Attic’s debut album, The Invocation, is an album that King Diamond could listen to, think he himself had written and then also performed on.  The songs presented here are filled with horror/occult inspired lyrics, a singer that sounds as every bit as strong or stronger than King Diamond, has well written songs and excellent guitar work.

Artist:  Attic
Album:  The Invocation
Genre:  Traditional Heavy Metal
Label:  Ván Records
Release: December 7, 2012

Click for Full-Resolution

I will be the first to admit I never was a very big fan of Mercyful Fate or King Diamond.  I was always attracted to the theme of the bands work and the great guitar work but it was the vocals, especially the ultra high pitch vocals, of King Diamond that always turned me off.  They never felt they fit in with the song or they just took me completely out of the mood that the song was striving for.  So with Attic I am actually surprised at myself that I enjoyed their debut so much.  Though Cagliostro’s vocals do hit the glass breaking levels that King Diamond does, they somehow seem to fit in better with the songs presented here, along with when he sings in a lower key.  Does this make me a hypocrite?  I’m not sure.  I have tried many times over the years to go back and listen to King Diamond and Mercyful Fate but just could not get into them.  Attic on the other hand, I found myself listening to multiple times, and though there are still times the high pitch vocals didn’t sit well with me I still enjoyed what I heard here. 

I think one of my favorite tracks on The Invocation is ‘Satan’s Bride’ where Cagliostro’s vocals hit all spectrums and really showcase his abilities.  The other tunes, ‘Funeral in the Woods’, ‘Join the Coven’ and ‘Ghost of the Orphanage’ all are strong tunes and boast the occult/ black magic themes fans of both Mercyful  Fate and King Diamond should instantly take to.

As for the music itself you will find The Invocation offers a classic Heavy Metal style that is straightforward, boasts talented guitar work, with an accessible sound, and catchy melodies/leads.  All packaged nicely together to make a nice metal record for all fans of the genre.

The post Music Review | The Invocation by Attic appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Band: Troldhaugen
Album: Ramshackle
Genre: Progressive Folk Metal
Label: Unsigned
Release: August 31, 2012

I understand that some of you guys may be puzzled or confused as to the weird comparisons of bands. I think when people think of the band Primus, they think of Les Claypool just slappin the bass. What I want you to picture is the uniquely funny and unusual lyrics that Les Claypool would use in albums such as Sailing The Sea Of Cheese and Pork combined “Weird Al” Yankovic’s wacky lyrics. You can hear this in the second song entitled “The Circus of Misery”. You can first hear what sounds like a bouncy rubber ball which is a really unexpected and different approach from the traditional folk metal song. The song start off with, “Boils and ghouls! Gather round for what is sure to be the time of your life! None can compare for the frightening feats and daring acts we have in store for you. It will no doubt leave a lasting impression!” It follows by one of two incredibly maniacal laughs that resembles a darker, more evil laugh then the origin of all that is evil, Dr. Evil from Austin Powers. What I really like about this song is that underneath the surface of what can be interpreted as a comedic song, you can hear the incredible range of Reventusk’s vocals. It really puts you into perspective of the immense talent of this band.
Another song that I really enjoyed off the album was the song “Slaughterhouse Swing” because of how incredibly unique and different it is. If there one thing you can learn about Troldhaugen, is that there not afraid to have songs that sound like they can be written for a musical. This song really has a swing-like tune to it with mixtures of these strong vocals. During the song you can really hear the talent of both Svarog, the bassist and Gradenok, the drummer helping to keep the overall tempo of the song while helping to create such an intriguing song. Guys, hear me out and listen to this song, it is defiantly something you wouldn’t expect from a folk album and will be a fresh sound for your ear holes!
The final track of the album “A Soul For The Taking” is probably in my opinion, the heaviest song of this album. Even though this album may have mainly a progressive folk album, this song really shows these guys can make a mix their unique folk sound into a heavy metal tune. This tune show that even though they can make a really weird and unique album, Meldengar can throw down hard and heavy metal guitar riffs with the best of them. The other thing I really like about this song is that like other songs off the album, is how the Jew’s harp was used within the song. Throughout the album, Reventusk’s Jew’s Harp is used to give this type of carnival feel to many of the songs. What i do like about this song is that it uses the Jew’s Harp in a heavier death metal sound. It cool to see that even though they play the role of a fun folk metal band, they can also use it to a heavier sound and tone.

There were very few things about this album which I honestly could say I didn’t like. I feel like to some listeners that the reoccurring theme of it sounding like a circus can get annoying at times. What people do need to realize is that this album is meant to be something really fun and enjoyable, not super serious. Folk is one of those genres that is a real new twist on metal with many different elements. I know that each element of folk metal is different but Troldhaugen rendition of folk is so different from all the others. They pretty much recreate a genre of their own. Troldhaugen album “Ramshackle” is such a refreshing and fun album, something that you can enjoy even if you’re not the typical “metal head”. That is something that I do love about this band, you don’t need to have been a metal head to love this band. This album is a ton of fun to listen to, and can be a great way to get you buddy who hates metal into metal! So go and take a listen to Troldhaugen’s debut album, “Ramshackle“, you won’t regret it!

Rating: 8/10 Weirdly Wonderful!

Track Listing:

1. Beneath The Festering March
2. The Circus of Misery
3. Beast Wagon
4. Slaughterhouse Swing
5. Corspefed Cauldron
6. Maple Leaf Rag (Scott Joplin Cover)
7. The Accused Passing of the Monstrous Fiend
8. Swampstoper
9. Trollbrawl
10. Ven
11. A Soul for the Taking

Personnel:

Reventüsk-Vocals and Jew’s Harp
Meldengar-Guitars
Döesbürg-Mandolin and Vocals
Grädenøk-Drums
Svarog-Bass
Venurüth-Keyboards

Order the Album Here:

http://troldhaugen.net/album/ramshackle

Check them out on Facebook!

Got any questions or comments? Leave a comment below!
Have a band you would like me to review? Feel free to email me at gabe@dermetalkrieger.com!

Thanks for reading and long live metal!
Gabe

The post Trolling along with Troldhaugen: A Review of Troldhaugen’s “Ramshackle” appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

The German Industrial Metallers, Rammstein, have been preparing a treat for a die-hard fans for some time.  They announced that they would be releasing a single and 2 new music videos for the opening track “Mein Herz Brennt,” from their 2001 album Mutter.  Today a music video of the piano version of the song was put up by the band on Vimeo:

Till Lindemann’s voice hallows over the eerie piano strokes adding a completely different level of dimension and atmosphere compared to the original version of the song.  His character in the video is menacing yet afraid, creating a deep, impacting experience.

The single will be available in both Physical and Digital variants containing the Piano variant of the song as well as remixes.  Also included is a previously unreleased song “Gib mir deine Augen”

1. Mein Herz brennt – Piano Version (4:31)
2. Gib mir deine Augen (3:44)
3. Mein Herz brennt – Video Edit (4:18)
4. Mein Herz brennt – Boys Noize Rmx (5:00)
5. Mein Herz brennt – Piano Instrumental (4:31)

You can get the single from a few outlets:

Amazon.co.uk

iTunes

RammsteinShop

The post New Rammstein Single and Video – Eerie Piano version of Mein Herz Brennt appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Band: Hexen
Album: Being and Nothingness
Genre: Melodic Thrash Metal
Label: Pulverised Records
Release: May 28th, 2012

The album starts with “Macrocosm”, a dark and melodic, yet aggressive instrumental piece that really set the foundation for the rest of the album.  The next song, “Grave New World” is equally aggressive, and one of the highlight tracks on the album.  The shredding by guitarists Ronny Dorian and Artak Tavaratsyan on this track is really intense.  Track three is “Defcon Rising”.  This track keeps up the speed of the first two tracks while including a very catchy and melodic chorus section and a clean bridge section featuring some very Cliff Burton-esque bass licks by bassist/vocalist Andre Hartoonian.

The last track on the album is a 14 minute tech-thrash epic entitled “Nocturne”.  Every instrument shines on this track.  It even includes some awesome keyboard work.  Fast, technical, melodic and aggressive, this track really sums up Hexen as a whole.  It definitely is one of the standout tracks on the album.

While the album is musically spectacular, it suffers from something a lot of new wave of thrash albums suffer from, which is that the production is almost too clean.  It may just be my inner thrash elitist coming out, but when an album’s production is too clean it kind of takes away the charm that classic albums like Morbid Saint’s Spectrum of Death and Demolition Hammer’s Epidemic of Violence have.
Overall, Hexen’s Being and Nothingness is a prime example of the good that has come out of the new wave of thrash in recent years.  It solidifies Hexen’s place in the elite of the new wave of thrash among such bands as Warbringer and Municipal Waste.  It is definitely recommended for fans of both of those bands, as well as fans of other sci-fi/technical thrash bands, such as Vektor.

Rating:

Track Listing:

1. Macrocosm
2. Grave New World
3. Defcon Rising
4. Private Hell
5. Walk As Many, Stand as One
6. Stream of Unconsciousness
7. Indefinite Archetype
8. The Nescient
9. Nocturne

Personnel:

Andre Hartoonian – Vocals/Bass
Ronny Dorian – Guitar
Artak Tavaratsyan – Guitar
Carlos Cruz – Drums

Find them on Facebook!

The post A Review of Hexen’s “Being and Nothingness” appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Band: Varg
Album: Guten Tag
Genre: Black/ Pagan Metal
Label: NoiseArt
Release: November 27, 2012 (USA)

First off, the self-titled track “Guten Tag” is just one word: Epic. Varg balances heaviness with melodies, developing a unique sound. This track does not sound have a strong Black Metal influence, as the band’s previous releases did, but it still has that super catchy, and quite fantastic heroic folk melody in the chorus that we’ve come to expect from Varg. It’s a bit like a Melodic Death song with a fun Thrash metal kick!

A new sound for the band? Quite possible, as the tracks don’t sound as dark as a song such as Asatru, but throughout the album, you can still hear the original roots of the band. The track “Angriff” is a prime example of this. With the more melodic sound, at times a nod to what they have started out as is made, giving it that extreme edge that this band tends to put out. Could you ask for a better track? I think not. Well maybe “Horizont” may give you that little extra helping of black metal that you may need. This track starts off aggressive, with a dark atmosphere. The vocals range from a deep roar, to a higher pitch scream, showing that Freki and Managarm are a brute force to be reckoned with. All in all, this is just one solid song that would be absurd to skip.

As far as the pros and cons go, this album has nothing but great things to be said about it. Aggressive, yet calm, melodic, yet hard-hitting. This release packs a punch, that will deliver one heavy blow. Yes, the album is mostly sung in German, but there is one track sung in English. “A Thousand Eyes” features vocals from what sounds like Jonne Järvelä of Korpiklaani due to what appears to be his trademarked “joik” vocal style. Although, having an album sung in mostly German is simply bad-ass. This is one of the traits that makes Varg original, as they use their native tongue in their works. Stating a con on this album would simply just be a lie, as this album is diverse and very unique. There are, however, a few tracks that are wholly lackluster, but they aren’t at all bad songs.

Dark and uplifting, Guten Tag is an album that just delivers and won’t quit! By combining their pagan message with their aggressive thrash and black metal riffage, Varg is one of the most unique pagan metal bands out there. This release is a perfect example of how Varg is paving a name in the folk metal community. Guten Tag is their best release to date, and is a personal favorite of mine now. Why not pick up some merch online, and preorder the album? Have some new tunes, and share with your friends! Oh and must I mention for all you North American fans out there, that Varg will be supporting Eluveitie with Wintersun this winter, for a tour! Always been a Varg fan, but live in America, like me? Well then here is your chance to come see these guys execute a great high level performance! Preorder Guten Tag here, and show your support for these German metallers!

Rating

Official Facebook!

Get the album here:

Bonus Digipack CD+DVD
Amazon.de
EMP.de

Other Versions
Napalm Records

Tracklist:

1. Willkommen
2. Guten Tag
3. Frei Wei Der Wind
4. Was Nicht Darf
5. Blut und Feuer
6. Angriff
7. Horizont
8. A Thousand Eyes
9. Weider Mel Verloren
10. Gedanke und Erinnerung
11. Leben
12. Anti
13. Apokalypse

Members:

Freki- Vocals and Guitar
Managarm- Bass, Guitar, and Vocals
Hati- Guitar
Fenrier- Drums
Skalli- Guitar

;

Note from the DMK Editor:

GUTEN TAG! Possibly my favorite track of the year.

The post Guten Tag! VARG Cometh – Review appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

After seeing the announcement of the Lamb of God/Dethklok tour with Gojira, all of us at DMK were pretty excited.  But then of course, poor Randy Blythe had that whole fiasco in the Czech Republic resulting in Lamb of God dropping from the tour.  LoG recently announced a new tour with In Flames and Sylosis/Hellyeah but we were still wondering what the fate of Dethklok would be.  Yesterday Adult Swim, the network that hosts Metalocalypse, ran a TV Spot briefly announcing a NEW DETHKLOK TOUR!

This is probably the highest resolution copy of the artwork online.

The tour will feature headliners DETHKLOK, brutalizing the airwaves along with MACHINE HEAD, ALL THAT REMAINS, and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER! See dates below.

DETHALBUM III has also been teasing us for some time now.  With the album having an official street date of October 16th the wait is finally over.  The band recently “I Ejaculate Fire” online as the albums first single.  A NSFW video was also posted online:

Tour Dates:
10/30 Norfolk, VA – Norva
10/31 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
11/02 Silver Spring, MD – Fillmore
11/03 New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom
11/04 Worcester, MA – Palladium
11/05 Montreal, QC – Metropolis
11/07 Toronto, ON – Sound Academy
11/08 Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
11/09 Columbus, OH – LC Pavilion
11/10 Detroit, MI – Fillmore
11/11 Grand Rapids, MI – Orbit Room
11/13 Fargo, ND – The Venue
11/14 Minneapolis, MN – Myth
11/15 Milwaukee, WI – Rave / Eagles Club
11/16 Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom
11/17 Kansas City, MO – Midland
11/18 St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
11/20 Denver, Co – Fillmore
11/21 Salt Lake City, UT – Great Salt Air
11/23 Seattle, WA – Showbox SODO
11/24 Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
11/26 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
11/27 Hollywood, CA – Palladium
11/28 Phoenix, AZ – Marquee
11/30 Dallas, TX – House Of Blues
12/01 Austin, TX – Stubbs
12/02 Houston, TX House of Blues
12/04 Orlando, FL – House Of Blues
12/06 Chattanooga, TN – Track 29
12/07 Charlotte, NC – Fillmore
12/08 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle

The post DETHKLOK TOUR Reannounced! New Music Video Online appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

“I’ve been following SUICIDE SILENCE since their debut album and immediately grew to love their music,“ commented Nuclear Blast CEO, Markus Staiger. “I knew we had to work with this amazing band and today is the day to finally welcome one of the most brutal bands on Earth to the Nuclear Blast family. The next SUICIDE SILENCE album will no doubt push boundaries once again.“

“I am thrilled to have such an innovative and unique band like SUICIDE SILENCE as the first signing to Nuclear Blast Entertainment,” added NBE President Monte Conner. “Even though I was totally blown away by their last album, The Black Crown, I am certain the band’s best music is still ahead of them.”

Guitarist Mark Heylmun commented:
“I and all of SUICIDE SILENCE are proud to announce that we have signed a worldwide deal with the one and only Nuclear Blast. It wasn’t a tough decision, Nuclear Blast has been a huge part of heavy metal for decades and we couldn’t be happier. This is a new beginning for us and we’re ready as all hell! Let Chapter 2 begin now!”

“I am beyond stoked to be signing to the sickest of all heavy metal record labels,”  continues bassist Dan Kenny. “It has been a dream of mine since I was a youngster with Nuclear Blast posters on my bedroom wall“

North American Label Manager Gerardo Martinez concluded:
“It’s pretty amazing when you hear SUICIDE SILENCE talk about the Nuclear Blast bands they love. It puts all of us on the same level – we are all music fans here. Super stoked to be a part of history with this Californian bunch!”

SUICIDE SILENCE’s Nuclear Blast Entertainment debut is tentatively scheduled for a Summer 2013 release.

SUICIDE SILENCE‘s latest album, The Black Crown, sold upwards of 14,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 28 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Music Video:
“You Only Live Once” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=312Sb-2PovA

The post Suicide Silence is Now a Part of Nuclear Blast Entertainment appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Band: Glowsun
Album: Eternal Season
Genre: Stoner Metal
Label: Napalm Records
Release: September 28th, 2012

The trio has just released their second album, Eternal Season, a follow up to 2009’s The Sundering, and it surely does not disappoint.  It’s fifty two minutes of droney, groovy, stoner-y goodness.  Every song on this album features psychedelic ambience and crunchy grooves a-plenty, while all being unique and distinguishable.

The album’s opening track, “Death’s Face”, begins with a simple but catchy bass-line laid down by bottom-feeding rumble master Ronan Chiron.  Chiron’s bass playing stands out on this album, sometimes beating out vocalist/guitarist Johan Jaccob’s axe work as the main focus of a certain segment of a song.

The album’s standout track, for me, is “Sleepwalker”.  At eight minutes and forty-one seconds, it’s the albums longest song.  It starts out with a distorted bass groove that just repeats under a really cool guitar melody by Johan Jaccob, which kind of sent me into a pseudo-hypnotic state while listening to it.  This is one of few songs on this album that feature vocals by Jaccob, and as with the other songs, I found that the vocals were there more for added layering and depth and atmosphere, rather than actually being there for lyrical content.

Every song on the album features the kinds of effects and layering you would come to expect from any great stoner metal band, but Johan Jaccob delivers it extremely well.  The album is extremely well produced, and you can distinguish all of the instruments from each other, but at the same time it still keeps the kind of rawness you’ve come to know and love from such albums as Sleep’s Dopesmoker and Electric Wizard’s Dopethrone.

Overall, given time, this album could stand up to greats such as Sleep’s Holy Mountain and Electric Wizard’s Dopethrone.  It features all of the sludgy riffing, thundering bass and crunchy grooves you would come to expect from a great stoner/doom band.  I highly recommend it for fans of such bands as Sleep, Electric Wizard and Church of Misery.

Rating:

Track Listing:

1. Death’s Face
2. Dragon Witch
3. Lost Soul
4. Reverse
5. The Thing
6. From The Sky
7. Sleepwalker
8. Monkey Time

Personnel:
Johan Jaccob – Guitar/Vocals
Ronan Chiron – Bass
Fabrice Cornille – Drums

Order the album here!

Find them on Facebook.

The post A Review of Glowsun’s “Eternal Season” appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

“We are very excited to tour US and Canada for the first time in November/December, ” commented WINTERSUN mstermind Jari  Mäenpää. “We´ve had lots of requests from the fans before, but finally we are able to come there and kick some ass with new material from the Time I album and of course play the old stuff too! Hope to see you guys there. Let´s make it special!”

ELUVEITIE, WINTERSUN, VARG

11/21/12 House of Blues – Hollywood, CA

11/28/12  910 Live – Tempe, AZ

11/29/12  The Roxy Theater – Hollywood, CA **CHANGED TO 11/21 at the House of Blues, ROXY Tickets will be Honored at the HoB

11/30/12  Oakland Metro – Oakland, CA

12/01/12  Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR

12/02/12  El Corazon – Seattle, WA

12/03/12  Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver, BC – CANADA

12/05/12  Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB – CANADA

12/06/12  Republik – Calgary, AB – CANADA

12/07/12  Louis’ Pub – Saskatoon, SK – CANADA

12/08/12  West End Cultural Centre – Winnipeg, MB – CANADA

12/09/12  Station 4 – Saint Paul, MN

12/11/12  Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL

12/12/12  Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH

12/13/12  The Opera House – Toronto, ON – CANADA

12/14/12  Mavericks – Ottawa, ON – CANADA

12/15/12  Club Soda – Montreal, QC – CANADA

12/16/12  Imperial – Quebec City, QC – CANADA

12/18/12  Water Street Music Hall (at The Club) – Rochester, NY

12/19/12  Mr. Small’s Theatre – Millvale, PA

12/20/12  Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY

12/21/12  Royale Boston – Boston, MA

ELUVEITIE will release The Early Years, a collection of re-rerecorded and re-mastered early material, via Nuclear Blast Records on August 17^th (Europe) and September 25^th (North America).

ELUVEITIE scanned 4,242 copies of their latest album Helvetios in its first week of sales in the United States according to Nielson Soundscan. Helvetios came in at #143 on the US Billboard Top 200 Chart and #3 on the Heatseekers chart, making it their highest charting record yet! ELUVEITIE also cracked the Canadian Top 200 coming in at #73! Helvetios was released on February 28 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records.

WINTERSUN’s long awaited new album Time I will be released October 12 (Europe) and October 22, 2012 (North America) via Nuclear Blast.

For more info on ELUVEITIE visit: www.eluveitie.ch | www.facebook.com/eluveitie | www.nuclearblast.de/eluveitie

For more info on WINTERSUN visit: www.wintersun.fi | www.rockthenation.eu | www.nuclearblast.de/wintersun

Via Nuclear Blast

The post ELUVEITIE/WINTERSUN North American Tour Announced! appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

As you all may know, I am a huge Amoral fan, as they are my favorite band. I am very much into death metal, but I feel the path Amoral is taking is the best path. They still play death metal songs on their newer album (Won’t Go Home from Beneath), yet have more progressive songs, such as the track Beneath. In one of my interviews with Ben, he asked me what I thought of the change. I told him ” I am a huge death metal fan and first heard of Amoral during the Reptile Ride period. But what I love more is a band who can switch from extreme metal to more melodic metal and still perfect it.” Amoral is that band who can quickly switch styles, and still sound unique.

Change is not always a bad thing. For these guys, the change is the best thing for them, as they develop their own sound, and set a new standard for melodic metal. All of their works are great, but Beneath is their best thus far. Having a mix of progressive, heavy songs, to nods to their death metal roots, to their high-octane vocals and melodic instruments, this album has it all. It gives you a crash course of Amoral’s history and what they have in mind for the future.

I know some of you may be asking “What’s next? Will their be another death metal album, or will they continue their melodic style?” As I talked to Ben, he says there will be no full on death metal album, but they will maybe write death metal songs (Won’t Go Home, and Staying Human). He said he noticed that the fans loved the more heavy and progressive tracks, like Beneath, and that the band also enjoys playing those songs. The next Amoral album may be more similar to that, but nothing is for certain, as Ben stated, giving a little insight in what’s next.

I hope this intrigues you, and for those who have not listened to the newer material, give it a chance. You may like what you hear, as I did. Pick up a copy of the highly acclaimed album Beneath, and continue to support melodic metal. Be sure to catch these guys on tour with Ensiferum and Profane Omen this fall over in Europe!

Bearers Of The Sword Tour 2012:

The post Amoral: Why the change? – On Tour with Ensiferum and New album Info appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.