This is my second review for this awesome music blog, Hopefully you all enjoyed my first review about Metallica’s Beyond Magnetic EP! Well, in the wake of any larger releases coming our way within the rock world, until the new Van Halen album drops in I thought I’d take the time to spread the word about the all-conquering, world-enslaving, ‘any-woman-within-a-10-mile-radius-is-now-pregnant’ Black Spiders!

These guys have been on the go since 2008, landing a supporting slot with the mighty Airbourne for the latter half of that year, and proceeded to make one HELL of an impact, along with Taking Dawn as one of the best small-scale tours of that year. The mainstream media may be trying their utmost to announce that ‘rock is dead’, but anybody witnessing the birth of the Black Spiders knows very different. Building a fanbase with a slew of 3 EP’s, including songs that would later be reworked for the this full album, as well as a cover of Motorhead’s seminal ‘No Class’, these guys wear their influences proudly. Three years of touring culminated in finally putting out the new ‘Sons of the North’ album to a feverous fanbase eager to lap up any content. What we have is a stellar combination of rock n’ roll’s roots, married with a slightly punk attitude, and some brilliantly bombastic lyrics to put the icing on the already very tasty cake.

Standout tracks include opener ‘Stay Down’, which includes one of the best lyric-guitar solo breaks I’ve heard in a long time! The song takes a half second break before the end of the second chorus only for Pete ‘Spider’ Spiby to yell ‘FUCK YOU AND THIS ONE HORSE TOWN!’ at the top of his lungs, followed swiftly by a brilliantly paced guitar solo that tops this first song off nicely. Starting as they mean to go on the album never lets up, delivering arena-ready anthems one after the other. Some anthems are packed with some of the best lyrics for this sort of over-the-top rock and roll style that are just MADE for crowds. Try telling me that screaming ‘EAT THUNDER!! SHIT LIGHTNING!!’ along with thousands of other people just before ‘What Good’s a Rock Without a Roll?’ kicks in isn’t one of the most euphoric sensations known to man and I’ll show you a decent new Kings of Leon song.

Other standouts among this brilliant debut are ‘Si, El Diablo’ with its fantastic, infectiously stompy groove, and standout 3rd EP-returner ‘Just Like A Woman’. The latter should be one of the first tracks you hear by these guys if you’re gonna check ‘em out, it has everything they do brilliantly all wrapped up in a nice meaty package! A great hard rock song with a sleazy bluesy feel that compliments the lyrics nicely, coupled with a guitar line that swirls through the song bursting into brilliantly melodic passages every minute or so. If you’re cherry picking through youtube, then make this one of your first stops!The only negative I can think of is in terms of carryover from the previous EP’s, song’s like ‘Stay Down’, ‘Just Like a Woman’ and ‘St. Peter’ are from these previous EP’s, but they didn’t include what I thought was one of the best tracks on the original debut disc. ‘I’ll Be The Judge’ from the St. Peter EP is a brilliantly energetic track with a killer riff that sounds like as if Slash’s dirtiest lick had sex with Motorhead’s entire discography. This track is an awesome up-tempo stormer made for starting gigs at 100mph!

A great debut album built on the most solid of foundations with some brilliant EP’s beforehand. Rock never went away, it just went underground. With the likes of the Black Spiders, Airbourne, Taking Dawn, The Answer, Turbowolf and hundreds of others releasing out fantastic albums based on the best foundations of what went before, the world just isn’t ready for the resurrection of mainstream rock just yet…

8/10
Cheers,
S.T \m/

After 33 years of media speculations, gossip and false positive news, the original Black Sabbath line-up who sang about the Devil, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward are finally back heading back to the studio to record a new album, and then a 2012 tour.

On the 11th of November 2011 (11-11-11) Black Sabbath announced that they are heading back to the studio to record a new album with producer Rick Rubin and will be touring in 2012. The press conference was held at the Whiskey A-Go-Go in Los Angeles, commemorating their 41st anniversary of their first concert at the fabled venue. Last year Ozzy had already announced that he is up to a Black Sabbath reunion in an interview with QMI.

This much awaited reunion will be the first time since the original Black Sabbath line-up has recorded together 1978′s Never Say Die!. They have been on stage together a bunch since Osbourne’s initial departure. But ever since a one-off show way back in December 1997, there have been a number of derailments that have kept Black Sabbath from being together full time. Ozzy Osbourne, now in his 60′s like all other band members said “Well, the timing was right!”. The band confirmed that they will tour the world and they will headline Britain’s Download festival, in June 2012. Below is the video of the press conference when Black Sabbath announced the reunion.

One would wonder why I am surprised, because isn’t it normal that these artists typically have side projects? Correct but what surprised me is that Gregor Mackintosh is a vocalist. I guess everyone is so used to see him playing a guitar; very strange to see him with a microphone in his hand. VallenFyre is formed by:

Gregor Makintosh (Paradise Lost) – Vocals
Hamish Glencross (My Dying Bride) – Lead and Rhythm guitars
Mully (From the pub down the road) – Rhythm guitars
Scoot (Guess from the same pub) – bass
Adrian Erlandsson (Paradise Lost & At the Gates) – Drums

With influences from Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and At the Gates, Vallenfyre should produce some of the finest metal music. Obviously their music is heavy and dark. They fit somewhere between the very heaviest Celtic Frost and old school Swedish death metal. I haven’t stopped listening to the album yet and won’t stop for some time. It is one of the best metal records that most probably you’ll hear this year.

Vallenfyre was originally formed by Gregor Mackintosh himself. As he says “Spawned out of the death of my father in the end of 2009, so in early 2010 I kind of start to write things down to cope with the grieving process. That eventually turned into a few songs that I did. It just turned into something to like doing.” Later Gregor asked his friends to join in and a proper band was formed. Most of the lads know each other for a long time. Adrian Erlandsson, Vallenfyre drummer says “Music wise it got the slower elements that the early Paradise Lost had. It’s a lot heaver and this year playing wise they can’t be really compared to Paradise Lost. I guess why that’s why he (Gregor Mackintosh) is doing both Paradise Lost and Vallenfyre.” Below is a video (electronic press kit) of Vallenfyre’s new debut album; A Fragile King.

But what about their debut self titled Studio album back in 1973?  Was it an instant hit?  Unfortunately success is only measured by number of album copies sold, or by air time on radio stations. Therefore, technically speaking this album surely was not a commercial success. Though as many say today, this album was and is still underrated. Gordon Fletches of Rolling Stons said “their debut album is superb”, and Chicago’s Daily Herald called it “above average debut”. Allmusic’s Greg Prato, later said “one of the most underrated hard rock debuts of all time.”

Unfortunately, the generic public is not into good music. People like commercial music because radio stations and clubs play. If the DJ plays a track a 100 times, over and over again, then that is classified as a good song / album. Though from the non commercial point view, a good album is when it sounds original and different from the expected, and when it still sounds good after 10, 20 or more years. Technique and lyrics also play a vital role in good music.

Queens first album can almost be classified as hard rock, heavy metal of the day with lyrics about folklore and religion.

The first track, ‘Keep yourself alive’, is a positive song, with good rhytm and excellent bass riffs. Surely, the guitar solos can never be left out.

Another favourite is ‘Doing All Right’. This song changes many times, from light pop music to acoustic guitars, with some parts which can be classified as heavy metal.

There is also a lengthy heavy song, ‘Great King Rat’. It includes long guitar solos and sudden tempo changes.

Seven Seas of Rhye; a short song with catchy piano loop, is a half-written song. When the first album was recorded, this song was born but not completed, therefore Queen optet to add this part of the song to the first album, while the completed track was released in their second album.

Trivia: The band included a comment ‘No synthesizers’ on the album sleeve, as some listeners had mistaken their multi-tracking and effects processed by guitar and vocal sounds as synthesizers.

As a conclusion, although this album was not a commercial success, with its release Queen showed that they will be a band who will lead the pack. A must listen to!

Paradise Lost newest releases where always of a surprise, as with each album they presented a different unexpected musical style from the previous album.  This can be noticed from the distorted heavy guitars and growling From Lost Paradise, their first album to an electro pop sound like ‘Depeche Mode’ in their 8th album, Host.

I personally liked all their releases, although I was disappointed with their latest 2 albums, ‘Paradise Lost’ and ‘In requiem’.  They sound very similar to each other, and are quite flat toned.  Let’s hope for the better for the upcoming 13th album.

Paradise Lost’s vocalist Nick Holmes comments on the album’s title; “there is so much division in the world caused by obstructing religious belief” and “We are all made of the same flesh and bone, what makes one religions better than the other, and would any true god allow his creation to destroy itself?” – Well said Nick!

Looking forward for this 13th album, let’s hope that like all their first 8th albums, this release will bring along another surprise.

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In Skeleton Skeletron, Johan Edlund, Tiamat’s vocalist was living in an urban area and it clearly shows from the album’s artwork and also with the introduction of atmospheric soundscapes/effects in their music.

In Amanethes, it clearly shows that Johan is living in Greece.  Although the album is heavier than its 2 predecessors, the perfect introduction of the bouzouki in their music, in track 10, Amanitis, and the lyrics of the track ‘Summertime is gone’, shows that he enjoyed the Greek Summer, and Winter was crawling in, while writing this album.

A chilly wind through my spine
And heavy clouds in decline
Winter’s work has begun
And summertime is gone

And i wanna see you once again
And i wanna tough you once again
Oh, this is what dreams are made of
My, oh my
These soothing times
The summer wine
Summertime is gone!

Tiamat even took care of the transition between each song.  Starting with heavy songs, in the beginning of the album and switching to softer / more relaxed songs at the end of the album, it feels like it is one long song, a musical journey.

To recap, Tiamat didn’t let us down, and they never did.  After a long 5 years break, they are back, as Johan says:

Yeah, it’s been a long time but we are back again
For another five years of thunder, lightning and rain