The Price: A Second Chance To Rise (Graviton Music Services) [Matt Bladen]
Marco Barusso is something of a jack of all trades not only is he the songwriter of Heavy Metal Kids and Cayne he is also a producer, arranger, session musician and sound engineer for Lacuna Coil, 30 Seconds To Mars, Coldplay and HIM. With those kind of credits you can see why his new project The Price has a definitive US rock radio sound to it with Barusso drawing from his storied history and his links to Italian mainstream artists. Think Alter Bridge, Sevendust and even Shinedown A Second Chance To Rise has muscular riffs, smoky powerful vocals and big hook laden songs but also a darkly melodic edge.
He's got numerous different musicians on this record but none of them really outshine the others making this album sound not only very solid but also cohesive as if it was one set of musicians on the album not the multiple singers, guitarists, drummers and bassists. To accompany the album the band have made numerous mini films that deal with "macro-issue of pathological human relationships and often morbid and degenerative implications". If the darker side of US radio rock appeals to you then A Second Chance To Rise will be making it's way to your stereo. 7/10
Barbarian: To No God Shall I Kneel (Hells Headbangers) [Manus Hopkins]
Overt Enemy: Possession (Vault 32 Media/Confused Records) [Paul Hutchings]
Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr!! There’s little to add. EP number two for the four-piece from Mission, Texas. A band that mix original compositions in the style of Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr along with live tributes and covers. This EP contains four songs that could sit comfortably on most early Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr albums, along with a cover of At Dawn They Sleep which, whilst well delivered, merely demonstrates the difference in song writing quality. Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr fans will either love this or hate it. I’m ambivalent but then I love Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr! To be fair, Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr tributes are a bit weird. There can be only one Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr! 5/10
Disentomb: The Decaying Light (Unique Leader Records) [Liam True]
Over the last few years death metal has become quite stagnant in my opinion. With new up and coming bands systematically pumping out the same sounds as previous bands in the scene with no originality. And as unfortunate it is to say, Disentomb are one of those sounding bands. With no originality it sounds like someone has just re-recorded a Cannibal Corpse record with lower production. The guitar sounds exactly the same as there's no differentiation so it sounds like one continuous song. The vocals are barely audible and sound like a fork in a fan. It's just not a good sounding album. But the structure is there and does need a little bit of improvement. If they can do this, and get a better sounding record and sound original rather than a death metal cover band, they can work their way through the ranks, no question. 5/10
Marco Barusso is something of a jack of all trades not only is he the songwriter of Heavy Metal Kids and Cayne he is also a producer, arranger, session musician and sound engineer for Lacuna Coil, 30 Seconds To Mars, Coldplay and HIM. With those kind of credits you can see why his new project The Price has a definitive US rock radio sound to it with Barusso drawing from his storied history and his links to Italian mainstream artists. Think Alter Bridge, Sevendust and even Shinedown A Second Chance To Rise has muscular riffs, smoky powerful vocals and big hook laden songs but also a darkly melodic edge.
He's got numerous different musicians on this record but none of them really outshine the others making this album sound not only very solid but also cohesive as if it was one set of musicians on the album not the multiple singers, guitarists, drummers and bassists. To accompany the album the band have made numerous mini films that deal with "macro-issue of pathological human relationships and often morbid and degenerative implications". If the darker side of US radio rock appeals to you then A Second Chance To Rise will be making it's way to your stereo. 7/10
Barbarian: To No God Shall I Kneel (Hells Headbangers) [Manus Hopkins]
A little Italian speed metal is always a good thing to go for. Well, in this case it is, anyway. Barbarian’s To No God Shall I Kneel might be a bit cliché and a little corny at times, but it’s great music to spin around the room or slam some beers to. Its seven tracks are an unrelenting assault of typical but well-done thrash that would instantly get some necks spinning and a circle pit going at any gig. The riffage stands out, particularly in songs like Hope Annihilator and The Old Worship Of Pain, which boast NWOBHM style guitar work, and the brutal vocals are perfect laid overtop of the powerful instrumentation. All in all, this is a fine work of thrash. 8/10
Overt Enemy: Possession (Vault 32 Media/Confused Records) [Paul Hutchings]
Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr!! There’s little to add. EP number two for the four-piece from Mission, Texas. A band that mix original compositions in the style of Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr along with live tributes and covers. This EP contains four songs that could sit comfortably on most early Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr albums, along with a cover of At Dawn They Sleep which, whilst well delivered, merely demonstrates the difference in song writing quality. Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr fans will either love this or hate it. I’m ambivalent but then I love Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr! To be fair, Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr tributes are a bit weird. There can be only one Sllaaayyyeeerrrrrrrrrr! 5/10
Disentomb: The Decaying Light (Unique Leader Records) [Liam True]
Over the last few years death metal has become quite stagnant in my opinion. With new up and coming bands systematically pumping out the same sounds as previous bands in the scene with no originality. And as unfortunate it is to say, Disentomb are one of those sounding bands. With no originality it sounds like someone has just re-recorded a Cannibal Corpse record with lower production. The guitar sounds exactly the same as there's no differentiation so it sounds like one continuous song. The vocals are barely audible and sound like a fork in a fan. It's just not a good sounding album. But the structure is there and does need a little bit of improvement. If they can do this, and get a better sounding record and sound original rather than a death metal cover band, they can work their way through the ranks, no question. 5/10