Gost - Prophecy (Metal Blade Records) [GC]
Every once in a while, we all need to be taken out of our comfort zone and try something new and exciting, so today I am throwing myself about as far away from my zone of comfort as is humanly possible and have decided to have a go at reviewing the latest Gost album Prophecy.
Opening with Judgment doesn’t really do much as it an ambient and un-needed intro but when Prophecy kicks in everything changes dramatically, it’s a drilling and high pitched beginning that then throws in a grindcore drum section that then merges directly into the soundtrack of an 80’s sci-fi film, thudding electronics are melded with ambience and dread that while I’m not 100% sold it certainly make me sit up and pay attention, Death In Bloom sounds a bit too much like a M*rilyn M*anson track for my liking its very industrial and gothic and doesn’t really do much for me, it has a decent pace and verges on metal which is a bonus but its just not clicking with me.
Every once in a while, we all need to be taken out of our comfort zone and try something new and exciting, so today I am throwing myself about as far away from my zone of comfort as is humanly possible and have decided to have a go at reviewing the latest Gost album Prophecy.
Opening with Judgment doesn’t really do much as it an ambient and un-needed intro but when Prophecy kicks in everything changes dramatically, it’s a drilling and high pitched beginning that then throws in a grindcore drum section that then merges directly into the soundtrack of an 80’s sci-fi film, thudding electronics are melded with ambience and dread that while I’m not 100% sold it certainly make me sit up and pay attention, Death In Bloom sounds a bit too much like a M*rilyn M*anson track for my liking its very industrial and gothic and doesn’t really do much for me, it has a decent pace and verges on metal which is a bonus but its just not clicking with me.
Deceiver fares much better, it is a slow, brooding and menacing track that is full of dark beats and stabbing ambience that could be plucked straight out of an 80’s horror film and when it picks the pace up towards the end it really keeps the intrigue levels piqued, Obituary is an absolute thumper of a song, big fat beats collide with the 80’s drum machines and some inspired electronics mix in with everything to create a wall of sound that once again doesn’t let you stop paying attention throughout which with ‘’dance’’ music is usually my weak point, it all sounds the same but not here, it helps that I love 80’s horror because I can just picture these songs fitting directly into lots of the movies I love , so gives not only a musical interest but a mental one too,
Temple Of Tears is another song full of menace and mental imagery, I’m not sure how this would play out in a live setting but I feel these tracks would make an absolutely amazing soundtrack to an immersive experience as they just envelope you as you listen and you can feel yourself just being swallowed up by it all, then Decedent Decay is just fucking mental, one minute it’s all gabba beats and thundering drums, then its rich ambience with the familiar 80’s feel again and it’s all mixed together in on big mindfuck of a song which throws you completely off kilter for no reason, great work!
Widow Song goes back to the heavy ambience and sounds like a heavier new romantic era track. You can imagine this would go down well in some mad Goth club in Berlin, it’s just got that weird unease and tension about it. Golgotha is another soundtrack type of song and has a more conventional ‘’metal’’ fell to it, not in the way it’s got guitars and such because it hasn’t, its just the general feel of the song has a very metal undertone throughout and Digital Death is another absolute mindfuck of a song it’s just all over the place and it’s such a glorious explosion of chaos from start to end and is another undoubtedly metal influenced track, probably the best on the whole album!
Shelter is an opulent and rich soundscape which pushes further the reach of the electronics and samples and molds something truly wonderful to listen to, Through The Water sounds like if Depeche Mode decided to go even darker and starts off a little on the yawn some side of things, but then a sprinkling of metalness midway picks everything up to end nicely, Leviathan is the last song and ends the album on a suitably cinematic horror movie soundtrack ending. Must admit I liked this way more than I thought I would! Its dark and menacing in many places but also has a heaviness about it I just wasn’t expecting, it may be a couple of tracks too long if I am 100% honest, but that’s a small criticism and probably because of my child like attention span but seriously if you’re looking for something to intrigue you and challenge what you think ‘’heavy’’ music is you won’t go wrong with this! 8/10
Lutharo – Chasing Euphoria (Atomic Fire Records) [Zak Skane]
Gates Of Enchantment opens up this modern metal 11 track album by greeting us with some classic old school film score level orchestras, with it’s deep groaning cellos, grandiose brass sections and marching snare patterns to lead us to our first song Reaper's Call which provides a great introduction by being greeted by fast balls to the wall tempos, guitar hero memorable melodies and fast break neck drumming provided by Cory Hofing which consists of skank beats, machine gun double kicks that bend and meld from 16th note to 8th note triplet patterns.
Lutharo – Chasing Euphoria (Atomic Fire Records) [Zak Skane]
Gates Of Enchantment opens up this modern metal 11 track album by greeting us with some classic old school film score level orchestras, with it’s deep groaning cellos, grandiose brass sections and marching snare patterns to lead us to our first song Reaper's Call which provides a great introduction by being greeted by fast balls to the wall tempos, guitar hero memorable melodies and fast break neck drumming provided by Cory Hofing which consists of skank beats, machine gun double kicks that bend and meld from 16th note to 8th note triplet patterns.
When it comes to Krista, she is not afraid to show her talents across the board on this opening track going from harsh vocals to soaring cleans whilst reaching all the way to Rob Halford high notes. The energy continues with Ruthless Bloodline with all members gunning straight into it with metalcore type fury, with it the drums still elevating their abilities with non stop double kick patterns, whilst the Victor Bucur (guitar), Chris (bass), follows suit with thrashtastic riffs and galloping chugging patterns.
Time To Rise comes in as the most dynamic song on this album with clean guitar delivered verses that ascend into power metal styled pre-choruses that consist of galloping rhythms backed with symphonic strings. Born To Ride provides us with Iron Maiden and Judas Priest twin harmonies along with hard rock styled guitar solos and the Krista closing the track with some Rob Halford piercing highs. Bonded To The Blade provides slower marching battle metal tempos, game of thrones sounding neo-classical guitar melodies and clean guitar passages.
Other highlights from this album is the energetic Creating A King that contains masses of metalcore attitude and aggression, the metric modulating noodles of Strong Enough To Fall and Paradise Or Parasite and the rumbling bass and melodic sections of closing track Freedom Of The Night leads the band to a triumphant conclusion. Through out this 12 track release Lutharo’s Chasing Euphoria has defiantly captured the spirit of heavy metal in all of it’s glory from the relentless energetic drumming by Cory Hofing on songs like Reaper's Call, Ruthless Bloodline and Creating A King, to the shredding guitar work on Born To Ride and their closing track Paradise Or Parasite.
Krista has done an amazing performance of marrying the old and new generations metal from the opening track Reaper's Call incorporating harsh sung verses to effortlessly transitioning into power metal sung choruses whilst Time To Rise swaps it about by incorporates the dynamically softly sung verses to snarling pre-choruses. If this momentum continues, this band can lead to big things. For fans of Trivium, Arch Enemy and Judas Priest. 9/10
Lucifer Was - En Fix Ferdig Mann (Apollon Records Prog) [Patches]
Lucifer Was was formed in Oslo in the 70s but didn’t get around to releasing any material until the late 90s. Since then the band have released albums fairly regularly with the eighth feature-length Ein Fix Ferdig Mann drawing me in with its bizarre album cover pre-listen.
The album immediately sounds like an updated version of that more theatrical side of good 70s prog rock. Choirs, hard blues and dramatics play out like some kind of progressive electronic requiem. The title track Ein Fix Ferdig Mann has an absolutely stinking tone for the guitar solo more often found in stoner rock but contests immaculately with the softer vocals and keys. Krig I Open Landscape has some of that Freddy Mercury passion initially sounding like a Norwegian version of Queen were asked to write a bond theme until it drops into pure Sabbath heavy occult filth and a gripping church organ.
Lucifer Was - En Fix Ferdig Mann (Apollon Records Prog) [Patches]
Lucifer Was was formed in Oslo in the 70s but didn’t get around to releasing any material until the late 90s. Since then the band have released albums fairly regularly with the eighth feature-length Ein Fix Ferdig Mann drawing me in with its bizarre album cover pre-listen.
The album immediately sounds like an updated version of that more theatrical side of good 70s prog rock. Choirs, hard blues and dramatics play out like some kind of progressive electronic requiem. The title track Ein Fix Ferdig Mann has an absolutely stinking tone for the guitar solo more often found in stoner rock but contests immaculately with the softer vocals and keys. Krig I Open Landscape has some of that Freddy Mercury passion initially sounding like a Norwegian version of Queen were asked to write a bond theme until it drops into pure Sabbath heavy occult filth and a gripping church organ.
Pages on the band describe them as reminiscent of Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, early Scorpions and Jethro Tull, but I’d definitely go as far as to add some of the stranger bands of the time such as The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Man, King Crimson and even possibly some Gentle Giant. With eccentric theatrical lines riding hack to the more bike driven rock of bands like Blue Cheer and the diversity of Blue Oyster Cult. Nar Natta Kjem Og Tek Meg introduces a folky female chant over an eerie descending progression. The cheeky mischievous groove of Eg Vil Ha Det Eg Vil Ha is just bloody brilliant. The Devils Blues.
Whilst SNOMANN I SOL carries that Garry Moore Parisienne Walkways feel …. Which I’ve just realised has a tenuous similarity to Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive… But nobody wants to spend too long with that thought. The guitarist follows mainly blues but with the interesting choices and flourishes found in musicians such as Focus’s Jan Ackerman and BOC’s Donald Roser. Aftenbon Til Dauden sounds like the penultimate number in a rock opera, musical or theatre production. It’s fun, and without understanding a word of Norwegian it feels as if it’s telling a story. The jokes on me if it’s absolute nonsense I guess.
Ein Fix Ferdig Mann is a very interesting and enjoyable album . As somebody in their 30s, for anybody who’s parents don’t remember the 70s (because they were actually there) this fees like a combination of your dads stranger albums. You know, the ones he tried to tell you were genius before you were old enough to care. It’s brilliant ! Well written, wonderfully performed and entertaining.
Recommended for fans of all the above mentioned bands and those into psychedelic, theatrical, rock and prog rock. 9/10
Crying Steel - Live And Thunder (Underground Symphony Records) [Matt Bladen]
One of the first heavy metal acts to come from Italy Crying Steel released two albums in the 80's then returned in 2007, having released 3 albums, one live album and remastered their first two albums since then.
Whilst SNOMANN I SOL carries that Garry Moore Parisienne Walkways feel …. Which I’ve just realised has a tenuous similarity to Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive… But nobody wants to spend too long with that thought. The guitarist follows mainly blues but with the interesting choices and flourishes found in musicians such as Focus’s Jan Ackerman and BOC’s Donald Roser. Aftenbon Til Dauden sounds like the penultimate number in a rock opera, musical or theatre production. It’s fun, and without understanding a word of Norwegian it feels as if it’s telling a story. The jokes on me if it’s absolute nonsense I guess.
Ein Fix Ferdig Mann is a very interesting and enjoyable album . As somebody in their 30s, for anybody who’s parents don’t remember the 70s (because they were actually there) this fees like a combination of your dads stranger albums. You know, the ones he tried to tell you were genius before you were old enough to care. It’s brilliant ! Well written, wonderfully performed and entertaining.
Recommended for fans of all the above mentioned bands and those into psychedelic, theatrical, rock and prog rock. 9/10
Crying Steel - Live And Thunder (Underground Symphony Records) [Matt Bladen]
One of the first heavy metal acts to come from Italy Crying Steel released two albums in the 80's then returned in 2007, having released 3 albums, one live album and remastered their first two albums since then.
Recorded live in their hometown of Bologna, on 2022, Live And Thunder was a show to commemorate their 40th Anniversary as a band. I don't know the size of the Alchemica Music Club but it sounds like it was an intimate gig as the crowd noise is audible but not deafening, so this record feels more like a studio release, if it wasn't for the between song chat (in Italian of course).
Similar to Hammerfall's One Crimson Night live album from 2003, this is the best of Crying Steel performed in front of fans who will have been there from the start to celebrate heavy metal. Musically Crying Steel bring the battle based metal of Hammerfall, (they even have a song called Hammerfall) as well as Saxon, Helloween and American bands such Vicious Rumours who they will play dates with this year.
Tracks such a as Defender, Raptor, Running Like A Wolf all encapsulate the Crying Steel sound and show why they have the following they do in their home country. The disc also has a special bonus in the shape of Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be which has only ever been performed live and makes it's recorded debut here. Macho metal from Italy as these veterans impress with their longevity. 7/10