• Crematory - Antiserum - (5/10)

    Published on February 21, 2014

    Tracklist:

    1. Apocalyptic Vision
    2. Until The End
    3. Shadowmaker
    4. If You Believe
    5. Inside Your Eyes
    6. Kommt näher
    7. Irony Of Fate
    8. Virus
    9. Back From The Dead
    10. Welcome
    11. Antiserum

     

    Genre:

     Gothic Metal / Dark Wave / Electro

     

     

    Label:

     Steamhammer

     

     

    Playing Time:

     43:23

     

     

    Country:

     Germany

     

     

    Year:

     2014

     

     

    Website:

     Visit page

     

    You really know what to expect when you’re listening to a Crematory record. Germany’s most popular gothic metal band comes around with simple song writing structures put into catchy mid tempo songs between three and five minutes. The band mixes crunchy guitar riffs somewhere between death, gothic, industrial and occasionally thrash metal with simple but efficient melodic keyboard patterns. While the rhythm section is rather unspectacular, the band usually convinces with a good mixture of growls by singer Gerhard “Felix” Stass and clean parts sung by guitarist Matthias “Matze” Hechler. In many songs, the verses include charismatic growls while the choruses and bridges feature more melodic parts or a duet of both vocalists. One should also mention that the band operates both with English and German lyrics. Even though Antiserum only includes two German song titles, many other tracks feature German verses and English choruses. While Crematory has never written too sophisticated lyrics, the German lyrics always sounded rather limited and this is also the case for this record. Despite a few flaws, these charismatic and somewhat charming key elements have been working very well for almost 15 years.

     

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    This time, Crematory tried to create a more electronic music driven release in the key of the popular comeback record Revolution that came out ten years earlier. In order to reinforce this element, the band joined forces with Elmar Schmidt from the Electronic Body Music band Centhron. This band might only be known to EBM fans but it’s a quite respected brand in the German gothic scene.

     

    While the electronic elements are more prominent than on the last record Infinity that had a few thrash metal driven anthems, I must admit that the announced impact on the music is only minimal and that we can’t talk about a refreshed new direction. Everything pretty much sounds as usual. Some songs feature a few EBM sounds here and there but they are only there to open some tracks and already disappear thirty seconds into the songs. All in all, I’m rather disappointed by the use of EBM elements on this record that I was rather looking forward to.

     

    If a band doesn’t come around with new ideas, it should at least write a few catchy or passionate tracks but this isn’t the case on the new record. Crematory has shown us in the past how to write great genre anthems. Any gothic metal fan should know songs such as “Tears Of Time”, “Ist Es Wahr”, “Fly”, “The Fallen” and “Greed”. The band also showed us recently that it was still able to write memorable tracks such as “Left The Ground”, “Infinity” or “Sense Of Time”. If the band didn’t convince with its own tracks, they came around with some convincing cover songs like Depeche Mode’s “Black Celebration” on the last output or the classic rendition of The Sisters Of Mercy’s “Temple Of Love”. That’s why I’m surprised that no track on Antiserum has the qualities of the aforementioned tracks. Many songs on the new album need multiple spins before they even grab the slightest of your attention. It’s quite hard to mention any outstanding passages or highlights on the new record because the band repeats itself without featuring the catchy hooks it stood for in the past. It’s easier to point out the more disappointing songs. “Until The End” is a rather faceless opener, “Kommt näher” and “Virus” feature stereotypical and almost amusingly weak lyrics and songs like the predictable “Inside Your Eyes” or “Back From The Dead” are obviously filler material.

     

    After several spins, I have found a few personal favourites on the record but they are nothing more than good average songs. The classic “If You Believe” is a song Creamtory fans will adore. It features atmospheric but also energizing keyboard passages, sharp riffs and a great mixture of growled verses and a more melodic chorus. The laid back and atmospheric bridge with the creepy spoken word passage is probably the highlight of the song.

     

    The single “Shadowmaker” finally features a more prominent use of EBM and other electronic elements. Some of these sounds are interesting but others rather odd. The crunchy background noise in the verses that sounds as if somebody was stretching an elastic band is quite ridiculous for example. While the song includes all Crematory trademarks such as thrash metal orientated verses, energizing growls and a few more atmospheric sounds in the bridge, the song somehow feels too calculated. The track sounds like Crematory song writing by numbers as if the band desperately wanted this track to be its new anthem. In fact, “Shadowmaker” was the band’s first single release in nine years since “Greed”. In comparison to the latter, the new song sounds really pale. It’s a good average track but definitely nothing more.

     

     

    “Welcome” features a good use of the announced EBM elements in the beginning moments only but the song is saved by crunchier and faster riffs in the verses and an almost symphonic chorus that gets stuck on your mind after a while. The mixture of these three elements is nothing new for the band and could have been more organic. It speaks volumes if a solid average track like this can already be considered as a highlight on the record.

     

    The closing title track “Antiserum” convinces with a dark atmosphere carried by some melancholic piano melodies, symphonic keyboard sounds and longing clean vocals. Crematory often closes its records this way and even though the track doesn’t come along as a surprise or as one of the band’s better album closers, it’s still one of this record’s most organic tracks.

     

    In the end, my verdict is very simple. I’m a long-time Crematory fan and I will of course try to purchase the limited edition of this release. I will try to catch the band up during a summer festival and I will cheer along to old and new songs. My subjective fan heart is happy that the band is back with a new record after an unusually long waiting time of almost four years. From an objective point of view though, the new album offers nothing new and also lacks the charisma and passion of similar releases in the past such as Revolution. Honestly said, the new album is one of the band’s weakest efforts in 23 years. I thought the previous Infinity was a little bit shallow but it’s still definitely better than Antiserum. This release is for old fans and collectors only and probably won’t attract any new fans to the German gothic metal legends.

     

    If you’re new to the band and want to hear what they sound like today but where they also sound best, start your discovery with BelieveRevolution and Pray or maybe the decent greatest hits compilation Black Pearls.

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  • Leviathan - Beholden to Nothing, Braver Since Then - (9.5/10)

    Published on February 15, 2014

    Tracklist:

    1. Ephemeral Cathexis
    2. A Shepherd's Work
    3. Intrinsic Contentment
    4. Overture Of Exasperation
    5. Creatures of Habit
    6. Solitude Begets Ignorance
    7. A Testament For Non-Believers
    8. If The Devil Doesn't Exist...
    9. Magical Pills Provided
    10. Thumbing Your Nose At Those Who Oppose
    11. Empty Vessel Of Faith
    12. Words Borrowed Wings
    13. Bettering Darklighter
    14. Misanthrope Exhumed
    15. Beholden To Nothing, Braver Since Then

     

    Genre:

     Progressive Power

     

     

    Label:

     Independent

     

     

    Playing Time:

     76:33

     

     

    Country:

     U.S.A

     

     

    Year:

     2014

     

     

    Website:

     Visit page

     

    Leviathan is a progressive metal band from Colorado that was founded in the late eighties. The quintet released one EP and three full length releases during the nineties before the band disappeared. A few years ago, the band came back with a live album and a compilation record followed by a new album. It’s the second full length studio release of the band since its comeback that I’m about to review. The ambitious conceptual record is entitled Beholden To Nothing, Braver Since Then.

     

    Leviathan1 

    I must admit that I have never heard of this band before even though I’m a big fan of progressive rock and metal music. I must have done something wrong because the band’s fifth studio album simply blows me away. Despite fifteen tracks including six instrumentals and a total running time of over seventy-six minutes, this record is everything but boring. It’s an atmospheric, captivating and highly original album with one brilliant idea after the other.

     

    Usually, progressive metal bands can always be compared to others somehow. This is not the case of Leviathan. They really sound like themselves or at least like nothing I have ever heard before. This is not only a rare strength but speaks volumes for the uniqueness of this band. To give you at least a vague comparative, this band might please you if you like the old progressive power metal records of Queensrÿche.

     

    What is so unique about the band? One outstanding element is definitely the very appropriate use of audio samples that give some songs an epic touch and keep the whole record together. The versatile use of different keyboard passages from classic progressive rock parts to modern electronic samples is also a clear strength. Every musician is talented and every instrument has its shining moments. Some tracks are more laid back seventies progressive rock tracks while the band also adventures into heavier sounds inspired by the eighties here and there. The band mainly feels at home with a few doom, some more heavy and especially a lot of symphonic power metal influences that are employed in a very colourful way. While there are no obvious hits or outstanding numbers on the album, almost every track has some catchy hooks but also some surprising moments in form of atmospheric conceptual samples, almost folk inspired slow acoustic guitar interludes or fast paced melodic guitar versus keyboard duels. The balanced song writing is easy to digest but intellectually appealing at the same time and it grows with each spin. Only the genre’s greatest bands like Dream Theater or Rush manage to reach this kind of balance and natural flow.

     

     

     

    Progressive metal fans should definitely check this release out. The only negative thing about this release is the slightly imperfect and not always powerful production. Let’s hope that this band soon gets the major label deal it deserves and therefor a better mastering and production for its outstanding music. Until now, this is still by far the best release of the year because it combines creativity and melody in a smoothly balanced flow. I’m quite convinced this release will make it into my top personal top twenty by the end of the year. I’m willing to check out the band’s other releases as soon as I can and you should do the same.

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  • Septicflesh - A Fallen Temple - (9.5/10)

    Published on January 17, 2014

    Tracklist:

    1. Brotherhood Of The Fallen Knights
    2. The Eldest Cosmonaut
    3. Marble Smiling Face
    4. Underworld (Act 1)
    5. Temple Of The Lost Race
    6. The Crypt
    7. Setting Of The Two Suns
    8. Erebus
    9. Underworld (Act 2)
    10. The Eldest Cosmonaut (Dark Version)
    11. The Last Time (Paradise Lost Cover) (Bonus Track)
    12. Underworld (Act 3) (Bonus Track)
    13. Finale (Bonus Track)
    14. The Eldest Cosmonaut (Single Version) (Bonus Track)

     

    Genre:

     Symphonic Avantgarde / Extreme Gothic Metal / Experimental Progressive Metal

     

     

    Label:

     Season of Mist

     

     

    Playing Time:

     76:23

     

     

    Country:

     Greece

     

     

    Year:

     1998/2014

     

     

    Website:

     Visit page

     

     

    The mid and late nineties have always been underestimated in terms of groundbreaking metal releases because the big names didn’t deliver at that time and because the scene didn’t get that much attention anymore. Younger generations were rather exposed to the grunge hype, the rise of alternative rock and crossover music and the proudly growing hip hop community while older fans turned away from their idols after several disappointing releases, unusually long waiting times between albums or fatal line-up changes. That’s why many people missed a couple of really essential releases and new sounds in the metal scene. While comparable bands like Absu, Amorphis, Moonspell, Orphaned Land, Sigh, Therion or Unexpect finally got some well deserved attention, the ambitious and unique avant-garde style of the symphonic extreme metal band Septic Flesh (or Septicflesh as they are called since their reunion in 2007) never got its breakthrough. If you like any of these bands, you simply can’t get around them.A Fallen Temple would be an appropriate album to start your journey with if you have missed this band until now. Sixteen years after its initial release, metal is back in strength and the amazing French label Season Of Mist where other experimental extreme metal bands like The Old Dead Tree could already release their innovating music reissued the Greek band’s fourth record.

     

    Septicflesh2013

     

    The new version includes some additional material for collectors but it’s nothing really essential. Paradise Lost has always been overestimated in my humble opinion and that’s why I don’t need a cover song of them. “Underworld Act 3” drags on for almost eleven minutes and simply goes nowhere as it can’t mess with the first two parts. The instrumental “Finale” offers nothing intriguing either. The single version of “The Eldest Cosmonaut” is not as effective as the regular album version. These songs should have remained collector’s items only. It’s always sad when true fans purchase rare editions of their favourite bands’ releases to get all extra tracks just to see that these tracks are later reissued and available for any occasional fan. Labels don’t seem to understand that this is rather harming the weakened music industry than helping it to arise from its ashes. I don’t need dozens of different editions of the same release either. Most people are fed up with these strange release policies and prefer downloading all the extra stuff instead of purchasing the different incomplete physical products. On a positive note, the sound of the reissue is quite good and the new cover artwork pleases me more than the original one.

     

     

    Anyway, let’s focus on the record which is simply brilliant. Greece’s best metal band ever has moved away from its extreme metal roots for a slower gothic and symphonic sound. The combination of grounded male clean vocals, powerful growls, female soprano vocals, a few guest vocals and a few choirs gives this record a dynamical, epic and positively sophisticated touch. The band has developed a great sense for atmospheric buildups, enchanting guitar and orchestral melodies and an amazing mixture of intriguing avant-garde ideas and a constantly coherent flow. This album even has a couple of truly catchy choruses that won’t get out of your mind. While many similar bands sound challenging and need multiple spins to open up, Septic Flesh convince at first try even though one can discover more and more elements with each spin. Even though some tracks are quite long, they never get boring and the whole record has perfectly homogenous flow that distinguishes an excellent concept album from a good one. It’s hard to point out any song because they are all at least very good and there is no negative filler included. You really need to listen to this music in one shot but once you’ve heard the first few tracks you simply don’t want to stop anymore and should feel like listening to this record until the end. If that’s not the case, this genre simply isn’t your cup of tea. I would put this record on the same level as Moonspell’s Irreligious, Therion’s Theli and Novembers Doom’s Of Sculptured Ivy And Stone Flowers.

     

    The original album is rather hard to find and it’s great that this forgotten pearl of the nineties is back in stores now. If you care for atmospheric and innovating metal with a darker touch close to gothic and symphonic metal, this release is a definite must have.  

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  • Gabriels - Prophecy - (6/10)

    Published on December 7, 2013

    Tracklist:

    1. September 11
    2. Omen
    3. Pray To End All Wars
    4. Falling Stars
    5. The Crack
    6. Shadows
    7. Things Of The World
    8. We Need Peace
    9. Roar For The Peace
    10. Go To Fight
    11. I Can't Live Forever

     

    Genre:

     Progressive Progressive Metal

     

     

    Label:

     Independent

     

     

    Playing Time:

     69:48

     

     

    Country:

     Italy

     

     

    Year:

     2013

     

     

    Website:

     Visit page

     

     

    Gabriels is a quite obscure progressive metal band from Messina, Sicily. It’s quite hard to find any information about the band unless you speak Italian because they don’t really try hard to spread their name around the world. The band is in fact named after keyboardist and singer Gabriele “Gabriels” Crisafulli who had been active in another obscure Italian heavy metal band called Denied for a year. Formed back in 2006, Gabriels released their first full length effort The Legend Of A Prince in 2007 and after a few single releases the band is now back with a second record entitled Prophecy. The new release is a conceptual record about the horrible September 11 attacks. Recently, Italian power metal band Holy Knights already did a song about this topic and now Gabriels follow with a whole record. While the idea is honorable, the topic is pretty much worn out. The band comes a few years too late to be the first to have thought of such a conceptual release.

     

    Gabriels2

     

    The music itself has its highs and lows. The opening keyboard driven instrumental “September 11” is just overlong and uninspired. That’s a quite bad way to open an album as the first impression is always what counts. If you ignore this filler, you might though discover a pretty good release after that. I have some issues with the fact that the keyboards are heavily dominating this record which might get on your nerves as well after a running time of almost seventy minutes. The production is a little bit mellow and especially the drums and guitars lack power which doesn’t help. The record includes a few weird vocal effects in the beginning and the end of the record that made me chuggle a little bit. There are a few guest musicians on this release and most of them add some inspiration but a few vocalists just sound plain awful. The worst is probably the female Colombian vocalist Ana Maria Barajas. She has already been a member of the decent Colombian all female heavy metal band Highway and is the current singer of the symphonic gothic metal band Nova Orbis but her aqualung guest vocals in “Shadows” or “Things Of The World” sound as if they were out of breath and absolutely lackluster. These songs would be so much better with an adequate guest vocalist but as they are here these tracks are almost unlistenable to me.

     

    There are a lot of positive things to mention though. The guitar and keyboard solos are filled with epic majesty convince with hypnotizing melodies and are technically appealing. Some of them are a little bit overlong in my opinion but that doesn’t take off from their quality. The music itself should appeal to fans of Italian power metal in the style of the aforementioned Holy Knights and those who care for soft progressive metal in the vein of Dream Theater ballads. “Pray To End All Wars” is a great song for example even though it copies maybe a little bit too much from several famous progressive rock and metal bands. The epic and well elaborated “Go To Fight” is another great song inspired by the big names of the genre. The closing piano ballad “I Can’t Live Forever” has a very cinematic, symphonic and maybe even slightly world music inspired feeling. Even the female vocals sound good in here because it’s a calmer and less challenging track. Only the weird vocal effects for the narrative passages kill the track’s great atmosphere towards the end.

     

     

    After all, there is a lot of light and shade on this release. Musically, this band is quite promising. A few tracks are atmospheric, harmonious and intellectually appealing. On the other side, Gabriels have to improve their concise song writing. They should invite a few more famous and talented guest musicians that can push them and grab some attention. The band should especially get rid of the stupid narrative passages in their songs. Finally, the band should maybe try to get more active on the internet and write a biography in proper English if they want to aim a more international market. Even though Prophecy has quite some flaws, I actually enjoyed listening to this release as it has a very coherent, enchanting and relaxing flow. I’m ready to hear more from this band. If you care for progressive metal, you can give this release a few spins on the band’s Bandcamp site under the following link: http://gabrielsshiro.bandcamp.com/album/prophecy

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  • Andi Deris and The Bad Bankers - Million Dollar Haircuts on Ten Cent Heads - (4/10)

    Published on November 22, 2013

    Tracklist:

    1. Cock
    2. Will We Ever Change
    3. Banker's Delight (Dead Or Alive)
    4. Blind
    5. Don't Listen To The Radio (TWOTW 1938)
    6. Who Am I
    7. Must Be Dreaming
    8. The Last Days Of Rain
    9. EnAmoria
    10. This Could Go On Forever
    11. I Sing Myself Away

     

    Genre:

     Melodic Rock

     

     

    Label:

     earMUSIC

     

     

    Playing Time:

     43:39

     

     

    Country:

     Spain

     

     

    Year:

     2013

     

     

    Website:

     Visit page

     

     

    Fourteen years after his first two solo outputs, Andi Deris of Helloween, Pink Cream 69 and Kymera fame comes around with a new project under the banner of Andi Deris and The Bad Bankers. Andi Deris got together with three Spanish musicians in his Tenerife and recorded a few songs that wouldn’t fit to Helloween. The result is sarcastically entitled Million Dollar Haircuts On Ten Cent Heads.

     

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    As you might guess, a few lyrics are influenced by Europe’s current financial crisis. This is the case for the angry nu metal driven opener “Cock” that surprises with a few industrial sounds and is probably the most outstanding song on this record. “Banker’s Delight (Dead Or Alive)” hits the same vein and is driven by aggressive disharmonic riffs and a few more floating and melodic bridges in between. Along with the catchy rocker “Don’t Listen To The Radio (TWOTW 1938)” with its interesting lyrics these two songs are the other two tracks that really stand out on this release. 

     

    The rest of the record is surprisingly mellow between some more or less hard rock inspired songs like “Will We Ever Change” that has some parts reminding me of Alice Cooper and several atmospheric mid-paced alternative rock sounds like “Blind” that reminds me of recent half-hearted Helloween ballads that would rather fit on a 30 Seconds to Mars output.

     

    After a good start, the album gets rather boring in the second half. The songs remain superficial and are almost all hold in a sleepy mid tempo pace. They can’t really touch me from an emotional point of view or surprise me from the technical side. Many tracks are also too long against their own good. In most songs, everything is said after three minutes or even less but the tracks are stretched to lengths between four and more than six minutes. This is a problem which many metal bands seem to share. The closing acoustic track “I Sing Myself Away” is even completely useless in only two minutes and a half.

     

     

    In the end, this record is rather lifeless and of an average quality at best. Only faithful Andi Deris fans should give this release a try but this definitely isn’t his finest hour. Power metal fans won’t probably like this more rock driven record and should stay away from this. It seems that Andi Deris already used his best song ideas on the last Helloween records and this is only a filler release of unconvincing material between two albums of Germany’s power metal legends. If Andi Deris waited another fourteen years to release his next solo record, nobody would really care about it and the material can only get better.

     

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