Heavy Metal New Blood EP Review : Twilight's Embrace - Reflections

Twilight's Embrace - Reflections
Rating: 7/10

With Xmas endured and pausing for breath before New Years Eve's inevitable carnage it's back to the music and first up to help us get out of the post Xmas funk is the début 3 track EP "Reflections" from Nottingham metal band Twilight's Embrace released in late 2010

The opening track "The Second Day" opens with a growl and a riff that makes you feel like something is coming. The EP is off to a good start with fierce growling vocals mixed with strong clean vocals overlaying the almost ethereal feel to the track. Probably has to be my favourite track on the EP.

Next up is "This Lie" with a heavier riff and following on from the first track with the mix of clean and growling vocals which adds some depth to the instruments. Slight tempo changes within the song prevent it from becoming too repetitive.

Last but not least the title track "Reflections" which continues the tone of the album starting with clean vocals and ethereal guitar sounds backed up by distortion for heaviness. Around half way into the track the slow guitars and cymbal sound gradually build up to some faster and heavier guitar sounds and then up to the first growling vocals on the EP to end the track.

The EP is a good solid death/doom metal album with the only criticism being perhaps it needs a touch of something different every now and then to help the band stand out as the talent and potential is clearly there and I am eagerly anticipating the new release due early 2012!

Check it out for yourselves at the link below!
Twilight's Embrace - Reflections on Bandcamp

Heavy Metal New Blood Band Profile : Karrion

Karrion

Chris 'Chops' Boozington - Bass and backing vocals
Joe - Guitar and Lead Singer
Will - Drummer
Neil 'Nile' Cidermore - Guitar

Hailing from Basingstoke and formed in 2006 to play "good old heavy metal" by Joe, Ed (who has since left the band), Chris (Chops) and Will. With Joe, Ed and Chris having already played in a black metal band prior to Karrion and Will and Chris playing in bands over the years the foursome formed a band and Karrion was born.

Karrion released "Voyage of Treachery" in 2008 and have yet to release their follow up "Dr Beeching's Word", however, if the tracks available so far are an indication of things yet to come I will definitley be looking forward to hearing the follow up!

Facebook features two tracks "Dr Beechings Word" and "Broken Inside" the tracks have a good full heavy sound with clean but strong vocals and some excellent guitar sections. Mixing metal with fun while maintaining skillful instrumentation has definitely left me wanting to hear more and also thinking I'm sure these guys would be pretty awesome live!

Influences for the are band many including Megadeath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Opeth, Katatonia and more. Katatonia may have supplied more than music influences when former member Ed's wife suggested the name carrion - meaning dead/rotting flesh - the name was well received but similar to Katatonia it was chosen to be spelt with a K rather than a C

"METAL!! Or more specifically Drunken Rusted Heavy Metal" - Will

Rather than being any particular genre the band are just four guys playing their favourite style, with the favourite style being 'Drunken Rusted Heavy Metal' not sure entirely what that entails well head over to their facebook page, get listening and all will become clear! Alternatively get yourself along to The Joiners in Southampton on 28th January 2012 to see the band play with Revoker!

And so onto the Heavy Metal Bullet interview questions answered by Will:

"My rib cage felt like Dot Cotton's lung afterwards, took a couple of weeks to recover from that, bloody hell!!"

Heavy Metal Bullet (HMB): What was the first Heavy Metal Album you bought?
Will (W): Good question! I believe mine was Slipknot's first self titled album.

HMB: What was the last Heavy Metal Album you bought/downloaded?
W: Mastodon's latest album, "The Hunter"

HMB: Do you own any albums you would be embarrassed to tell a metal head your own?
W: Plenty, where should I start? Probably has to be Enya, I forget the album name, but I bought it so I could do a drum n bass remix of Orinocco Flow with Alan Partridge samples, back in the days when I was learning how to use music software. Have to find a copy of it actually, long time no listen.

HMB: What's the strangest thing you've seen at a gig (your own or someone elses)?
W: Last year we played a gig in a beer tent at a battle re-enactment, loads of people dressed up as medieval fighters with pikes and armour and muskets etc (not sure that's the correct time period, but it was massively old school so you get the idea). Fun gig! We even got to join in a battle the next day which was like a really intense rugby scrum. My rib cage felt like Dot Cotton's lungs afterwards, took a couple of weeks to recover from that, bloody hell! Also, our band mascot 'Dave' usually gets some interesting looks (he consists of a dead goat's skull, massive wings and smoke comes out of his nose!)

HMB: Any funny band related stories you would like to share?
W: The usual drunken behaviour. The first Twangfest in Whitchurch was a classic. Sleeping in a van, waking up covered in sick, Chris and Joe hosing out the van the next day. Ah, it's all a bit of a fairy tale looking back on it actually...

HMB: Anything else at all you would like to share?
W: Go to our facebook and listen to the tracks there, also our myspace has tracks from the first E.P. too

And so without further ado those links where you can check these guys out, you won't regret it!

Myspace
Twitter
Big Cartel
Facebook

Have a very Metal Christmas \m/

Heavy Metal New Blood Band Profile : Massacre of the Megafauna

Massacre of the Megafauna

Bing - Vocals
Luke - Drums
Ron - Guitar
Jim - Guitar
Will - Bass

Massacre of the Megafauna a metal band from Rotherham formed quite organically after Luke and Ron had been jamming together for years. Jim and Luke had previously been in bands together so Jim joined followed by Bing in October 2009 and last but not least Will (as a replacement for a previous bassist Eckers) joined in August 2010. With that the line up you see today was now complete.

Intrigued I questioned them on the origin of the name and the inspiration came from an article by George Monbiot on the overkill theory that states ice age mammals were hunted into extinction by early man. A popular theory and possibly the most plausible though in the interest of fairness I should point out that not everyone agrees!

"I think we've learned nothing and would do well to take heed of our species' earlier transgressions!" - Bing

Massacre of the Megafauna have yet to produce an official release but do have a three track demo available on their bandcamp and facebook pages (links below) you can check out the review here

So as usual the band were subjected to the Heavy Metal Bullet interview questions and Bing the vocalist was in the hotseat...

"Mint, but he never did buy a CD!" - Bing 

Heavy Metal Bullet (HMB) : What was the first Heavy Metal Album you bought?
Bing (B): Def Leppard - Adrenalize... and if anyone says Def Leppard aren't metal, I would urge them to research the acronym NWOBHM!

HMB: What was the last Heavy Metal Album you bought/downloaded?
B: Times of Grace - Neurosis - replaced a well worn copy!

HMB: Do you own any albums you would be embarrassed to tell a metalhead you own?
B: Certainly not... being a true metalhead, I have incredibly good taste!

HMB: What's the strangest thing you have seen at a gig (your own or someone else's)?
B: Played at the Ringside in Hull a year or so ago... no one was there, except an old man who proceeded to 'have it'... he went berserk, right up in front of the stage! Mint, but he never did buy a CD!

So enough from me and links as promised... Do yourself a favour and head on over and check them out!
Facebook:
Bandcamp

Keep Calm and Metal On \m/

Heavy Metal New Blood Album Review : Final Silence - We are this for a Reason

Final Silence - We are this for a Reason
Rating : 7/10

Final Silence released their full length album "We are this for a Reason" in the summer of 2011.

From the outset the strong riffs and incessant percussion underpin the album combined with a mixture of aggressive rough vocals and clean vocals supported by occasional backing vocals, the album is an aural heavy weight from start to finish.

Although these elements are the driving force of the album it doesn't become repetitive with key changes, tempo changes, occasional slower instrumental sections and spoken word sections. The slower sections are swiftly blown away by interjections of fast paced drums and the sheer aggression in the vocals.

Stand out tracks for me include "You wanna rape this" with it's brief spoken word intro followed by passionate rough vocals and blasts of intense percussion. "What the hell's this crap supposed to be" is another good track with some excellent guitar work and pure heavy metal anger in the vocals.

This is a debut album that is definitely worth a listen, while leaning towards metalcore (not everyone's favourite I know but bear with me...) I think all but die hard purists will find something to enjoy in this album.

Don't take my word for it though, head over to soundcloud or facebook and check it out for yourself!

Soundcloud
Facebook

Track Listing:
1. Jaw Ripper
2. Collapse
3. You Wanna Rape This
4. I'm Just like You
5. What have we Done
6. What the hells this Crap supposed to be
7. Just for Once
8. Riding a Redhead
9. Wired at the Heart
10. Self Deliverance
11. I'll Die Fighting
12. Riding a Redhead (remix)


Keep calm and metal on \m/

Heavy Metal New Blood : Massacre of the Megafauna 2010 Demo

Massacre of the Megafauna : Self Titled 2010 Demo
Rating :  3/5

Rotherham based metallers Massacre of the Megafauna, while yet to complete an official release, have a 3 track self titled demo available on facebook and bandcamp.

A band profile for Massacre of the Megafauna will be released later this week but in the meantime check out the review of their demo.

The demo overall shows some real potential and often takes unexpected twists during the tracks keeping the listener alert to the music.

The first track "Say what you mean" has a quite atmospheric start before being joined by a strong drum beat and the vocals. The vocals interchange between rough and almost clean and the track contains an excellent guitar solo. This particular track does have a lot of unexpected tangents, possibly slightly too many for the track to flow properly.

Coming up next is "Kill Your Boss" which starts with a really interesting percussion section before adding more layers to the music as it gradully builds up. The sense of cohesion on this track provides a much stronger flow and the section with an almost bluesy guitar part contrasting against the drum beat and the rough vocals works particularly well.

The Demo finishes with "Rumsfield's Unspoken Fourth Epistemological Insight" which is my personal favourite of the three tracks. There is a nice mix of rough and clean sounding vocals which are stronger on this track than the first two. There is a sense  of crescendo in the song with escalating musical layers and aggressive vocals being built up before being wound back down at the end of the track.

While the vocals were a little shaky at the start of the demo and the first track changed direction a little too often there is still some excellent potential in this demo. The vocals were much stronger in the last two tracks and the different instrumental parts more cohesive allowing the listener to just go with the music.

Check the demo out for yourself at the links below and I will be looking out for future releases from these guys!

Facebook
Band Camp

Heavy Metal New Blood Band Profile : Witness the Fall

Witness The Fall

Nels : Vocals
Tony : Guitar
Dikie : Drums
Chris : Guitars
Jason : Bass

Witness the Fall are a Scottish band from Dumfries that formed in late October 2007. The band was started by Andy (then drums), Jason, Chris and Nelson, who were already familiar with each other, when their respective bands split they got together to "write and play the music they wanted to hear".

Their Debut EP was recorded on a tight budget and after the recording of the EP the band took out on the road to get their sound out to as many people as they possibly could. In February 2010 the band headed back to the studio and you can read the review of their EP Witness the Fall here...

After line-up changes and delays the band are now going strong with the newer members and a new EP will be available in mid-march.

"with new members...trained up and ready for the sonic assault, the Witness The Fall machine is ready to roll out once again" Nelson

Witness the fall have a wide range of influences from a variety of musical genres including metal, hip-hop, classical and electro fusion jazz but also take inspiration from everything they feel is important. Although not wanting to be pigeon holed they feel they probably come under the Metalcore label but as they never intended for this to be the case all of that could change in the future

The band are currently touring and you can check them out soon at the tour dates below:
23rd December : Troqueer Arms, Dumfries
17th February : ABC Glasgow tbc
Make sure to follow the band on facebook to hear about any further upcoming tour dates.

Vocalist Nelson answered the Heavy Metal Bullet interview questions...

"Poor lad... What grown men do to stave off boredom" Nelson

Heavy Metal Bullet (HMB): What was the last album you bought/downloaded?
Nelson (N): The last album I actually bought (shhhhhh) was actually Times of Grace; Hymn of a Broken Man. The Forgotten One is a belter of a tune, well digging that one.

HMB: What was the first album you bought?
N: The first album I properly bought with my own cash was Meat Loaf; Bat out of Hell 2 Epic!

HMB: Do you own any albums you would be embarrassed to tell a metalhead you own?
N: I dunno about embarrassed but I do have a fair few that people raise their eyebrows to when they flick through the old ipod... like "The Labyrinth" soundtrack, David Bowie FTW! (You remind me of the babe, what babe? The babe with the power!)

HMB: What is the strangest thing you have seen at a gig?
N: I went to see Fear Factory at the Barrowlands in Glasgow. In between one of the songs when Burton was speaking to the crowd a member of the audience shouted out "get a proper fuckin job!" at him. He heard it and took it with good humour though, thought that was quite a strange thing to shout at someone you paid to see but that's the Scottish logic for you.

HMB: Are there any funny band related stories you can share?
N: Our old drummer Andy and Chris lay in wait in Jason's hotel room to unleash their 'Silence of the Lambs' Buffalo Bill (Jason Mewes Stylee!) impression on the unsuspecting bassist. Poor lad... what grown men will do to stave off boredom.

You can check out the band at any of the links below:
Video: Darkest Hour
Facebook
Big Cartel
Sound Cloud
You Tube
Twitter

Heavy Metal New Blood Band Profile : Plague of Ashitaka

Plague of Ashitaka

Ed Fairman
Doug Hayman
Kyle Syrett
Alastair Brash






Brighton/London based metallers Plague of Ashitaka were formed in 2008 by guitarist Doug Hayman and vocalist Ed Fairman while at University. Described by Ed as a "fortunate coincidence" with two friends having similar interests and an aim to write creative music that would stand out. After experimentation including a definite emphasis on cohesive lyrical content and laying down tracks in their bedroom the band expanded to include Kyle Syrett and Alastair Brash in the final line-up.

Plague of Ashitaka have recently released an EP the first of a two part inception "Eldar Luminaries" you can check out the review here.

Musically their influences include a lot of black metal and contemporary death metal bands but inspiration is also taken from certain sludge and doom acts as well as "various eclectic blends of music styles outside the "metal" genre". Lyrically the focus is on astrology, landscape and anatomy with influences from fantasy novels and cosmologists such as including Sagan, Kepler and Galileo.

In keeping with other band profiles and a trend Heavy Metal Bullet fully supports Plague of Ashitaka don't advertise themselves as falling into any specific genres believing these are more to keep up with recent trends. They aim to include various styles within their music with elements of technical thrash, death and black,

"Over the years we've been labelled as many things and so we never really categorise ourselves" Ed Fairman

Plague of Ashitaka will be touring the UK early next year to promote their album and will also be working hard on the second part of the two part inception following on from the concept of Eldar Luminaries

Vocalist Ed Fairman answered the Heavy Metal Bullet interview questions...

"Lesson learned : never give keys to your guitarist." Ed Fairman

Heavy Metal Bullet (HMB): What was the last album you bought/downloaded?
Ed Fairman (EF): Altar of Plagues - "Mammal" - incredible atmospheric blackened metal from the forges of Ireland

HMB: What was the first album you bought/downloaded?
EF: Death - The Sound of Perserverence

HMB: Do you own any albums you would be embarrased to tell a metalhead you own?
EF: Wham! - "Make it Big" or the Top Gun soundtrack (both of which tend to be the most accessible albums whilst on tour)

HMB: What is the strangest thing you have seen at a gig?
EF: A male dancing provocatively in a luminous green Lycra full-body suit to our whole set on our latest tour of the UK. Like a glow in the dark human shaped/sized condom. We haven't seen it since

HMB: Are there any funny band related stories you can share?
EF: We've had a fair few funny and hair-raising incidents. Picking one of them from random, we were on our first day of the tour when our guitarist locked our keys in the solid rear part of our van with all our equipment. In the freezing winter, it took over half a dozen people, 3 hours, a coat hanger, various bent objects, a hefty lump of patience and sore fingers to finally get them our. Lesson learned : never give keys to your guitarist.

HMB: Anything else you would like to share?
EF: Thank you for all the continued support from our loyal listeners. If you like our music please continue to support us by buying the album.

So make sure to check these guys out at the links below:

Facebook Page
"Onyx Scroll" music video
Buy the Album at Big Cartel or Itunes

Heavy Metal New Blood EP Review : Plague of Ashitaka - I - Elder Luminaries

Plague of Ashitaka – I – Elder Luminaries (Unsigned)

Rating 3/5

London/Brighton based Plague of Ashitaka have just release their EP “I – Elder Luminaries” on ITunes. This follows on from their debut EP “Taking Lives on Ancient Tides”.

Throughout the EP the guitar work is fast paced, the percussion hard hitting and the vocals are rough and brutal culminating in a well rounded in your face heaviness that permeates through all tracks.

With combinations of short, sharp riffs and more elaborate styles the guitar work is impressive particularly on “The Fleshlumpeater”. The almost black metal style vocals, with background harmonies and layering, compliment the incessant pace of the instruments.

“Spells of Euthanasia” is probably my favourite track on the EP with its relentless pace and furious percussive segments, in addition to some excellent guitar work and vocals.

The album is technically very good, well mixed and overall a solid metal album to check out. Elder Luminaries is only part one so I will look forward to the next instalment.

Meanwhile check out their facebook page to preview some tracks or you can purchase the EP through ITunes

Track Listing:

1. Midnight Masquerade

2. The Solitarian

3. The Fleshlumpeater

4. Spells of Euthanasia

5. Onyx Scroll

Heavy Metal New Blood EP Review : Paean - Livium

Paean – Livium EP 2011 (Unsigned)

Rating : 3.5/5

Estonian progressive doom/death metal band Paean have just completed their debut EP following on from their 2010 demo “The Radiant Moon”

The character of the EP it set by a dark and shadowy undertone most evident in the intro sections of “Illusive Imprisonment” and “Impending Sacrifice/Fall of the False Lords” with their almost wraithlike atmospheric starts supported by the pulse of the drum, to keep the tempo going, as layers of music gradually build up before the crushing vocals kick in.

The EP contrasts these ethereal interludes with dark, menacing vocals and furious paced hard and heavy denser segments of sound.

My personal favourite is “Crimson Seas” with a slightly faster paced start and some excellent guitar sections with ominous riffs leading into more elaborate guitar work and also some very strong percussion sections. “Awakening” also has high-quality guitar parts.

The lyrics are dark with themes of death, revenge and justice being prominent and invoking Norse mythology throughout the EP.

The recording quality is good and the mixing of instruments is well done allowing vocals/instruments to be heard clearly and individually, yet still managing to interlace well together to provide the full on heavy backdrop at the right time.

The EP makes for impressive listening so head over to their facebook page to check them out.

Track Listing:

1. Illusive Imprisonment

2. Crimson Seas

3. Awakening

4. Impending Sacrifice/Fall of the False Lords

Heavy Metal New Blood Band Profile : Zombie Eating Horse

Zombie Eating Horse

Jon - Vocals
Lond - Guitar
Josh - Bass
Dyame - Drums

Hailing from Los Angeles Zombie Eating Horse originally began under the guise of Random Animal around 2008, started as a recording project by Jon and Lond, however, a series of events including Jon’s band at the time using the name Random Animal led to the beginning of Zombie Eating Horse with the name taken from one of their tracks. The Line up was completed in June 2011 with Josh and Dyame resulting in the bands first live appearance at the end of August 2011.

Now nearing the end of 2011 Zombie Eating Horse have just released their debut EP “What about the Sheep” – you can check out the review here

"...we are really just a Heavy Metal Band" Lond

With influences including Deftones, Glassjaw, Meshuggah, Pantera and Sepultura, Zombie Eating Horse classify themselves as a “brutal groovy metal band with a punk rock attitude” but after catching up with Lond when asked to fit themselves into a Genre he says that really they are just a heavy metal band.

The band have a lot of activity going on at the moment playing a gig on 23^rd December along with Exmortus and Apoplexy at The Moose Lodge, Whittier, CA and working towards their album “2012” with hopes to release independently at some point at the middle of next year.

And so the interview questions...

Heavy Metal Bullet (HMB): What was the last album you bought?

Lond: The last album I bought was Rancid's "Let's Go", I use to have it on tape back when I was like 13, I found a used CD and snagged it for $5

HMB: What was the first metal album you bought?
Lond: Korn's first album was the first metal CD I ever bought, then I discovered Metallica

HMB: Snap!

HMB: Do you own any albums that you would be embarrassed to tell a metalhead you own?
Lond: Not really, we all like some crazy jams, some of us dig Katy Perry and Lady Gaga type of stuff, we really don't care what anyone thinks about it!

HMB: What is the strangest thing you have seen at a gig (your own or someone else’s)?
Lond: I played a gig with my other band Antagonist somewhere in Oklahoma and a guy was in the circle pit getting down with no legs! He was having the time of his life! I've seen some crazy stuff but I think that was the coolest thing to see on stage playing music in some unknown place.

HMB: Are there any funny band related stories you can share?
Lond: I could tell you some great stuff but I don't want to get anyone into trouble, lets just say we've all had our moments.

HMB: Anything else that you would like to share?
Lond: Thank you for taking the time to check us out, our EP "What About The Sheep?" is out now for free download on Sound Cloud "like" us on Facebook follow us on Twitter @ZombieEatHorse.

Booking Info: ZombieEatingHorse@gmail.com we'll see you on tour!

So check out the EP and if you are stateside go ahead and check them out live, the band show raw talent and potential and we can only expect better things

Heavy Metal New Blood EP Review : Ampora - Last Chance

Ampora – Last Chance (EP - Unsigned) 

Released 10.05.11

Rating : 4/5

The first in my series of Heavy Metal New Blood reviews, which will focus on newer or less well known bands who have just released/or are in the process of releasing debut albums or EPs, sees me focusing on Ampora, an LA Based metal band and their EP “Last Chance”

The first two songs on the EP “Designing a Downfall” and “Blissful Greed” provide a firm introduction to the music and introduce some of what stand out to me as the key components of Ampora’s music with fast paced percussion both interlacing and alternating with strong guitar highlights and sections to get you head banging with the best of them. The background chanting and singing compliment the passionate and guttural growling of the lead vocals and mix seamlessly together to give a full and heavy sound to the tracks.

The next track “Endangered” starts with brief slow atmospheric section before the drums and guitars kick in. There are more clean vocals on this track which again contrast well with the overlaying rough and heavy vocals. The spoken word section in “Endangered” provides an interesting diversion from previous tracks and is followed by an impressive virtuosic guitar solo. This particular track is definitely my favourite on the EP.

Moving onto “The Great Disappearance “ this starts with a dark and heavy intro allowing you to take a quick breath at the pause and then kicks straight back into the layering of drums, bass and guitars that lead to the gradual crescendo growling and background vocals. With tempo changes during the song and catchy lyrics this track was definitely fierce competition for my favourite on the EP.

Onto the final track “Suffering” while there seems to be a lot going on throughout the song with strong beats, intricate guitars and growling it sounds good. Slower sections contrast well with the orchestrated chaos of the rest of the song to keep you on edge and draw you back into the song over and over again.

Overall this is an impressive debut EP. The Production and mixing are excellent with the overall mix of percussion, guitars and vocals seeming just right and allowing each section their own chance to shine. Ampora are definitely a band to watch for future releases and make sure to get the EP from their website

Ampora Website

Heavy Metal New Blood Band Profile of Ampora to follow on Monday be sure to check it out!

Track Listing.

1.       Designing a Downfall

2.       Blissful Greed

3.       Endangered

4.       The Great Disappearance

5.       Suffering