A band called “Lighter”? C’mon!! But digging into it, they sounds much interesting then most of the nowadays delivered, fancy-labeled, “post” whatever, obligatory Metalcore bands. Feuerzeug reminds me mostly of the Ricky Warwick leaded Scottish The Almighty, band formed in the late 1980’s and rose to fame mostly in the mid 1990’s with albums such “Powertrippin'” and “Crank”. True, probably Rick was most famous because he was formerly married to MTV’s Headbangers Ball presenter Vanessa Warwick.
So, Feuerzeug sounds pretty much like The Almighty, eventually more contemporarily, but still classy and with roots back to the American Stoner Rock tradition and adding some tasty post-Grunge. But this isn’t an American band, but another stainless delivery from Switzerland. Imagine Godsmack crashing into the tour bus of Kyuss, merging Grunge energy with Stoner Rock hardness and we’ve get pretty close to what Feuerzeug sounds like. And actually this is a pretty groovy and addictive material, classy and quality Rock. Read more Feuerzeug – Dead Wahines and Tsunamis (2012)
Metal
Soul Sacrifice – Carpe Mortem (2012)
I’m not a regular Death Metal consumer, but I spotted out Soul Sacrifice because they are a Turkish band and on one hand I enjoyed my time spent in Turkey, just as I love several extremely creative Turkish bands such as maNga and Duman. So, I expected that Soul Sacrifice will introduce more Oriental/Turkish inflections, aromas, at least on the level of Nervecell, or even more. Unfortunately, it’s not the case, “Cape Mortem” is a honest, heavy, but almost classical Metal album with solid Death Metal roots and a groovy mixture of complex and melodious, brutal and technical elements.
If you like the modern Swedish Death Metal sound trademarked by bands such as In Flames and Soilwork, Soul Sacrifice it’s definitively speaking your language.
Soul Sacrifice is a four-piece Turkish Metal band from Istanbul and it was formed back in 1997. In 2003 they solidify their current line up and two years later they record and release their full length debut album, “Stranded Hate”. Read more Soul Sacrifice – Carpe Mortem (2012)
Hellyeah – Band Of Brothers (2012)
Hellyeah it’s not a copy and probably not even a replacement, but still, it’s the best and most genuine substitute for Pantera we can ever get, a true and hard-ass band of brothers! We have here the former Pantera and Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul, the Damageplan bassist Bob Zilla, the Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell, and from Mudvayne we’ve got lead vocalist Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett. If this isn’t a Heavy Metal supergroup, don’t know what might be. This is their third installment and probably their most ass-kicker, headbanger delivery so far. Read more Hellyeah – Band Of Brothers (2012)
Karnak Seti – In Harmonic Entropy (2012)
Metaaaal!! Straight, powerful, merging the modern sound with classic, traditional approach, emerging from the exotic Madeira Island in Portugal, Karnak Seti present themselves as a solid, modern and persevering metal act.
With 10 years existence several releases, including the thriving full length “Scars of your decay” of 2009 distributed worldwide by the British Casket Music, “In Harmonic Entropy” is the band sophomore and looking further album including 9 killer Metal tracks.
For this album the band worked with renowned producer Daniel Cardoso at the UltrasoundStudios Braga. The process of composition of “In Harmonic Entropy” started in mid-2010, and the band splitting time between the promotion of the album “Scars of Your Decay” and writing the new material. The recording session took place during two weeks in April 2011. The cover of the album is the artwork of Ana Gomes. Read more Karnak Seti – In Harmonic Entropy (2012)
Abandon All Ships – Infamous (2012)
Ten tracks, 32:41 minutes, the sophomore album by the Canadian Abandon All Ships are a tumultuous merging of electronic layers and grinding Hardcore raging. Labeled “Metalcore”, Post-Hardcore, incorporating Trance and even Electro-Pop elements, this new type of Metal targeting a new generation of teenagers lost between Facebook and escapades down in the club with fake IDs. I do not mean to be Infamous, but no sneakers, no cry!!
The music is dark, furious, noisy and more heavy then electronic, the Trance inspired breakdowns, breathing pauses are only accentuate the violence and explosion of the contorted, heavy parts.
While the opening Read more Abandon All Ships – Infamous (2012)
Serj Tankian – Harakiri (2012)
Although to put together a Rock album seems a quite simple thing, to be honest, it’s been a while since I didn’t heard a good Rock album. Maybe because everybody pretend to be somebody else, maybe because music isn’t art anymore, but business and industry, or because everything became patterned, excessively target oriented, predictable and plastic taste-like. Tankian – once again – seems to put his thoughts and his soul on the table, while he’s completely cut off any ties to any particular genre, style and expectations and focused on the music and his message. “Harakiri” isn’t a “complicated” album, but a honest one. And “Harakiri” isn’t a classic Rock album in its pure conservative sense, but a colorful, tripping, searching and experimenting material, each and every song have its own soul and style while all together is absolutely and unmistakably Serj Tankian. Read more Serj Tankian – Harakiri (2012)
The Contortionist – Intrinsic (2012)
Positioned right between bands as Between the Buried and Me and Cynic, The Contortionist sophomore album “Intrinsic” is a 10 station journey to the outer limits of Deathcore rooted Progressive Metal. Quite disturbing, twisted in and out, upside down and back and forth, complex and technical, but power and soulful, focusing both on intensity and subtle, gently layered atmosphere, “Intrinsic” is a refreshing search for authentic expression in a patterned, predictable and rarely creative world – strictly profit oriented music industry. Also blinking to artist as Rush and Dream Theater, and sometimes reminds me of the early VoiVod (“Nothingface”), The Contortionist deliver an extremely inspired and complex Progressive Metal product, the perfect blending of brutality and edge cutting, experimental, boundaries shattering music. Read more The Contortionist – Intrinsic (2012)
P.O.D. – Murdered Love (2012)
P.O.D. anybody? Remember them – or their hypnotic/anthematic “Youth of the Nation”? Maybe it’s just me, but it seems (at least) a lifetime ago. Although “Satellite” was the band’s fourth studio album and it was released in 2001. “Satellite” went on to become RIAA-certified triple platinum while the author of “Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music” has described P.O.D. as “One of the biggest success stories in recent Christian music.”
Their previous album, “When Angels & Serpents Dance” was released in 2008, “only” 4 years ago and that album also marked the return of the original lead guitarist Marcos Curiel and the departure of his replacement, Jason Truby.
The band’s name, Payable on Death (P.O.D.), derives itself from the banking term “Payable on Death” and they chose this name to be a direct tie in to Christianity, which explains, that since Jesus died on the Cross, Christians inherit all of his assets – Heaven. Well, I do not buy products at my door from traveling salesman, and well, I do not buy salvation from (Rock) bands. Still, they sold over 10 million records worldwide. 😆 Christian Metal actually it’s not a genre oriented music, but targeting a huge market of believers and eventually, ultimately non-believers. Read more P.O.D. – Murdered Love (2012)
The Elijah – I Loved I Hated I Destroyed I Created (2012)
When the market is full-filed with millions of same look-like, sound-like, taste-like products – not quite artists I’m afraid – sometimes (pre) judging a CD by its cover, might be a pretty strong argument. First the cover, then the title – “I Loved I Hated I Destroyed I Created” – grabbed my attention.
Dan – Vocals, Michael – Vocals, Guitar, Sean – Guitar, Orchestration, Sam – Bass, and Jakub – Drums managed to explore a quite unique path somewhere between Sigur Rós and At the Drive-In, a disturbing place where ambiental, cinematic soundscapes and turbulent, furious (Post) Hardcore collide and make an actually nice pair as only opposites are capable of. Read more The Elijah – I Loved I Hated I Destroyed I Created (2012)
Process of Guilt – Faemin (2012)
With strong roots back to Doom and Dark Metal, formed in 2002, Process Of Guilt bring darkness and contorted heaviness from the sunny Portugal.
After self-releasing two demos, “Portraits of Regret”, respectively “Demising Grace”, in 2006 they delivered their own-flavored debut album entitled “Renounce”.
Their second full-length “Erosion” was released in 2008 followed by performances while sharing the stage with acts as diverse as The Ocean, Intronaut, Minsk, A Storm Of Light, Katatonia, Napalm Death and Rotten Sound.
3 years after the release of “Erosion” the band release their third – and deadly – album. For only €5 you can download the digital album, five epic and grinding songs, revealing a new level of darkness, contortion and heaviness which will definitively nail you down. Be prepered for the collision! Read more Process of Guilt – Faemin (2012)
