День Гнева translates to Day of Wrath and is a heavy metal quintet from Odessa in Ukraine. The band is heavily inspired by early Soviet and Russian heavy metal groups like Aria. The band's second full length effort Храм из песка that translates to Sand Temple should therefore appeal to fans of traditional heavy metal music.

The opening title track offers all genre trademarks from powerful rhythm section over gripping guitar riffs and harmonious solos to uplifting melodic vocals. This is a solid start to the record and should also work splendidly in concert.

The band also convinces in its longer tunes that impress with haunting atmosphere provided by excellent twin guitar passages. ''Аллея мигов'' which translates to ''Alley of Moments'' and ''Перевал'' which could be translated to ''Pass'' are certainly two highlights that offer much replay value as they show the band's skillful musicianship and hints at progressive songwriting that however doesn't lose itself in excessive lengths.

A true hidden gem on this output is instrumental interlude ''Цветок жизни и смерти'' which translates to ''Flower of Life and Death''. While the song's atmosphere is mysterious and smooth, the musicianship is melodic and playful. It puts a bright smile upon your face and is perfectly placed in the middle of the record to offer a welcome break from the heavier and longer material.

This record is however not without its flaws. The production is decent but has a few issues. The vocals sound a little bit too loud in the mixture while the rhythm section could benefit from some more oomph. However, this limited production almost charmingly recalls the releases by the Russian heavy metal pioneers that inspired this quintet.

Another issue is that the songs need some time to grow and aren't instantly memorable. ''Неоновый город'' for instance also exists in an English language version called ''Forsaken City'' but turns out to be among the weaker tunes on this output. It attempts to be a soaring power ballad but the smoother parts are somewhat tame and the heavy metal sections fail to unfold properly. The band really sounds best when it focuses on atmospheric parts in relation to the fascinating lyrical topics, its excellent guitar play and its more epic and slightly progressive material.

At the end of the day, the quintet from Odessa offers a fresh dose of traditional heavy metal that should please anyone who admires bands such as Aria. The band shows a lot of promise with its atmospheric sections, melodic guitar play and at times progressive songwriting. While the band doesn't exploit its full potential on this second studio record yet, genre fans should keep an eye on this group in the future.

Final Rating: 78%

Verehrte Lerser:innen,

In der kanadischen Hauptstadt sind seit letzten Freitagabend Demonstranten aus ganz Kanada aufgeschlagen. Organisiert wurde dieser Protest von einigen Truckern, die dagegen sind, dass sie entweder geimpft sein müssen, um die kanadisch-amerikanische Grenze zu überqueren oder sich andernfalls in Quarantäne begeben müssen. Aus diesem Protest ist dann aber eine viel allgemeinere Demonstration gegen Coronamassnahmen geworden. Am Wochenende waren tausende Leute vor Ort, am heutigen Nachmittag sind es immer noch mehrere hundert Menschen.

Da manche Leute ja oft sagen, dass man nicht alle Demonstranten gleich beurteilen sollte, habe ich mir von der Situation vor Ort am Samstag mal ein genaueres Bild gemacht. Ich habe viele schreiende Menschen mit Plakaten wie ''Fuck Trudeau'' gesehen, die einige Erwachsene auch gerne ihren vielleicht fünfjährigen Kindern in die Hände gedrückt haben. Ich habe viele Lastkraftwagen gesehen, die Brücken und Strassen blockieren, die Luft mit Diesel verpesten und unentwegt von morgens um acht Uhr bis um Mitternacht laut hupen. Ich habe Menschen mit Flaggen der Konföderierten und gar der Naziflagge gesehen. Es wurde auf einem Kriegsdenkmal geparkt und verschiedenen Statuen historisch wichtiger Persönlichkeiten vor Ort Flaggen umgehängt und Plakate in die Hände gedrückt. Viele Demonstranten haben bei den eisigen Temperaturen um minus zwanzig Grad Schutz im nahe gelegenen Einkaufszentrum gesucht. Dort wurde weder Abstand gehalten noch Maske getragen. Passanten mit Masken wurden streckenweise mit hämischen Kommentaren bedacht, das ist mir sogar persönlich passiert. Später konnte man in den Medien noch Augenzeugenberichte hören, dass einige Demonstranten Essen und Getränke aus einem Obdachlosenheim geklaut haben und Vandalismus begangen haben, wenn sie Gebäude sahen, die mit der Regenbogenflagge behangen waren.

Diese Demonstrationen haben viele negative Auswirkungen auf die Gesellschaft. Die Anwohner vor Ort müssen sechzehn Stunden am Tag ununterbrochenes Hupen ertragen. Der Verkehr kommt in vielen Teilen von Ottawa und Gatineau zum Erliegen. Auf der Arbeit kommen viele Leute deshalb zu spät an und stehen streckenweise Stunden im Stau. Der Busverkehr zwischen Gatineau und Ottawa war vier Tage lang komplett eingestellt. Ich selbst musste eine halbe Stunde durch die Kälte laufen, um mich durch eine aggressive Menschenmassen zu arbeiten und zur nächsten Bushaltestelle zu kommen. Über der Innenstadt schwebt eine stinkende und ungesunde Dieselwolke. Es gab viel Vandalismus wie zerbrochene Scheiben, angezündete Mülltonnen und Demonstranten, die auf Strassen und Gehwegen ihr Geschäft erledigt haben. Der harte Kern der Demonstranten ist immer noch vor Ort und erklärt erst gehen zu wollen, wenn die Coronamassnahmen aufgegeben werden und Premierminister Justin Trudeau zurücktritt. Einige Teilnehmer haben selbst den Medien erklärt auch noch in den kommenden Wochen vor Ort übernachten und demonstrieren zu wollen und möchten weitere Konvois in andere Städte wie Québec-Stadt schicken.

Mein Fazit ist daher ganz eindeutig: diese Demonstrationen haben keinerlei Unterstützung, Sympathie oder Rechtfertigung verdient und die Leute vor Ort sind durch die Bank subversiv, radikal und gefährlich. Der Grossteil dieser Demonstranten stammt klar sichtbar aus dem rechtsextremen Spektrum. Flaggen oder Symbole aus dem linken oder liberalen Spektrum gab es gar nicht zu sehen. Ich finde diese Demonstrationen verachtenswert und hoffe, dass sie sehr bald friedlich enden wird. Ein ausdrückliches Lob geht raus an die Einsatzkräfte vor Ort wie Polizisten, die wirklich als Minderheit mit Samthandschuhen dafür sorgen müssen, dass eine pöbelnde Mehrheit nicht zu noch radikaleren Methoden greift. Weiterhin komme ich zu der Erkenntnis, dass die Impfgegner und Pandemieleugner mit solchen Demonstrationen jegliche Glaubenswürdigkeit und Toleranz verloren haben. Es ist löblich, dass Anwohner, Einsatzkräfte und Politiker vor Ort hier nicht einknicken und sich ganz klar aber friedlich gegen diese Demonstranten positionieren. Man kann nur jede Bürgerin und jeden Bürger unterstützen es ihnen gleich zu tun, damit die pöbelnde Minderheit nicht auf den Gedanken kommt, in der Mehrheit oder gar im Recht zu sein.

The Moon & More EP is a wonderful gimmick that was released with German Hard Rock magazine to promote the upcoming Amorphis album Halo. This decent release offers six diversified songs with a total running time of thirty-three minutes.

The first two songs ''The Moon'' and ''On the Dark Waters'' are the first two singles used to promote Amorphis' upcoming studio album Halo. They perfectly exemplify how the band combines haunting and uplifting melodies with liberating brutality while being guided by melancholically atmospheric soundscapes and lyrics inspired by traditional Finnish folk tales. The band has really found this particular niche since Tomi Joutsen joined as a singer eighteen years ago. The two songs offer nothing new but Amorphis stagnates on such a high level that every single release remains beautiful and significant.

''Brother and Sister'' is a bonus track from the limited edition of the brilliant last studio record Queen of Time. The creative, melodic and progressive song was considered a true hidden gem by the band that even released this track as a single last year. If you haven't listened to the song yet, do yourself a favour while exploring it as it represents Amorphis' adventurous, haunting and imaginative qualities very well.

This release concludes with three live songs taken from the excellent Live at Helsinki Ice Hall released last year that came as a wonderful surprise in times when concerts and festivals are still being canceled due to the ongoing pandemic. The three songs selected here represent three very different phases of the band. ''Into Hiding'' stands for the band's sinister, raw and atmospheric early years as it explores melancholic melodic death metal soundscapes. ''House of Sleep'' on the other hand is a melodic power metal song with an incredibly catchy chorus from the band's middle years that marked the beginning of Tomi Joutsen's stint with the Finnish legends. ''The Golden Elk'' combines the previous two phases as it opposes a captivating melodic chorus with intense melodic death metal verses and an imaginative progressive middle section that grows with each spin and requests multiple spins to unfold its pure magic that represents last studio record Queen of Time best.

The only thing that could have been improved on this excellent extended play is to include some rare tracks on here, such as recent Japanese bonus tracks ''Honeyflow'' and ''The River Song'' for instance.

Still, Amorphis' The Moon & More EP is a wonderful collector's item for faithful fans, offers thirty-three minutes of diverse entertainment for occasional listeners and might even intrigue recent and new supporters enough to discover one of the most consistant metal bands in the world that deserves much praise and recognition.

Final Rating: 90%

Don't feel intimidated to raise your voices against aggressive, closed-minded and disrespectful protesters who hide their extremist positions under the veil of freedom!

Full support for Justin Trudeau, François Legault and all those who have been keeping us safe and sane throughout the ongoing pandemic!

Тысяча Вёрст translates to A Thousand Miles and is a brand-new Russian trio playing music on the thin line between heavy metal and power metal. The newcomers from Moscow have just released their first extended play Дорогой легенд that translates to Road of Legends. This output features five songs with a total running time of twenty minutes.

The band indeed manages to tell legendary tales in a captivating way. The Russian lyrics deal with topics such as ghost ships, mythology and witches as the band is obviously inspired by fantasy movies, novels and video games.

The musicianship is quite diverse. Acoustic guitar sections offer atmospheric campfire folk sounds that build up mysterious atmosphere. The guitar riffs remind of European power metal in the more melodic sections and extensive solos while the riff work in the verses is anchored in classic heavy metal territory. The rhythm section is energetic and tight and especially the drum play sounds playful and versatile. The vocals offer much diversity as well. The female lead vocals sound enjoyably clean, melodic and organic. They are often supported by rougher male backing vocals in choruses and sing-along passages that provide some additional oomph.

All five songs can be described as very good tunes, meandering from acoustic folk passages as heard in ''Время ведьм'' over anthemic folk metal with catchy vocal lines as in ''Ведьмак'' to more technical tunes such as ''Искатель'' with upper mid-tempo riffs on the thin line between heavy metal and thrash metal.

At the end of the day, Russian trio Тысяча Вёрст offers much promise on its debut extended play Дорогой легенд that should please fans of melodic heavy and power metal inspired by epic stories about legendary and mythological topics. The melodic guitar work, captivating combination of female lead vocals and male backing vocals and fascinating Russian lyrics make this band stand out. One should certainly keep an eye on these newcomers. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the youngsters from Moscow come around with a full length effort in the near future.

Final Rating: 80%