EP Briefs (I Need to Catch Up)

I am trying to clear out some emails here and figured since these were all shorter releases that a quick paragraph would suffice.  I found myself enjoying all three releases for different reasons, so don't take the brevity of the reviews as an indictment against them.

CREINIUM: PROJECT UTOPIA (2014)

Creinium is a technical extreme metal band from Finland.  It definitely starts out kind of weird, with some ambient synth work and some imposing narration but then kicks it into gear on the next track.  Creinium continues to use a lot of keyboards, giving the band kind of a death metal Dimmu Borgir sound, or a more technical Luna Ad Noctum.  The band combines a number of different metal genres into their sound, making a precise description somewhat difficult.  The keyboards are really the star here as they distinguish the group from others.  Without them, there would not be a whole lot to talk about.

PINEAL: SMILING CULT (2014)

This is the second post-metal band I have reviewed in the last week.  I suppose "post-metal" would be far too limiting a term, as Pineal clearly has a lot of sludgy riffs with some Alice In Chains-esque vocals as well.  The band is more of a cross between Crowbar, Alice In Chains, Neurosis, and some Tool for good measure.  The riffs are ridiculously heavy and of course slower-paced, and the haunting vocals add a sense of doom and gloom that carries forward through the entire release.  It is an overall dark and depressing release that sounds great on a cold, dreary night like tonight.

CRUSHING AXES: UNDEAD WARRIOR (2014)

Crushing Axes is a one-man death metal project from Brazil, although apparently a session drummer and bassist were used.  The vocals are the major standout.  Sounding something like Nespithe-era Demilich, they consist of deep, frog-like croaking, though not as extreme as the aforementioned Demilich.  The music is fairly simple mid-tempo groove-laden death metal with some interesting lead guitar work on the melodies.  The release in theme and sound does a pretty decent job of capturing the general feel of the catchier work by Amon Amarth.  I would like to see a Brazilian band like this cover some of Brazil's own badass mythology though.

Metal? Briefs: More Random Stuff

I figured I would tackle a bunch of the albums that have been submitted to me over the last few months.  This next collection were albums that do not quite qualify as metal.  This is a metal site, so from this date forward, it will be very rare for me to review a non-metal release.  I just wanted to get some stuff out of my email for now.  Some of these were decent, some were unlistenable, but I tried.  Again, from this point forward, I may not review a submission that is not metal.  I will still likely listen to it, but I will probably only review it if it is truly exceptional.

BLACK DEPTHS, GREY WAVES: NEVER FOREVER SIMPLY DONE (2013)

I tried to parse that album title, and I just can't.  I don't know what it means.  The music is some sort of industrial/drone/noise, something or other.  Two tracks, each one over 20 minutes, and just noise.  Nope.  Not for me at all.

Black Depths, Grey Waves.

COLD-FEET CONTROL: TALES OF THE BROKEN-HEARTED PT. II (2013)

Okay, what in the hell is this?  It appears to be metalcore/screamo mixed with techno or something like that.  Seriously, I cannot even get through this thing.

Cold Feet Control.

DEAD DARK SLIDE: FEEL THE HEAT (2013)

I have gotten three or four emails pushing me to review this thing so I finally relented.  It was not worth it.  Dead Dark Slide is a gothic rock band with a lot of Marilyn Manson-isms in their sound.  The promo materials were incredibly deceptive, referring to this group as "industrial goth rockers" and mentioning "shredding guitars" and "death metal with a twist."  There is not a lot musically going on.  There are no riffs to speak of, just some atmospheric keyboard parts, drumming, and the occasional strumming on the guitar.  This is basically a heavier version of The Cure or Bauhaus.  Absolutely nothing metal about it, with the exception of the track "F-ck Haet", which does actually feature riffs and some more guttural vocals, but that's it.  And since I am not a goth, this really does not do much for me at all.  Pass.  Some of you may like it, I am not among you.

Dead Dark Slide.

END ALL ELEGANCE: PROMO (2012)

Huh.  This is decidedly not metal.  It is definitely more of a rock feel, the occasional heavy riff complemented by some softer sounds.  Definitely melodic and emotional.  The songs are reasonably interesting but not really all that different from a million bands we have polluting the airwaves.  Think most modern rock radio.  It's not bad, but definitely not something I am all that interested in.

End All Elegance Soundcloud.

LAZY BONEZ: VOL. 1 (2013)

Lazy Bonez is billed as a "heavy metal-oriented" (bad sign there) band featuring some members of Tarot, a Finnish metal band.  There are some decent-sounding songs on here, definitely some catchy stuff.  "First to Go-Last to Know" is an interesting track featuring vocals from Marco Hietala (Nightwish) and Udo Dirkschneider (if you don't know who he is, you shouldn't be reading this site).  But beyond that and the ridiculous "Poker Face" cover, there is not really a lot to say about the album.  It is not original in the least.  The talent is there and it is kind of a fun listen, but I would not say it is essential.

WHIPPING POST: THE CAT O' NINE TAILS (2013)

This one is kind of interesting because it really sounds like something that would have been released in the 1970's.  The guitar tone, use of keyboards, and the vocals all sound very much like classic rock from the '70's.  Think Kansas, Edgar Winter Group, Foghat, and others.  There's something to be said for something like this, but really, why not just listen to the bands from that time period?

Metal Briefs: Odds and Ends

I am working on emptying out my email of stuff that has been sent.  I assure everyone that I did take the time to listen to each submission in their entirety.  I am not writing full reviews for most of this stuff because I want to make sure that I get stuff out, but I think I was able to be succinct and effective in these short reviews.

FEAR CONTROL:  CONVICTION (2013)

I had no idea that metalcore bands were still forming.  Fear Control lists their influences as Trivium, Lamb of God, and Bullet for My Valentine.  Yep, that pretty much sums this up.  They are decent at what they do, but I am just beyond being interested in this type of metal.  I would have loved this about ten years ago.  Some of the riffs are fairly impressive, in particular the opening riff to "Chains".

Fear Control Bandcamp.

GRAEME SWALLOW:  PORTRAIT OF A ZEBRA (2013)

I find multi-instrumentalists fascinating.  People who can write and arrange complex music and then play most, if not all, of the music in the recording is incredibly interesting.  I guess some people are just more musically-gifted than I am (I can play the saxophone and piano, but have done neither in a very long time).  Graeme Swallow is one such multi-instrumentalist.  He wrote and arranged all of the songs on this album, only handing over vocal duties and the occasional solo to other individuals.  The sound is often power/progressive metal (think Symphony X and Kamelot) with some elements of orchestration and a strong feeling of theatricality.  But it is a hugely varied album as a whole as many other songs lack metal or rock influences entirely and are much more classically-based.  The music is actually very infectious and I found myself enjoying this album with repeated listens.  There is a lot going on and the musicianship is really incredible.  The guest vocalists are all extraordinarily talented.  There is definitely some Christian themes present but they are not overwhelming so it is not a problem, and the musicianship really is incredible.

Graeme Swallow Soundcloud.

HAMMERFORCE: ACCESS DENIED (2013)

Holy shit, calm down on the synthesizers a little bit guys.  Hammerforce are about what you would expect they would be when I tell you they play power metal and are from Europe.  Yep, "flower metal" here.  That being said, I do like the sound when it is played well.  Yes there are a ton of synthesizers in this album, but they complement the music a lot better than I thought they would when I first heard them introduced.  Musically, Hammerforce bear a strong similarity to Sonata Arctica circa Silence and I really liked that sound so I found myself enjoying this one quite a bit.  It's fast and fun and melodic all at the same time without becoming completely cheesy.  That's probably about the best I can say for a "flower metal" band with tons of synthesizers.

Hammerforce Bandcamp.

KINETIK:  HEAVIER ELEMENTS (2013)

Whenever a band has success there are inevitably going to be some imitators popping up, bands that play a similar sound.  This is nothing new and it really is not that bad of a thing.  Meshuggah is a very popular band in the extreme metal scene so of course there will be bands that play a similar style of music.  Atonal riffs that provide the rhythm of the song, complex drum patterns, and vocals that are a mix between a shout and a growl.  That is what Kinetik sounds like on this release.  They produce a powerful wall of sound with some interesting rhythmic riffing.  It is an interesting listen while it is playing, but it is quickly forgotten when it is not.  Not a bad album, just not terribly memorable.

Kinetik Bandcamp.

THORNWILL:  REQUIEM FOR A FOOL (2013)

Thornwill is a Hungarian traditional metal band.  I think the only Hungarian bands I have previously heard were black metal bands, so this is a little different.  This is actually a fairly impressive album for a country that is seemingly isolated from the rest of the metal scene.  It reminds me a little bit of Primal Fear.  It is faster-paced with some dynamic lead vocals and some impressive riffwork.  The songs are infectious and fun.  This is a little bit of a longer album, but it never feels like it is dragging.  A fairly impressive slice of traditional metal.

Thornwill Soundcloud.

TOTHEM:  RUN TO YOU (2013)

Apparently I was just sent the single for "Run to You" which is off of this Italian band's 2013 album Beyond the Sea.  So that is all I am going to review then.  Tothem is a gothic metal band from Italy with a female singer, so immediately I was expecting something similar to Lacuna Coil.  That is not quite what this is.  The most notable difference is the emphasis on the metal.  Unlike their countrymen who have become much more of a pop/metal Evanescence clone, Tothem utilizes real metal riffs.  The vocals of singer Roslen Bondi are impressive, though she does have a tendency to be a little too operatic.  I hope this band stays true to this sound on the rest of their material.

Tothem Soundcloud.