Dutch Death Metallers ANTROPOMORPHIA have reacted to a letter their label Metal Blade Records received from the German BPJM (“Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons”) that included an indexing request for the band’s latest album Evangelivm Nekromantia. The letter claims the cover artwork of the album as well as the song Fleisch illustrate and address killings and violence in an autotelic way. Furthermore they don’t seem to be too happy about the album title. A news story in German can be found HERE.

The band comments:

We’ve made certain people nervous and uncomfortable with our music and lyrical content. In order to ‘protect’ the children, it’s quite possible ‘Evangelivm Nekromantia’ will be banned and removed from German stores. Through their ridiculous and hypocrite way of thinking they are not letting people use their own intelligence or freedom of choice, this in an era where you turn on the news and see the world’s vile and repulsive excrements in full HD. These people are nothing more than a bunch of pitiful sheep! They might think this ban will be castigation but it will only strengthen us in our opposition towards these sad shallow people that crowd the world with their insignificant lives. To us, it’s the perfect representation of people without perception other than a retarded opinion about an artistic expression.

In other news, ANTROPOMORPHIA, have just finished another video shooting, this time around for the song Debauchery In Putrefaction.

You can still watch the video for Psuchagogia at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUbQ1QYnF04

Get your copy of Evangelivm Nekromantia while you STILL can and listen to their music at http://www.metalblade.com/antropomorphia/.

Via EarsplitPR

The post News | ANTHROPOMORPHIA’s New Album Banned in Germany 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: Gloryhammer
Album: Tales from the Kingdom of Fife
Genre: Power Metal
Label: Napalm Records
Release Date: March 29, 2013

Before jumping into the review, I’d like to point out how epic the artwork is on its own. Dan Goldsworthy crafted an amazing entourage of art which further complements the high expectations of this album.

Power Metal is one of those genres that always has a familiar sound, it’s easy to get into, and typically makes you want to wield a sword so you can slay those who resist the power…yeah.  You have bands like Helloween and Blind Guardian that take you by your ears and slam you with a hammer of power.  You have others who try to mimic their sound and end up creating an overzealous, muddled piece of Unicorn feces that lacks any production value and musical proficiency. Then you have Gloryhammer, who doesn’t just slam the hammer, they drop it harder than Skrillex drops his bass!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTW30Q4B3Go]

The album starts off with an ominous instrumental introduction that flows right into “The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee” a fast and heavy track that gallops straight to a gloriously catchy chorus.  Vocalist Thomas Winkler, who plays the role of Angus McFife, dominates the verses with his powerful voice that flawlessly follows the NWOBHM riffs.  ”Angus McFife” brings a fun, yet repetitive segue into “The Quest for the Hammer of Glory” which turns down the tempo, but brings a new definition to fist pumping with the unnatural amounts of UNST that force their way into your ears.  It’s inconceivable ear rape that immediately turns consensual, thanks to James Cartwright, the Barbarian Warrior of Unst, grooving the sweet bass line.

Paul Templing, as Ser Proletius, brings a strong armament of swift solos, smashing riffs, and Templar guitar shredding in every song, and he shows off his technicality well in “Amulet of Justice” and the instrumental “Beneath Cowdenbeath“.  Ben Turk, Ralathor the Mysterious Hermit of Cowdenbeath, supplies these heroes with a full range of artillery as his drumwork is crisp and clean throughout every track.

Now as aforementioned, this band is a side project of Christopher Bowes.  Rather than taking the leading role, he sits back to play Zargothrax, the Dark Sorcerer of Auchtermuchty, who defiles the Kingdom of Fife with his keyboard of black magic.  ”Magic Dragon” starts with a pretty damn wizard keyboard introduction that follows through the entire track.  Magic ahoy!

As is expected from many Power bands, there is a an epic ballad in the form of “Silent Tears of Frozen Princess” which is about Angus McFife’s princess who was locked away in a magical encasement of ice by the hands of Zargothrax.  To climax this already epic fantasy story, “The Epic Rage of Furious Thunder” ties together all of the elements of this album in a 10 minute power track that is 10 mins too short!

These tales from the magical land of Fife bring a fresh sound, that doesn’t stray far from what we expect from a band: outstanding musicianship, production quality, and replay value.  From what appears to be a bit of a parody band in light of the silliness of Alestorm, Gloryhammer turns out to be a truly powerful collaboration of musical prowess.  The lyrics may be a bit quirky at times, but Winkler’s tone brings such conviction that you feel these Fife tales happened, that you just experienced something that can not only bring your imagination another playground, but something that you’d want to hear again and again.  Not to mention the sheer perfection of the production, courtesy of the talented Lasse Lammert who is no stranger to Alestorm, having produced their latest album Back Through Time.

Just ask yourself this: do I like awesomeness that cannot be compared in any realm both mortal and beyond? If you answered yes, please see below and PRE-ORDER this album.  It lives up the hype and then some, and expect to see these lads on tour soon. Be sure to bring  your Hammer of Glory, the Amulet of Justice, and the Magic Dragon if you want to have any chance of defeating Zargothrax…or just bring him some gin and an In-N-Out Cheeseburger.

Rating

Track Listing

1. Anstruther’s Dark Prophecy
2. The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee
3. Angus McFife
4. Quest for the Hammer of Glory
5. Magic Dragon
6. Silent Tears of Frozen Princess
7. Amulet of Justice
8. Hail to Crail
9. Beneath Cowdenbeath
10. The Epic Rage of Furious Thunder
11. Wizards! (Limited Edition Digipack)

Personnel

Thomas Winkler, Angus McFife – Vocals
Ben Turk, Ralathor – Drums
Christopher Bowes, Zargothrax – Keyboards
Paul Templing, Ser Proletius – Guitars
James Cartwright, Hootsman – Bass

Follow Gloryhammer on Facebook

Pre-Order the album!

Limited Heroic Edition Digipack

Limited Mailorder Edition to 100 Gatefold Copies in ICE BLUE 180 Gram Heavy Vinyl

Limited Edition Gatefold with WHITE 180 Gram Heavy Vinyl

The post Review | Wizards Ahoy! A Look at Gloryhammer’s Tales from The Kingdom of Fife appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Band: Stratovarius
Album: Nemesis
Genre: Power Metal
Label: Armoury
Release Date: February 26, 2013

Anyone familiar with the history of Stratovarius knows of their huge anthology of work, including 13 albums spanning an illustrious career. Even with a fairly tumultuous line up change the last few years, saying goodbye to many a lifelong member, the band has produced a new sound that not only is more mature and modern, but gives flashbacks to the past sound that created a new genre.

Each of the 11 tracks are as “primary” as it gets, no filler, no let down. It can be titled as a best of album and unreleased tracks compilation simultaneously. “Abandon” sets out the pace as blisteringly catchy. “Unbreakable“, “Out of the Fog“, and each subsequent song adds another catchy hook, blistering speed, all time great choruses and precise musicianship.

“It has a darker more modern sound. We, as a band, have gone through a lot and have matured as songwriters. Making the album this time was easier because we gave it as much time as it needed. We have worked our asses off to make this and we hope the fans will like it.” – Timo Kotipelto

Comparable to other power metal releases as of late, Stratovarius has really incorporated a magnificent amount of keyboard melodies to their work. Johansson, who is famous for his active key work, raises the bar in this album, adding a backing level of intricacies and upbeat riffs that any fan of power metal can enjoy.

Another beauty of this album, however, is its approachability. I, myself, am a longtime power metal fan, and this album isn’t lacking. The sound isn’t “softer” nor does this album put the discography of Stratovarius to shame. For a new listener, this album is very enjoyable, upbeat, and most of all fun and a great entry to a legendary genre. This album follows suit with Elysium‘s approachability and without Jorg Michael, the band is as strong as ever.

Rating

Track Listing

1. Abandon
2. Unbreakable
3. Stand My Ground
4. Halcyon Days
5. Fantasy
6. Out Of The Fog
7. Castles In The Air
8. Dragons
9. One Must Fall
10. If The Story Is Over
11. Nemesis

Personnel

Timo Kotipelto – vocals
Matias Kupiainen – guitar
Jens Johansson – keyboard
Rolf Pilve – drums
Lauri Porra – bass

The post Review | Stratovarius brings us a Nemesis! appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Band: Holy Grail
Album: Ride The Void
Genre: Thrash Heavy Metal
Label: Prosthetic Records
Release Date: 1/22/13

Let’s start off with one of my personal favorite of the album, Too Decayed To Wait which begins in a Holy Grail-like fashion with a stunning guitar solo from both Eli Santana and Alex Lee.  What you notice in this song is that unlike in Crisis in Utopia, is how much James-Paul Luna has evolved more as a lyricist, because the song itself has a stronger lyrical structure with lyrics that are more emotional and political.  It still has a lot of the same old killer riffs and stuff and has James’s signature scream yell, which is something I really wish I could do the type of vocals he can unleash.  They continue to have contain momentum in the song with good riffs and contains a constant momentum.

A very close second is the song Crosswinds, which starts off with a fast and hard-hitting drums coming from Tyler Meahl.  You can also hear in the song is that James tries these death metal vocals which is something most listeners would never expect.  It is very cool to see that Holy Grail is experimenting with different types of songs and riffs and sounds.  It really separates this band from other new-wave thrash bands.

Their title track, Ride The Void,  is a slower song which  begins actually a violin solo which leads into another fast high-energy guitar solo.  These guitar solos are almost like a Holy Grail signature, bringing the song together.  Another thing that this song brings is a heroic screaming chant which leads into their signature high vocals.  The way this band transitions from part to part is just absolutely amazing!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO1zYMrbpjE]

There are  a couple of things that I would say that I really did not like about the album.  The thing I really loved about Crisis In Utopia is how there never seems to be a dull or boring moment in the album.  There were really amazing solos all around and it never seemed to get old, maybe because it was fresh and different.  There new album goes towards a more atmospheric approach with less harmonization in the album.  I guess that is what you have to sacrifice to try out new things.  Personally, I’ve grown to love that old sound so this time I was let down with this approach.  Even though I didn’t like that, a majority of the album was so incredibly fun to sing along with.  This album still brings the hard-hitting music that is Holy Grail while distinguishing themselves as a band in the heavy thrash metal genre.  So please go and buy Ride The Void, it will be the ride of your life!

Rating:

Track Listing:

1. Archeus
2. Bestia Triumphans
3. Dark Passenger
4. Bleeding Stone
5. Ride The Void
6. Too Decayed To Wait
7. Crosswinds
8. Take It To The Grave
9. Sleep of Virtue
10. Silence The Scream
11. The Great Artifice
12. Wake Me When It’s Over
13. Rains of Sorrow

Personnel:

James-Paul Luna – Vocals
Eli Santana – Lead Guitar
Alex Lee – Lead Guitar
Tyler Meahl – Drums
Blake Mount – Bass

Order The Album and Official Merch Here

See them on tour on the Metal Alliance Tour with Anthrax, Exodus, High on Fire and Municipal Waste! Buy tickets here!

Like them on Facebook!

Have any question, comments, concerns or feedback?  Feel free to email me at gabe@dermetalkrieger.com!

Thanks a lot for reading and Long Live Heavy Metal!

The post Riding The Void with Holy Grail – Album Review appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.