Mortor - 'Shoot Em Up' (self released) 4/5

Now I don't know too much about Mortor. They come from Canada and this is I think their debut full length album, and thats about it, the press info that came with this one was a bit sparse and there aint a great deal of info around on the net either. But when I got my hands on this one and saw the album cover I was interested, after all anything with Nazi zombies on it has to be worth at least a look.

Now this is good, from the moment you click play your hit by a full on metal blitzkrieg that kicks off by sending a stuka like wave of pounding thrash and bludgeon beats  to blast a way into your head, and thus making opening in your minds defenses for the panzer divisions of Cannibal Corpse style speed and grind riffage and legions stormtrooping growled and snarled vocal delivery to punch on deep into your soul and capture your psyche. And this is one occupation I'm not going to object to.

This album is just relentless, cuts like For Glory, Under The Flag, Clusterfuck and Trigger Happy just roll you up with all the subtly of G.I.'s at an Iraqi wedding. This is metal at the bleeding edge, its raw, in your face, mosh pit friendly and very very enjoyable. However theres a softer side to Mortor, (although they do try to hide it). Take the cut Whiskey Surgery, heres a cut that has an almost rock and roll guitar solo in the middle and cuts like Point Blank and  Days Of Our Knives show a little light and shade, as tempo changes and some minor key riffage just work their way into to provide some colour to the relentless blast and batter. And check out the guitar work on Bonesaw... that is to die for.

Now theres a fair bit of this sort of stuff around there and whilst Mortor are no Cattle Decapitation, they are no slouches either and with a bit of luck and hard work they cold become a name to watch for in the future.

Pretty damn good

For fans of... Cattle Decapitation, Cannibal Corpse, Sepultura, Kreator, Carcass.....

Grave Digger - 'Clash Of The Gods' (Napalm) 5/5

Koln band Grave Digger first set sail on the seas of metal way back in the early 1980's, and ever since then they have have been plundering the sonic seascapes with their distinctive brand of legendary piratey power metal in fine style, and now we have this, studio album number sixteen, to remind us that Grave Digger are still up their with the very best of them.

OK I have always been of the opinion that what German metal does best is the big epic power metal type of thing, and in my mind Grave Digger, a band I've been a fan of ever since I first heard their album War Games way back in nineteen eighty something, have always been in my mind one of the acts that sums up that form of Teutonic sub thrash epic metal best, and this album is in my mind could well be their finest hour yet. Eleven tracks each one a vast sounding head bang frenzy that grabs hold of your brain stem and forces your head to ossilate violently to the music until your a happy sweaty mess on the carpet.

Blending their pirate / power metal musical style with lyrics that draw heavily from Greek history and mythology, these guys have cooked up real gem of an album. Kicking off with a rather salty sounding shanty by the name of  Charon, that soon explodes into the power metal thrash out of God Of Terror, this album just kills. Other gems include the razor riffed and turbo fueled Helldog, the huge anthem of Walls Of Sorrow with its references to the seige of Troy, the dark and doomy grind of Call of The Sirens and the 'Iron Maiden on steroids' work out of the closer Home At Last.

Vocalist Chris "Reaper" Boltendah, has the perfect voice for this kind of metal, deep gruff and growling, yet at the same time more than powerful enough to deliver those huge air punching man-rock choruses that is the hallmark of power metal. High praise as well to axe swinger Axel "Ironfinger" Ritt, whos riffs smash into your ears like a unit of very angry hopolites and whose solos stike you down like the bolts of Zeus himself. And for the record, the rest of the band; Stefan Arnold (Drums), Jens Becker (Bass) and HP Katzenburg (Keyboards) are no slouches either and do thier part in delivering the Grave Digger sound to the masses in fine style.

All in all this could well be the best slice of power metal I've heard since Powerwolfs 'Blood Of The Saints' from back last summer, and whether your rowing a longship to Vinland, sailing the Spanish Maine on the prowl for English merchentmen or going off to Troy in your Tireem to deliver a wooden horse to Helen, this album makes for the perfect sound track. Of course us lesser mortals will more likely play this one in the car on the way to work or crashed out on the bed / couch with a cold one, but believe me it's just as good for that as well.

EPIC

For fans of... Powerwolf, Primal Fear,  Royal Hunt, Viking Skull, Ex Deo... etc

Firewind - 'Few Against Many' (Century Media) 4/5

This is album number eight from Greek metal gods Firewind and main project of Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Gus G.

Now I am a bit of a Firewind fan I will confess, their 2008 album The Premonition being a particular fave of mine. So I was a bit excited about getting this one to say the least. However having lived with it for a while now, I will say I'm finding it a bit of a double edged sword.

On the up side this album is a pretty good exercise in power metal. There are 10 tracks on show, all of a high standard. Gus G is in fine form, check out the wonderful shred and widdle solo on Losing My Mind for an example of a guitar hero at is best. Vocalist Apollo Papathanasio shows once more that he is one of the most distinctive and engaging vocalist in metal at the moment. As for the music, well tracks like Another Dimension with its driving riffs and the huge anthalmic Glorious are all first rate examples of modern commercial metal.

However I do one issue with this album and that's the production.To my ears its a bit too well produced, everything is polished to perfection, and whilst on tracks like the chilled out and introspective Edge of A Dream it works well, in other places the stacked vocals and layered guitar lines and big keyboard wash only serves to take the cutting edge off the whole thing. Riffs that should kill merely stun, solos that should blow the mind tend just to titillate... I dunno may be its a personal thing on my side, but I like my metal with a little bit of the rough edges left on.

Still that gripe aside I can't really say anything negative about this one, and the fact that its topped the Greek album charts and is generating highly favourable fan reviews means they are doing something right here, and more power to Firewind for that.

Pretty Good Overall

For fans of... Helloween, Dragon Force, Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Primal Fear....

Titans Eve - 'Life Apocalypse' (self released) 4.5/5

This is the second full length offering from Vancouver metal merchants Titans Eve, a band who seam to love doing it old school and touring their butts off across their fairly vast native land in a beat up old van and to be honest its quite a good one.

There are eleven cuts on offer here (if you include the obligatory short intro and a short linking instrumental number). Mixing old school power metal in the Anvil, Exciter, Armored Saint mode with good healthy dollops of Onslaught, Megadeth, Exumer type late 80's trash, the band have in this release served up a damn fine platter of good old fashioned, no bull shit heavy metal, that sets the head banging, the pulse racing and makes even this old headbanger want to start a circle pit right here in his own office.

Just to pick a couple of highlights, there's the headlong slam dance of Life Apocalypse with its blast beat drumming and distinctive signature riffing. Then there's the high speed thrash out of Destined To Die - a cut that reminds me of Onslaughts classic 'Power From Hell' debut album; a gloriously chilled and melancholy out instrumental entitled A Wound That Never Heals - complete with a rather groovy bongo drum line!! and the divinely majestic Frozen In Time - an true mini epic if ever there was that goes from slow and acoustic to Priest-U-like twin guitar harmonies to heavy as fuck grind and pound and back again. All damn good stuff.

Got single out a couple of people here for special praise. First up the vocals of Brian Gamblin, a guy whose delivery is gruff and aggressive, yet never falls into the trap of the old cliched pig grunt all of which means you can hear what the guy has to say. And I always say if you have something to say, make sure people can hear it. Add in the fact that both Brian and his brother(?) Kyle Gamblin play a mean and impressive guitar that can balance on the line between melodic delivery and brain melting shred and the rhythm section of Jesse Hord and Casey Ory are as tight as a Scotsmans wallet and you really do have a line up that can deliver the metal in fine style. On top of that the production here is first rate, its smooth enough to give Titans Eve a huge and ear shreddingly vast and aggressive sound, yet is rough enough around the edges to keep the whole kit and caboodle bouncing along with the hungry urgency this kind of metal demands.

All in all a pretty impressive album that will win them a lot of friends. At the time of writing Titans Eve are about to hit the road in support of the legendary Anvil, so if your in Canada and get chance to see em, do so, and where ever you are in the world, buy this album. You will not regret it.

Very Impressive


For fans of... Anvil, Armored Saint, Onslaught, Six Feet Under, Portrait, Raven.....

Allegaeon - 'Formshifter' (metalblade) 4/5

This ten tracker is the second full length release from Colorado 'technical' metal outfit Allagaeon a band that until now has slipped under my radar.

First impressions are, that this is pretty cool, opening up with the seven minute mini-epic Behold (God I Am) and blasting through tracks like the wonderfully entitled Tartessos: The Hidden Xenocryst (what ever the hell that means), the headlong razor slash of Iconic Images and glorious frenzied From The Stars Death Came this album form a sweet soundscape that manages to position itself halfway between the old school trashisms of Slayer and Testament and the southern metal sensibilities of the likes of Lamb of God and Machine Head,

Praise must be given to the guitar pairing of Ryan Glisan and Greg Burgess who not only have a nice line in heavy as hell grinding riffage but can shred and widdle like good uns, and keep it melodic at the same time, not an easy feat to pull off at all.

All in all a pretty good album, but my fave cut here is undoubtedly the closer Secrets of Sequence, a bit of a classic in the making that manages to blend so great 'head in the bass bin' metal dynamics with some rather impressive mellower moments.

Well worth checking out

For Fans Of... Lamb Of God, Charred Walls Of The Damned, Crowned By Fire, Testament....

Elysian - 'Wires Of Creation' (self released) 3.5/5

Australian progressive death metallers Eylsain (not to be confused with the Greek power metal band of a similar name) are a fairly new edition to the worlds metal scene. They have only been together a couple of years and this is their debut release.

Now as far as debut releases goes this one isn't too bad. Blending elements of old school Pink Floyd style prog rock, with OSI / Dream Theater type prog metal and huge slices of growly voiced death metal stylings the band forge an interesting range of sonic soundscapes and moshable metal workouts.

Now to be brutally honest I'm finding this one a bit of a double edged sword. I'm loving some parts but others are leaving me a bit cold. It all comes down to the vocals of Ben Garner. Don't get me wrong as a deep gruff and growly death metal vocalist he is excellent, and on tracks like Sense Offender and Play The Hand, when Elysian are in full on metal mode he sounds great. But sadly when the rest of the band go off on their proggy trips and Mr Garner is still in growl and snarl mode the vocals don't seam to sit quite right with the music.
This is a shame cos Elysian are a band with a helluva lot of potential, but they need a bit more light and shade in vocal department to bring the best out of them. Maybe they should check out Fornost Arnors amazing 'Death of a Rose' album to see how a more subtle and considered approach to the vocals could really bring out the best of them.

Still this is a new band, still finding their feet, and this album still has a lot to recommend it over all and I'm sure that given time to develop they could mature into an act that could rank up there with the very best of them.

Worth checking out

For fans of... Fornost Arnor, Fates Warning, OSI, Opeth etc....

Job For A Cowboy - 'Demonocracy' (metalblade) 4.5/5

With three full length albums and three eps under their belt Arizona death thrashers Job For A Cowboy have been building a growing reputation as one of the underground metal scenes most likely to succeed, and now we have their latest album to remind us exactly what these guys have to offer.

Now I will confess that I've come late to the JFAC party, It wasn't until last years Gloom ep that I started to really pay them attention; and I'm seriously wondering what I've been missing, cos that aforementioned ep and this album here are a we bit good to say the least. There's a good load of of old school death metal in the bands sound, but also in there are some goodly slices of of Megadeth style thrashings and even hints of Bathory type black metalisms just to broaden the sound and lift the band above the same old same old death metal sensibilities.

There are nine cuts on offer here, each a finely crafted exercise in brutal metal excess.Vocalist John Davy grunts and snarls like a good un and the twin six stringers of Al Glassman and new boy Tony Sannicandro are to die for as they blend relentless steam hammer riffage and speed blur thrash outs with some some really rather beautiful melodic lead sections and Priest-U-like twin harmony lines.

It's hard to select any highlights as I'm liking the whole album lots but if I had to pick just one track for individual praise it would have to be the epic closer Tarnished Gluttony with its slow and doom laden opening, post sabbath riffs, glorious middle breakdown and relentless build up into a truly earth shattering, yet downbeat climax.

Very very good indeed

for fans of.. Not Above Evil, Exumer, Goatwhore, Megadeth....

Viking Skull - 'Cursed By the Sword' (transend) 4.5/5

This is the third full length opus from Corby based 'Viking' metal outfit Viking Skull and the first for Transend.

Now from the off lets clear up any confusion, although Viking Skull do admit to being influenced by and inspired by all things viking, this album is not true Viking metal as such, there's no Amon Amarth / Falconer / Turisias / Kivimetsan Druidi style longship rowing epic nordic stylings here. Instead on first play of this album you get huge chucks of Battleaxe and Fist style NWOBHM and large helpings of post NWOBHM aggression in the style of acts like Drunken State all wrapped around a vocalist who does a damned good Blackie Lawless (WASP) impression. And to be honest I am pleased about that, cos the result is a Brit band playing tin the classic Brit metal style that I grew up listening to and as a result is right up my musical street.

To say I'm liking this one lots is a gross understatement. There are ten tracks on offer, all sweet as a nut old school headbangers that take me back to those air punching and head banging days back at Bristols old Granary Club in the 1980's. You get cuts like the savage and boogie driven Machine Gun Honey,  the AC/DC fueled Second Left On Harris, which features classic lyrics like 'I've got 1,000 watts of rock and roll, turn it up and watch your neighbours cry' and fantastic tongue in cheek beer goggle anthem You Look Like I Need A Beer. It's larger than life, in your face and what's more important, is delivered with a sense of humour that in these days of dead pan metal is a breath of fresh air. However my fave track here has to be the Sabbath inspired Sleepwalk, a true metal epic if ever there was one.

Musically this album is first rate, its aggressive and heavy yet it still manages to maintain a full on dance-floor friendly boogie attitude that will make even the squarest of old metal-heads wanna dust off the old air guitar and jam along; and that is something the current UK metal scene needs more of. The production here is spot on as well. it's tight enough to pull the sound together nicely but remains loose enough to allow the bands raw attitude and fire to shine through to the max. Not a balance that is easy to achieve.

Over all this is a great record and one I'll be playing a lot, both on air and for my own pleasure.

Well worth getting

For fans of... Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Battleaxe, Drunken State...

Furyon - 'Gravitas' (frontiers) 4.5/5

When the Sunday Rockshow first launched on BCFM one of the first unsolicited demos to arrive was from a young Brighton band called Furyon. I was very impressed with what was on offer and have been following the bands development from a distance ever since. Now five years on we have this their first full length release on key international rock label Frontiers.

And what a release it is. One of the things that really impressed me about aforementioned early demo was the bands ability to write and construct classic metal tracks yet at the same time keep them sounding fairly accessible and radio friendly, and that has not changed. The opening cut on this one Disappear Again manages to come over as accessible and FM happy as anything the likes of Nickleback or Avenged Sevenfold can cook up, yet still manages to keep a good old school Saxon / Marshall Law metal vibe going at the same time, and that's no mean feat.

Then with the stall well and truly set out Furyon go on to show their diversity. To pick just a few highlights... Stand Like Stone comes over a bit like Iron Maiden jamming with Mastodon, Don't Follow mixes Lamb Of God style riffage with a classic vocal delivery from Matt Mitchell that reminds me somewhat of a husky Rob Halford. Voodoo Me, a re-recording of what struck me as the stand out track on that early demo, is a classic little pop-metal number that comes over like Tygers Of Pan Tang on a Def Leppard trip and Our Peace Someday is a track as good as anything Ion maiden have delivered on their past few album and features some fantastic guitar work from Pat Heath and Chris Green.


However to me the stand out cut is the closer, Desert Suicide, which starts out sounding a little like a classic Canterbury era Diamond Head number, all darkly acoustic with shock beats then builds and build into a spine tingling epic where the light and shade are played to maximum effect and it leaves the listener feeling they have indeed just heard something very special indeed.


Over all this is a cracking album that should help shove Furyon up the league of British metal and bring them closer to recognition they undoubtedly deserve.


Very highly recommended


For fans of... Avenged Sevenfold, Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, Marshall Law.....

Not Above Evil - 'The Transcendental Signified' (self released) 4/5

Early last year I received a copy of 'Deification', the debut full length release by Manchester multi influenced metal outfit Not Above Evil. Sadly I didn't review it as I wasn't running this blog at the time, but I played a few tracks off it on BCFM, and it got good feedback, and the Radio Satan 666 listeners loved it; so marked them down on my mental list as ones to watch. Now, less than  year later Sideeq Mohammed and his crew have issued their second album The Transcendental Signified.

Now this is pretty good, NAE take their musical cues from a number of diverse influences. There are large slices of Behemoth and Bathory style black metal in their sound, a fair bit of old school Slayer type thrash as well, and then, just to take the edge off the bang and bludgeon there are bits of Lamb Of God and Mastodon-U-Like southern metal thrown in the mix as well. The result is most pleasing to the ear and makes for a far more complete and rounded sound than on the preceding Deification opus. It's almost as if NAE have come of age musically.


All the extremely brutal slash smash and slay of the proceeding album is here in abundance. Tracks like the opener Crossroads crawl from the speakers dripping menace and metallic mindfuckisms like and H.P. Lovecraft novel made sonic reality. Yet where as Deification tended to steam roller along laying waste to all its path, this album is more controlled, more considered and is all the better for it. We get tracks like Nexus where raw speed is sacrificed in the name of darkly controlled riffage and almost Machine Head style song structures and Amon Amarth type epic storytelling.

Just to select a few more highlights; we have Death and Transformation, one of the best thrash-outs I've heard since Onslaughts seminal album The Force; Legion with its Behemoth referenced attack and drive and my fave cut on offer here, the epic closer of The Duel, a classic in the making that build from a deceptively sweet and mellow introductory riff into a multi-sectioned meisterwerk that showcases exactly how good a band NAE really are.

Add in the fact that every member of this band delivers the goods in playing their parts to almost perfection and the production, which the band did themselves, is spot on, and you have an album that will do NAE's grow reputation no harm at all and will only add to their status as one of the UK's most promising up and coming metal acts.

In short - a damn fine album from a band to watch

For fans of... Lamb Of God, Elimination, Anterior, Behemoth, Slayer etc....

Primal Fear - 'Unbreakable' (Frontiers) 4.5/5

Just in case you don't know, German power metal outfit Primal Fear came together in the late 1990's around the core of vocalist Ralf Scheepers (ex - Gamma Ray / Tyran Pace) and Bassist Matt Sinner (ex-Sinner), and have since become fairly major players on the European metal scene. Now they are hitting us with studio album number eight, 'Unbreakable'.

Now as a fan of both Gamma Ray and Sinner I've kept an eye on Primal Fears development over the past 14 years or so and grown to really like their no frills, straight forward, highly headbangable brand of pacey power metal; and I'm glad to report, that this new album stay true to the bands core direction, whilst taking their delivery to the next level.

There are 12 cuts on offer here, and everyone of them is a balls to the wall metal classic. There are metal floor fillers like Bad Guys Wear Black with its sub tribal almost boogie beat and air punching anthemic chorus 'Bang your head and never turn it down....'; power metal epics in the finest Teutonic rock traditions of Scorpions and Helloween like the eight minute plus Where Angels Die; spine tingling semi ballads like Born Again (a track that contains an early contender for lead guitar solo of the year) and of course lots and lots of good old school power metal cuts like the storming Blaze Of Glory and break neck riff fest of Give Em Hell.

The band are on fine form, Ralf Scheepers vocals sneer and wail with an infectious venomosity, the twin guitars of new boy Magnus Karlsson and Alex Beyrodt drive and wail like the good 'uns they undoubtedly are and the rhythm section of Matt Sinner and Randy Black keep the whole kit and caboodle rolling along like a trans European express train on a falling grade.


OK this is not the most original album I've ever heard, far from it, but for anyone who likes their metal old school and stripped of the trappings of pretentiousness then this is as good as it gets.


In short - a belting album that will put a smile on the faces of most metalheads.

for fans of ...  Helloween, Gamma Ray, Machine Head, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest etc....

Hellish Outcast - 'Your God Will Bleed' (Transend Music) 4.5/5

Norwegian metallers Hellish Outcast are a bit of a supergroup, comprising of former members of such acts as Byfrost, Breed, 66 Crusher and Keep Of Kalessin, they first raided our shores earlier this summer when they laid waste to the bloodstock festival and left us with the impressive 'Raping Killing Murder' ep. Now anyone who knows their dark ages history will tell you that once the Vikings have raided, they will be back in greater force, and now we have again dark sails on the horizon as the band once more are set to return with their full length debut in the form of 'Your God Will Bleed'.

Now first impressions of this album are very favourable. What we have here are ten slices of deadly and effective Norse steel that make longships out of your ears, sail straight into your brain, lay waste to all they can find and make such an impact that you know your gonna remember the event for years to come.

The first assault comes in the form of The View, So Disgusting (a comment on a popular US day time talk show?) - a track that is dripping brutal riffs, and features a vocal approach that comes over like some weirdly compelling death metal hip-hop. From there on in its death and sonic slaughter all the way, we gets cuts like the violently short You Will Scream, that is a sub two minute berserk assault of unbelievable fury; the prolonged battery of tracks like Muffled Screams (lots of screaming going on here), which do show a fair degree of subtly in the bludgeon, with some slower paced riffs to counterpoint some blindingly fast blast beat sections; and my fave cuts on show the frenzied Face Forced Down and the masterfully epic closer Hubris.

Maximum praise must be given to the guys performing this act of metallic conquest. The music here isn't groundbreaking, it follows naturally in the footsteps of previous viking raiders such as Bathory, Darkthrone, Amon Armath etc, but it is particularly well penned and performed, instantly likeable and is a worthy edition to Norways metal heritage.

In short this is a damn fine record, and one that will win Hellish Outcast a lot of friends indeed.

For fans of... Tyr, Forefather, Amon Armath, Noctem, Glorior Belli....

Dakesis - "Trail By Fire" (CapsAArx) 4/5

Birmingham in the UK has in recent years styled itself as 'The Home Of Metal', and whilst there is a certain amount of tourist trappage in the whole claim and the new museum they have set up there, it cannot be denied that the West Midlands has had a very important role to play in the development of hard rock in the UK and beyond, and the area is still turning out some pretty impressive stuff, in recent months we've had cracking albums from Zombie Xtras and Bide Your Time, and now we have the debut release from power metal outfit Dakesis to add to the mix.

Now this lot have been around for a few years now and have previously issued an eponymous ep, before hitting us with this their first full lenght album. Now I showed this one to a friend the other day, who proclaimed that the album cover was 'a bit iffy' and therefore they had little interest in the music on the disc. Well after I had slapped him around a bit I pointed out that; a) there are far worse album covers out there than this one, and b) the quality of an albums cover is no reflection on the quality of the music there in. (Just look at the cover to the old Battleaxe album 'Burn This Town' for example, then play the record!)

Leaving the album art aside, the music on offer here is pretty damn cool. Dakesis are a five piece with both male and female lead vocals, and they know how to smith a good song. Just take Liar for example; here is a song that reminds me a little of NWOBHM supergroup Tytan with a touch or two of Diamond Head thrown into the mix and a classic Judas Priest style guitar duel section to cap it all off. Great stuff indeed. There are other influences on show here as well; After The Storm has a touch of the big epic operatic style euro-metal about it, think Nightwish, Within Temptation, Nemesea etc and you'll get the idea. Then in other places, such as on the track Valhalla Dakesis are heading off into the power-metal territory of the likes of In Solitude, Royal Hunt, Dignity etc. The up shot of all this is that 'Trial By Fire' is a good and varied album that keeps the interest up from beginning to end.

The musicianship is first rate, both male and female vocals sound clear and natural, the guitars are the stuff of axe heroics, the rhythm section is a driven powerhouse and the keys give the whole thing a nice smooth polish that finishes off the whole sound to perfection. OK I will say the production here is a little flat and lacking in sparkle, but this is a low budget album from a new up and coming band, and that can be forgiven. I'm sure this will be an album that opens a fair few doors for this lot and I'm sure we will be hearing a lot more from Dakesis in years to come.

Recommended

For fans of... Nemesea, In Solitude, Tytan, Diamond Head, Royal Hunt, Kivimetsan Druidi....

Vantage Point - "Tomb of The Eagles" (Power Point) 4.5/5

Edinburgh outfit Vantage Point are not a band that's a household name, if fact outside their native Scotland they are almost unknown, and that's a shame, cos they really are a gem of an outfit with a lot to offer, and with this their second album, they really laying out a stall full of goodies that could well move them on from being local heroes into an act the whole of the UK and beyond should take notice of.

From the off, lets be perfectly clear, Vantage Point play metal, heavy metal. We are talking no bullshit, devil horns in the air, bang your head til your carpets full of dandruff, air guitar a-go-go, whiplash inducing MMEETAALLL of the old school. the sort of metal that dates from about 1983, late NWOBHM, pre-thrash sort of stuff. If your familier with the early work of say Saxon, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Weapon, Nightwing, Toyko Blade, Persian Risk etc you'll know exactly what I'm on about. Nothing too heavy by todays standards, but nice driven crunchy controlled riffage, howling guitar solos, air punching anthemic choruses, pounding drum beats and the rest. In short the sort of stuff I fell in love with back in 1980, and has been my musical true love ever since. (OK I've had affairs with prog rock, punk, goth, thrash, doom, hardcore and even jazz and ska over the years, but its still old school metal that really floats my boat.)

There are 14 tracks on offer here, and every one is a bit of a belter. I'm not gonna give a track by track guide, I believe in letting you check things out for yourselves, but I will give you a few personal highlights. We have the epic title track Tomb of The Eagles, which sounds a bit like Toyko Blade jamming with Heavy Pettin' and features some wonderful off metre vocals and a solo to die for; then there's High Plains Drifter, with a riff that hat tips Angelwitch and lyrics that praise a certain Mr Eastwood, (the greatest cowboy of all). Obedience School (the current single) is a classic slice of down and dirty sleaze metal that wouldn't sound out of place on Girl's 'Sheer Greed' album; and then there's my favourate cut on offer Global Delay with is post Kashmir verse riff, Nightime Flyer style chorus and mindblowing shred and widdle solo. All very good stuff indeed!!

Now I don't for a minute think this album will make Vantage Point interational metal super stars. It sounds far to retro for that, but with a renewed interest in the roots of metal and the NWOBHM in particular I can see it making them cult legends of the underground and winning them friends and admirers far beyond their native Scotland.

Well worth a look or three

For fans of... Marsellie, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Witchfynde, Witchfinder General, Heavy Pettin'.... etc

Awake - "Forever More" (Lion music) 4.5/5

It's been four years since Cambridge prog/melodic metal outfit Awake last hit us with an album, and there has been a lot happening since. Line up changes, tours with the likes of Magnum and Everygrey, live BBC sessions and a number of praise winning festival appearances, but now at last we have the new studio album in the form of "Forever More".

And what a corker it is. Right from the off it's easy to see that this release is a more complete and rounded offering than it's predecessor, 2007's "Illumination",  The over all sound is more polished, the new guitar paring of brothers Andrew and Steve Coles bring a new heavier and more purposeful diamention to the sound, Keys player Craig Burkitt, who I felt was a bit of a spare wheel on "Illumination", seams to have found a place in the band at last and adds more to the over all sound than just a vague synth wash. Even vocalist Simon Shedwell sounds more at home here than on previous releases, his voice seams less edgy and somewhat smoother over all, and it fits into the Awake sound all the better for it.

There are 12 tracks on offer here, all pretty damn impressive. If you've not encountered the band before, imagine if you can a sort of subtle blend of Royal Hunt, Iron Maiden, Marillion (Fish era), Magnum and perhaps classic Queensryche, all rolled around a core of Judas Priest and seasoned with hints of Rush and Fates Warning. We get cuts like the beautifully realised, almost balladic Closing The Door, the vast and epic power rock of the closing title track, the driving prog metal of Bleed From You and the anthemic Drift Away; all of which go to show what a superbl;y talented and wonderfully diverse outfit Awake really are.

Highlights? well, Mr Shadwells vocals on the intro to One Wish are spine tingling, the guitar work and riffage on Out Of Control is to die for and then there is my favourate cut on the album King, with is sweet piano intro, Wishbone Ash style twin guitar lines and sadly plaintif vocals, a real shiver maker if ever there was.

Over all this is a great record, it shows that Awake are a band who are on the up and rightly deserve a place at the top table of British metal. Highly recommended.

For fans of... Iron Maiden, Royal Hunt, Evergrey, Dignity, Charred Walls of the Damned....

Royal Hunt - 'Show Me How To Live' (frontiers records) 4.5/5

Denmark's Royal Hunt have become a bit of an institution on the Euro metal scene for a good few years now, and now they are serving up their 11th studio album and the first in thirteen years to feature US vocalist D.C. Cooper, who returns to the fold to replace the departing Mark Boals.

I will confess from the off that I have a massive soft spot for this kind of epic pseudo-progressive power metal, and this one is hitting the right spots and ringing all the right bells in my old musical nogging. I mean take a track like Hard Rain's Coming which kicks off with a simple little harpsichord and vocals sequence builds up and up through driving riffs and walls of keyboards and backing vocals, takes in a soul wrenching Andy Latimer style solo from Jonas Larsen and then just when your expecting the huge finish it dies away to the same simple starting motif.. what's not to like?

There are seven tracks on offer, all pretty damn good un's they are too, even Half Past Loneliness, with its euro-vision style chorus is saved from the pits of cheese by a storming bass lick and a classic Larsen trademark solo. However to my ears the albums stand out cut is the epic title track. Ten and a half minutes of a great band doing what they do best, complete with some inspired key changes and some guitar vs Keyboard interplay to die for.

Over all I'm very impressed with this one, it may not be quite as good over all as Dignitiy's classic 'Project Destiny' album from a few years back, but its getting there. After all Royal Hunt are a band who have been doing this stuff in style for over twenty years now and over that time have honed their act well, and this album isn't going to do them or their reputation any harm at all. Well worth a spot purchase.

For fans of... Dignity, Awake, Falconer, Dragon Force, The Magnificent.....

Cirith Ungol - 'Servants of Chaos' (metalblade) 4.5/5

If I had to select one act to represent the true spirit of underground metal it would be Californian rockers Cirith Ungol. They were formed in the early 70's and for a good few years were nothing but local heroes before getting themselves signed in 1980. Over the next eleven years they issued four fairly obscure but musically remarkable albums before frustration over management and record label issues lead to the bands split in 1992. They were never a critically acclaimed outfit, Kerrang! magazine once named their debut LP 'Frost and Fire' as the worst heavy metal album of all time, yet at the same time they built a cult following far larger than their apparent profile, had a huge world wide fan base and are now hailed as a greatly influential outfit on many of the bands that came after them. Since the split the name Cirith Ungol has been kept alive by a string of compilation releases and even a tribute album from acts who hail them as one of the greats.

Now Servants of Chaos isn't a new compilation.This collection of rare unreleased tracks, demo recordings, live renditions, alternative takes and rehearsal room sessions first surfaced 10 years ago, but to commemorate  the 20th anniversary of the bands demise metalblade have decided to revamp and reissue it, along with a DVD of a 1984 live show to help keep the legend of Cirith Ungol alive and available for the next generation of metalheads.

There are 31 tracks on the audio part of this triple disc set (and 8 on the DVD which didn't come with this review copy so you'll have to check that bit out for yourselves), and it covers the bands entire history from demo versions of tracks that ended up on the Frost and Fire album, right through to a couple of numbers recorded just before the split. Listening through to this album I can't help but be struck by what a great band Cirith Ungol were. There are the ghosts of all the greats in here, riffs that hint at classic Rush, driving metal sections that reference Black Sabbath and Montrose, touches of Led Zeppelin... , all wrapped around some great lyrics that draw from classic fantasy literature as penned by the likes of Michael Moorcock and Fritz Libre. And there's more, just take the double header of Ill Met In Lankhmar and Return To Lankhmar, we have here a couple of tracks that can only be described as progressive metal, yet dating from a time when that genre didn't even exist and the only other band experimenting in the field were the equally cult and obscure NWOBHM outfit Demon.

Playing this one through and once more getting to know great tracks like Master Of The Pit, Chaos Rising, Join The Legion and 100 MPH, you begin to realise that maybe Cirith Ungols problem was the fact that they were too far ahead of their time, I'm sure had they come around ten years later when the whole progressive metal thing was beginning to break through thanks to the likes of Dream Theater, they would have realised their true potential and gained the critical and commercial success they undoubtedly deserved.

Still that is now just speculation, and with various ex-members of the band saying a reformation is most certainly not on the cards (but I for one still live in hope), all we can do is treasure this compilation, enjoy the majesty of what Cirith Ungol were; use it to pass on to younger generations of rockers the mythology of one of the metal undergrounds true greats and keep the name Cirith Ungol alive.

Highly Recommended

For fans of.. Rush, Crowned By Fire, Black Sabbath, Demon etc....

Martyr - 'Circle of 8' (roadrunner) 4/5

Ok I think I had better start with a quick history lesson here. Dutch metal combo Martyr (not to be confused with the Canadian post hardcore outfit of the same name) came together in 1982 and were key supporting players in the euro metal movement that grew up in parallel with the NWOBHM. They issued a couple of albums in the 80's that are now looked on as collectable cult classics then just when it looked like they were about to break through to bigger and better things split up. The rest of the story is now a familiar one, a reformation a few years back to play at a festival or two, a sudden shock that people still remembered them, a couple of tours supporting some legends from the past (in this case Lizzy Borden and Flotsam and Jetsam), an ep to support said tours and now we have the bands first full lenght opus in over 25 years.

I will be honest here and say I'm not 100% up to speed on Martyrs early output, all I've got in my collection is a couple of tracks on compilation albums, so exactly how Circle of 8 compares with their classic stuff I can't really say, however I can safely say that as far as come back albums from classic 80's bands goes this is a bit of a corker.

This album is rooted firmly in the strong metallic traditions of their past. Opening cut D.I. is pure Ride The Lightning era Metallica, All Warriors Blood comes over like a classic Megadeth number, Art Of Desception hat tips both Anthrax and Armored Saint and Scene Of Hell wouldn't sound out of place on a Metal Church album. OK its not very original, but it still highly enjoyable.

The band themselves sound very happy at doing what they are doing  This is specially noticeable in the performance of vocalist Rop van Haren who even in the growled shouty bits of his performance has a sort of chuckle about him, almost as if he is about to burst out to the laughter of pure joy at any moment. And as for the rest of the band... well these guys are having a ball, wielding riffs like broadswords, pounding rhythms like the hammer of Thor on the forge of Vulcan and generally laying down some of the best old school metal of the year.

In short this is a great album and while it may never become a massive world wide hit, it will go a long way in making sure Martyrs cult status as a great band of the old school is maintained.

For fans of... Megadeth, Waxface, Elimination, Metal Church, Armored Saint.....

Trillium - 'Alloy' (frontiers) 3/5

American vocalist Amanda Somerville is fairly well known in European metal circles, having contributed to albums by the likes of Epica, Kamelot and After Forever in recent years. Now she assembled her very own outfit under the name Trillium and issued this their debut album.


Now as a band Trillium promises lots. Amanda Somerville is a fantastic vocalist, she has an incredible range, and sounds natural with it. She can scream and wail like the best of them and yet shows such sweet control on the quieter sections. On top of that she has assemble a pretty good band around her, guitarist Sander Gommans must be singled out for special praise for his lead work in particular. Add in a great guest performance from Jorn 'Hardest Working Man In Metal' Lande and you have a band and an album that should rank up their along side the likes of Nightwish and Within Temptation as true leaders of the whole female fronted gothic rock / metal genre.


However there is a fundamental flaw with 'Alloy' that not only lets the whole thing down, but at times can be so frustrating that you tend to find the whole thing almost unlistenable. The problem is with the way the vocals are produced. As I said before Amanda Somerville has a wonderful voice, and in the quieter sections of the album such as tracks like Path of Least Resistance and Love Is An Illusion it sits in the mix perfectly. But when things start to get a bit heavier, (and there is a fair amount of metal on offer on this one), she steps up a gear or three, and all to often drowns out the rest of the band. This is most noticeable on tracks like Machine Gun, Purge and especially on Scream It, where the difference between the way Amandas vocals and the aforementioned Mr Landes vocals sit in the mix is very pronounced.


All this is a shame because this is a promising debut from a band that could achieve greatness, but is an issue that must be address if Trillium's potential is to be realised.


A flawed gem

For fans of... Nightwish, Within Temptation, Issa, Mystica etc....

Hate Gauge - 'Hope, Envy, Love & Lies' (self released) 4.5/5

Hate Gauge hail from Pembrokeshire in West Wales, and when they list Stella Artois and kebabs amongst their influences I had a feeling they would be right up my street. They have put out a few eps in recent times and now they have issued this six track mini album.

The moment I started to play this album and heard the opener Metal Messiah and found to my delight it sounds like Tokyo Blade, Persian Risk and Tygers Of Pan Tang style NWOBHM with lyrics to match; "Hand in the air like a metal messiah; on a long cold road out of hell...", I knew I was onto a bit of winner; and its gets better as you go along. One More Lie has cool groove metal feel that hints at Pantera; In To Deep is a bit of an anthem with bit of a Maiden meets Anthrax thing going on. This Drug is a bit of an epic in the same vein as Metallica used to be before they sold out to the majors, Jealousy continues the classic Metallica vibe but this time incorporates a Mastodon style groove and closer Let Me Know is the real surprise, a mellow acoustic track that has a certain Black Stone Cherry feel to it.

To say I'm a little impressed with this one is an understatement. The production is spot on, it still maintains a little roughness around edges, and that is good. Ever since Metallica dropped a bollock with 'And Justice For All' there has been a trend amongst some metal acts to polish all the life and fire out their sound, but fortunately this is one trend Hate Gauge haven't picked up on. The sound here is crystal clear, but still raw and in your face like metal should be. And all praise to the performances, every member of this quartet delivers the goods in fine style, the playing is first rate, the vocals clear, melodic and powerful without ever needing to resort to pig grunts or power wails, and the song writing is top notch.

In short Hate Gauge have in Hope Envy Love and Lies delivered a cracking little gem of a mini album that should start to open doors for them. But don't take my word for it, its available through Amazon and the other usual outlets, go get a copy and see for yourself.

For fans of... Metallica, Pantera, Mastodon, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Elimination....