FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Glorious Collision is a beautiful record and with the embracing of some more mellow and melodic sounds, they’ll not only please long time fans but may find some new fans from the hard rock world coming out to shows as well.
Whereas other sludge bands who deal in cosmic themes, like Zoroaster and The Atlas Moth, use harsh black-metal vocals to get their message across, Abrams’ warm, clean tones give Blue Aside a big boost. Their deftly executed blending of sludgy doom grooves with spacy guitar (and occasional synth) passages provides the missing link between Sleep and Hawkwind, YOB and Captain Beyond, Sons of OTIS and Secret Saucer… You get the idea.
…in which one Kevin Stewart-Panko passes his shaven-and-slanted-head judgment on three slabs of vinyl courtesy our good friends at various record companies. And a-way we go…
There aren’t many bands around here with the talent SJL has and with everyone splitting off and pursing new projects maybe some new great bands will rise from the ashes but there won’t be a better tech jazz band around here for years to come.
Angel of Babylon is exactly what you’d expect from Avantasia, world class songs, performances and production. If you’ve been on board so far, you’ll love this final installment in Sammet’s Scarecrow Saga. This is a must have.
Longtime fans of Todtgelichter’s more frostbitten back catalogue may not altogether be pleased by such an auspicious turn from a band formerly known for grimmer output (although allegedly there were hints of a more avant-garde direction on 2007’s Schemen). But for those who can embrace a hearty dose of melody, progression, and evolution alongside their black metal – how can a change like this be a bad thing? Highly recommended.
Prior to Nevermore, Warrel Dane cut his chops in Sanctuary. But prior to Sanctuary? Well, there was this band called Serpent’s Knight, of which remarkably little is known…until now. Shadow Kingdom, in conjunction with guitarist Brad Poland, released all of Serpent’s Knight’s material in remastered form. Accompanying the release are liner notes which seek to set the record straight on what actually went down with this, Dane’s formative band.
Album review by Tate Bengston
Right from the ‘Intro’ you can feel that Greber are not going to take you on a normal ride: this is going to be fun, heavy and maybe a little rough on your tender bottom!
Hey Hellbound Readers, welcome to the first Postcards From Natalie Zed for 2011. We met Natalie just about a year ago now when she won our big year end contest, taking home more than 50 CDs, records, posters and t-shirts. In a surprise move, Natalie then asked us if she could review her winnings for us. How could we say no?
Well, Natalie is all done with her original batch but has decided to keep on doing her postcard sized reviews for us. So, without further adieu, here is part nine of her ongoing series which we like to call “Postcards From Natalie Zed”. This set includes reviews of DAWNBRINGER, CASTAVET, KYLESA and more.
Straying away from being genre-specific, Eclectika tackle the many traits of what it means to be an experimental metal band, but is it too much of an attempt? Though obscure, the band is not out to lunch but certainly eclectic and only for the open-minded.