski and Peavy is his usual "cool as hell frontman" self. The song writing is very good all round and the album is just a great ride. Love it to death!

06. Pathfinder - Beyond The Space Beyond The Time
Holy crap these guys have created one of the most spectacular symphonic power metal debuts of all time. These Poles have really honed their style to perfection. They've been around quite a while and have created quite a buzz here and there with the odd song, but the album as a whole is just a magnificent record in my eyes.

05. Treat - Coup De Grace
Great comeback time! I've said that a few times in this run down haven't I! Well this time it really is true. These Swedes have completely bowled me over with this release. The songs, the sound, the good time feel, everything is more or less perfect. The only thing which is slightly below what I would call perfect are the vocals which whilst very good are not technically perfect always but that's basically really splitting hairs as a criticism. Amazing album!

04. Alter Bridge - AB III
That three great albums in a row from these giants of US modern hard rock. Blackbird was just an amazing record but by the Gods of Rock they've actually managed to equal if not better it! The vocal performance from Myles Kennedy is truly a wonder for the ears. The songwriting is consistently strong as strong as an ox and it makes you wonder how they keep churning out these wonderfully strong melodies song after song. Perhaps the album that hits strongest on an emotional level this year.

03. Sabaton - Coat Of Arms
When I first heard Coat of Arms I was almost a touch disappointed. I thought it was quite a step down from The Art of War and whilst I still think that album is unbeatable, I have now grown to adore Coat of Arms almost just as much. The band just has this addictive sense of melody and free flowing melodic power metal that I find very hard to resist.

02. Seventh Wonder - The Great Escape
When I first heard this album my mouth was literally nailed to the floor. I thought damn these guys have gone and topped Mercy Falls which I thought was an impossible task. But heck, they've somehow managed it. The production on this record is phenomenal and cannot be bettered ever. This is how melodic metal should sound in my book. In general prog metal is not a genre which Iam a major fan of however with a band like Seventh Wonder the melodic quotient is set so high that it immediately grabs and never lets go. It's also one of those albums that reveals further charms the more you play it. The vocals are also one of the best in the business. His tone and melody is really pure aural ambrosia for the ears.

01. Instanzia - Ghost
So I arrive at the number one disk of the year for me and it to be honest it is a complete surprise. This disk has completey bowled me over. Imagine that some unknowns from Canada on their debut album deliver something so spectacularly good that it floors everything else I've heard this year. Ok this is very high praise indeed and perhaps a little over the top, but put the praise in context that this is their debut effort and most bands need time but these guys have immediately made their name. I'm sure many people won't probably hear them and ignore them as a noob band, but goddamn these boys have it all. Their songwriting skills are really something to be hold. There is not one weak moment in this album that I can hear. The choruses swirl around your head like a swarm of bees and embed themselves long after the songs have finished. The replaybility of this disk is just through the roof for me. The lead vocals could perhaps be a touch more powerful, hwoever this is nit picking in the extreme. The choir back ups are wonderful and pure sugar for the ears and even the lyrical matter intrigues me at times and normally I could care less about lyrics but I listen quite closely to the words this time. They even give Sabaton a run for their money with a lyrically sympathetic song about Field Marshall Rommell. I'm not sure about the accuracy of it and about Rommell being a "good guy" on the "dark side" but anyway the song itself is completely amazing. So well done guys you deserve my number one spot. There's not an original note to be heard here but with songs of this magnitude you just can't go wrong. Brilliant!

Top 40 death metal albums of 2010

2010-12-18T11:44:00.002Z

Yes it's that time again. This year's death metal has been rather so so I must say. I always find albums to like though and I have found 40 worthy of my time though of course not everyone's!

40. Decimation - Anthems Of An Empyreal Dominion
Cool death metal with intricate riffing.

39. Diluvian – Epidemic
Tight and clinical tech death blastathon.

38. Made of Hate - Pathogen
Great riffed up melodeath with slightly raw production but tons of riffs to enjoy.

37. Revolting - The Terror Threshold
Old school death metal is king.

36. Heaving Earth - Diabolic Prophecies
Morbid Angel worship is king.

35. A Loathing Requiem - Psalms Of Misanthropy
Necrophagist worship is win but production is lose.

34. Synperium - Elemental Disharmony
Aussie staccato tech death but not quite as good as the best but solid nevertheless.

33. Ichor - Benthic Horizon
Brutality and death metal music with songs fixated with the sea.

32. The Absence - Enemy Unbound
Top quality melodic death metal a genre which I have slowly fallen out of love with but when it's done properly well who can resist.

31. Solerrain - Fighting The Illusion
Super dooper Bodom worship from the icy Russian wastes. Fast, melodic and well produced.

30. Cerberus - Redemption Of Demigod
Clinical and tight brutal death from our Chilean amigos. Comprende?

29. Overoth - Kingdom Of Shadows
Morbid Angel worship is king and then some as far as this band's concerned.

28. Fleshwrought – Dementia-Dyslexia
Well played tech death.

27. Sarcolytic - Thee Arcane Progeny
Super brutal and tight tech death.

26. Demiurg - Slakthus Gamleby
Classic old school death with Dan Swano and the man man Rogga Johannson

25. Inherit Disease - Visceral Transcendence
The most brutal album by far in my list. Not for the weak of will or heart. I know everyone hates it.

24. Sothoros - Flood The Stone
Again well played tech death with some melody as well.

23. Fleshrot – Traumatic_Reconfiguration
Standard cool death metal like Cannibal Corpse but faster.

22. Element - The Energy
Sci-fi tech death with clean sound. Like Detachment or Psyferia or bands of that ilk.

21. Atheist - Jupiter
I have very mixed views on this come back. The production sounds good but the arrangements sound very messy and disjointed to me. There's not much flow. I have never liked the vocals in Atheist and I continue to dislike them in fact I think he completely sucks as a "death metal growler singer or whatever". Having said that there are some amazing riffs on the album so all is not lost but for my ears this album could have been so much better if the songs were more catchy and focused.

20. Dawn Of Demise - A Force Unstoppable
Cool and heavy riffing death metal plain and simple.

19. Dark Tranquillity - We Are The Void
The kings of the genre gets darker and more blackened but still have class in spades.

18. Arsis - Starve for the Devil
Good solid melodic death metal with pristine production. I'll take them over Arch Enemy any day.

17. Zilla - Pragmatic Evolution
Melodic and tech death with slightly bad vocals but nice music. I'll get over the vox.

16. Entrails - Tales From The Morgue
Hahahaha! (that was supposed to be an evil laugh by the way!) Killer old school death with Sunlight guitar sound and all round catchy, deathly, ghostly, gravely, evilness.

15. Diskreet - Engage The Mechanicality
Brutal and tech death guys with much more tech sound than before with a cleaner production. Like it cerebral? Listen to Diskreet!

14. Flesh Consumed - Ecliptic Dimensions of Suffering
Brutal and tech death machine, very well played.

13. Hideous Deformity - Defoulment Of Human Purity
Really solid brutal tech death with great separation in the production and really solid all round.

12. Kalmah - 12 Gauge
The best melodeath album of the year with ease. Kalmah are real stalwarts of this genre now.

11. Severe Torture - Slaughtered
The European Corpse Worship Machine as I like to tag them. They know what the fuck they are doing and deliver brutality and hig precision level death metal.

10. Annotations Of An Autopsy - The Reign Of Darkness
Ex UK deathcore merchants leave that bullshit behind and deliver solid and heavy pounding death metal with strong Morbid Angel licks and slowish groove riffs.

09. King Of Asgard – Fi'mbulvintr
The new Amon Amarth so to speak.

08. Arkaik - Reflections Within Dissonance
Brutal and high quality tech death from this underground band. A brilliant and well played album with cool intuitive riffs.

07. Colonize the Rotting - Composing the Masticated
One of the best productions I have ever heard on a brutal death metal album. the sound is totally monstrously massive and yet crystal clear. The songs are short groovy and to the point with high precision level drums and riffing.

06. Aeon - Path Of Fire
Swedish uber satanists deliver their usual catchy death metal with stomps, grooves and cool vocals with lyrics which to me seem slightly tongue in cheek.

05. Stigmatized - Whispers of the Dead
German mob return after great first album and do not disappoint. The production is fabulous and there are some totally brilliant passages here. The vocals are a bit too mixed up and I wish they would stick with the Chuck/Tardy mix of the first album. Musically these guys can hold their head with the best that death metal has to offer.

04. Jack Slater - Extinction Aftermath
One more for our Deutsch friends in Jack Slater. Clean riffed heavy tech death with quality sound. What more can you ask for as a fan of death metal I say.

03. Decrepit Birth – Polarity
Not sure if Polarity is as good as the previous album but it sure as hell kicks ass in it's own right. These guys have the most amazing solos I've heard all year.

02. Soreption - Deterioration Of Minds
Wow what top quality Decapitated worship this is. If you like stop start clincal riffathons then this band is for you. The songs are very catchy to boot.

01. Son of Aurelius - The Farthest Reaches
This is just a stupendous album of death metal magic. Yes it has links to the deathcore scene and I will say that the vocals took a damn lot of getting used to from my perspective (and i still don't like them by the way), however the music in this band is just amazing to say the least. Free flowing not overly busy or brain damaging but with superb musicianship. I just love the flow and the melodies these guys use in their riffs. It all seems so effortless though I'm sure it's as complex as hell. I also like the fact that they don't try to be too brutal and just let the music flow so well so that it doesn't sound disjointed like in many death metal bands.

So that's it for death metal in 2010. Cannibal Corpse will release in 2011. Let's hope it rips face!

Taste of Chaos Tour @ Wembley Arena Live Report

2010-12-09T18:05:00.001Z

Wasn’t planning on going to this tour by any means but when you can nab a ticket for half price you have to give it a go don’t you and the thing is I’ve wanted to see Disturbed for a good while now having become a fan from the Believe album onwards. Of course 3 other bands were on this bill as well, namely female fronted rockers Halestorm, glamsters Buckcherry and melodic nu-metallers Papa Roach.

Luckily the guy I got the ticket off had bought a seat that was perfectly situated to the right of the stage and close enough to see the stage clearly but without being able to see the whites of their eyes but with a great view. The venue is not really set out to be a music venue as the seats face the main floor and the stage is at one end so you end up swivelling in your seat a little towards the stage.

Anyway as I sat down Halestorm were just starting their second or third song. They sounded quite good and they have quite a feisty lady fronting them whose hair used to be blonde as I recall but it was dyed brunette this time. The band sounded fine and so did she. It wasn’t that exciting but it was a good enough warm up. The last song Get Off is their most famous and best tune and got the biggest response from the crowd.

A little word about the crowd actually. This audience was not one which I usually recognise as my fellow gig goers. I’d say the majority of the crowd would be classed as casual metal fans. In the sense that these were normal people who happened to like or heard some Disturbed or Papa roach and though it was cool. Of course there were a lot of youngsters at the show who obviously are only into nu-school or jump da fuck up metal and also a lot of what we call “Chavs” or what you Yanks would call “white trash” at the show. These bands just seem to attract this type of fan for some reason though of course Disturbed seem to attract all types of people who are transfixed by their unity under metal mantra.

Anyway it was time for Buckcherry. I know zilch about them aprt from seeing a few pics and interviews in rock mags and knowing that they are glammy. And glammy they were in spades! They sounded like AC/DC gone glam or sleazy. That All Night Long song got the crowd going which was filling up nicely by now. I’d guess the final attendance to be around 6-7000 or so. The seats weren’t full by any means but the floor was heavily packed. Back to Buckcherry and soon the very energetic frontman took his top off to reveal a lean multicoloured torso full of tatts and started doing his dancing madcap whirling dervish routine. Can’t say I will ever be a Buckcherry fan but they entertain no doubt.

Next up were Paparoach whose only song I know is of course Last Resort with the Maiden riff steal in it. It seems a lot of their songs have melodic metal motifs in them one other example being The Enemy and plenty of others too. Paparoach is one of those bands that the kids go apeshit for and I mean really fucking apeshit. There were huge pits breaking out all over the place and it was quite a sight watching a sea of kids being swept around the floor like a rowdy human sea or something. The front man for Paparoach whose name escapes me was very good at inciting a near enough riot during the the final song which was of course their number one anthem, Last Resort. Look I’m not rushing out to get Paparoach cds after this but you can’t deny they put on a spectacle of melodic nu-metal posturing and slam dancing which was a real sight to be hold from my vantage point. I’ll pass on the music though!

And finally at 9.45pm we arrived at Disturbed and my only real reason for being there. The stage set was much more interesting to look at with large video screens behind the band which sometimes show the band and other times videos of the song the band happen to be playing. The sound was very crisp although I noticed that the guitar was a bit low in the mix and didn’t sound as good as Paparoach’s did by far. However David Draiman’s voice was mixed stupendously loud compared with the other instruments and I think I know why. He has a lot of problems with his voice and I think he is mixed super loud so he doesn’t have to sing himself hoarse in order to be heard above the rest of the music.

The band is very tight once they hit their stride with their booming brand of powerful metal, which sounds very empowering so to speak. My fave songs were Prayer and Inside the Fire but the whole set was played tight and very well. The only this I would say is that Draiman sometimes changes vocal melodies very slightly when compared to the albums, which could be another problem that has arisen from his vocal problems. Not that it makes that much difference and it’s even quite cool to hear it in a different way sometimes. The vocal acrobatics that he does were done flawlessly and he seemed to be singing within himself and not busting his balls with emotion or anything, yet another sign of the vocal situation that he has.

The crowd response for them was not as huge and immense as it was for Paparoach but it was close. Multiple crazy pits were breaking out and of course the “unity in metal” that Draiman never ceases to go an about is quite cool to witness though possibly a little bit cheesy. They are a very powerful band and with the songs to back it up although I must admit I think I prefer them on record than live personally speaking.
The final song of the night is their anthem Down With The Sickness and finally saw the Wembley Arena floor going literally bananas with mega amounts of pits breaking out and a fitting end to the night it was.

Remnants
Asylum
The Game
Prayer
Liberate
Land of Confusion
The Animal
Inside the Fire
Stricken
Another Way to Die
Stupify
Ten Thousand Fists
Indestructible

Encore
Down with the Sickness

Helloween and Stratovarius Live Report

2010-12-06T18:51:00.003Z

On a perishingly cold Sunday night the London power metal throngs gathered at the HMV Forum for two of the giants of the game to show us what they can do to warm us up. First of all, as I walked in the venue a third and unexpected band were on stage doing the actual warming up so to speak. I didn't have any idea about the presence of this band who were in fact Trick or Treat from Spain. I actually know these guys quite well and they are quite fun. I only caught 3 songs from the band and they sounded quite happy and fun but the singer had an extremely high voice with a rather thick Spanish accent which is a bit funny but power metal is supposed to be fun is it not? ToT were that indeed for three songs..

It is my first time in this venue and I found it to be a really nice place to hold a gig of this size. The upstairs was actually shut off completely as the attendance obviously did not warrant said opening. The crowd slowly built in anticipation for Stratovarius and finally at 8pm they took to the stage with an 800 or so crowd ready to welcome them to London once again. I must admit the sound was pretty excellent all night although I had trouble hearing Timo's vocals on occasion. It was rather strange to see only two long term Strato members on stage - namely Timo and Jens of course. However the new guitarist is really a top notch player and nailed his parts to perfection although he's not the most expressive guy facially.

Timo tried hard to get the crowd going and to begin with it was a bit of a struggle but slowly the crowd was warming to the task. Timo announced that Jorg Michael was ill and would rejoin the band in January but they had a very suitable replacement by the name of Alex something or other I forget what. Anyway the band is very tight indeed replacement drummer or not. I must admit I don't recognise quite a lot of the set list although I've heard them in the past, I'm just not enough of a Strato fanboy to be singing along to the tunes but there were plenty of people present who were obviously! My favourite song of the night was Speed of Light which was played lightning last and sounded very good indeed. Kiss of Judas was also a recognisable highlight. Winter Skies was also excellently played and sung. The song of the set however was the furiously catchy Hunting High and Low. The last song was Black Diamond of course one of theie most famous. I actually don't like this song much oddly enough but people loved it of course. At 9pm Stratovarius finally left the stage to long applause. They pleased me but I wasn't overly excited by them to be honest but like I said I am not a huge huge Strato fan or anything but I respect them as one of the power metal biggies in Europe. I sometimes wonder how Stratovarius would sound if they were a twin guitar band but that's for another day. The only thing I would repeat is that it's rather odd for the founder of the band to not be up there on stage with them not that I care or anything though. I guess it's better for the band that he's not though as the new album Elysium could be very special..hopefully!

Phoenix
Legions
Darkest Hours
The Kiss of Judas
Against the Wind
Winter Skies
Speed of Light
Deep Unknown
Paradise
Hunting High and Low
Black Diamond

Finally at around 9.40pm Helloween took to the stage with a blisteringly heavy version of Are You Metal? blaring out of the speakers. The song sounded much better live than it does on record as well. The band looked and sounded on tip top form by all reckoning and this after just one song. The sound was crystal clear more or less instantly which I am not used to happening in London gigs, as normally it takes the sound guys a couple of songs to sort things out but this time there was no such problems.

Andi Deris was really into it in a rather big way I must say and got the crowd well pumped who were much more vociferous than they were for Stratovarius. Eagle Fly Free saw full crowd participation on the chorus and most of the song actually and Andi often turned the mic to the crowd and was met with loud singing. Andi's vocals were top notch all night and he nailed the highs even though he did make one funny quip before one song with rather too many high notes! He said something to the affect that he has his "predecessor to thank for that!" referring to Kiske of course.

I must admit I had seen recent helloween setlists which were personally speaking much better for me , featuring newer songs which are more in line with my personal taste. However what they did perform, they did with flawless abandon. Markus' bass playing was awesome to say the least and he sounded crystal clear in the sound mix which helped no end. I was hoping to hear World of Fantasy from the new album or If I Could Fly which I have seen on recent set lists as I said but it wasn't to be. The Keeper medley of their longest songs was rapturously received although I must admit that part dragged a touch for me although I should say I was probably alone in that respect in the whole crowd hehe!

The end of the set saw the band play songs that they obviously must play otherwise they'd be lynched probably! The songs being the usual suspects that you can see below in the set list. I beat a hasty retreat after the first encore and missed Dr. Stein but I've heard it enough now I think don't you? :-)

My overall feeling is that Helloween really are the grandfathers of this genre now and most bands look up to them as reaching the pinnacle of European power metal and although the set list did not quite meet with my expectations personally speaking, I can't deny that they are probably stronger as a band than they've ever been. The songs I did hear were executed flawlessly and with great enthusiasm by all on stage even Weiky who is not the happiest of fellows on stage at the best of times, looked to be having lots of fun. The funniest guy was definitely Markus though and he's actually a very talented bass player and I think people sometimes forget that. More new songs next time guys!

Are You Metal?
Eagle Fly Free
March of Time
Guitar Solo
Where the Sinners Go
Steel Tormentor
Drum Solo
I'm Alive
Handful Of Pain
Keeper/The King for A 1000 Years /Halloween Medley
I Want Out

Encore

Ride the Sky
Future World

2nd Encore

Dr. Stein

Alter Bridge @ the Hammersmith Apollo

2010-10-23T09:39:00.003+01:00

For the life of me I can't remember if I've ever been to the Apollo but as I arrived outside Hammersmith tube, the place had a very familiar look about it. There was already a queue outside but it was far too early to join then so I went for a stroll round Hammersmith which was very busy indeed, stopping off at this Charcoal Grill place where Chicken Shish and Chips was definitely the order of the day! Before long I was heading back to the venue at 7pm or so with belly full and ready for a night's pounding heavy rock. The excitement was starting to build slow and there was a huge, though moving queue building up as I joined the back of it. I was looking forward to seeing Alter Bridge immensely as I have all three of their albums and each of them is spectacular in it's own way. The band can do very little wrong as far as I'm concerned.

Luckily I had managed to nab a ticket on ebay although it was in the "Gods" I wasn't that worried as I had a decent view of the stage and a fairly comfortable seat. The Apollo was pretty much packed to the rafters I would say with probably around 6000 or so people attending the show at a guess. It's interesting to see what kind of people attend an Alter Bridge show. It's not the usual type of metalhead or hard rocker crowd that I am used to. You get people from all walks of life attending. Old people in their 60s who are nostalgic rockers to emo teenagers in My Chemical Romance shirts and all types in between. The band really does attract a wide variety and I guess it just boils down to the fact that their song writing has such wide ranging appeal.

First band on at 8pm were Slaves to Gravity. I listened to them on myspace and they weren't that bad or anything but their tunes didn't excite live. They were like an Alter Bridge-lite band without the melodic tunes or the really amazing vocals. They got an OK response but people were just waiting impatiently for Alter Bridge now.

Finally at 9.15 sharp the lights went down and AB took to the stage although the spotlight was solely on Myles Kennedy as the opening strains of the opening cut off the new album AB III started things off nicely with Myles crooning and then the full band launching earnestly into the song. The sound was immediately much better than it was for the support band being heavy sharp and crystal clear with a rumbling cutting bass sound. This can sometimes overpower the other instruments but it was not the case this time as Tremonti's guitar was sharp as a razor.

After the opener, we were straight into one of the best and catchiest tunes off of Blackbird, namely Buried Alive with it's mighty riffs and hugely infectious chorus which the whole of the Hammy Apollo was belting out with Myles. What a song! The set continued with beefed up heavy guitars and the amazing vocals of Myles shining out like a beacon although on many occasions the crowd was drowning him out such was the sing-along and adulation levels. Metalingus from the debut album was just awesomely played and sung by the band with trademark Tremonti licks burning the house down. Personally I prefer the two latest albums to the debut but all the tunes played fitted in with each other seamlessly.

It sometimes amazes me how good bands effortlessly play their songs and deliver it with as much passion as Alter Bridge does. Myles was very thankful of the crowd throughout the gig and said that it was a dream come true to play to such a crowd and it was an evening he would cherish for a long time and the feeling was mutual within the crowd. Finally we arrived at one of the most mesmeric and epic tunes in their repertoire, the monumental title track of their second album Blackbird, which was played and sung like it's the last time it's ever going to be sung. A spine tingling moment that one! Once again the whole crowd joined in on the chorus and were struggling to hear the band over the crowd which was an epic feat in itself.

At the end of the set they took their bows and left the stage though of course the show was not over the "Alter Bridge! Alter Bridge!" cries and slowly ascending hand claps soon started and before long we saw Myles sitting on a stool in the spotlight with acoustic guitar in hand. The next two songs were sung acoustically. the first of which was Myles on his own singing Watch Over You with amazing passion. It was at this point that you realise what a great voice the guy really has as you could hear it more clearly when not backed by heavy distorted guitars. The second song saw Mark Tremonti join Myles for an acoustic version of the amazing new ballad Wonderful Life off the new record which was once again mesmerisingly beautiful and I'm sure a few tears were shed around the crowd at that one.

After that Myles donned his electric once again and announced that your normal programming is now resumed as the band launched into a monstrously heavy version of Isolation the massive hit single from AB III which was for me perhaps the best sing along moment of the night with all and sundry once again belting out that chorus like there's no tomorrow. Classic!

Finally we arrived at the last song of the night, the totally anthemic Rise Today from Blackbird with it's stirring challenging chorus which was once again boomed out by the crowd right along with Myles and co. Looking at the set list I would have loved to have heard Life Must Go On personally speaking as it's just an immense tune but maybe next time eh. Unfortunately I was just sitting too far away to get any sort of decent pictures as a memento of the show but the music will live long in the memory in any case. All in all a great night of melodic modern hard rock was had by all. If you get the chance to see Alter Bridge at all then don't miss it as I nearly did cause you will be in for a right treat!

Set list:

Slip to the Void
Buried Alive
Before Tomorrow Comes
Still Remains
Brand New Start
White Knuckles
All Hope Is Gone
Metalingus
Broken Wings
Ghost of Days Gone By
Ties That Bind
One Day Remains
I Know It Hurts
Blackbird
Open Your Eyes
Come To Life

Encore:
Watch Over You (Acoustic)
Wonderful Life (Acoustic)
Isolation
Rise Today

Sabaton Live Report

2010-10-15T21:02:00.009+01:00

I had been looking forward to this gig for months and months and finally after an eternity of waiting, it's finally come and gone, but boy was it worth the wait and leaves me with great memories. This is the 4th time I am seeing the Saba war machine in action and probably their best gig yet. On this occasion they were playing the Electric Ballroom which is a huge upgrade for them from their previous jaunts across the UK as a headline act. The place was jam packed and ready for a night of power metal magic and believe they weren't going to be leaving the hall disappointed one iota!

First band of the night was newcomers Thaurorod who themselves have a very nifty power metal debut under their belts. They played well but their material suffered from lack of memorability for most of the crowd whose response overall was not as enthusiastic as it might have been had they been more familiar with the material. The best song they played was Shadows and Rain which was a beautifully melodic mid paced song with more accessibility and easily got the best response compared to the other songs. This was not Thaurorod's night but their time will come. The singer also needs to work a little bit on his live vocals.

Next up were the True Scottish Pirate Metal troop, Alestorm. I had been looking forward to see the Scots for the first time and they didn't fail me. What I didn't quite expect was the response from the crowd. The place went absolutely apeshit for these guys and then some. I was near the front and to the side but the pit was non stop mental for these guys. I didn't actually realise that the front man plays keytar until he ran out with one. You don't see too many of those at metal gigs.

Their set list consisted of songs from both their album which I am very familiar with. At some points the crowd was going completely doolally! There was even a huge wall of death which saw bodies getting totally mauled and battered. The fancy dress pirates were there in force and there was even a dude dressed as a ninja believe it or not. I was trying to take his picture but I couldn't get a clear shot so you'll have to imagine the dude was cloaked in black and you could only see his eyes! After 45 minutes of pure unadulterated fun it was time for them to leave. They did play one new song for us called Rum which was absolutely hilarious and a rollicking great tune. These guys may not be everyone's cuppa but live they are unstoppable!

And finally for the main event and one of the best power metal shows I have ever witnessed ever and I've seen a few. Sabaton is one of those bands that speaks to my heart now and I adore everything they do. Tonight I was looking forward to hearing many new songs as well as the killer hits of earlier albums. Any song that they played was played to perfection and enthusiasm. The crowd treats them with complete adulation all night and it's impossible not to be taken in by this band. Joakim is one hell of a front man and whips the crowd into a riot soon enough although it must be said this crowd didn't need any help when it came to causing absolute mayhem - they could do that without geeing up all night.

After the intro of The Final Countdown which everyone sang along with and enjoyed the gig proper started with a storming version of Ghost Division which is always a great and ultra energetic start before diving headlong into the first new track, Uprising with it's fist pumping, anthemic feel. The sound was immediately much tighter and crisper than for the other bands and you new who the headliners were alright. The crowd was jam packed at the front but the gig was completely sold out.

Next up was one of my favourite new songs Aces in Exile with it's wonderful fast free flowing tempo and glorious sing along chorus. Great stuff and played to perfection. Next two songs were Cliffs of Gallipoli which is nothing less than one of the most emotional songs ever followed by 40:1 which is one of the catchiest. The following song was the mesmeric The Final Solution with it's awesome keyboard parts. The song was dedicated by Joakim to those that died. He also said that they didn't play the song before this tour as the subject matter was too morose but since the UK fans had specifically asked for it the band had to play it. the rendition was again very emotional and perfect in every way.

Next up was the upbeat and more jolly Attero Dominatus which the whole crowd sang along with drowning out Joakim at times. Next came Wolfpack, which is not a fave song of mine but it's ok. It was notable for a rendition of happy birthday for drummer Daniel. Next came another newie, Saboteurs which Joakim dedicated to the Norwegians which aided the allies in the war and which are the subject of this song. A brilliant song make no mistake.

Next up was The Price of a Mile which was also very emotional and brilliant sung and played with it's thudding almost desperate melody. The final song of the main set followed which as Back in Control about the Brits regaining the Falkland's again. Another of their great rapid fire catchy tunes that everyone just has to sing along with. They took their bows and left after however the Sabaton chants soon started from the packed crowd and grew louder and ever louder meaning their return was not long in coming.

The first song in the encore was the the title track of the new album, Coat of Arms which was with a near enough riot of a moshpit at the front. Next up was huge fan fave, Primo Victoria which got the whole place bouncing to it's military beat and not a single voice was not raised for the chorus. And finally we arrived at their ode to metal, namely Metal Machine which is just a great way to end any gig with it's happy feel to counter some of the more emotional songs played earlier.

So yes the gig was immense and will live long in the memory of everyone who witnessed it. Sabaton are a well oiled power metal machine these days with enough musical ammo to last for countless wars ahead. This battle was one they could not lose and so it proved to be a massacre on all levels. Hail Sabaton!

Jorn Live

2010-10-05T20:15:00.008+01:00

A dull and barren Monday night was wonderfully lit up when I finally got to see one of my favourite singers in the world today, Jorn Lande. I have 3 favourite singers of which Jorn is one with the other two being Nils Patrik Johansson and Johnny Gioeli. When I found out that Jorn was playing a gig at the Underworld it was a complete no-brainer to nab a ticket to see this legend of the mic. I looked forward to last night immensely and now that it has come and gone I realise that Jorn is just an amazing singer with great power and emotion.

However before Jorn took to the stage, the support band Crimes of Passion played an energetic if one dimensional melodic rock set with guitar shredding aplenty. I have come across these Brit melodic rock merchants before and have quite enjoyed their material whilst not loving it. In a live setting they played pretty well but didn't really get the juices flowing so to speak. Their front man is an energetic dude and has a few nifty one liners for the gathered crowd which draws a few laughs. The sound didn't help them being rather loud and muddy but Crimes of Passion did their best and had one or two cool headbanging tunes to enjoy.

Finally at around 9.15 or so it was time for the main event. I was wondering what sort of setlist Jorn had prepared for us and was hoping for a couple of older songs from Worldchanger and possibly a couple of non Jorn solo songs from Masterplan or his Dio tribute album but the whole setlist was plundered from his more recent albums. I would have loved to have heard Sunset Station or World Changer but alas it wasn't to be so I didn't let it worry me too much as song after heavy song was played to the half full Underworld. Actually the turn out was probably around 250, not too bad considering there was a tube strike and it was a shitty Monday night.

Anyway let me tell you Jorn's band is shit hot tight. His two guitarists never missed a note all night. The sound in the Underworld was incendiary too. I had my usual home made ear protectors in and the sound was super clear but bludgeoningly loud but very crisp like I said. In fact Jorn's vocals were at times a little difficult to hear over the crunching guitars and super clear bass but that was remedied after a song or two.

Now what about the man's live vocals. The guy is just a monster powerhouse of a singer. His live voice is much more raspier and angrier than what you hear on record. He used to be more of a Coverdale type of singer, smooth yet rough, but now he uses his angrier waspish voice much were he sounds very mean and angry like some one spilled his pint or something. I must admit I absolutely loved this slightly more aggressive live approach. It made the songs sound meatier and darker, not that they aren't mean and moody to begin with. The setlist was in the main culled from his latest albums with a few older songs thrown in. I cannot remember the setlist exactly but I have it listed below though not in this order. I think I am missing 2-3 songs as well which I cannot recall.

The best songs were the monstrous Road of the Cross, the catchy Lonely Are the Brave and the most evil pounding and heavy version of Tungur Knivur which wrecked ears badly! Blacksong was also amazing and Jorn took the roof off with his vocals on that song. Throughout the show the band was getting an amazing reaction from crowd and Jorn had them eating out of his hand. He's actually a much smaller guy than he looks in photos and I thought he would be more imposing but in fact he's more like a modern day Dio. In time the guy could go on to as many great things as the great little man himself but there's a long way to go yet as we all know. During the encore Jorn gave a very empassioned speech about the great little man before introducing Song For Ronnie James which was just savagely heavy and sung with more vigour and power by Jorn than he does on record.

After the final song and a 90 minute set finally the band took their ovations and I think everyone in the whole crowd got to high five Jorn even yours truly. I hope to see Mr. Lande again one day maybe with Masterplan this time but I ain't holding my breath for that one, No sirree! Any how next time Jorn plays local, I'll be there again like a shot. The man is a vocal GOD!

Spirit Black
Below
Road of the Cross
Rock and Roll Angel
Are you ready (thin lizzy cover)
Lonely are the brave
Man of the Dark
Shadow People
Blacksong
Stormcrow
Tungur Knivur

encore
Song for Ronnie James
War of the World

I took my camera to a gig for the first time in a long time and managed to get a few decent photos for a change.

Alter Bridge - AB III - Review

2010-10-02T17:16:00.005+01:00

I've been waiting very impatiently for this record and finally it's here and what can I say this band just amazes me every single time. Just when you think they can't surely get any better they go on to deliver magic song after soaring, magic song on their new platter. I'm fast running out of superlatives for this band and they deserve even more praise than I can heap on them. I am not certain yet as to my ranking for the album in comparison with Blackbird because I completely adore that album, but the new one is just fresh and I'm still absorbing whilst still being blown away. I didn't think it would be possible to top the last album but they might have just gone and bloody done it! Here is my song by song review.

Slip of the Void - A brooding start before the song proper starts with slow and grinding melodic riffs that let Myles do his thing over the top with his epic soaring melodies. The song is not that immediate but grows quickly to a huge riff and vocal fest. 8.5/10

Isolation - The lead and superbly catchy lead single off the album. It's not for reason that it was chosen as the single as the song is just wondrously catchy. Blessed by thumping mid tempo riffs and lead embellishments from Tremonti before the song breaks into a hugely catchy and goose bump inducing. The solo in the second part is just brilliant although a little too short for my taste. Just a brilliant and flawless melodic tune from start to finish. 10/10

Ghost of Days Gone By - Just when you thought things couldn't get any better they do! This is a less heavy and more melodic tune with wonderful mid tempo before the chorus bridge goes into typical AB style melodic epic song writing. The lyrics in this song are very melancholic as well reminiscing about better days. The song is just beautifully paced and emotional with great instrumental and vocals which build to quite a heavy tune. The "I don't wanna die" line from Myles sends shivers up the spine as does the following solos and vocal melodies. Can one give more that 10/10?

All Hope is Gone - A fairly slow and brooding start before the awesome Myles Kennedy melodies soon start to surface paced alongside the heavy Tremonti atmospherics. The chorus in this song is not so immediate but as a whole the song is a typically enjoyable AB song. The song goes into a heavy groove riff section in the second part which sounds very cool before another one of those great Tremonti solos kicks in this time with greater length which makes the song sound much more epic and better. 9/10

Still Remains - The song starts with a heavy and grooving riff which sounds very cool indeed before Myles' vocals kick in with awesome melodies and so we reach the chorus which is just killer it has to be said. You would thing there would a lull of some kind somewhere along the line but no just when you think they can't top or even equal the previous tuneage, they go and prove you wrong. This song has great rolling intricate riffs for guitar enthusiasts with big thundering riffs whilst never losing the melody which is truly phenomenal from Myles. 10/10

Make it Right - Starts off acoustically with steady pace and Myles singing his usual wonderful melody before the main guitars kick in once again with a crisp and beautiful melody. Less heavy and sitting nicely after the bludgeoning of the previous track to give you a little respite from heavy riffing but not from killer melodies which are still there in abundance. The song soars vocally and gradually gets a little heavier with Myles providing "wooooahhs" behind his own vocals in the chorus which sound very catchy indeed. The solo once again is spine tingling and I'm slowly running out if words to say without sounding completely gushing in praise. 9.5/10

Wonderful Life - A soaring ballad with an amazing vocal from Myles once again. The music is very atmospheric and wonderfully lush and semi orchestrated sounding. This song is all about huge vocal melody and not so much in the way of guitar acrobatics. Nevertheless it is just a gorgeous and uplifting song and very heart rending. Incredible song after incredible song. 10/10.

I Know it Hurts - After the previous ballad you would expect a heavier tune and this song starts in that vein with the opening thumping riff but the main verses are backed without the heaviness which of course returns in time for the chorus again. The vocal performance is again without flaw from Myles. The melody is one big giant sized hook guaranteed to pull the hardest hearted listener. the mid section of the song has a monstrously heavy riff which grinds away before Myles' soaring vocals again pierce the air with shattering precision and glorious melody. One of the catchiest songs on the album. 10/10

Show Me a Sign - The song starts off with a typical Tremonti heavy lick before slowing down to the opening verse and allowing Myles to once again delve into his box of vocal tricks. The melody in this song is more morose and not so upbeat but no less enticing in any way. The song is heavy and rocks pretty hard with big crunching grooves in the back and Myles wowing the listener in the front. The first solo in the song is a bit different being quite minimal but musically the song is one of the best and most intriguing with lots to devour for the ear. A brooding and moody song with a dark atmosphere. 9.5/10

Fallout - Starts off in typical AB fashion with a thoughtful and non-heavy beginning with jingly, acoustic guitars before the pre chorus whilst the main heavy guitars join Myles in one of his regular great melodies. Once again the song is a vehicle for Myles to spin his web of magic round your ears with a huge melody. The chorus is truly spine-tinglingly awesome. The mood of the song is a bit desperate and downbeat before the midsection goes into one of the best riffs on the whole album with it's great big hulking groove and stomp feel. The solo is once again earth shattering perfect for the song. Could be my fave song on the whole album but how can I say that after so many 10/10's already! 10/10 hehe

Breathe Again - The usual AB formula. Slow acoustic opening before heavy guitars join the chorus. Ok you can say the band is very formulaic but the formula in question is unbeatable so why change it eh. The vocal melody is very memorable and soaring from Myles in this song and hits the skies. Mid song the song improves even further when it goes into a heavier section before once again Myles' vocals reach the stratosphere one one particular note. I'm thinking he might have trouble replicating that live if they play this song. The song is just beautiful. 9.5/10

Coeur D'Alene - A moody opening and sinister start before a great big crunching thunders into view but is soon enough stripped back as Myles enters the fray with his usual bombast. The main crunching riff returns once again to give the song it's heavy backbone during the pleasing and catchy chorus before reigning back again during the second verses. The song is once again flawless in every possible way. At the heavier end of the AB spectrum but nevertheless with melodies that will stick like super glue. 10/10 How many is it now?

Life Must Go On - A soaring ballad after the heavy previous song. What else can I say about Myles Kennedy. The guy is just something else. Once again he's floored me with his vocal melodies in this emotional ballad. It is acoustic in feel but they are backed by electric guitars during certain parts and of course the chorus which is just brilliant once again. Do they ever run out of epic emotional melodies? It seems not. 9.5/10

Words Darker Than Their Words - The second song that was released early from the album and perhaps the only song that really didn't catch me yet. I was hoping for an epic of Blackbird proportions to end the album with but whilst it's a great stab at it, it cannot match Blackbird for greatness. However the song in itself is very emotional and deep lyrically and builds well acoustically allowing the song to breathe before setting down to the usual guitar groove that Tremonti is the master at. The vocal melody in the chorus is merely great rather than the amazing things we've heard in the previous songs. A slightly disappointing end but for anyone else this is a work of genius but AB have already performed miracles earlier in the album so all is forgiven. 8.5/10

So there you have it. A band unparalleled in modern rock circles. An almost flawless album.

Reckless Love Live!

2010-09-26T08:44:00.003+01:00

Last night saw a pretty much packed Relentless Garage play hosts to Finnish melodic rock glamsters Reckless Love on the London date of their first full UK tour. These guys have been making a name for themselves in melodic rock circles with their hellishly fun debut album getting rave reviews all round, so I had to be there or be square as they say.

First up was some band whose name I didn't quite catch. They were a hard rock band with old school leanings but they lacked the songs to get the crowd going. Speaking of the crowd, let me say I have never seen so many hot chicks at a metal or rock gig. Damn there was some flesh on view last night! Of course it's not that surprising since the band is pretty much built around 80s sexual innuendo and sleaze and this gets the chicks to dress up or shall we say dress down!

Second band of the night was Jettblack and they were bloody good. They are similar to Reckless Love in many ways but with a slight harder edge to the guitars with more shredding solos. These guys have some cool tunes which are lyrically very similar to Reckless Love with song about chicks, rocking and more chicks! They got a great response from the packed crowd and were the perfect warm up band for Reckless Love.

Finally at around 9.20 or so it was time for a bit of reckless loving from the Finnish chaps. Oli Herman the frontman is one energetic dude it has to be said. They immediately launched into Feel My Heat, the opening cut from their debut and they never looked back after. Having only the one album out renders the set length rather inadequate but we got the whole album played in various order and also the electric version of Def Leppard's Hysteria which Oli told the crowd was played acoustically at Download Festival earlier in the summer, but we got the full version and it was spot on. Oli is a great frontman make no mistake, the dude is one energetic little powerhouse with his high kicks which makes him look like a very young version of David Lee Roth. He's not blessed with an amazing voice or anything but he gets the job done and has the ladies in particular getting all hot and bothered.

The best songs were Romance, Wild Touch, Badass and Beautiful Bomb of course which had all the hot ladies swooning and singing along let me tell you! A very well attended night and just a great feel good gig with super catchy tunes which ended rather quickly with a set which was barely an hour long but like I said they ran out of songs. I just hope they bring their next record out pretty soon and capitalise on the success they've already had and play a longer set next time. Thanks for the great show lads, you guys know how to rock!