“Jingle Balls”, complete with video online that is both melodic I can see, any exclusive extras. However, if a cursory look at must assume are French bands of similar ilk. and funny (both intentional and not) which drags the mark to a prices on the internet is any indication, the box set works out at This is one where you may need to focus on the rich, six. about £2.50 per album, so it is pretty decent value and a great deep, dark and well played, heavy tones that abound on this way for the band to gain some new fans to their cause. And I hope album. Understanding might well have to take second place. POWERPOINTS: 1234512345 they do, too, because as I listen to the band’s back catalogue, MATT STEVENSON there’s some great stuff to be heard and enjoyed, with rarely a POWERPOINTS: 1234512345 LVCIFYRE duff album within the whole bunch. ALLAN BANNERMAN “Svn Eater” POWERPOINTS: 123456123456 FAREWELL, MY LOVE Genre: Black/Death Metal MATT SPALL “Gold Tattoos” Dark Desecent Records Genre: Emo This band’s debut, THE DEAD DAISIES Standby Records reviewed in issue 140, was a “The Dead Daisies” When the first handful colossal explosion of Genre: Rock of notes hit me here, I was blackened death wrath, and Spitfire Music seriously expecting a neo- this second album sees this With CVs that boast classic power metal assault of London outfit continuing on stints in bands such as Guns the highest caliber. Turns out from that barbaric template by N’ Roses, INXS, The Rolling that Phoenix-based rockers forging nine wholly Stones and The Cult, your Farewell, My Love are, abominable tracks that spew expectations should be high naturally, a modern emo act out hell fury like molten for this Australian based band. with a flair for the theatrical brimstone. The nine-minute Generally, these expectations touch of bands like Royal Hunt. opener, “Night Seas Sorcery”, are met on an album that What we get here is a set of is a torturous terror trip into your worst nightmare. The slow, dishes out rock ‘n’ roll grooves tunes that take the vocal attack pervading pace is excruciating, with vocal demonising palpably and radio friendly hooks. On of My Chemical Romance and fuse it with the symphonic stylings tearing strips from your soul. Elevating the pace towards its close the up-tempo material, you of Saint The Sinner. It’s an interesting mix, and at times the band indicates what is to come next on “Calicem Obscurum”; a song sense that these guys have a really hit the mark, with killer tunes in the shape of “Mirror, Mirror” befitting their debut, it launches its venomous assault with warlike similar record collection to The Temperance Movement. Not quite and “Afraid Of The Dark” giving AFI a run for their money. It does insanity. The battering continues with the title track, and as your as incendiary as those UK rockers, the duel guitars nevertheless get a little much after a while, especially with the vocals having brow breaks out in beads of sweat, you’ll wonder just how much ensure that they have enough upfront riffs and squalling solos that irritating Gerard Way-esque whine. Still, goth and emo kids more insane this album can get, but more it does, with unrepentant to get you up on your feet, shaking your tail-feathers. Jon Stevens will have a blast with this. feral black violence on the title track. Much of this album resides has a good voice, somewhere between The Black Crowes’ Chris in death metal, but the war mongering drum work produces hints Robinson and Lenny Kravitz (especially on “Washington“). Live, POWERPOINTS: 1234512345 of Behemoth and Belphegor. The guitar work has sparks of Nile having seen them on tour recently, I can report that his voice was BRUCE TURNBULL and Immolation, obviously, but this act sits in a niche of their own; less nuanced than the studio version has captured him here, their brand of murderous intent is one that will be hard to match where he adds real brio to the likes of “It’s Gonna Take Time” and SWITCHBLADE this year. “Writing On the Wall”, on which his soulful singing reminds you “Heavy Weapons” of his fellow countryman Jimmy Barnes. “Lock ‘N’ Load” is the Genre: Heavy Metal POWERPOINTS: 1234567812345678 song that calls for special attention, as Slash makes a guest Killer Metal Records MARTIN HARRIS appearance on guitar, and “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” is as blatantly The label ‘traditional catchy and commercial as its title suggests. “Miles In Front Of Me” metal’ is bandied around VITNE and “Bible Row” lift the latter half of the record. usually when a band sounds “Neon” With uncomplicated rocking that’s well performed by like one of the denim and Genre: Hard Rock seasoned musicians, this is a very easy album to like. leather brigade of the 1980s Relectric Records/Hart As A Rock or similar. Israel’s Switchblade Lots of rockin’ riffs and POWERPOINTS: 12345671234567 want to be ‘trad metal’ but big hooks but Vitne’s latest DUNCAN JAMIESON really this just means that they effort, “Neon”, is dimly lit. The do a passable imitation of hair metal sound he’s going I AM HERESY European metal monsters like for was so audacious in its “Thy Will” Accept and Helloween. prime (and still is when done Genre: Metalcore Debut album “Heavy right) but this takes itself a little Century Media Weapons” is a decent enough record, but suffers from a lack of too seriously and doesn’t have Formed by songwriting creativity. There are solid, chugging guitars, a the balls to back it up. Lyrics Boysetesfire front man Nathan powerful drummer and a theatrical lead singer, but Switchblade’s such as “just let me (make love Gray as an outlet for his love of songs do little more than imagine they are being performed at to you)” found on “Royal ‘dark, violent noise’, I Am the Monsters Of Rock festival. Nights” could have been Heresy certainly fits the bill. “Metalista” is the pick of the bunch thanks to its chugging scrawled on a teenagers’ school book. With this, the band’s second guitar riff, and “Curse Of The Father, Sins Of The Son” gives a The real stroke of genius by Vitne is the hiring of lead full-length release, the six- swift kick up the arse with pounding drums and solid riffs, but guitarist Julian Angel, a German player who tears open a dull piece pummel their way power ballad “Lost Lovers Unite” is a dreary mess that suffers song with his electrifying solos. There are tracks to listen out for through fourteen sonic from Lior Stein being unable to change his vocal range. in “Cruisin’” and the Billy Idol-tinged “I’m Feeling Deadly”, but for punches to the temple with the most part it all sounds like a slowed down Ramones riff, albeit relentless efficiency. There are POWERPOINTS: 1234512345 backed by a decent drummer. moments of melody in amongst DAN BOND “Neon” makes a hum, but it doesn’t light up. the carnage (“March Of Black Earth” and the acoustic “Alarm”, for example) but “Thy Will” is at it’s best on the rage-fuelled likes of REO SPEEDWAGON POWERPOINTS: 12341234 “Year Zero In The Temple Of Fire” and the utterly fantastic opening “Good Trouble”/“Wheels Are Turnin” DAN BOND “Rahabh”, blending the hardcore ferocity of Boysetsfire with Genre: AOR/Melodic Hard Rock metallic clatter that only the sound of three guitars can bring. Rock Candy CREMATORY Music to break bones to? Absolutely! Whilst the flame of AOR “Inception” continues to flicker and burn Genre: Gothic Metal POWERPOINTS: 123456123456 to this day (much to the chagrin SPV MIK GAFFNEY of the naysayer’s who’ve been German gothic/death proclaiming its imminent metal act Crematory are one DIRGE demise for decades), the of those bands that every metal “Hyperion” scene undoubtedly had its fan has heard of, but who still Genre: Sludge Metal heyday in the late 70s/early remain on the relative Debemur Morti Productions 80s. Perusing the somewhat periphery of the scene. The sixth full-length modest sales figures of today’s Blending gothic metal with album from Paris based Dirge, releases, it’s hard to believe death metal and industrial a new name to this reviewer, that albums like “Foreigner 4” elements, without wishing to is, as the band name suggests, and “Escape” sold by the truckload, but multi-platinum sales and sound too disingenuous, the full of less than happy songs. the lavish lifestyle trappings that it brought with it were the norm music has always been on the The band’s current line up for bands such as Foreigner, Journey, Toto and REO more simplistic side, with a which has been pretty stable Speedwagon back then. focus on straightforward heavy riffing, lots of keyboards and for the last decade is founder As a teenager cutting his teeth on the hard rock of the day, plenty of decent melodies. They’ve been going for well over Marc T on guitars, vocals and REO Speedwagon were invariably dismissed as ‘wimps’ or ‘sell twenty years and in that time have released an impressive ten programming, Alain B on outs’ by my peers; often solely on the basis of the sugar coated, studio albums. And it is these ten albums that feature in a limited drums, Luz on bass and oft overly syrupy ballads that seemed to dominate the charts at edition box set entitled “Inception”, to celebrate a new deal with Stephane L on guitars.