Timeline

Steppenwolf – The Epic Years 1974-1976

The Epic Years 1974-1976 Box Set Cover Art

Steppenwolf – The Epic Years 1974-1976
Cherry Red Records
Release Date: 27/01/23
Running Time: 02:05:04
Review by Simon Black
Slow Flux – 6/10
Hour Of The Wolf – 9/10
Skullduggery – 7/10
Overall – 7.5/10

I don’t think many people realise quite how huge Steppenwolf were as the twilight of the 1960’s dribbled into the 1970’s. Their two globally renowned tracks ‘Born To Be Wild’ and their version of ‘The Pusher’ are the essence of Biker Rock – both hailing from their 1969 self-titled debut, and blown into the global limelight thanks to their inclusion on the soundtrack for the movie ‘Easy Rider’. And let’s not forget that the former would also prove to be the first coining of the phrase “Heavy Metal” in a music context three years before Black Sabbath hit the airwaves, even if they were actually singing about Harley Davidsons…

That cinematic and mainstream exposure so early on meant that they didn’t spend very long playing the toilet venues around the USA and Canada for long, rapidly finding themselves on headline arena tours and under huge pressure to keep delivering the hits. Seven studio albums later over a brisk four years, a revolving door of band members plus the slog of touring all proved too much, and a very burnt-out Steppenwolf called it a day at the start of 1972.

Frontman John Kay switched into a solo mode for a while, before Steppenwolf reformed in 1974, which is where the story of this box set kicks off. They were actually signed to Mums Records (as a “screw you” to the label that Kay endured during his solo stint, but this was absorbed by Epic Records. The line-up was a hybrid of Steppenwolf’s original backbone of Kay, Edmonton, and McJohn along with some members of Kay’s solo band, which meant with both bands going out as a package for the first tour meant for a somewhat gruelling tour if you were pulling double duty.

That first record, “Slow Flux” is a little odd, and aptly named. Apart from Kay’s distinctive vocals, it doesn’t really sound like Steppenwolf, and that’s probably because a significant chunk of it was originally destined for one of Kay’s solo disks. OK, ‘Straight Shooting Woman’ charted well, but it really doesn’t feel like it’s firing on all cylinders, and behind the scenes the wheels were falling off of Goldy McJohn’s bus, and his erratic behaviour saw him replaced for the next outing. It’s not actually a bad record, just a bit of a mixed and inconsistent bag. Slow and in flux indeed…

“Hour of the Wolf” however is a triumphant return to form, mostly.

Not only does it actually sound like Steppenwolf for the most part with the addition of Andy Chapin on keyboards bringing back some much-needed Psychedelic noodling to the arrangements, but the song-writing in general has also upped the ante noticeably. Where it fails at the time was in its bizarre choice of lead single – the Mars Bonfire penned ‘Caroline (Are You Ready for the Outlaw World)’. Now on paper Bonfire seemed a sensible choice, given he actually wrote ‘Born To Be Wild’, but this sounds manufactured and trying too hard to be a hit single, at which it failed spectacularly. It’s actually when the writing starts to get a bit more experimental that things get more interesting, with the almost Progressive ‘Mr. Penny Pincher’ showing Chapin’s virtuosity on the keyboards, as well as pumping up the mood. Fortunately, the belters outweigh the bland, so it stands up well after nearly fifty years.

Sadly, when we get to disk three, Chapin has moved on. In fact, in many ways so has the whole band, who had run out of steam once again, but were forced into releasing this as a contractual obligation to Epic, but which never got toured. Whilst still having a few good moments such as the title track, it feels rudderless overall as an album. These good moments are generally stronger than anything on “Slow Flux”, but it’s clear that the band are a spent force by this point, with tracks seemingly padded with Disco-esque instrumental breaks just to shoot everyone involved in the foot out of sheer spite.

As always when Cherry Red re-issue these sets, it’s done with love and care, and the huge 30-page booklet makes for a fascinating read, not to mention a grand job being done of polishing up the sound for the modern age. Kay would revive the brand in the next decade, but from here on in as a creative force Steppenwolf were done and forced into becoming their own tribute act. As a slice of history though, this is some way out from their heyday, but when they are firing on all cylinders it works well, with “Hour of the Wolf” standing out from the pack by many yards.

TRACKLISTING:

Disc One – Slow Flux
01. Gang War Blues
02. Children of Night
03. Justice Don’t Be Slow
04. Get into the Wind
05. Jeraboah
06. Straight Shootin’ Woman
07. Smokey Factory Blues
08. Morning Blue
09. A Fool’s Fantasy
10. Fishin’ in the Dark

Disc Two – Hour Of The Wolf
01. Caroline (Are You Ready for the Outlaw World)
02. Annie, Annie Over
03. Two for the Love of One
04. Just for Tonight
05. Hard Rock Road
06. Someone Told a Lie
07. Another’s Lifetime
08. Mr. Penny Pincher Bonus tracks
09. Angeldrawers (B-side of single)
10. Caroline (Are You Ready for the Outlaw World) (Mono promotional single mix)

Disc Three – Skullduggery
01. Skullduggery
02. (I’m a) Road Runner
03. Rock n’ Roll Song
04. Train of Thought
05. Life is a Gamble
06. Pass it On
07. Sleep
08. Lip Service

LINE-UP:
John Kay – Guitar, Vocals
Bobby Cochran – Guitar
George Biondo – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Jerry Edmonton – Drums
Goldy McJohn – Keyboards (Slow Flux)
Andy Chapin – Keyboards (Hour of the Wolf)
Wayne Cook – Keyboards (Skullduggery)

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Simon Black 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.

Chovu – What Sorcery Is This? EP

Chovu – What Sorcery Is This? EP
Obsydian Media
Release Date: 10/12/22
Running Time: 16:53
Review by Laura Barnes
8/10

Ahhh, January. A truly underrated month. Routines are settled back into, pints are miraculously cheaper, and most importantly, there is significantly less pressure to go out and socialise. What can I say? I’m a big fan of normality, and the end of the Yuletide festivities gives me some much-needed time to catch up on all of last month’s music that I missed, for example Chovu’s first EP, “What Sorcery Is This?”

Chovu were the first band in residence to record an EP at Obsydian Media and A4’s Kivulini Studios in Ngong, Kenya. A big responsibility, but one that Chovu have pulled off with style. Inspired by Kenyan folklore and African mysticism, Chovu have forged themselves a unique and eclectic sound that draws from all the shades of the extreme metal spectrum, with a slight tilt towards Black Metal and Doom Metal. The raw production style of “What Sorcery Is This?” gives the EP a distinct underground feel – this is the sound of five people making the sort of music that they want to hear, the sound of pure self-expression. Needless to say: I had a fucking blast.

After a drum and vocals focused intro that really paints a vivid scene, Chovu kick off the EP in earnest with ‘Into Dust’. The slow, funeral march-like guitars and bass give the track a doom-and-dread laden feel and the snare provides the song with its ever-shifting heartbeat, but it’s the vocals that really grab my attention. There’s a raspy cadence to Lord Rot’s vocals which really tap into the despair at the heart of the song. It is also common for bands at this stage in their life to focus so much on the harshness of the vocals that the lyrics get lost along the way, but Chovu manage to avoid this completely; the story of the song is just as important as its presentation. This is especially clear on ‘Mwikali’, which is built around spoken word elements and Alice In Chains style riffage. After this, it’s onto ‘Vermillion Diner’, slow, scorching track with a killer snare and a combination of harsh and clean vocals that gives the song a strong sense of push and pull. The version of the album that I was sent also included a bonus track entitled ‘Empire Of Graves’ from “Uchawi”, a split album that Chovu have released with The Witch. I’m might glad this song was included as a bonus, because I fucking love it. The vocals reach a new level of demonic, and when I say demonic, I’m talking old school devils with tall horns and sharp teeth. And the drums! The unholy crash of the cymbals! Beautifully messy and magnificent, ‘Empire Of Graves’ was unlike anything I’ve ever heard before, and believe me, I’ve heard some crazy shit during my time working at a music venue.

With “What Sorcery Is This?” Chovu have proven that the extreme metal underground is alive and kicking. This is a daring first EP, and I enjoyed it immensely. I can’t wait to see what they do next!

TRACKLISTING

01. Into Dust
02. Kithitu Walk
03. Mwikali
04. Vermillion Diner
05. Empire of Graves

LINE-UP
Lord Rot – Vocals
Lord Trieste – Lead Guitar, Vocals
Lord Cyberlock – Rhythm Guitar
Lord Komora – Bass
Lord Griplodocus – Drums

LINKS

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Laura Barnes 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.

Daevar – Delirious Rites

Daevar – Delirious Rites
The Lasting Dose Records
Release Date: 27/01/23
Running Time: 32:55
Review by Rick Eaglestone
9/10

Do you ever seen an album cover and then are immediately drawn to it? Well, this is the case with this German heavy doom debut album “Delirious Rites” by Daevar.

Album opener ‘Slowshine’ laden with hypnotic waves perfectly sets the tone for the record, and already I know this going to score big and when this feeling continues into follow up track ‘Bloody Fingers’ I am already looking at the pre order options! The guitars and bass are punchy with songs inspired by the work of political philosopher Thomas Hobbes and quotations from Iranian psychedelic rock anthems from the 70’s and as Pardis Latifi’s vocals entrance me once more for my highlight track ‘Leila’ I am already looking at the track listing and wanting more, especially with “Draconian Times” era guitar tones.

Fortunately, the album contains two more tracks. The longest of the album ‘Leviathan’ has some wonderful exalting melodies and also feature guest vocals from Jan Oberg (Grin / Earth Ship) and the final one ‘Yellow Queen’, which also has a great accompanying video which is well worth checking out as it fits the albums aesthetic album perfectly.

I have been completely swept off my feet. This album is Deliriously Delectable

‘Yellow Queen’ Official Video

TRACKLISTING:
01. Slowshine
02. Bloody Fingers
03. Leila
04. Leviathan
05. Yellow Queen

LINE-UP:
Pardis Latifi – Bass Guitar & Vocals
Moritz Ermen Bausch – Drums
Caspar Orfgen – Guitars
Guest Vocals on Leviathan by Jan Oberg (Grin / Earth Ship)

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rick Eaglestone 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.

Uburen – Usurp The Throne

Uburen – Usurp The Throne
Dusktone
Release Date: 20/01/23
Running Time: 34:11
Review by Rick Eaglestone
6/10

Norwegian Black / Viking metal band follow up 2019’s “And The Mountains Weep” with eight brand new tracks united by a vision of God as a being who deceives through false prophecies, collectively entitled “Usurp The Throne”. Album opener ‘En Dod Manns Drom’ Serves a great slow building introduction to the album leading into the fury of “Harken Now” Wonderfully.

Highlight track ‘When The River Breaks’ still maintains a level of aggression, but many other styles are introduced, which gives this almost a storytelling feel to it. Whereas the album’s title track ‘Usurp The Throne’ is very much deep rooted in Black Metal with its frostbitten guitar tones and nature which makes for a formidable pairing.

As the record moves on into ‘Defiance Towards Futility’, the album seems to continue into the raw black metal which personally is never a bad thing although I did think ‘Bring Forth Ragnarök’ might have had a bit more of a Viking Metal sound to it but as previously mentioned the album has firmly grasped its claw into the aforementioned Black Metal style. ‘None Is Forgotten’ is again another confirmation of this but the final track does serve as a reprieve, and I get my wish because ‘As Sorrow Turns To Hate” has more of the soundscapes I had envisioned. Overall enjoyable but I would’ve like to seen a bit more balance in styles.

‘Usurp The Throne’ Official Audio

TRACKLISTING:
01. En Dod Manns Drom
02. Harken Now
03. When The River Breaks
04. Usurp The Throne
05. Defiance Towards Futility
06. Bring Forth Ragnarök
07. None Is Forgotten
08. As Sorrow Turns To Hate

LINE-UP:
Ask Kjetilson – Vocals, Guitars
Bior Kjetilson – Vocals, Bass, Vocals
Wrage Steinarson – Drums

LINKS:

M2TM Manchester 2023 – Heat 3

M2TM Manchester 2023 – Heat 3
Auraboros, Feign, Square Wild, Napierdalac
The Rebellion
29/01/2023
Review by Rob Sutton

Heat 3 and this one had a difference as all 4 bands were new to me. I won’t say much more and just go straight in.

Now I was a little late this time and did miss half of Auraboros’ set. Walking in there was a huge LGBT flag being held across the stage. The music itself, had numerous different influences from metalcore and hardcore to a bit of groove and it did fit together fairly well, the drumming being a particular highlight and very tight. The guitars were pretty good too with some nice riffs and clean sections. Vocally, the shouts and growls were also pretty good, but the clean singing… it’s really not good. The mic control and projection were atrocious, meaning the voice continually got lost in the mix. The stage show itself was also lacking here, with some movement and some engagement but not enough, which actually left me pretty bored throughout the set. I’ll be honest, it actually sounded and looked amateur and was disappointing. Sorry, this really is not for me.

https://www.facebook.com/auraborosuk

Second to hit the stage was Manchester hardcore trio Feign and these guys do bring the stage show, instantly kicking in and pumping the crowd, which had my attention straight away. To back that up there were some good riffs and some nice breakdowns to go with it, and the Hatebreed style voice also fit brilliantly. But as the set went on things started to become more and more disjointed with breaks in the songs that were way too long, riffs that didn’t fit together well at all and a random slam influenced riff that didn’t go anywhere. It honestly felt like they had thrown a load of ideas together and hoped it worked… it didn’t.

Another thing which got really fucking annoying was the constant tuning. Every other song we are left in silence while the guitarist pisses about. What the fuck are you doing to your guitar to be out of tune after 2 songs and why is no one speaking or some samples playing while he does this? Completely killed the energy and this annoyed me, the set annoyed me – again not for me.

https://www.facebook.com/feignhc

By this point I was pretty fed up so when Square Wild came on, I really wasn’t in the mood. Thankfully though Square Wild were actually really fucking good! The dual guitar solos were frankly sublime and the vocal range here was simply beautiful! Finally, someone in this heat who can actually sing! Now, Square Wild are completely different, bringing a more funky sound to the table and it was so much fun. I actually had a smile on my face and was having a little jig to all the cool riffs, bass lines, and drum-beats, which were cool as fuck!

This honestly was like a happy, party band and with the character the vocalist had on stage it was just so enjoyable to watch, even taking the mick out of metal asking for a wall of death, which did make me laugh. I think that’s the vibe these guys were going for, fun, not too serious and to be entertaining and they achieved all that. My big question though, is this right for Bloodstock? In my honest opinion, no, but they still smashed this set!

https://www.facebook.com/squarewild

The night descended into a dark and frankly evil ambiance when Napierdalec hit the stage. An epic intro track led beautifully into an assault of an opening track! Everything here was just spot on, belting drums, cracking riffs, and insanely good vocals. Just everything screamed black metal and it’s ruthlessly fast and epic. The crowd absolutely lapped this up breaking into pits instantly and then continuing throughout the set. There was a slight issue going into the second song where the backing track didn’t quite play properly leaving them having to restart the song, but these things happen, and the second song again was a belter with an absolutely stunning guitar tone cutting through.

You may as well stop now as after this song, things take a turn for the worse and don’t get better. We had more issues with the backing tracks leading to yet more restarts. I think after this they need to work on how these flow, as this is clearly a major issue. I’m also not sure if they had more issues on stage as by song 4, I don’t think they had any idea what they were doing. The songs were all over the place, no one in time and then finishing songs early. They also shouldn’t have told the crowd that. By the end of the set, I was so disappointed as they started so well but finished like 5 guys who had never played together before. This could have all been down to sound issues but still left the crowd a little lost. Still, that first song blew me away!

https://www.facebook.com/napierdalacband

This was by far and away the weakest Metal To The Masses I have ever been to. Three of the bands were poor and one was completely the wrong genre for the competition. Still Feign went through on judges and Square Wild on crowd vote. I’m saying no more other than I hope next week is better.

LINKS:

Promoter:

Venue:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rob Sutton 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.

Small Town Saviours – Small Town Saviours

Small Town Saviours – Small Town Saviours
Self-Released
Release Date: 27/01/23
Running Time: 46:44
Review by Simon Black
9/10

Rock ‘n’ Roll never quite goes away, does it?

Every few years though, this genre delivers up the goods with a rising new star that would have worked out a dream at pretty much any point in the last fifty years. Berkshire doesn’t jump out as the sort of place that would rock the joint, but them’s the licks. On the subject of licks, Small Town Saviours have a fucking bucket load of those ready to roll…

The band have been garnering stonking results live for a while, grinding the graveyard support slots for the likes of Warrior Soul (because some poor bastard has to), but their debut is only with us now, although definitely worth the wait. A rich, fat production job from Wildhearts knob twiddler Dave Draper keeps the energy turned up and allows the attitude to smack you in the face whilst still sounding raw and fresh. This is a refreshing beast of an album indeed.

The tracks are the kind of high-octane stuff that don’t outstay their welcome in terms of run time, but the band somehow manage to cram in a full thirteen tracks into forty-six minutes without this feeling padded or overwrought. This sort of stuff is normally struggling to fill half an hour without feeling padded, but by bouncing around the styles a little whilst nodding to all their influences (The Ramones, The Wildhearts, The Clash and with a bit of fifties Rockabilly thrown in for good measure) this simply doesn’t have a chance to get dull. Even when things go all Kiss crossed with Avenged Sevenfold with ‘Translation Invariant’ (the bastard great grandson of ‘Heaven’s On Fire’ caught shagging ‘Hail To The King’) it still somehow works, because there’s a subtle vein of humour and tongue in someone else’s cheek to help carry it all off with aplomb.

This four piece manage that well rounded art of guitar weaving perfectly, making it impossible to tell which of the two players is leading, but with a rhythm section behind that as tight as a gnat’s arse keeping things lively, varied and fun. More please chaps…

‘Moving On’ Official Video

TRACKLISTING:
01. No Rats, No Snakes, No Second Takes,
02. E.N.E.M.Y
03. The Drinking Song
04. Cry
05. London Ain’t Calling
06. Home Town Hero
07. Translation Invariant
08. It’s All Going To Hell
09. Ride It Out
10. Drama Queens
11. Boy Who Cried Wolf
12. Wild West (Berkshire)
13. Moving On

LINE-UP:
Lance Skybaby – Guitar / Lead Vocals
T. Bone – Bass / Backing Vocals
Skinny Pete – Guitar / Backing Vocals
Carl D – Drums / Backing Vocals.

LINKS:

Deicide – Once Upon The Cross / Serpents Of The Light

Once Upon The Cross _ Serpents Of The Light Album Cover Art

Deicide – Once Upon The Cross / Serpents Of The Light
Cherry Red Records
Release Date: 20/01/23
Running Time: 58:48
Review by Rick Eaglestone
8/10

Deicide unleash another unholy alliance with “Once Upon The Cross” and “Serpents Of Light. Where to even begin, title track to CD1 1995’s ‘Once Upon The Cross’ even now with a lot more in their discography, still remains my all-time favourite Deicide track – which considering it contains the bass heavy ‘When Satan Rules His World’, which again is still one of my go-to tracks.

Admittedly it has been while since I had revisited the album in its full form, put everything that drew me in initially still manages to hold my attention and I had forgotten just how good the combination of ‘They Are the Children of Underworld’ and ‘Behind the Light Thou Shall Rise’ truly are. I used to be intimidated by Mr Benton in the early days and as the album closes, I almost get that feeling once again.

Following on from this CD2 is 1997’s “Serpents of the Light” which not only contains artistically a more upfront blasphemous approach, but a more urgent and angrier output, take for instance title track ‘Serpents of the Light’ which feels like the previous album speed up and the solos on this particular track are great.

This was an album for some reason I neglected at the time of its release so tracks like ‘Slave to the Cross’ and ‘Creatures of Habit’ feel like brand new tracks and it’s almost like I’m discovering the band for the first time. By the time I get to the final offering ‘Father Baker’s’, with its unrelenting fury and hypnotic solos I am firmly positioned to hit repent – sorry repeat on this album.

Another baptism of blasphemy.

‘Once Upon The Cross’ Official Audio

TRACKLISTING:

CD1 – Once Upon The Cross
01. Once Upon The Cross
02. Christ Denied
03. When Satan Rules His World
04. Kill The Christian
05. Trick Or Betrayed
06. They Are The Children Of The Underworld
07. Behind The Light Thou Shall Rise
08. To Be Dead
09. Confessional Rape

CD2 – Serpents Of The Light
01. Serpents Of The Light
02. Bastard of Christ
03. Blame It On God
04. This Is Hell We’re In
05. I Am No One
06. Slave To The Cross
07. Creatures Of Habit
08. Believe The Lie
09. The Truth Above
10. Father Baker’s

LINE-UP:
Glen Benton – Bass, Vocals
Eric Hoffman – Guitar
Brian Hoffman – Guitar
Steve Asheim – Drums

LINKS:

RuinThrone – The Unconscious Mind of Arda

The Unconscious Mind of Arda Album Cover Art

RuinThrone – The Unconscious Mind of Arda
Rockshots Records
Release Date: 13/01/2023
Running Time: 53:00
Review by Rory Bentley
7/10

Despite my now infamous disdain for the vast majority of Power Metal, I am a well-known lover of bombastic German lads Blind Guardian. Their last album strolled into my 2022 top 20, and I regularly delve into their immaculate back catalogue in a way that I would never do for the Helloweens and Hammerfalls of this world. They just have more bollocks on them and a level of aggression that I need to make the more florid moments palatable. Someone else that clearly loves The Bards at least as much as I do is Italian Tolkien-inspired Power Metal mob RuinThrone. They love them so much they’ve essentially wrote “Nightfall In Middle Earth” again. Is it as good as that cast-iron classic? No, of course not! However, the results are actually a lot stronger than one might expect.

I must confess this album was originally floated as an option when Simon Black decided to punish Dark Juan for never following the review template, the idea being that we’ll give him something that sucks to review every time he goes rogue, which speaking as someone that helps out with the proofing on the website is A LOT! Seriously you should see the stuff we have to take out. In fact, no – you really shouldn’t. In the end it fell to another band to incur the wrath of one of his terrifying rants, because dear reader, I checked out two tracks from this album and I thought they were GREAT!

Although the whole album does not quite match these sonic levels, there’s loads of stuff to enjoy here and the band shows genuine potential of growing into a formidable force in the world of ‘Power Metal that I can tolerate’. The first big plus is the almost unheard-of use to big nasty seven string guitars. The genre is not known for its low-end grooves and crushing riffs but that’s exactly what we get here. “The Dreamweaver” (Full marks for unintentionally reminding me of Garth Marenghi) is so heavy and chunky you could fashion a Yorkie bar out of it, as theatrical, layered vocals collide with pure muscular audio beef. In addition, it could well be the only Power Metal song to feature a beatdown stinky enough to crowdkill a goblin.

I am also a big fan of the use of harsh vocals employed throughout, particularly when late album rager ‘The Eldest’ kicks into gear. They’re certainly not the first band in the genre to add guttural snarls to the florid sheen of fantastical Metal, but it’s definitely one of the more successful examples and gives and extra punch to the more intense sections thanks to the proficiency of the performance (there’s nothing more cringy than weak harsh vocals) and the fact that band don’t go to the well to often

Production-wise things are highly impressive as well, with each composition sounding suitably cinematic, particularly the chunky late album epic ‘For Those Who Remain’ which feels like a whole orchestra getting chucked at you by an angry cave troll. This is all the more impressive as you’ve got to think this band have nowhere near the budget of your big Symphonic Nuclear Blast type bands. The only aspect that makes things sound a little less grandiose in places is the choice of keyboard tones here and there, which sound a little too dated for my tastes, but again this is a sonic choice rather than a budgetary constraint. ‘In Penumbria’ in particular goes far too early Dream Theater to my ears during the solo section, but hey, different strokes different… I don’t know, orcs or something. I can’t just pull these fantasy references out my arse forever guys, I should be reviewing some French band that sounds like Madball instead of this.

Vocally Haedus puts a real shift in, moving between raspy storyteller and mournful minstrel all the way to growling beast. Despite an admirable attempt to diversify his approach though, the Hansi influence is plain as day in the layered vocals and dramatic growls. This can only ever draw unfavourable comparisons, and sometimes he really doesn’t stick the landing and ends up sounding like Louis Armstrong. Which is hilarious but probably not what the band were shooting for.

To be fair if we hadn’t had a frankly spectacular Blind Guardian album within the last 4 months, I’d probably be a lot higher on this one. As it stands though, this is great craic for the majority of the run time and I’d definitely be up for checking out the next one.

‘Earendil’ Official Music video

TRACKLISTING:
01. Prologue
02. The Dreamweaver
03. I Am The Night
04. Earendil
05. The Past Is Yet To Come
06. Where The Wise Men Stop
07. In Penumbra
08. The Eldest
09. Blessed By Loneliness
10. For Those Who Remain
11. Where You Belong

LINE-UP:
Vocals – Haedus
Drums – Francesco Comerci
Guitar – Nicolò de Maria
Guitar – Luca Grossi
Bass – Alessandro Finocchiaro
Keyboard – Giorgio Mannucci

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rory Bentley 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 Scream Collision

EMQ’s With Scream Collision

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Greek Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal band, Scream Collision. Huge thanks to them 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?

We are Scream Collision. Our music has been influenced by different genres of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal and this is why we cannot answer easily on what we play. But we put ourselves into Melodic Rock and Heavy Metal with some Progressive elements. The band was formed in 2017. From the first line up there are two members. Giannis Pantelaios (vocals) and Johnie Chorianopoulos (guitars). Evgenios Diamantidis (bass guitar) had collaborated with Johnie Chorianopoulos in another band, and he became a member of the band in 2018. Georgios Christodoulou (keyboards) joined the band in early 2019. Finally George Labrakos (drums) who also had collaborated with Johnie Chorianopoulos in another band, joined the group in 2019.

How did you come up with your band name?

The truth is that the name of the band came to us by chance. We were looking for a name, we had so many different ideas, and we decided that this name was the best for us.

What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?

We are from Greece and all of us we live in Athens, except George Labrakos who lives in Patra (a city, 2 hours drive, from Athens). Here in Greece there is a strong Metal fanbase and also there are many good bands, like 6 For 9, Innerwish, Diviner, V.I.C., Rotting Christ and also older bands like Socrates… We could go on and on…

What is your latest release?

Our latest release is our debut album “Memories” released on May of 2021. Also, we released on January of 2022 a music video clip of the first song of the Album, called ‘Mess Inside My Head (Memories)’.

Who have been your greatest influences?

We believe that we have been inspired by many bands, since each one of our members has different influences. Some of the bands that we believe they inspired us the most, are Guns ‘N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd, Savatage and Socrates.

What first got you into music?

Passion, the need of creativity and pure love for music.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

Every new musician wants to feature with an artist that he admires and gets inspired. So, we would like to collaborate, with all these artists that inspired us to compose our music.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

There are so many great festivals around the globe and it’s hard to decide. The only thing that we want, is to perform. We just want to play our music live and share it with our fans.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

Fortunately, or not, we didn’t have any weird reactions, gifts or requests from our fans.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Don’t lose your hope and chase your dreams, no matter how difficult they are. Don’t let anything and anyone stop you. Stay strong and keep rocking.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

That’s a difficult question, because we can’t choose just one. Each one of the band members has his own personal pick for this question. Can you choose for example between John Lord, Ronnie James Dio and Lemmy? We guess not….

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

Having the opportunity to express yourself and be creative with music is a blessing. We cannot say that we hate something on being a musician. Of course, there are difficulties but not that we hate something.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

To give to new bands more opportunities to be well known.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

We think that would be “The Wall” – Pink Floyd.

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

For sure download is the easiest way, but we would prefer vinyl.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

Each one of our gigs was special, especially if you consider that things during the pandemic and at least a few months before were very difficult for live performances. So, every gig is great, because we have the chance to be close with our fans.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

We can’t imagine ourselves without music.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

John Lord, Bruce Dickinson, Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Harris and Mike Portnoy.

What’s next for the band?

Right now we are about to play on 18^th of February in Athens with Ryan Roxie (guitarist of Alice Cooper). Also, we are in the process writing songs for our next album. More gigs to come also!

What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

https://linktr.ee/screamcollision

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thank you for this interview. We would like to wish to everyone, happy new year. Keep rocking!!!!

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of 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 SlowKiss

EMQ’s With SlowKiss

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Chilean Alternative band, SlowKiss. Huge thanks to their Guitarist/ Vocalist, Elisa, 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?

Elisa. I play guitar and sing in SlowKiss.I formed the band in 2014 and since then we haven’t stopped making noise. We are an independent Alternative band totally DIY. We have several records, videos and live sessions. We’ve also done our first tours in the USA and Europe and played at some festivals and mythical venues. Soon we’ll release our new album “K.O.” and be back on tour to Europe in spring-summer.

How did you come up with your band name?

Over there in 2014 I was having a romance where we gave each other kisses that stopped time.

What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?

Chile, South America. We have a fairly large underground Rock and Metal scene but very few spaces and poor infrastructure, it’s all very precarious but Rock always persists.

What is your latest release?

Ballerina from our last record Patio 29, after we also made a few live sessions.

Who have been your greatest influences?

In life our mothers and the women of effort who knew how to raise us with love in this world full of hate and injustice. In music to the countless great artists who have inspired us, musicalised our lives and made us not feel so misunderstood in the world.

What first got you into music?

In my case, I think my mother was the one who encouraged me to develop my talent that she was able to notice since I was very little.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

The Cure.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Super difficult question, lately there are so many festivals that I wouldn’t know which one to choose. But I just saw on Instagram a bunch of bands that I follow that are going to play at Rockville in Daytona, the line-up looks amazing!

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

At the moment, I don’t think I have received something so strange, our fans are very cool people, sometimes they give us records and also marijuana that they know we like so much. Oh! I just remembered one time that I almost cried with the gift of one of our oldest fans Jani from Finland who sent us a SlowKiss vinyl made by him, he chose the photos and did everything. We didn’t even have vinyl yet. It was something really beautiful.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Be brave, trust and don’t let anyone tell you how to be or what to do. You have the answers.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

The first person that crosses my mind is Joey Ramone, but on second thought I wouldn’t want to bring anyone back to this chaos, they must be much better off on the other side.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

Having the opportunity to connect deeply with people who are feeling the same as you and who can be anywhere in the world. What I don’t like so much is the thanklessness of the profession, the little security for your future and the immense work that you have to do to get ahead.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

The manipulation of the media, the lousy regulation of digital platforms for the artists earnings and the extreme sexualisation of women in the mainstream. Sorry I said 3.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Ok, only one? “White Pony” – Deftones.

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

Vinyl. For many reasons, the depth and warmth of the sound and the beauty of the object with the art and design of the album in large size <3

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

Lollapalooza Chile 2022. Completely epic sharing stage with artists like Marky Ramone, The Strokes, Turnstile, Idles, Alexis on fire and the penultimate Foo Fighters show with Taylor Hawkins 🙁

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

It maybe sounds cliché, but I’ve been in music all my life. It makes me sad to think of leaving her. Sometimes it’s inevitable to want to give up but I don’t think I could dedicate myself to anything else and be happy. Maybe I could live in a place near the sea and try to have a self-sustaining life.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Amy Taylor (Amyl and the Sniffers), Courtney Love, Kim Gordon, Shirley Manson and Nina Hagen. It would be more like a coven than a dinner ha ha.

What’s next for the band?

The release of N.O.C.G.A advance single of our new album K.O. and a new European tour in spring summer 23′.

What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people? Please include any links

Our favourites are:
www.instagram.com/slowkissband,
https://slowkiss.bandcamp.com,
https://www.facebook.com/slowkissband
https://www.youtube.com/c/Slowkissband

Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?

A bagel? nom!

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thanks to the magazine for continuing supporting heavy rock, more media like this are needed! Greetings to our future audience, we eagerly invite you to get to know us through your favourite digital platforms and we hope to be playing live for you soon.

Hugs to all the girls in music!