Artist:  Children of Bodom
Album:  Halo of Blood
Genre:  Melodic Death/Power/Black Metal
Label:  Nuclear Blast
Release: June 11, 2013 (North America)

Click for dat high-res

There are many “what-if” questions in the timeline of heavy metal. What if Randy Rhoads never got on that plane? What if Metallica didn’t give Dave Mustaine the boot? What if Jari didn’t take 8 years to release half of Time? Probably asked frequently amongst half of the polarized CoB fanbase is what if Bodom didn’t jump on the commercial bandwagon after Hate Crew Deathroll? Well, the answer can be found on Halo of Blood, which effectively combines the heavier, power thrashing style they’ve become accustomed to, with their early black metal influence and sense of melody that made them so loved in the beginning. Die-hard fans will be teeming with excitement upon hearing the lead-off track, “Waste of Skin” (think “Hate Me!”), which kicks things off with one of their trademark catchy melodies and  is the first of many old school Bodom moments to come. Right away the listener is thrown into the comfort zone of the glory days, which is great considering the lack of those moments in the band’s recent work. “Bodom Blue Moon“, “All Twisted“, and “One Bottle” and a “Knee Deep” are all trademark Bodom tracks that will quickly become fan favorites.

Funny how they choose to release an album with a winter atmosphere in June, but it’s a presence most welcomed and gives Janne’s keys some meaning again. You can thank him for the black metal feeling, as its influence is definitely felt. Alexi’s guitar-work is ace as usual, and even makes some room for Roope, who is a brilliant guitarist himself, to throw in a solo or two. It would be a refreshing to see a little more of him though, perhaps in a more tag-team role as he and Alexi shared in Sinergy. Then again, Sinergy didn’t have Janne Warmen. It’s always great to hear him and Alexi going at it with the vigorous, yet friendly competition they have. Henkka’s bass is in the mix doing its thing, and ahhhh, blastbeats… Jaska serves them up for the first time in ages and is the typically excellent backbone of the music of Children of Bodom. The actual musicianship of these guys has never been questioned, and they continue to produce in peak form.

Halo of Blood is littered with pleasant surprises, using elements both familiar and new to the CoB style. First and foremost is the title track that is borderline black metal, and stands out as one of the heaviest Bodom tunes ever. Then there’s the dark ballad “Dead Man’s Hand on You,” the slow song that everyone has been talking about. Hearing Children of Bodom coming out with, I shit you not, a grand piano, clean guitars, and (what sound like) love lyrics should be flabbergasting. But like Chuck Schuldiner’s famous kitten shirt, it doesn’t feel one bit out of place and can even be considered a transcending point for the band. Given their typical aggressiveness, it’s great to hear them take a step outside their usual domain and take a risk.

Possibly the most diverse music in their catalogue, Halo of Blood is without a doubt, the most innovative and exciting record Children of Bodom has released in a decade. Sure, there’s still going to be those nose-picking naysayers who will bitch and moan that it isn’t Hatebreeder II. Indeed, it would be wrong to call Halo of Blood a full-on back to roots album that you would sell your soul for. What it is however, is the fine product of a band that has established growth in their sound righting the ship and resuming course. Safe sailing Alexi and Co. just stay afloat this time please…

Highlight Tracks: Waste of Skin, Halo of Blood, Dead Man’s Hand on You, All Twisted

The post Music Review | Children of Bodom’s Halo of Blood appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Just when you thought singing about Satan was as redundant as kicking a dead horse, Ghost comes out of nowhere and makes it sound more mysterious and fresh than ever before. Part of that, is no doubt, because of their extraordinary use of imagery. Their choice of concealing their identities is what gives magic to the music, and for this reason, I hope they never do reveal themselves. Secondly, Papa Emeritus II’ voice is absolutely mesmerizing. It fits the music with such perfection, to the point where you question if any other vocalist is more important to their band than Papa is to Ghost. It wouldn’t matter if Freddie Mercury was behind the microphone at a Ghost show; it just wouldn’t have the same effect. The vocals are entrancing and irreplaceable the way they are. Then there are the lyrics, which have a really profound impact if you know them. They’re arguably the scariest and chilling satanic lyrics written since Mercyful Fate. The best part about this is that you actually take them seriously because like Mercyful Fate, they aren’t blatant, stereotypical devil worshipping. With many death and black metal bands, you just laugh at the lyrics because they’re so outlandishly evil and ridiculous that you can’t process them as anything more than a joke. But with lyrics like “Perverted are your wishes and dreams, tanning in Lucifer’s beams,” you actually go, “woah… these guys are really singing about the devil!”

The music itself is incredibly unique. It sounds like nothing that has ever been done before, yet it’s maddeningly addicting. Before I dabbled into Ghost, most people would explain them to me as a mesh between Mercyful Fate and Blue Oyster Cult, with a trace of the doomy sound of early Black Sabbath. This is true to some extent, but the emphasis is much more on the Sabbath sound than Fate. In fact, aside from the heavily borrowed satanic influence, Ghost doesn’t really resemble Mercyful Fate music-wise. The guitars are extremely old school. They don’t have that heavily distorted crunch that developed in the 80s; rather, they closely mirror Tony Iommi’s riffing on the first Black Sabbath record. The music is incredibly well written and shows lots of experimentation. “Secular Haze” for example, incorporates an eerie circus vibe, which translates into a chilling piece of music. Then there’s the “Ghuleh/Zombie Queen” that begins as a very slow ballad for about three minutes before breaking into a surf rock metal jam. These guys know how to write songs, they’re such fantastic musicians!

The only complaint I have is a slight gripe with the production. While the album is layered well, the guitars feel a bit weak overall. I mentioned already that they aren’t too heavily distorted, which is all well and good, but it seems like they’re kind of mudded out a bit. I didn’t really notice it until I watched some live videos of them and noticed that the guitars had a much more presiding effect. This made me question why it couldn’t have been the same on the album, but it’s only a minor point and by no means takes anything away from what a spectacular album Infestissumam is.

Ghost is without a doubt the most exciting and interesting metal band on the scene right now. Instead of making carbon-copy mimicry of their influences, they instead draw from them and evolve them to another platform. The aura of mystique shrouding this band only fuels the hype, and is the closest thing many of us will ever have to compare with the old-timers who grew up in the glory days of metal. So go out to see them on their North American tour, and experience their mesmerizing musical black mass firsthand. The nameless ghouls in the cloaks will blow your minds and leave you wondering if there are actual ghouls beneath the hoods. It’s not such a crazy thought.

The post Music Review | Ghost’s Infestissumam is Upon Us! appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Paul: First thing’s first, as a huge fan, it’s a true honor to be speaking with you and I just wanted to thank you in advance for taking the time to do this interview.

James: Yeah, no problem man, thanks for the interview I really appreciate it.

Paul: So you guys are all set to release Unwelcome in a couple of weeks. How prepared were you to go into the studio, and how did the entire process play out in comparison to earlier Arsis albums?

James: Well, with Celebration of Guilt being our first album, we obviously had some demos out prior to recording, with a few of those songs actually being on the album. Even with Diamond and Disease and the second full-length, the way Mike Van Dyne and I used to demo stuff out was really super primitive. I would demo everything out on a full-track cassette recorder, then program the drums with a drum machine from the mid 1990s (laughs). So, it wasn’t high tech at all. Then I’d send it to him and he’d make boom box recordings of himself jamming along to my demos and mail it back to me. So by the time we got to the studio, I had an idea of what his drum parts were going to be like, but there were always some surprises that would turn out different than I imagined. But with the latest album, Noah and I actually demoed a lot of the stuff out at his place, went over and fine-tuned it, then sent it off to Shawn. Shawn would program pretty much exactly how he was going to play it, so we were actually super prepared to record Unwelcome.

Paul: Both you and Brandon are excellent guitar players, so how did you divide the guitar solos?

James: When we tracked Unwelcome, it was before we actually asked Brandon to officially join the band. Well, we had the idea that we were going to ask him to join; I had just never met him. The other guys had toured with him when he filled in for me. We did plan a lot of guitar solos for the album with the idea that he would be joining Arsis. If there was a song that I had planned two guitar solo sections for, I wanted him to have one of those sections, and then there are a couple songs when he had the only solos on the song. “Let Me Be the One” is all Brandon, and there’s a lot of rocking 80s kind of riffs. It’s a really weird progression harmonically at the same time, but Brandon loves 80s music and he really gets off on being able to play over weird stuff, so it was really a perfect solo section for him to take.

Paul: How did his joining the band come about given that he’s considerably younger than the rest of the band?

James: It’s working out great actually. Brandon is pretty mature for his age, he keeps a level head, and he’s actually taken quite a bit of interest to the business side of things. Not only that, but Brandon Ellis is THE best guitarist I’ve ever played with in my life.

Paul: I’ve just gotta say, isn’t it amazing how he’s only 20 years old? He’s a young player but the stuff he’s doing is incredible! I remember listening to him play for the first time and was just like, WOW.

James: Oh yeah, Brandon’s a very mature player. And he really plays like a man, y’know? I’ll be like “you’re beating the fuck out of your strings dude.”

 Paul: What struck you guys to do a cover of Sunglasses at Night? Did it just come about as a joke like when Children of Bodom covered Britney Spears, or did you guys actually put a lot of thought into it?

James: (Laughs) Noah and I… Noah especially had really wanted to cover that song, probably for 5 or 6 years now, ever since he joined the band. He’d just be like “let’s do a melodic death version of that song, it’d be so awesome.” We were finishing writing up stuff for Unwelcome when we went over to his house, and he had the intro and the first riff written out in death metal style, and I was just like, “that is fucking badass.” (laughs) And I just sat down and finished arranging the rest of the riffs in a death metal type context, brushed up on the vocals really quick and was just like, “hey, I guess we’re covering Sunglasses at Night now!”

Paul: I actually had no idea that it was a cover of an 80s song in the first place, but I was wondering why you were singing “I wear my Sunglasses at Night.” Then I was playing it in the car with one of my bandmates and he burst out laughing and was like dude, you know this is an 80s pop song right? Then he played the original for me and I felt like the biggest idiot. It was like, “I already wrote the review! Fuck!”

James: (Laughs) it fooled everybody. When it was being reviewed for production, the guy was like “I dunno about these lyrics James.” And I was just like, “It’s a cover!” (laughs)

Paul: Then I showed it to my mom so you can imagine how that turned out.

James: Oh my god, what did your mom say?

Paul: We come back to the house, and I say, “Hey Mom, have you ever heard of the song Sunglasses at Night?” And she’s like “Oh, yeah, that’s a really cool song from the 80s!” And I’m like, “yeah, well this metal band covered it.” So I put it on. And at first, she’s kind of getting into the intro. Then she hears “I WEAR MY SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT!” (laughs) and her eyes pop out of her skull.

James: (laughs) Oh man, that’s a great story, glad it’s shocking some people. Mission accomplished with that! I think we kind of made it our own though.

Paul: Oh, yeah totally! I never would have guessed it was actually an old pop song, because I never heard the original before. I just wondered, “Why is he saying I wear my Sunglasses at Night?”

(laughs)

Paul: Anyways, I know that you guys are really big on King Diamond. When I saw you guys open for Sonata Arctica, I remember seeing you wearing a Mercyful Fate shirt, while Brandon was in a King Diamond shirt. And I said to myself, “Hmmmm… I think this band really likes King Diamond.”

James: I’m sure you weren’t paying attention to this, but I was actually wearing a King Diamond belt buckle.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNDf5y9CU7Q]

Paul: Oh, awesome! But yeah, after listening to Unwelcome, I felt that the album drew a lot of influence from them. Would you agree?

James: Oh yeah, for sure. They were a really big influence on me when I first started playing guitar. Especially Don’t Break the Oath. It’s just so dark; I remember I was 13 years old when I bought it. I talked my mom into taking me to the record shop and bought Judas Priest’s Painkiller on cassette and Don’t Break the Oath as well. I fell asleep listening to Don’t Break the Oath and realized that this is what I wanted to do. After that I’d just take money my relatives gave me and bought King Diamond albums, and it all went downhill after that (laughs). But yeah, we’re definitely influenced by King Diamond, Brandon really loves Andy LaRocque. Big time.  

 Paul: More specifically, who are some guitar players who have inspired your sound? I’ve heard that your taste in music is rather diverse, so I’m especially curious to know.

James: Growing up as far as learning guitar, well, we talked about King Diamond. And I was a big fan of Paul Gilbert, especially his stuff on Street Lethal with Racer X. Also, Cacophony with Marty Friedman. Then after that I got into the more brutal stuff. Like Carcass and Dissection. Stuff like that.

Paul: I’ve noticed a lot of diminished arpeggios in your playing, which gives it a cool neo-classical kind of flavor. Are you classically influenced or trained?

James: Yeah, I guess so. My first instrument was violin, where I was taught a lot of theory and stuff like that. I was never really a classical guitarist though. I could never get into finger styled playing. And of course I like Yngwie Malmsteen.

Paul: Rising Force is one of my favorites.

James: Yeah man, that’s good stuff.

Paul: What do you guys do to pay the bills when you’re not on tour? I read somewhere that you’ve worked with hair. Did you go to cosmetology school or anything?

James: I did. I don’t work at a salon anymore. Right now, I’ll be a parks operation coordinator for a couple months at a time. The way it works is that I’m on call, but it’s a pretty cool job.

Paul: Do any of the guys balance the band with school?

James: The only one who I think is taking classes right now would be Noah. I know he works as well; he does stuff with audio visuals. Brandon I think just shreds for a living. Shawn… what does Shawn do? I think Shawn is the manager at a grocery store.

Paul: How much metal do you listen to nowadays? Is it stale now that you’re playing it every night alongside a bunch of other metal bands, or is it still fresh and exciting to you?    

James: Some metal is still fresh and exciting. I don’t listen to it as much as I used to, I’m not gonna lie, but we still listen to a fair amount of metal. If we listen to metal on tour, it’s usually going to be 80s metal. Or even glam rock. You know, the fun stuff. But yeah, I still am a metal fan.

Paul: You’re magically thrown back in time and can play in any band from the 70s or 80s. Which would you pick and why?

James: Wow, that’s a good question. Let me think… any band?

Paul: Any band, it doesn’t even have to be metal.

James: (long pause) Man… that’s a really good question. (More silence) I’m thinking hard about this one actually. I’m wrestling between artistic value and popularity. I would say King Diamond. I think they made money too, back in the 80s. They also had that glam imagery I really loved in the 80s, just darker.

Paul: As I mentioned before, I saw you guys back in December with Sonata Arctica. How did that tour go? What were those guys like?

 James: Oh, they were really nice. Everybody was really spot-on every night too. Tony really is an incredible singer. I know it seemed like a weird package to a lot of people but I had a good time. I mean, I know a lot of the fans weren’t as receptive to our style as I would’ve liked, but it was a good tour to get back into the swing of things. It wasn’t super long… We had a great time, we really did.

Paul: When you guys are touring, how do you guys make most of your money and how is it distributed?

James: Well, you sell merch of course, and have a guarantee from the venue every night. So what happens is we first pay off our dues, and then we just split the rest four ways.

Paul: Is it something you can make a living with while on tour?

James: Yeah, to be honest with you we’re smart about the money. We don’t order merch that we can’t pay off immediately, so we never have debt hanging over our heads. After we pay off everyone we need to, the rest is all profit and we keep our spending very minimal. It’s actually equivalent to what I make working my day job 40 hours a week so I can’t complain about that.

Paul: Plus you love what you’re doing, so that must make it even better.

James: Yeah, exactly.

Paul: Well thanks again James for taking the time to do this interview, it was great talking with you.

James: No problem man, thanks a lot for the review!

 Paul: Anything else to say to the fans?

James: Thank you all so much for the support, looking forward to seeing you on tour soon!

Catch Arsis on tour with Hypocrisy, Krisiun, and Aborted!

05/01 – Gramercy – New York, N.Y. *
05/02 – Palace – Stafford, Conn. *
05/03 – Foufounes Electriques – Montreal, Quebec *
05/04 – WreckRoom – Toronto, Ontario *
05/06 – Reggie’s – Chicago, Ill. *
05/07 – Station 4 – St. Paul, Minn. *
05/08 – The Zoo – Winnipeg, Manitoba *
05/09 – The Exchange – Regina, Saskatchewan *
05/10 – Pawn Shop – Edmonton, Alberta *
05/11 – Republik – Calgary, Alberta *
05/13 – Rickshaw Theater – Vancouver, British Columbia *
05/14 – Studio Seven – Seattle, Wash. **
05/17 – The Vex – Los Angeles, Calif. **
05/18 – 910 Live – Tempe, Ariz. **
05/20 – Trees – Dallas, Texas **
05/21 – Korova – San Antonio, Texas **

* with Starkill
** with Autumn’s End

The post Interview | James Malone of Arsis appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Artist:  Amorphis
Album:  Circle
Genre:  Progressive Metal
Label:  Nuclear Blast
Release: April 19, 2013

Click for Full-Resolution

The last Amorphis album I have listened to chronologically was Silent Waters. What is found on Circle is basically the same concept, but they manage to keep things fresh. There is  no bad song on the album, though not every track might grasp your attention immediately. That being said, some of their finest and prettiest melodies ever are on here. It seems that several melodic metal bands have been exploring Japanese  melodies these days; think Wintersun’s Time. Amorphis follows suit, with the beautiful “Narrowpath” being one of the highlight tracks. A lovely flute intro that could easily be the voice of a nightingale is followed by crushing guitars that take it from there and develop it into one of their best songs ever. “A New Day” is another example, which serves as an excellent closing track. The band’s folk influence continues to show, and they continue to find new methods in doing so.

Songwriting should universally be considered the most important aspect of musicianship. Whether or not one can rightfully be called a musician should be based on their actual ability to make music. In this context, the guys in Amorphis are excellent musicians; they are ace songwriters, something that cannot be questioned. Their diverse musical background is constantly on display in their material, as they do a lot of stuff! They play their instruments very well, and utilize them in fun and creative ways. It’s always a real treat listening to an Amorphis album, because you never know what you’re going to get with each track. They take a song-by-song approach, execute it well, and don’t allow labels to limit their writing. One song might be composed of soothing piano melodies, while the track after could be popping out heavy riffs and vocalist Tomi Joutsen’s powerful death growls. Circle is like a box of chocolates; you never really know what you’re going to get but chances are it’s going to be sweet and savory.

Melody has always been the concept to Amorphis, so this is basically the same story, but a different version. That’s the keyphase: a different version. Amorphis always brings something special to the table, and they constantly push themselves to achieve excellence. The band is composed of a great group of songwriters who work with a very unique formula. They continue to exploit it well, and while the songs may be something in vein of their earlier work, Circle proves to be an additional solid effort to add to their extensive catalog, which goes to demonstrate that Amorphis is great at what they do. If the shoe fits wear it, and few can fill Amorphis’ big footsteps.

Highlight Tracks: Mission, Narrowpath, Enchanted by the Moon, A New Day

The post Music Review | Amorphis’ Circle appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

This is the first album to feature new guitarist Brandon Ellis, and what a debut he makes! It’s worth pointing out that he’s only 20 years old, and he’s scarily good for his age; his phrasing is excellent and his technique is definitely right up there with the masters. Playing in a band with James Malone, who of course is a phenomenal player himself, will only benefit him; who knows how good he’ll be ten years down the road!  Case in point, the guitar-work on Unwelcome is absolutely brilliant. The leads on this album are simply killer, with tasty arpeggios being sweep-picked and tapped with squeaky clean efficiency. They even manage to slow it down at times, with some mighty-fine melancholic melodies on display. The riffs are a relentless onslaught of melodic technicality that you never get bored with. Guitar-wise, this album is definitely one of metal’s recent highlights, and is quickly becoming one of my personal favorites.

James Malone doesn’t give himself enough credit as a vocalist. In one of his online guitar lessons regarding his multitasking, he proclaims himself a felon at singing but he’s overlooking one important point: this is freaking death metal. Who the hell wants to sing? His harsh vocals are vicious and the fact that he can sing while playing guitar at the level that he does is monumental in itself. The drumming is predictably excellent, as it would have to be to suffice for a tech death band. It’s worth pointing out that the technicality lies more in the guitars than complex time signatures though.

There’s a good blend of juicy flavors to be found on Unwelcome.  King Diamond and Mercyful Fate have repeatedly been cited as a major influence to Arsis, and it rubs off on this release to a shocking degree. Many of the riffs are extremely reminiscent of King’s bands (on Sunglasses at Night especially), and it certainly adds to the overall darkness of the album. If King Diamond was trying to make a death metal album back in 1984, it might not have sounded far off from this. The level of atmosphere is surprising. Instead of sounding completely polished, Arsis retains a degree of old school death metal atmosphere, an element that is largely forgotten about by bands of this day and age. Needless to say, Unwelcome is surprisingly diverse for a technical death metal album.

relentless onslaught of melodic technicality that you never get bored with

Front to back, this is easily Arsis’ finest album. Everything about it is just so well done; the balance of songwriting and technicality, the excellent production, and perhaps most importantly, the guitar playing. Everyone in the band is excellent at their respective instruments of course, but it is really the tag-team of Malone and Ellis who steal the show here. Here’s to hoping this is the beginning of a long and shredtastic partnership. Arguably, the best heavy metal album released thus far in 2013, it should be picked up and enjoyed by any fan of extreme metal. And also by all those cookie cutter tech death bands on the scene right now (you know who you are). Take a leaf out of these guys’ book. This is how it’s done.

Highlight Tracks: Unwelcome, Choking on Sand, Sunglasses at Night, Martyred or Mourning

The post Music Review | Unwelcome by Arsis appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Band: Darkthrone
Album: The Underground Resistance
Genre: Heavy/Punk/Black Metal
Label: Peaceville Records
Release: February 25nd, 2013

Listeners may be surprised by what they hear at first listen, especially those not closely acquainted with Darkthrone’s recent punk rock escapades. I personally did not see this coming at all from the same band that released Under a Funeral Moon twenty years ago. The riffing is very fast paced and the music is very reminiscent of 80s east coast punk-influenced thrash, much in the vein of Overkill or Anthrax. The guitar work is very nice. You obviously won’t find any shredding, but some of the finest and catchiest riffs in Darkthrone’s discography can be found here, and they are absolutely relentless. Fenriz’s drumming compliments the music very well as usual. As mentioned earlier, The Underground Resistance is great headbanging music and will no doubt draw in some listeners from the thrash crowd who typically don’t associate themselves with black metal.

Speaking of black metal, while Darkthrone may no longer play the style as prominently as they used to, there is no doubt that traces of it remain in some of the riffs and vocals. This certainly makes sense, seeing as they’re pretty much the Godfathers of the whole thing. They mix it up a lot though. And I mean a LOT. There are just so many different genres on display here. Take “Valkyries” for example. It begins with an acoustic piece and slow black metal section before shifting gears into a relentless punk rock assault. Then there’s the thirteen minute long closer “Leave no Cross Unturned” that sounds strikingly similar to Mercyful Fate, with Nocturno singing in a style startlingly akin to King Diamond. That’s the theme of this album really; variety. One minute they’re playing punk, then black metal in another, then heavy metal in another, then, oh, you get the point! Fifteen studio albums in and these guys sound more versatile and interesting than ever.

I’ve always admired Darkthrone for what they do. They’re very uncompromising and self-fulfilling musicians who work hard to produce the music that they want to hear, not what anyone else wants to. Not the fans. Not the record labels. Not the critics. Them. How many bands can honestly achieve such success in doing that? No matter what dark alley Fenriz and Nocturno explore, they never cease to impress. Call their music whatever you want, but the bottom line is that no matter what style they’re playing, whether it be black metal, punk rock, thrash metal, or all of them mixed into one, Darkthrone kicks insurmountable amounts of ass. If only they would play some shows…

Rating

Track Listing

1. Dead Early
2. Valkyrie
3. Lesser Men
4. The Ones You Left Behind
5. Come Warfare, The Entire Doom
6. Leave No Cross Unturned

Personnel

Nocturno Culto – Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Fenriz – Drums, Vocals

The post Review | Darkthrone The Underground Resistance appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Band: Bullet for My Valentine
Album: Temper Temper
Genre: Metalcore
Label: RCA Records
Release Date: February 12, 2013

What was it Bullet for My Valentine said in that one  Metal Hammer magazine interview…?

we’ll take over from Metallica and Maiden!

Hate to burst your bubble BFMV staff and fans alike, but that will never be the case, no matter how many albums you sell. I’m sure James Hetfield and Bruce Dickinson themselves would cringe at being compared to this band. What little hopes I had left in me for this album were eradicated in mere minutes. By the end of the second track you already understand what kind of album Temper Temper is: another juvenile effort aimed at teenage scene kids who hang out at Hot Topic. “The truth hurts and it bleeds me dry.” *Sigh…* you set yourself up too easily Matt… at least make me have to try a little bit. The lyrics, oh god those horrible lyrics… I’m not even in the band and it’s an embarrassment to listen to them; they sound like they were excerpted from the lunch notebook of a middle school kid. The title track is probably the most damning example; “This time you better bite your tongue. Think twice before you open that mouth. Temper, temper time to explode. Feels good when I lose control.” I’m flabbergasted that anyone can take this seriously; let alone the self-proclaimed successors of Iron Maiden. Bruce Dickinson sang about war and mythology people, not about bullies and the pitfalls of puberty.

The greatest disappointment to me though is that the music itself actually isn’t half bad in parts. There are a handful of cool riffs to be found here and there, but none of it has any room to shine thanks to Matt Tuck’s whining vocals, lyrics that sound like they were written by a thirteen year old, and just the overall laziness and mediocrity of the album. Take “Riot” for example. It begins with an incredibly bland riff that sounds like the most repetitive and generic thing ever until it transitions into a pretty catchy verse that makes you wonder if there is some potential to be found here after all. But no, it just reverts back into that ridiculously boring riff with the chorus consisting of two words: riot, and whoa. It sounds like they aren’t even trying. Nothing in particular on this album stands out as any breaking ground for the band, nor do they try to experiment with any new styles. You just get the impression that Bullet has run out of ideas altogether, and every single song sounds like a watered down version of something featured on Fever and The Poison. These guys are on the brink of creative bankruptcy.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE9YmOprijk]

As hard as it may be to believe, there was a time when Bullet for my Valentine didn’t suck. Scream, Aim, Fire remains in my music library as a fun listen, back when their music had some balls to it and not every song was a whiny story about Matt’s love life. Hey, I have nothing against the subject matter. “Say Goodnight” for example, one of the soft songs from Scream, Aim, Fire is actually very moving and remains my favorite Bullet song, even after all these years. I listen to Sonata Arctica folks, the epitome of flower metal. Rather, the problem here on Temper Temper is the execution. If you thought the band couldn’t sink any lower after Fever, prepare to be unpleasantly surprised. This album is flat-out lazy, there’s no better word for it. Just a half-assed pile of watered down riffs and thoughtless lyrics that were thrown together as a means to continue touring and promoting themselves to what is quickly becoming solely a mallcore fanbase, nothing more. Perhaps if the backlash continues amongst their older fans, these guys will do some soul-searching and at least make an effort to wipe their eyes and cover some new ground artistically. Until then, take a bullet, Bullet. You’re dead to the metal world.

Rating

Track Listing

1. Breaking Point
2. Truth Hurts
3. Temper Temper
4. P.O.W.
5. Dirty Little Secret
6. Leech
7. Dead to the World
8. Riot
9. Saints & Sinners
10. Tears Don’t Fall (Part 2)
11. Livin’ Life (On the Edge of a Knife)

Personnel

• Matthew Tuck – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Michael Paget – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Michael “Moose” Thomas – drums, percussion
• Jason James – bass guitar, backing vocals

Do you want to follow BFMV on Facebook? We don’t.

Order Temper Temper (if you really really want to) from here:
iTunes
Amazon

The post Bullet for My Valentine, “Temper Temper” – Review appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Tell us a little about the history of the band. How did everything come together?

Cat: Ben and myself began collaborating online. It was all based on instinct so we ran with it and before we knew it Rise of Avernus had already written our first song ‘Forbidden Sin’, this was all before our first face to face meeting so we had a strong feeling that the partnership would only grow from there. Since the release we’ve had some very gifted musicians jump onboard to help us bring this vision to the life.

Matt: I became aware of the band when I found their Facebook page in it’s early stages. I listened to the Forbidden Sin demo and thought it had a really interesting mix of styles and a clever structure, so when I saw they were looking for a guitarist I sent a message through to Andrew (who I already knew as our other bands have played together and we have a lot of shared musical interests). From there I met up with Ben and we had a jam, got along great and found we were very much on the same page.

What musicians/bands have primarily inspired your music? If you could tour with any two bands around the world, who would you tour with and why?

Cat: This is a tricky one, we draw inspiration from so many different styles of bands, some of our favorites include Portishead, Enslaved, Gojira & Paradise Lost. In regards to touring, My Dying Bride and Katatonia would probably be my hot picks purely because they are both amazing live bands who have this uncanny ability to tap right into depths of one’s soul.

Matt: My interest in music lies in the bizarre, unique and absurd. Outside of RoA a large portion of what I do is much more light hearted, so to get in the RoA headspace my bands of choice are Agalloch, Katatonia, Anathema and Theater of Tragedy (who shockingly, the rest of the band is not familiar with!). Big shout out to my biggest influence Frank Zappa though. As for touring, I think we would fit great on any bill featuring Katatonia, Paradise Lost, Anathema or Opeth.

Rise of Avernus has a very unique sound. You effectively mix doom metal with progressive and ambient elements to produce a very interesting result. How would you as the band classify your own music?

Cat: At this stage we find it easiest to describe ourselves as ‘Progressive Doom Metal’. Our sound changes vastly from song to song so its hard to pick just one sub genre.

Matt: I think the biggest unifying feature of the music is the atmosphere –while the texture and tone of our music alters from quiet and melancholic to bombastic and aggressive, I feel we maintain a consistent dark-yet-optimistic atmosphere which really ties it altogether.

What is the musical background of Rise of Avernus? Has anyone in the band received musical education? Any weird or unusual instruments that any of you guys know how to play?

Andrew: I dabble with the Jews Harp.

Cat: I know Ben began drumming lessons from a young age before migrating to guitar. As for myself I started learning classical piano when I was 8 then much later I discovered I could also sing when I had to participate in theatre productions during my Senior years at High School, I was incredibly shy so the idea of singing in front of an audience absolutely mortified me.

Matt: I had guitar lessons from about mid primary school to the end of high school. From there I went to University for composition and kind of got more interested in that side of music, but now find myself practicing alone late at night trying to master these ridiculous riffs Ben is coming up with.

Forbidden Sin is a very beautiful song. If you don’t mind me asking, did anything in particular inspire you to write it? Is there a story behind it?

Cat: Now we get personal haha, you will find many of our stories are based upon real life experiences, sometimes we take liberties in order to make the stories more theatrical but I think it’s best we leave it to the imagination.

Is a full length album in the works? I’m sure I’m not the only one eager to see a whole albums worth of material from Rise of Avernus. What is a difference between the E.P. and the full length that fans can expect?

Cat: We have already begun pre-production for the first full length album, it’s a lot more intricate and intense with the 5 of us are working together to take the concept beyond the parameters of the EP. We are pushing the extremes further in the spectrum of sounds we utilize, to simplify you can anticipate anything from funeral doom to symphonic death metal.

How easy or hard is it to promote the band in countries abroad? What is the reception like in your home country?

Cat: Even with internet promotion booming it is sometimes difficult for Australian bands to create interest overseas without label representation, we live on an isolated land mass so we can’t just jump on a tour bus to visit neighbouring countries whenever we have a CD to promote. We don’t like having so much distance between us and our fans in America and Europe but it is nothing that some careful planning and budgeting can’t resolve. 2012 was a big year for us, we were stoked by the genuine interest in Rise of Avernus right from our very first live performance. I think we underestimated how many closet doom fans can be lured out of the woodwork especially now that there are some really strong live acts in the Sydney scene such as The Veil, Myraeth, Rituals of the Oak & Lycanthia just to name a few.

Touching a little more on Australia, what’s the metal scene like over there? I imagine it must have its own niche over there given the increasing number of bands coming out over the years.

Andrew: The metal scene throughout Australia is quite resilient, we work together and support each other to reach a common goal. Every sub-genre imaginable is represented throughout the nation, creating many diverse sounds and styles. Regardless of the perils and difficulty of Australian touring, many bands are still willing to go above and beyond in order to get their music to the furthest corners of our huge country and it’s very widespread cities. No tour is complete without at least one vehicle breaking down in the middle of nowhere.

Australia is known for many great theaters and venues. What has been your favorite to play in so far? Where would you love to play most? What was one of the craziest concert or festival you’ve ever played at?

Cat: The Metro and The Factory Theatre are right up there with my favs but I’m yet to play the illustrious Enmore Theatre which I hope to rectify soon. The Hi Bar in Sydney was definitely the craziest, we were supporting Apocalyptica from Finland, it was their first tour in Australia so the venue was packed with enthused punters across two levels.

Matt: The Hi Fi was definitely a step up in venues for that I have played. Having our own personal backstage room wasn’t too shabby either!

What do you consider the staple of Australian cuisine? I really want to try one of those meat pies.

Cat: Meat pies with tomato sauce are an essential part of the Aussie diet so is Vegemite on toast but if you are going to try it, do yourself a favor and use lots of butter and only a hint of Vegemite, if you spread it on like it’s peanut butter I guarantee you will never touch it again.

Here’s a personal question: I actually went to Sydney when I was a kid and remember digging out onions out of the hamburgers (back when my taste buds were still developing). Is it custom to mix the onions in with the ground beef?

Cat: It’s not uncommon for parents to sneak finely cut vegetables into their homemade hamburger patties, whether it’s layered on top separately or hidden in the meat onions are a must for any self-respecting Aussie hamburger, as is pineapple and beetroot.

Finally do you have any parting words for your fans here at Der Metal Krieger?

Matt: Thanks for the interest and stay tuned as our debut album is sure to kick unimaginable amounts of ass!

Thank you very much guys, good luck with everything and we hope to hear more from you soon!

Follow the band on Facebook!

The post Progressive Aussie Doom, Rise of Avernus – Interview appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Band: Coheed and Cambria
Album: The Afterman: Descension
Genre: Alt. Metal/Prog Rock
Label: Hundred Handed
Release Date: 2/5/13

The album starts off with some atmospheric acoustic guitar playing that leads into the energetic “Key Entity V: Sentry the Defiant,” which I’ve been excited to hear ever since Claudio released an acoustic version on YouTube a year back. I must say, it didn’t disappoint one bit and it was most impressive to see the end result in studio form. The added distortion and lead guitar parts do it magnificent justice and it makes a compelling case as the strongest track on the album. The entire first half of the album is actually incredibly solid, with the band sounding creative as ever in parts. There is no doubt regarding the ambition of this album; it certainly covers a lot of ground musically. Coheed has always shown great versatility in their music; a trait that is on full display in “Number City” which is a cool, groovy little song that incorporates funk and jazz elements. The following track “Gravity’s Union” is surprisingly epic, and fans will be singing along and crowd surfing to this one for sure. Upon its conclusion, I was convinced that I was halfway through what was easily the best Coheed and Cambria album since Good Apollo Vol. 1.

Unfortunately though, it turned out that I had already reached the climax; from here on out the album pretty much goes downhill. While I genuinely like how the songs flow together very nicely, the end result is consequently rather generic. The sixth track “Away We Go” reverts to their softer format and is a good song in itself. But then we’re treated to an additional two consecutive songs in the same mold, so much that they really don’t stand out at all. Coheed, I love you guys to death but I’ll never understand why on earth you picked “Dark Side of Me,” as your performance on live television.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Ls7RQBq_E]

“2’s My Favorite 1″ offers a degree of redemption upon conclusion of “Descension.” It’s not exactly a highlight track but it gets the band back on its feet for their exit, and the ending outro section does an effective job at bringing the two-part album full circle. Overall, the album is an ambitious achievement by a truly excellent and remarkably consistent band who are every bit deserving of the praise lavished upon them. These guys are not only phenomenal songwriters, but the chemistry between them is undeniable and is a big factor of what makes Coheed and Cambria the definition of expertise and professionalism in rock music today. Not many bands can make two-part albums on this scale anymore, which just goes to show the hell of a band Coheed is. While “The Afterman: Descension” may be the weaker album of the two, it will still receive a welcome reception from fans and critics alike and effectively concludes part II of a fantastic double album in satisfying fashion.

Rating:

Track Listing:

1. Pretelethal
2. Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry the Defiant
3. The Hard Sell
4. Number City
5. Gravity’s Union
6. Away We Go
7. Iron Fist
8. Dark Side of Me
9. 2′s My Favorite 1

Personnel:

Claudio Sanchez – vocals, guitar
Travis Stever – guitars, backing vocals
Josh Eppard – drums, keys, backing vocals
Zach Cooper – bass, backing vocals

The post Coheed’s The Afterman: Descension – Review appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Band: Wintersun
Album: Time I
Genre: Epic Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release: October 22, 2012 (USA)

     Man, what is it with all these incredible metal bands coming out of Finland? There must be something in the food or water over there; I don’t know how else to explain how music of such majesty can formulate inside the mind of a human being. I promised myself that I wouldn’t make this a kiss-ass fan review, but I just have to take a moment and state the obvious when I say that Jari Mäenpää is an absolute genius as well as one of the most gifted guitarists and musicians to ever walk the earth. I don’t for one minute doubt the abilities of the other musicians in this band, but Wintersun as we all know, is Jari’s show.  Besides his technical brilliance, his compositional skills are what set him apart. His guitar is calm yet heavy and powerful, fast and downright furious at times. His style is dynamic and untouchable, with Time I being an ideal illustration of his great capabilities.  I would also like to add that Kai Hahto, also of Rotten Sound and Swallow the Sun, is a constantly overlooked, and highly talented drummer.  His technical prowess, and bombastic beats are legendary, and he does it all with a smile on his face!

     The album begins with the Japanese folk influenced “When Time Fades Away,” which serves as an atmospheric interlude to the powerful “Sons of Winter and Stars.” I can’t even remember the last time I was so moved by music. No matter how many times I listen, “When Time Fades Away,” continues to send chills down my spine. It’s a divine piece of music in itself, which climaxes with a heavy symphonic section that actually brought tears to my eyes the first listen. The subtle Japanese melody infused with the deep and passionate orchestration is truly moving. And the guitars crashing in at the beginning of “Sons of Winter and Stars,” thunders the resounding clarity that Wintersun has truly arrived.

     I could go on forever about the brilliance of “Sons of Winter and Stars,” which could make a strong argument as the greatest Wintersun song ever. The combination of Jari’s vocals, melodic power metal riffing, and backing symphonies is the anthem of the gods. This will without a doubt turn out to be a fantastic live song. Expect the crowd to be singing along every step of the way.

Click the image above to Pre-Order! Vinyls sold out, as well as the Bonus DVD Edition. Grab this sweet T-shirt deal before it’s too late!

     “Land of Sorrow and Snow” is interesting because it transitions to a very melancholic sound as opposing to the charging vibe of the previous track. Jari is frequently praised as a guitarist, but I’ve always felt that his vocals are overlooked. He is by no means a very technical singer, but his deep voice is very solid and conveys Wintersun’s themes of sadness with great effectiveness. This is on perfect display throughout this song, which is probably his strongest achievement in terms of clean singing. “Darkness and Frost” is yet another beautifully composed instrumental piece that paves the way for the eleven minute conclusion track, “Time.” While it may not be quite as catchy as the rest of the album, “Time” is nevertheless an epic and satisfying conclusion to a phenomenal album that features some very nice soloing from Jari as well as an extended atmospheric outro that is perfect foreshadowing for Part II, reminding us that the next chapter is not far off.

     Everything about this album is perfect and everything a Wintersun fan could want. The production is outstanding, and after having listened several times, it becomes more and more apparent as to why the gap between albums was such a lengthy process. Nitpickers will of course find things to complain about. Go ahead, bitch that it doesn’t match the equivalence of its predecessor (it does), that it tries too hard to be grandiose (it doesn’t), and that it’s too short (Part II in six months people). The bottom line though, is that Wintersun has created a masterpiece. “Time I” succeeds not only as a pleasant reward to patient fans after years of waiting, but as an intriguing prequel to what should turn out to be an outstanding double album. Let’s just hope it’ll only actually be a six month wait for part 2! In the meantime, come out to see the tour with Eluveitie and the almighty Varg this December, as the sons of winter gather to see this magical spectacle of a band beneath the sleeping stars!

Rating:

Track Listing:

1. When Times Fades Away
2. Sons of Winter and Stars
   1. Rain of Stars
   2. Surrounded by Darkness
   3. Journey Inside a Dream
   4. Sons of Winter and Stars
3. Land of Snow and Sorrow
4. Darkness and Frost
5. Time

Personnel

• Jari Mäenpää − vocals, guitar, keyboards
• Teemu Mäntysaari − guitar
• Jukka Koskinen − bass
• Kai Hahto − drums

The post Part 1 of Wintersun’s latest epic, Time I Reviewed appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.