Manticora - Playing God
Manticora; the band I should love, but don't. I never quite could put my finger on what's wrong with these guys. I mean; the thrashy, frantic riffing is there, the double bass frenzy is there, leads and keyboards are more than appropiate (and aplenty) and they have a cool (albeit a little flat) singer with a reminiscence to Hansi Kursch. They are filled to the brim with stuff I usually enjoy, but alas, they leave me cold. At least with this song I can say that the main riff is great; with a lot of bite and a slightly ominous edge, but the rest is to no avail. The solos incite nothing but boredom in me, and I find the huge, multitracked chorus that recites "PLAYING GOOOOOOD!!! quite unnecessary. The vocalist, like always, does a more than decent job, but seems to be trying too hard (at least to me) for some reason. The rhythm section is appropiate, nothing more, nothing less. Ah, what the hell, I'll just go back to Fool's Game.....

And speaking of power metal.....

Messiah's Kiss - Ancient Rites

I'm really picky when it comes to power metal. Many bands just seem superficial to me and they sound like they just follow the steps to make it sound like what the genre confines dictate, yet forget to make the songs good/memorable/catchy etc. But there are exceptions, and they tend to be at exactly the opposite end of the spectrum; the awesome end. This is what we have here. This song is a blazing power trip the way it's meant to be. Starts off with a speedy riff which engages you right of the bat. The guitar tone is warm and full, very fitting to the style of the song. The vocals take over the spotlight during the verses, which isn't a bad thing, because this guy rules. His voice sounds like if Chris Boltendahl tried to be Tobias Sammet. The chorus is excellent, melodic and catchy as fuck. It reminds me of Avantasia's early stuff. The solo is what you would expect from a killer band like this. If more power metal bands were this good I'd be listening to more of it. I'll definitely check these guys out more. Thanks for posting! 9/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAN8v-sw0Tc

This band is somewhat legendary in regards to NWOBHM and such (so I've heard), and they certainly have the long-in-the-tooth heritage/pedigree to them, and I have never actively sought them out, which won't change on the basis of this track. I have got nothing really bad to say about it, it just...well, wasn't that great. Don't get me wrong, the riff-tasticness is all abundant, but never really moved me, the same can be said for the vocals, which I found a bit... meh. Maybe this particular track isn't one of their strongest? Maybe I don't get it? Whatever the reason I wasn't won over. I can see where influences for other bands (and themselves) would have been drawn, but I think for the time, there was better out there.

Something different altogether (naturally).

Vanhelgd - "Mansklighetens Final Ruin"

The song began and I thought, "ah, some kind of really sludgy, crawling monstrosity", this thought being bolstered by the slightly hardcorish desperate growls of the singer. To my surprise though, the speed quickly increased to a wild thrashing...for a moment I didn't even realise that they'd gone into high gear, because it sounded like the drummer was bashing away at the toms while the guitars still churned out those almost traditional Sabbathlike riffs. At 1:50 or so there's a bit of a slowdown and real weird and cool harmony that leads into an almost solo and more quick riffwork. I really like the buzz of those guitars and the thunk of the drums...the whole thing has a grimy old sound to it that I definitely appreciate. Vocals seem to overshadow the riffs a bit at times, which is only a slight shame as they're pretty good at what they do..full of mad and, as I said, desperate character. The return to a doomy crawl at the finish of this brief attack is perfectly logical and warranted. Cool song, I'll look more into this band.

http://youtu.be/FSOeWXYbYSM

Amebix - Beyond the Sun

Amebix ballads are generally great... but this one doesn't tend to strike me as much as the others. Perhaps it's my heart of stone and blood of ice, who knows? But still, this is a good track; the Baron really does get a chance to shine, putting in a very emotive, heartfelt performance. You really do get a sense of loss and raw emotion especially when it's got that "Beyond the SUUUUNNNNN!!" bit which is quite strikingly loud, as if his cheap microphone were going to give in at any moment. I do love the instrumental sound here, it's as if the band was collapsing in on itself or something. Perhaps this song just isn't quite as brilliant as 'Coming Home', it certainly doesn't have quite the same sense of a journey, at any rate. I blame myself, Amebix are brilliant!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLSHXkgMks8

Been a while since I heard these guys, more's the pity too, as this is some damn excellent, fiery and bloody enormous Norwegian black metal. I wouldn't call this epic, as it's too raw and straight forward, but the central riff is a perfect example of unpolished power and fury. The pounding central theme carries the bulk of the song, and that is more than welcome, and is aided by some snarling, shrieking vocals which carry enough presence in their own right. This has enough (well implemented) variation in song structure to keep from getting stagnant, with thundering drums furthering the controlled rage this exhibits. Bloody marvelous, going to have to look at getting a copy.

Staying in Norway now...

Orcustus - "Asphyxiokenisis"

As the song began I was a bit surprised, as I always heard this band was pretty much a modern incarnation of the classic Norwegian BM sound, and they begin with what sounds rather like a trademark death metal riff. Nice "chainsaw" guitar buzz, and some huge sounding drum attacks. Thirty seconds or so in though and we're definitely in Norse black metal territory, and the song gallops along with a take-no-prisoners attitude and some fine and slightly melancholy riffs. The drummer is pretty creative with his fills even if they always fall in the expected places. Vocals remind me of Garm in his angriest phase. The last minute or so settles into a propulsive rock rhythm where the underlying riffs are weaved in with some very nice melody, and the song makes an effective use of a fade-out. Nothing fancy but very likeable for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdjehinKs7E

Tudor- Novy Zivot

ummm...yeah.... here we go. The intro was pretty cool, if weirdly produced. It's also a chord progression I seem to hear way too often in these kinds of things, but I like that they added the clean guitar playing some lead type stuff to help set it apart. Then a thrashy riff comes on with fucked up vocals. I'm not sure wether I even like this or not. I mean, the riffs are pretty good, but the tone seems to have very little distortion. It has no, for lack of a better word, Oomph to it. The random female speaking dosen't work at all. It's hard for me to justify handling 4 minutes of these shitty vocals. The solos are pretty good but too short. This is not for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiIVluxcXNs

@ Necroticism:

@Abom:

@ Necro and Jonpo:

@Abom:

Agalloch - Into the Painted Grey

The wall of noise blasting out in the opening section is more of the foregrounding res than being the supposed background to lead melody, reminiscent of one of black metal anthems ''Mother North'' by Satyricon when the main melody is not drowned in the stormy sound sea but even is served to support the atmosphere. Destructive cadence then succumbs to some typical Agalloch as much depressive as melodic. Some folkish tunes backing up by nobby drums' rhythmic patterns follow through middle-tempo and up-tempo recurrent black metal worship. It seems that Agalloch are passing through all the stages of Ulver while they were becoming mature. Like their Norwegian predecessors they they are fluent in transition from dangling haps of folkish calmness to the usual mode of being melodic and noisy at the same time. I prefier ''The Mantle'' to ''Marrow of the Spirit'' so far, but natch it was worth listening to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdxJKFo_niw&feature=related

@ Acrobat:

Chastain: "There will be Justice"

A harmonised folky introduction with a somewhat eastern slant to it reminds me of other bits of Chastain I have heard. Then, a raucous guitar slide, adn we're off! What a banger of a song! The riffs are mighty, the drums have that booming sound that could only have come from the 1980s, the singing has plenty of grit and conviction and is catchy as well, and the solos are full of wild classical arpeggios and quick broken chords but don't come off as being wanky in the slightest..in fact I would say they add a good deal to the song. There's a sense of playfulness at work here, like the band could do anything they wanted but feel like hitting us hard with some stellar heavy metal...their skill is used to their advantage and nothing is wasted. Before the last repetition of the chorus there's a sudden and surprising run of double bass drumming and another memorable solo, then finishing the tune with a bang. Gotta get this album!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjep0NM7Ga8

Tysondog - Taste the Hate.

This was better! The intro dosen't really seem to accomplish anything, but it does leave me curious as to what's coming. Which is nothing less than pure NWBHM. You can hear the bass doing some awesome shit, and I'm a fan of these drums. The bass drums in particular seem actually BASSY. This vocalist is damn charismatic and I could see myself singing along to this after a few listens, as the chorus is catchy as hell. I miss bands that incorporate gang shouts as an emphasis thing instead of deathcore bands that use them horribly. The solo is damn good, especially those classic British Heavy Metal harmonies. I would put this on while driving, it gives me that kind of feeling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTShSv-95uI

@ Abominatrix :

Dragonland: "Beethoven's NIghtmare"

Oh no! Not Trans-Siberian Orchestra! Ah wait...oh no, not a Dragon powermetal band! Hey, wait a moment, this might be the best Dragonmetal band around, based on this song at least. It's quite a bit more modern prog metal than I usually enjoy and there's something oddly detached about the vocal production, but I was kind of pleasantly surprised by this. THere are your trademark Stratovariusy bits, with double bass going relentlessly while a guitar chugs along steadily with sixteenth-notes and chords making for not much riffcraft. However, there's also a lot of progression, tasteful use of keyboards (piano and the ubiquitous harpsichord/string sounds) and a few interesting changeups and shifts in mood. Toward the end there's even a bluesy part with an emotional guitar solo that reminds me of something Blackmore. The song kept me interested over six minutes with all its changes, and even some memorable vocal melodies. Not bad. I hate the band name.

Now for something dirtier!
http://youtu.be/Gz9lxV92-kQ

@ Abominatrix:

Voivod - Nuclear War

Fucking Voivod man. You've got your cool-to-hate bands, but then you also have the opposites. That's Voivod. I've wanted to like Voivod for so long. I've tried to listen to stuff from different eras, but nothing really works for me. Including this song. However, I don't dislike it. Way better than other Voivod songs I've heard. The rhythm section is interesting. That main bass riff that plods along for much of the song serves as a kind of platform that allows for a shitload of other possibilities. They could've put so many awesome riffs and licks on top of that, but they don't. The riffs just don't cut it for me. There are some parts that engaged me, unfortunately not for long though. The riff at 4:00, which is basically the guitar repeating that main bass riff, but the interplay between the two sounds really cool. Also, the solo towards the very end kicks ass. The vocals are tolerable, surprisingly. I've found them to be absolutely reprehensible in other Voivod songs I've heard. I'm sorry Voivod. I really wish I could like you. Overall, I could listen to this again, I just don't think I would ever feel the desire to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBotFUpfhag

Early Man - "Brainwash At Birth"

Love the riffs in this one. Hey, why is it I always end up reviewing the great trad-metal-thrash-revival-ish songs with catchy riffs? The riffs aren't particularly special, but they're all catchy and quite diverse, and serve the music perfectly. The rhythm section also does its job professionally enough, and while no particular musician in this band is a real virtuoso, they all mesh nicely. Unfortunately, I really don't like the vocals. He sounds like he's just talking over the music a lot of the time, and there's not much passion or range to be found. With a more powerful vocalist they would probably be a lot better. I think it'll probably be another album or two before these guys really become something great - they've got a good base with some above-average riffing, they just need to refine it and get rid of the vocalist (that's another thing, I always get the songs with shitty vocalists... hmm...). 80% or so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHvuXdhnieA

Primordial - Empire Falls

Alright alright, if no one else wants this beast I'm going to take it. I've never heard a single note from Primordial so this should be very much in line with the spirit of the thread. Here's hoping it goes better than the last time I decided to review a song just before going to bed...

This is nothing like I was anticipating. For some reason I was preparing myself mentally for a very busy, eclectic song. The lead-in could have erupted into any number of different styles, and did an amazing job building my own anticipation. This is actually very earthy sounding, without much in the way of bells and whistles. I love the somewhat muffled production and I adore the drumming for the entire length of the track, which is not something I'm normally inclined to notice first. But he has a great swing to his playing, and those tom rolls towards the middle of the track were PERFECTLY placed. The riffing takes on a very atmospheric roll, giving up center-stage, but it really works to the greater good. The vocalist also impressed me. I was expecting some sort of black/death styled "extremeness" but he's just belting it out in a very emotional yet raspy way. The whole song has a definite tone of sadness and nostalgia to it. Just a really moody, well written song. I'm so glad it wasn't a busy mess with ideas piled on top of ideas. The chugging riff towards the middle-end with the countering melodic licks makes for a really good release from all the built-up tension, without wrecking the atmosphere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IRNWRSTKTE

Damn right, Brojonpo. Primordial is amazing and you should check them out.

Legend - Why Don't You Kill Me
Solid NWOBHM, haven't heard them before today even if I had a NWOBHM period some months ago. Solid song, starts with a soft, almost AOR intro and is becoming a metal song after about a minute. Solid stuff, I'll say they're as heavy, but not as fast as Cloven Hoof to make a comparaison. There's a good guitar solo and the format of the song (and the album) is quite traditionnal. The vocals are good, probably the best thing about the band, not very original, but it fits the style. It's probably my biggest argument, the band, albeit the song being from 1982, is quite generic. Nothing out of the extraordinary, it lack the epic heavyness of Maiden, the hard rocking sound of Saxon, the progginess of Chasar or Full Moon. I'll probably check the band out, quite good and well done actually, similar band to Tygers of Pan Tang and Tokyo Blade. But yeah, inside the genre where many great bands reign supreme, it's hard to make a good place for itself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjO5PuXJO48

Great choice, just got turned on to them in the last month or so, and they've been heavily played in my ipod. First time I heard them I thought it was a woman singer. I don't want to say they have a Black Sabbath sound, but they have a Black Sabbath feel. Groovy doom is the feeling I get, and the guitars have a nice full tone. The songs just kind of creep along, or is that Creepy along?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liXQI9bwuCk

@Jonpooooooo

Damn this thread moves FAST!

@ Jonpo


@ Jonpo, Metantoine, or anyone who thinks Primordial is the fucking shit:


@ Broxeel

Got it

You're lucky I have a soft spot for this kind of southern-tinged bluesy rock, because otherwise I would just criticize this for sounding identical to Danzig. It's pretty decent I guess, with a good production value, some pretty cool riffs and leads and some so-Danzig-it-hurts vocals, but it really doesn't need to be 8 minutes long and if not for the great zombie horror movie themed video, it would have been pretty dull to watch. There isn't much atmosphere set and the song doesn't have enough dynamic to sustain its long length, so it falls rather flat despite being aesthetically entertaining.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoUuLWLJ-ng