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The Silent Wedding – Ego Path
The Silent Wedding – Ego Path
Self-Released
Release Date: 11/02/2022
Running Time:52:13
Review by Chris Galea
7.5/10
I discovered The Silent Wedding when the band accompanied Threshold in London. Back then, the band had just released their “Enigma Eternal” album. I don’t remember what I wrote when I reviewed that show, but I definitely recall being pleasantly surprised by the music of this Greek band.
Fast forward 4 years to the present and The Silent Wedding have just unveiled album number 3: “Ego Path”. If I had to compare this music with the output of other bands, Kamelot, Labyrinth and Blind Guardian would spring to mind. In other words the songs on “Ego Path” sound epic with ubiquitous keyboards. So far so good.
To my ears the songs sometimes cry out for more creativity and sharper musicianship. Dream Theater are certainly not going to lose any sleep over this band.
But “Ego Path” still manages to be enjoyable. A lot of that is due to the singing of Marios Karanastasis, who is gifted with a very powerful, and yet emotional voice – the melancholic ‘The Final Token’ is the perfect showcase of that. Other key points in the album are (hot on the trails of an instrumental intro), ‘Time Of Darkness’; a well-written song with catchy melodies, and ‘A Path To Nowhere’, which concludes “Ego Path”. This is also an instrumental, thereby giving the album a sense of structure. The composition contains some suggestive acoustic guitar arpeggios while keyboards hover around with ethereal sounds.
So despite being one notch short of greatness, “Ego Path” is a very good album that ought to put The Silent Wedding into the regular vocabulary of your average Power Prog Metal fan.
‘Caught In The Web’ Official Video:
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Eternal Enigma
02. Time of Darkness
03. The Sea of Fate
04. Caught in the Web
05. Reveal the Rain
06. Sinners in Disguise
07. Stealing the Sun
08. Point of No Return
09. The Final Token
10. Ethereal Walls
11. Song of the Dead
12. A Path to Nowhere
LINE-UP:
Marios Karanastasis – vocals
Jim Katsaros – guitars & Samples
Johnny Thermos – keyboards & backing vocals
George Kritharis – bass
Renos Lialioutis – drums & percussion
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Chris Galea and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Deathgeist – Procession of Souls
Deathgeist – Procession Of Souls
Punishment 18/Thrash Or Death Records
Release Date: 07/01/2022
Running Time: 33:21
Review by Victor Augusto
9/10
If you like to waste time in your life reading all my useless writings here, you’ll know how much I’ve mentioned what keeps the Brazilian Metalheads united despite all the problems we face in our musical scene. I won’t repeat all the bad things, but here we have another case of a good band that makes all the time we spend listening to hear their music worth it, and I am not only talking about the quality of it.
If you are not familiar with the band (we have an amazing interview and EMQ’s with them on Ever Metal); a few members were part of a traditional Thrash band called Bywar, and they are carrying on with all their good work here. For this third album, the only change is the new guy on drums, Fernando Oster. He might be new to the band, but he is quite well known for his work with the incredible band Woslom, who did plenty of European tours in the last decade. And now we have in front of us another brilliant Brazilian thrash release from Deathgeist.
The most mature album? It is hard to say how mature they are when you have musicians who have been on the road for so long. Since the first album they have shown maturity, but I guess they are playing in a very good synergy, even after the lack of concerts in the last 2 years. And yes, the sonority of the recording production is perfect – like an organic raw recording with a good quality, especially for the drums sound.
The bass of Mauricio Bertoni received amazing space in the mixing. He is very present on the entire album, but also has his own space on the amazing ‘Nightmare’s Chamber’. It feels like the main riff of this track was planned for Mauricio to play without the guitars, like it happens in the middle of the song, just with a few drum beats alongside. The solos right after this part make it even more beautiful.
By the way, the guitar work between Adriano Perfetto and Victor Regep is a highlight here through all the good, but not complicated riffs. The solos are more oriented to the structures and melodies. Don’t expect just that showing off ultra-speed pickings, that sometimes just offers tons of soulless notes. Here, they put the perfect blend of speed and feeling. Adriano also offers good vocal lines, going from aggressiveness, to a few moments of melodies.
If you’ve read the band’s EMQ’s explanation of the band’s name, you know that the word ‘geist’ comes from Poltergeist. So, I believe the addition of a few keyboards, like on the title track, is to offer this atmosphere of some spiritual possession that can bring Death. Maybe it was intentional or maybe it is just one more nonsense though from myself. But what really matters are the beautiful solos from Adriano and Victor, in this track.
Personally, I really enjoyed songs like ‘Living Dead Melody’ and the title track as well, but the entire album is amazing. I like how linear the songs are. It made the album easy to digest. On ‘Far From Reality’ Fernando puts a faster element, like a double bass, to change the dynamics a bit. This worked really well.
Maybe the Old German Thrash Metal will be your first impression of a major influence to Deathgeist. At least it was mine when I heard them, 3 years ago, with the previous album “666”. It is a kind of a blend of the Destruction aggressiveness with a dark and cadenced atmosphere from Sodom. For me it is exactly this not overwhelming speed or technique that makes them sound catchy.
Aside from all the musical quality here, these four guys are good people and work a lot to promote good music, and in Brazil that counts for a lot. After all I’ve said, I hope you take the time to have fun listening to “Procession of Souls” as Much as I always do when listening to Deathgeist. See you later, folks!
‘Procession Of Souls’ Official Music Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Greed’s Inferno 02. 02. Morlocks
03. Living Dead Melody
04. Procession of Souls
05. Nightmare’s Chamber
06. Far From Reality
07. Depressive Thoughts
08. Fear
LINE-UP:
Adriano Perfetto – Guitars and Vocals
Victor Regep – Guitars
Mauricio Bertoni – Bass
Fernando Oster – Drums
LINKS:
The Forgotten – Chapter I: The Forgotten EP
The Forgotten – Chapter I: The Forgotten EP
FiXT Noir
Release date: 01.12.21
Running Time: 17:32
Review by Dark Juan
5/10
Good morning, dear friends. It is I, Dark Juan, and I am awake uncommonly early because I was supposed to have a team meeting at work, but no-one told me that it wasn’t over Teams anymore and I’m fucked if I am driving for over an hour to get to it after it has already started… Hence, I am doing something productive with my time instead of getting pissed off with politicians, furiously masturbating, eating my own body weight in Manchego cheese or pretending that I make any difference whatsoever to the lives of young toughs. I went shopping yesterday, you see, and also bought a bottle of bourbon. At the last Ever-Metal online “team meeting” I attended I drank some bourbon, and my friend and jolly splendid gentleman of the first order Simon “The Review Writing Machine” Black has been spreading the scurrilous and patently untrue lie that I, Dark Juan, libertine and alcohol enthusiast, drank enough to pass out and slide gently and decorously out of camera view. Sideways, according to his report. Obviously this is an actionable fib. I was merely tired after a 96-hour work week.
That’s the gospel truth, Your Honour.
Anyway, today’s platter on the spinning deck of death is by The Forgotten (it is important to note that this band is NOT the San Jose punk band. Oh no. They couldn’t be more diametrically musically opposed if they had actually tried. Yes, I know that was a split infinitive and no, I don’t care. I am finding it extremely difficult to find out any information on the group as any internet searches return results about an electronic music label, or the American punksters, so I am unable to give you any details about the band besides the fact that the blurb that came with the record claims it was written in Los Angeles. Also, the grammar on the press release is that bloody poor I can’t even tell if The Forgotten is a one-person project or a group.
Full disclosure – heavy metal this ain’t. The music is more of a mix of EBM, Aggrotech, Futurepop and Synthwave. There is not a guitar to be found anywhere on this five track EP. The record tells stories about living in space, love, desperation and revolution and it’s a fairly engaging listen. If you like electronic music, that is. A purist of Metal is likely to fucking despise it (and me) because I am enjoying it. I’m not thrilled in the same manner as a Gunship or Carpenter Brut release thrills me, because those two groups understand just how colossal and cinematic Synthwave can be in its purest form, whereas The Forgotten are more…. Disjointed. Massive Synthwave grooves are curtailed and replaced by drum and bass fills or tempos are accelerated and dance music keys substituted and it all feels like the music is aimed at too many targets at once. Many targets are fine if you’re using a Multiple Launch Rocket System. Not so much when you are playing music. It all leads to a kind of crystalline, brittle quality, best displayed on ‘Believe In Me’ which is a fractured, misshapen kind of song.
The opening song, ‘The Forgotten’, has the kind of colossal synth pattern opening that makes Synthwave great, being sweeping and neon-tinged and massively cinematic and not out of place during the opening credits of an 80s action film, or Airwolf, or Knight Rider, or Blue Thunder, or Street Hawk. This supermassive cinematic goodness is interspersed with Futurepop-y squelching and mid-tempo meandering.
‘System Failure’ is more interesting, as it starts with an 8-bit chiptune sound before launching into the kind of massive synth hook that makes Synthwave so incredible, before devolving into a Futurepop beat that beeps and squelches its way around the room before returning to that fucking GLORIOUS hook. Then it changes direction again and becomes this kind of Dungeon Synth/ Futurepop analogue before morphing into a small Industrial component and then changing again into almost a computer game tune…
And therein lies the problem. This record is TOO eclectic. It is an attempt to meld too many disparate genres together, and I fucking hate the drum fills that start off slow and speed up like on dance records. They are lazy and cheap ways to pad out a song and they have been done to death. The Forgotten, I feel, need to choose what style of music they want to play. Do they want to be a Synthwave band? EDM? Futurepop? Choose one, because your musical schizophrenia isn’t doing you any favours, and it is not gaining you a larger audience. It is fragmenting it. Which is a shame, because there’s some massive fucking potential to be utterly jawdroppingly magnificent that is being wasted right now.
The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System awards The Forgotten 5/10 for a good, but deeply flawed EP that would benefit from a lot more focus, and less on trying to scattergun fans from across genres.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Interstellar
02. The Forgotten
03. Believe In Me
04. System Failure
05. Evolution
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of ‘Dark Juan’ and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Bloodywood – Rakshak
Bloodywood – Rakshak
Self-Released
Release Date: 18/02/22
Running Time:
Review by Beth Jones
9/10
If you’ve not come across Bloodywood yet, then you clearly haven’t been paying attention, damn it!! Everyone needs a bit of their music in their lives and there is no day that can’t be infinitely improved with a quick blast of one of their tunes. For those who haven’t heard them, they are a Folk Metal band from India, who specialise in combining traditional Indian instruments such as the percussive Dhol and the single-stringed Tumbi, with absolutely blistering and hard hitting Modern Metal. And by gum do they do it well.
Their new offering “Rakshak” is centred around a theme of healing, in a variety of forms. The word ‘rakshak’ is Hindi for ‘protector’ or ‘guardian’ and the band state that their goal with this album is to make a positive impact on people’s lives.
‘Gaddaar’ Kicks off the album. It’s a hellishly catchy number combining familiar Bhangra sounds with some absolutely punishing Metal riffs and violent vocals. It’s one of the most exciting album openers I’ve heard in a while to be honest. It’s impossible not to move to it. There’s a section of Hindi chanting in it too, which flows seamlessly back into the brutal vocals of Jayant Bhadula. He has one hell of a set of pipes!
There are some great Rap Metal vocal sections through Bloodywood’s music too, provided by Raoul Kerr – and in these areas, their sound becomes almost akin to Linkin Park, but heavier. ‘Aaj’ has a great example of this, as does ‘Zanjeero Se’, which also takes on a very Modern Metal feel through the guitar work, and the overdriven tones. It’s bloody clever stuff.
Another aspect of their music is mournful flute solos, which appear at various points throughout the album. They really shine on ‘Jee Veerey’ and add a haunting depth to this track in particular. It’s like a weird juxtaposition of the intense, in your face Modern Metal sounds and the calming Traditional Folk sounds, which really works outstandingly well.
And it really is a combination of all these sounds that make up Bloodywood, and this album. Every track is attacked with punch and hi-voltage energy, but delicately interwoven with uplifting Folk. My Favourite track is ‘Dana-Dan’. It’s intricate, with a whole ton of rhythms changes between sections, it’s sonically massive and down-right dirty as. This could be complete carnage at a live show. There would be some serious slamming going on. I LOVE IT!!
Bloodywood are by far one of the most exciting bands around at the moment. They are making more and more of a name for themselves globally, and rightly so, because they’re fresh, and so very passionate about what they do, which is just a great thing to see. This album needs to be a mainstay on your playlists.
‘Aaj’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Gaddaar
02. Aaj
03. Zanjeero Se
04. Machi Bhasad
05. Dana-Dan
06. Jee Veerey
07. Endurant
08. Yaad
09. BSDK.exe
10. Chakh Le
LINE-UP:
Karan Katiyar – Guitar, Flute, Percussion, Composition, Production
Raoul Kerr – Rap Vocals
Jayant Bhadula – Aggressive Vocals
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Jones and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
EMQ’s With CREEPING FLESH
EMQ’s With CREEPING FLESH
Hi everyone. Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Swedish Death Metal band, Creeping Flesh. Huge thanks to their Guitarist, Sofus, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hi! I’m Sofus and I’m one of the axemen. The band started because William had a dream about making Death Metal and he asked me to join him and our former bass player Conny to start this band. Soon afterwards we were a full band, all with a will to create old school Death. We started to write music together right away. This was back in 2013 and we released our first EP “Unravelled by War” the year after. Now, around 8 years later, we have 3 EPs and a full length album in our back catalogue. And soon we will release the next one!
How did you come up with your band name?
Me and William have had a lot of discussions about band names and I especially remember one very drunken night out when we could have settled with a completely different name. After sobering up and thinking about our alternatives, Creeping Flesh did stand tall as the lone survivor. For me the words just lined up well together. William might have been influenced by the movie with the same name and also a song by Facebreaker. Who knows how and why, but here we are!
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We are from Sweden. All of the members have come from different cities and regions, but we all met in Gothenburg. There is a thriving metal scene here; who hasn’t heard of the Gothenburg sound for example? Compared to the other cities we came from, it was a breath of fresh air to see so much live music with great quality bands. A lot of the musicians we know here have bands of their own, and it is not only metal and rock that is big here. All in all, it is a good place for music!
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
If we don’t count our first full length “Into the Meat Grinder”, it’s the music video for our single “Finest Hour”, from our upcoming album “…And Then the Bombs Came”. Look up to the sky! The bombs are falling 11th of February! The video is available on our Facebook page and on Youtube.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Everyone in the band has different backgrounds, influences and ways into heavy music. If I just speak for myself, The Beatles have been the foundation that made me fall in love with rock and then further down the line Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and similar bands lured me into Metal. When it comes to Death Metal, the bands In Flames and Arch Enemy were the gateway for me. Old school bands like Dismember and Bolt Thrower sealed the deal. As a guitarist, I have always looked up to the Amott brothers, Dave Mustaine and Gus G. As just a musician and songwriter, I admire Steven Wilson and he influences me a lot. And maybe even more down the rabbit hole, but actually quite relevant, game music has had a great impact on my music ears. The band as a whole, I think, is mostly inspired by Bolt Thrower, Hail of Bullets, Obituary, Jungle rot, Amon Amarth and Swedish HM-2 bands in general.
Other than this, movies and documentaries about war have had tremendous influence on lyrics and song writing. Watching tanks roll over fields of corpses get the creative juices flowing.
What first got you into music?
Just listening to my parents’ vinyl of The Beatles and classical stuff like Vivaldi. Then I listened to mixed tapes filled with NWOBHM that my brothers had. To be honest, when a classmate taught me how to play ‘Smoke on the Water’ I was hooked! I played drums first, but later transitioned to guitar as I learned more riffs, and my brother showed me how to play some old Nintendo tunes.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
Easy question. Micke Rickfors. Give us a call! A lot of the others in the band would maybe also say Peter Tägtgren? We are open for collabs!
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
For me personally, I would probably choose Wacken Open Air. One of my greatest festival memories is from Wacken and to perform there would be a dream come true! In Sweden, it would be cool to play at Sweden Rock Festival.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
I’ve been given alcoholic beverages and the occasional hug and praise, but nothing weird so far that I remember. We’ll see what the future brings.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
When the pandemic wears off, please support your local bands and bars! Be sure to go out and attend gigs!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Tough one. Kiddie or Freddie Mercury? So many great ones that have left us just in the recent years. When I think about it though, I have to choose Håkan Florå.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
The best thing is to be creative while hanging out with friends and drinking beer. Don’t think there is anything I hate about it.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Promoting actual music instead of soulless garbage.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Hmm, so many to choose from! I got to say “Mana” by Unto Others (former Idle Hands). Incredible Goth Heavy Metal record. There are so many things I love about this album. If you guys have any love for the likes of Sisters of Mercy, Woods of Ypres, Anathema, Agalloch, Misfits and Heavy Metal in general, give this a spin or two!
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?
You get the greatest vibe from vinyl, and it’s also a physical piece of art! Cassette is really cool and old school too. I think every format has its place though. Each to their own.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Gefle Metal Festival has to be my pick and probably most of the band would agree. A pure joy for us as everything was handled extremely professionally and the crowd was amazing! The tour in England must be a close second. The one in Bristol was very memorable – the best and worst at the same time. The peak was when our singer destroyed a cabbage with his skull. All of our gigs are treasured memories, even the less good ones! We’ve been lucky and have been treated very nicely by our fans and all these cheerful crowds of head banging drunks!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Well, I don’t make a living as a musician unfortunately, so I currently cook to pay the rent, ha ha! If I weren’t playing music, I would maybe start to write books or perhaps learn to paint.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Carl Jan Granqvist, Edward Blom, Bengt Frithiofsson, Guga from Guga foods and whatever the actor’s name was that died of too much mashed potatoes in La Grande Bouffe. Sorry for all the Swedes, but look them up and you’ll understand why.
What’s next for the band?
11th of February we release our next album “…And Then the Bombs Came”! Whenever the pandemic lets us out on the road, we will bring these killer songs to the stage! Feels great to have a bunch of old and new songs to choose from for upcoming gigs. Be sure to be on the lookout for new music and merch.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
We mainly use Facebook as social media and Spotify as a streaming service. Follow for regular updates of anything related to the band. We post a lot of stupid and/or relevant stuff. Please check out our Instagram, Youtube and Bandcamp as well!
Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Aren’t they cookies?
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you for having me! I had a fun time with these questions. I hope I’ll share a drink with you and all the readers someday at a gig!
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Black Altar/ Vulture Lord – Deathiah Manifesto
Black Altar/ Vulture Lord – Deathiah Manifesto
Odium Records
Release Date 15/02/22
Running Time: 27:00
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
7/10
A quick search on the ever-dependable Metal Archives site tells me that both despicable Black Metal outfits have been around for some time, their darkened tentacles stretching back into the abyss of the mid-late 1990’s. That’s unsurprising as soon as you listen to this split EP, for both bands are anchored firmly in the era of old school Black Metal, albeit that Vulture Lord are closer to the Blackened Thrash that is dominating parts of the Black and Thrash Metal crossover now.
Comprising 27 minutes in total, each band contributes four songs. Polish outfit Black Altar take the first hit, with their tracks including an intro and outro. The intro builds in a demonic manner, plenty of whispering in the shadows, enough to chill the spine. The band then launch into the frenetic paced ‘Sacrilegious Congregation’ with the shimmering walls of tremolo riffing, blast beats and jarring edges. There’s a similar pace to ‘Nyx’. Both songs thunder along, the vocals as expected, glass gargling growls. Throw in some wolfen howls, harrowed screams and the darkness simply envelopes the listener whilst the temperature drops. There’s some nice changes of tempo and some Tom G. Warrior grunts which all add to the delivery. It’s nothing that’ll shake the world but for aficionados of the first wave of Black Metal, this may be a reassuringly icy blast. The skin crawling outro ensures that you’ll be uncomfortable whilst waiting for the next part of this split EP.
Vulture Lord have been plying their trade since 1995, although the Norwegians have a mere two full-length releases to their name, alongside a plethora of compilations and other output. No messing with this lot, the thunder is rapid and instant, huge dirty blackened riffs cascade, the relentless pace providing no hiding place. It’s ferocious stuff, with the first three tracks grabbing the listener with their ferocious speed and visceral delivery. ‘Hark! The Hymns of War’ rages, a combination of Venom, Motörhead and some punishing Black Metal edges bring this band roaring into the modern day.
As one would expect, both bands bring anti-religious and Satanic themes through their music. Vulture Lord carry a rawer edge, with their explosive Black Thrash threatening to veer out of control. The demonic snarl of vocalist Sorath is hideous, all croaks and roars, but he brings the message with his overall barbed wire croaks. There is plenty of Slayer kicking around in the band, with brutal time signatures and ferocity in the overall aural assault. And if all of that isn’t enough, there’s some dramatic cinematic score to conclude the EP in ‘Usurper, Thy Name is Death’ with a classic Vincent Price quote as Prince Prospero in the legendary 1964 film ‘The Masque of the Red Death’
TRACKLISTING:
Black Altar
01. Intro
02. Sacrilegious Congregation
03. Nyx
04. Outro
Vulture Lord
01. Dominios of Death
02. Hark! The Hymns of War
03. Bloodstained Ritual Knives
04. Usurper, Thy Name is Death
LINE-UP:
Black Altar
Shadow – Vocals, Bass
Vulture Lord
Sorath – Vocals
Uruz – Drums
Enzifer – Guitars
Malphas – Guitars, Bass
LINKS:
Black Altar
Vulture Lord
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Paul Hutchings and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Frau Fleischer – When The Sun’s Down
Frau Fleischer – When The Sun’s Down
Sliptrick Records
Release Date: 23.11.21
Running Time: 34:27
Review by Dark Juan
7/10
Hello, good afternoon and welcome. I am still Dark Juan and it appears that I am not able to stop myself writing banal crap for you all to waste your valuable time on! As you might expect, this doesn’t bother me one iota and barely even registers on my “give-a-fuckometer” because you all know that at some point I will actually get down to business and talk about a record I am listening to instead of just chatting sheer bubbles like I always do for the first three hundred words of a review. Well, here’s a fucking shock for you, boys, girls, and all other genders because we are only one hundred and thirty odd words in so far and I am in no mood to fuck about…
Frau Fleischer are a French Industrial Metal band formed in 2020, and I believe that this album is their debut. I am sure that you are all aware that Dark Juan is a massive and vociferous ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, as I believe that you should be free to love whomever you choose, and to identify as whichever gender is right for you, regardless of what other people might think. As a straight man, I do not care what set of genitals a person might prefer, and I don’t believe it makes one fucking jot of difference who you love or are attracted to. I have told you this because Frau Fleischer are very involved with the LGBTQIA+ community and are fronted by a cross dressing drag queen. Granted, paedophiles are trying to reinvent themselves as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, but with my job I have EXTREMELY OLD-FASHIONED views about child molesters, and they generally involve my being locked in a room with said perverted motherfuckers with a power drill, a number of rusty and blunt saws, a meathook, and immunity from prosecution. Paedophiles are NOT LGBTQIA+ people. They are twisted fucks who need to be eradicated.
Frau Fleischer are fronted by the extraordinarily glamorous Gabriel Daimon, whose gender bending persona forms an immediate and arresting visual focal point for the band, combining the sparkly, sequined joie de vivre of modern drag with the metallic fury of Greg Lambert on the guitar and Franz Schultz, who is responsible for the electronic element of Frau Fleischer’s sound. And what do they sound like, I heard absolutely no-one cry?
Well, Mr/ Miss/ Ms/ Mx No-one, imagine the sadomasochistic sounds of Combichrist indulging themselves with British leather-clad Techno-Metallers, Cubanate, and American musical BDSM enthusiasts Genitorturers in Torture Garden. It’s all blood soaked, latex clad, kinky sex and violence and shibari done by an impeccably turned out drag queen, in a gorgeous frock, who has a real problem with authority.
The album opens with ‘Sacrifice’, which is very reminiscent of Combichrist until the choppy, Industrial guitar slams in and the languid, liquid vocal of Daimon overpins the lot, in what can only be described as an attempt to be lascivious. It just doesn’t make me horny though, despite the overt sexuality. The song moves at a spanking (sic) pace and is a perfectly fine Industrial tune, but it doesn’t really do anything different from other Industrial music. With the obvious flamboyance of the lead singer, I would imagine Frau Fleischer works better in the live and visual medium. While the music is right up my black and filthy alley, I think it suits a crowd in a sweaty club better than as a recording. ‘Holy Crown’ does nothing to dispel this thought – perfectly adequate on record, being as it is more sharp, cutting guitar melded with the kind of Aggrotech that gets me frothing at the mouth, I can’t help but think it would be an absolute live banger.
…And there is the main problem I have with this record. It would be better live. All of it. The music requires over the top, vaudeville performance to go with it. As a recorded work, it is missing something, and that something is a bunch of outlandishly dressed fans shouting every word back at the band over a ridiculously overpowered PA – ‘Baby I’m Free’ displays this perfectly on the very VNV Nation-esque middle eight, which has a massive chant-a-thon just itching to be screamed back at Gabriel Daimon by a thousand dedicated fans. ‘Bagarre’ is far and away the best song on the record, mixing savage Black Metal riffing with terror EBM, Gothic splendor, and the kind of threatening sexuality last seen displayed by Jessica Priest, in that godawful film adaptation of Spawn in the 90s.
There are other issues too. I am not a huge fan of Daimon’s vocal delivery, which is too loose and relaxed when the music is moving quickly, and occasionally he slips out of tune. Being lugubrious is not the be all and end all, ask Dave Vanian and Adam Ant. More precision would be appreciated by this jaded rock hack. Sometimes as well, (and this is a minor problem considering I can barely write in English, let alone any other language) you can easily tell through inflection and lyrical structure that the words were not written by a native English speaker. I tend to look at this as a charming thing, rather than a demerit, though. I have tried writing lyrics in a foreign language and it is fucking impossible so it always mightily impressive when non-English speakers masters our most idiosyncratic language. The album is abominably produced as well, being phenomenally woolly and soft-edged and ridiculously quiet, and the guitar sound far too sharp. Frequently, the interplay between the electronics and the guitar sounds are like two songs being played at the same time, and that simply won’t do with this style of music. There HAS to be precision at all times, and it has to sound like it was planned that way all along.
All in all this is a very worthy debut, but there is the sense that everyone is trying too hard to be different. Relax, gentlepersons. You’re a couple of inches away from being utterly brilliant. You have an extremely engaging front person and the music slams. Chill the fuck out, okay?
The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System (Le système breveté d’évaluation des éclaboussures de sang Dark Juan) awards Frau Fleischer 7/10 for a record that is brimming with possibilities, but doesn’t deliver the colossal musical multiple orgasm it promises.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Sacrifice
02. Holy Crown
03. Piece Of Meat
04. Baby I’m Free
05. Infierno
06. Bagarre
07. Bloody Curls
08. A Boy Was Shot
09. Bad Girl
LINE-UP:
Gabriel Daimon – Vocals
Greg Lambert – Guitars
Franz Schultz – Electronics
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of ‘Dark Juan’ and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Various Artists – Scrap Metal Vol 1
Various Artists – Scrap Metal Vol 1
RidingEasy Records
Release Date: 12/11/221
Running Time: 33:18
Review by Alun Jones
9/10
Recently I’ve been razzing around this rundown town in Platinum Al’s Pimp Mobile (a 1980 Chrysler Cordoba, of course), blasting out this new compilation from those hard rockin’ duderinos at RidingEasy records. And I haven’t had this much honest-to-rockness fun in goddamn ages!
You may recall RidingEasy’s previous comps, as reviewed by yours truly, from their Brown Acid collections of long lost proto-metal/stoner rock artefacts of the late 60s/early 70s. Well, with Scrap Metal, they’ve taken the same approach (unearthing long-forgotten rare tracks, and releasing a carefully restored sonic document of said tunes) – but this time, applied it to the age of 70s/80s classic Heavy Metal.
Listeners will discover a variety of styles of HM here, as the genre splits into numerous offshoots. So, we get to hear the blossoming styles of NWOBHM, Thrash, Doom and Glam at a time when they all still shared a generous amount of DNA. It’s Classic Metal, folks – and to be honest, I didn’t find that much difference between the “styles” on offer. What I did find was ten blinding tracks of fun (and slightly dumb) Rock’n’Roll monsters.
Witness, for example, the wonder of ‘Headbang’ by Rapid Tears. Fast paced, dumb ass, dingus brained Heavy Rock for you to race to the chippy in a Trans-Am. It’s glorious. Then, with barely a rest, we’re assaulted by Air Raid’s ‘69 in a 55’: like early Maiden (even down to the Paul Di’Anno vocals) but with a cucumber stuffed down the spandex pants.
And the surprises keep on coming. Hades are simply brilliant, their track ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ venturing toward speed metal. Resless have a crap name, but ‘The Power’ is a Priest like power-thon that is bound to excite. ‘Enemy Ace’, by The Beast, is a definite unrefined highlight; almost in the realms of crossover, it’s a particularly aggressive track that’s totally unsuitable for polite tea parties with grandma.
The compilation isn’t perfect: Don Cappa’s ‘Steel City Metal’ ticks all the cliché boxes, but plods. Yet adrenaline infused, urgent rockers like ‘Can’t Stop’ by Dead Silence, ‘Iron Curtain’ by Czar and ‘Viking Queen’ by Real Steel keep the fists punching the air and a grin on the face.
As with the Brown Acid series, it’s bewildering how at least some of the bands on “Scrap Metal Vol 1” didn’t get any further. I’ve heard a lot worse. However, careers are built on consistently great songwriting and performance – we only have one (admittedly brilliant) song by each band to testify here.
The lyrics and themes may wallow in the murky depths of the tired and obvious, but I challenge any of you to not enjoy the music on offer. Park any pretences of sophistication you may hold, the energy to be heard on these tracks is pure pleasure. Pull on your super tight jeans, bullet belt and patch covered battle vest, let your hair down (if you still can), and rejoice in a simpler time. “Scrap Metal Vol 1” is a full on, beer swilling triumph of an album. HEADBANG!!!
TRACKLISTING:
01. Rapid Tears – Headbang
02. Air Raid – 69 in a 55
03. Hades – Girls Will Be Girls
04. Resless – The Power
05. Don Cappa – Steel City Metal
06. The Beast – Enemy Ace
07. Dead Silence – Can’t Stop
08. Hazardous Waste – Danger Zone
09. Czar – Iron Curtain
10. Real Steel – Viking Queen
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Alun Jones and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
EMQ’s with HORNED WOLF
EMQ’s with HORNED WOLF
Hi everyone. Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Kansas USA based Progressive Sludge Metal band, Horned Wolf. Huge thanks to them all for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
The band was formed by our guitar player (Don) in 2015. He knew all the members of the band and pulled them together. It started out with the intent to be a Pallbearer meets Deafheaven kind of thing, but once we all started playing together we just let it rip and what came out was pure Horned Wolf.
How did you come up with your band name?
Don: It was one I had been kicking around for a while. I love werewolves and satanic imagery so I wanted to combine them. In my mind a wolf with horns was the ultimate blend of occult imagery. Plus it sounded like a name that should have been used already. To my surprise at the time if you were to google Horned Wolf there was almost nothing anywhere on the internet. Certainly none of the silly anime horned wolf’s you find everywhere now.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We are from the Lawrence and Kansas City area. Which is in the Midwest in the United States. Our scene is thriving right now but needs just a little help to take off.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
We just released a single and a music video for our song “Become Like They Are” which is the title track to our debut LP that will be coming out in the summer.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Justin: I take a lot of influence from bands like Mastodon, The Sword and Kvelertak.
Don: Black Sabbath, In Flames, Woods of Ypres, Cursive, Opeth
David: I started my first band almost immediately after seeing my friend’s older brother’s band play at a local all ages venue when I was 14. So, I’d have to say the kids playing in bands in Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas City in the local music scene I grew up in.
Sav: Vocally, the bands and artists that inspired me the most? Brody Dalle (when I was a kid I used to scream into a pillow to sound like her) Otep, Gojira, Alice in chains, Deftones and the list goes on and on and on.
Dan: Again Bear vs. Shark, Hot Water Music, Slabdragger. Before that the Fall of Troy and At the Drive In and Coheed and Cambria were big in my formation.
What first got you into music?
Sav: I grew up playing music because of my family. My grandparents met because grandma tried out for his band. She was embarrassed because the first try-out she had her hair curlers in and thought the guitarist (my papa Richie) was cute. So her first practice, she dolled herself up! She sang and (before her hip replacement) played the drums. They performed locally and got married, so fast forward to playing in bands and me singing in the family band. I’ve always wanted to sing and play guitar, my grandpa Richie really instilled it into me. And when he passed, I got his custom guitar.
Don: My brother is an incredible guitar player. He is nine years older than me so I grew up seeing him play in bands. He plays Blues and mostly made money in cover bands. Some early memories were finding tapes of Body Count, MDC, and Black Sabbath that someone had left at our house. I am not sure I had a light bulb moment. I just know that when I played guitar I didn’t feel as awful or alone. It was the first time I found something that seemed like it was meant to be.
Justin: A family friend of mine (Ryan Spencer Cook, Ace Frehley band guitarist, former Gene Simmons Group guitarist) showed me my first chords when I was 6. I believe he taught me the song Tubthumping by Chumbawuba. I have been hooked since then. I saw how (for lack of better words) cool he was and knew I wanted to be in the industry.
David: My sister is 7 years older than me and I lived vicariously through her musical preferences as a young kid. She listened to a variety of music, but in the late 80’s and early 90’s Heavy Metal was popular and she was into bands like Poison, Def Leppard, Motley Crüe, and Metallica, while simultaneously being into pop music like New Kids on the Block, Tiffany, and Madonna. Naturally, I liked everything she liked because she was the coolest person I knew, but my absolute favorites were Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’ and Metallica’s ‘One’. The video for ‘One’ was the most amazing and Metal thing I’d ever seen at the time and I could not get enough of the part of the song where it goes from ballad to Thrash. I’ve been obsessed with Heavy Metal ever since (and yes, I still love Madonna).
Dan: My Dad loves music (for better or worse I found out when I got older, he has some pretty questionable loves) and got my brother and I into it at a young age. In second grade I was listening to the Offspring, Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Beastie Boys at the same time as Backstreet Boys and Hanson. Around middle school is when I really started to get INTO music with bands like Metallica, Blink 182, the Hives, System of a Down, Radiohead, just anything I could get my hands on. Then I discovered the Clash and the Misfits and it was punk rock only for the next decade. Coming out of my punk-coma I discovered I actually like when the musicians really try to be good at what they do. Enter Metal.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Don: Pallbearer, Khemmis, Spirit Adrift. I think any of those would be amazing.
David: James Dewees, formerly of Coalesce, the Get Up Kids, Reggie and the Full Effect, etc. Specifically, James Dewees on keys, not James Dewees on drums.
Sav: I would absolutely love to feature with Otep, if I can only choose one (I choose my number one because otherwise I’d go in forever).
Dan: Spelljammer, Slomatics, or Sumac.
Justin: The Darkness, Kvelertak, or Spirit Adrift
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Basically any European Metal festival.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
No one has ever given us gifts. So there is really nothing we can think of. Maybe that will change soon!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Be Kind and Be Inclusive.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Don: This is super tough and there are some very obvious answers but I am going to side step them and say David Gold from Woods of Ypres. He had so much more to give.
David: Obviously, Ronnie James Dio.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
We love playing music. The creative outlet and connecting with people is one of the best feelings. Moving heavy stuff sucks so probably that.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
That money makes bands not music.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
David: Functioning on Impatience by Coalesce.
Don: Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True by Fair to Midland
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?
David: I don’t have a specific preference, really. I just got into collecting vinyl and that is fun because I like having a physical copy of the record and seeing the art as more than a small image from a streaming service on my phone. But I also immensely appreciate the convenience of having almost literally all music ever recorded available on a small supercomputer that fits comfortably in my pocket. I find the resurgence of cassette popularity hilarious, but I own a few cassettes and will likely buy more in the future. I rarely listen to CD’s anymore and have uploaded my old CD collection to a cloud so I can access it anywhere I have internet. Which, honestly, wasn’t even necessary since most of the CDs I owned are readily available on most streaming services with the exception of a few smaller local band’s CDs.
Don: I love it all. I have a ton of records and CDs. I use Spotify constantly. But I will say sitting down and putting on a vinyl while sipping some whiskey is a top shelf good time!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Our first show with our vocalist Sav. It was in our home town and also our first show in 2 years. It was so good it made it as the #1 cool thing from bands in our city for 2021.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Art of some nature for sure.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Don: Layne Staley, Bill Hicks, Freddy Mercury, Robin Williams, Lemmy
David: Probably people I know so I don’t have to awkwardly sit around with famous strangers. I have only met a handful of famous people I admire and all I’ve ever managed to say is something lame like “I like your music” and then nervously run off.
What’s next for the band?
Another single here before too long and our debut LP in the summer!
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
All of them. https://linktr.ee/hornedwolf
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Since it has a sponge cake base we would say cake but we’ll also defer to whatever Mary Berry from the Great British Baking Show says on this one.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you for these thoughtful questions. They were fun to answer. Cheers!
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.